Heeeeeeey brother, there's an endless road to rediscover...
Heeeeeeey sister, do you still believe in love I wonder?
- Avicii, Hey Brother
This song was pretty much the inspiration for this bit and I can really imagine it applying to Lara and Sam. I apologise in advance for the mistakes I've probably made with the archery, as sadly I've never been. School is back tomorrow so future updates may be later than usual.
Anyways, enjoy!
Sam took a deep breath and leaned back in the car seat as she let her senses absorb the music pulsing in her ears.
The track switched to a song she hadn't heard in a while, and she chewed on her lower lip as the gentle guitar burst into a full on rock beat. Fall Back Down couldn't help but remind her of Lara and any other day, it would have brought a smile to her face. But all the words did today was bring back that ache of forlornness in her chest.
When Sam had dragged Lara out to her first music festival at Uni, this had been the only song she liked and although she didn't dance, she had sung to it. Sung!
"It's a contagious song Sam," she had said, her eyes twinkling, "I can't help but sing along."
Granted, Lara had been a little drunk but she had never sung another song again. Sam had taken a mental note of her enthusiasm and she had tracked down the original album to some dingy music store the following week. Digital copies were convenient and all but nothing beat the feeling of a disk in your fingertips.
Whenever the song would come on the radio or as the soundtrack to a movie, Sam would poke Lara in the ribs until she finally rolled her eyes and mumbled a few words quietly.
From then on, the song had kind of acted as a link between them; the link between Sam's partying world and Lara's old school one.
Sam sighed and took her ear buds out. This reminiscing was going to make her cry and she didn't want to explain to Lara why there were black streaks down her cheeks when she got back.
Eager to distract herself, she rolled down the window and breathed in the fresh air. For the first time in forever the weather was pretty nice in England. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the sun was bright and there was a gentle breeze. It was a shame that she was spending it sitting alone in a car instead of shopping or going out somewhere else.
Why couldn't Marlow come to England last week when it was pretty much raining instead of ruining this perfect day? This weather wasn't going to stay around forever.
Of course Sam could just leave and come back when Lara was done but she didn't feel like ditching her friend, even though she probably wouldn't notice.
That thought stung her heart again. Sam would never admit this aloud but it hurt more than a little that Lara didn't want her around. The way Lara had dismissed her so quickly after she was so eager to support her was like a slap to the face.
Yet that wasn't the worst part. Their friendship was already strained, and excluding Sam from such an important part of her life just widened the rift between them.
Lara's world had become even more exclusive ever since Yamatai and Sam's world lay a thousand miles away. Lara had always talked about how when she discovered a long lost city, Sam would be the only director to get the exclusive interview. But today, whenever Sam even touched her camera, Lara would stare at her for a second then turn away, an anguished expression clear on her face.
That bridge had burnt, bringing all the others down with it and there was no way Sam could get to Lara's world.
Still…she understood…or maybe she had just learnt to accept it. If Lara wasn't comfortable with her around…then whatever, as long as it helped her. Maybe one day Lara would open up, and a new bridge could be formed, but for now she would just have to settle for listening to past memories.
Sam rubbed her eyes and got out of the car. If she kept sitting there she was bound to start crying. She needed something better to distract herself.
A packet of crisps maybe.
She walked back into the shooting range and saw that the vending machine in there only sold drinks. That was a little disheartening but having something to drink was better than having nothing at all.
She leaned against the machine and tapped her lower lip as she looked over the drinks. What was she in the mood for?
"Hey?" Sam turned around and saw Troy, the receptionist, looking up at her from the desk. "Aren't you meant to be in the gallery with Marlow?" he asked.
"Ahhh no," Sam winced, scratching the back of her neck. "They uhh, wanted a private conversation. Besides, gun's aren't my thing."
"Oh. That's a shame. Marlow paid for all you guys' entry." He scratched his beard. "How about a bow? Is that more your thing?"
Sam smiled bashfully and shook her head. "I've never tried archery." Yes, she was really out of place here.
"Would you like to?" Troy asked, "The class is just starting. There are one or two spots left and it's only fourteen quid a person."
