I TAKE A steady breath and read through the outlandish email again.
"Dear Yeon Jeong-Min, we are pleased to inform you that you've been accepted into Aether Archery Academy, better known as A.A.A.. We hope to…"
I stop reading as I spin in my chair, squealing. I got in! I got in! How is that even possible!!
I've always been in love with archery. The fact that you can take an arrow through a bow, let go, and watch it fly, it's all so mesmerising. I wouldn't understand anyone who doesn't like archery.
I love being in the Western community. It fills my heart to the brim. It's much less toxic than the Eastern side.
Our world is supposedly separated by North, South, East, and West. But if I'm being honest, the only ones that matter are the East and West. Or at least, that's what the entirety of the focus is on.
In the Eastern Hemisphere, it's mostly wizards and witches you'll find, roaming around. But, in the Western Hemisphere, we have Swordsmen (and women, don't forget), Swordsmiths, and of course, Archers.
Literacy about both sides of the world is ridiculously outdated and inaccurate. I would know, I've been on both sides before.
My mom swings the door to my room wide open, clutching her ipad to her chest, grinning from ear to ear. "Did you already get the email?" She says.
I nod, with a grin as big as hers plastered onto my face. She walks up to me and gives me a big bear hug, lifting me from my desk chair.
She rubs her cheek against mine. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart! A mother couldn't be more proud," she says. And I feel happier because she's happy.
"Thanks, Mom," I sigh, enjoying the moment. She's never been this happy since Dad died. Either drowning herself in work or alcohol, it's refreshing seeing her so peachy.
My mom's grip loosens, and I slump back down into my seat. My mom backtracks into my doorway once more, clutching her tablet close to her chest.
"I'll leave you to it then, alright Dear?" But I don't get to reply as she closes the door. I can hear her skips and happy hums fill the hallway outside.
I proceed to read over the rest of the email once again, to double-check.
Locker number, schedule, student handbook, uniform purchasing, bow and arrow…
I moan and close my laptop. I shouldn't be this jittery, I've been to multiple schools before. This one will be no different.
Instead, I decided to avert my focus for a while. I take out my phone from my nightstand drawer. I guess I could find out some fun facts about this school.
I open Google and stare at the white screen, my fingers impatiently drumming on the rim of my desk, waiting to be put to use.
"젠장," I muttered in annoyance. With every second that passes, my heartbeat speeds up, and realisation sinks in.
I'm going to Aether Archery Academy.
Abruptly, I tap on the search bar. My thumbs do a little dance over the keyboard before I start typing.
"What does Aether mean?"
I feel a bit silly after typing it. It seemed like something that everyone should know, and I'd just been living under a rock. How could I ever say that this place was my dream school, without even knowing what the name meant?
And now I feel silly about being embarrassed about this. I feel my cheeks warm as I hit the search button. And I've immediately found my answer.
"Aether, the ancient Greek personification of the clear upper air of the sky."
Oh, so that's what it was? Interesting.
I put my phone face down on my desk and lean back into my chair. I dwell on the meaning.
The clear upper air of the sky.
The sky. I also love the sky, especially at night.
When I'm not obsessing over archery, I'm usually obsessing over space. I find that most people are very ignorant. Right now, as I am speaking, thousands of galaxies and stars have been born. Asteroid belts have been created, and hundreds of stars have burnt out and died. And we all accept that without a second thought.
Open your eyes, people! That is utterly incredible!
Space is magnificent. I'd love to one day, get off this planet, and just…explore. Sometimes I wish I could because Earth is toxic. The people, mostly.
I press my bow & arrow charm on my necklace into my collarbone, enjoying the cool feeling against my skin.
I stay there for a while. With an empty, clear state of mind. No thoughts at all. It's one of my favourite feelings in the world.
And then a thought interrupts.
Two days, I think to myself. In two days, I'll be in one of the best archery schools in the Western Hemisphere. I shudder.
I'm fairly new to archery, as I only started about 2 years ago. I desperately want to be an archer, but I also want to be an astronomer too.
If only I could combine the two. Then I'd be truly content with life. But alas, we cannot always get what we want.
I look out the window, taking in the final warm, golden rays of sunshine as the sun starts to set. The final days of summer.
I wonder who I'll be the next time this season rolls around.
I stretch and get up, forcing my nearly asleep legs to stay awake.
I'll go practice in the backyard, then come back in to sleep. Seems reasonable enough.
I walk down my spiral staircase, blowing my bangs out of my eyes. The steps feel smooth and cold flooring underneath my bare feet.
I reach the bottom, my left hand gliding over the hand railing. I descend into the basement.
All of my equipment has forever been here. My bows, my arrows, my targets. When I'm not using the equipment, I'm cleaning it, making sure it's in good shape. And making sure it doesn't rust.
I pick my quiver and bow off the wall. I pull the sash over my head and hold my bow by my side. I ascend the stairs once more.
Closing the door to the basement, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I slide it out and unlock the screen with my spare hand.
It's another email from A.A.A., a list to be exact. A school supply list.
I have most of the stuff on the list already—I keep a lot of spares in the basement—but I am missing replacement arrowheads.
That's fine. I can get them tomorrow.
I slid my phone back into my pocket, slid open the glass screen door and entered the yard to practice.