Chapter 19

Lo'ak

"Are we there yet?" That was Tuk. From the corner of his eye, Lo'ak could see her leaning against Kiri's back, her legs dragging loosely in the water, creating little lines behind her. They were almost out of water, surely almost out of food, and Lo'ak had no idea where they were or where they were going.

But he wasn't going to tell them that. No, Lo'ak would keep pushing through until there was no more "through" to push. They were strong; they had all been through more than a simple trek through wide, open deep blue water…

He had to stay focused.

"Are we there yet?" Tuk whined again.

"We will get there when we get there," Lo'ak snapped.

Tsireya eyed him beside her brother but sped up on her ilu to catch up with Kiri, Spider, Tuk, and Rotxo. It was Ao'nung who closed in on Lo'ak. He whispered.

"Yo, friend," another slang he got from the Suli kids; he was picking up on it faster than his sister was. "For real, where are we going." When Lo'ak didn't so much as look at him, Ao'nung said, "You don't have a single idea where we are going, do you?"

Lo'ak shot a look at him. His hackles raised. "Mind the business that pays you," he said before speeding forward on his ilu.

The sun was high in the sky at this point, and he could feel the sharp jabs of hunger turning into deafening stabs as the minutes ticked by. He could feel the cotton coat of thirst cover his tongue. He couldn't tell if his bitter mood was because of hunger, thirst, or how he had felt for the last three months.

He didn't care to find out.

The summer sun beat down on them like war drums, sweat coating their bodies, making their palms so slick it was an effort to hold on to the reigns of their ilus. Every once in a while, should they get too hot, they would stop and dive into the cool ocean for reprieve. Lo'ak would swim as far as he could downward, then stop, closing his eyes and letting the slight current of the sea pass over and above him. It was peaceful, the quiet. The dense nothingness of sound let his mind compress into a single point, much like the pressure of the sea, until he couldn't bother to think any thoughts. Just be.

When he couldn't hold his breath any longer, lest he wouldn't make it back to the surface in time to take his next breath, he would use his arms and shove the water down. He would kick and shove. Kick and shove until he could catch a current on its way to the surface, or he could reach it on his own. Then he would order his people back on their ilus, and they would continue their trek further north. Or south. Or east. Or west.

However, every once in a while, as he was coming from the deep darkness of the water, he'd swear he saw something darker lurk just out of his line of sight. But when he turned his head, he would be alone.

"Must be stress," he said to himself. His brother would have sometimes seen faces in random things when he was stressed, and his father would sometimes think he heard people call his name when he was stressed. But, still, Lo'ak could not shake off the feeling of being watched, even from above the surface.

"Lo'ak," Tuk whined again. He closed his eyes, trying so hard not to lose his mind out on these open waters. It wouldn't be a good look, not after Kiri…yeah, it just wouldn't be a good look. "I'm hungry."

"You ate this morning, Tuk," he said in a very hard calm voice.

"So?" Tuk snapped at him. "I'm hungry."

"Just wait until dinner."

"I just want a seaweed pack—"

"Dammit, Tuk," Lo'ak snapped, his voice grazing off the ocean in waves. He could almost hear an echo coming back to him. Tuk's eyes widened, and he could feel the eyes of the others burrowing holes in him. Lo'ak took a breath, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Here, Tuk," Tsireya handed her a half-eaten seaweed pack fished from the clamshell bag she took with her. "I was going to save this for a midday snack, but I think you need it more than I do."

Slowly, as if it would be snatched away from her as soon as she laid her fingers on it, Tuk took the pack from Tsireya. Lo'ak tried to meet his girlfriend's eyes to tell her he was grateful for her generosity, but she did not look at him. She just turned her head to face the skyline.

And they stayed like this for a while, in silence. Nothing but the lapping waves between them. Occasionally, Lo'ak would feel the hairs on his back stand up, and he would slow to a stop, letting the others travel forward to look around. Once, he thought he saw a dark shape float to the surface, but when he swam closer to the spot, it was gone.

