Chapter 15: 18. Target Practice

Pak

(After the Incident)

 

I throw the dagger, it sticks in the wall, it disappears – pip – and reappears – pip – over and over. If I maintain my focus, I usually hit it more or less dead-on… But when my mind drifts, so does it.

I throw it. It sticks just to the left of the center. Pip—

The silver-skinned girl presses into my mind. I shudder, squeeze my eyes shut, and shake the thought away, like a fly on my shoulder… but it still buzzes.

Pip. I line up my shot…

 

I didn’t mean to…

SAY IT!

 

The knife sticks in the wall, far below the target, just a foot or so above the baseboard. I growl, and it reappears in my hand. Breathe in. Breathe out. Become one with the splinters.

 

THUMP

 

Much closer.

Pip.

Breathe.

Release.

 

THUMP

 

Again and again…

 

What was her name…?

 

Cabbage shrieks and ruffles his feathers, his tail fur puffed out like a dandelion. The knife wobbles in the wall, just a few inches to his right.

“I’m so sorry!” I jump off the bed and kneel before him. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it!”

“Mrrrrrooh!” he scolds, recoiling from my hand. He sniffs, squints, pauses, and sniffs some more, assessing my sincerity. I stay still. He sniffs, stares… and gives my knuckle one tiny lick. I breathe a sigh of relief and scratch around his ears. He is far more forgiving than I deserve. Satisfied, he flutters to the windowsill and resumes his roost.

Pip. I sit back on the bed.

My aim is sharp, three bulls-eyes in a row, thump thump thump. I’m getting really good at this. I rest my eyes and hook my finger through the hole in the weapon’s center, absently spinning it as my thoughts clear, leaving only a dark canvas for my imagination to scribble on.

 

Two elves, side to side, their faces amorphous—

Smudges of black and white, poorly drawn charcoal portraits.

 

THUMP

 

The image fades as my eyes flutter open, and the knife sticks right where their cheeks would have met.

Creeee…

My heart leaps to my throat.

“Hey, Pak…”

Pip.

“…Shit,” I breathe.

The door swings open wide, revealing Kano, gawking at the wall.

You are reading story The Thief’s Folly (Book One of the Bloodlines Duet) at novel35.com

“Holy shit!” he blurts, dropping his bag, and scurries to the splintered target. I get up to shut the door with a heavy sigh. He looks at me with wide, dumbfounded eyes.

“Why are you even here?” I grumble.

“Why am I…” He turns back to the target and runs his finger along the gash where the weapon was. “No, no, no, that’s not important anymore!” He gives a shrill laugh. Cabbage grunts, stirring from his nap.

“It’s really not a big deal…”

“You told me that was there before you got here!” He gestures wildly at the ruined patch of wall. I shrug. It’s not entirely untrue. There was a small crack in it back then.

“You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed it getting bigger,” I say, crossing my arms.

His cheeks flush, turning his sunshine-yellow skin a funny shade of orange. “You still could have told me you have a magic—”

“Shhhh!” I glare at him, locking eyes.

“Sorry!” he whispers.

“Prrrrooh?” Cabbage coos.

“…Can I see it?”

I narrow my eyes. “No,” I say, pacing to the window.

“Why not?” Kano follows me. I lean against the windowsill and clasp my hands over my head. He leans over me. Cabbage leaps to the ground with an irritated huff.

“You’ve already seen it,” I mumble. “Remember? In the courtyard, when we first met.”

“What?” He steps back. “I thought that was just a regular knife!”

“Well it wasn’t.”

He stays quiet for a moment. I feel him watching me. My face grows hot, the same way it does when anyone watches me, but it’s not quite as unsettling. It’s just annoying.

“Can I see it again, though?” he pleads.

“Go away,” I grunt, shoving him away with my elbow.

“Please?”

“No,” I bark, shuffling back to my bed.

“Pleeeease?” He hovers at my heels like an orphaned puppy. “I won’t touch it or anything, I just want to—”

I pivot and raise my arm, calling the weapon to my hand, and it materializes just in front of his face. He flinches, but stays put, his shining green eyes crossing on the tip of the blade.

“Woah…”

Pip.

I drop my arm. “Satisfied?”

“Yeah…” He stares at me with that same dumb look. My neck grows hot. I turn away and drop into my bed, hoping this is the end of it, but in the silence that follows, I still feel him watching me. I ignore him, reaching for the book on my nightstand.

“Can I touch it?”

I groan. “You can touch it when I shove it up your—”

Cabbage zooms past us both, disappearing through the window, his gust scattering loose papers to the floor. The door swings open, and the residential director pokes his head in before crossing the threshold.

“Gentlemen,” he says, glancing between us. Kano straightens up, his shoulders visibly tense, and gives an awkward smile.

“Yes, sir?” he says. I rest my forehead in my palm, speechless. The director clears his throat.

“Mr. Greenhead told me you left class with a stomach ache.” He narrows his eyes on Kano. “Do we need to bring the nurse in?”

“Oh, no sir,” Kano says, scratching his ear. “I just need to lay down, for a minute, that’s all.” He punctuates this with a nervous chuckle. I can’t imagine a more terrible liar.

“…Right.” The director eyes us both, then leaves without another word. Kano exhales sharply.

“You’re the worst,” I grumble.

“I know,” he says, his gaze drifting. I reach for my book and crack it open to where I’d left off.

A cloud rolls over the sun, casting a brief gray shadow in the room, but it brightens just as quickly as it darkened. Squirrels chatter in the tree by the window. The afternoon air is clear and serene. I’m almost able to pretend that I’m alone again. The illusion shatters when Kano clears this throat.

“So can I touch it?”

“Go away!” I throw the book at him with deadly accuracy, but he somehow manages to dodge it, and it flies out the window, crashing into the tree. The squirrels’ chattering intensifies. Kano snickers. I mouth a slew of curses… I never wanted a roommate.

You can find story with these keywords: The Thief’s Folly (Book One of the Bloodlines Duet), Read The Thief’s Folly (Book One of the Bloodlines Duet), The Thief’s Folly (Book One of the Bloodlines Duet) novel, The Thief’s Folly (Book One of the Bloodlines Duet) book, The Thief’s Folly (Book One of the Bloodlines Duet) story, The Thief’s Folly (Book One of the Bloodlines Duet) full, The Thief’s Folly (Book One of the Bloodlines Duet) Latest Chapter