The walk was quiet.
Dylan would occasionally make fun of me for wearing winter clothes as if it wasn't snowing outside- but other than that, no one spoke.
Usually our bickering would cause dad to laugh.
He just smiled.
I could tell all of this was forcing him to grieve. I don't think he spent one day thinking about the accident.
Now, he's forced to remember the love that was taken from his heart, and the hole that he gained in place of it.
We stood there. Waiting at the entrance of the forest. I'm not sure what we're waiting for but it just seemed right.
"They won't mind." I look to Rosie when I speak. Expecting her to validate my unknowing hope.
She nods, lifting her lips into a smile. "They won't mind." Her words were whispered, reassuring herself in the process.
We begin entering the dense woods, climbing over roots that were now covered in snow.
My steps falter when I hear the sound of bows being drawn back, and punches being handed out.
"I'll go get Syrus." Dylan makes his way to the big green tent that I can't bring myself to look at.
I am no longer curious.
"Crystal?"
I turn to see Syrus looking at Rosie with pain in his eyes.
"No, no." Rosie's eyes meet the ground as she holds her hand up to stop him from walking closer.
His face falls, stopping in his tracks. "Rosie."
She nods, looking back up to meet his eyes. "Sorry to bother your training, I thought you might want to talk." Her face becomes serious, crushing the guilty emotions which laced her eyes a moment ago.
He forces a smile. "Yes I suppose we should." He turns, looking to Dad, who I didn't realize was watching the river as it froze. "Is this James?"
At this, my dads shoulders stiffen, turning to lock eyes with Syrus. "I am. Yes. You must be Syrus." He holds out his hand.
Syrus takes Dads palm firmly in his, shaking it. "I guess we'll talk while the two of them train. We can meet back up in say.." He looks to his watch. "An hour?"
I nod, giving him a knowing smile.
This is only my second day training for the 'end of man kind' as we know it-
and yet I already can't stand the people here.
As the three of them begin to disappear into Syrus' dreadful tent, Dylan and I begin walking towards the training grounds.
Standing in front of two very beat up men, was Echo. He was facing away from us, until Dylan-
"Hey man!"
Echo spins on his heel, meeting our eyes with his. "Hey, you guys ready?"
No.
"Yep."
I roll my eyes as Dylan completely ignores my thoughts for once.
"Fine. But i'm not doing 20 laps again." I place my bag onto the supply table, wrapping a bandana around my hair.
"Oh no. We're not doing laps today." His voice is hard, a smug look crossing his face. "There's no time. We're putting you two into real training."
My eyes widen, dropping my arms in defeat. "No. No no no."
Dylan perks up. "Really? We get to actually fight with weapons?"
I shoot him a glare. Which he also ignores.
Echo laughs. "Yeah, but first you have to know the basics of fighting." He looks to me. "I heard you wanted to learn how to shoot?" His smirk grows wider.
I cross my arms, sending my glare his way instead. "Yeah I do. What's it to ya?"
He sighs sarcastically, looking over to nothing in particular. "Oh you know, just thinking about how to train you when you probably can't even pick up a bucket of water."
My mouth drops. Speechless.
He gasps, causing me to jump slightly. "That's it! I'll make you carry two gallon buckets of water in each hand, and walk back and forth from that tree.." His hand trails. "To that tree." He grins. "Ten times."
My mouth is to the floor, defeated, as I study the distance between the two trees.
That's like 200 feet.
I can do it.
"Don't you think that's a little much man?" Dylan's voice is stern but weary.
I don't look back to them, still eyeing the deformed trees.
Dylan thinks I can't do it.
I finally look up, narrowing my eyes at Echo. "Where are the buckets."
He smiles, pointing to where the stack of water pails are.
Before I can begin walking over, I feel a hand grab my arm. "You don't have to do it Rubes, he was probably joking."
I turn to meet Dylan's eyes, frowning at him. "God D, have a little faith in me."
And with that, I'm walking over to the two giant water buckets that are about to be filled to the brim.
This was torture.
I'm getting tortured because I'm a girl.
Yet, I gave in.
It's been ten minutes and I managed to finish all 20,000 feet back to back.
I don't stop there.
I begin walking to where Echo stood, watching, as Dylan practices his fighting stance.
"Done."
He looks to me, his eyes flash with an emotion I don't see on him very often. "Well. I guess you're stronger than I thought."
He's proud.
I drop the buckets, glaring at him. "Just teach me how to shoot."
His face turns back to its normal cold stare. "Fine." He waves someone over to us, pointing him to where Dylan is standing. "Teach him how to spar. He's a fast learner." The man nods before giving me a hateful look.
I roll my eyes, the song 'Why You Gotta Be So Rude' lacing through my brain.
"Come on." Echo nods for me to follow him, not slowing down as I catch my footing.
Only now do I realize how much taller he is than me.
It's hard to keep up.
"Here." He holds up a bow, his eyes remaining void of emotion.
I take it, looking at it in awe.
It's black, with red and green stripes painted on the riser.
Its very pretty.
"I like it." I smile
gently, looking up at him, but he's facing away.
