The Keeper's Vow (12 page)

“Easy for you to say. You’ve been doing this
for as long as everyone else. You’re good at it, I can barely run
for five minutes.”

Brian laughed, but it was forced.

When they finally made it to school, Katie
hardly recognized it. Before, it was a place she knew the
ins-and-outs of. She had a sleeping spot in the library, she had a
lunch table and people she knew. She had a life here. Now it was a
foreign place out to kill her with homework and exercise. Worse,
they all expected her to just know things. It was a fluke she’d
found out she’d be competing at the end of the week. And competing
how?

She felt alone. Even her friends weren’t
much help. These things were normal to them. They didn’t get it.
Allison hadn’t even spoken to her since she flipped out. It wasn’t
Katie’s fault Allison’s dad didn’t want to go to some stupid sports
day. If anything Katie had bigger problems. She still hadn’t spoken
more than three words to her dad in the last two days. How was she
going to tell him, or bring it up. Where would she start?

As she walked to their English classroom,
she realized Brian was talking to her. “My mom still won’t let off,
she follows me around the house like I’m a criminal. I’m going to
have to sneak out if I want to go out tonight.”

“Out?”

“—A movie.”

It was a lie. Why did Brian always think he
could lie to her? “Movie? What movie?” Katie asked, maneuvering
through a sea of white and navy-blue. Why was it so crowed
today?

Brian looked guilty. “Nothing good. Just
going to go see something with a few friends.”

Ouch. I guess I’m not invited.
“Cool.”

“Are you in a hurry or something? You’re
literally almost out of breath.”

Katie stopped in the middle of the hall. He
was right. She could hardly breathe and her calves were burning.
Her purpose had been to go straight to the classroom, not their
usual hangout spot by the staircase. She wanted to see if
he
was there. She couldn’t even think his name.

“I think I’m still a little freaked out from
yesterday,” she blurted. She needed to tell someone about what
happened. But she couldn’t could she? It would sound stupid.

“You’ll get used to things.” Brian looked
around the hall bored. “You mind if we go over there?” Brian was
pointing to a group of people by the science hallway next to the
trophy display. Right under the biggest trophy stood the biggest
headache. Christi Taylor.

Brian didn’t wait for her to answer. Katie
hesitated. Even if Tristan was in class, what would she say to him
if she went there now.

Katie followed Brian over to the group. They
opened up their circular form enough for Brian. Katie had to
squeeze next to him. She felt so out of place, but in one move
Brian put his arm around Katie’s shoulder. She didn’t know whether
she liked it or if she hated it. A few guys slapped hands with
Brian and shouted his return to school. Brian laughed and made a
few jokes about passing teachers and a few socially awkward
kids.

Everyone slurped up his jokes like dogs
dying of thirst.
As popular as ever
. It bothered Katie that
he was popular. At first she felt bad because it made her feel like
she was petty, but more and more she realized it was because Brian
always changed when he was the center of attention. He always
became invincible.

“Hey, you’re new right?” A guy said to
Katie. If she could remember correctly his name started with an
A
.

“No. Are you?” she said ruder than she’d
meant.

“I meant to the program.” The guy looked
around the group to confirm that he had said it right the first
time. Katie felt stupid.

“Yeah,” she said, nodding her head. No one
asked her anymore questions.

The bell rang and they dispersed to their
classrooms.

Finally, she made it to their English class
with Brian walking lazily behind her. She walked in and there he
was. There he was and here she was thinking about how he was right
there.

He looked at her—confused.

She turned around and walked out of the
classroom. What was wrong with her.

“Uh, why are you out here?” Brian said,
holding the door knob.

“It’s Tristan, he—makes things incredibly
awkward,” she said.

“I know.” Brian’s face fell. “He lives in my
house.” Brian opened the door and Katie took a deep breath.

