Hey! It's me Sky, if you have read some of my other work then you know that where inspiration goes I follow so sorry about the long wait on those other stories. This however is entirely new and i'm super excited about it! Josh Hutcherson is a total boss and I loved him in this movie!
Disclaimer: I do not own red dawn or any of it's characters except for Haven because I created that one!
I was 8 the first time I fired a blast made my ears ring and the kickback dislocated my shoulder. I cried for hours from the pain and even after it was put back in place I had to wait for a couple weeks to try again. Honestly, the pain wasn't what bothered me so much. Mostly I wanted to pick the rifle up again and shoot until I could hold it steady and firm, until I could hit the bullseye every time. Yeah, it was the slow heal that made me want to stamp my feet in frustration.
My dad would always chuckle whenever he saw me angrily glaring at the gun on it's rack. He marked a date on a calendar for me as to when I would be okay enough to try again. Every morning I would walk up and put a giant red X over the days leading up to it. When I could finally try again I was ready for the jolt and had even placed some padding on my shoulder just in case. When I pulled the trigger it hit me good but instead of throwing it to the ground to tend to my shoulder I kept firing.
Even though I missed every time I didn't let myself stop. Eventually my shoulder just became numb to the pain and it was a lot easier to focus on the target. My dad simply stood there and watched me, correcting my posture sometimes and giving me more bullets. Dad had been teaching me for years how to load guns and take care of them properly. Of course I always thought it was boring but because of it I was able to load the rifle without fail letting me continue with my assault practically uninterrupted,
Outright joy flooded through me when I finally managed to hit the outermost edge of the target my dad had set up for me. I raised the gun to fire again but dad stopped me telling me it was time to go home. Even though I didn't want to stop I placed the gun in my dad's hands and we went home.
It took me a couple months to be able to hit the target every time and almost a year until I could mostly hit the bullseye. The kickback didn't hurt me anymore and I had been able to move on to other types of guns. My weapon of choice however was my bow. I had actually been the one to pick it up in the first place pleading with my dad to let me try archery. He had argued the practical application of a bow during a war or a fight but finally he agreed saying it would probably help with my aim.
Now you may think it's odd that a father would choose to teach an 8 year old how to fire a gun. But my father was the best. My mum and him both served in the army, they met there actually and when their terms were up they decided to get married. My dad started a business selling arms to the military and police. Mum was an army doctor so it only made sense that she decided to work at the local hospital. Shortly after having me however my mum became sick. I was only two when she died. I don't remember her much but from the pictures around the house I know she was insanely beautiful. Dad says I look like her more and more everyday which makes me happy.
Even though I was an only child it never felt like it. My dad was childhood friends with Mr. Eckert a policeman and one of his connections in law enforcement. Eckert's two sons Jed and Matt adopted me as their little sister right from the start and even though Jed was in his late teens he would always take me to all sorts of grownup places. Matty and I would always play video games and he let me hang out with him and his friends. It wasn't too bad since Matt is only a year older than me even though his friends were all guys they never picked on me because Matt would always tell them off. Sometimes he and Jed were a little too protective in my opinion but I guess it's just what big brothers are for.
As I got older my training got more intense and I had to balance my schoolwork and social life with hand to hand combat and knife training. I didn't advertise my skills to anyone, really I just didn't talk about it. I liked being normal and popular and having a lot of girl friends. I didn't want to be known as the freak who could dismantle and reassemble a pistol in under two minutes. The only one who ever found out was Jed when one day he came over to babysit me and found me practicing my knife throwing in the back yard.
He had been surprised and confused when he saw me preparing to throw a dagger into a target that already had two in the bullseye. Mainly though he was concerned and asked how I learned to do it. I didn't lie and told him my dad taught me. I felt so abnormal in that moment that I broke down crying and making him promise not to tell anyone. He managed to calm me down and said he wouldn't say a word. He even asked me to show him how I did it. After I showed him he commented on how impressive it was and made me feel great.
It's not surprising that after that I wanted to show him what else I could do. Now that I was past the initial panic of him seeing I went into show-off mode. I couldn't fire any guns since it was a residential area but I showed him my skills with a bow and how I could point out exactly what kind of gun my father had and which ones I prefered over others.
It was a couple days later when I realised that Jed had told someone; his father. I only figured it out because I overheard my dad and Mr. Eckert talking about it. Mr. Eckert seemed angry that my dad had taught me all those things saying that I didn't deserve that kind of training. My dad had argued that I was his kid and he was simply teaching me how to defend myself. Mr. Eckert stormed off after that and our father's didn't speak for a few days. I talked to Jed though, more like yelled at him really for telling my secret when he had promised not too. He apologized of course but I ended up silent treating his ass for over a week.
Eventually I had to forgive him since thats what family does. He renewed his promise and didn't even tell Matty even though I knew he wanted too. With Jed knowing I wanted to tell Matty too but I didn't think he would be as okay with it as Jed.
And then the worst thing imaginable happened. Jed and Matty's mom died. Jennifer Eckert was like a surrogate mother to me since losing my own and her death tore into the boys in different ways. Matty got angry and Jed… Jed left.
I was eleven and he only said a quick goodbye before going off to join the army. I wasn't as surprised as I could have been since Jed had been hinting at wanting to enlist for a while but still it was painful to think that I could possibly never see him again. He wrote to me of course and I wrote back though his letters were far and few between. I think Matty got letters too but when I asked him about it he wouldn't reply. I knew that he was pissed at Jed for leaving right when he needed him most but he didn't show it. He adopted a love for violent contact sports and dedicated all his time to them.
