A STOLEN NAME

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, all looking tensed.

Sophia was repeatedly folding her fists on her spot.

She's lining up beside Maksim, and Maksim 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."

Sophia chose not to give him any attention, her eyes were on Alina, who was somewhere among the crowd, watching her with hope.

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

Mikhail stayed frank as usual.

Vera and Mila were present, and Vera wouldn't stop biting her lip as she stared at Sophia...

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

Roman suddenly stormed into the place with Paval beside him.

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

Katya scoffed as everywhere became silent, then Sin appeared.

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

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

"Press-ups only? Is Dimitri f*****g OK? What the hell!" Roman shouted.

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

Roman 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 got closer anyway, and she released the arrow, but Paval caught it before it could get to Roman.

Sin smiled, and Katya scoffed.

"Master Dimitri is crazy," Vera said.

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

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

Sophia and Maksim went down at the same time, going into position.

"I'll kill you," Maksim whispered to her again.

"That's if I don't kill you first," Sophia 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?

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

She must pass this... She needs to.

Maksim is already on the twentieth, but she's only just turned fifteen.

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

Maksim got to fifty, and she's only just turned thirty.

"Leo!!!!" Lev screamed again, encouraging her.

"He's the weakest of them all, it's obvious," Vera said, staring at Sophia.

"I told you...but he looks like he's not giving up," Mila replied.

Alina was praying inwardly, hoping she would keep up till the end.

Sophia entered seventy, and her limbs and arms began shaking.

'No... no, this isn't the time... This isn't the right time to get weak' she told herself.

She remembered her parents' pale ghostly face on the night they died, and that gave her energy to push till 80.

She's dying...her sweat is pouring so much, and it feels like a suicide mission to move again.

Two of the guys stood at the same time. They had completed 100 already, and the mobsters screamed for them.

Twelve newbies had already fallen, collapsing on the ground when they couldn't take it anymore.

It's Sophia, Maksim and six others left right now, but when Sophia entered 88, Maksim stood.

He's done with his 100.

"Leo!!!!" Lev screamed for the third time, but Sophia just couldn't move anymore.

Her limbs aren't even there again, and her arms are literally broken.

Moving again means she wants to die as her sweat enters her eyes.

It stings... As f**k!

'I can do it' she told herself, continuing with difficulty.

"Arggghh!!!" She groaned, pressing up again.

"Yes! Yes! Leo, Yes!" Lev resumed the screams, and Alina folded her fists tight, her veins nearly exploding.

"Please... Sophia... please" she muttered.

"He's f*****g doing it!" Vera said.

When Sophia got to 99, she was already shaking sickly, and her face lost all color.

By now, the remaining six newbies have fallen already, so it's just her left.

She gathered her non-existent breaths and strength before trying to do the 100th press-up, but her arms slipped because of the shakiness.

She fell on her face, and Alina's shoulders dropped.

"f**k!" Vera spat.

"Damn it," Lev said.

Maksim bit his tongue, looking disappointed that Sophia didn't pass.

Sophia continued lying there, fighting back her tears of failure.

She f*****g failed.

"Maksim, Tima and Kirill... You passed" Roman called out the names of the three guys standing, but then another person entered the place.

Dimitri!

Immediately he stepped in, silence took over again, and even the fall of a pin would be audible.

His sinister steps echoed till he got to the middle, settling his eyes on Sophia who was still on the ground.

"I'm adding one more name to the list," he said, and the silence deepened.

Roman's face morphed into anger and pissed immediately.

"What the f**k are you saying?" He faced him in a swift.

"Leo Vargas... You're in," Dimitri said, without even giving Roman any attention.

Sophia's eyes widened so much on the ground, unable to believe her hot red ears.