The Boy Who Could Fly

chapter nine

True to her word, Aimee stuck close to the camp for the next several days. She didn't want to make Jack feel bad again, and he had only asked for her to stay at camp for her own safety. So she spent her time laughing with the Lost Boys, playing with her siblings, and learning how to live on Neverland.

Surviving on an island took more effort than Aimee thought, which was saying something. She never knew how difficult it was to hunt, fish, and forage for the next meal. She learned how to properly cook fresh fish and how to tell the poisonous berries from the good ones. Aimee really enjoyed island life. She was free from the responsibilities she had in New York. While she missed her parents, she didn't mind the extra help taking care of Sally and Sebastien.

One morning, as she was climbing down from her treehouse, Aimee ran into Jack. "Hey, Aimee. What'cha doin'?" He asked, holding something behind his back.

"Getting up," she replied. "What are you doing?"

"Comin' to find ya. I was wonderin' if you wanted to come do somethin' with me today." Jack gave her a small smile.

"Like what?"

Jack moved his hands out from behind his back, revealing two swords. "Thought I'd show ya how to use these today," he offered, grinning at Aimee.

Aimee gasped softly upon seeing the weapons. "Really? I've wanted to learn how to swordfight for as long as I can remember!"

"I know." Jack seemed pretty proud of himself for having this idea. "Okay, come on. I'll show ya a place where we can practice."

With a nod, Aimee excitedly followed Jack away from camp. He walked through the trees and came upon a clearing less than ten minutes from the Lost Boys' camp.

"Here we are," Jack said as he stopped in the clearing. "Alright. First things first." After handing Aimee one of the swords, he stood next to her. "Hold the hilt like this."

Aimee copied Jack's grip by putting both her hands on the sword, bending her elbows a bit, and holding the weapon close to herself. "Like this?"

"Good." Jack nodded. "Holdin' it like that makes it harder to knock out of your hands. Hold the sword like this all the time." He held the blade in front of him, and Aimee followed his lead. With another nod, Jack showed her how to position her feet. "Angle your hips toward your opponent."

Aimee nodded, focusing, and imitated his stance. "This feels about right. Does it look right?" Jack looked her up and down, then nodded. His gaze caused Aimee to blush a little. "Good," she said finally.

"Follow my lead." Beside her, Jack began swinging his sword slowly from several different attack angles. As Aimee began to pick up his pattern, she copied the movements. After a moment, Jack stopped and faced her. "Alright. Ready to try to defend yourself?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Aimee said with a nod. She positioned herself in the stance Jack taught her, gripping the hilt of the sword tightly so she'd be able to block his attacks. He started slowly, but as Aimee got the hang of it, Jack picked up his pace.

Aimee found it increasingly harder to block his strokes. Before long, he knocked the sword out of her hand. "You need to learn to parry better instead of just blocking," Jack instructed.

"I'm trying. I've never done this before."

"I know. Pick it up and try again." Jack readied himself for another round. Once Aimee picked up her sword and got ready, he went at her again. Try as she might, Aimee couldn't figure out how to turn her blocks into parries.

"Come on, Aimee! Try harder!" Jack called as he knocked her sword away again. "Push back against me, you can do it. Go again."

Aimee huffed and picked up the sword. This time, the round lasted longer than the other two. Aimee pushed back every time Jack attacked her, yet he still knocked the sword out of her grasp.

"Really?" She asked, beginning to grow frustrated. "Can you cut me a break?"

"No, I can't." Jack flipped his sword around a couple times in his hand. "I'm teachin' this to ya in case ya need to defend yourself. If you're up against pirates, they won't let up. Let's go again."

So they fought again. Several rounds later, Aimee was exhausted and angry with Jack. As he knocked her sword away for the fifth time, Aimee groaned. "Let me win! I'm better at this than you're giving me credit for."

"One more time," Jack pushed, handing Aimee her sword. "Go again." Aimee was too angry with Jack to play nicely. When he attacked, she blocked quickly and pushed him back. She stepped into the push and happened to catch him off guard, with a small, surprised smile, she kicked his sword out of his hand and across the clearing.

Jack nodded once. "Good. Fight like that every time," he said, picking up his sword. "We're done for today. C'mon." Together, they made their way back through the trees toward the camp.

~~~~~
we love a good sword fighting scene
thanks for reading!