A nock on the door roused me from my sleep.  I groaned and rolled off my bed.  I forced myself up so my step-mother wouldn't make it to the door first.  

My blanket dragged behind me, but I shook it off my foot before I left my bedroom.  I knew I had a terrible case of bed hair, but it was that time of the morning.  

I didn't really care.

I swung the door and looked up at the visitor. 

James.

Of course it was.

I sighed.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, embarrassed I hadn't brushed my hair before coming to the door.  I tried to smooth it, but it was really tangled and messy.

"I came to pick you up for school," he answered, smiling at my attempt at my hair.

"When does it start?"

He turned to the sun in the sky.

"Soon," he replied.

"I must have overslept," I muttered.  "Oh! Come in. I'll go get ready real quick." I rushed upstairs, quickly pulled on a clean jerkin, winced at the reminder of my shoulder, and grabbed my satchel.  I looked around, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything.  Then I rushed downstairs and ran into James.  He steadied me, but I pulled away.  

"BYE STEP-MOTHER!" I screamed.

Thump.

I bit my lip to keep a giggle from escaping. 

"Let's go," I said before he could speak.  I grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the house.  We walked to the school and for once, I wasn't late to my first class.

I didn't deny James' help and made it to all my classes on time.  Nothing weird happened until lunch.  Well...it wasn't weird.  It was just...a revelation.  Sort of.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing to a paper in James' hand.  

He held it up. "It's an article on Crossbow." I held back a gasp.

"What about her--or him?" I asked.

He shook his head. "They are trying to figure out who he is. The king wants to publicly thank him for everything he's done. There are some theories--you know, fake news putting things out there. But nothing is known for sure."

"Why do they think Crossbow's a he?" I inquired.

"There's no way it could be a she."

I growled but hid it with a cough. "So...who are some of the theories?" 

"No one's seen Crossbow, but some have said to have been witnesses to his amazing feats. But he always wears a black cloak, hiding his true identity."

"Has anyone claimed to be Crossbow?"

"I few. But they have all been proved to be fakes."

Hmm.

At least they didn't suspect a teenage girl.

"So, who do you think it is?" I asked.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. But something seems wrong about their assumptions..."

"I'm sure it's just some middle-aged man," I interrupted. "You're right. A girl couldn't do what Crossbow has done."

"You know about Crossbow?"

"Of course!" I replied.  I turned away, just in case my face would give me away.  We finished lunch in silence, and the rest of the day continued like before. 

"Do you want to come over to the...tree?" James asked me quietly. 

"I'm sorry, I can't. Step-mother..." I stoped myself. "I'm just really busy."

He looked at me for a minute before saying, "Okay. But let me at least walk you home."

"No, I'm okay," I replied quickly. "See you tomorrow." I ran off, turning to wave at him as I did.  Despite his disappointed face, he waved back.  I bit my lip.  I couldn't tell him about step-mother.  And I had to push him away nicely.  Not get too close.  Step-Mother would just move us again.  And then I would have another crack in my heart.  One right beside the one from my father.