"Yo, bro," That was Spider. He must have seen Lo'ak stop that last time and hung back. "What's good?" Lo'ak said nothing; there was nothing to say. What? Was he going to tell the human that he thought he saw some weird, dark dot following them? That every time he looked in that general direction, it was gone? He would think he was losing his mind. Not that it mattered what Spider thought. He could think a lot of shit, and Lo'ak would not give a single damn.

Humans didn't know anything about anything; he learned that.

Lo'ak turned his ilu around to get past Spider when a hand, cracked and small but mighty, grabbed his arm. Lo'ak looked down at the pale hand with blue stripes and then at the young man he once thought of as a friend. Heat flashed through him, and the place where Spider touched him felt like it was on fire. He wanted to rip his arm from him and shove the stupid boy into the water. He wanted to shout at him, demanding to know who he thought he was. He wanted to banish him back to the island and tell him to never engage with his family again.

But he couldn't. Either the words couldn't form, or Lo'ak didn't have the balls to do it. Either way, Spider held firm to his arm without signs of letting go.

"I'm trying to talk to you, and you keep ignoring me."

"Because I don't have anything to say." To you.

Spider looked around them, the others had stopped, but they were far enough away to know what was being said, even though they did stare at them. No one made a move to come pull the two young men apart.

"Listen, I'm just trying to help—"

"Stop helping. Stop trying," Lo'ak snapped, and he didn't feel bad about it. "Just…go find something to do."

Something sparked in Spider's eyes, and he let go of Lo'ak's arm. "You're a dick, you know that." When Lo'ak said nothing, Spider added, "We are friends. You and me. We are so close."

"I don't feel that anymore," Lo'ak said bluntly.

Spider stared at him, and if this were any other time in his life, Lo'ak would have felt bad for the words that came out of his mouth. His parents taught him better than that. His brother taught him better than that. But his brother was dead, and his parents were nowhere to be found, and it's been three months, and everything had changed…

Spider nodded once, pushing his ilu back to give Lo'ak some space.

"We are in the middle of nowhere, looking for people who didn't tell us where they were going for a reason," Spider said. "I know we are running out of food and water—that was why you didn't give Tuk any."

"Shut up—"

"I'm Human," Spider cut him off. "Not dumb," he then leaned in. "Just…turn back. We can make it home before we run out of food."

"We are not turning back," Lo'ak then added, pettily. "Well, maybe you should."

"Fuck you," Spider said harshly, silently.

Almost on a dime, as his father would say, Lo'ak watched in almost shock as Spider pivoted around and returned to the group. He didn't even stop to let Kiri comfort him.

And yet, Lo'ak felt nothing.

-two ours later-

It was when the sun was on the arc to the horizon line that the tense silence between the group broke. It was not from one of them, however. No, Lo'ak hadn't looked at either one of his friends and family or Spider. No one looked at him save from the swift glances he saw from the corners of his eyes. No one said anything to anyone; even little baby Tuk had stayed silent, leaning on Kiri as she drifted in and out of sleep.

No, what broke the silence between them was a single bubble directly in front of Rotxo. Lo'ak would have thought nothing of the bubble; it was the ocean, and bubbles formed. But Rotxo thought a lot about the bubble. He stopped dead in his tracks, refusing to move forward even though Tsireya and Ao'nung demanded, then begged him to do so.

"I am not moving," Rotxo said.

"We have to go!" Ao'nung called. "Come on!"

"No!"

"My goddess, Im going to lose it out here," Ao'nung rode his ilu over to his friend. "What is the actual problem? It's just a bubble."

"A single bubble."

"So?" That was Kiri.

Lo'ak noticed that when Rotxo addressed the ladies in the group, he was gentle with his words and tone. His father would say that made him a gentleman; Lo'ak just believed it made him a simp.

"What makes a single bubble in the ocean, Kiri?"

"Pressure," Spider said. "Gas." And when the group looked at him, his face flushed a deep red. "Scientists raised me."

Rotxo held his hands out pretty wide, his eyes even wider. "But a single bubble, a fat ass bubble, is weird." He was getting better at Human slang, too.

