Script

Chapter Twenty-Two: Training

I went back into the kitchen and saw Amy sitting at the table unbraiding her hair. "Amy go change into some athletic shorts." She jumped up and ran to my old room. I limped back into my parent's room. I grabbed a tank top and soccer shorts from a drawer, and flopped down onto the bed to change.

At noon I made my way upstairs. A long process, but I managed to do it. Outside, Mark was already waiting. Beside him sat large boxes and cases full of who-knows-what. Amy stood next him rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"Ready?" he asked, moving to open a case.

"Sure," l said, inching closer. He moved over so we could see what was inside.

"Allie, I want you to learn knife throwing and handling. You can do it one-handed, so it'll be easier to do on crutches. I leaned in. The entire crate was lined with knifes of different shapes and sizes. "I'll show you how to do that in a minute. Amy, I heard that you are pretty good with a slingshot, so I got you a little present." He reached for a box.

Prying it open, he revealed a slick looking slingshot resting in a soft bedding. He removed it and handed it to Amy. "I want you to hold it in your right hand. The extra bar here, will help support it, and the cast shouldn't be a problem." She grabbed it in her right hand, rotating it so the cast didn't interfere. Mark handed her a metal ball. He moved to grab one for himself, probably to show her how to use it.

While his back was turned, Amy loaded the slingshot, and pulled her arm up to her cheek, stretching the rubber. She released. The metal bead flew straight into the center of a tree trunk. Mark turned around. He paused, took in the scene, and walked slowly over to the tree. Rubbing his finger over the bark, he looked where she had hit it.

"That's incredible." He muttered, walking back. "Amy. How did you-"

"Oh! I'm sorry. Was I not supposed to start?" Amy said, looking up, sure she had done something wrong.

"No, no, you're fine. Where did you learn to shoot?"

"I don't know, I guess I just kinda taught myself." She replied looking closely at the slingshot.

"Well can you do it with an arrow?" Mark asked, obviously curious of her abilities.

"I've never done it, but I'll try." She said, taking the arrow from Mark, and listening as he showed her how to add the attachment to her slingshot. She prepped, pulled back the arrow, and released. It flew straight into the same notch as her last projectile. Mark froze, jaw open.

"Amy, you've definitely got some talent. I have a few more things you can try shooting with. Knock yourself out." He set up a target about thirty feet away, and showed her what else she could use.

Then he turned towards me. "Before we do this, have you ever thrown knives?" I laughed.

"No, I've carved with them, cut with them, and attempted to throw them, but always end up cutting myself. Teach me." He grinned.

"Finally someone I can teach." He leaned over the box and pulled out a knife. It had a large, rounded blade on both sides. "This is called a blade heavy throwing knife. It should be the easiest to learn with." He handed it to me.

"Place your thumb on the thin side of the handle." I did so. "That is called the hammer grip. It is one of the easiest ways to learn." I examined the grip.

"Now make your arm a ninety degree angle." I bent my arm.

"Little more." He said, moving my arm in a little bit.

"Now hold your arm up, elbow facing the target, and knife up." I adjusted my position.

"Whenever you're ready, give it a try. Keep your eyes on the target." I looked at the bull's-eye about fifteen feet away, then threw my arm forward, launching the knife in its direction. I lost my balance, and fell over.

Mark laughed as he helped me to my feet. The knife was lying about three feet in front of the target. "It was good, this time keep your wrist stiffer. Oh, and make sure you use that crutch to keep yourself upright." He laughed and grabbed a knife. He prepped himself, and threw. It landed in the center of the target.

"Your turn." I limped over to where he was standing, using only one crutch. I grabbed the knife from his hand, and positioned myself. Mark walked up behind me, and stood pressing up against my back. He grabbed my arm.

"Little higher. Stiffer wrist." He moved his hand to my wrist, and wrapped his hand around mine. Then he yanked my hand back and threw. We stood and watched as the knife landed just outside the bull's-eye. He continued to stand in silence. My body pressed against his.

"Mark, what's this one do?" Amy broke the silence, causing him to break away from me. He walked over and showed her a projectile that caused a cloud of smoke to cover the target. I stood there twiddling the knife between my thumb and forefinger. I had a blister forming on my palm. I rubbed that slowly until Mark returned.

"Here. Wear this." He said, noticing my sore. He handed me a fingerless glove. I slid the black cloth onto my hand.

"They say not to wear one, but I find it more comfortable." He handed me another knife. I gripped it in my gloved hand, and tightened the grip around my exposed fingers.

"Ninety degree angle." I adjusted my arm.

"eye on the target," I glued my eyes to the center circle.

"Stiff wrist," I locked the muscles in my wrist.

"Deep breath," I took a long deep breath.

"Now throw," He whispered. The knife rolled of my fingers, propelling forward, and landed straight in the outermost circle of the target. I turned to Mark and grinned, jumping up and down as much as I could with crutches.

"Nice job. Now do it a hundred more times." He said, high-fiving me and giving me a silly wink.

The rest of the day consisted of knife throwing and slingshot shooting. At one point Mark went over a few basic self-defense moves using just our bodies. Amy and I are pretty small, but strong non-the-less, and we picked up the moves quickly. By the time the sun set, I was exhausted. Mark dragged the crates back into the house, than helped me down the stairs. I flopped down into a kitchen chair.

"We need to keep working on this stuff if you're expecting me to let you leave in two weeks." Mark said, sitting down beside me.

"If that's what it takes, so be it." I replied, yawning, as I leaned back into the chair.

YS