“Whoa.” This time, their awe grew louder.
A second arrow had appeared, close enough to the first that it knocked it aside.
“What the hell?—”
I turned around to see further up the green we had another archer. While I wielded an old longbow, her compound thrummed as she released a third arrow. Like an elf, she reached over her shoulder, pulling another arrow. In a fluid motion, she set it in place, drew back, and released with hardly a second to take aim.
“Show off,” I muttered.
“You show ‘em, sis.” Seamus’s friend shouted. Even Seamus clapped in response to her accuracy.
“That’s my girl,” yelled the third old man with Harvey and Walter. I shouldn’t be surprised that half the people on the green were related. If we traced back far enough, I’m sure we were all cousins.
The gear gave away her experience. The gloves and arm guard, along with the silencer on the string, meant she either hunted or competed. It put her far out of my league.
As she approached, I tipped my imaginary hat. “That’s impressive.”
“Should have split the first two.” She shrugged. “What can I say? I’m rusty.”
All three of the gremlins stared with their mouths hanging open. Was it because she appeared to be part elf, or because she had boobs? With these three, it was impossible to tell.
“Ms. Wright is a boss,” Ronnie said. Obviously, the gremlins recognized her. “Wait till the class hears about this.”
“Did you do your homework?” she asked. The question struck fear across Ronnie’s face. He quickly glanced away, doing his best to hide his guilt.
“Laurel,” she offered a hand. “Bobby mentioned bringing bales over for archery practice.” She gave him a wave. “One of those fools over there—” She pointed to Walter and Harvey. “—is my father.” Her father I recognized, but the kids, they were above or below me in school.
“Don’t worry,” she said with a wink. “You graduated before me.”
In true Firefly fashion, everything came down to relationships and connections. I had danced around every snare laid by the town. I avoided their lingering eyes and avoided being the victim of their gossip. Or… so I thought. The apology. The favor to Seamus. The gremlins.
I fought to keep my face neutral, not letting the realization show. For all the avoidance IthoughtI had been doing, it had been a fairy tale I told myself. My heart raced as I spun, checking the green for onlookers. Had I thought myself more separated than reality? Did the mere act of returning to Firefly embed me in the town that once demanded I conform to their norms?
“Dammit,” I hissed.
Laurel patted me on the shoulder. “You okay?”
The neutrality had worn off. “Yeah.” I lied. What was I supposed to say? Go away? I want nothing to do with you and the town’s narrow-mindedness. I might not like the idea, but Mum would slap me if she heard I had been rude.
“One more round?” she asked.
“Want me to do it for you?” asked Jeff. “I’ll show her what a Scout can do.”
Jeff’s statement caused the fear of conformity to fall away. He referred to himself as a Scout. Three boys who wanted nothing to do with nature, instead preferring the digital universe in their phones. Not once today had I seen them reach into their pockets to check their messages. From fire to knots to archery, they had engaged.
I did that.
“One more.” They would always be gremlins. If they could embrace the role of Scout, I could assume the mantle of scoutmaster. “Better make it a good one.”
“Ohhh,” the boys said.
Ronnie offered a fist bump.
Laurel stepped back, offering a low bow. “Let’s see if you’re able to fend off those bears.” She offered a wink with the word ‘bear.’ Rumors had already spread. Thankfully, the boys didn’t catch onto the innuendo.
“He can tackle a dozen bears.” Ronnie’s conviction made her laugh.
I cocked an arrow, drawing it back. My heart still raced, but I forced my breathing to slow. In. Out. In. Pulling the string back, my fingers brushed my cheek. I staked my dignity with a single arrow. This arrow wasn’t for my benefit, not entirely. A victory here would cement my standing among the gremlins, and for some reason, that mattered.