"First of all, it wasn't that big," Ao'nung corrected. "And second of all, who cares?"

"I care!"

"Rotxo, if you don't come on—" Lo'ak blocked the rest of Tsireya's words.

He blocked out the argument between the others. He blocked out the breeze and the smell of the ocean. He blocked out the sun and heat and the painful spite of hunger in his belly. He blocked out the entire world until it reached a single point. A point of pressure. He turned, his ilu barely making waves in the water. He turned because he felt the hairs on his back prick. He turned because he could have sworn he felt the tiniest of shifts in the ocean's current.

And when he turned-

He didn't have enough time to speak, to warn the others. Right after he opened his mouth, but before the words formed, he was underwater. Water rushed down his throat, choking him. He couldn't see; thousands of little bubbles clouded his vision. He reached up, shoving the water down. He kicked. He kicked, but he didn't know if he was swimming down or up or side to side. His lungs burned. His panic raised. He reached out, and a strong hand latched onto his arm.

Air stung, bringing tears to his eyes as he gasped for breath.

"What was that?" That was the first sentence he understood. Screams and words too laced with fear were the background music of the moment. Lo'ak looked around, wiping the water from his eyes. "Lo'ak! Are you okay?" That was Ao'nung. It was he who held onto his arm. Lo'ak couldn't catch his breath. "Answer me, man!"

"Yeah!" Lo'ak panted. "Yeah!"

"What was that!" Tuk shrieked, latching herself to Kiri.

The waters around them were still. So still.

Slowly, their ilus came.

The water was so still…

Lo'ak watched as the others started to climb back on the ilus, small conversations bubbling between them.

The water was so still…

Lo'ak reached for his ilu. His hand had only grazed the scaly skin of the ilu when he heard her.

"Lo'ak!' Tsireya screamed; she hid behind Ao'nung, who grabbed her, pressing her into his body to shield her.

Lo'ak launched into the water just in time for the massive shark-beast to snap his ilu in half. The crunch was deafening, echoing off the ripples of the ocean, and just as the shark-beast appeared, it disappeared. Lo'ak waded in the water; the only sound was his breathing. The surface was still like dry air.

"Is it gone?" Tuk asked.

There was a pause before someone answered. "Yeah…" Spider swam forward. He put his hand out to Lo'ak to grab it. "Come on, bro," he said. "Let's get going."

Slowly, Lo'ak swam over to the ilu. Grabbed Spider's hand and helped him pull him on. Lo'ak was only halfway onto the ilu when he heard her. Tuk's shaky voice.

"Guys…"

Everyone turned to her. Small, tiny bubbles popped in the small space between all three groups. Every single one of them looked at them as they went from some to many. Rotxo was the first to speak.

"You don't think—"

The impact was like a bomb going off! At one moment, Lo'ak was dragging himself out of the water; the next moment, he was flying through the air, and the next moment, he was in the water. He gasped when he broke the surface.

"Guys!" He screamed, rubbing the water from his face. No one was there but him. "Guys!"

Lo'ak paddled around. Something hard burst through the surface and slammed into his chin. Golden curls shimmered in the sun as Spider pulled Tuk and Kiri up.

"Where are the others?"

"I don't know, I tried to look, but—"

Lo'ak didn't have time to listen to his excuses. He dove into the water. The ocean was big and dark, and he swam around looking for them. He came back up for air only to dive back down again. He swam further down. Something shimmered, and Lo'ak reached out a hand. Tsireya grabbed him; she carried Ao'nung's unconscious body through the water. Just as they were about the breach the surface, he saw it. The shark-beast.

It darted toward them like a speeding bullet. Payatan didn't know where they were; he didn't tell anyone where they were. Lo'ak swam faster and faster, knowing that If Ao'nung was without air much longer, he would die. They broke the surface, gasping for air!

"Ao'nung! Ao'nung!" Tsireya screamed, turning him on his back.

"Swim!" He screamed. "Swim now!"