I watch his shoulders tense. "Yeah, I painted it when I first got it." He slowly turns to face me, holding a bag of arrows. "I was only thirteen when I had started training." His face becomes softer as he speaks.
Only now do I see the tint of light blue lining the darkness of the ocean in his eyes.
They remind me of storm clouds.
Storm clouds over a vast wavy sea.
"Why so young?" I ask, holding his eyes through mine. Almost begging him not to look away.
He does.
"Do you want to train or not?" His face hardens at the question, and tone becoming darker.
I sigh, grabbing the bag of arrows from his hand. "Yes."
"Then let's go."
He leads me down the river and away from the camp grounds. "Where are we going?" I ask, looking back as the tents get smaller in the distance.
He chuckles. "You think I'm going to risk you shooting one of my men?"
His laugh sounds like a hummingbird.
"We're just going to a safer spot along the river."
I feel my face heat up slightly. "I guess that makes sense."
We walk just a few yards over from camp, so we don't get too far.
"Here's good." He stops, putting down the water jugs he brought.
"Okay." My eyes wander to the river in front of us. Watching as the frost makes its way along the brink. The snow is glistening as it falls slowly from the trees into the icy water.
"So, stand like this." I turn to Echo, watching him place one foot in front of the other, with his legs apart.
I mimic his movements. He nods, continuing. "Then hold the bow like this." He brings his dark green bow to the front of him, pulling the string back, slightly away from his ear.
I do as he says, raising the bow and pulling back so the string is level with my cheek.
"No, not too close or you'll hurt your arm."
I reposition myself, holding the wire away from my face.
"Okay now relax, and grab an arrow."
Slowly letting go of the string, I reach my hand back to grab one of the light red arrows from the bag.
"Place it in between your fingers like this." He holds his invisible arrow, showing me. "Now place it on the wire and in the middle of the bow."
I nod, holding the bow up and clasping the arrow onto the string.
"Now look carefully at that bush." he points to a small fern across the river. "And shoot."
Without thinking I lock my eyes to the target and-
"Oops."
He sighs, looking to the river where my arrow now resides. "Again." His voice is calm, patient.
We practiced for a while.
It's getting annoying now.
"This is useless. I've been aiming at that stupid bush for 45 minutes." I let out an exasperated sigh, dropping the bow to my side and glaring at the leaves in the distance.
He gets up from his claimed seat on the snow, and walks over to me. "Let me try something."
Before I have time to object, he's placing his hands on my arms and readjusting my position.
"Stand, like this." I feel his breath as he whispers, lifting my right elbow and tilting my left arm down.
His body straightens as his chest comes closer to my back.
He grabs my right hand, pulling the string back with no effort. "Aim."
I squint my eyes, looking towards the bushes.
I feel his finger glide across my chin, turning my head to look at him. "Don't squint, just focus."
I look back to the trees, focusing on the one leaf I was aiming at the most.
I can feel my body heat up, but I ignore it. I sense him staring down at me, watching me intently.
"Just relax. You got this."
And with that, I shoot.
I shoot, and close my eyes.
Waiting.
Waiting for his sigh of annoyance.
But it never comes.
"Ruby."
His voice is like a thousand butterflies flowing through a sunflower patch.
"Ruby?"
I open my eyes, looking towards the forest.
I did it.
"You did it." He speaks proudly. I turn to meet his dark cobalt eyes. He's looking down at me, his body still uncomfortably close to mine.
I subconsciously step back, looking toward the bushes. "I did it." My gaze turns back to him, smiling gently. "Thank you."
He stiffens, but returns the smile. "We should head back, your brother is probably waiting for you."
I nod and begin walking towards camp.
"Oh and I brought my dad and aunt to meet Syrus."
He stops for a moment before continuing our walk back, his shoulders tensing up. "Why?"
"Because Syrus knew my mom, and he knows my aunt." I look down, wondering why- of all the times we've talked- does he now want to know more.
He turns to look at me, stopping in his movement as we reach the edge of camp. "Listen." He sighs, running his hand through his dark brown hair. "Don't trust everything Syrus says, okay? He's not everything you might think he is."
I frown. "Why? What do you mean?"
He doesn't answer.
He keeps walking towards his tent, grabbing the bow from my hands and placing it onto the rack. I hand him the arrows, eyeing him for answers.
He doesn't speak.
"Ruby!" My eyes snap to the right as I catch Rosie trying to wave me over to her.
I sigh, turning to look at Echo. His back is facing me, his eyes fixated onto the bow in front of him.
"I trust you."
His head turns slightly, not looking at me fully as his back still faces me.
My eyes find their way trained to the ground. "I don't know why. But I do."
And with that, I walk away, leaving him to his own thoughts as I make my way over to Rosie and the guys.
I don't know why, but I think he's different. Strange.
He reminds me of something.
Someone.
Someone with a fire coursing through his heart that was lit by the touch of a burning sun.
He reminds me of someone.
Someone who lost his own mind trying to find a way out of it.
He almost reminds me, of someone I see everyday in the mirror.
'Don't trust everything.'
I trust you.
I don't know why,
but I do.
••••••••••••••••••••••••
Learning some of Echos backstory soon ;)
hehe
Wish me luck <3