FYUNG! The arrow soared majestically through the air. It arced perfectly midshot...before landing a good metre away from the target, striking the hard concrete and falling to the ground. Raucaus laughter quickly filled the atmosphere.
“Bahahaha! Ya missed again! This has to be a new record!”
Jed clenched his teeth and clumsily nocked another arrow. He ignored the constant jibes of his socalled superiors. He drew the string back, taut. The arrow flexed.
“He’s trying again?”
“Is he trying to embarrass himself?”
The taunts continued regardless of his persistence.
“Don’t give up. Keep going, Jed. You can do it.”
A soft but strong female voice pierced the insults. Jed’s eyes flicked towards the speaker. Her cheeks were still wet with red facepaint. She had already passed the test with flying colours, earning three stripes upon her face. He, on the other hand, wasn’t passing his. At all. Yet her words encouraged him to endeavour. He aimed the arrow straight at the bullseye.
“Ava, you can’t seriously still believe he can pass the test? He only has one shot left.”
“Even though he’s your boyfriend, you must have some limit as to how much faith you can have in him.”
“He’s weak, just like his father.”
“Ssshh, the Chief might hear you.”
Jed paused in the firing of his final arrow to wait for her response.
“I...I believe in him. That will never change.” Her words took a while to form at her lips, but once she chose them she spoke with conviction. Jed smilied to himself. Even if I fail this, Ava still believes in me. He released the arrow, his calculations complete. The arrow separated from the bow with enthusiasm, flying faster than any of his other shots. For once, all the viewers of his trial were silenced as the arrow flew. Time seemed to pause as he traced the arrow with his eyes. The audience appeared to all hold their breath as the arrow made impact. It clattered to the ground. Jed had failed.
“Amazing! He missed every single one!”
“I can’t believe it! He actually missed all of them! All of them! Wahaha!”
Jed blinked a few times, to try to convince himself what he knew was true was not. Ten arrows lay on the ground in front of him, reflected off the concrete wall. Not a single new mark on the target. He had indeed missed every single shot. Jed ignored the jibes of the new Warriors and instead turned and walked away, in the direction of his sleeping tent. The laughter continued long after he was gone.
“Alright, who’s next to be tested?”
Ava opened the flap to the tent, and crawled inside. It was a little cramped, but cosy enough. Fragments of light peered in from the outside world.
“So this is where you went. You doing alright?”
Jed lay on his back against a few stacked sandbags, hands behind his head, staring at the roof.
“Yeah. Not very creative, but nobody tends to disturb me here. Except you.”
Jed formed a half-smile as his eyes flicked up towards Ava. She crawled closer and snuggled up to him, tousling his tawny, scruffy hair.
“Don’t worry about what the others say. They’re nowhere near as sexy as you are~” she said, climbing his abs with her fingers. She brought her lips up to his, then drew back after a few seconds.
