by Smoke, Lucy
I let Texas lead me down the rows of sparring mats. We paused for a brief moment to watch each partner combo. Finally, we ended up at the very end where Max was sparring with a woman that might have been in her early thirties. Her short cropped, springy hair was pinned back with a tight headband. It showcased her bird-like features, the fine bones of her face, and the pointed tip of her nose. Despite that, I realized she was still quite beautiful with eyes that sparkled. She moved with a lithe grace that I envied as she evaded Max’s foot and leg as he attempted to execute the same move that Texas had taken me down with.
She lifted her foot and spun away from him, ending up on the edge of the mat with both hands raised at the ready when Max finally managed to correct himself and turn around. “Nice move,” he said.
“I think you’re getting slower in your old age,” she teased lightly.
It was obvious, though, by both of their mannerisms that they had known each other for a long time. They moved into a circle, stepping clockwise before the woman froze and stepped counterclockwise, Max following her movements.
“Do you see how she steps?” Texas whispered into my hair. I nodded. “She’s baiting him.”
“What does that mean?” I whisper-asked.
“When she changed movements, so did he. Watch, she’ll do it again. She’ll keep doing it and he’ll start waiting for it – Max is playing right now. He also knows that we’re here watching so that you can learn. He’s seen her do this before and he knows he can overcome and avoid it, but he’ll fall for it just to help the lesson.”
“Lesson?” I blinked and looked around, realizing that they had drawn out a crowd of about twenty people, including Texas and me.
I turned my attention back to the match at hand and watched as the woman did exactly as Texas had predicted, as did Max. She moved, twisted, reversed, he moved and copied her movements. Soon enough she changed faster than he anticipated and was on him, spinning around his body until her arms came up and her forearms locked around his throat. I watched, wide-eyed as she kneed the back of his legs and he went down. She followed, keeping her forearms where they were – brushing his windpipe.
“Do you concede?” the woman asked.
With a laugh, Max nodded. “Well done, Raven,” he said, standing and shaking her hand. She grinned, revealing straight white teeth and a dazzling smile.
“Anytime you need a refresher, I’m happy to help,” she told him. The crowd clapped lightly, and Texas and I joined in.
“Come on,” Texas said. “Let’s hit up another area.”
“There’s more?” I groaned. I was already covered in sweat and exhausted. I had downed another two full water bottles and the sun was rising higher and higher. I kind of wished that I had stopped for a moment and grabbed a granola bar or something before we left the house. My stomach cramped with how hungry I was. Texas heard its low grumble.
He laughed. “Don’t worry, lunch is in another hour.”
“An hour?!” That just wasn’t fair. I didn’t know if I could last the next five minutes, much less an hour. Texas rolled his eyes and dragged me off behind him towards a protected section of the field. We stopped in front of a large net structure that separated the larger area we were standing in from several yards of flat land and large stacks of hay bales.
“What–”
“Here we go.” Texas turned and produced what looked like a bullet proof vest. He slipped it around me and did up the side straps. I realized it wasn’t a bullet proof vest, but a vest with some sort of softer padding on the inside. He stared at my bare arms for a moment before turning around and snatching something from the ground. I leaned to the side and noticed that there was a large pile of supplies similar to what he was putting on me. He slipped a light black jacket over my arms and zipped it up.
“Okay,” he said. “It’s not gonna do much by way of protection, but it’ll shield you for the most part. If you hit the underbrush you’re gonna want it.”
“Underbrush?” I repeated, confused. Texas merely turned around and found a vest for himself and started doing up the straps. He bent and picked up a large, black rifle. I stared in shock. “Oh my god.”
Texas glanced at me as he slipped the band attached to the gun over his shoulder.
“Okay,” he said. I continued to stare at the gun. “Have you ever done airsoft before?”
I blinked at him. Then, it hit me. Airsoft – guns. Airsoft guns! It wasn’t real. I sighed in relief and almost choked. Had he noticed that I thought it was real? I peeked up at him and realized he was still waiting on an answer. “Oh – uh...n-no. I haven’t.”
