Chapter Six
Evan and Jackson are already back in their places when I walk up behind them. I watch Evan ready his first shot, and have to stifle a laugh when I see Tanner creeping up behind him. The second before Evan takes his shot, the end of Tanner’s bow thumps Evan’s elbow, making the arrow spring out of his hands and land at my feet. Evan takes a swing at Tanner, but is smiling as he does it. I toss the arrow back to Evan and decide to move much further to the side of them.
Staying safely out of the way, I watch the guys practice. The quiet Jackson hits the target more often than the others, even if Evan celebrates his few successes louder than any of his friends. Tanner ends up practicing on the target nearest me and manages to question me about Manhattan and what kind of activities I like while he works. Despite the cloud hanging over me, I actually start to enjoy myself. I clap when one of the guys hits the center of the target, but leave the ribbing to them.
“Do you want to try?” Tanner asks suddenly.
I stare at him stupidly. Is he joking? Evan snorts, rolling his eyes. That is all it takes. Throwing a withering look at Evan, I jump up. “Sure,” I say, reaching for the bow. The weight of it surprises me. Heavier than I expected, the metal bow dips my hand slightly. I want to hold it with two hands, but I am pretty sure that would make holding the arrow quite a bit harder. “If you’ll help me, that is.”
Tanner smiles and steps in closer to me. Was he hoping I’d say that?
“No problem. Come over here,” he says. Tanner shows me where to place my hand on the bow. “This is the riser. You want to look right along the top of the riser to sight the target.”
“Okay,” I say. Tanner’s two friends move back, a few yards behind me. Jackson looks a little worried. Evan just looks like he’s getting ready to laugh. I glance back at Tanner. “Are you sure you want me to try this?”
Tanner laughs, bringing a shy smile to my face. I really don’t want to look like an idiot in front of him. “You’ll be fine,” he says. He readies an arrow for me, which brings him right up next to me and seriously messes with my ability to concentrate. “Just let the arrow rest on the top of your hand. Now pull it back as far as you can.”
Pulling cautiously at first, I struggle against the tension in the string. My arm strains, but the arrow only moves about eight inches. Evan is doubled over with laughter. Even Jackson covers his mouth with the back of his hand. I grit my teeth and let the arrow drop for a moment. “Let me try again.”
“Here, I’ll help,” Tanner says. His smile is soft, but a little crooked. I can tell he’s trying not to laugh as well. I feel like a huge wimp.
Tanner steps behind me this time and brings his hands up to my shoulders. I hadn’t noticed how much taller than me Tanner is until he looks down at me over my shoulder. Now I feel like a midget, too.
“Bring your elbow up, like this.” He pushes my elbow up a little higher and covers my hand that is holding the bow with his own. Bringing his other arm around me, his hand tightens around my fingers and the end of the arrow. “Now pull it back toward your ear.”
I pull as hard as I can. The arrow moves a little further than before, and then Tanner takes over, pulling the string taught and holding it. “Do you have the bull’s-eye sighted?” he asks.
I try to concentrate on the bull’s-eye instead of Tanner’s closeness, but that is easier said than done. After inching the bow slightly to the left, the center circle comes in line with the riser. “Yeah, I have it now.”
“When I say ‘now,’ let go.”
“Okay.”
“Now.”
I release my grip and watch the arrow slide past my hand. It veers from where I intended it to fly, sliding past the target and into the tall grass, but I am at least pleased to see how far it went. Evan hoots at my miss. Jackson pushes him to the ground, but looks glad he moved behind me.
“That was good for a first try,” Tanner says.
“I couldn’t even pull the arrow back far enough,” I say. I hand the bow back to Tanner. “Thanks for the help. It probably wouldn’t have gone ten feet without you.”
“Did you like it?” he asks.
I smile. I doubt I will ever be able to draw the arrow on my own, but watching it fly away was breathtaking. Having Tanner as a teacher isn’t too bad either. Knowing that my mom will kill me for doing something so dangerous, as I am sure she will see it, only adds to my smile. “It was neat. Thanks for letting me try.” Tanner’s smile brightens. I turn away from him, heading deeper into the meadow.
“Where are you going?” he asks, catching up to me in a few short steps.
“You want your arrow back, don’t you?” I ask.
Together we search through the tall grasses for the misguided arrow. Tanner is, of course, the one to spot the bright red fletching. It’s stuck in the dirt just outside the line of trees surrounding the meadow.
“Sorry.”
“No problem.” Tanner wipes the dirt off the arrow head on his pant leg before returning it to the quiver tied to his thigh. “Hey, a bunch of us are getting together at the beach on Saturday.”
“Oh yeah,” I say, “for the bonfire.”
Tanner cocks an eyebrow. “You’ve already heard about that? I thought you’d only been here a few days.”
I grin. “You country kids must be hard up for company. It was practically the first thing out of that girl’s mouth at the grocery store. I think her name was Anne or Amy.”
