Chapter 1: You may be crooked, but my arrow's not
This is the official first chapter of the fanfic, I'd like to point out that the other two one-shots are from the past, this story is starting at Artemis being like 13. She's coming into her own and starting to create the snarky, sarcastic personality we all know and love. Please enjoy!
Artemis aimed her arrow as straight as she possibly could and pulled the string back with all her might, launching the arrow at the target with precise aim and deadly force. She smirked triumphantly as the arrow hit its mark, it always hit it's mark these days. She put her bow and quiver down next to her feet and shook her hands out. They were calloused and bruised from how often she had been practicing. She did a couple of stretches to help her aching body and began to pack up. She had been training all day, all she wanted to do was rest. Unfortunately though, that didn't seem likely. Artemis was just about to walk out the door when her father walked in giving her his "famous" twisted smirk and semi-glare.
"Where do you think you're going baby girl?" Artemis grit her teeth and tried to walk past him. Her mistake. Her father stuck an arm out and shoved her back so hard that she hit the ground with a small grunt. Her father let out a humorless laugh and bent down in front of her. "I asked you a question."
"I'm going home." Artemis replied shortly, pushing herself up and off the ground. Lawrence simply shoved her right back into the ground.
"No you're not. You're going to stay here, and shoot that little bow and arrow of yours until I decide you can go home." Artemis once again gritted her teeth, but this time she simply nodded and stood back up. She repositioned her quiver on her back and adjusted her bow in her hand. She notched another arrow, and watched it fly right into the bullseye of the target. Her father walked up and inspected it as Artemis regained her smug smile. The smile disappeared instantly after hearing her father's words. "It's a little crooked. Try again."
Artemis tried not to start screaming and began notching another arrow. And that's how her night went, she shot an arrow, her father criticized her, and she shot another arrow. An hour later, and all of her shots still weren't "good enough," and her fingers were practically numb while her arms screamed out in pain. She shot another arrow and it landed perfectly on the target, she was absolutely positive that even her father couldn't criticize it. She was wrong. Again. "Still a little crooked, baby girl, better improve that aim of yours." Her father said sneering in her direction. And that's when the dam broke.
"No." She growled angrily. Her father turned and opened his mouth to speak, but Artemis cut him off. "My aim is not off, I don't need anymore practice, and just because you're crooked doesn't mean my arrows are. I'm going to go home now, so goodnight." Later on, when she's lying on her bed, nursing bruised ribs, she'll wonder why she thought that would work. Her father grabbed her arm threw her on the ground and stomped his boot down on her torso, hard. She cried out in pain as it seeped into her chest and ribs
"Listen baby girl, you don't ever talk to me like that again, and you go home when I say you can. Now go, you're no use to me with broken ribs." Artemis whimpered, she hated whimpering it made her feel weak, and scrambled off the floor, practically running out the door. And if you ever asked her, she'll swear up and down she didn't cry herself to sleep that night. She always was a fantastic liar.
what do you think? Horrible? Hooray-worthy? You know, I heard they created this thing called a review button, it's really cool, maybe you guys should check it out... ;)
