Chapter 15 — The Arrow That Missed the Mark

The day of the regional finals came on a Saturday morning in mid-December, the weather was chilly, typical of the Northern winter, with a clear blue sky without a single cloud. The venue this time is the city's central sports arena, much larger than the school stadium where the qualifying round took place, with stands that can accommodate hundreds of people.

Thanh Tam's entire family — father, mother, and Thanh Van — came together early to watch, sitting in rows as close to the shooting line as possible. Yen Thao also asked for permission to miss half of the class to cheer, bringing a small homemade sign with the words "Come on Thanh Tam" written in colorful marker.

"Look, there's so many of your family and Yen Thao," Binh said, nudging Thanh Tam's shoulder as the team was warming up in the preparation area, pointing to the stands where her family was waving.

Thanh Tam looked on, feeling a warmth spread in her heart when she saw her beloved faces watching her. Although there was still a bit of familiar nervousness mixed in knowing that Ms. Van was also present, her professional eyes would definitely observe every little detail in the way she played.

"Concentrate on warming up," Nam Khanh gently reminded, realizing her eyes were absentmindedly looking towards the stands. "There's still half an hour to go, now is the time to warm up, not the time to think about the audience."

"Yes," Thanh Tam replied, returning to focusing on stretching exercises and warming up her shoulders and arms according to the process she had practiced well for many months.

The team competition took place first thing in the morning, with the ten strongest teams from the qualifying round competing to select the three best teams representing the region to attend the Provincial Championship. When it was Ly Thuong Kiet's team's turn to step into the firing line, Thanh Tam clearly felt the pressure increased many times compared to the qualifying round, but this time, she had more experience and was more carefully prepared to face it.

Binh opened with stable performance, scoring quite good points. Nam Khanh continued with his usual composure, achieving the highest score in the team. When it was Thanh Tam's turn, she took a deep breath, quickly looked towards the stands one last time, saw her mother's encouraging smile, her father's proud eyes, and Thanh Van's attentiveness, then turned back to focus completely on the shooting line in front of her.

She raised the bow, following the familiar process — inhale, raise the bow, exhale half a breath, pull the string to the anchor point, hold steady, relax. The first arrow sticks into the tenth ring. The second arrow entered ring nine. The third arrow, although shaking slightly because of the sudden wind, still stuck neatly into the ninth ring.

At the end of the shooting, applause from the stands rang out, and Thanh Tam couldn't hold back her radiant smile as she walked out of the shooting lane. She glanced towards her family and saw Thanh Van standing up and clapping enthusiastically, her face filled with undisguised pride, with no sign of the rigorous professional evaluation like in previous rehearsals.

The team competition continued through many other shooting rounds, and Ly Thuong Kiet's team maintained a stable performance throughout, ending the morning with second place in the provisional rankings, just behind a specialized school team with a long tradition in archery.

"We did great!" Binh shouted with excitement as the three gathered for a quick lunch in the athletes' rest area. "If I can maintain this form in the afternoon, I will definitely have a chance to go to the province."

"Don't rush to be happy," Nam Khanh reminded, although his voice could not hide his excitement. "In the afternoon, there's also personal content, and that's the part that decides the individual's quota for going town. Eat well and rest a bit, there's still a lot to do in the afternoon."

Thanh Tam nodded, even though her heart was still filled with joy from the morning's results. She had lunch with her teammates, took the opportunity to text the good news to Yen Thao who was sitting in the stands, and received back a series of text messages filled with celebratory symbols.

In the middle of the lunch break, her mother went to the rest area, carrying a box of peeled fruit. "Eat some more fruit to stay awake," Mom said, handing her the fruit box. "You shot very well this morning. Mom and Dad are very proud of you."

"Thank you, Mom," Thanh Tam replied, accepting the fruit box, feeling warm at that simple concern.

Thanh Van also arrived a while later, sat down next to her sister, didn't talk much about technology like before, simply asked her how she felt after the morning. "How do you feel?" she asked, her voice gentle.

"I feel fine," Thanh Tam replied, honestly. "nervous, but also fun. I think I did what I wanted — not to shoot perfectly, but to shoot exactly what I practiced."

"That's good," Thanh Van said, smiling, her eyes this time did not carry any professional evaluation, simply the joy of a sister seeing her younger sister grow up. "I believe you will do well in the afternoon too."

That short conversation, although simple, made Thanh Tam feel a new sense of relief, as if a certain part of the relationship between the two sisters had begun to change in a more positive direction. She finished her fruit, rested for a while, then returned with her teammates to the preparation area for the individual competition that was about to take place in the afternoon - a competition that she knew would be much more decisive, not only because of the nature of direct confrontation between individuals, but also because this would be the time when she would have to face the pressure alone, without a teammate standing next to her to share every stressful moment like in the morning.

Stepping out to the afternoon warm-up area, Thanh Tam took a deep breath, trying to retain the feeling of confidence and calm she had gained throughout the morning, carrying it as a precious luggage for what lay ahead — not knowing that, just a few hours later, that same luggage would face its biggest challenge ever.

Before entering the warm-up area, Nam Khanh pulled her back a bit, his eyes full of concern. "The afternoon's individual competition is a knockout format," he repeated, even though they both knew the rules of the competition. "Each match only has twelve arrows. If you lose, you will stop playing. There is no chance to win back like a team competition where you calculate the total score all day. The pressure will be completely different from the morning."

"I know," Thanh Tam replied, nodding, clearly feeling the difference in the way his heart beat when thinking about the direct confrontation format, where each arrow can decide victory or defeat immediately, unlike team competition where scores can be compensated through many rounds of shooting.

"Remember, whether you win or lose, the most important thing is that you play exactly as you practiced," Nam Khanh said, placing his hand on her shoulder for a moment, his eyes sincere. "Don't let the result of the previous match affect the next match, and don't let anyone in the stands, including Ms. Van, make you forget your own process."

"I'll try," Thanh Tam replied, smiling, feeling somewhat more secure thanks to his companionship.

In the first round of the individual event, Thanh Tam faced off against a female athlete from another school, and thanks to maintaining her composure and stable shooting process, she won quite convincingly, advancing to the second round. The feeling of her first victory in a direct competition format gave her a new confidence, completely different from the feeling of security when competing in a team competition.

"See, there's nothing to be afraid of," Binh encouraged as she returned to the break area between rounds, handing her a bottle of water. "Just keep this momentum and it'll be fine."

In the second round, her opponent was much stronger, an archer considered to be the champion candidate of the entire tournament, but Thanh Tam still maintained her focus, competing closely until the last arrow before losing with a very small margin. Even though she did not advance far into the next round, that result was still enough for her to be on the list of the best individuals in the region, ensuring a place in the Provincial Championship later.

"It's a shame to lose so closely," Thanh Tam said to Nam Khanh after the match ended, his voice a bit regretful but no longer carrying the heavy self-blame like before.

"Sorry, but you played very well," Nam Khanh replied, patting her shoulder to encourage her. "That opponent is the number one seed of the entire tournament. You were able to hold the draw until the last shot which was excellent. The important thing is that you qualified for the province, that is the biggest goal."

The afternoon ended with positive results for the team — the team placed second overall, qualifying for the Provincial Championship, and all three members, including Thanh Tam, earned individual spots thanks to good performance throughout the day. Thanh Tam's family rushed to congratulate her as soon as the final results were announced. Thanh Van hugged her sister, her voice choked with pride, making Thanh Tam feel more complete than ever during her journey over the past few months.