Little Miss Perfect | Neteyam¹

Chapter 36: Silent Treatment

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

Bold - sign language 

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Kiri mumbled.

Marali couldn't believe what had just happened. Spider saved Quartich. The man who had been after Jake and his family since those demons came back to the Na'vi people's home. How could he do something like that? She didn't understand. Marali had never held any of the horrible things the Sky people did against him as Neytiri did. She knew that it wasn't his fault.

Kiri and Marali continued to storm away from the pod as Lo'ak and Neteyam followed closely behind them. "I don't know, but he better not even think of coming near me," Marali snapped as she finally found a good spot on the sand to plop down on.

After Marali sat down, the rest of the teenagers followed her actions, and they all sat facing each other. "I don't understand why he did it," Lo'ak sighed as he glanced at the rest of the group to see if they had any answers.

"I don't care why he did it, and I certainly don't want to understand either," Marali snapped before she took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Lo'ak." She whispered, and Lo'ak told her that it was okay.

Everyone sat in silence as they either looked at each other or at the ground in front of them. Neteyam had been silent the entire time, and Marali thought it would be a good idea to ask him for his opinion on the matter.

"What do you think, Neteyam?" Marali asked.

"About what?" Neteyam questioned, confused.

"About Spider saving Quartich," She said in a duh tone.

Neteyam sat in silence as he contemplated the best way to handle the situation. Of course, he had been angry with Spider, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon, however, there was a small part of him that understood. Spider had never had a parental figure growing up, so he was going to pounce on the first person who would step up to the plate.

The human boy had also never experienced the love that the Na'vi considered a right of passage, no matter if he had biological parents or not. It was understandable to Neteyam that Spider wouldn't care what kind of attention he was receiving from the person he considered to be as close to his father as he was going to get.

His actions were despicable and inexcusable, but they weren't unexplainable. Spider just wanted to feel love. He wanted to feel wanted, and Quartich made him feel wanted. Sure, Quartich's love may have been toxic, but it was still love nonetheless.

"I think that he made a stupid mistake," Neteyam started, and everyone nodded their heads in agreement, "But I don't think that we should never speak to him again because of it," He sighed.

"Are you defending him?" Marali asked, bewildered.

"Mari, you have to understand-"

"I don't have to understand anything, Nete," She snapped, and Neteyam rolled his eyes.

"Mari," Neteyam warned, and she sighed before she gave him a look that meant to continue. "Fine," She said begrudgingly.

"Spider doesn't have any parents," Neteyam said, looking around at everyone. "I mean, we are lucky to have Mom and Dad to love us. And Mari, you're lucky to have Norm to love you. But who loves Spider?" Neteyam asked.

"We do," Kiri said with confidence.

"But we love him like a friend or a sibling. We don't love him as a son; we don't love him as a parent would," Neteyam said. "We can't give him the type of love he wants, the type of love he needs, the type he craves," He reasoned.