LIFE

No title also...

Blair:

We pulled up to a target range and surprisingly there were targets for bow an arrows. I stepped out of the jeep and unzipped my bag. I pulled out my bow which was engraved with words I didn't understand. It was once heavy when I was given it as a child. I always thought it was because of the gold that was on and in it. It was also impossible to pull the bowstring as a child. I gave up multiple time but my step-parents insisted I keep trying. Now it's as light as a feather.

"Woah whats a pretty sick bow."

"Thanks."

"Where you get it from?"

"My step-parents said it was made for me."

He looked at me confused which is what I expected. I didn't understand it either.

"These targets are too close where are the fifty-yard targets?"

"Fifty yards?"

"Yeah, I usually practice with them."

"We would have to go up the mountain into the treehouse."

"Ok let's go."

I knocked off the dirt that got on my pants somehow. The targets were much further now.

"Just how I remembered."

"It is?"

"Yeah."

"Wait let me try."

"You can shoot an arrow this far?"

"I can try."

He took the bow from me and the weight of it almost made him fall over. He reminded me of my smaller self. 

"Why is this shit so heavy?"

"It was heavy for me too when I was a nugget."

He chuckled then lifted it over his head.

"Well if a nugget can do it I can too."

I laughed at him struggling to keep it up. I handed him the arrow. The arrows also had gold in it. The point was gold and the shaft was gold and white spiraling around it to the fletching. The fletching had white dove feathers on it. Well, that's whats my stepfather said.  

"Fancy arrows too huh?"

"Yeah, it isn't as heavy as the bow but it is heavier than your usual arrows."

"Thanks for warning me this time."

I laughed once again.

"You know I never saw you laugh or smile like that before."

"There's a first for everything."

"Yeah yeah."

He put the arrow on then brought it back down to his waist.

"I can't concentrate with you judging me."

"Fine."

I looked down at the targets instead of him.

"What the fuck?"

"What?"

"I can't pull it back."

My heart broke a little. Is it broken? I snatched it away from him then pulled the string back and aimed it at one of the targets. I quickly let go and a rush of energy flowed through my body. The feeling was stronger now for some reason. I let go of the breath I was holding.

I looked over at Cole with a serious expression on my face to make it clear I was upset and wasn't going to play his game.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I seriously couldn't pull it back."

He looked like he was telling the truth.

"Sorry. It's just my step-parents said it was a gift from my real mom and dad. This is the only thing I have of them. I held the bow close to my heart."

"I'm sorry, maybe I was doing it wrong but you made it seem so easy. Can I see it again?"

"See what?"

"See you shoot the arrow silly what else."

"Well I'm not an it so I wouldn't know."

His warm chuckle made me smile once again. Ok, maybe Coles not a bad guy. Well, that's not true. Maybe Cole is somewhat a good guy. Well to me. He only wanted Scarlet to leave Lunar to protect her.... right? Or is that a lie? 

I took a deep breath and aimed my second arrow. The memories of my past played like a song in my head. They are so vivid, it's almost like my family is right there.

"That's good now keep that pose."

"I can't it's too hard."

"Nothing too hard if you put your mind to it."

I let go of the string to relax my right arm. At this rate, it's going to be bigger than a tree. 

"You have to learn to fight through pain if you were to become a warrior Blair."

"I don't want to be a warrior."

"So you want to be a princess?"

Princess. I even hated the word. They are all helpless and they can't do anything for themselves. Well at least that's what the stories told me. 

"No, I don't want to be a princess either."

"Then what?"

"Normal I want to be normal."

I looked up into his river eyes hoping he could see all my emotions in my hazle eyes. He crouched and petted my head then took one my white waves and twirled it around my finger.  

"Blair you will have to learn to take great responsibility one day. I'm sorry but the truth is you will never be normal and I know it's hard to hear. I want you to be normal I do but one day you will see that being normal is dull. Once you see that then you will accept who you really are."

"What? What responsibility? Who am I supposed to be? Why can't I be normal? What you saying doesn't make sense."

"I know you don't understand-"

"No it's not that I don't understand you won't tell me what this is all about."

"I wish I could. You know that. I don't know my old mind might be losing its greatness."

I cupped his wrinkled round face with my hands. 

"It's not like your old you have life in you."

He chuckled then started coughing.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just a cough."

It almost sounded like mom's cough. She had a high fever that wouldn't go down. We took her to the hospital and they told us she had pneumonia. I didn't know what it was, it just sounds really bad. Papa said don't worry about it.

"Come on Blair lets get back to the house. You can make that soup for your mom."