THĒ JÃILBĪRD

Chapter 5

NEXT MORNING, GENERAL TRAINING GROUND*

The ground is already full to the brim with mobsters, waiting to watch the newbies initiation.

The newbies are already in line too, they're twenty in number, all looking tensed.

Adeline was repeatedly folding her fists on her spot.

She's lining up beside Malik, and Malik won't stop whispering threats into her ear.

"I'll kill you, I promise"

"You're dead, trust me"

"The moment we both pass, then you're officially signing your death warrant"

Adeline chose not to give him any attention, her eyes are on Kimberly who's somewhere among the crowd, watching her with hope.

Loud and Nikolai are part of the mob crowd too, and Loud won't stop giving her hopeful smiles.

Nikolai stayed frank as usual.

Jinx and Poe are present, and Jinx wouldn't stop biting her lip as she stared at Adeline...

Trixie is the only one present among the Orlovs, and she's holding her arrow and bow, watching everything neutrally.

Igor suddenly stormed into the place with Andrei beside him.

"And where the hell is Madden! He's in charge! Is he planning to neglect his duties again?" He said.

Trixie scoffed as everywhere became silent, then Sin appeared.

He's wearing black shorts only, grinning playfully till he got to the middle.

"Madden sent me here. Luckily, the trial is subpar this year. The newbies are ordered to do hundred press-ups. Anyone who can't keep up will be thrown out" he announced.

"Press-ups only? Is Madden fuçking ok? What the hell!" Igor shouted.

"It's his duty, and he can give them any damn trial he wants. Quit the jealousy!" Trixie replied.

Igor instantly tried to attack her, but hastily, she set her bow in her arrow, pointing at him.

"Come closer and I'll release it"

He came closer anyways, and she released the arrow, but Andrei caught it before it could get to Igor.

Sin smiled, and Trixie scoffed.

"Master Madden is crazy" Jinx said.

"Tell me about it. I was expecting something like making them kill each other. Survival of the fittest like last year's" Poe replied.

"You can start, newbies" Igor said, not hiding the venom under his voice as the newbies got to work.

Adeline and Malik went down at the same time, going in position.

"I'll kill you" Malik whispered to her again.

"That's if I don't kill you first" Adeline replied, starting her press-ups.

She did it regularly when she was in jail, so it shouldn't be a problem, but then she has always done just 70, and now they need 100 to accept her?

"Michael!!!!" Loud shouted from his spot, and she started immediately, going up and down as her bones tightened.

She has to pass this... She needs to.

Malik is already on the twentieth, but she's only just entering fifteen.

She could feel Kimberly's hopeful eyes on herself, and the screams of the mobsters got hotter and hotter by the minutes...