Chapter 4 Micah Alvarez...You're In

11 PM* Tessa enjoyed the company of her roommates more than she expected. Though Rook did all the talking, and Nichole only talked when necessary, it was still fun. They showed her the nook and cranny of the clan, including the kitchen, where a woman is in charge. The pool, which is the second home of Bianca. The general training ground, the house of Ivanov, the suites of everyone in them, and then some important people in the clan. "You showed me the house of all the children, except the Enzo guy," Tessa said curiously.

"Death lives on the mountain, in a manor at the end of the clan," Rook said. "Strange," Tessa muttered as they came across another big building which looked like a church, because of the sign of the cross in front of it. "It's what you're thinking. This is a cathedral, but mobsters rarely enter," Rook said. "Then why was it built in the first place?" Tessa asked. "You'll soon find out," Nichole replied. The next house they met was freaky, with thorny walls and a roof built with pure heavy metal. Tessa felt crushed only by looking at it. "And this is The Torture House, where those who go against the clan rules are punished," Rook said, leading the way in. Immediately Tessa stepped in, she could already hear the chilling cry of someone, and it made her heart slam. The two guys began showing her around the house, and at each room they entered, she gasped. The first room had metal chains tied to the concrete ceiling, and at the end of the chains, there were nooses for the neck. "This is the hanging room. Death by hanging happens here," Rook said. The next room had a wide hole which looked like a well, and Tessa peeked into the hole slowly. "Careful, don't fall in. That's not water, it's acid," Rook said, and she cautiously stepped back. "This is the acid bath room," Nichole said. The next room couldn't be entered because the flooring was made of nails. Giant nails. "This is the nail judgement room," Rook said, and they moved on. The closer they came to the next room, the louder the cries got, and when they finally got there, it was exactly what she expected. A female was getting punished, and only one person was in the room with her. It was a guy, and he was sitting nonchalantly on a chair, facing the crying girl. The girl had been stripped of her clothes, so she was naked, and the guy was spraying her with water from a water gun. "Why is she crying? Isn't that just water?" Tessa said. "Water? It's concentrated pepper liquid, diluted with battery water," Nichole replied. "What!" Tessa sounded. "Can't you see her body changing color? Give her five more minutes and she'd drop dead," Rook added, and Tessa folded her fists. "What's her offense?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the room. "She poisoned another female and killed her because of a guy. It's forbidden to kill a fellow mobster without a solid reason," Rook explained. Tessa kept shut afterwards, watching silently. She could imagine the slashing pains journeying through the female's body right now, and even though she deserved it, she couldn't help but pity her. Her eyes slid to the guy punishing her, and though his back was to her, she felt like she had seen him before. He suddenly stood, maybe because the female's cries turned annoying, or something else... He dropped the water gun and got a real gun. He shot her between the eyes, and her blood splashed on the wall as she fell dead. But that wasn't all. He opened a cage by the wall, and four giant black dogs came out. They dragged her body into the cage, and he closed it back before finally turning to face them. His cross necklace caught Tessa's attention first, then she looked up at his face, and her eyes widened slightly when she realized... It was the bastard who threw a blade at her! "Do not make eye contact, he hates it," Nichole told her, but she couldn't even turn her face away. She wanted to wound him right now, so she glared, and she saw him smirk. She started walking to him, but immediately she took one step... "That's the Enzo we've been talking about, the top member of the Ivanovs' children," Rook said, and Tessa froze. Enzo smirked evilly, giving her a frosty glance before leaving the room through the second door beside them. Tessa couldn't help but hear him mutter something... "Brave." She heard him say that in a grave voice, and she wondered to whom it was directed. Was it her? She remained frozen till he went out of sight, then she looked up slowly. Hope she's not in his bad book already. ⸻ NEXT MORNING, GENERAL TRAINING GROUND* The ground was already full to the brim with mobsters, waiting to watch the newbies' initiation. The newbies were already in line too. They were twenty in number, all looking tense. Tessa was repeatedly folding her