taught me earlier. We split up into smaller groups. Nick announced that he would go with Sam, Tim, and I. Nick always seemed to know exactly what to do; it was like having a wise mentor lead you around.
Although I loved archery, I never appreciated hunting. The thought of killing a defenseless animal sent shivers down my spine, even if it was a case of survival.
To my relief, Mike, George, Tim, and Nick caught dinner, so I didn’t have to. I watched them carry the lifeless animals across their backs, with patches of bloodstained fur and black, marble eyes glaring at me. I kept looking away.
As we had time before dinner, I returned to the same tree as the previous day and practiced shooting arrows. I notched an arrow on the bowstring, positioned my feet, set my head, and brought my bow up to eye level. I took a deep breath, pulled back to my anchor point, aimed, and released. The arrow landed an inch above my target. I repeated the same process, and the second arrow went slightly left. The third ended up a bit over to the right. I started to get frustrated.
“You’re not relaxing your bow arm, so you’re gripping the bow last minute, which causes the arrow to kick in the direction you pull the bow,” Maxime said from behind. “Here, let me help you.”
I notched another arrow and pulled it back. As soon as I reached my anchor point, I felt his warm hands rest on my shoulders. He whispered, “Release,” and his breath danced lightly on my neck. All of my muscles went weak, and the arrow flew out from the bow and dug into the center of my target. By the time I had inhaled enough courage to face him, he had disappeared into the woods.
Suddenly, David came storming up to me. He spoke to the ground, “I’m sorry.” Then he left. I figured that Maxime had forced him into apologizing. I still felt insecure around David. What bothered me the most was his grudging attitude, and I promised myself that I would at least try to change it.
It was getting darker sooner, indicating that winter was on its way. I had always loved the soft snow that muffled my steps, but I never truly appreciated the cold or the forced gratefulness during the holidays that had lost their meaning decades ago.
The blue sky was becoming a light purple as the sun set, making everything look pink, peaceful, and calming. The dinner bell broke the gentle spell, but the delectable smell from the long tables near the bonfire seemed to be a fair compromise. I quickly sat down.
I ate and drank, listening to everyone’s conversations while observing them. As usual, no one spoke to Maxime, and he left the table early. He appeared to be the loneliest person I had ever met, even lonelier than I.
After dinner, I quickly changed and lay on my bed. I tried to analyze what had been happening, what Maxime had told David but couldn’t tell me. As my joy shifted to thoughts of Maxime, I felt the need to suppress his image in my mind, but it had already been engraved. I couldn’t quite make out what attracted me to him, but he was so peculiar. Mystery surrounded him like a thick cloud. He was extroverted, yet extremely secretive, and he treated me differently from anyone else. There was a caring touch that came with a protective trait. Maxime gave me a feeling of belonging and fitting in that I had always wanted to feel. It was like an addiction, a drug, but one without consequences, one with nothing but the feeling of soaring.
Chapter 10
Maxime was leaning against a tree across from my cabin. As I stepped into the early morning, I felt the elegant shadows stretch across my face from the sun’s light. “How do you get up so early?” I said softly, afraid to wake anyone else.
He grinned. “You’ll get used to it. Come, I want to show you something.” He took my hand delicately, making my emotions rush, and signaled to be silent as we headed deeper into the forest.
We stopped in the middle of nowhere, and he let go of my hand. He whistled a soft tune
Although I loved archery, I never appreciated hunting. The thought of killing a defenseless animal sent shivers down my spine, even if it was a case of survival.
To my relief, Mike, George, Tim, and Nick caught dinner, so I didn’t have to. I watched them carry the lifeless animals across their backs, with patches of bloodstained fur and black, marble eyes glaring at me. I kept looking away.
As we had time before dinner, I returned to the same tree as the previous day and practiced shooting arrows. I notched an arrow on the bowstring, positioned my feet, set my head, and brought my bow up to eye level. I took a deep breath, pulled back to my anchor point, aimed, and released. The arrow landed an inch above my target. I repeated the same process, and the second arrow went slightly left. The third ended up a bit over to the right. I started to get frustrated.
“You’re not relaxing your bow arm, so you’re gripping the bow last minute, which causes the arrow to kick in the direction you pull the bow,” Maxime said from behind. “Here, let me help you.”
I notched another arrow and pulled it back. As soon as I reached my anchor point, I felt his warm hands rest on my shoulders. He whispered, “Release,” and his breath danced lightly on my neck. All of my muscles went weak, and the arrow flew out from the bow and dug into the center of my target. By the time I had inhaled enough courage to face him, he had disappeared into the woods.
Suddenly, David came storming up to me. He spoke to the ground, “I’m sorry.” Then he left. I figured that Maxime had forced him into apologizing. I still felt insecure around David. What bothered me the most was his grudging attitude, and I promised myself that I would at least try to change it.
It was getting darker sooner, indicating that winter was on its way. I had always loved the soft snow that muffled my steps, but I never truly appreciated the cold or the forced gratefulness during the holidays that had lost their meaning decades ago.
The blue sky was becoming a light purple as the sun set, making everything look pink, peaceful, and calming. The dinner bell broke the gentle spell, but the delectable smell from the long tables near the bonfire seemed to be a fair compromise. I quickly sat down.
I ate and drank, listening to everyone’s conversations while observing them. As usual, no one spoke to Maxime, and he left the table early. He appeared to be the loneliest person I had ever met, even lonelier than I.
After dinner, I quickly changed and lay on my bed. I tried to analyze what had been happening, what Maxime had told David but couldn’t tell me. As my joy shifted to thoughts of Maxime, I felt the need to suppress his image in my mind, but it had already been engraved. I couldn’t quite make out what attracted me to him, but he was so peculiar. Mystery surrounded him like a thick cloud. He was extroverted, yet extremely secretive, and he treated me differently from anyone else. There was a caring touch that came with a protective trait. Maxime gave me a feeling of belonging and fitting in that I had always wanted to feel. It was like an addiction, a drug, but one without consequences, one with nothing but the feeling of soaring.
Chapter 10
Maxime was leaning against a tree across from my cabin. As I stepped into the early morning, I felt the elegant shadows stretch across my face from the sun’s light. “How do you get up so early?” I said softly, afraid to wake anyone else.
He grinned. “You’ll get used to it. Come, I want to show you something.” He took my hand delicately, making my emotions rush, and signaled to be silent as we headed deeper into the forest.
We stopped in the middle of nowhere, and he let go of my hand. He whistled a soft tune
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