Naina, a crazy girl, exiled from her hometown, accused of practicing black magic that took her parent's life. Her unique ability, unknown to the world. It burnt down along with her parent's body. Her name itself held deep meaning. Too many secrets s...
"Naina, keep your hands straight. Hold the bow firmly and improve your damn posture." My aunt threw a stick at me from the other side of the building as I was fumbling to hold the bow and arrow, balancing my body in a rope wire fixed between the top pillar of two buildings. "You guys should not try this at home." She shooed the neighbor's kids away from our practice ground. She made sure we lived as far away as we could from the busy town, but ended up living alongside only two families and thankfully they weren't nosy.
"Naina, get used to it, sis." Ever since the accident, Ammie and my aunt made certain not to let me take a breathing without making me climb a building or run around with bare feet on the scorching sunny day on a cement platform. I realized not to argue or be lazy as they made me understand how weak I was.
"Do you realize that your lack of practice resulted in losing someone's life?" Yes, I murdered a girl. I blame myself for every breathing second. When on an assignment, I missed a hit and that cost us the life of a six-year-old girl. I watched her falling limply on the ground, and I could do nothing. My arrows were lethal, my aunt made sure of it. I still had nightmares of her staring at me when she took her last breathing. I wanted to help her, but there was no antidote for the poison coated on my arrow.
Ammie surveyed the surroundings but couldn't find the girl's parents, and I sat beside her as she took her last breath. We gave her a proper burial and continued searching for her parents. My aunt tried to draw me out of my misery, but I just couldn't. She struggled to convince me it wasn't my fault, and the baby was not meant to be there, but my heart broke into a million pieces every time I closed my eyes and watched her lifeless body with wide eyes staring right at me.
I don't know how I came out of my room, but I remember one thing. "You are running away from the fact that you killed that girl because you were too presumptuous to learn something, claiming to know everything." Ammie slapped me hard and spat these spiteful words at me and made me aware of how worthless I was.
Since then, I tried to let no one down and learn everything that I could. My aunt made sure to not let me lose. She even tied my legs upside down in a tree and left me like that until I shot my arrow right through the heart of the dummy that was six yards away from me.
"Naina! Move your ass and push your body to get out of your comfort zone!" Ammie shouted. She knew what I needed. I had to drive my buttons and do everything that previously I felt I couldn't. She frequented the spiteful words that inflamed me and let my spirit high to never give up. During these two months, I learned archery, tae kun du, krav maga, fighting with weapons, and many more.
But.
That was not enough.
I murdered her.
I'd never wish to be careless again.
I had to learn anything and everything.
And my precious aunt made sure that my every sweat counted. My hard work was nothing compared to someone's life. I had to keep going. Slowly taking steady steps, I balanced the bow and arrow and gingerly picked one stride forward. The rope stirred a little while I was trying to balance my body. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. I had to pave my path towards the center of the cable, with no support holding my weapon without dropping it.
"Alright, we can continue this tomorrow. The cables hurt your legs. You need rest." I heard my aunt say. She stood at the end of the cable inside the other building and Ammie stood on the ground, inspecting my movement. I shook my head when I heard my aunt, but Ammie beat me to reply to her. Ammie's voice pinching my heart like a spear. She shouted louder enough for me to hear each word, "She has been a lazy ass for quite some time now, mom. Let her suffer. It's nothing compared to the amount of blood that oozed through that small girl."
"Damn it, Ammie." I cursed her, as she was right. Focusing on the other end of the cable, I crumpled my eyebrows as the sun's rays did nothing but burn my skin, as it was midday during the mid-summer. Carefully, I tightened my grip around the bow and steadied my legs scrupulously not to let the grip on the cable slip.
"Shoot now!" I pulled the arrow towards me slowly, taking one step at a time towards the center of the cable, my eyes zeroing on the targets that dangled loosely on five trees surrounding us. I had to hit a bullseye on them by walking on the cable. Exhaling the air that I held for a long time, I saw the arrow slipping away from my fingers towards the target one. "Naina, it's now or never." I declared to myself and stepped as fast as I could, balancing the arrow and aiming on all the targets.
"Last one." I closed my eyes and as I left the last arrow towards its target, my left leg slipped from the cable and I lost balance. "Careful!" I heard Ammie, and the next second, I was engulfed in a soft cushion. I knew Ammie caught me, but the intensity of my fall had my heart beat near my ears, making me wonder if my heart got reinstated.
Slowly opening my eyes, I looked at her beaming at me with joy that let me grin as well. "That was a very dangerous fall." She commented, pointing at the cable that still dangled in the midst. I smiled and replied, "I knew my knight would protect me no matter what." And she laughed, ruffling my hair.
Swatting her hand away from my now dirty hair, I carefully stood up and examined the targets. "I missed two targets, Ammie." I knew I improved as I couldn't even make one excellent target, but it took a longer time than I expected. I studied her expression to see any complaints or disappointment, but saw her smiling at me.
Curious about what she was even thinking, I raised my eyebrows and her smile broadened. "You did something that most people fear to even think about it." My aunt said as she joined Ammie and me. "Archery is all about patience and concentration in any condition. The condition handed out to you was the toughest to use a bow and arrow while balancing on a cable in the middle of two buildings with no support. Don't be so hard on yourself." Patting me like I was a little kitty, she walked away.
"Get ready, sis. You have been a lazy ass. We have an assignment and I can't cover this up for you as The Queen noticed your absence in the previous one. This time the ugly and creepy creatures suck the blood of small kids and then leave them right in front of their house. I cannot even imagine the pain their parents go thr-" She looked at me in horror when she realized what she was saying. I knew she did not mean to recall that accident now, but it still was a fresh wound and hurt pretty badly. She apologetically showed her puppy-dog eyes and mouthed "Sorry," and I couldn't do anything but returned it with a smile.
I didn't do any assignment after the accident and I knew I was ready, at least not to kill an innocent this time. I could''t let anything happen to babies. Those creatures had to die. Maybe it would be as an apology from my side to that baby girl. "Lez go." I said, showing her my pearly white teeth letting her know I was honestly okay and wanted to go to the mission in hand.
"Do you know why the Queen is so interested in you?" Ammie asked as we made our way towards our room to get ready.
"I don't have any idea." This was a question that bugged me after our first meeting. Her eyes showed something else, but her actions were contradictory. I was still trying to accept the mind numbing truth about my life and honestly wouldn't dare to imagine if she also had something to do or some part to play in it soon or already played in the past. Sighing, I closed my room's door and rushed to my bathroom for a fantastic bath. My body and my mind needed it the most at the moment.
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