RUTHLESS

#3 The Betrayal

Ruth

The next morning, Ruth was the first to wake up, the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon. She gently extracted her hand from Dara's grip and sat up on the bed, stretching her arms above her head. As she sat there, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety about the mission ahead. She knew that they were both skilled warriors, but the thought of facing the King's subjects outside of the Wrathen Empire was daunting.  

Ruth rose from the bed and began getting dressed in her usual clothing; A dark green t-shirt, a black hoodie that she left open and black jeans. There was still hours of time to spend before the mission. She could hear Dara mumbling behind her, and turned to see her friend rubbing the sleep off of her eyes. 

"Good morning!" Ruth said, smiling bright as she finished putting on her clothes. Dara sat up stretching and yawning, her eyes barely open. 

"Morning.." She answered drowsily.  

I was ready to prove myself to The Wrath, but more importantly, I needed to show my father that he could trust my abilities and strength, even though he had never been present in my life and I don't think I've ever even heard his voice as I was put into training as soon as I was able to walk. 

A hint of frustration colored Dara's voice, though she tried to hide it. 

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked as she pulled the wool blankets off her bed and walked to the locker next to the bed. Ruth playfully smirked and followed her without saying a word. She opened her locker with a swirl of her hand and withdrew two scarlet knives, placing them in their cases on her hips. 

"You didn't ask me to." She answered teasingly smirking.  

"I was sleeping! How could I-" Dara stopped mid-sentence and sighed, clearly frustrated. "I give up." she added and raised her hands up in defeat. Ruth laughed at Dara's reaction and Dara's lips curled up into an amused smile as she took her clothes out of the closet and got dressed.

As their friends slowly began to stir, Ruth was the only one among them who seemed wide awake. She grinned at the trio, whose faces were still shrouded in the fog of sleep. 

"Good morning!" She said, flasging them a bright smile. They responded with groggy mumbles, as if a pack of hibernating bears had been disturbed from their long winter's nap. She chuckled and sat back on her bed beside Dara; the mattress creaked loudly beneath her weight. 

"So," she said casually, her gaze shifting from the pair of beds separated by curtains, "I was thinking we could have some fun before our mission." The cadets' eyes lit up with excitement and they quickly changed out of their pajamas into more casual attire.

Jo, an energetic brown-skinned woman with braided black hair, walked up to Ruth and asked, her face full of curiosity, "So... what are we doing?" Daphne and Slake followed close behind her.

Daphne's bright eyes sparkled as a shy smile spread across her face. The short girl was twisting a lock of her long brown hair around one finger, her eyes bent low to the ground, "Maybe we could to eat lunch together today?" she asked with a glint of excitement in her eyes. Slake immediately nodded in agreement.

Slake was the oldest from our team, being 21 years old. His black silk hair reached down to his shoulders and his black eyes were expressionless most of the time. He had a calm demeanor, but he could be as fiery as one of the sun's dying embers when he needed to get something done. Slake noticed Ruth looking at him and raised his eyebrow. Ruth flashed him her usual bright smile as she turned to look back at Daphne, "Great idea, Daph. Lunch it is." She clapped her hands together, the sound echoing off the metal walls of the barracks.