Little Miss Perfect | Neteyam¹

Prologue

Italicize - someone's thoughts or a story from the past

Bold - sign language

Before the return of the Sky people, Marali had never been one to shy away from a challenge. Accepting challenges and proving Na'vi, who thought that Norm shouldn't be the one to raise her wrong, was expected of her. But with constant raids, the fear of being taken by the sky people, and the smell of death everywhere around her, the girl had to become more cautious. The young Na'vi girl no longer only had herself to think of. With the sky people returning, Marali had an order given from Jake, the Olo'ekytan.

She still remembers the conservation as clear as day.

Marali was out exploring her new home. She had been to the Hallelujah Mountains before, but to live in them was something completely different.

The girl stood on the ledge of the Mountain and looked at nature from below. It was beautiful to see it from above and even more enthralling to be down in the forest. She would do anything to feel the grass beneath her feet right now.

The forest had always been her home. She loved when she could explore and observe the wide variety of plants and animals that inhabited Pandora. Her favorite thing to do was fly over the forest on her ikran at night and see the bioluminescence. Nothing would ever be able to top the feeling of the cool breeze whipping through her hair. It was a way for Marali to escape everything. It was a way to escape the pressure of having to be perfect.

She knew she was not perfect. No one was. But sometimes, it all got to be too much, she just wished for everyone to stop and think of her for a second. The girl had always done everything asked of her, and for once, she wished that someone would hear her silent pleas for help, her silent pleas to be given at least one day to rest, to be a kid again.

The girl often felt like she was drowning, and she wasn't strong enough to swim back up for air. These feelings were foreign to her. She thought they were normal and everyone experienced them, so she never said anything. Her father was already busy assisting Jake with plans of how to deal with the sky people, but right now, her feelings were irrelevant. At least, that's what she told herself.

As Marali continued to get lost in her thoughts and surroundings, her ears twitched, signifying that someone was approaching.

She looked over to see Neteyam approaching her, and she cursed her heart for stupidly skipping a beat. While the girl would love to just stand there and admire the boy as he walked over, she knew this would only enrage him. Instead, she rolled her eyes at him and continued to look at what she was looking at before.

Marali knew he hated her, and it broke her heart to see that he despised her, but she would never let him see it, she would never let him see her cry. Rather, the girl decided she would play his game. She would mask her love for hate and protect her heart. Once again, turning everything the two had done into a competition.

The two teens had been in one of the biggest rivalries since Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. They were always in competition with each other, always trying to outdo each other, proving they were the best.

"My father wants to speak with you," Neteyam says, looking annoyed. Marali just nods her head and walks toward the Olo'eyktan's tent. She walks past the boy and slightly nudges his shoulder, earning a scoff from him.

As she made her way to Jake and Neytiri's tent, she could feel Neteyam's gaze on her back. The girl decided to ignore it, not having the energy to get into another one of the arguments the two often found themselves in. Instead, she decided to pick up her pace as a way to disregard the glare on her back.