He nodded. “Okay, you’re getting a spring-powered gun then.” He reached back and produced a gun that looked similar to his except that it was marked on the end with a piece of blue painter’s tape. “It works from air pressure,” he explained. “What you’re going to do is go in there with me–” He nodded his head towards the other side of the netting, “–and if you see someone in anything other than black, you’re gonna point and shoot at them.” He demonstrated, holding the gun up and pointing towards one of the small trees alongside the field. He pulled the trigger and I jumped when a pellet launched out of the gun with a burst of air.
“Doesn’t it hurt, if I hit someone?” I asked. “What about Max’s rules?”
“Max meant more the archery thing, or knife throwing or–”
“There’s knife throwing here?” I interrupted.
Texas sighed. “Do you want to know how to shoot this thing, so we can go in there? The sooner you get this down, the sooner we can go in there and kick some butt, and the sooner we can come back and get lunch.”
“Give me the gun,” I said, snatching it from him. “Point and pull the trigger, right?” I took a step closer to him, holding it up like he had, with one end jammed into my shoulder and the other pointed towards the same tree.
“There’s going to be a–” I pressed the trigger and the gun jumped in my arms, smacking me in the shoulder. I grunted and rotated my shoulder.
“Ouch.”
“I was trying to tell you that there might be a bit of a kickback,” Texas finished with a shake of his head.
“It didn’t kick you back,” I pointed out. “It’s the same gun. Maybe it’s defective.”
“It’s kickback not – it’s not defective.” Texas huffed a breath. “It’s your first time, you’ll get the hang of it. Just don’t point it at anyone’s face or groin. Aim for the chest area, it’s the biggest target.” Texas stopped and looked up, his eyes moving over the tree line in the distance. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Wait!” I called as he started off for an area of the netting that was cut out and flapped in the breeze. “You didn’t tell me if it’ll hurt! I’ve never done this before!”
We reached the cut-out area and Texas slipped in, holding it open for me. I slid in behind him and he ducked down, tying the strings that held the netting in place. “To the woods,” he said, lowering his voice. “Look out up top. There might be people in the branches.”
“What?” Texas didn’t reply because he had already taken off, jogging at a clipped pace towards the tree line. I slid my gun strap over my head and held it in two hands, taking off after him. I found my gaze straying upward, looking for the people he had mentioned that might be up there. I didn’t see anything. Texas held up one fist and waited for me to slow to his side.
“How good is your eyesight?” he asked.
“Uhhh….”
He shook his head. “How good is your patience then?” he asked.
I raised a brow at him. “I live with you and the guys, don’t I?” At that he cracked a grin.
“Okay, then,” he said. “You see those bushes over there?” I turned and nodded when I saw the area he was pointing to. “Go crawl in them and face this trail,” he said motioning to the dirt path we were standing on. “If someone runs past wearing anything but black, shoot ‘em.”
I glanced over my shoulders at th
e bushes, but when I turned back I noticed he was heading away. “Wait, where are you going?” I whisper-yelled. For some reason, I felt like it would be better not to raise my voice while we were both holding guns in an airsoft battlefield.
He turned around and winked my way. “I’m gonna go flush ‘em out, Princess.” With that, he disappeared around a tree and I turned and headed for the bushes. Getting down on my knees, I army crawled under the thin branches. I jerked my gun behind me and then set it up, digging my elbows into the dry dirt under the brush – and waited.
I don’t know how long I waited. It felt like lunch could have come and gone and that the sun would be setting any moment but, in truth, it was probably closer to twenty or so minutes before an older guy in a deep green vest and shirt ran by. He was there and gone so quickly, I hadn’t even managed to get my finger around the trigger in time. I sighed and scooted closer to the gun, pressing the pad of my finger next to the trigger. Not quite on it, but no more than a split second away from pressing it.