Sam straightened. She had never ever been interested in archery but remembering Lara going all Katniss on Yamatai got her thinking that maybe she should give it a go. Lara could use a bow, so maybe Sam should learn to use one as well.
Sam grinned. "Where do I sign up?"
Troy beckoned her to the desk then showed her the paperwork. Sam filled in the forms, paid the fourteen pounds then followed him out back to a field. Six other people were there already, testing their bowstrings and eyeing the archery targets eagerly.
Troy handed her a green bow, a quiver full of arrows and an arm guard. "Put that on your right arm," he said, gesturing to the guard. "It'll protect you from getting slapped by the bowstring. This is the lightest bow we have left. Let's hope it suits you."
Sam hefted the bow in her hands, not really sure what she was testing for. "It's a little heavy," she admitted.
"Ahh, well you'll just have to use your muscles. I'm sure you'll be fine." He smiled and left.
Sam wanted to snort. What muscles?
Troy walked to the front of the group and clapped his hands together. "Hi everybody and welcome to Archery 101. My name is Troy and I will be your instructor for today. I started archery at five and have won many national competitions. But, I am sure you did not come here to hear me brag about myself so let's get down to business."
He guided them through the basics of holding and firing a bow. It all sounded easy when he explained it and showed it to them but when it was time for Sam to do it on her own, the arrow didn't even hit the target. It went way over the top.
Sam grimaced and looked over at everyone else. Most of them had hit the outer circle. Not good, but at least they hit the damn thing.
She took a deep breath and drew another arrow back. This time it hit the blue ring. She grinned to herself for the small victory yet that was more because of luck than skill. If she really wanted to get better then she needed more than Lady Luck on her side.
But Lady Luck had been a troll. By the time the quiver was empty two of the six arrows had hit the target.
"Okay everyone!" Troy yelled from behind them. "Are everyone's arrows gone? Yes? Okay, then you can all go and collect them! Remember do not fire until everyone is behind the firing line. It's extremely dangerous and if I see anyone with their bows drawn, I will use you as target practice."
Sam sighed as she went to collect her arrows. She looked over to the others and saw that saw that only one other person was having a bad time as she was. Everyone else had their targets pretty much peppered with arrows.
When Sam went back to the firing line, she watched the other archers for a moment then tried as best as she could to copy them.
She nocked the arrow and drew it back until her thumb touched the edge of her mouth. Her hand was no longer in bandages but it hadn't fully healed. Drawing the arrow back so far stretched the skin there and made it too painful to hold it there for so long.
But the shaking in her arms caused her to falter before her hand had the chance to hurt. Without warning, the arrow flew out of her grip and thunked on the outer white circle. She should have been happy that she hit the target but she didn't even release the god damn arrow properly.
After another shot, Sam realised that drawing the string back so far was causing her to lose stability. Her back muscles were just too weak to handle such a large bow and her hand was really starting to hurt.
So for her next shot, Sam pulled the string back as far as she could without straining her muscles. The arrow fell a foot short of the target. Sam cursed then loosed another arrow, this one landing underneath the target.
"Come on," she muttered, drawing another arrow back. She flinched as the arrow clipped the bow and went off to the side.
Sam heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned to see Lara standing there, an eyebrow raised. "Nice shot," she said, her voice flat.
Sam stuck her tongue out at her then plucked another arrow out of her quiver.
"Why are you doing archery?" Lara asked. "You were never the sporty type."
Sam shrugged. "Can't a girl change her mind?"
Lara furrowed her eyebrows. "What about your hand?"
Sam looked down at her palm. Some of the grazes were tender but nothing had torn. "It's a little awkward," she admitted, "But I can manage." She looked up at Lara. "How'd your talk with Marlow go?"
Lara shifted on her feet. "It was umm…good. We did some target practice and talked…and I realised quite a few things." She scratched the back of her head. "I was thinking maybe I should starting seeing Erin again- you know the psychiatrist. Marlow said I could talk to him whenever but he is a busy man."
Sam raised her eyebrows. "If you're comfortable with it then sure," she said. Marlow must have really gotten through to her. "What exactly did you talk about?"
Lara grimaced and Sam held up her hands. "I'm sorry you don't need to tell me. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's okay," Lara said, a small smile ghosting her lips. "I know you're just concerned and I really appreciate that."
