Effortless Grace

October 31st, 6:15 a.m. EST — White Owl Ranch, Signal Mountain, Tennessee

The early rays of the sun gingerly seeped through the fabric of the bedroom curtains, basking America's face in a warm and welcoming embrace. The first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes was the tail end of two arrows hanging from the ceiling. The first thought that crossed her mind was Diamonte's smile and the strange way it made her feel. The first scent to reach her nose was the hot, sizzling aroma of hickory smoked bison sausages, and the first feeling that she felt was a sharp bony elbow jabbed into her rib cage. 

"Ow!" she cried, as she tried to rise from the bed, only to realize her arms and legs were trapped. To her left and right, her sisters Africa and Opera lay nestled closely, while her dog Hototo and her baby cousin Savon Herron slumbered soundly on top of her legs.

"Y'all got five seconds to get off me," America threatened, her voice laced with urgency, "Five, four, three, two—" At the last second, Africa, Opera, and Hototo quickly rolled away and settled into new positions. However, Savon remained unmoved, so America wriggled one leg free and gently kicked him, sending him tumbling into a heap of fresh linens.

America strode purposefully through the hallway, her footsteps echoing in the silence of the house. She reached the doorway of the family great room, and peered in, only to find it empty. Disappointed yet unsurprised, she turned and made her way towards the kitchen. There, she was greeted by her mother Ana Herron, and her grand-aunt Osceola Novva, both hard at work preparing breakfast for the family.

"They're gone, aren't they?" America asked as she settled at a long kitchen island behind her mother and grand-aunt. The kitchen was a grand space, with high ceilings adorned with beautiful wood rafters that gave the room a warm, rustic charm. It was flooded with natural light from the large windows that lined the walls, making the space feel even larger than it already was. 

"Who, the boys?" Ana replied, flipping an omelet with one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. "Yes, they were escorted off the ranch early this morning."

"Did you get a chance to talk to them? Did they mention anything about the train?" America pressed

"We decided it was best not to question them. The less we know the better."

"Like they would've told y'all the truth anyways. Their names were obviously fake."

"Ain't she clever," Osceola whispered to Ana, before turning to America, "Now that I think about it, I haven't heard the name Jasper in years. Y'know I used to date an Elroy back when I was her age."

Shaking her head, Ana handed America a piece of sausage and asked, "Now that you're back at the ranch, can I count on your support for today's festivities?"

"I guess so," America replied hesitantly.

"Great, because your sisters have devised the perfect job for you."

***

As the afternoon sun began to set, White Owl Ranch transformed into a breathtaking autumn wonderland, attracting thousands of visitors from all across the south. The ranch was abuzz with excitement as visitors engaged in various activities such as horseback rides through pumpkin patches, live performances by local musicians, and haunted barn tours inspired by Native American folklore.

The sound of children's laughter filled the air as a crowd of costumed youngsters gathered around a small wooden booth on the edge of a vast sunflower field. A hand-painted sign identified the booth as, "The Spinning Gourds, Archery Challenge: Ages Eight and Up." 

"Ready," America muttered, as she stepped up to the booth rocking pigtails, a classic Sailor Moon costume, and a red compound bow.

Dressed as the iconic Tinker Bell, Africa rallied the crowd, "Come one, come all! Test your archery skills against the best in Tennessee, no, scratch that, the best in the world!" Despite the growing number of onlookers, no one stepped forward to take on the challenge.

With a sly smile, Africa glanced back at Savon, who was dressed as Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece, and mouthed the word, "Go!" 

Savon quickly donned his straw hat and climbed up America's back until he was perched squarely on her shoulders. There, he removed the yellow scarf from his waistband, wrapped it around America's eyes, and yelled, "Ready!"

"Ah, and did I mention she'll be blindfolded?" Africa teased, causing the crowd to erupt in excitement as they clamored for a chance to challenge America.

"Step right up, all who dare to challenge the great one!" Opera announced, waving the wand that came with her Hermione Granger Gryffindor costume, "We accept candies and coins of all kinds."

Suddenly, the cheers of the crowd turned into jeers as a group of unruly boys with fiery red hair forced their way to the front of the line. America lifted her blindfold to see the annoyingly freckled faces of the Turnbull brothers standing before her. "What's goin' on?" she asked, lifting Savon off her shoulders and setting him down on the ground, "Y'all know damn well we have an active restrainin' order against y'all." 

"Naw Mury," Tex Turnbull replied, as he spat a wad of dip into a plastic cup. Tex was the tallest and second oldest Turnbull. "Pops got ours overturned."

"Yeah, you gotta keep up Mury," quipped Timmy Turnbull, the second youngest and portliest Turnbull brother. "The strainin' order's only for Big Tusk now."

