[color=7ea7d8][center][h2]|Josephine "Joseph" Smith|[/h2][/center][/color]

[b]10:00 AM
December 26, 2015[/b]

[i]Crack.[/i]

Joseph pulled her bow taut, her hand grazing her cheek as she aimed. The buck stood, unaware, easy prey. Her hands shook, lack of energy draining her body, and her greasy hair feeling sickly on top of her head. She hadn’t taken a shower in days, too busy focusing on her next hunt – deer season was almost over and she’s only shot one. Joseph breathed out of her mouth, slow and steadying, closing her eyes for a second and trying to find her focus. The Bear Crux felt so heavy in her arms and her eyes almost didn’t open for a second, but she pried them open and stared at the buck. 

[i]Don’t fall asleep.[/i] Joseph thought to herself, willing her mind to listen to her commands.

She let go of the arrow and it went flying, the buck’s eyes widened when it realized its impending doom, and he kicked back wildly, flailing and running at the same time. The arrow sunk into brown.

“Shit!” Joseph yelled aloud in frustration. She climbed down from her tree stand, her legs quaking with tiredness, and she stalked forward. She grabbed the hilt of the arrow and yanked it from the tree, angrily stuffing it into its designated spot in her quiver. 

Joseph made a move to climb back into her tree stand when she her phone began to buzz in her pocket. She pulled it from her pocket forcibly, the phone almost slipping from her grasp because she did it with such vigor, and angrily pressed the green button.

“What?”

“Now, that ain’t any way to talk to your daddy, now is it?” A thick Southern accent drawled from the other end and Joseph sighed.

“Sorry sir.” Joseph replied, her deep, raspy voice nearly choking on the words.

“Atta girl. It’s time to head back – too many hunters will be comin’ in now and scare away all the deer.”

“Yes sir.” Joseph shut the phone and started packing up her things, as well as her tree stand. She lugged the items through the forest and to her father’s red truck. She heaved the items into the trunk and climbed into the passenger seat, waiting for her dad’s arrival.

“So, Jo Junior, did you sleep at all last night?” He asked once he came into the car.

“No sir. I couldn’t. I didn’t sleep the night before either.” Joseph answered, sighing heavily and leaning her forehead against the car window as Joseph Sr. began to drive.

“Maybe we should take you to one of them doctors. This ain’t healthy, Josephine.”

Joseph Sr. never talked about feelings or health much, and when he did, he was usually joking about his brother’s beer gut – but when he used her first name, Joseph knew that the conversation would be lengthy and annoying if she didn’t nip it in the bud.

“Shit, dad, can we just drop it? I don’t wanna talk about feelin’s with you or medical advice or whatever. I’m nineteen, I’m a big girl now, I’ll handle it. Sir.” Joseph snapped, her voice barely staying even.

Joseph Sr. stared at his daughter for a second out of the corner of his eye, turning onto the road that led to his mother's house. “Yeah, alright.”