Chapter Five

The physical tests day finally arrived the next morning at the major training ground.

At dawn, the ground is already full to the brim with mobsters, waiting to watch the newbies physical tests.

The newbies are already in line—twenty in number.

They look tensed.

Adeline repeatedly folded her fists and unfolded them.

She's 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, you've officially signed 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. She held 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 fifty 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, riding 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 40, and now they need 50 to accept her?

"Michael!!!!" Loud shouted.

Adeline started immediately, going up and down as her bones tightened.

She has to pass this.

She needs to.

Malik is already on the tenth, but she's only just entering fifth.

She could feel Kimberly's hopeful eyes on herself.

She could feel the screams of the mobsters getting hotter and hotter by the passing minutes.

Malik got to twenty, and she's only just entering fifteen.

"Michael!!!!" Loud screamed again, encouraging her.

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

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

Kimberly was praying inwardly, hoping she keeps up till the end

Adeline entered twenty-five, 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, ears boiling.

She remembered her parents pale ghostly face on the night they died, the way they suffered.

The way they bled from her ex boyfriend's poison, and the way they cried helplessly.

That gave her energy to push till 35.

She's dying.

Her sweat poured so much.

t feels like a suicide mission to move again. She might crash.

Two of the guys stood at the same time. They completed the fifty exercise already.

The mobsters screamed for them, and the grounds shook.

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

It's Adeline, Malik and six others left right now, but when Adeline entered 35, Malik stood.

He's done with his!

"Micheal!!!!" Loud screamed for the third time, but Adeline can't just 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 entered her eyes.

It stings...as fuck.

'i can do it' she told herself, continuing with difficulty. Her ears boiled, knees pulled, muscles screamed under her flesh.

"Arggghh!!!" She groaned out persistently, sweat sliding down her skin as she pressed up again.

"Yes! Yes! Micheal yes!" Loud resumed the screams.

Kimberly folded her fists tight, her veins nearly exploding.

"Please... Adeline... please." she muttered.

"He's fucking doing it!" Jinx said.

When Adeline got to 49, she was already shaking sickly.

Her face lost all colour.

By now, the remaining six newbies fell already. It's just her left.

She gathered her non-existent breaths and strength before trying to do the 50th press-up, but her arms slipped cos of the shakiness.

She fell on her face.

Kimberly's shoulders dropped.

"Fuck!" Jinx spat.

"Damn it!" Loud said.

Malik bit his tongue, looking disappointed that Adeline didn't pass.

Adeline continued laying there, fighting back her tears of failure.

She fucking failed.

"Malik, Timo and Kai... You passed," Igor grumpily called out the names of the three guys standing, but then...

When it feels like all hope is lost, another person entered the place.

Madden!

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

It's as if the air is even afraid to blow him immediately he entered.

His sinister steps echoed till he got to the middle, settling his blank eyes on Adeline who's still on the ground.

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

Igor's face morphed into angry and pissed immediately.

"What the fûck are you saying?" He faced him in a swift.

"Michael Alonso... You're in." Madden said without even giving Igor any grain of attention.

The mobsters gasped, eyes coming popped and thrusts choking.

Adeline's eyes widened madly on the ground. Her hot ears twitched, unable to believe what they heard.