CHAPTER 36: A FRIEND OR A FOE?
1090 Words
Zane attended the archery club after his morning class. Most new members kept on asking him to teach them. He taught them the basics one by one. He felt most of them were novices and just joined the club for fun.
"Senior, can you teach me how to properly stand while releasing the arrow?" Danny asked, a new member like him. "And how should I properly hold the bow and arrow?"
"Just call me Zane, I am also new here." He scratched his head. He glanced at their archery club president, but Drake just waved his hand, telling him to help the newbie. He sighed. "Are you right-eye dominant or left?" he asked. "We need to know your basics so I can teach you better." He just couldn't think he would be a teacher for someone soon enough.
"Right, Senior," Danny replied.
Zane just sighed. "Line your body up perpendicular to the target. Since you are right-eye dominant, hold the bow with your left hand, point your left shoulder to the target, and then handle the arrow and string with your right hand."
Danny copied his stance. "Like this?" He stood up with his feet close together.
"Stand upright and place your feet apart. Pinch your buttocks together to bring your pelvis forward. Your arms and shoulders should form a "T” shape when you pull the string. Your stance should be comfortable enough, but also firm and alert."
Danny placed his feet apart, then raised his bow. "Am I doing the right thing?"
"Are you a newbie in archery?" Zane thought the archery club only accepted those who already knew the basics.
"I am a newbie, Senior. I just saw your video, and I was inspired; that's why I asked my parents to buy me this bow and those arrows." He pointed at his arrow case.
"Then why did they ask me to try out and score high?" he asked himself. "That was weird." He just shrugged his shoulders and continued teaching the newbie. "I will teach you the Mediterranean draw or split-finger style," he started. "Use your three fingers to lightly hold the arrow on the string. Then place your index finger above the arrow and your middle and ring fingers below." He showed it to the newbie.
"This is challenging!" Danny exclaimed. "Ah, my arm aches."
"You will get used to it," he said to boost the confidence of the newbie. "Point your bow down and attach the back of the arrow to the bowstring via the small plastic component with a groove in it called the nock. Now pull the string and aim at your target."
Danny pulled the string and concentrated on the target placed twenty meters away from him.
"Relax your shoulders and don't put too much pressure on them. Release the string, now," he instructed. Danny released the string and the arrow went straight to the target.
"Eight!" the scorer shouted.
"Whoa! I did it for the first time!" He jumped out of excitement. Everyone in the club clapped.
"Practice the whole day what I taught you," he said. "I will practice, too."
"Thank you, Senior!" Danny bowed before going back to his practice.
Zane took out his bow and arrow from his bag and stood on the next lane. He placed the arrow on his bow and aimed it. He released the string with ease.
"Ten!" the scorer shouted.
He wanted to try shooting three arrows at the same time, like what Eurus taught him the other day, but it might cause rumours and would call for more attention. He took two arrows and attached them on his bow.
"What? Is he trying to shoot two arrows at the same time?" one girl from the audience asked the guy beside her.
"Is it possible?" the guy asked the girl back.
"Is he trying to impress me?" The girl giggled.
"That's impossible. No matter how great you are, it will be inaccurate and you will miss the target," a guy from behind answered their questions.
"But why is he doing that?" the girl asked again. "He doesn't need to do it. He is already awesome in my eyes."
"He's so full of himself, most likely." The guy laughed.
"Oh, that's bad. I started to like him because I thought he was humble," the girl said.
Don't listen to him. He's just jealous," the other girl said. "Zane is kind and down to Earth, trust me."
Zane hardly heard of their conversation because he was focused on his goal. He pulled the string and aimed at the target. He released the string and the two arrows went straight to the center of the target.
"Ten!" the scorer said. "No, twenty! That's two arrows!" He scratched his head.
"I can't believe I could also do it using ordinary bow and arrows." He glanced at his bow while smiling, happy with the result. He did not notice the cheer from the audience after his perfect shot of two arrows.
He just realized how loud the cheer was when he turned around and saw the audience standing and clapping.
"No way! What have I done?" he asked himself while looking at the crowd.
***
Zack covered his head while walking on the street. He stopped in front of a cafe near the school. He scanned the whole shop before entering. He just saw how good Zane was in archery. He was amazed at how he easily shot two arrows at once. He was sure he could do it even with more arrows. However, what he saw made his suspicions even stronger. No ordinary human being can do that.
He sat on a long stool beside the woman who was wearing a black mask with a hole underneath, a black leather jacket and pants. She was holding a glass of milk tea; the straw was inserted in the hole and she was drinking her refreshment.
"I felt the unique powers from him. He has the combination of god's power and Atlantean's metaphysics power. He doesn't know how to mask his growing powers completely, or he was unguarded at that moment. I think he is the prince." Zack's eyes lit. "I probably found the prince."
"You must observe him," the woman said. "Enroll in that school if needed. We must protect the king's son. He could be in danger. Make sure he is safe at all times. You may go now."
He nodded. "Don't worry, I will. I will protect him at all cost" He bowed and walked away.
- Writer