School passed the same way it had the day
before with just as many awkward moments. The only difference was
in Field Study, when Mr. Carver brought out an array of weapons
from different time periods reaching to modern day. He discussed
the uses of each one. There were guns, clubs, swords, and knives
that Katie didn’t catch the name of. When they were free to walk
around and look at them, Tristan explained, in detail, the more
modern looking ones. It was creepy how much he knew about guns, and
knives—and killing. Worse was the of invasion of these weapons in
the classroom. Everything in her told her they weren’t supposed to
be here. They were dangerous. No one seemed to care though. She was
the only one not talking about them like new chemistry
supplies.

“
Oh this one is nice, it’s very light you
know.”

“
I like that this one is so heavy, I
always forget I’m holding the dinky ones.”

“
Last year’s model was better I
think.”

“
Oh I should write down this model. I’ll
ask my mentor about it.”

After another grueling run after school,
she’d nearly forgotten that it wasn’t over. She’d gotten out of her
mentor-sponsored training yesterday, but today was not a
repeat.

“We’re suppose to meet Lucinda at her
house,” Tristan said to Katie as she gulped down as much water
possible. She noticed he said
her
house even though he lived
there too.

“What if I die between now and then?” Katie
said, laying down on the concrete. It wouldn’t be so bad to close
her eyes and sleep there for a while.

“Then I guess we’d both be screwed.” Tristan
wiped the sweat off his brow. He didn’t run with her today, he ran
at his own pace, which was too fast for far too long. Every time he
passed her he’d shout,
“Breathe.”

“Yeah, you’d need a new partner,” she said,
signaling for him to block the sun out of her eyes.

He didn’t move. “Something like that.”

Katie didn’t bother changing. She figured
whatever lay in store at Lucinda’s house would probably require
more sweat. They walked to Lucinda’s house in silence. Was it going
to be like this everyday? The two of them doing
everything
together?

Her thoughts shifted away from whether
Tristan wondered that too, when she saw Lucinda in the front yard,
waving at them enthusiastically. “Who’s ready to go shooting?” she
asked.

Katie didn’t respond. How was she supposed
to respond to that?

“Hey!” Katie turned around and saw Allison
running toward them. She was plastered in sweat and looking
determined. “Not late—am I? Wanted to run—so I took the long way
here. Will didn’t leave—without me—did he?” Allison put her hand on
her hips.

“You ran here?” Katie said.

“Preliminaries—are this—Saturday. I
can’t
—
slack off.” Allison panted.

Lucinda waved Allison inside to get water.
“Will has an emergency at the office. So I’m going to take you and
Brian out today. Where is Brian?”

“Really?” Allison gasped. “OMGOMGOMG
youhavetoteachmehowto—”

Katie couldn’t make out the rest.

They waited almost an hour before Brian got
home. That hour buried the little confidence she tried to muster.
She tried waiting in the house, but the talk of guns and knives
made her nervous. She tried outside, but the lingering heat of
summer burned her skin. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Just the
sun. Like an eye…watching her…a reminder…there was no where to run.
This was it. This or being hauled off in the back of a van with
Glock, screaming bloody murder.

“Ready?”

Katie jumped as Lucinda came out of the
house with two pop cans. Everyone followed, piling into the
SUV.

“All or nothing, right?” Katie said. Lucinda
handed her a can and opened her own. The cold sugar and caffeine
cooled and calmed her.

“Did you know I grew up on a farm?”

Katie shook her head.

“Yup. It was where my dad taught me how to
shoot. I was about your age and a laughing stock because everyone
else learned when they were ten. But my dad, he just told me when I
was ready I’d learn. It was a
real
hot day—everyone was at
our neighbors pool, and I stayed behind to help my dad clean out
the barn. We shared a whole six-pack of coke.” Lucinda laughed and
held up her can. “This was way back when pop came in glass
bottles.” She took a long swig before she continued. “When we were
done, he grabbed his small twenty-two pistol, the bottles, and told
me to follow him. We went to our fence in the back of our property
and lined up each bottle. I didn’t miss one. Still haven’t,” she
winked. “Guardians aren’t made, Katie. They’re born.” Lucinda
laughed as she got into the SUV.

Katie climbed in not entirely soothed. Maybe
Lucinda was good at shooting bottles and who knows what else, but
Katie was not. Katie didn’t know how to hold a gun or shoot one.
She’d likely shoot her own face off.