“Dani,” Tanner corrects. “I should have guessed it was her. She usually meets the new arrivals first. Everybody needs to restock the fridge after moving in, I guess.”
I smile again. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“So, are you going to come?” Tanner asks. “I could give you a ride if you want.”
“I don’t know, Dani seemed willing to show me how to get there, too,” I tease.
“She doesn’t even give me a chance,” Tanner says. The breeze flips a stray piece of hair into my eyes and Tanner reaches up to brush it away. His fingertips brush against my forehead and I literally feel my skin tingle. Tanner looks at his fingers and quickly drops them, his cheeks turning a shade pinker than before.
My earlier concerns try to drift back into my mind, but I push the unpleasant thoughts away immediately. “A ride would be nice. As long as I don’t have to sit by Evan, that is,” I say. “I think he’s still laughing at me.”
“Evan can drive himself if he can’t behave,” Tanner promises.
By the time we make it back to Tanner’s friends, Evan has managed to calm himself down. “Good try,” Jackson says politely.
Evan stifles another chuckle, but manages to keep his hysterical laughter in check this time. Normally, I might have stomped away from his childishness with my nose in the air, but here, the teasing doesn’t really bother me that much. Standing next to Tanner might be part of the reason for that.
“Shooting like a girl suddenly has new meaning to me,” Evan says. He just couldn’t resist.
It is such a relief to be around people my own age again. Not having my mom hovering overhead, trying to gauge whether I am moving toward well-adjusted quickly enough is a huge relief. I’m not sure how I would survive the summer without a few distractions to get me out of the house. Evan’s playful attitude grips me, and before I think too much about it, I punch Evan in the shoulder, grinning while I do it.
“Ow!” he exclaims. He rubs his shoulder, pretending I actually did some damage. “She hits better than she shoots, at least.” That earns him a punch from Tanner as well. “Alright, alright, it was a good try, Arra. Actually, Tanner’s bow is way too big for you. I would have been shocked if you had been able to draw the arrow on your own.”
I turn on Tanner. His grin is his only answer. I smirk, feeling a little foolish, but still happier than I’ve been in a while. “Well it’s not like I carry around extra bows just in case a pretty girl walks in while we’re practicing,” he says in his defense.
I do
n’t miss the ‘pretty girl’ thrown in so casually. I turn away, hoping he doesn’t see me blush. Looking up into the sky, I suddenly realize how low the sun has dipped. My mom was thrilled to see me leave the house, but I know I will be in for a lecture if I don’t make it home on time. “What time is it?”
Tanner pulls a cell phone out of his jeans pocket. I am more than a little surprised to see it. I would have bet a week’s allowance that you couldn’t get reception out here in Grainer. Actually, my dad claimed that was the big reason for cancelling my cell phone before we moved. We might have to talk about that tonight. Tanner catches my shocked look and laughs.
“What, you’ve never seen a cell phone either? I would’ve thought you’d have three or four, being from Manhattan and all,” Tanner says.
I completely ignore that comment. “The time?”
“It’s a quarter to six,” he informs me.
“Oh crap,” I say. My mom will be calling Dad away from the hospital early if her mopey daughter doesn’t appear in time to help prepare dinner.
“What’s wrong?” Jackson asks.
“Oh, it’s just that I’m supposed to help my mom with dinner tonight.” I look around the forest, my brow crinkling. Which way was I walking when I ran into these guys? “Um, I’m not even sure where I am. I was just kind of wandering.”
“Go get the targets, guys,” Tanner says to his two friends. Evan grumbles something about doing all the work as he walks away, but he goes anyway. “I’ll drive you back if you want.”
“Thanks,” I say, “that would be great.”
My mom might not think so, taking rides from strangers and all that, but it is a tossup on which one she will be more mad about, being late and making her think I died somewhere, or taking a ride from a sweet and good looking gentleman like Tanner. Maybe I can have Tanner drop me off a block away and avoid having to find out. “My mom really freaks out if I’m late.”
Tanner flashes his teeth again. “Well, we can’t have you getting grounded before the bonfire, now can we?”
“You just want to know where I live,” I tease. “I think you might be a stalker.”
“I think you might be the one stalking me.” He pushes me playfully toward his truck. “Get in.”
The ride home doesn’t last long enough. All too soon my house comes into view. I plan to just hop out and run up to my front door to avoid being any later than I already am, but Tanner surprises me when he shuts off the engine and gets out of the truck. I get out quickly, not sure it’s such a good idea for him to get too close to the house. I would hate his first impression of my family to be my mom freaking out on him.
“Uh, you really don’t have to walk me to my door,” I say as he walks up to me.
Tanner shrugs. “It’s no problem.”
Well, it might be, I think as I scan the windows for my mom’s face. We reach the front door quickly. I hesitate to actually approach the door. My anxiety level begins to creep up. I know my mom is going to throw it open at any moment with demands of where I have been and who I am with.
