Echo in Her Mind

Six.

12 hours.

That's how long they had been training for. Bethany's body ached and she was splashed with blood; her own blood, she might add. Ruben wasn't kidding when he said he had to put in a lot of hard work to get where he was today. She barely made a scratch on his body.

Bethany's, however, had cuts and wounds that were certain to leave scars. Her anger wouldn't allow her to quit though, and Ruben made it clear that she had to be the one to forfeit. Hence why they were still going at it, because she was as stubborn as a rock.

The most annoying thing about it was that Ruben didn't even appear remotely phased by how long they had been fighting for. It was as if something was fueling him to keep going, and she was sure The Watch had something to do with it.

"Have you had enough yet, Bethany? You look awfully tired." Ruben smiled, which just fueled her body with more energy. She jolted towards him with speed she didn't know she could muster up, and punched him in the stomach. He flew backwards in surprise, clearly not expecting such a strong blow, and landed on his back.

Breathing heavily, Bethany replied, "Now I've had enough." She felt her knees give out from under her, and she fell to the floor. Her body had finally shut down on her.

*****

Bethany's head pounded in annoyance, and her body felt numb. It was hard to open her eyes; everything was blurry, but her surroundings seemed unfamiliar. She couldn't force herself to sit up. Her body was too weak. To the left, she noticed the form of Ruben on the couch, his face back facing her.

She wasn't sure if she was just that exhausted, or losing her mind, but she could vaguely make out the outline of two long lines gracing his back. Her mind couldn't process what they were at the time, and she doubted Ruben would be willing to inform any details on them either, unless The Watcher advised him to, of course.

So many mysteries and very few answers have been given to her in the past few days that she didn't even know if her life was real anymore. She felt like she'd been uprooted into some sort of fantasy dimension where magic and mythological creatures should exist.

Bethany's head felt like it was going to explode with her ridiculous thoughts, so she closed her eyes once again, and feigned sleep, regardless of how useless it was. There was no way she was going to fall back asleep with these questions in her mind.

She heard Ruben begin to stir on the couch, but she continued to keep her eyes closed. Just because she couldn't fall back asleep, didn't mean her body didn't weigh a thousand pounds at the time.

A few more moments of stirring and he eventually got off the couch. His footsteps could be heard as he left the room and closed the door behind him. Bethany let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and relaxed further into the pillows.

Her mind was currently in a battle with her anger, trying to force her body up and make the first move on Ruben. He was bound to be just as weak as she was right now. Fortunately, her mind was winning, and she remained exactly where she was planted.

She opened her eyes again and took in the surroundings of what she assumed to be Ruben's room. There was an overwhelming number of books that it might as well be considered a library. Bethany could see Ruben reading each and every one of them, which would make sense as to why he was so intelligent.

Upon hearing the creek of the door opening, she slammed her eyes shut, hoping that Ruben hadn't noticed her awakening. She felt his presence getting closer to the bed, and the closer he got, the more her body dreaded the movement that was about to come.

"You can't pretend to sleep forever, Bethany," Ruben's voice hit my ears.

Her eyes flew open and her anger surfaced. The numbness that her body felt was instantly deteriorated and my strength returned.

That smile.

Bethany didn't think she had ever hated anything more in her life, at least from what she can remember. "I made breakfast, so chop chop."

Ruben swiftly threw back the covers of the bed, causing her body to react and grab the closest object next to her, which was a book, and chuck it at his head. He was faster though and caught it; his hand was around her throat in a millisecond.

"That's not very nice Bethany," he whispered. "Is that how you treat someone who opened up their home to you for the past two days?"

Two days? She had been asleep for that long.

Bethany continued to glare at him until he let his hand fall from her throat. "The Watcher didn't mention how much of a pain you would be," Ruben mumbled under his breath. He was really testing her patience this morning.

"You're not the most delightful person to be around either, so I suggest you keep your comments to yourself," she spat, suddenly hopping out of bed and getting in his face.

"Save your anger for your training; you'll need it today." Ruben turned away from her, not even slightly moved by her threats.

With a huff, Bethany followed him to the kitchen where several plates of food laid on the table. Her stomach made an unpleasant noise of need from not eating for two days.

"Help yourself." Ruben sat down at the table. He didn't have to tell her twice; she immediately starting digging into the good in front of her. She could feel his eyes observing her as she ate anything within grabbing distance. She chose not to meet his eyes, which she was sure were filled with disgust.

After Bethany was done, she sat back in her chair and finally met Ruben's eyes. She couldn't read them, but she sensed a slight bit of admiration in them. From how much food she just ate, she would admire herself too. It was getting a bit irritating, however, that he kept staring, but she kept her mouth shut.

Suddenly he stood up, and began to clean the plates off the table.

"There are clean towels and clothes for you in the bathroom; get cleaned up and ready for training." Bethany inwardly groaned. "I don't even get time to recuperate?" She sneered.

He turned to her, his eyes serious. "You've been asleep for two days; we're behind schedule." He placed the dishes in the sink. "You'll have plenty of time to recuperate once you get your emotions back."

She wanted to scream; she wanted to lash out, but it was obvious that he wanted to do just as little as she did today. His chipper attitude was dimmed. Therefore, she said nothing, and made her way in search of the bathroom.

Her thoughts couldn't help but wander back to Ruben and his strange behavior as she washed up. Regardless of everything, he'd always been cheerful, but today his smile didn't meet his eyes.

Exhaustion was obviously a factor, but he didn't seem like the type of person to let that be shown. And those scars definitely looked fresh; as if they were to break open at any time.

Too many strange possibilities have happened over the last few days. She was sure she wouldn't be surprised if Ruben turned out to be one of them.

Once all of this was over and done with, she could have her life back and finally be happy again. She hoped she could be, at least.