The Disbanders

Chapter 8: The Waterfall

Alexa and Hayden have offered to help me with target practice, in order to successfully make my first hunt. I don't have the guts to call it a kill—it almost sounds too cruel. Regardless, it's a distraction from my encounter with Will this morning. The nervous feeling keeps coming back just thinking about it. I still don't know where that comes from.

I've been watching Hayden and Alexa take turns shooting arrows at the small targets against trees. They each have very good aim.

"Is there any trick to this?", I ask.

"Sometimes, you just have to do it without even thinking about it," replies Alexa, without even looking my way. She lets an arrow loose, having it land almost perfectly. Hayden smiles cockily.

"Well, maybe if you think about it, you'll actually hit it on point," he jokes, before firing one. It lands close to the center, but is slightly off.

"Oh yeah, like you did?", asks Alexa sarcastically. Hayden makes a face at her, prompting her to laugh at him.

"Well, the reality of it is that you're not going to hit it every single time. It's not like Will is a professional hitman either."

"Can I try?", I ask.

"Yeah, sure. Here," says Alexa, handing me a bow. Hayden walks over to the tree and pulls the arrows out of the target, before standing out of the way.

"I've never seen you shoot, so I don't trust you not to hit me," jokes Hayden. I roll my eyes and try to set up the arrow.

"Here," says Alexa, walking towards me. She holds the arrow in my hand. "You need to put it in the bow like this." She draws my hand back as it dependently clasps the arrow between my fingers. "There you go." I squint my eyes, in an attempt to see my target more clearly.

I fire my first shot, as it flies straight past the target, landing into the distant ground with a crack. A disappointment begins to form in the pit of my stomach. My chances of this working may not be great. This definitely isn't as easy as I had imagined it would be. I sigh as I go to fetch my arrow.

"Look, I can probably hit it better. I've just....never done this before," I say sheepishly. Alexa looks as though she's subtly trying to contain a smile.

"It's fine, you just need more practice," notes Hayden. "Try it again." Taking a deep breath, I draw the bow once more and ready my stance.

I take about twenty shots, each time varying in success. Some arrows fly way past the target, with others hitting the edge of it. None hit the center. My hopes of doing well at this diminish with each shot, where the target feels completely out of reach. Acceptance has never come easily for me, and this is feeling the same way.

After firing yet another failed arrow, I run to get it, feeling flushed with humiliation. As I bend down to pick up the arrow, I notice Chuck approaching me from the corner of my eye.

"Hey, what are you doing? Target practice?", he asks.

"If you can call it that," I reply sombrely. Chuck smiles sympathetically.

"Don't worry, you'll get it eventually. Do you want me to show you?"

"Sure," I reply, not seeing how much of a difference that will make.

"Okay, come on."

Chuck and I walk back to where I am standing, meeting up with Hayden and Alexa.

"Oh look," states Alexa. "Here comes the show-off." Chuck rolls his eyes.

"I'm just trying to help Candice," he replies. He takes a bow from Hayden's hand and readies it. Changing his stance, he looks at Alexa as he fires it. The arrow hits dead centre on the target. Still without ever facing the target, Chuck smiles cockily at Alexa. She rolls her eyes in turn.