Luisa and the Witcher

Pheeew

An arrow pierced through the air and hit a part close to the bullseye in the target board. Luisa frowned, she almost got it this time.

She collected another arrow from her quiver and got ready to shoot it with the bow. "You're early," Zeke's deep cello like voice jolted her and made her to send the arrow across the room hitting the wall.

She turned towards him, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of him. He was leaning on the wall, his usual mischievous smirk hanging on his lips as his hands crossed his hard chiseled chest.

He wasn't wearing a jacket today, she noticed. He was wearing just a black long sleeve t-shirt that almost hugged his skin.

'How can someone be this dangerously handsome?' she asked herself.

She didn't know how she started looking at him this way, was it because she was gradually entering womanhood and the age when she can bear these types of feelings for the opposite sex but why him, she kept asking herself.

He was mysterious and his aura sends chills to her spine sometimes, he was like a dark puzzle she can't fathom because he never let's anyone in, but yet something keeps drawing her in and she has always admired him and found him extremely attractive even at that her small age of ten.

The few times they have spent alone, she knew he was a good person deep down and circumstances was what turned him that emotionless.

With the kind of circumstances surrounding her, she didn't expect herself to look at anyone this way. But it unintentionally started all of a sudden and even at her age, the circumstances surrounding her and as a person that was new to these things, with her logic, she still knew that what she was feeling was not normal.

It's been weeks since Thomas passed away and she has gradually forced herself to get over it. She knows Zeke knew that she has been trying her best to avoid him in any way she can.

But what she knows that he doesn't know was that she wasn't avoiding him because she was mad at him about Thomas but because she has been catching feelings she wasn't suppose to.

"Uh...Yes, l-l skipped breakfast today," she stuttered a little.

"I can see that, why?" he asked.

"I wasn't hungry and I really wanted to master this already, so the witcher allowed me to come before everyone else," she replied and he started walking towards her, the medallion on his neck dangling with his every graceful movements.

"You've been practicing this thing for months now but yet not once have you hit the bullseye," he told, almost rubbing it in.

"Bring the quiver," he added when he got to her and she did as he said. He collected her bow and an arrow.

"Study my movements and watch how it's done," he continued, he readied the arrow on the bow and in one shot the arrow pierced through the air and hit the bullseye. He grinned victoriously.

"Wow, that was incredible," Luisa responded

"Well thank you shortie, but if you think that's incredible, then you're going to love this," he replied.

He took another arrow and in one go it split the previous arrow that was on the bullseye. "Wow, only a few people can do that," she beamed.

"Yeah, I'm among those few and you can be if you practice hard. How about some tutorial before the boys come?" he offered and she nodded.

She collected an arrow and dropped the rest of the quiver. He gave the bow to her and she readied it.

"You're standing wrong," he said and bent down to adjust her posture. He stood up and leaned over her shoulder to adjust her hands on the bow.

She felt her breath hitch as soon as she felt his chest against her, they have never been this close before. She felt his amazing manly scent take over her breathing space.

"Try doing it with your both eyes open," his fresh hot breath fell on her neck as he whispered the words to her, she felt as if she was going to melt down into a puddle.

The air felt suffocating but in a good way, she turned her head towards him, her eyes gazed at his magnificent jawline, the strands of jet black hair that fell to his forehead.

When he noticed she wasn't listening anymore, he turned towards her as well and their eyes met.

Something flashed across his golden eyes but she couldn't quite fathom what it was and then she noticed his eyes move to her delicate lips and moved back up to her eyes almost immediately.

Her heart skipped again, she wish she knew what was going on in that head of his.

"It will be best if you focus on the target for better results," his voice jolted her out of that small world she just created for them. He moved away from her and she turned to the target board immediately.

"And breathe shortie, unless you want to turn blue and collapse," he added and Luisa wished the ground could just open and swallow her.

Blood rushed to her cheeks and she bit her lower lips in embarrassment and also to hide the stupid smile that was trying to break free. She didn't know she has been holding her breath all these while.

She took a deep breath, followed what he instructed and took the shot and for the first time, her arrow hit the bullseye.

She jumped up in excitement, "Wow shortie, never doubted you there, you've always been a fast learner," Zeke applauded her.

"Thank you and you're a really good teacher," She replied.

"I know, I know...I'm amazing, aren't I?" he said and Luisa chuckled.

"Okay, take the shot again," he urged giving her another arrow, she took it and steadied her shot. The arrow shot through the air and hit the bullseye again.

"Yes. But I really wished it had split the previous arrow," she pointed out and he ruffles her hair like his cute little puppy which she was.

