The Kiros Chronicles: Into Shadow

1: Sticks & Stones

Vero nocked the arrow as silently as he could. Crouching behind a tree, he stared at his target with gray eyes. He drew the bow back, aiming the arrow right at the deer. As he exhaled, he let go of the string, letting the arrow fly.
Miss.
The deer looked up and darted off, deep into the forest.
Damn. Vero thought. He went to retrieve his arrow with a scowl.His conscience told him what his mistake was. The exhale. His eyes burned with the anger of failure. He grabbed the arrow, yanking it out of the grass. He turned around, seeing his cousin lean against a tree with a smirk across her lips.
"Don't say it." Vero exhaled in frustration.
"You're supposed to breathe in, V. And don't be so tense." The older girl answered.
"The last thing I need is a lecture, Evelyn." Vero walked past her, fury engraved into his face. He didn't see his cousin's strange smile as she watched him storm off.
Vero sat on the wooden steps leading up to the farmhouse. He glared down at his bow, then at the arrow. He heard Evelyn approaching.
"It takes time, V. For some, it doesn't come naturally." Evelyn sighed, sitting next to Vero.
"I've given it enough time. I've practiced for years." Vero replied, seething. "Maybe I'm not cut out for archery."
"What makes you say that, kid?" Evelyn asked, not giving Vero time to answer. "I've seen how good you shoot. You're a bullseye when it comes to moving targets!"
"Maybe that's the problem, Eve. I'm expecting them to just take off. I don't expect them to stand there."
"Then we'll practice some stationary targets." Evelyn smiled, her bright green eyes looking at Vero and she tucked a lock of hair behind his ear for him. She tilted her head, letting her long black hair flow down. "Cmon, I'll make you something to eat."
♤
Vero looked at the wooden bow. He felt his grip tightening around it. His veins bulged out and his eyes were set ablaze with the fury of missing his shot. He felt a tingling sensation in his hands. He felt like his entire body was burning with rage. He lifted his arrow, nocking it along the string and drawing it back. He brought the bow to line up with the empty can. He remembered his last mistake. The exhale.
He kept his eyes on the can. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air. He steadied his arms. He felt time slow down.
He released the arrow, watching it cut through the air and land in the grass.
"Not trying to be mean, but, did you expect the can to move, V?" Evelyn asked, hiding a soft chuckle.
"Is that rhetorical?" Vero felt anger in his voice. He didn't bother grabbing the arrow; he just walked back into the farmhouse, bow clenched in his hands.
♤
Vero gazed into the fireplace, watching the flames burn behind the glass. His body felt like a metaphorical oven. He couldn't take his mind off of how bad his recent shots were. Shaking his head, he laid back into the couch.
Thoughts ran through his head, battering it like a club. All of them were filled with anger and hatred. But the hatred was definitely not veered towards Evelyn. Vero blamed himself for missing.
He blamed himself for a lot of things. It was a part of him. Second-guessing and violent storms of anger was like second nature to him.
But above all, he blamed himself for his father's absence. It tore the entire Kiros family apart. That's when Vero was kicked out to his older cousin's farmhouse.
All that was four years ago. But Vero couldn't just let go of his mistakes. In his eyes, that's what made him him.
"Hey, V," Evelyn peeked around the wall, spotting him on the couch. "I'm gonna be out for a bit. Are you good here?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna wind down a bit." Vero replied, sitting up. Evelyn nodded, walking away.
Vero laid back down, closing his eyes. But there was one thing he couldn't shake from his mind...
A memory. Or maybe...