fists on her knees. She was lining up beside Usman, and Usman wouldn'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." Tessa chose not to give him any attention. Her eyes were on Racheal, who was somewhere among the crowd, watching her with hope. Rook and Nichole were part of the mob crowd too, and Rook wouldn't stop giving her hopeful smiles. Nichole stayed frank as usual. Bullet and Blaze were present, and Bullet wouldn't stop biting her lip as she stared at Tessa... Bianca was the only one present among the Ivanovs, and she was holding her arrow and bow, watching everything neutrally. Dante suddenly stormed into the place with Eight beside him. "And where the hell is Enzo! He's in charge! Is he planning to neglect his duties again?" he said. Bianca scoffed as everywhere became silent, then Sin appeared. He was wearing black shorts only, grinning playfully till he got to the middle. "Enzo sent me here. Luckily, the trial is subpar this year. The newbies are ordered to do a hundred press-ups. Anyone who can't keep up will be thrown out," he announced. "Press-ups only? Is Enzo fuçking okay? What the hell!" Dante shouted. "It's his duty, and he can give them any damn trial he wants. Quit the jealousy!" Dante replied. Dante 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 anyway, and she released the arrow, but Eight caught it before it could get to Igor. Sin smiled, and Bianca scoffed. "Master Enzo is crazy," Bullet said. "Tell me about it. I was expecting something like making them kill each other. Survival of the fittest, like last year's," Blaze replied. "You can start, newbies," Dante said, not hiding the venom in his voice as the newbies got to work. Tessa and Usman went down at the same time, going into position. "I'll kill you," Usman whispered to her again. "That's if I don't kill you first," Tessa replied, starting her press-ups. She did it regularly when she was in jail, so it shouldn't be a problem. But then, she had always done just 70, and now they needed 100 to accept her? "Micah!!!!" Rook shouted from his spot, and she started immediately, going up and down as her bones tightened. She had to pass this... She needed to. Usman was already on the twentieth, but she was only just entering her fifteenth. She could feel Racheal's hopeful eyes on her, and the screams of the mobsters got hotter and hotter by the minute. Usman got to fifty, and she was only just entering her thirties. "Micah!!!!" Rook screamed again, encouraging her. "He's the weakest of them all, it's obvious," Bullet said, staring at Tessa. "I told you... but he looks like he's not giving up," Blaze replied. Racheal was praying inwardly, hoping she would keep up till the end. Tessa entered her seventies, 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 faces on the night they died, and that gave her energy to push till 80. She was dying... her sweat was pouring so much, and it felt like a suicide mission to move again. Two of the guys stood at the same time; they had completed the 100 already, and the mobsters screamed for them. Twelve newbies fell already, collapsing on the ground when they couldn't take it anymore. It was Tessa, Usman, and six others left right now, but when Tessa entered 88, Usman stood. He was done with his 100. "Micah!!!!" Rook screamed for the third time, but Tessa couldn't just move anymore. Her limbs weren't even there again, and her arms were broken. Moving again meant she wanted to die, as her sweat entered her eyes. It stung... as fûck! 'I can do it,' she told herself, continuing with difficulty. "Arggghh!!!" she groaned, pressing up again. "Yes! Yes! Micah, yes!" Rook resumed the screams, and Racheal folded her fists tight, her veins nearly exploding. "Please... Tessa... please," she muttered. "He's fuçking doing it!" Bullet said. When Tessa got to 99, she was already shaking sickly, and her face lost all colour. By now, the remaining six newbies were already done, so it was 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 Racheal's shoulders dropped. "Fûck!" Bullet spat. "Damn it," Rook said. Usman bit his tongue, looking disappointed that Tessa didn't pass. Tessa continued lying there, fighting back her tears of failure. She fuçking failed. "Usman, Theo, and Lee... You passed," Dante called out the names of the three guys standing. But then another person entered the place. Enzo! 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 Tessa, who was still on the ground. "I'm adding one more name to the list," he said, and the silence deepened. Dante's face morphed into angry and pissed immediately. "What the fûck are you saying?" He swiftly faced him. "Micah Alvarez... You're in," Enzo said without even giving Dante any attention. Tessa's eyes widened so much on the ground, unable to believe her hot red ears.