9. Chapter 9 #2
Angel came up behind me and grabbed it off the wall, and handed it to me. My hands slid along the smooth, black wooden surface. It had gray threaded through with bright tan lines. I hefted it in my hands, barely weighing anything. It was stunning. “Is this a bow?”
“Yes,” Easton said. “A Damon Howatt X200 Elite recurve bow. All their bows are handmade.” He grabbed my free arm and lifted it by my wrist, bouncing it as I had the bow. “You’ve got chicken arms.”
I looked at him, unhurt by his words, and he didn’t appear cruel. Just factual. “I know, but I want to try. Angel… Dante is going to help me get stronger. Can I learn today?” I faced Angel with pleading eyes.
He gave me a curt nod. “We’ve got an hour before lunch, then we need to get back to Layla.” I almost threw my arms around him in a hug, but I didn’t want him angry and not letting me learn the bow.
“I’ll go talk to Sid again. Easton, I’m counting on you to train him… just don’t kill him, please.”
“I wouldn’t dream of killing such a beautiful creature.”
My eyes widened at Easton’s compliment, but again, he showed nothing on his face, like it was blank. He seemed the sort just to tell the truth as he saw it, with no meaning behind his words. Still, it was nice to hear.
Angel left, and Easton strapped on what he called a quiver to me, which held all the arrows. Then he led me to the shooting area. There was a target further down, made from hay.
“The key to shooting accurately is to make yourself the arrow. Everything you do has to be lined up in a straight line. You are one with the bow and arrow. Right or left?”
“What?”
“Which hand do you use?”
I wiggled my right hand. “This one.”
He grabbed my hand and put on little leather tips over my first three fingers.
“Those will protect your fingers. Now, grab the bow here with your left hand, and with your right, pull the bow string back with your first three fingers. Don’t pull it all the way back. I have to get you into position.”
I nodded and held the bow in the middle grip, then I pulled the string back slightly.
He pulled out an arrow from behind me and placed it between the wood and the string.
“The string goes in between this indentation here with the feathers. You’re going to place the tip of the arrow on this notch here.
” He set the tip where it belonged, then he adjusted my fingers where they went exactly on the bow as well as the string, making me hold the end of the arrow with two fingers.
He adjusted my body to the right to where my shoulder lined up with the target.
“Pull back on the string, and don’t let go of the arrow.
” Again, I did as I was told as he moved my arms around, lifting them up.
“You will press the end of your arrow and string to your back cheek. Put it on your skin, and the nock of the arrow should be just below the pupil of your eye. Pull your draw arm back behind your shoulder, feeling that back tension. Now push your left arm out more and slightly forward.”
Already my right arm was shaking. I didn’t have tons of muscle strength, since I wasn’t allowed to be strong before.
“Don’t let go of that arrow,” he warned again. He kicked at my feet and legs to make sure they were in the proper stance. Once he was satisfied with his manipulations and instructions, he stood back and double-checked. My arm was trembling, but I held on.
“Shooting up and down should be pretty instinctual, but you’ll need to aim right and left using the tip of your arrow. Don’t look at the tip. Look at your target and use the tip in your peripheral vision.”
“I’m… going to let go. It’s hard.”
He checked me again, ignoring my discomfort. “Let it fly.”
I did with relief. The arrow flew down toward the target and missed it by a few inches, and I tried not to pout.
“It takes practice. A lot of practice if this is to be your weapon of choice.”
“Can I take it home, so I can practice every day?”
He shrugged and walked over to pull out a leather bow case out of a cabinet. Without another word, he walked off, leaving me there. By the time I managed to get the bow and quiver inside the case, Angel arrived.
“Have fun?”
I bit my lip and smiled. “Yes.”
“Good. I’m hungry.”
I followed Angel out, leaving behind the two men.
“Well, that’s it. That’s the family. You haven’t officially met Malik, but you will. Easton is better with knives and bows than I am, so you can learn from him. Now, let’s grab some lunch, and hopefully, when we return, Layla will have something for us.”
We left the building on foot and walked down the street.
I didn’t care if Angel liked it or not when I took his hand and stood close to him.
The city was big and loud and scary. It was one thing to be in a car, but I felt surrounded by people and cars, suffocated by the stench I was unfamiliar with.
Sounds of people talking, car horns, engines…
it was just too much. It was either to find comfort in Angel or cover my ears and eyes.
He must have sensed my need because he didn’t shove my hand away as he usually did, but when we walked inside a restaurant, he dropped it. Inside, it was even louder from the crowd. I tried to be strong and brave. How could I be independent, as Angel said, if I didn’t control my fears?
“You okay?” he asked as we waited in line to place our order.
I nodded, but stood extra close to him. Close enough to touch and finger his shirt, keeping me from floating away inside my head.
Since I didn’t know what I wanted, Angel ordered us some sandwiches.
Chef made me a sandwich before, but it was nothing like what we ate today.
Mine was thick with meats, cheese, and vegetables.
It dripped everywhere, and I had to keep licking my fingers clean.
So many flavors, making my mouth water. Even after just four days, I was starting to gain some weight. My bones protruded less, at least.
“Try this,” he said, handing me a paper cup with a straw.
I took a sip and started sneezing immediately from the bubbles going straight up my nose.
He laughed so hard he had to wipe the tears away, but I loved listening to it. It was deep and comforting. I’d never heard or seen him laugh before, which made me laugh, too, as my eyes watered from the drink.
“I wasn’t thinking. Sorry about that. I forgot soda could be a bit much for those who had never had it before. I just figured you’d like it.”
“It’s weird, but I like the sugar.”
“Just don’t drink too much. It’s not good for you.”
I nodded, always listening to anything Angel was willing to teach me.