He grabbed Ao'nung and hooked his arms under his Ao'nung's. They tried to swim. The shark-beast broke the surface, too, and slammed into the water just as well. They all were swallowed underneath again. Lo'ak thought the beast might attack him first, but it didn't. In horror, he watched as the beast darted for Tuk.

Lo'ak heard himself scream, a bushel of bubbles rising from his mouth. He felt himself desire air as water filled his lungs from the action. "He let go of Ao'nung and tried to reach his sister. Kiri grabbed Tuk and tried to put her behind her back. The shark would eat both of them. Spider swam for them, thrusting through the water as hard and fast as possible. They weren't going to make it.

Kiri covered Tuk's body with her own.

'No!' He screamed or tried to. He had to go faster. He had to get further.

Rotxo darted past him, trying to b-line the shark, but he wasn't fast enough.

Something sharp pierced the water, and Lo'ak slowed to a stop. So did the shark.

It was like a waiting game.

Rotxo grabbed Kiri and Tuk and brought them to the surface. Lo'ak and Spider glanced at each other and then at the shark. Something else sharp pierced the water, and red liquid followed after it made contact with the beast. A roar escaped from the creature, the sound bouncing around them, crashing through them. The shark tried to swim away, but another sharp object pierced the water.

'Air' Lo'ak pointed to the surface.

But as they swam to the surface, five dark, long objects floated on top. Lo'ak was the first to break through, gasping for air, spinning around. "Tuk! Kiri!"

"Over here!" Tuk screamed, swimming over to her brother.

Kiri came soon after, and Lo'ak grabbed them both and brought them to his chest. He didn't fight the tears that spilled down his face. He didn't hold back the broken cries of fear and relief as he searched his sisters' faces.

"That monster thing tried to kill us!" Tuk exclaimed.

But Lo'ak couldn't get a word out before Kiri called for Spider, who was barely swimming toward them. He was weak, this Human child. Kiri paddled over to Spider and took him in her arms. Tuk did the same to him, too, and they doted on the young man.

"Where is…where is Tsireya?" Lo'ak panted, looking around. The dying sun glittered off the water, making it hard for him to see.

"Please help him!"

Lo'ak turned his attention to the scene behind him. Five Na'vi were in a canoe together. The Na'vi upfront pulled Ao'nung onto the front of the canoe, laying him on his back. Tsireya helped get him settled, but Ao'nung was not breathing. Lo'ak's heart stopped as he watched. Rotxo pulled Tsireya away as the Na'vi in the canoe looked at her brother.

"He's my older brother…" Lo'ak swam over to her, but as soon as he reached for Tsireya's arm, she shoved him away. "Don't touch me!" And her voice seemed to silence everything around them. "You let go!"

"I was trying to get to my sisters," Lo'ak said. "My sisters matter to me just as much as Ao'nung matters to you!"

But Tsireya wasn't trying to hear it. She pierced her lips, tears threatening to break from her eyes. She turned her attention to the Na'vi working on Ao'nung. Another canoe came up and watched with a basket full of items, just in case. Suddenly, after listening to Ao'nung's chest, the Na'vi in front slammed his fists on his chest. The motion was so violent that Tsireya yelped, and Lo'ak jumped.

Over and over again, the man slammed, and at one point, Lo'ak could have sworn that he heard a crack. After a while with no results, Tsireya let out a wail so mighty that it shook Lo'ak to his core. She swam over to her brother, holding his head to her chest and rubbing his hair. She chanted and prayed, begging the Great Mother to return her brother. She promised she would be a better sister and that she would cherish him and love him always, even when he pissed her off.

Most of Lo'ak wanted Eywa to grant Tsireya's prayers; no one should have to watch their brother die. 'But I did,' and that same part that thought that was the same part that didn't want Eywa to bless Tsireya; he'd finally have someone outside his family who understood what it was like to lose a brother. To watch him die.

"Ao'nung, please!' Tsireya screamed. "Please come back!"

Lo'ak noticed the other Na'vi in the other canoes coming closer. He knew these Na'vi, or…seen them, in their parents' memories. The dark skin Na'vi who turned away from their parents. The Lefpom People. He had no weapons; they had no armor or gear of any kind on them. Just animal pelts as covers.