She thought they were going to a building
with booths, ear muffs, and personal shooting targets. She was
wrong. Lucinda drove them out of the city and deep in the foothills
far away from hiking trails and road.

It was dry and windy where they stopped.
Patches of green hovered near trees, but mostly rock and brush
surrounded them for miles. Lucinda warned them to watch out for
rattlesnakes.

Brian and Tristan unloaded the truck while
Lucinda and Allison set up a table with guns of sizes, and bullets
clinking and rolling as they fell out of packages. Katie watched
useless and in the way. “Check the actions for me Allison,” Lucinda
said.

Allison cocked each gun. The constant sound
of metallic springs recoiling and snapping put Katie on edge. “Can
you smell the sage?” Lucinda said. A gust of wind picked up and
slid down the hills. It wrapped around Katie. Smells of sage and
dust whirled around her. She choked on it.

Lucinda covered gun safety, emphasizing the
importance of muzzle control.
If it’s such a killing machine why
should I be allowed to use it much less touch it?

“Every thing’s all good,” Allison said,
spinning the chamber of a revolver.

“If you forget everything I said, just
remember one thing,” Lucinda said, putting a single bullet in a
small pistol. “Muzzle control. Always know where you point your
gun. Never point it at someone unless you intend to kill.” She
showed Katie how to cock and hold it. “Just stand there and hold
it, I’ll be right back.” Lucinda disappeared to the truck and came
back seconds later holding Katie’s pop can. She put it on a stomp
about twenty-feet away.

“Okay,” Lucinda said. “Hold it steady, aim,
and shoot.”

Katie waited until Lucinda was far behind
her before she held up the gun. Her hands shook so bad she thought
she was going to drop it, killing everyone
.
She heard
footsteps behind her.

“Knowing how to use a gun doesn’t make you a
killer. You’re going to need to defend yourself,” Tristan said just
loud enough for her to hear. She was still afraid. Afraid of how it
might change her life. There was no going back after this.

“Stop thinking there’s something to go back
to. Life moves forward, Katalina. Never backwards. Either move or
get left behind,” he said. He was standing so close, that even if
she wanted to turn around and bolt he would be there blocking her
way.

Are you always this pushy?

He was right though, what did she have to go
back to? Her life was changing whether she wanted it to or not.

She didn’t need to turn around to know
Tristan had moved from behind her. She was alone. It was her
decision.

She pulled the trigger.

The report was loud and she completely
missed the can. She didn’t care. The exhilaration of being in
control of something so powerful made her brave.
What was I even
afraid of?
She turned around and everyone ducked before she
realized she was pointing the pistol at them.

Katie tried an array of pistols all
different sizes and calibers. When she put a small, heavy revolver
down on the table, Lucinda told her that Tristan was going to be
more of an assistant coach than an actual partner in her physical
training.

“What? He’s my partner! Isn’t
he
supposed to
have
the same training as me? That’s so wrong,
Lucy. The School would never agree to that.” Katie eyed Tristan, as
he sharpened a set of knives in a bit of shade under a tree.

“Due to the time constraints we need to
accelerate your training. I’ve decided, Katie. Tristan’s agreed and
he has a lot to offer.”

“How can you trust someone you don’t even
know? You’re letting him stay at your house and you met him two
weeks ago. Now you want him to teach me how to fight?”

“If you don’t trust him, At least trust me.
It’s very complicated, but I trust Tristan. He
wants
to
train you. He’s more capable than me—” Lucinda rubbed her hip the
way she always did out of habit. Katie never knew what happened to
her. “Don’t tell him I said that. Besides, I’m going to be right
here watching.” Lucinda gave her a slight push in Tristan’s
direction. “Tristan’s already knows what to cover today—go on. Go
learn something, Sweetie.”

It’s complicated.
She was sick of
that being an excuse.
Just trust me…it’s complicated….
She
watched Lucinda pick up three knives and stick a target thirty-five
yards away. Arguing now probably wasn’t the best idea. Instead, she
walked over to her new make-shift teacher.