Six years later i'm now 17 and a junior in high school. Matty is a senior and one of the most popular kids in school dating Erica Martin and captain of the football team. I'm actually good friends with Erica and even though I sometimes have to suffer through her talking about Matty and how cute and sweet he is we get along great. I haven't seen Jed since he left and his letters are practically nonexistent but i'm okay with it now. My special skills are perfected by now and my dad has recently been teaching me more technical things like how to hack pick locks and hotwire a car. Weird? Yes. Possibly criminal? Definitely. Useful? Extremely. Of course i'm not about to go on a crime spree but you never know when your gonna need to change the school's cafeteria menu or prank your annoying science teacher by placing a small woodland creature -namely a squirrel- in his car. Not that I would ever do that of course…
It's thursday and as I walk into school I can already feel the excitement in the air over the football game tomorrow. I'm excited too of course and i've made posters for Matty and Danny -Matt's childhood friend whom is like another brother to me- as my contribution. Erica is a cheerleader and to her dismay I am not even though she keeps telling me that it's super fun i'm just not that interesting in wearing a mini skirt and crop top in the freezing cold for hours waving pom poms and acting all perky.
My first class is english with Erica and Danny but I got to school early so i'm waiting for Erica at our lockers. I stuff my backpack into my locker and wrap my sweater tight around myself. It has been getting closer and closer to winter and I fear that we might actually get snow this year. It's not that I don't like snow, I actually think it's the most beautiful things i've ever seen, i'm just not a big fan of the cold. In a stupid act of defiance against the weather I had decided to wear a skirt today hastily throwing on the coat as I left my house. I am currently wearing a pair of dark brown ankle boots and a blue and black striped skirt with a white button up blouse under my cream sweater.
I have my hair up in a messy ponytail letting my dark chocolate waves bob around my head the ends are dyed dark purple which has been the style for about two years and the color compliments my bright emerald green eyes nicely and I always make sure not to tan too much so my skin has stayed fairly pale. I'm pretty I guess but sometimes I don't know. I've never been out on an actual date. I've never even kissed a guy which is incredibly embarrassing considering my age. I don't know what it is that makes me so unapproachable to guys but apparently it's strong.
My thoughts are interrupted by the locker next to mine opening but not on Erica's side. I turn and see a boy my age hastily shoving book after book into his locker. I quickly identify him and smile.
"Hey Robert." I say cheerfully. He looks up at his name a little startled and seeing me smiles. He pauses in his book placing and faces me fully leaning against his locker in a way that I think is meant to be casual but comes off as a little weird which he must notice too because he stands up straight again.
"Hey Haven. How, how are you?" He asks.
"Good. Excited for tomorrow. You?" I counter closing up my locker.
"Same. Uh, tell Matt good luck for me." I frown a little.
"You're not going to the game?" I ask him. Robert and I aren't good friends but we do talk sometimes and although he's a little awkward at times i've found him to be really sweet and funny. I'd like to be friends with him and i've even asked him if he wanted to hang out with Matt Erica and I but he always declines the offer, he's polite about it though.
"No, I mean yeah. Yeah i'm going just I have to do the podcast, for school. So i'll be busy."He replies fastly and I smile again at him.
"Oh, well if your not busy after the game you could come and hang out with us at the Grill." I really hope he doesn't have anything planned, I think he and Matt would get along great.
"Uh maybe, i'm gonna be there with Daryl so maybe we'll run into each other." Well it wasn't a no. I
ll take it. Just then a flash of blonde in the corner of my eye makes me turn to see Erica smiling at me.
"Hey!" She says happily. I give her a quick hug in greeting and turn back to Robert only to see he's gone. I purse my lips to the side and turn back to Erica.
"Hey, can I see the homework for science? I fell asleep like halfway through." Okay so maybe I abandoned it to do some training but whatever. Erice shakes her head smiling at me and opens her locker.
"I think you didn't do it to spite Mr. Morris." She says but nonetheless takes it out of her bag. I take it and my own sheet holding them to the wall as I write.
"Well if he wasn't such a dick maybe I wouldn't have to." Erica laughs at that.
"Yeah well to be fair you did do put that squir-" I drop my pen and the papers to put a hand over her mouth.
"Shh! He has eyes everywhere." I stare into her eyes intensely for a moment before removing my hand and picking up the discarded papers. She's laughing again.
"Fine. I'm still impressed you managed to catch that thing. I think it was rabid." I smile thinking about that too. I had used a net trap and when I finally caught one the thing was kinda foaming at the mouth. I snuck to his car after he got to school and released it inside. The entire day that thing was trapped in the car and I was waiting behind a couple car back. That squirrel was merciless. It jumped onto Mr. Morris's face and all around him before taking off. Not to mention it had left little claw marks in the car and Mr. Morris's face. I got it all on video and posted it to youtube anonymously.
"Oh, it most certainly was." I sigh happily thinking back to that.
"You scare me sometimes." I stick my tongue out at her and done with the homework give it back to her and place my own in my binder. I look around and see that the hall has filled up with students.
"Come on. We better get to class." I say and we both set off for english
Please Please Please! Tell me what you think! REVIEW! They keep me going... it's sorta pathetic actually. If I get at least 2 reviews i'll post the next chapter! Which I do happen to have already written so... the fate of this story is in your hands dear reader.
Lots of Love, Sky Austen