The Shadow Court

Chapter 4 - Natural therapy

Arrow after arrow thudded into the tree bark with a satisfying thwack. Joel fired repeatedly until his entire quiver was empty, and even then he wasn't finished.

Unfortunately for the tree, Joel had been practising his archery for hours at a time every day to try and clear his mind. He had tried picturing each of his problems on the face of the trunk and firing at them. It hadn't worked so far, and he still felt like the world was crumbling beneath him and he couldn't do a thing about it. He tossed his bow to the side and exhaled a sigh of grief.

As if his thoughts had come to life, a ninja star spun past his face and spiralled a few times before lodging itself in the tree amongst the arrows.

Joel whirled around to see Ruby standing half way up the hill, and the house further past her at its crest. His girlfriend smiled lightly and skipped the rest of the way down to meet him. Joel pulled her into a hug and buried his face in her hair, inhaling the scent of grass and soap.

"Hey." She mumbled into his chest. "I thought I might find you down here."

Joel sighed and kissed the top of her head. "You won't find me anywhere else these days."

Ruby pulled away from the hug but kept her fingers interlaced with his. She stared into his eyes, a worried frown appearing suddenly. "Do you wanna talk?"

Joel shrugged. "Not really."

A gentle breeze picked up the Autumn leaves and tossed them around the two teenagers' feet. Ruby motioned for Joel to follow her, and they both strolled off into the orange and green forest.

They walked in silence for a while, taking in the magnificent colours of their surroundings as the setting sun collided with the orange leaves. It was like the forest was decorated with natural chandeliers. Leaves fell like snowflakes around them, and Joel could almost imagine that the world behind them had disappeared and he was now stepping into heaven.

"I figured that this would be a better place to relax." Ruby said, taking a seat on an exposed root. "Nothing like a little natural therapy."

Joel sat down beside her and held her hand. "I'm sorry for being so harsh earlier." He recalled the way he'd yelled and slammed the door, hating himself for making a bad situation worse. "I'm just so frustrated at how things have turned out. I've lost my two best friends, plus my sister, and everyone seems to be relying on me to plan the next move."

Ruby nodded, squeezing his hand gently. "We're all frustrated. We just need a little more time to think things through, I guess."

Joel looked down at his feet. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Have you heard from him?" Ruby asked. "Either of them?"

Joel shook his head, picturing his two best friends covered in blood and bruises, exactly as he'd seen them last. "They'll show up again when they want to, but they'd better be quick about it. I suck at being a leader."

Ruby patted his arm affectionately. "Hey, you've got me. And Thea, and Kira, and-... Maybe not Tristan."

Joel laughed, something he hadn't heard in a while. His voice cracked half way through and Ruby giggled. Since he'd been forced to smile, he gave up trying to be mopey and kissed Ruby softly on the lips. "Thank you."