I hear Skye's footsteps go down the stairs, then stop and come sprint back up them. He opens my door and peeps his head in, his brown hair covering one of his eyes. "Father left. This morning he said he was gonna be gone a week or so. And go to Moms... you know." He swallows, "We're supposed to hold done the fort in his absence."
I nod my head, well I try to anyway. Skye smiles, then runs back down the stairs. What he didn't say was that our father was going to our mothers funeral. She died in a car crash a couple months back, coming home after dropping me off at archery. Yeah, I'm an archer. Pretty sweet, am I right? Actually, it was Skye's idea. Not mine. Before Mom died, Skye and I had free time to do what we wanted during the day. I always spent that time reading, or on YouTube, watching random people do random things. Skye, on the other hand, hung out with his friends, or was at fencing practice, becoming a skilled swordsman for one reason or another.
***START FLASHBACK***
Skye opened the front door, just getting back from fencing practice, and burst into my room, exclaiming, "I got it! You could become an archer!"
I look up from my book, "What?"
He looks like he had just won the lotteries jackpot or something, "You could become an archer! All you do is sit here, doing stupid stuff, when you could be learning archery!"
I was a bit offended by his comment, but as I thought about it, he was right. I just sat here, on my lazy butt, doing nothing. "I'm listening..."
"Well you see, Tanner's dad has started up this archery range, and they need people to sign up!"
Tanner, was Skye's best friend, "So you're doing this to try and get me more of a life? I'm in... I guess."
"You're really going to do this!? Sweet, MOM!"
The sound of Mom's quick footsteps could be heard running up the stairs, "What is it Skye?"
"You know that archery thing that Tanner's dad was doing? Well, Hailey said that she wanted to sign up for it."
Mom looked from me to Skye, and then back to me. "Thats wonderful, Hailey! I can set up some practice targets in the barn, and you can go hunting and-"
I cut her off, "Mom. I'm not going hunting, okay? The practice targets in the barn are fine, but I'm not going hunting. It makes me feel to...old school or something."
"Oh... okay then, dear," She looked crestfallen, "I'll set up some targets for you then." She slouches as she walks out of my room.
I turn to face Skye. "I hate you. So, so much right now"
He winks, gives me a thumbs up, and traipses out of my room.
***END FLASHBACK***
My vision blurs, and, despite my crippled contition, I grab my bow and quiver, and go to the barn to shoot all my sadness away. I wouldn't allow myself to be sad over a stupid memory. I run over to the barn, hoping that Skye doesn't see me crying. I hate crying, so naturally I hate crying in front of others, right? Plus, Skye is probably the most sympathetic and non-judgemental person on earth, so he will try to figure out the the heck is wrong with me. Yeah, not happening. I slowly push open the creaky door to the barn. God, I forgot the last time I've been in here. Six months ago? A year maybe? I can't remember. I take a step in, and shut the door behing me, my only sorce of light being the small, but bright, rays of sun coming in through the old, worn out roof.
Scritch scritch scritch. I hear the mouse before I see it. I draw a arrowfrom my quiver and set it on my bow. Scritch scritch scri- I release the arrow towards the noise, and judging by the lack of sound, I believe that I got the little sucker. I chuckle to myself and hobble towards a haybale to rest on. I stopped coming in the barn to practice because shooting a still target, even blindfolded, was to easy.
YOU ARE READING
The Outside Reality
Romance~~FINISHED~~ Hailey Richards thought she was, at most, an average teenager. Save her dead mother and abusive father, of course. Her brother Skye is the only real member of her family; the only one she considers to be part of the Richards' household...
