✘ : 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 | 𝐥. 𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 : ➞

02

𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨,
𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙚'𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡.

—

EVERYBODY IS SILENT for longer than I'd like. Then, I am tackled to the ground.

"Who the hell are you?!" A voice speaks, but before I can talk a knife is stuck to my throat, digging into my skin. I squeal.

"Lo'ak, wait!" Spider jumps forward, "don't hurt her!"

"Why shouldn't I?" The boy, Lo'ak, says, digging the knife further into my skin. I squirm, trying to push him off, but the force is no match for his Na'vi strength as he can hold me down as if I'm only a feather.

He inhaled, "Because she's my sister. Just listen-" Spider pleads. Lo'aks head snaps toward him, and his hand weakens. I take a gasp of air once the pressure is off my neck, and sigh in relief.

"What?" He says, almost more enraged by Spiders words than before. Lo'ak tightens his grip on the knife and onto my neck, his eyes trained on Spider. I feel it nick my skin, and force back a whimper, the warmth of my blood trailing down my neck.

"Sister? What do you mean?" A female Na'vi grabs Spider's shoulder, who I identify to be Kiri.

"Can everybody just calm down, please?!" Max yells over the commotion, "I can explain, alright? Just.. chill out. And will you get off of her, Lo'ak?" He sighs.

Lo'ak looks back to me, realizing he still had me pinned to the ground. My heart stops as he did, fear coursing through me. His eyes narrow, "fine," he says, before he pushed off of me. "But if she tries anything-"

"What do you think I could possibly do?" I scowl, propping myself up on my elbows as I looked over the room. The two Na'vi were staring at me in shock, still processing my mere existence.

"I don't know. I don't know you, or trust you, or believe-"

"Lo'ak, do us all a favour and shut up." Spider groans. "Just hear us out."

Spider turns to Max, cocking his head as if to tell him to explain. I feel for the blood on my skin, peering to my fingers once I did.

I remembered seeing my own blood when I scraped my knee as a kid. It felt weird to see this much, though.

I winced, the sting tingling through my skin like fireworks.

Lo'ak turns to me, his gaze softening as he realizes what he had done, lending out a hand to help me up. I move to take it, but hesitate, smacking it away and pushing myself up.

He scoffs as I do. I open my mouth to speak, but Max beats me to it.

"Don't say anything you'll regret, Esme." He gives me a look, softly hinting to the situation from earlier. I frown, looking away in shame.

"Okay." I whisper.

"Could someone please explain what's going on?" Kiri asks, "who is she? Why is she here?"

Max inhales, and rubs his eyes, "look, I didn't know that I'd have to explain this so soon, but.. as Spider said before, they are siblings." He says, "she has been living inside this lab since the rest of the RDA left."

"But why hide her? I don't see much of a difference from her and Spider. Why wasn't she been out with him?" Kiri asks, mostly curiously than accusatory.

"That's what I've been saying." I mutter under my breath, kicking something on the floor with my foot.

"Not the time, Esme." Max says as he gives me a knowing look. I fight the urge to roll my eyes. "It's.. a lot to explain, alright? And not for your ears to hear." He pointed to Lo'ak and Kiri.

Lo'ak scowls. "Why not? We deserve to know. I mean, for all we know she's still with the RDA." He steps forward, throwing an arm toward me.

"How would I even communicate with them, dipshit?" I narrow my eyes, placing my hands on my hips, "I'm as much with you as Spider is. The only difference between us is.. I was kept secret for some godforsaken reason."

"Probably for a reason," he turns toward me, his tail lashing behind him, "maybe you're some RDA weapon sent to kill us all."

I scoff, "okay, cmon, you can't possibly think that. Look at me," I gesture to myself, "do I look like a weapon to you?"

He narrows his eyes, and looks me over. "Psh," he turns away, his ears pinned to the sides of his head, "whatever."

"Right." I say matter-of-factly, crossing my arms on my chest instead.

Kiri gives an deadpan look to us both. Lo'ak shrugs, his eyes widening as if to say, "what?"

"Are you done now?" Spider says, irritation loud in his tone.

Silence fills the room.

I shift on my feet.

Max stands.

"I will explain everything soon, alright?" He fixes his glasses, "but for now.. don't mention anything to your parents. That.. will take a while for them to understand."

"You want us to lie?" Kiri says, "why would we do that?"

"Kiri, please." Spider pleads, "I know you don't like to lie, but just this once. For me, for Max and Norm."

Forgot me, I think but I do not say. I am used to this by now. I am always forgotten because I only exist to three people.

Five now.

Kiri inhales, her brows furrowing. I do not think she would make a good liar. She thinks with her facial expressions. I can tell in her eyes she is uneasy, and thinking about if she is going to agree. Her eyes soften which tell me she has made a decision.

"Okay." She says, her nose twitching.

Spider gives her a smile. I wonder why he is so soft with her, but then again, he is my brother so he is bound to be aggressive to me.

Spider turns toward the blue boy beside him, "Lo'ak?" He says, looking at him expectantly.

Lo'ak shifts on his feet, his cheek twitching. "Fine. I won't say anything. On one condition," he turns to me.

"And what's that?" I say, tilting my head.

His hand opens toward me, his palm facing up. He is glaring at me so harshly I am sure that if I move he would cut me in half.

His pale yellow eyes are frightening, and make me freeze in my place. I am drawn back into reality when he opens his mouth to speak,

"You give me my fucking knife back."

Oh. He caught me.

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happy new years!
— scotia