Claire checked the rifle with practiced confidence.
She inspected the chamber.
Adjusted the stock against her shoulder.
Then calmly stepped into the firing position.
Jessica's smile remained.
She still believed this was nothing more than harmless entertainment.
Several competitors stopped preparing for their own practice rounds.
Even the range officers paused to watch.
Claire never looked nervous.
She never rushed.
She simply took a slow breath.
Raised the rifle.
And looked through the scope.
The range fell silent.
Then...
The first shot echoed across the desert.
Bang.
Before anyone could react...
A second shot followed.
Then a third.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Sixth.
Seventh.
The rifle barked with perfect rhythm.
When the final shot faded into silence, Claire calmly lowered the weapon and placed it back on the table.
She didn't celebrate.
She didn't even look at the target.
She simply stepped back exactly as if nothing unusual had happened.
Moments later, the electronic target system displayed the results on the large overhead screen.
A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
Every single bullet had passed through nearly the exact same hole in the center of the target.
The grouping was almost impossible.
Even national champions rarely achieved that level of precision.
Jessica's smile disappeared instantly.
Her eyes widened in complete disbelief.
She stared from the screen...
To Claire...
Then back again.
"No way..."
Several experienced competitors walked toward the monitor to make sure it wasn't a malfunction.
The range officer quietly examined the results before shaking his head.
"It's real."
Silence spread across the firing line.
Jessica slowly approached Claire.
"You've done this before..."
Claire finally smiled.
"A little."
Jessica laughed nervously.
"Who are you?"
Claire picked up her broom once more.
Before walking away, she looked over her shoulder and answered calmly.
"I used to teach the people you call champions."
With that, she returned to sweeping the spent shell casings as if nothing extraordinary had happened, leaving the entire shooting range wondering how the quiet woman they had ignored all morning had just outshot every professional competitor there.