The Na'vi in front was much older than them, probably in his 30s, but he was small. They were all so small that Lo'ak may be taller than him by a few inches. So not a threat.

The young man slammed his fists into Ao'nung's chest one more time, and this time, Lo'ak heard a crack. Ao'nung's eyes shot open, and he rolled over just enough to hurl into the sea. The milky substance floated passed Lo'ak.

Ew…

"Ao'nung!"

But Ao'nung cried actual tears. "My chest hurts! I think I broke a rib!"

Tsireya didn't care. She grabbed his face and kissed him all over. "You're alive!"

"Ao'nung!" Tuk paddled over to them, followed by Rotxo, Spider, and Kiri. They surrounded the tiny canoe.

The canoe with the Na'vi carrying the basket came closer, and the young man who helped pulled out a jar with green…something in it. He opened it, and every single one of them in the water gagged. It was the foulest thing they had ever smelled, like vomit roasting in the sun for months. But the Lefpom People did not react to the scent. Instead, the young man took a handful out and smeared it on Ao'nung's chest. Ao'nung dry-gagged between sobs.

"You will heal." The young man said. "This will help." He handed the jar to Tsireya.

"Who-who are you?" She asked. "You saved my brother's life, thank you."

The young man looked at his posse and then sighed. "I cannot say."

"Then why are you in our ocean?" Rotxo blurted, then backtracked by saying, "Not—not that we aren't grateful…for…everything…" That was so awkward.

The young man tried to hide a smirk. "The ocean is immense…so immense that some of it belongs to me and my people." They all looked at each other. "What are your names?"

"We shouldn't tell you—"

"Tuk!"

Lo'ak looked at her. "Really?"

"They saved us!" She exclaimed as she looked back at the young man. "I saw you shoot those rocks at the monster."

Some of the people in the canoes—five filled with five people—smiled at Tuk. The young man nodded. "We saw you all struggling. We came to help."

"Thank you." Kiri breathed.

The young man nodded, but his slight smile faded as he looked between all of them. "Where are your parents? Do they know you are out here?"

Slowly Lo'ak said, "No…"

"What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for our parents…" Lo'ak gestured to them. "They look just like us…kinda."

The young man narrowed his eyes at them as if seeing him for the first time. "Allow me to see your hands?"

Lo'ak sighed; he knew where this was going. He held up his hands, but instead of pointing and laughing as most people would, the young man looked at the other people in the canoe with concern.

"Is your father JakeSuli?"

Lo'ak glanced at the others, his hackles now raised. He let go of the canoe and floated closer to his sisters.

"Yeah, what about it?"

The young man looked at his people. "You are far away from home."

"Listen, we are not taking you two where we live if that is what you want. We'll just all float here."

The young man stared at him, clearly taken aback. "I…don't care about your home. I have a home. A very nice home. I just wanted to know-"

"Why?" That was Ao'nung. "Tell us your name or what tribe you come from."

"We should go," one of the people from the other canoes suggested. "The children are safe; let us leave."

The young man glanced at Lo'ak and his people again. He quirked his mouth to the side. "My name is Vrrtep," he said finally. "I am a hunter and explorer and guard. When you go home and tell your caretakers about this adventure, tell them my name. And when you see your father, tell him I saved his litter of children." He looked at all of them, and Lo'ak realized that Vrrtep thought all seven of them were siblings. "He has no enemies with our people."

"You met our dad?" Tuk asked; she swam closer. "And our mom?"

"If that was the woman he was with, then yes," Vrrtep nodded. "I met her too." He then cast a wide glance over the group. "Go home, wait for your parents. These waters aren't safe for you."

And with that, Vrrtep twirled his finger, and the group paddled away. Lo'ak watched as they disappeared into the darkening sky. Once they were gone, he swam forward.

"Where are you going?" Tsireya asked. "Let's just go home, Lo'ak!"

"Nah," Lo'ak said.

"Why?" Kiri snapped.

Lo'ak turned to face them. "Because those were the Lefpom People."