Resist

17

“But…what…how?!” I stuttered, looking at the near perfect shot I had made earlier.

“Don’t ask me,” Tucker said, “All I know is that you shot that arrow.”

“We didn’t even notice until Jack and you had left,” Brody chimed in. “It’s absolutely mental that you shot that on your first try.”

“It must have been a fluke,” I countered, “Jack distracted me right as I shot it, I couldn’t have aimed that well; it must be coincidence.”

“Well I dare you to shoot the bow again,” Will challenged. “I don’t think it was a ‘fluke.’” He air quoted “fluke” with his middle and pointer fingers on both hands.

The bow was lying on the floor, still where I had dropped it, the quiver beside it. I couldn’t remember removing the quiver from my body but I must have during those painful moments after snapping myself with the bow string.

“I dare you,” Will whispered from behind me as he saw me eyeing the bow, his voice teasing as he egged me on.

I threw a hand up behind me, flashing him my middle finger (I knew he’d take it light heartedly), and then stalked over to the bow, my feet falling heavy on the worn floor.

“But this time,” I said as I picked up the archery equipment, “I’m going to use a bracer.”

Brody cackled at my statement, overly amused by my attempt at humor.

Jack, despite being quiet through this whole exchange, was the one to pull a bracer from a crate of leather armor by the door and hand it to me. The gleam in his eye told me he was just as curious as the other boys about my shooting abilities. I couldn’t believe they actually thought I had made that shot. It was pure coincidence. It had to be; I’d never shot a bow before in my life.

I took up the same stance as before, the boys all gathering around me.

“I bet you fifty pounds she hits bullseye,” I heard Will whisper.

“You don’t have fifty pounds,” Brody countered. “The whole of London doesn’t have fifty pounds.”

“I bet you my imaginary fifty pounds.”

“Shush you two, I’m trying to concentrate,” I told them. Brody responded with a breathless laugh.

I refocused, aiming for the painted red circle in the middle, and drawing my hand back to my check, touching my knuckles to the bone beneath my eye. I took in one long breathe, let it out, and then released the arrow.

It traveled through the air and then slammed into the wood, the tail quivering from the impact, directly beside the first arrow and on the bullseye.

“What?!!” Jack shouted.

“You owe me fifty pounds!” Will cheered to Brody, dancing a small victory jig.

“Wow,” Tucker muttered, awestruck.

I just stood there, mouth parted and eyes wide, with the bow still raised in my hands, not registering what had happened. I couldn’t believe I had shot that arrow. I took another from the quiver and aimed, releasing it more swiftly than the last. It hit home, in the bullseye as well.

“You’re a natural,” James said, sounded shocked.

“I don’t even know how this is possible,” I admitted, shaking my head in disbelief as I looked down at the bow in my hands. “I was mediocre at every other weapon and now this…this is insane.”

“It’s mental!” Will cheered as he skipped around us, excitement radiating from him in waves. “Do you know what this means? You’ll be the absolute best to have on raids!”