Saving Newt

Chapter 26

Hey,
Thanks for reading! So, I know that I haven't been updating very much because I've been revising for my exams- sorry! But they are officially over and so I can update much more now :) Thanks for being patient with me and not giving up on my story- I really appreciate it.
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Enjoy,
Annabelle_the_reader
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Brianna was still determined to be the runner she thought that she was meant to be. She had tried being a med-jack for a day, and fainted at the first sight of a small dose of blood. Tristan and Clint strongly advised against becoming a med-jack, but she didn't want to anyway. She had endured gardening with Newt and hated it with every fibre in her body, despite the extra time with her boyfriend. She adored being with Newt, but his job was boring and tedious, with no excitement like the maze.

Therefore, she snuck into the woods. Brianna had managed to make herself her own bow and arrows to try to shoot with, figuring that if she could defend herself as well as run, Minho might give her another chance.

Brianna held the bow in her palm. She gawped at it open-mouthed, feeling the shape of the weapon in her palm. She hadn't ever properly touched or fired a bow and arrow. It felt eerily dangerous to her, like just by touching the bow, she could kill someone.

Brianna held up her quiver, loaded with long, sharp weapons that could kill in a millisecond, she swallowed nervously. She twirling an arrow from her quiver between her thumb and forefinger, inspecting it closely for abnormalities.

'It just seems a little unsafe.' Brianna mumbled to herself, but refused to give in and stood confidently with her head held high. She decided that it was a good thing that everything wasn't safe, or it would be a very boring world. Brianna loved the thrill of danger. But, on the to her hand, if everything was impulsive and reckless, it would also be a very small world.

Brianna carried on walking and eventually she found a suitable a tree and chiseled her knife into the tree's bark and ripped it apart to make a circle-ish shape on the tree, creating a small target for her to practice on. Brianna withdrew an arrow, inhaled deeply, position it on the bow and brought back the string, looking down the arrow at the target.

Part of her could feel the people she loved at the back of my mind, staring at her blankly with no emotion. Brianna didn't know what they looked like, but she was certain that she had been brought him up in a world with no violence. What she had now become disturbed her because now Brianna was doing exactly what she was told she should never do: use something that could hurt someone. This bow wasn't just used for defence, that was obvious, it was also used as a violent weapon to inflict injury and pain.

But Brianna pushed her unknown family aside, remembering that they were no longer relevant, and stepped forward, keeping her eyes fixated on the target, narrowing her eyes to concentrate further. The longbow was wide and heavy, about arm span length, presumably made from a yew tree. Brianna placed the long feathered arrows, made from birch or ash with a pointed piece of iron at one end and goose feathers at the other, onto the bow cautiously, as if just this could hurt her.

And then, Brianna pulled the arrow back. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Brianna pointed the arrow towards the target, closing one eye to get a better aim and she released her first arrow, causing it to fly across the forest clearing with more force than she had anticipated. Brianna squealed and jumped back, only to find that her arrow was miles from the target.

Determined to get this right, Brianna pulled back and fired again and again and again, with more determination each time than the last each time. None of them come even close to the target.

Huffing, Brianna placed her next arrow in the bow.

'Statically speaking,' came a sudden voice behind her. The British accent was soothing, yet strong and masculine. She jumped and turned to smile at Newt, standing and smirking at her. 'You should have hit the target at least once by now, even if it was by accident.

'Is that so?' Brianna said sternly without infliction. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the target, suddenly more aware of his gaze than before. She pulled back the arrow and kept her eyes glued to he target. A strong, large pair of fingers wrap around her arm and pulled it slightly upward, keeping herself more level with the target.

'Hold it for a moment longer.' He instructed carefully and soothingly, making her body seem both relaxed and alert under his touch. His hand came closer to her own as he stood behind her and pulled the bow strong further back. 'Pull it right back, until it reaches your cheek.'

And then, when Brianna felt as much tension as she could master, she released it. The arrow flew beautifully through the air and planted itself just on the edge of the board, but still her highest achievement yet.

'Well done, Bri. Just another few hundred and you might hit the outermost circle.' He mused teasingly. Brianna didn't ask him how he'd found her and how long he'd watched her and in turn Newt didn't ask her why she was shooting, he just continued to watch her shoot.

Brianna gritted her teeth, determination shot through her like an arrow. This somehow seemed so much more important to her than just being able to defend herself; it was the success of winning that truly counted, no matter what people had told her about the "taking part". It was the surge of glory, respect and acceptance.

It took her another twelve arrows to reach the bullseye and when it did, Brianna felt like she was on top of the world. She suddenly felt awake, her hands warm and a surge of energy, presumably adrenaline, kicked in and bounded through her veins. Her fingers tightened around the bow, her sense of excitement causing her to strain my neck to check it did hit there. She heard Newt applauding and whooping, proud of his girlfriend.

There is a weird sensation of power when one can control a weapon that can do so much in one's own hand. A bow and arrow can kill a man, but only if the archer can shoot well. It felt like Brianna was providing the missing piece: she could now tell the arrow where to fly.

Again, Brianna stood feet apart, holding the bow expertly and placed the arrow on it, before pulling it back, lining it up and firing. The stab on the wood was so painfully realistic it hurt her heart. Brianna looked upwards, noticing that the arrow went straight through the centre, causing a lump to rise in her throat. She did it again, she knew what to do, it wasn't just an anomaly.

Just as Newt announced it was probably time for her to take a break, her arms throbbed so bad she had to massage her temples to keep them from breaking through the flesh, or at least that's what they felt like they could do.

Brianna sighed and placed another arrow on her bow, pulling it backwards and feeling the tension. Newt always admired her determination and perseverance, but weirdly he decided that enough was enough and she looked like she would collapse from exhaustion soon enough and her muscles wouldn't be able to support the bow any longer.

'Not so fast, Bri.' Came a voice behind her, so suddenly that she almost jumped out of my skin. 'You need some rest too.'

'No I don't.' Brianna scoffed, before reverting her gaze to the target, narrowing her eyes to get a clearer image. 'I'm not tired, Newt.' She stated firmly.

'Don't lie to me, Brianna.' Newt sighed exasperated. He wasn't angry, just annoyed at how stubborn she could be. She released the arrow and gritted my teeth as it landed just outside the bullseye. She wanted it to be perfect. 'I hate liars.'

'Yeah? Well I hate failing.' Brianna grumbled, turning back to look at him and withdrawing another arrow. Newt took a large step towards her and placed his hand over her own, removing the bow from her grasp, smirking at her annoyance as she reluctantly let it go.

'Brianna, what are you even doing? Why are you training in shooting?' Newt asked curiously, holding her hand and returning her bow and quiver of arrows to the hollow under the fallen tree where she kept them.

'Because you and Alby and Minho don't think I can run again.' Brianna admitted angrily. 'But I can, Newt, so I'm going to prove to you that not only am I able to run, but I can also defend myself.' She finished defiantly and Newt sighed in defeat.