Beneath These Scars

Chapter 7

The rest of the evening and morning passes by in a blur, my excitement hardly contained. All I can think of is the parcel I have received. I spent the evening half-heartedly working on the assignments Mutou had assigned, and let out a sigh of relief when I was finally finished. I popped in a comedy into my laptop and spent the evening listening to stand-up comedy, only paying the barest attention to the jokes. I ran through the entirety of the bags contents, noting each individual piece sent.

I can't believe she actually sent it!

The next morning was spent hastily putting my clothes on and grabbing a slice of bread for breakfast. I rushed out the door and down to the school proper, my cane clacking rapidly against the concrete. I made a beeline from the door to the main office where I had visited first when coming here. The familiar face of Ms. Yamichi greets me from her desk. "Ah Mr. Getler! I trust everything is acceptable for you thus far?"

I bow to her. "Yes indeed. Everything's fine. I do want to ask you about something though."

"Indeed? Well I'm all ears."

"I was wondering what it would take to start a club."

Ms. Yamichi raises her eyebrows in surprise. "Only four days here and you would already like to start a club?"

I smirk in embarrassment. "Well, I had gotten a package yesterday and I thought I'd see about getting some use out of it."

She nods in understanding my reasoning for coming. "Then I assume you're talking about an archery club then?"

"Yes ma'am."

She frowns at me. "And are you quite sure your prepared for this? You would have to organize the entire club."

"I did a little a research while on my way here. The field by the track area is perfect. All I just need to put the targets towards the woods so nobody gets in the way. Your physical education department apparently has some old bows, targets, arrows, etc. that you use as an introduction to the sport. I'd need to take a look at them to make sure they're ok to use."

Her face gives me a skeptical look. "I see you have done your research, and you are familiar with the equipment?"

I nod. "I've been shooting since I was 11. My mom shot while she was young and still goes to tournaments. She even competed at the Nationals last year. Growing up around them makes me pretty familiar at the ins and outs of archery. So I should be able to teach anyone who wants to try."

Ms. Yamichi nods. She reaches into her desk and pulls out a few papers. "Well, I would need to talk to the directors about this, as well as speak to Nurse about any possible complications with your condition that may arise, but I'm sure this shouldn't be an issue. You will have to find a teacher to watch over when you are out on the field. Come by my office after class and I'll see what we can do."

I grab my cane and pull myself from my seat and give her a bow. "Thank you. I'll see you after class."

"Certainly. Have a wonderful day, Mr. Getler."

I take my leave from the class. As soon as I shut the door, I can't help but smile broadly and punch the air in celebration. Archery! Finally, something that can keep me busy that doesn't involve me on my ass! I still love books and movies, but archery was the one thing I had ever considered myself as active in. And if it keeps me on my feet, then all the better.

I glance at my watch, noting that it's just about time to get to class. I gait my way up the stairs and down the hallway to the familiar classroom. The class is mostly empty, with the few exceptions of students quietly talking to each other. Hanako sits in her customary seat, leaning heavily in her book to drown out the outside world within her own story. As I make my way to my desk, her eyes glance up at me and she smiles slightly. "Hello R-Ryan."

"Hey Hanako. Whatcha reading?"

"It's about a k-knight who hunts t-trolls."

"Nice."

I pull out a few of my books and get ready for class. I can't help but shake with excitement at the mornings events. My leg jumps from the jitteriness of wanting this day to end.

Hanako lowers her book and gives me a curious glance. "Y-you okay?"

I nod. "Uh yea, sorry. Just kinda want to get this day over with. Just got something I wanna do."

"Oh? W-what is it?"

I look over at her. Our new-found friendship is still in its early stages. We barely know anything about each other than our fondness for books. She seems genuinely interested in what has got me so worked up, and I can't help but smile at the thought. "Tell you what. Meet me at the front doors 20 minutes after class ends and I'll show you."

She blushes slightly at my invitation, but gives me a small smile. "S-sure. Can Lilly come along?"

"Of course."

"O-okay then."

Before either of us can continue the conversation, Mutou arrives in class along with another gaggle of students. He calls for us to quiet down so he can give us today's lesson; calculating atomic weight of atoms within certain objects.

God it's going to be a long day.


The day passes by unceasingly slow. Half due to the boring lesson, the other half from my constant thoughts about the possibility of an archery club. I can't remember being this excited about something since the accident, and it isn't even something I particularly participated passionately before. I would shoot some odd dozen arrows every week or so, but the sport was really to keep my mom off my back about not being active. She always made sure I had decent equipment and knew how to properly care for it. I guess she wanted me to carry on the mantle of archery for the family. She had a small space on the wall in the living room dedicated to all the medals and ribbons she had collected from local and national tournaments. She even had a few pictures of when she competed at the World Cup in Vegas last year. I can still remember her face when they announced she came 17th in her division. Of course as soon as we came back home she went back to the archery field the next day. 'Ryan, 17th is nice and all, but that just means there's 16 other people I need to beat.'

