Lost

Chapter 13

Ava and Beatrice had been traveling for two days.
They had taken several trains but now they were on their way from Barcelona to Malaga and then to Andalusia where Cat's Cradle was based. Ava had been quiet most of the travel. Beatrice could tell there was something on her mind, her eyes were always swimming with thoughts, and she was doing what Beatrice told her for once. But, it was understandable, she didn't know what Ava went through on the other side or what it did to her. So she elected to let Ava come to her when she was ready, if ever. They had spent so much time apart, they were different people now. It was going to be like getting to know each other all over again, especially because at the time Ava left, they had still only barely gotten to know each other.

The train ride was quiet, there wasn't many people on it save for a few people who were scattered across the same car they were in.
It was late at night and the train was illuminated by some dim lighting over their dark blue woven seats. Ava was asleep, her head laid against the small window on the wall of the train, and one of her legs pulled up to her chest. A shiver had ran up her arm so Beatrice carefully took off her zip up and placed it over Ava like a blanket, trying to to wake her. The Halo Bearer's eyebrows were knit together and she could see her eyes moving behind her eyelids. She could tell Ava was dreaming, what she was dreaming about was unfathomable to her. Soft pained whispers came from her slightly parted lips. Beatrice thought about waking her up but she knew Ava needed rest. So she pulled out her small notebook, flipping through the small pages covered in graphite images. Drawing was a skill Beatrice had been forced to learn, but she had grown to enjoy it, finding it easy to get lost in her own mind, in the world around her. She pulled out a small wooden pencil from her bag and placed it on the paper, letting her imagination control her hand. Her eyes focused on the train, the view she had. The blue woven seats with the grey plastic on the back of them, the dim lighting illuminating only a small portion of the seats. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, simply drawing, she was enraptured, the soft pencil lines made almost a perfect replica of the scene in front of her.

"I didn't know you could draw." Ava's voice was raspy, tired, a tone Beatrice had heard many times before when waking up in the morning. Beatrice closed the journal and stuffed the pencil back in her bag. "How are you feeling?" Beatrice asked softly. Ava rubbed the sleep from her eyes with a yawn that brought back many fond memories. "Better. The sleep was much needed. I forgot how much I hated the train ride from Zurich to Spain." Beatrice laughed gently. She remembered the last time they traveled from Zurich to Madrid and how Ava had complained the whole way there. "At least if you're asleep you can't complain as much as you did last time." Beatrice laughed out, Ava's eyebrows scrunched together. "Hey." Her lips pouted slightly, "I don't remember being that much of a pain." They both laughed softly together but the air was still stale with the time they had been apart. Beatrice watched as Ava bit the corner of her lip, it was what she did when there was something on her mind. Despite their time apart it seems that not everything had changed.

"I didn't think I would ever see you again." Beatrice admitted though she hadn't meant to say the words, they kinda spilt out of her mouth on accident. She watched as Ava's eyes looked at her for a brief moment and then back to the floor, like she was reliving memories inside her mind. Beatrice wished more than anything she could know what Ava was thinking, feel what she was feeling.

"I didn't either. But, it's good to be home." The way she said home almost sounded like she didn't believe that this was home anymore. Like she didn't belong on Earth. Silence had become a friend to the both of them, because it was reoccurring so often. "So, Professor Beatrice Silva." The sound of her former title coming out of Ava's mouth was a surprise.

"Now I'm just Beatrice Young. Former tactically trained nun and professor."

"Beatrice Young. I didn't know you had a last name. I thought you were just Beatrice No Last Name." Beatrice laughed at Ava's absurd remark. "Of course I have a last name but, when you take vows you drop your last name to signify your new marriage to God."

"So you didn't steal my last name because you didn't have one?" Beatrice shook her head. "Its because my family is very famous is Zurich and I wanted to lay low, so Silva was my first choice."

"Why?" Ava's question stopped Beatrice. She wasn't sure why Ava's last name was the one she chose. Maybe it was from the grief of loosing the one she loved, or simply because she wanted to feel like there was apart of Ava with her. But she could not pin down the exact answer. "You were gone for four months, I guess I just wanted to feel closer to you." Ava's eyes widened in surprise.

"Only four mon-" Her words were cut off by the loud speaker on the train. "Attention all passengers, we have arrived in Malaga." They felt the train slowly stop, all the passengers standing up and grabbing their luggage. The two of them stood up and followed suit with the rest of the people on the train. It wasn't much of a struggle getting out of the train station due to the fact that it was nearly midnight. They didn't have enough time to travel from Malaga to Andalusia so they booked a room at a small inn. The inn wasnt much, it was small, smelled like piss, and there were some mystery stains on the wall which very well could have been blood. When they got settled for the night Ava decided to take a short shower. She was in there for at least an hour, after a while Beatrice got slightly worried, pacing outside the bathroom door, raising her fist to knock on the door but deciding against it and laying down on the bed. Beatrice set her gun on the nightstand with her knife next to it, ready incase something or someone were to sneak up on them in the middle of the night. As the time Ava was in the shower lengthen Beatrice felt herself slowly doze off into a half sleep, when the lock clicked out of place and the bathroom door opened she flung up from the bed her knife in her hand. Ava looked at her with a concerned look on her face before Beatrice realized she looked like a maniac and became a little sheepish. She couldn't help but notice the scars peaking out from under Ava's white towel which was pulled up under her arms. It wasn't until as Beatrice looked away that she realized the scars must have been from when she was hit by the divinium shrapnel. A sort of guilty feeling filled Beatrice's chest, Ava had to live with reminders of that day. The day she, well, almost died. Beatrice laid back down on the bed and laid so that her back was facing the Warrior Nun. Only when she felt Ava climb into bed did she move to turn off the lamp light, laying on her back. Her eyes focused on the small red light at the bottom of the TV which was the only thing that could be seen in the pitch black room. She felt the words come from her chest before they left her mouth, "Ava...?" She probed. A soft tired hum came from the other woman. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Beatrice felt Ava shift slightly, "For not doing more to get you back." She could see Ava's eyes open even in the dark. Her brows knitting together once again. "I should have done something, something more."

"Bea..." She began. The way that Ava said her name brought herself a wave of emotions. She couldn't get enough of it. "It's not your fault. There's nothing you could have done."

"Trust Me."