AfterWorlds (Book 1): Chasing Blood

Chapter 8

(Unedited) Elise, Bartok and Karah all made their way down the grassy slope to the archery field, once they reached it some students were already there standing in a small group beside one of the targets closes to the locked shed. Karah nudge Elise in the arm gently but she already noticed Afen the boy with white eyes and long light brown hair glaring back at her. Elise didn’t even look at the boy but fixed her gaze on the teacher, Madam Murry who stood among the targets arms crossed, eyes scanning as more students gathered. The night before Elise could have sworn she woke up and her father was patting her head, telling her to go back to sleep, but she knew the truth and knew it was only a dream, or a very sleep deprived hallucination. Elise shook her head gently and tried to focus on her teacher as she began to speak. “Welcome first years to Archery Class, I am Madam Murry your professor. Before we begin I will give you one warning and for the next year you best remember it, archery is a very series sport and fighting weapon these are not toys, if you treat them like toys or threaten a student you will find yourself in a very uncomfortable and very painful situation.” Madam Murry spoke over the heads of the students. “You will stay inside the box drawn on the ground around each target, one target one box one student.” She continued. “Please retrieve a school bow and a quiver of arrows from the shed.” Madam Murry walked over to the shed, pulled a small key from her pocket and unlocked the bolt with a heavy clunk. The students began to pile into the shed, grabbing for the long white new bows that sat in holders along a tall barn wall. Elise and Karah had waited on the outskirts of the doors until Bartok was the last one in the barn. “Are there any left?” Karah asked popping her head into the opening. “Not any new ones, two old Yew bows, here Karah.” Bartok tossed Karah one of the old brown bows. “Elise you can have this one.” Bartok offered the second Yew bow but Elise had walked into the shed right by him.
She had spotted a bow that had fallen behind the arrow quiver shelf. She reached the bow easily and pulled it free, it was a large longbow that was pure black. “Wow, that’s made of black wood, that’s a really expensive bow.” Bartok said walking up beside Elise to get a closer look. It had swirling designs carved into it that Elise had never seen before. “Have you three found bows and a quiver with arrows? Oh you found the champions bow.” Madam Murry had emerged into the barn. “It’s the only one left.” Elise said glancing around her at the empty bow holders. “I guess you will have to use it then, be careful with it though, it’s a very powerful bow.” Madam Murry flashed a smile at Elise and it made her stomach twist with nerves for some reason. As Elise, Karah and Bartok found three empty targets Madam Murry began to talk loudly to everyone.“Now before we begin anything we are going to do a test, just to see exactly where everyone is.” The professor was still smiling as she spoke. Out of no were a target slightly smaller than the ones lined up each with a student swung down quickly along a long rope over the students heads, some of them ducked in response to the sudden movement but the target was up much too high to hit anyone. “That is a moving target, if you continue classes with me through your stay at Gallay you will have to deal with many of these in your upcoming years as the Archery class becomes more advanced. Now, one at a time you will have one chance to shoot an arrow, only one arrow. When I call your name, aim and shoot, be quick, the target moves fast.” Madam Murry began to call names and arrows began to fly. Most of the students missed the target, Afen’s arrow hit on the outskirts and now the target was shooting towards Bartok, Karah and Elise. All three took aim, Madam Murry said Karah’s name, and she shot, it flew feet above the moving target and hit the top of the she were the bow and arrows were kept. Bartok was next, he held the string back as far as he could and took aim, it hit the second ring with a thud and a few of the other students who had already shot cheered happily for him. Elise watched as the Target moved her way, she held up the large black wood bow and took aim, Lurez voice ringing in her ear, elbow up, and concentrate. All of a sudden Elise could almost see Lurez face in her mind; she then felt a wave of betrayal wash over her. How could he had let her father die, how could he have left. Elise eyes were fixed so hard on the target she completely forgot about everyone else around her and pulled the black string of the bow back as hard as she could, her body not moving, she let the arrow go completely expecting it to miss as the target swooshed but the students gasped as the arrow almost seem to come alive and dodge left, shooting towards the moving target until it hit dead center so hard the wooden target began to flip around the rope. Elise stared mouth open at her arrow hanging in the air until her classmates and fellow house Durton first years began to cheer and rush around her, chatting loudly until Madam Murry’s voice cut through them.  “Extraordinary Elise, why did you not tell us you had the gift of hunt sight?” She beamed proudly down.“I didn’t know.” Elise said sheepishly as she realized how little personal space she had all of a sudden. “That bow is probably charmed.” Afen spoke and the group parted slightly as he stepped forward and took the bow from Elise’s grip, Madam Murry eyed him suspiciously but didn’t try and stop him.Afen raised the black bow and arrow and the moving target swooshed down, Afen pulled back hard on the string of the bow, his brows burying together in concentration, he let the arrow go as the target dived by but instead of following the target like Elise’s had done it dove forward and landed in the ground a few feet from the shed. Afen handed the bow back to Elise gently, their eyes locking for a moment.  “Congrats.” He said loudly and walked off leaving Elise standing lips pressed in a line as her classmates closed in once again chattering loudly. Madam Murry had held Elise back to talk to her and thankfully Bartok and Karah had waited for her. “I can’t believe you have hunt sight that is so cool!” Karah gushed as they climbed up the hill to their next class. “I can’t believe you never told me.” Bartok had said for the fifth time. “I told you, I didn’t know!” Elise said with frustration. She was coursing with adrenalin and had been all archery class, hitting the target dead center almost every time, as long as it wasn’t moving, she had a bit more trouble concentrating and hitting the moving target; she either missed it completely or hit it dead center. “Well it makes sense; your brother has hunt sight too doesn’t he? I bet your mom had it or something and didn’t even know it, passed it along without knowing, it happens you know, a lot. That’s why some people don’t know they have powers. Well I’ve got my wizarding classes now I’ll see you guys at lunch.” Karah had waved and began walking down a long hall on the main level. “Wait a minute, wait!” Elise shouted after Karah causing a few passing students to eye her warily. “You- you know who I am?” Elise started but Karah waved her arm and simply smiled before running off in the other direction leaving Elise and Bartok standing there dumbfound. I knew I belonged here. I knew it. Elise thought as they entered the schools corridor going up the marble staircase to their history class. “I wonder how Karah knew.” Bartok spoke softly as they walked along a long hallway passed other classes filled with students. “I don’t know but, I trust her, I think.” Elise said smiling slightly. “Yeah, she’s alright.” Bartok smiled warmly down to Elise and she realized at that moment that she trusted Bartok too.When they finally reached the history lesson, only moments before the teacher arrived, Elise slipped into the only seat left and it was right beside Newell, another first year with pale almost white skin and orange almost red eyes, but almost immediately Elise could tell something wasn’t right. His robe was torn and dirty and his pants were covered in mud, his face and arms were covered in scratches and drops of dried blood. “Newell are you alright? What happened to you?” Elise asked under her breath as she leaned over the desk towards the other student.Newell’s eyes averted and he gazed at the font of the board, his jaw clenching and unclenching. “Don’t worry about it.” He spoke in a low mutter. “Newell,” Elise whispered.“Please.” The boy’s eyes finally looked up and she could see something that didn’t sit right. The professor finally began talking and the class fell silent quickly as the history class began. Elise glanced back to Bartok who had found another empty seat near the back of the class; he looked as concerned as she was. Elise and Bartok shot out of the class as fast as they could but somehow it still wasn’t nearly fast enough to keep up with Newell who was out of sight within the blink of an eye. “I wonder if he has super human speed or something.” Elise panted as they rushed down the halls through the crowds of students that piled out of their classes on the way to the dining hall for lunch. Elise snaked Karah’s arm just as she emerged from her class room only a few classes down from the dining hall.  “Something weird is going on with Newell.” Elise started speaking fast but quietly.“He showed up to class with giant scratches and his cloths were all messed up and torn.” She continued quickly.“Do you think someone is beating him up or something?” Karah said concern in her voice. “Who knows but something is going on.” Elise let out a deep breath as they came to a halt outside of the dining hall. “Shouldn’t we tell a teacher?” Karah said as she moved to avoid a group of students who were entering the hall.“Shouldn’t we try and at least talk to him first?” Elise said before going through the entrance to the dining hall Karah and Bartok following behind.It was a swirling chaos of students, maids, help, food and talking. Elise spotted Newell at once, it seemed that he had changed clothes but he still had fresh cuts visible on his skin.As Elise, Bartok and Karah all sat around him Elise could see him physically tense up. “Newell, we just want to know if everything is, you know, okay? You look pretty rough.” Elise spoke slightly awkward, she wasn’t very good at talking to people like this but she knew she had to try something, especially if someone was hurting him. “I told you not to worry about it.” Newell said through slightly clenched teeth. “Well I am worried, we all are.” The elf spoke quietly as Newell looked over to Bartok then Karah his eyes finally settling on the plate of food before him.“Really, it’s nothing, I like to take long walks at night had an accident, so stop worrying.” Newell’s voice was edgy and annoyed but he forced himself to smile and shove a few forkfuls of food into his mouth before pushing off the table and standing up.“I’ve got some research to do, please excuse me.” Newell spoke politely and bowed slightly, his eyes burying into Elise’s before he walked off. “You know he’s lying.” Bartok spoke behind Elise as she watched him walk away.“I know, but I don’t know what to do.” Elise said feeling helpless. Elise, Bartok nor Karah ate much that lunch and their last two classes seem to drag on with Newell disappearing almost immediately after each class too fast for any of them to try and confront him again. “You know he never came back last night.” Bartok said biting into a piece of chocolate as they sat at a table closes to the fire farthest away from any of the other Durton house students. “Maybe he really does take late night walks.” Karah said hopefully, holding her hand toward Bartok until he placed a small piece of chocolate into it. “Yeah but what is he doing on those night walks or rather who’s doing what to him.” Elise spoke in a low voice.“Something just doesn’t seem right.” She muttered to herself. Or maybe something just didn’t feel right, or maybe she was reading too much into it. Elise ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. “Awe pretty girl can only seem to shoot arrows but is having trouble studying?” Afen’s cold voice came out of nowhere causing Elise to jump and accidently smack herself in the forehead.“Shove off Afen.” Bartok said lifting his chin up staring over Karah to the other boy.Afen smirked shrugging his shoulders and walked off without another word. Elise rubbed her forehead, that will leave a mark, she thought lightly. “What a weirdo.” Karah whispered as she watched him walk over to the book shelf and up the staircase to the boy’s dormitory rooms. “Anyways, I think we should keep an eye on Newell, just make sure he’s not in trouble or anything.” Elise said looking up to the clock on the wall, it was almost curfew and students were slowly making their way up to their rooms for the night.“What if he does get into trouble?” Karah asked wary.“We’ll tell professor Rosel.” Bartok said before Elise could, and she agreed.