"If y'all are here, he's here," she remarked, scanning the crowd for any trace of Tusk's wild red hair. The Turnbull brothers were notorious troublemakers, and Tusk, the oldest and most reckless of them all, was always up to something.

"Maybe he is," chuckled Tomith Turnbull, the youngest and shortest Turnbull, "maybe he isn't."

"Well let's find out," Africa scoffed, tossing a compound bow at Tex, and turning towards the edge of the sunflower field to yell, "Ready the targets, Kach!"

About 12 yards away, Kachine and her younger sister Kiasax Maize were sitting behind two tall wooden walls in the middle of the sunflower field. A bullseye pattern had been carefully painted onto each wall, with alternating rings of white and black, and a bright red center. Mounted along the outskirts of the rings were four wooden shelves, each about a foot wide.

"Looks like we're up," Kachine yawned, as she lifted a pumpkin off the ground and tossed it over to Kiasax, who placed it on a shelf at the bottom of the wall. Kachine reached behind the wall and turned a small lever clockwise, causing the wood outside of the bullseye to spin. This allowed Kiasax to place a pumpkin on each shelf. They repeated this until there were four pumpkins on each wall.

"Listen up folks," Africa announced to the crowd, "here's how we'll keep score. The targets are divided into three rings. The outer ring is worth 10 points, the inner ring is worth 25 and the bullseye is worth 50. As you can see, the area around the outer ring can rotate, so the spinning pumpkins are worth 75 points. Now, each archer will get three arrows, and the person with the highest score at the end is the winner—"

"Is there a prize for the winner?" asked a voice in the crowd.

"Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me!" Africa exclaimed. "Along with bragging rights, the winner will receive a choice between a large stuffed animal or a commemorative White Owl Ranch tie-dye t-shirt."

"That's lame!" chorused the Turnbull brothers.

"Let's turn things up a bit," suggested Tex with a slight grin. "How 'bout if Mury loses, she owes me a five-second kiss."

"Ew!" Africa groaned, covering her mouth and stomach.

"And that ain't all," Tex went on. "Africa has to kiss Tim and Opera has to kiss Tom. Five seconds each."

"Deal," America replied with confidence, extending her hand towards him, "But if I win, me and my sisters get to slap you and your brothers across the face, including Tusk's scary ass."

"You're on!" Tex agreed, shaking America's hand just before Africa rushed over and yanked it away.

"You sure 'bout this?" Africa asked, still clutching her stomach. "How am I supposed to survive a five-second kiss from fat Timmy? How Mury?"

"Trust me," America smiled, "The only thing they'll be kissin' is the back of our hands. The wind is with me today, I can feel it."

"Revenge would be nice," Africa grinned with a wicked look on her face. "Alright, let's go." And with that, she turned toward the sunflower field and shouted, "Kach, we're ready!"

"Leviosa, Circumrota!" Opera hollered, twirling her wand in the air, completely oblivious to the Turnbull's bet against her and her sisters.

Kachine and Kaisax sprang into action, each taking up a position behind one of the walls. They gripped the levers tightly and began to turn them in unison, the pumpkins spinning smoothly around the board as they did so.

America and Tex stood side by side in front of the booth with the crowd cheering behind them. Tex went first and made a stunning impression by hitting a bullseye straightaway, sending his brothers into a frenzy. Blindfolded, America fired her arrow, striking the top of the outer ring for a measly 10 points. 

"Pucker up buttercup," Tex laughed, as he fired his second and third arrows, landing three consecutive bullseyes in a row. "I got a wet sloppy kiss comin' your way."

"Perfect," America smiled, brushing off Tex's comment and peeking beneath her blindfold to observe where her arrow had landed. "The wind is with me today." 

Taking a moment to center herself, she took in a deep breath, raised her bow, and drew back its drawstring with a steady hand. As her exhale whispered into the stillness, she relinquished her grip, allowing the arrow to slice through the air like a swift gust. Its path was true as it penetrated deep into a spinning pumpkin, securing her a whopping 75 points.

"Whoa!" Africa cried out, thrilled by the shot. "Now folks, she has to hit another pumpkin to clinch it. Can she do it ya'll?" The crowd cheered wildly, eager to see if America could make the winning shot.

"There's no way," Tex muttered nervously, glancing at his brothers. "We got this, get ready boys."

America stood in silence for a moment, taking deep breaths and focusing on her target. Then, she reset her blindfold, nocked an arrow, and took aim. She could feel the wind blowing against her back, tousling her pigtails and brushing past her ears. She shifted her aim a hair to the right to adjust for the wind's push. With a deep breath, she steadied herself and pulled back the bowstring. Trusting in her instincts and the wind's guidance, she exhaled and released her arrow with effortless grace.