Echo in Her Mind

Nineteen.

"What is this?" Bethany inquired to Ruben as they stood outside the hotel that they were staying at. She stared at the very small and uncomfortable looking vehicle that was meant to escort them to Dallas.

The driver in the front seat kept his eyes on the road and didn't acknowledge the two of them. The Watcher's orders, she assumed.

"It's a mini cooper!" Ruben exclaimed, placing their luggage in the very small trunk. "What were you expecting? A limo?" He laughed. "The goal is to not draw attention to ourselves, Bethany." She rolled her eyes at his explanation.

"Pretty sure this sad excuse for a vehicle is going to draw more attention to us than a limo ever would," Bethany mumbled to herself, but squeezed her way into the car regardless. It was tight, even without Ruben in there with her, and within seconds she was pushed into the side window as he sat next to her. "I think I'd rather walk than be this close to you for the next few days."

She shoved him over as much as she could, but it didn't make much of a difference. "You still have so much to learn dear Bethany." She looked over at him, not sure what he was getting at.

The next moment, Bethany began to feel the car move, but not in a way that she was used to. The car jerked forward and began zooming through the streets faster than any care should be able to. And then it hit her, this wasn't a normal car. A gaping hole, one that reminded her of the one in Ruben's basement, appeared in the middle of the road, and Bethany, frightened, screamed as it drove right through it.

Suddenly, the car came to an immediate halt, and she had to force herself not to vomit all over the car's interior. As her stomach settled, she looked out the window and took notice of their surroundings. The sign in front of them read: Welcome to Dallas, and Bethany now understood what Ruben meant when he said she had a lot to learn.

There was more to this world than she had already experienced; things like this only happened in the books that she read throughout her years. And now her mind was boggled as to how they could possibly be true.

"This is our stop, we'll have to walk from here," Ruben said and exited out of the car from the passenger door. Bethany followed in tow, holding tightly to her backpack. Her legs were still shaking from last night's events, or the light speed travel, she wasn't sure.

The stood to the side and watched as the car disappeared through another doorway that appeared, and with that it was gone; it was just her and Ruben yet again.

"Luckily, we don't have to walk very far to get to the next vessel," Ruben advised and began walking down the very long, dirt road that headed west.

Bethany knew that her definition of far differed from Ruben's, so she took this time to concentrate her mind in an attempt to save its needed energy for later. She couldn't successfully complete this next task with her mind zooming a million thoughts a second.

What was this Arthur Dobbs character like?

Was he a good person?

Kind?

Of course, he's kind, Bethany thought. He holds your kindness, so he must be a well-liked man.

She shook her head and shut off her brain. Bethany shouldn't be wondering such things about a person she was about to make disappear from the universe.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Bethany?" She heard Ruben ask her, and she turned her head to look at him. His smile was genuine, as if he actually cared what she was thinking this time. Or maybe he was just curious so he could report back to The Watcher any issues she was having with coping. Whichever one it was, she wasn't sure, but she told him anyway.