The night before the big game

Beth Harmon rested her chin on her folded arms and studied the chess set below her. Stretching out a hand, she delicately moved a piece, tilting her head and frowning. No, that move was far too obvious.

Cursing under her breath, Beth reached out to move the knight back to its previous spot...but the carved wooden piece slipped through her wet fingers and toppled over.

Water sloshed over the side of the bath as Beth fell back into the water.

She was over thinking this. She'd studied Borgov's games. She knew all of his tactics inside and out. No last minute revision would help her tomorrow.

Water cascaded down her body as Beth stood up, placed her bare feet onto the cool marble floor and wrapped a warm, fluffy towel around her torso.

Yawning, the ginger dried herself and pulled on her pajamas. Padding over to the window, Beth twitched back the curtain and looked down at the street below as she absentmindedly brushed her damp hair.

Why was she feeling so nervous? Beth felt like she'd been preparing for this game her whole life, but now that it was finally here, she didn't want to play it.

Beth padded back into the bathroom, emptied the bath and poured herself a glass of water from the sink. She pulled a face as the cool liquid passed her lips; even after a week, she wasn't used to the drinking water here.

The young girl brushed her teeth, double checked that her door was locked, climbed into bed and switched off the lights.

Maybe it was the cold outside. Maybe it was the smorgasbord of emotions Beth was feeling about the following day. Maybe she was finally feeling the effects of a long week. Or maybe it was a mixture of them all.

For not long after Beth Harmon's head had hit the pillow, she was asleep...