I stood in the same stance and repeated the same motions. I focused and held the arrow back, waiting, taking in a breath and trying to stay calm and steady as I released the arrow letting it fly towards the target. I hit the edge of the white paper. At least it hadn’t hit far beyond the field behind like the first shot I made.
“That’s better. Just keep practicing,” Maya nodded. “You’re getting it,” she encouraged me. I did my best to ignore the stares and snickers from my opponents.
I heard the whistle blow, and though I still had a few arrows left I put the bow down, waiting to make sure everyone had stopped before stepping out to retrieve my arrows from the target, including the first one I’d shot far out into the field.
I headed toward the booth, noticing everyone else watching me as they had all finished retrieving their arrows. I merely smiled, trying not to show defeat. I knew Cate was good. I wondered if Mason could keep up with her.
As Joshua began shooting, he struggled in the same way I had. I didn’t know how to help. I still didn’t feel as though I’d done very well, but at least he hit the hay bale holding the target when he’d missed. He still had the right distance, just a little too high or too low. I watched Mason hit the target, though not always the bulls-eye, each time. I studied our other competitors one after the other, seeing them all successfully aiming and nailing the target. Most had hit the inner rings. I felt stupid, pathetic up against the recruits. We were in trouble. If bravery meant fighting with a bow, we would fail. I hoped tomorrow didn’t mean fighting other recruits. We had no chance of survival if that were the case.
Maya came over again, this time helping Joshua aim and release the arrow. She helped him two more times, watching before she walked away. Joshua hit the target the next four times in a row, including a bulls-eye. I was elated. “Nice one!” My eyes widened and I clapped for Joshua, hoping I didn’t embarrass him too much. Cate turned, hearing my commotion and gave me the stink eye.
Maya blew the whistle for everyone to stop shooting. Joshua was the first to run out to retrieve his arrows when one whizzed by his head. He dropped to the ground in horror as Maya blew the whistle a second time, louder. “Aidan, you’re out!” she shouted and pointed for him to head back inside the building. Hazel gasped in shock, her face red and green eyes wide. I didn’t know if it was from Aidan being dismissed or now having to face the tests without a partner. She looked terrified. I felt sick, though it was a mixture of Aidan’s imminent death and Joshua nearly having an arrow shot through his head.
Slowly Joshua pushed himself off the ground and stood, eyeing the booths cautiously to make sure no one else was attacking him. Cate snickered and grinned, giving a nod of approval toward Aidan as he walked out. I wondered what would happen to him next.
The others walked out slower, retrieving their arrows as they glanced at Joshua. No one said a word. Joshua’s ashen face slowly regained color as he brought back his arrows, his eyes staring deep into mine.
“You okay?” I asked keeping my voice low.
He answered, “I’ll be glad when this is done.”
I couldn’t have agreed more.
CHAPTER 18
Our first day of training was over. Lying in bed, staring up at the top bunk I wondered at how easily Joshua fell asleep. I was exhausted, but my mind kept racing. I couldn’t stop thinking about how another recruit had almost killed him. Even if it hadn’t been intentional it still haunted me. I shifted on the mattress, trying my best not to think about it. The more my thoughts kept running, the harder it was to relax.
“You awake?” I heard Joshua’s soft whisper and smiled. He swung himself over the edge, hanging down from the bed with his head facing me.
“I am,” I whispered, my smile growing. “Can’t sleep.”
Joshua laughed softly. “Neither can I with all the rolling around you’ve been doing.”
I hadn’t realized it had shaken the bunk beds. “Sorry.” I blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed. The bed squeaked for an instant, and Joshua carefully maneuvered himself down from the top, practically swinging into the mattress beside me.
“No rules here about sleepovers,” he teased, sitting with me on the bed. He shifted down, careful not to hit his head, lying beside me as we shared my pillow.
My eyes narrowed, thinking it over. “Seems they plan on killing us if we fail. Might as well make the most of the time we have together.” I tried to make light of the situation, but I couldn’t fake sarcasm in my tone.
His hand reached out, gently running a soft touch against my arm. “We’ll be okay,” his voice assured me. But I knew he must have felt the same way I did. I felt the soft brush of his lips to my forehead as his body grazed mine. Buried beneath the covers, I was burning up. My eyes closed for the briefest of seconds as I heard his soft voice beside my ear, “The other recruits have more training, but we have each other.” My eyes opened and I rolled onto my side, letting the blanket dip down my waist. I was grateful for the cool air against my heated skin. I didn’t see how the two of us together would help us pass the tests.
“Yeah, because that will save us,” I huffed, closing my eyes when I heard another recruit shift in bed. I shut my mouth, not wanting anyone to hear us. What we shared was between us. Joshua reached out, his thumb traced my bottom lip as I listened for any other sounds. The room was eerily quiet, and slowly my eyes fluttered open feeling his stare on me.
“You did amazing today,” Joshua complimented me. I felt my cheeks redden from embarrassment.
“Thank you.” I leaned in, brushing my lips gently against his cheek. I hadn’t felt like I’d done well in training, but it was nice to hear someone was cheering me on.
“Don’t thank me yet,” he breathed. “We still have almost two full weeks of training to endure before the tests.”
“I know.” I didn’t want to think about tomorrow, but found it hard not to imagine all the possibilities. Would they hand us swords and expect us to fight until we bled? Would they force us to kill each other?
“You’re quiet,” he mused, brushing a stray hair from my eyes. I sighed softly at his touch. It was warm, inviting and had a way of helping me relax.
“Guess I am.” I leaned in, resting my forehead against his. “Do you think we could sneak out, explore the town tonight?” It was a risky maneuver, but I wanted to see more. Did this town have a tech center like Haven? I knew their healing center was advanced – I’d seen what it had done for Joshua when we’d come here. What else was special about this town?
Joshua considered the idea, a line of worry creasing on his brow. I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong, only to hear his voice interrupt my thoughts. “We could try and escape?” he suggested, gauging my reaction.
I bit down on my bottom lip, the words playing through my head. I didn’t feel like this place was horrible, it just wasn’t home. They fed us, sheltered us and yes, expected something of us, but so did the government. If we left, where would we go? We’d always be on the run and risk encountering other outlaws. At least we had new lives here, and maybe fitting in wasn’t the worst idea.
“I don’t know.” I didn’t want to say that I liked it here. That didn’t seem like the right choice of words, but I also wasn’t ready to take off on foot. I had no idea where the car was, and from what I could tell nothingness surrounded this town for hundreds of miles. I sighed, rolling onto my back as I stared up at the top bunk. “I can’t sleep,” I admitted. Either way, I’d be awake. I’d rather know the town and familiarize myself with an escape route, should it become necessary.
“We don’t have to leave.” Joshua offered, leaning up on his arms and staring down at me. “We could just explore the area.” It had originally been my suggestion and now I was even second-guessing it.