Some people just can't enjoy things I guess.

The school day eventually ends with us writing formulas for specific calculations into our note books. The bell sounds off, startling everyone from their monotonous task. We breathe a collective sigh and rush to pack our things, none more faster than me. Hanako looks at me, and I smile at her and wave her off. "20 minutes at the doors! I'll see you then!" I then rush out the door as fast as my cane and leg allows me.

Getting to the registration office takes a little more time than I would have want, with all the students rushing more or less the opposite way. Eventually I find myself in front of the familiar door and knock. Ms. Yamichi greets me with her customary bow and her business-like smile. "Mr. Getler, I was expecting you!"

I return the bow. "I hope I'm not too early?"

She holds open the door and allows me to gait my way in. "Not at all. In fact, I was just going to see if you would still be in your class room."

"Oh?"

She gestures to the seat across from her desk and sits down, she face slightly obscured amongst the piles of papers stacked on her desk. "Yes. I was going to congratulate you on founding Yamaku Academy's first archery club."

My jaw drops at the sudden revelation. "You're serious?!"

She gives me a small smile and nods. "Quite, but there are some things we need to discuss."

I keep myself in check to prevent me from jumping in joy. "Oh, yea sure."

She gives me a serious look that belays the earlier excitement I felt. "Mr. Getler, we are concerned about your medical condition. Your loss of limb is not much of a factor, but your case of epilepsy is. Are you taking your medication as prescribed?"

I give myself an inward sigh. I may not like being interrogated about this, but I can understand why. You wouldn't give a weapon to someone who can start shaking at a moment's notice without some safety. "Yes ma'am. Eight pills twice a day."

"And the severity of the episodes is decreasing as stated in your files, and we do wish for you to be able to have the options for experiences like you would any other high school. I also hear that there can be a possibility of some therapeutic benefits with the sport, but all the same, we are going to put you under supervision as well as ask that you keep up with your weekly visits to Nurse. Understood?"

"Yes."

She nods hands me a small bundle of paper work. "Now, since you have founded this club, you are going to have to manage it. That means organizing all events surrounding it, keeping track of members, as well as updating Student Council should any problems arise."

I freeze at the words I didn't want to hear. "S-Student Council?"

"Yes. Miss Hakamichi keeps tabs on all activities with the student body, clubs included." She notices my incredulous look. "Will this be a problem, Mr. Getler?"

"Uh, no. Not at all." I stammer.

Man, the universe has one odd sense of humour.

Ms. Yamichi continues on. "Now, you will have to store all equipment, your included, in the storage shed by the track yard. They will be somewhere in the back, if I'm not mistaken. I would suggest that you would give a look over on the equipment just to make sure everything is in working order. If there is something you believe you need, just fill a requisition order and hand it to Ms. Hakamichi. It will be amongst the papers I've just handed you, along with member sign-up forms as well as other various papers you'll need."

I place the stack of papers inside my bag for safe keeping. "Thank you."

"Also, Mr. Juryen, our physical education instructor, has volunteered to keep an eye on your class and act as a chaperone for your club in the event something was to happen. He also coaches the track team, so he will be coaching them as well keeping an eye on you. You seem like a responsible young man with proper training, so we will place our trust in you. However, if you were to break said trust, we will disband this organization. Understood?"

"Understood." I nod solemnly.

"Wonderful. Now Mr. Juryen says that the best time for him would be for after class on Wednesdays, when he trains his advanced track team. There are not too many students, so he should be able to keep his attention on both adequately. Will this be acceptable?"

"Sure."

"Well then, I best not keep you waiting. You must be excited to get started on getting things set up."

"Yes, I am." I pull myself up with my cane and bow to her. "Thank you once again, Ms. Yamichi."

She nods in consent. "You are quite welcome. Please feel free to drop by any time." And with that I push open the door and walk down the hallway.

I begin to hum to myself as I make my way down the hallway, not believing in my own luck. Maybe now I can start to feel like my old self again. I cheerily walk down the hallway, formulating posters to advertise the new club and thinking of things I would possibly need. I would also need a few books so I can brush up on my skills as well as help others learn to shoot.

I push open the main front doors and press my way down the stairs, cane smacking on the cement. I catch Lilly's bright blonde hair with Hanako's dark head beside her. Hanako waves at me and I limp my way down to them, my smile never wavering.

Lilly's head perks at the sound of my cane getting closer, then she nods in silent confirmation. "Ryan?"

"Right again. Hey Hanako."

"H-hi Ryan."

Lilly then gives me a questioning look. "So, Hanako has told me you were really excited about something this morning? What pray tell might that be?"

"Well, you're not gonna believe what I got in the mail yesterday..."