Kailua tries to erase the memories from the Sully boys; endangering both her and their lives. She later bonds with the other special girl; who goes by Kiri.

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playlist/0ypdkGuQnq83SSSw5JmJzU?si=7f1d8bcb8bf44408
Bad Parents, Like I Can & Die Young
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The plan worked so well until it didn't. She'd swum off, non-verbally inviting the Sully boys along. First, she stood. Then she grinned. "I dunno about you guys, but I'm beat. I'm going for a swim to cool myself off," It was a 50/50 chance really; either they agreed with her and went for a swim, or they agreed with her and went for a nap.

Luckily, as she peered from around a rock, she saw they chose the former and cool their limbs off. They poked their heads under the surf with a wave. She grinned and waved them down.

The guilt was raging incredibly strong inside her body, twisting her organs painfully. Eywa, why did her mother have to be so strict with this ability of hers? Surely the Sully family would find out in the end anyway? Why did it matter when? But alas; the anger of two teenage boys was much easier to take over her mother's anger. She'd choose the boys over her mother's temper any day of the week.

They swam down, cheeks puffed out with air. Kailua giggled softly, pointing to her cheeks. You look like an Ilu after hunting season. She signed, grinning. Lo'ak and Neteyam shrugged as they exchanged a look. Kailua shook her head at them before glancing around. Come with me. She signed.

Even though she was going to remove this memory from them, she had to make their experience worth it. She swam off to her "spot" just before the edge of the reef. Far enough out to avoid most clan members unless they were looking for her.

She had to pause frequently for the boys to catch their breath above the water. Sure, you could swim to it without going under, but the waves this close to the reef could sometimes be unpredictable, and it was safer to just hold your breath for longer.

They finally hit the reef barrier. Kailua swam upward to meet the boys, both of whom were panting heavily. "It's a long breath hold, but I promise you it's worth it," Lo'ak seemed eager to explore, while Neteyam seemed cautious. "It's safe?" Kailua nearly winced. "I'm not my brother; I don't wish to see you suffer needlessly. It's safe. The only problem is the breath hold. It's long, long enough for some of our clan members to struggle with sometimes." Neteyam's shoulders squared up. "Let's do it,"

They did struggle. A lot. Kailua was fine, what with being able to breathe underwater, but even Tsireya struggled in getting to her secret hideaway.

And she was a breathing instructor to the younger children.

Kailua made her decision there and then of what she'd do. She swam ahead, clambering out of the water to sit on the cave's rocky floor. She took a deep breath and held her hand against the still surface of the water. Slowly, it began to harden. Not with ice; no. Her abilities didn't extend that far. But she could block the water; prevent it from continuing on its endless path and from letting people in or out. She ducked down, hiding her face from view.

She peered over the edge, waiting for the forest boys to appear. They took a little longer than she initially thought, but finally, around two minutes later, she caught sight of their darker skin and amber eyes. She inhaled shakily and looked away, unable to watch as her kinda friends choked on the lack of oxygen.

She hummed her songcord shakily, hoping the sound would drown out their frustrated bubbles and muffled shouts and grunts. It took a while, which did surprise her a little. But sure enough, after singing her songcord four times, the grunts and shouts stopped. She relinquished her hold on the ocean, slumping in relief.

The blood rushed to her head, sending her ears into a cotton field. She reached over and hauled the Sully boys out; thankful they were unconscious. She pressed a finger to their necks, sighing in relief when their hearts pumped; slowly, but nevertheless.

She reached for Lo'ak first. His breath-holding was better than his brothers; which usually meant they woke up faster. She took a deep breath and pressed her finger to his forehead.

The process of removing one's memory is painful for all; especially for the poor victim. The remover, Kailua in this instance, almost always passed out afterwards. She kept a foot in the water; it somewhat helped to bide her more time to remove the memory. With a groan of exertion, Kailua collapsed backwards, near on spent. She pressed a finger to Lo'ak's neck, sighing in relief when it pumped below her finger. She lowered herself into the water for a moment, taking the time to reenergize. With a hum, she called upon two Gill Mantles.

With a groan of frustration, she hauled herself out and began to work on Neteyam.

Just as she finished, the Gill Mantles arrived. She crawled pitifully toward the edge of the floor and allowed herself to fall into the warm embrace of her second mother. She ran a hand down the Gill Mantles, clicking softly. She pulled herself out of the water once more, the quick dip having given her enough energy for a small task. She grabbed the brothers by their arms and dragged them in, mumbling apologies as, no doubt, the rocky floor scraped their backs up something chronic. She connected Lo'ak's queue to the first Gill Mantle first. He shot awake, but not awake. The Gill Mantle secured itself around his shoulders, submerging in the water. She repeated the same for Neteyam, dropping into the water herself.

She grabbed their arms and began swimming away from her special place, feeling stronger by the second. Kailua knew the second she left the comforting arms of the ocean, the effects of removing not one, but two fresh memories, would take its toll. She wouldn't be surprised if she passed out from it.

It wouldn't be the first time Kailua had overexerted herself in her abilities before, and she severely doubted it'd be the last. As she came to the teaching rocks, she swam up to the surface. She thanked the Gill Mantles gratefully, stroking them once more and disconnecting Lo'ak and Neteyam's queues. She made sure to keep their heads above water and looked around.

"Help me! Help!" She shouted. A few nearby swimmers raced over.

"What happened?"
"Are those the Sully boys?"
"Are they injured?"
"What did you do?"
"Are they ok?"

Kailua faked distress. "I don't know! I was swimming and found them floating nearby! I can feel a pulse, and can't see any injuries, so I think they're ok. But I can't get them back by myself!" She cried. Tipoxi gave a single nod. "Rigloxín, you take the oldest. Ahoueng, you take the youngest. I'll help Kailua," Rigloxín was Rotxo's older sister, and much like him, took her duty very seriously. She nodded and began to swim off with Neteyam. Ahoueng was Tipoxi's son and Kailua's cousin. Tipoxi was her father's brother if that wasn't clear. Tipoxi swam alongside her, looking curious while Ahoueng swam off with Lo'ak.

"What is it, uncle?" She asked softly. The effects of the memory removal were already taking hold, and she was only partly out of the water. "Something isn't right. I don't know what... but you're... well... you. There's no way those boys are brave, or foolish enough, to venture out far enough where you would find them." Kailua shrugged. "Like I said, I was swimming. I found them pretty close to the teaching rock. Tsireya was teaching them breath control there a few days ago."

Tipoxi hummed dubiously. "Mm-hmm." But thankfully, he said no further. There was a commotion at the beach, Toruk Makto and his mate, Neytiri, fawning over the boys stirring forms. They likely wouldn't wake up for several hours after a memory removal. As was no surprise, as soon as Kailua's feet hit dry land, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she passed out quickly.