After Erik came Sean, the misanthrope, Kristoffer, the blonde, and Daniel, the stout one with messy black hair. Although, of course, they looked completely different as Na'vi. Except Daniel... He was still kind of stout. Kristoffer's Na'vi was very lanky and had almost a feminine figure. Then there was Sean. His body was highly toned in a way that his human one never was. I looked away from him with intention lest I be tempted to study him.
"Heya, guys! Long time no see!" Augustine waltzed gracefully over. Her avatar was beautiful, busty, and elegant. The others were shooting her grimaces. She snorted. "I had to let you piggies go first. Don't be all snooty with me now." She brushed past the men and came to my side. "At least you're here, right? I had plenty of other willing little piggies to choose from, but I hand-picked you assholes." They seemed defeated. She grabbed my shoulder. "Ready, champ?"
"Yes, ma'am!" I chimed. Unbeknownst to me, Erik chuckling happily to himself at my enthusiasm. Something about him was... different from every man I had met so far.
With a clap on the shoulder, we all made for the massive straw hut that had been erected at the far end of the site. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the compound. The hut was filled wall-to-wall with twin-sized cots. Apparently it was the first fully completed part of the Avatar training program area. In the near future, there would be tons of facilities available designed to advance our bodies' potentials. Climbing facilities, treadmills, gardens, and sports fields all designed with Na'vi in mind. (Rhyme unintended, I assure you. I loathe English...)
That evening, we all lay down in our bunks to sleep. If our Na'vi were asleep, we would reconnect to our human bodies. It was the safest way to assure no neurological signals would be lost. The men were on one side and the women were on the other. Augustine locked it down to assure that nothing would get inside and destroy the bodies in the night. Her bed was next to mine. When she finally came and plunged into her mattress, she rolled onto her side facing me.
"So?" She asked.
"... So?"
"So what do you think?" This, I had to ponder. The whole situation was so unfamiliar that it was difficult to say. I wound my thick hair round and round my fingers.
"It's... amazing. But at the same time, I feel detached, you know? I feel like I can never truly understand this body unless I'm out there really experiencing it." She raised her eyebrows as I said this.
"You know how dangerous it is out there, and yet you're itching to go?" Incredulous.
"Yeah, kind of." It was blunt, but true. How could I learn to understand life if I wasn't a part of it? At first, she said nothing. Her brow furrowed and she tapped her fingers on her mattress. I was worried that I had offended her. While normally, my concern for someone's opinion wouldn't necessarily be an issue, I liked her. She represented to me an empowered woman. Brilliant, eloquent, and pretty, she represented everything I wanted to be. She personified a dream that I knew I could never have, but I could live it through her, were we close enough. Then, as if out of nowhere, she sprung to her feet.
"Let's go then." She hissed. I was disturbed.
"What?" I looked around to be sure the others weren't watching. Unfortunately, the one I liked the least was. "Are you crazy? We have no idea what's out there!" I may have been thinking of it, but I wasn't stupid enough to actually do it.
Hushed voice, but still excited. "Let's do it. You and I can be the first people to go out there as our Avatar selves. Plus, I'm dying to get a stab at those plants (literally, heh) and I'm sure you want to see some wildlife." She gazed desparately at me, seeking my motherly approval for her to snatch up all the candy in sight. Statistics argued heavily against our ability to survive. Fucking hell. Why am I even thinking about this? Her eyes were even beginning to brim with artificial tears.
"How would we get back?"
"That's my girl." She yanked me to my feet and pulled me to the door, grabbing the key on the way. The latch turned with a click. Left to right, there was no one. She beckoned me forward. I can't believe I'm doing this. We skittered off into the woods, careful to shut the door (although it was impossible to lock because one had to do so from the inside). It was incredibly bright for a dark evening. My body glowed with the same natural luminescence as the plants, although each one possessed different vibrant colours. Patterns lacing and inter-lacing. It was unbelievable. To Augustine, it was heaven. She was already crouched on the ground inspecting root structures. I chuckled. Making sure we were still within sight of the hut, I stepped a few paces away from her into the underbrush.
The sounds of the forest were deafening, especially with my new ears. I was so absorbed with my surroundings I didn't notice that someone was lurking less than two feet away.
