That was then, this is now.
CHAPTER FOUR
I’ve always hated surprises. Surprises left you vulnerable. Of course with my luck I’m surprised with my old family happening to visit to Metkayina the same time my new family and I are here to sign the peace treaty. What were they doing here anyway? Why weren’t they back in the forest? What had happened?
I’ve seen the looks they've been giving me, especially my old father and Neteyam. The latter of whom I missed so much, too much for me to handle at times. I’ve been doing my best to avoid them all, pretending I don’t know them but I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep it up.
I attempt to stop focusing on that, and help Tanhí with his Ilu but my mind keeps going back to the day I left and I can constantly feel Neteyam and Kiri’s eyes on me. It looks like the baby Mama was carrying had been born, I heard Kiri call her Tuk I’m pretty sure. I wonder if she knows who I am.
Tanhí plays with Tuk and her Ilu, then Kiri and Eza talk quietly with Aonung and Tsireya. There are lots of pretty girls in the Txur'Itan clan, but I’ve never seen anyone as pretty as Tsireya. She’s gorgeous.
I’m snapped out of my thoughts when Neteyam grabs my arm. I turn to look at him and he looks nervous. More nervous than I’ve ever seen him. He opens his mouth like he was about to speak but no words come out.
“Hey, long time no see.” I say, trying to make this conversation less awkward.
It doesn’t work.
Neteyam gets visibly upset, “Really? That’s all you have to say? After all this time?”
I don’t really know how to respond to that so I try to direct the conversation away from my leaving. “The weather’s nice here, cold but nice.”
He smiles, but I can’t tell if it’s an “You’re so stupid” type of smile or a genuine one. Then, he gets serious again, “Why’d you never come back?” He asked.
“Just didn’t want to.” I shrugged, which was partially true. It was also partially because I didn’t know if I’d be allowed back and because I knew if I did come back my parents would have grounded me for the rest of my life.
Neteyam was going to say something but was cut off again, this time by my mom. “Kids,” she called out to us, “Come help settle in.”
Tanhí and Tuk said their goodbyes, as did Eza and her group. I looked at Neteyam, who I could tell was upset that I was leaving, I knew we’d have to talk sooner or later. “I’ll talk to you about it tomorrow, okay Teyam?” I asked him, using an old nickname I used to call to try and get him to let me leave without looking disappointed the way he did.
“Fine,” he agreed, “But you should talk to mom and dad soon too.” I’d never called my old parents Mom and Dad. Mom was always Mama (don’t judge me I was like nine), and Dad was Papa, though he insisted me and Neteyam call him “Sir”.
I smiled and shook my head, “I’ll see you later, bro.” Then got out of the water and followed my mom and the others to the hut we would be staying in.
While Eza and Tanhí were on the other side of the hut Mom whispered to me. “I’m assuming the forest people know you?” She asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.
“They’re my old family, the one before I met you all.” I whispered to her.
I didn’t know what exactly, but something about her eyes shifted. She said nothing and nodded then continued doing what she was doing.
By the time we were done, it was dark. There would be no bonfire tonight. No celebration, no food, no dancing, nothing. It made me sad to think that we were to stay here for two weeks to work out details of our clan's allyship, I was homesick.
Dad had returned a while ago. We left the hut together, it was the emptiest I’d ever seen the Metkayina clan. The only people out were the fisherman, Tonowari and Ronal, and then Jake and Neytiri. (I decided while settling in that calling them by their first names would be better, to avoid confusion.)
While my parents had begun talking to Ronal and Tonowari, Jake came up to me, Neytiri behind him. Neytiri rushed before him though and hugged me, I could see my mom out the corner of my eye side-eyeing Neytiri so I pulled away from the plug.
Neytiri looked hurt and confused. I had always regretted not saying goodbye to her. I should have.
“Lo’ak?” She asked, still wondering why I had pulled away from her.
I was going to say something, I don’t really know what, but something before my dad came over, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“Ah, Hello Sullys, I see you’ve met my son.” He said.
“Your son?” Neytiri snapped. “He is not your son.”
Then mom came over, putting herself between Neytiri and my father and I. “He is our son. We raised him, he’s ours.”
Neytiri looked at me, I could see it in her eyes that she was wishing I would go against my parents and claim her as my one and only mother. But I couldn’t do that to my mom.
So I tried to do the next best thing and calm everyone down. I tried to pull my mom by the arm to my side but she wouldn’t budge.
I could see the exchanged look between my father and Jake, it was as if they were daring the other to say something first. Of course, my dad took the challenge.
“You may have been the ones to give him life but we did everything else a parent is supposed to do. He is our son,” he looked at mom then me, “but, Lo’ak, if you want a relationship with your past family, your mother and I will not stand in your way.”
I could tell that my mom had absolutely not agreed to this but was going along with it anyway, hoping I would say no.
“This is ridiculous.“ Jake started, “We’re his-“
I cut him off, “I want to reconnect with Neytiri and my siblings.”
I couldn’t bring myself to look at Jake, but I already knew the shocked expression he’d be wearing.