“Well, thanks for the ride.”
“Any time,” Tanner says. He smiles and steps a little closer to me. “I know you’re not loving it here so far, but it’s really not too bad. There’s more to do here than you might think. The beach isn’t very far, and there are some great hiking trails in the forest, too. If you want to check any of them out, just let me know. I’d be happy to show you around.”
Despite the fact that hiking around in nature with bugs and animals doesn’t sound all that appealing, I appreciate the offer. Spending time with Tanner would definitely be worth any amount of bugs or creatures.
“Thanks, Tanner. Maybe I’ll take you up on that sometime.”
“I hope you do,” Tanner says.
The silence that descends as we stand on the front porch is close and comforting. Concerns about my mom walking out disappear from my mind. Neither of us speaks. I don’t want to chase away this feeling with words. Tanner seems reluctant to leave as well. He steps closer, but seems unsure of what to do next.
“I guess I should let you go in and help your mom,” Tanner says quietly.
“I guess.” My sigh admits my reluctance to see him leave.
Tanner seems to take courage from my reaction. Maybe before he can think better of it, he quickly closes the distance between us and wraps his arms around me in a hug. I am more than a little surprised, but not enough to keep me from returning the gesture. It doesn’t last long. Tanner pulls back quickly, but I won’t be forgetting it any time soon.
“Thank you for this afternoon,” I say. “It’s the most fun I’ve had since I got here.”
Tanner grins. “Just let me know when you’re up for round two. I live one street over in the green house.”
“I’ll see you around then.”
“I look forward to it,” Tanner says before finally heading back to his truck.
Turning to face the front door, I sigh as I know it is time to face my mom. Pushing the door open, I’m not surprised to find her waiting for me with a panicked expression.
“Where have you been?” she demands as soon as I step through the door. “And who was that boy on the porch?”
I knew I should have had Tanner drop me off a block away.
“Relax, Mom. I was taking a walk in the woods and ran into some guys who live around here.”
I consciously decide not to mention the archery lesson. I know that would trump the ride home with Tanner without a doubt. My mom won’t even carry a pocket knife. When my dad wanted to get a gun to keep in the apartment in Manhattan, my mom had all but threatened divorce when he mentioned it.
“Guys? More than the boy on the porch?”
“They’re just some boys I’ll be going to school with in the fall. We hung out for a while and they gave me a ride home. The boy on the porch is named Tanner, the other two are Evan and Jackson.” I really hope my mom will drop the topic. “What are we having for dinner?”
“Arrabella, you know better than to accept rides from strangers,” she says, her stance moving into the nagging mother position.
“Oh good grief, Mom. Give it a rest. You’re the one who wanted me to make friends, remember? They’re nice guys. Tanner lives on the next street over from us. I’m sure you’ll meet all their parents by the end of the week.” I relax a little as I watch my mom’s stance soften.
“You just scared me, that’s all. I’m not used to being in a small town yet. I still feel like we’re in Manhattan sometimes. I just worry about you.”
I smile at her. I know my mom was the biggest push to move the family out to Grainer. She never felt safe in Manhattan. Having grown up in a small town herself, she just never adjusted to big city life. “So, do you still want some help with dinner?”
Dad is still at the hospital when dinner is finally on the table, but my mom and I enjoy sharing the meal regardless. Eating without my dad is hardly a new thing, although living in Grainer promises to make it a much less frequent occurrence than usual. That, at least, is something to look forward to. I watch my mom carefully prepare a plate for my dad and place it in the oven to keep it warm, just as I have watched her do so many times before. Together we wash the dinner dishes and talk about our day. It feels nice. It feels normal. We have barely talked at all in the past week. Stacking the last dish in the strainer, I kiss my mom’s cheek before excusing myself to my room.
More tired than I realized, I find myself laying on my bed wondering where I left the novel I’ve been reading, but too lazy to get up and really look for it. Opening the nightstand drawer, because it’s the closest place I can think of, I am startled to find the photos staring back at me. The afternoon out of the house has practically erased my earlier uneasiness. The peculiar eyes in the photos strike me deeply. I swear I can feel their eyes on me, watching me and waiting. The unsettling shiver returns immediately.
I had pretty much forgotten about my
plan to visit my grandpa, but now I feel like I need to keep that appointment. Setting the photos back on my nightstand, I can’t forget them when I make my way over to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I take my time, but find myself back in bed too quickly. Climbing under a light blanket, thoughts of dying young girls swirl in my mind.
I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Knowing by now that the dream will come again, I try to keep my eyes open as long as possible. The problem is that there’s nothing up there to hold my attention. Debating about what I could hang on the ceiling that will keep me awake the longest, I feel my eyes start to close. Against my wishes, the dim light of the moon fades from my sight and I fall asleep.