Sam blinked a few times, wondering why Lara wasn't the slightest bit annoyed. "Umm..."
"Why don't we go out for dinner tonight?" Lara asked suddenly. "My shout."
Sam was even more confused now. Where has this amity come from? "...Yeah sure. That would be nice."
Lara smiled broadly. "Okay then."
For a minute, Lara looked liked her old self again; slightly bashful, hopeful and so warm that Sam felt her heart flutter. She couldn't help but smile back as she watched her friend.
It was nice that Lara finally got the help she needed and whatever Marlow had said to her seemed to put her in a good mood. Lara watched her back with a gentle smile, and for the first time, Sam didn't see any melancholy in her eyes.
"Here," Lara said, unfolding her arms and walking up to her. "Let me help you."
Sam raised an eyebrow but didn't protest when Lara took the bow off her and inspected it.
The gesture surprised her, and it reminded Sam of the times they would go hiking and there was a rocky wall they needed to scale. Lara would expertly scramble up to the top while Sam trailed behind, trying her best to stop slipping on the loose rocks.
Then Lara would appear above her; crouched, a hand extended, and a smile of amusement on her face.
Lara handed back her bow. "Show me how you shoot," she said.
Sam nocked an arrow and drew it back. She took aim at the target and tried her best to line up the shaft of the arrow with the bullseye. She was about to loose it when Lara stopped her with a touch on her shoulder.
"What?" Sam asked, lowering the bow.
"You're positioning the arrow incorrectly." Lara told her. "The two fletchings are meant to be on top like this," she turned the arrow for her. "Else this one would knock the arrow to the side. That's what happened last time."
"Right." Sam readjusted her fingers on the arrow.
"Widen your stance a little more."
Sam shuffled her feet further apart then drew the arrow back again.
"You know you're not drawing it back far enough?"
Sam grimaced and lowered the bow. "I uhh… I'm not strong enough to pull it back that far," she admitted. Back in Uni, Lara had always asked her to go to the gym with her many times and Sam had always dismissed it with a joke. There was no way she was going to admit she had been right now.
Lara didn't seem to remember though. "It's understandable. The bow's not right for you. But it's okay. Just draw the bow."
Sam did as she was told, but this time she tried pulling it back as far as she could. She tried keeping it still, but already she could feel her arms starting to shake from the tension.
Suddenly, she felt half the strain lift off her muscles as Lara held her arm steady with one hand, and her wrist still with the other.
Sam stiffened, feeling Lara's body heat sending tingles across her skin. The urge to run filled her, but she was also afraid that any sudden movements would provoke Lara.
"Move the bow higher," Lara said softly, gently pushing her wrist up for her. "Aim to the right a little. There's a slight wind."
Sam swallowed. She could hear Lara talking in her ear but all she could focus on was how close she was.
"Concentrate on where you want the arrow to go," Lara continued. "Not anything else."
The discomfort was starting to build up in her shoulders and Sam fidgeted uncomfortably. "Umm Lara-"
"Trust me."
Sam glanced over her shoulder and met Lara's eyes. Her hazel eyes were firm, but Sam could see the promise of loyalty in their low gleam. They asked her a silent question: Do you trust me?
Sam looked back at the target and took a deep breath, relaxing into Lara's touch. She cocked her head, focusing on the centre of the target and drew the arrow back again until it touched her cheek.
Lara kept a firm hold on her arm, making sure that her aim wouldn't falter.
"Don't hold your breath," Lara said calmly in her ear. "Breathe normally. Release when you feel ready."
Sam took a few deep breaths to slow her breathing down to its normal pace. She could feel the rise and fall of her chest as the world narrowed to the gold circle, and the steady beat of her heart.
As Sam exhaled on her third breath, she released the arrow.
THUNK.
Sam lowered the bow and stared at the target. It had struck the gold circle. Not quite a bullseye but at least this time it wasn't luck.
Lara looked at the target and clapped her shoulder. "Good job," she said. She plucked an arrow out of the quiver and offered it to her without looking.
Sam accepted it and smiled to herself as she adjusted her fingers on the arrow.
Maybe there was a way a bridge between the two worlds after all.