George
I don't think I am the Alpha they're looking for.
"Okay! Now! Aim for the bullseye!" our instructor yells with his veins popping out of his neck.
"What!?" I exclaim in exasperation.
"He can hear you," Clarkson whispers behind my ears.
"But, I don't know how to use this thing," I whisper back. "Plus, I'm second to the next since everyone here is great at using bow and arrow."
"Focus on the target," he says. "You can do it, okay?"
"I can't!" I whisper in frustration.
"Georgina! Where is your attention!?" Ellis, the instructor, yells.
I instantly look at his frowning face. His dark eyes form two glaring black holes. With that, I stretch my arm out just like my other classmates did and insert an arrow between my fingers. I pull the arrow together with the bowstring.
Where did he stop pulling it again?
Is it at his cheeks? Should I stop pulling it when it touches my cheeks?
Focus on the target.
I stare at the red mark on the circular chopped wood. I move my left arm and point the arrow at the target.
I can do this.
As soon as the tip of the bow reaches my right cheek, I release it.
Please.
Hit the target.
"What!?"
"Did she just?"
"I can't believe it!"
"No! What are you doing!?" Ellis' angry yell boom. "You didn't even hit the target! Not even the edge? Are you serious!?"
I missed the target.
It didn't even touch the chopped wood.
I sigh and walk back to my position. My grip on the bow loosens as I feel the embarrassment and realize how many students saw what I did.
"Hey," Clarkson walks towards me. "It's okay," he lifts my chin to meet my teary eyes. His mouth gapes. He looks at the bow I'm holding and speaks, "I'll teach you later tonight, okay? Let's go back to the line. This is the last part of today's lesson."
"Liev! Your turn!"
"Yes, Sir," he gives me a last look and smiles before jogging towards our instructor.
I stand up straight and walk back to my original place.
"It's okay," a female voice speaks beside me. "Everyone made mistakes. I'm Camira, by the way," she says without looking at me.
I move my gaze from the target to the girl with a blonde pixie cut. She's been there the whole time, but this is the first time she talked to me.
"Thanks," I mutter.
I look at Clarkson, who is aiming for the target.
"That's how you do it!" Ellis happily cheers after seeing Clarkson hitting the center. Everyone claps, including me.
"Wow," I whisper.
"Yeah, wow indeed," Camira whispers while clapping."He's the best student when it comes to handling every weapon."
"Really?" I ask in amusement.
"See the target? It's damn far than the usual, actually," she points out. "Now, I'm wondering why."
Clarkson walks back to his position. I smile at him at give him a high five.
"You're really good!" I say with a grin.
"Nah, there's someone else better than me," he humbly says.
I roam my gaze and see Sophia looking in our direction. She quickly looks away after meeting my gaze. Her arms are crossed over her chest. She whispers something to Alexandreo before walking back to their position.
The class ends. Only Clarkson hits the center of the target, and I'm the only one who didn't hit the target.
Nice.
"I miss this place," Clarkson whispers dreamily.
We walk back to the village. I'm trying to be comfortable with this school uniform. But thankfully, we are near to my temporary house.
"Thank goodness," I breathe out as soon as I enter the house. I removed elbow pads and knee pads. I place it in the compartment under the bed.
"Meow," Mr. Tuna excitedly runs towards me. I lift him off the floor and put him on my lap. My fingers rake its caramel fur. Its long tail swings sidewards, which brushes my legs.
"So? How's your first day?" Clarkson asks.
"Exhausting," I answer while untying my braids. My wavy brown hair becomes wavier. I also remove the hairpins, which keep my bangs from falling.
"Every morning, the class will be a paired activity and individual every afternoon. We also have some night gatherings. We have one later this evening. Do you want to come?"
I shake my head.
"Okay, then I won't attend as well. I'll give you a proper tour instead. I didn't show you around properly. I'm still in awe that I'm back," he smiles at me. He leans his back at the closed door.
"Sure. Let's walk around your village. But," I pause and look at Mr. Tuna, who is sleeping on my lap.
"But?" Clarkson raised his eyebrows. He runs his fingers through the strands of his red hair.
"I want to sleep. I'm tired," I say.
Mr. Tuna stands up and moves from my lap to the bed as if he understood what I said. A chuckle escapes Clarkson's lips.
"Okay. I guess Tuna wants you to take a rest too," he says and opens the door.
"Where will you stay tonight?"
"Saber told me to sleep here," he casually answers.
"Here?" I lift an eyebrow.
He gives me a quick nod before leaving.
"Meow," Mr. Tuna rubs his head on my arms.
"Are you hungry?" I ask the caramel-brown cat as if he can understand me. I carry him while searching for food to feed him.
"I don't think I have cat food, thoughâ" I pause. There are some cat foods in the pocket of my backpack.
"Where should you eat? Hmm?" I look at the Persian cat I'm carrying. My feet walk towards the wooden sink of the studio-type house. I reach for one of the bowls for me to place the cat food.
"Here you go," I coo.
I walk back to the bed a watch the cat sniff the food. Mr. Tuna looks at me.
"Go on," I say.
"Meow," he walks towards my direction and jumps on the bed.
"I guess you're not hungry yet," I whisper and rub its chin. I rest my back on the bed.
"Hah. I never thought of my first day of class to be this tiring before," I breathe out.
* * *
Double Update today!
Apologies for not posting last week. I became so busy with Uni stuff. How are you guys doing?
:>