Chapter Sixteen : Bloom

I stared blankly at the gun and the ammunition before me. ''What kind of school uses these kinds of weapons?" I thought. The piercing gazes carefully scrutinized my every move. However, the most piercing one on them was the cold pair of amber eyes that swerved around with my every tiny movement. I sighed exhaustedly. If only I hadn't gotten provoked by the boy earlier. "Being the successor of the White Wolves, you must possess extraordinary skills in shooting." Eleanor had said calmly. His eyes were hard to read. "You can't? That's odd. The 'White Wolves' has a reputation for prioritizing aptitude before anything. Yet, they choose their successor through nepotism? It must hurt for the worthy ones," Eleanor questioned, drawing the attention of the entire club. I felt humiliated, failing to fathom why I would have to get condemned by a teenager. Caspian was already enough to remind me every day that I was a misfit. I did not want any scratch on my grandpa's reputation either. Hence, I fell for Eleanor's provocation to demonstrate my skills. However, it didn't take long for me to realize that it was a disaster to choose to do so. The entire club stared at me as I grabbed the gun. I felt imbecilic for not even knowing how to hold it. I could feel the cameras already recording me. Undoubtedly, some of the students had started live streaming on social media. It wouldn't be a big deal among the commoners, apart from a few teenagers satirizing me on their posts. Nevertheless, I could not overlook the possibility of the other gangs finding out about my weakness and considering me as an opportunity to attack my grandpa's pack. "Your posture tells you have never even observed anyone shooting before, let alone touching a weapon," Eleanor said, crossing his arms over his chest aimlessly. The other students began to laugh at Eleanor's words as the coach scolded him slightly. "Mr. Eleanor, that's not how you act with someone novice. Let me remind you that I am still against this idea of asking a newbie to show her skills out of the blue," the teacher said, aiming to protest. However, it was apparent that Eleanor's wealth was enough not to let him get involved further. "But Miss Bailey claimed she isn't a novice," Eleanor answered calmly as his eyes swerved on me. "Anyone in this club has enough experience to see through that, I assume," the coach answered calmly. "Since Miss Bailey insisted, I am letting you do this," the coach said in a tiny voice. The shooting field was wide. It was a sunny day with a clear sky, creating the utmost discomfort in my eyes. My shooting gears were suffocating me already. I stood there blankly as the clay target thrower released the clay target. "What are you doing?" Eris questioned, frowning at me. "Have you not seen a clay target before? Are you going to stand there like a fool?'' Eris yelled as Cristie hit his head slightly. "Can you shut up for a moment?'' Cristie asked, scolding Eris. "Let her breathe. Can't you see that she is nervous?" "It's alright. We are rooting for you, Senior! Please, don't panic!" Aidan cheered me. However, it was not helping. I missed the target a few times, struggling to take a position and shooting randomly. I could hear the laughs and the mumbles regarding my pack due to my enhanced wolf sensory nerves. I bit my lip, getting frustrated as Eleanor enjoyed my helplessness for a brief moment. A satisfactory smirk appeared on his face. Eleanor came to me unexpectedly. All the eyes turned to us skeptically as he stood behind me, leaning his tall body close to mine. I could feel his warm breath falling on my neck. My shoulders tensed up as Eleanor almost pulled me into an embrace from behind, his long hair tickling my neck. Eleanor gently grabbed my arms and helped me to position my firearm. I could hear the gasps. The spectators were bewildered as Eleanor had never helped anyone before. The narcissistic prince possessed an ego, touching the sky. Yet, he chose to teach me, rescuing me from further humiliation. "If you don't concentrate on the timing of the clay thrower and the object, you will not find the object. Pull your body backward to give the pace to your ammunition," Eleanor whispered, slowly pulling my body backward and firing the gun. "Why the hell is he whispering for?" I thought as my heartbeat increased on his hold. He didn't release my body immediately as I felt my cheeks heating up. Eleanor released my body, smiling at me mischievously as everyone stared at us dumbfounded. Eleanor moved away, giving me space. What was the need for a coach if he was going to teach me? I wondered. "I don't prefer to waste words on people with no talent. Even the sophomores are better at shooting than you," Eleanor said, smirking at me sarcastically. I swallowed his insults, taking a deep breath. It was about how I stood there, not knowing where to look. I placed all my concentration on the object as Eleanor had taught me. I could feel the target even better than Eleanor had explained. Within seconds, I shot down the clay target as I followed Eleanor. It was another moment of bafflement for the coach and the others. I turned to Eleanor, brightly smiling with a 'did you see that bitch' face. I thought he would come up with another insult. However, for a moment, I saw amusement in his eyes. I shot down the clay target from different angles and paces. I realized I had an innate skill for shooting, as I didn't miss a single target after that. Aidan cheered up loudly. The coach applauded as disappointment appeared on the faces of most of the students. "You are undoubtedly good at this, considering you rarely have any experience in shooting before, Miss Bailey. I believe you will be able to develop great skills from here before graduating," the coach said. Cristie came to me, congratulating me. Even Eris seemed less annoyed this time. My eyes fell on Eleanor as he stared at me with an unfamiliar expression. I couldn't tell whether he was amused or getting sarcastic. Before leaving, Eleanor came toward us as Eris shot him a burning glare. "Are you satisfied now?" Cristie asked Eleanor bitterly. "You should stop teasing others since you returned to school almost a year later. Bailey is even a senior to you," the other tall guy from the previous day said calmly. However, Eleanor ignored them, smiling at me. I could see his eyes glowing with excitement. "I didn't expect anything less from that man's blood, to be fair. Since we go to the same school, we will see each other often," Eleanor said. Eleanor left shortly, ignoring if I had to say anything further. Everything about Eleanor appeared skeptical as I wondered how he knew so much about my grandpa's pack. Wasn't 'White Wolves' just a company for the humans in case they were not a gang? I didn't give it much thought as I went to the hospital to meet my uncle. ******** The live stream abruptly ended. Caspian closed his Z-flip with force. Not long ago, one of his men informed him about the live circulating on the internet. It was Bailey, trying to shoot like a Scottish fold cat attempting to jump high. At first, he found it a bit cute rather than annoying. However, his face hardened as the boy appeared behind Bailey, almost embracing her. Caspian felt an unfamiliar sensation rushing through his veins. He hastily got up from his chair, not being able to fathom what made him so annoyed. After the stream ended, Caspian stared at the text Aphrodite had sent earlier. She wanted to meet him. Caspian hadn't responded to her yet. "Let's meet." Caspian sent the text as he couldn't get the video out of his head.