A few minutes later, I heard the telltale shuffles of feet slapping the ground rapidly as someone came my way. I kept my eyes peeled and lifted the end of my rifle, aiming to where I suspected the chest area would be. Someone in dark blue came out of the same area Texas had disappeared and I pulled the trigger just as their feet stepped several feet in front of the bushes I was hunkered down in.
“Ow! Fuck! Damn it!” The guy was young, closer to my age than the man who had run by before. “I’m out!” he called out. I didn’t know who he was calling out to, and I certainly knew there would be more people out there. I kept quiet and remained in place as the man in blue moved at a much slower pace now, keeping his hands raised and his gun above his head. I assumed that was the surrender pose, the one that let others know you’d been shot and were out and no longer playing. I would have to remember that because it was inevitable that I would get out of this bush eventually and since this was my first time in an airsoft field, I expected my reign to be rather short lived.
After a while, the silence started to get to me. No one else came through and all I could hear was the distant sounds of birds and my own breathing. I tried not to think about all of the bugs that were likely crawling through the dirt alongside me, but it was hard. A branch snapped close by and if I hadn’t already been lying as still as I could manage, I would have frozen. My ears strained, seeking out which direction the noise had come from. When nothing happened, I decided to move.
I struggled backwards, army crawling in reverse until I was free from the bushes. In the silence of the forest, I moved as quietly as possible, though there was no helping the occasional crunch of leaves under my tennis shoes. I tried to keep on the dirt or grass as much as possible because it absorbed most of the noise I made. I kept the gun pointed down, but at the ready. My heart raced. A cough sounded in the distance and I froze for a split second before I took off running.
Footfalls sounded behind me and I realized that I was being followed, tracked. My heart pounded faster. I saw a tree with a few low branches up ahead. I took a chance and shoved my gun down, letting it hang on me by its strap as I reached up and used old muscles that hadn’t been exercised since I was still practicing gymnastics. I hefted myself up onto the lowest one. I had to leap a bit just to reach it.
My hands closed over the branch. I clenched my stomach muscles and with my biceps aching, I lifted myself up and over the branch. It creaked under my weight and I heard the footfalls coming closer. I moved as fast as possible, reaching for the next branch and then the next and the next, until I was halfway up an incredibly tall oak tree. The footfalls slowed before coming to a complete stop.
A dark head appeared just under the tree. It was a girl in a deep red t-shirt. She turned her head from side to side before moving slowly around the tree. I held my breath as she moved, wondering if I could reach for my gun and manage to get off a shot before she heard me. I kept one arm above my head, hand glued to the branch there as I slowly released with my other hand and leaned down for my gun. It smacked into the tree and the sound ricocheted.
Both of us froze. Then the girl quickly circled the tree again, gun up and aiming around. Her feet made more noise as she moved, and I took that chance to grab my gun and get it centered against my shoulder. I had to clutch it with both hands and my feet wobbled on the branch, I moved closer to the trunk of the tree for stability, aiming downward. I tried to keep steady as I marked my gun at her back. She turned in another circle and I put my finger over the trigger. Sweat beaded on my neck and slid down into my shirt. It was hot and muggy, even under shade. The bark of the tree scratched at me, distracting me. It was hard, but I took small, short breaths – like the ones I used to take when I was a kid alone in my room at night, afraid of the monsters in the dark. I hadn’t wanted them to hear me and know I was there. Just like now.
I re-centered my finger over the trigger and pulled back. The gun jammed against my shoulder again and I winced as a loud cry sounded below. The girl stumbled, the gun falling from her hands as she turned and clutched her shoulder. She whirled around in a circle, eyes squinting, looking. I didn’t dare move. For some reason, I still didn’t want her to know where I was despite the fact that she was out of the game. Her face was a mask of irritation, but she begrudgingly put her gun up and called out a frustrated, “I’m out!” before stalking off.
