VICIOUS (II) : peter pan ouat

How to Shoot an Arrow

Chapter 8

As much as I hate having doors slammed in my face, I'm kind of happy nobody would let me in the tent to deal with Jared and Rufio. After all, Alex and Harry seem to be stuck in a massive pit of angst about the whole ordeal, and Devin is hanging around which always puts a damper on my mood.

Even if I love this version of Devin. The one who sits on the edge of the clearing, just prompting Alex into anger. Nothing gives me the same feeling as watching Alex squirm beneath an angry Harry.

When I walked into the forest, bow on my back, I didn't expect to run into Max. He sits on a log, poking his outstretched legs with a stick. His hair sticks up on end, pointing straight up to the sky.

"Isn't it a little late for you to be out here?" I ask.

He glances behind him, smiling when he sees me. "It's been a while Charlotte."

"Yeah, yeah, don't kill me kid." I sit down next to him, resting my hands on my knees.

He scoffs. "You could've told me you were a girl you know. I don't know why you kept it hidden so long."

"Neither do I," I laugh.

As much as I was afraid, I had nothing to fear really. Being a girl just makes me feel more vulnerable and exposed. Nothing's really changed, just how others see me. I'm glad Max sees me the same.

"How're the legs?" I ask.

He shrugs, pulling himself to his feet. He wobbles a bit, and I quickly grab hold of him with my arms. His hands find my elbows, and my hands find his.

He looks at me, a sheepish grin. "The splints don't work all that well, but I figured I'd give them a shot."

I notice the large planks of wood holding him up. They run up and down his legs, keeping them stiff and straight, digging into the ground.

"Did you make those?" I ask.

He nods. "Back home, I was really interested in science. I couldn't ever go into engineering, I just didn't have that kind of money. I wanted to though"

"Well you can stand, and one day you'll be able to walk." I smile.

He shrugs. "Probably not. This kills on its own, I can't even imagine stepping."

I lower him back down on to the log. "Maybe you shouldn't stand on them until we get this figured out."

He shrugs, leaning back. "It's better than being paralysed, I guess."

I wouldn't know how to answer him. It's difficult to put myself in his shoes, especially since he can't even feel his feet anymore. Paralysis here must be awful.

"You can still do stuff." I offer, shrugging my quiver and bow off my shoulder. I hand them over to him. "Like archery."

"Archery?" He laughs. "I was never good at archery."

"Well you're going to get good at it now." I tell him, gesturing towards the trees in front of us. "Take a shot."

He looks at me, scoffing. He lowers the bow, turning his eyes down before peering back up. "Wait you're serious?"

"No, I just handed you my bow for no reason." I roll my eyes. "Come on man, just shoot the damn thing."

He rolls his eyes back, before shooting an arrow off. It hits the ground, not the tree.

"I know, I know," he begins, "I've got to aim higher."

"I didn't say anything." I defend myself.