RUTHLESS

#2 "Always."

Dara

Dara yawned and rolled over, sliding herself out of bed. She glanced at the metal frame next to her that belonged to Ruth. It was empty, which wasn't uncommon. Ruth had always been an early bird, so she figured she was already training on The Training Grounds.

This Saturday they had nothing planned except relaxing, which suited Dara just fine. She changed into her casual clothing: a scarlet red top with a leather jacket over it, black ripped jeans and red boots. She walked through the barracks, utterly alone on this Saturday morning, and headed toward The Wrath Headquarters, walking through the city streets. The sky was dark gray, the clouds a lighter gray and the sun a faint orange hue. It was always cloudy here, the atmosphere was always the same, not bright, not dark, just constant fog and gloom. The buildings were gray, the rusty pipes and water towers were a light sky blue. The factories looked like they were over a hundred years old, abandoned and falling apart.

Dara's stomach rumbled as she stepped through the grand gates of The Wrath Headquarters. Soldiers lounged around, talking and laughing on their breaks, but Dara barely paid them any attention. All she could think of was getting something to eat to satisfy her hunger. As she rounded the corner towards the cafeteria, she saw Malenia lean against a wall waiting for her. An icy chill ran down her spine as Malenia's piercing gaze met hers briefly before turning away again. Dara nervously fidgeted and swallowed, feeling sweat starting to bead on her forehead. Her heart raced as she waited for Malenia to say something.

"So you decided to show up," she said in a grumble as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You didn't show up yesterday for training, did you?"

Dara shifted her weight from one foot to the other and couldn't meet Malenia's gaze.

"No," she said through clenched teeth, even though she was slightly alarmed. 

"I thought I'd take the day off to explore the city and visit some museums." She grinned, well aware that if there were any museums nearby, they were hundreds of miles away.

Malenia's expression immediately darkened, her frown deepening into what Dara could only describe as a scowl.

"You should be aware that this behavior is not acceptable," she said sternly, her patience waning.

"We need to focus on the task at hand and disregarding the rules won't get us any closer." Dara's mind was racing with emotions, making it hard for her to contain herself, but when she rolled her eyes in defiance, she knew she had taken things too far.

Malenia's enraged glare made her stomach churn with dread. She silently cursed herself for being so stupid, her entire body trembling with fear and anxiety. She knew that if Malenia wanted to punish her for insubordination, she could do anything - from extra training to physical beatings. That was the kind of relationship Dara and Malenia had - one of control and dominance where Dara was constantly on edge for any slight mistake, painfully aware that Ruth's relationship with Malenia wasn't anything like this at all. 

Still, deep down, Dara couldn't help but be envious of the trust and care Ruth felt from Malenia - something she herself would never have with the woman who took her in as an orphan. All of a sudden, all of these emotions bubbled over and overwhelmed her in a wave of sadness and anger as she watched Malenia walk away without another word.

Dara noticed then that the other young cadets had been watching her and Malenia, making it obvious that Dara's misbehavior had not gone unnoticed. She felt embarrassed and humiliated for having been seen in such a way, as it only served to increase the fire inside of her until it was blazing out of control. 

With a cry of rage, Dara threw a punch at the nearest wall, banging her fist against it so hard that it rattled her bones. The other cadets gasped as they watched in horror, taken aback by her sudden outburst of anger. Realizing what she had done, Dara took several deep breaths in order to calm herself down before entering the cafeteria.