Sound of Symphony Anthologies

Let the Arrow fly by krush237

I pull back the arrow until it touches my cheek. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and I let go. It hits my target. It always does. The girl slowly looks up at the boy in front of her. They smile at each other as the hint of an arrow glitters in the sunlight and then disappears from her back.

I feel a tug on the quiver hug around my shoulders. I pull out an arrow, and it swings around to show me a new target. My arrows never miss, and not because I am good at archery. It is because I am good at magic. My dad has special arrows. They are enchanted to show you exactly who needs a little extra love in their life. All you have to do is let them fly. Being Cupid's daughter has its perks.

I pull up my sleeve and look at the watch around my wrist. It is 4:37 in the afternoon. I was officially done with my daily love-dosing duties as of seven minutes ago. I stash my quiver and my bow in the wooden box in the corner of the roof and lock it. I carefully climb down the ladder to the ground and begin my walk home.

The streets are packed with people today. Two men holding hands walk out of the coffee shop to my right. I hold the door for them, and I slip inside. I seat myself at a table for two in the back corner of the shop, and I watch. She's just mesmerizing. Her short, wavy hair is blond, but it is dyed pink and blue at the ends. Her blue eyes sparkle every time she smiles at a new customer. I come in here everyday, and she never gets boring. Not even a little. I haven't had the courage to order anything from her yet though. I watch as she stirs coffee and creamer in a mug. God. I just wish she knew I existed. I mean, she would if I would work up the courage to just say hi.

Today is the day. I have decided. I get up from my table and I walk up to the counter. She is rummaging through the register.

"Hi," I say.

"Hello," She says with one of her sparkly-eyed smiles. I just kind of stare at her for a moment. I have actually never had coffee before. I don't know what to say, so I just say that.

"Umm, I don't know what to get. Well, I don't even know if I like coffee. I have never tried it before, and I-" I realize I am beginning to ramble. I do that when I am nervous. "What do you recommend?" I ask.

"Hmm. Let me see," She analyzes me for a moment. "Do you like caramel?"

"I love caramel," I smile. This is nice.

"How about a Caramel Latte? It's basic, but it's one of my personal favorites."

"Caramel Latte it is." I give her a five dollar bill and I tell her to keep the change. Leaning against the wall, I watch her make my latte.

She leans over the counter and hands it to me when she is finished. I make my way back to my table, proud of myself for finally talking to her. I take a sip of the latte. It is phenomenal, and I am not just saying that because she is the one who made it.

I finish my drink and I get up to leave. I walk to the trash can to throw away my cup.

"How was it?" She asks. I toss the cup and walk over to her.

"Fantastic. You have good taste," I say. Now's my chance to finally introduce myself. "I'm Val."

"Emma." She smiles. Emma. I now have a new favorite word. I want to ask for her number, but that might be weird since technically we just met. She turns and begins wiping off the counter. I turn and I go out the door.

On my walk home, I look up at the sun. I know you aren't supposed to stare at the sun, but I just find it too bright to not sometimes. I think about how the Earth I am on right now is orbitic that very sun. The concept is too big for my brain to fully comprehend. I wonder how many times I will get to orbit the sun. I think it's sad that we only get so many trips.

Maybe I should just tell her how I feel. Before I run out of trips, I mean. She hardly knows me though. I am a complete stranger to her. How I wish I could just tell her. I wish it more than anything. On that note, I turn on my heels, and I begin running towards my roof. I mean, you only live once, right?

When I get there. I climb up the ladder so fast that my hand even slips a few times, and I almost fall. I get to the roof and my hand fumble with the keys as I try to unlock my chest. After what feels like an eternity, I heave the lid open and I grab my bow and an arrow. I slam the lid closed and run towards the shop. Traffic has died down, and there are hardly any people on the streets now. I stop across the street from the shop. I check my watch, and it is 6:54. The shop will be closing in six minutes. Emma is sweeping. It looks like the other baristas went home. I put my arrow onto my bow. I whisper my target's name to my arrow, and I enchant it with my spell. I pull it back until it touches my cheek. I let the arrow point me in the right direction. I take a deep breath, and I let it fly. It hits Emma in the shoulder. She seems to flinch, but then again, my arrows don't hurt. I run across the street. I set my bow out of sight, and I tentatively knock on the door. She lifts her head and smiles. I stand awkwardly as she sets the broom down and unlocks the door. I step inside and she closes it behind me.

"Did you forget something?" She asks.

"Yeah," I say, still out of breath from all the running I did. "You're number?"

"Bold move," She laughs. "Alright," She smiles and grabs a napkin and a pen. She scribbles her number on the paper and hands it to me. It has been long enough. The magic will have worked by now. She has begun sweeping again.

"Actually, I didn't come here for your number." She stands to look at me. She is curious as to what I will say, I can tell. "I have come into this coffee shop every day for the past few weeks just to see you. I know. I sound like a complete stalker, but-" She cuts me off.

"I know I don't know you that well." She searches my eyes. "But for some reason I can't explain, I can't help but feel the same way."

"I- I haven't even told you how I felt yet." I look at the floor.

"Then tell me." I feel like her eyes are reading into my soul.

"When I saw you for the first time, I was just immediately drawn to you. You lit up the room. You just seemed so different from anyone I had ever seen before, and believe me when I say I have met many different types of people. Even the most beautiful people I have met have had some kind of flaw. Of course they did. They are all human. You, though, you were perfect. I know this sounds stupid." I stand tense as I wait for a response.

"It doesn't sound stupid," she says. "In fact, today, I was thrilled when you actually decided to order something. I have been waiting to talk to you since the moment you stepped into the shop weeks ago." I let go of the breath I had been holding.

"Really?" I ask, my voice filled with hope.

"Yeah. Really." She smiles at me again. I love her smile. "I am going to let you in on a little secret though, since I know yours." I panic for a moment.

"My-my secret?"

"I won't tell." She winks at me. "However, the reason I seem so perfect, so inhuman, might just be because I'm not." She raises her eyebrows at me. "Do you know what I mean?"

"What?" I am stunned. She- she is like me? I know plenty of people in this city are like me. It is actually quite common to not be human in this city. I just never thought that she wouldn't be one.

"I'm a witch," she states bluntly. I let that information sink in. She goes behind the counter and begins putting things away in cabinets. I sit down at the counter.

"But my arrows don't work on witches," I whisper while quietly thinking to myself.

"I know, silly." I didn't expect Emma to hear. I just made a complete fool of myself.

"Oh. Forget I said anything. I should go." I get up and begin to walk towards the door.

"Wait!" She grabs my arm. "Nothing I said wasn't true." I stare at her for a while. This can't be happening. My heart feels like it is going to beat out of my chest. "Sit. You can stay while I close up if you want." I walk back over to the stool and I sit down. We begin to talk and joke about little things in our lives: school, work, our families. Every word she says makes me like her even more. I feel like I am dreaming. Who knows? Maybe I am. I hope I never wake up.