"TAKE LIFE?" Levi clicked his tongue in disbelief. "You two, get a rifle and march around the oval. Ten lapses. Then I'll see you in my office after that!"
Shari ran towards the location of the rifles and got one. Pamela did the same.
Better punishment than I expect. Shari sharply exhaled and followed the order immediately. However, a hundred trainees were watching them and laughed. The only consolation for them, it was an easy task.
"Left, right, left, right, left!" Shari and Pamela chanted in unison. They could not even cheat because Levi observed them at a distance while his arms were crossed.
What a lousy day! Shari did not complain. She was out of breath and reeking of sweats. She vigorously did the task until the ten lapses were done.
They immediately reported to Levi's office and found him seated on the swivel chair. Allen was there, facing a desktop computer.
Shari and Pamela saluted the two officials.
Allen paused to look at them, and he was smiling.
"What happened?" Allen asked, as if enjoying the guilt in their faces.
Shari did not answer, while Pamela seemed agitated.
Levi sighed and studied them. "The next time I catch you are doing this, your company will face harsh punishment. Are we not clear about the prohibited things inside the training center?"
"I'm sorry, sir. This will not happen again." Shari lowered her head, aware of her fault.
"Whoa, you did take life?" Allen was amazed. He focused on Shari and asked, "You, what's your name on social media?"
Shari's forehead crumpled for a moment before she answered. "Shariah Ford, sir."
Allen nodded and faced the computer. Then he searched for her name.
"Wow, is this you?" Allen gaped at the monitor. He stared at her profile picture, where she wore a red one-piece swimsuit.
"Yes, sir." Shari smiled confidently.
"You're so pretty before the recruitment. You should date Levi and me when you got out of here." Allen joked. While Levi's brows almost form a line while glaring at her. He never bothered to glimpse at the monitor.
"Pretty? Who? She looked like walking charcoal." Levi said.
"That's racist, man!" Allen shook his head.
Shari's smile faded. Her blood suddenly boiled in Levi's words. This bastard was bullying her! Of course, she'd have extreme sunburn because of being constantly exposed to the scorching sun.
Darn this guy. You'll go down on my knees once I'm done with this training. Shari composed herself. She'd never give Levi the benefit of enjoying her disappointed expression. It was evident that he enjoyed making fun of her. And she couldn't fight back, or she might not eat her lunch today. He'd easily give that command if he wanted to.
Shari let it pass. Besides, she was not even insecure about her looks. She knew she was pretty, but not at this moment, since she looked like a man.
Levi peeked at his wristwatch. "All right. You're dismissed! I hope I'm clear."
"Yes, sir!" Shari and Pamela answered quickly.
They whirled, going out of the office. Shari thought the next time, she'd do a take life. She'd make sure not to get caught.
She breathed out when they strolled down the hallway. She even held her chest to check her heartbeat if it went back to normal.
Levi…that evil bastard! Shari clenched her fist.
ALLEN stood and moved to sit at the vacant receiving chair in front of Levi's desk. He was smiling ear to ear while staring at his friend, whose forehead was creased heavily .
"Are you having a hard time with our trainees?"
Levi shook his head. "Not really. Most follow the rules except for that two girls, who are naturally hard-headed. They should practice discipline here. If they won't follow a simple protocol, how can they learn?"
"You're right. That's why I admire your ways of discipline. As for me, I'm not that harsh as long as they are doing the right thing."
Levi sighed. "Discipline is crucial in our line of duty. Our agency has low morale these days because of these undisciplined cops."
"By the way, the tall girl who went here earlier—Shari, right? I bet she's a beauty queen, or maybe a model. She is stunning." Allen admired the girl, and he grinned maliciously.
"Are you pertaining to… Lady Charcoal?" Levi chuckled. Earlier, he tried his best not to smile when he witnessed how she narrowed her eyes at his remarks. Making fun of her amused him every time. But at least she was not disrespectful to him. She knew how to say sorry and take responsibility for her actions.
"She's a woman. You shouldn't bully her like that," Allen reminded.
"Why? What's wrong with it? I'm just stating a fact. Don't tell me you didn't notice she has the darkest sunburn among the girls in her company—that makes her visible to me. I can distinguish her even at a far distance." Levi laughed. He liked her contorted face expressing her feelings. Especially when her eyes sparkled mischief.
"Maybe after a year, I'll court her," Allen stated as if it was a bright idea.
Levi shook his head. "Don't ever think about it. I heard she's Bernardino's girl."
"Who? Renzo Bernardino?"
"Yeah," they referred to their classmate in the Crime Investigation Course. Levi had seen them together during the agility test. The reason he concluded it.
"Wow, what a lucky guy! But I thought he's married because he had a son?" Allen's forehead crumpled.
Levi shrugged. "Their personal lives are not our of concern. Let's leave them alone. But regarding your question, if Lady Charcoal is pretty, yes, she is. I have seen her during the filing of the application."
"Oh, hands down on you, man!"
"Anyway, let's have our lunch. Let's wait for Missy and eat together." Levi stood up, and Allen did the same. They were going to be busy the following days with the academics of the trainees. They had to teach them about land navigation.
INSIDE the mess hall, Shari ate her lunch well. Pamela was still blabbering about what had happened. Shari was irritated when Pamela kept repeating that Levi called her 'walking charcoal'.
"Would you please stop?" Shari glared at her buddy.
"Why do I have this feeling that Levi doesn't like you?" Pamela said after drinking a glass of water.
"I don't care. I don't like him either." She rolled her eyes.
"Hey! The two of you, stop blabbering nonsense." The man beside them shouted. His surname was Bartolome, and he also belonged to the Delta Company.
Shari did not like this guy. He was conceited, and she found him looking into her personal things once. And he constantly bullied her for her color.
"Shut up! I'm not talking to you." Shari shrieked, too.
"Whoa, you think you can beat me?" Bartolome seemed to challenge her.
Shari's jaw clenched, and she controlled herself. Once she couldn't hold on to her raging emotions, everyone would be jeopardized.
"Shari, let's go back to the barracks. We still have two hours to rest." Pamela started fixing their dishes.
Shari just gave Bartolome a warning look before she walked out of the mess hall along with Pamela. Everyone seemed to test her patience. She was more annoyed because Levi's devilish face kept crossing her mind.