"Don't worry, you'll get there," he encouraged her. "I see greatness in you Luisa," he used her name this time and she liked the way it rolled out of his tongue.

"You are going to come out alive and you're going to do wondrous things you are going to be remembered for, I know you will," he encouraged and for the first time he had a genuine smile.

There were finally some light in his eyes and it was as if he looked ten times more handsome, Luisa smiled back.

'You should smile more often, Zeke,' she thought.

Then the boys started to troop inside the room and soon their normal archery training began.

Everyone took their bows and quiver of arrows and got ready for the training. Heron came to stand close to Luisa, he offered her a small smile and she returned it. Then Gideon walked passed her to the very end.

"Wow...He didn't even look at us this time," Heron said. It has been weeks since the vampire was released from the dungeon and since then he hasn't been bothering her or heron again, she didn't know why but it was for the best.

"When you guys finally go through the trial of the grasses, you'll reach your full potentials as a witcher, you'll be able to cast spells," Zeke started.

"I hope you guys haven't forgotten the arrow of death spell, Luisa?" he suddenly called her name. Of course she knew what he was talking about, they were taught all kinds of spell from the previous stage, including this spell.

"It is a spell that uses dark energy to envelope an arrow to kill monsters who can only be killed by the struck of an arrow with dark energy to the heart, an example of such creatures is the lecasseth, alias mind control beast that feeds on the torment of its victims," Luisa answered.

"Good, that's really good, alot of details there Luisa," Zeke responded.

"When you finish your training, you will be able to put all what you are being taught into action and as you emerge into the world, you should keep in mind that a witcher's first instincts...Is to survive and everyday of your life will look like a test of your survive instincts.

"My advice to you is to be brave, trust but don't always trust your guts, in everything you do consider logic, it's not always about luck because luck might just run out, but all the same I still wish you all good luck because you might need it in this quest of ours.

"Today like I promised, I'll show you an example of what an arrow of death looks like," Zeke elaborated and everyone got excited to see it.

Zeke collected an arrow and a bow, his lips began to move, the air carried the spell he was chanting, dark smoke began to envelope the arrow, whirling around it and Zeke shot it through the air and it hit the wall, penetrating half deep into it.

...

After the archery training, they all went to the yard for horse riding. This was Luisa's favorite part of Thursday's training, with lots of practice, she had already become a pro at it and she just loves horse riding. Zeke smiled from a far as he watched his little shortie ride happily, he just hope this ride wouldn't be her last.

Once, they were done for the day, they all freshened up and had supper before they retired to their cots. Luisa couldn't sleep, she just kept smiling thinking of everything that occurred today, she can't believe it... she really do have a crush on Zeke.

It was crazy.

She remembered his speech before shooting the arrow of death, it felt strange, he liked giving them speeches but something about today's speech felt odd like he was telling them farewell when they haven't even gotten to the third stage. She brushed it off and finally dozed off.

...

Luisa felt like she was drowning in water, her eyes shut open and she sat up immediately. She coughed out all the water she had drank, her hair was damped and wet. She stood up.

"Where am I?" she asked herself.

Her eyes screened through the place, it was dark and foggy but she could tell it was a forest swamp. She looked at the sky, it was already dark, the moon was there but there were no stars and everything felt eerily creepy.

She started to walk following the moon until she finally caught sight of some people. It was Gideon, Heron, Davis and the others.

"Luisa?" Heron rushed towards her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, where are we?" she asked.

"Sssh..." Davis shushed.

"It's the red swamp," he answered.

The red swamp, a place of the dead, it was crawling with all kinds of beasts and monsters, they were taught about it in the first stage but how did they get here?

"It really is, but how did we..." she paused when she saw that she was wearing the witchers' medallion. She looked towards the boys and they were all wearing it.

"What the...How did..." she was entirely speechless. The third stage, the test of your mental capability and survival instincts. This was unexpected, no wonder Zeke was giving them all that speech.

"Oh no, what are we going to do?" one of the boys cried.

"Don't panic yet, this thing glows when a monster is nearby right?" Luisa questioned and they all nodded.

"Well it hasn't yet, this is just a test, a witcher's first instincts is to survive, we'll follow the moon until we get out of here, if a monster is nearby, your medallion will-" the glow of their medallions cuts Luisa off.

With the way it all glowed at once it means not just one monster was nearby but multiple. Chills ran down their spines, goosebumps began to form on their skins and their eyes widened at the sight of ghouls and forest griffins coming into view.

"Can we panic now?"

...