I waited several minutes before I slowly descended the tree. My abs ached, and my legs were sore by the time I made it down, but I was proud. I took off again, heading back for the same area Texas had told me to stay in. Hopefully he hadn’t gone back and found me missing and freaked out. When I arrived, other than a few telltale marks of where I had lain before, nothing was changed. I crawled back under the bushes and set the gun back up. I was fiddling with end of it, trying to pull it further under the bushes and keep it from showing through the leaves when two sets of footfalls sounded behind me.
I screamed as a pair of hands reached under the bushes behind me and grabbed my ankles, yanking me out from under the leaves. I twisted over on my back as the pulling halted and looked up into Bellamy and Texas’ smiling faces.
“Jesus!” I snapped. “You damn near gave me a freaking heart attack!” I stood up and slapped at both of their arms before adjusting my clothes that had ridden up as they had dragged me across the ground.
“Lunch is ready,” Bellamy said with a shrug.
I whipped my gun off and shoved it in Texas’ arms before taking off. I heard both of them laughing as I ran. It was the first time they had seen me willingly exercising that day.
* * *
Lunch was simple burgers and hot dogs grilled and handed out to anyone with a plate. Texas and Bellamy met back up with me and Texas took my vest and jacket to return to wherever it was supposed to go. When he returned we ate together and they informed me that the training day was pretty much over. We were expected to remain behind – specifically I was, because I was under penalty – to help clean up. I didn’t mind that. The food had been free, and it had been a fun day, albeit an exhausting one.
Even as I helped with trash pickup, I noticed that there were plenty of activities I hadn’t even gotten to try – there had been tree rock climbing. My eyes widened at that. I hadn’t even known that was a thing. But there were giant plastic rocks screwed into some of the larger trees with ropes dangling from somewhere far up above. Though I was curious enough to picture myself doing it next time – if there was a next time – I couldn’t see where the ropes went and that scared me. How high up did they go?
“Shorty!” My head jerked up as I was shocked out of my musings. Bellamy raced across the field, and I narrowed my eyes at him as he came to a stop in front of me.
“That is not my new nickname,” I said.
He grinned ruefully. “Come on,” he said, grabbing my hand and tugging me away from where I had been tying up trash bags. “You’re done for the day. They have someone coming out to pick up the rest. Let’s go home and tak
e a shower.”
“A shower…” I said with a happy sigh, picking up the pace. “I could go for a shower right now.”
Bellamy chuckled his agreement. We hit the trail again and I realized it was another run back to the car. I groaned and begged my legs not to collapse. I promised myself a nice long soak in my own personal tub just as soon as we got home. They just had to make it to the SUV. Luckily, they did. Wavering just before we hit the parking lot, Texas pulled up and I hopped in the back while Bellamy got into the front.
“What’s up?” Bellamy asked. I looked up, noting Texas’ serious face as I grabbed my phone out of the backseat pocket where I had left it and set it on my lap.
Texas flicked a glance back at me through the rearview mirror before answering. “Knix called. Alex is at the house. He wants to see Harlow.”
“Am I in trouble?” I asked hesitantly. “I did the penalty thing.” Being in trouble with the guys was different than being in trouble with Alex, for sure. I hoped I wasn’t.
“Don’t worry,” Bellamy said, looking over his shoulder at me. “He probably wants to ask you some questions about what happened last night.” With that, I knew he wasn’t talking about the drinking. Drinking kind of came second place to the girl. I leaned back and clutched the phone in my hands. If I closed my eyes, I remembered her face and it made my chest ache and anger boil once more.
When we pulled up to the house, Bellamy and Texas got out first. I sat there for a moment longer before unbuckling my seatbelt and sliding out onto the driveway. Texas had left the SUV parked behind Alex’s white Subaru. We ascended the stairs and Bellamy held the door open for Texas and me.
Alex and Knix were alone in the living room. Alex was dressed in jeans and a light blue button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I hesitated in the doorway as Bellamy and Texas brushed past and welcomed him.
