“I don’t know what to do with Savoi. Everyone thinks she is so special just because she’s from the Islands and she looks exotic. I think she’s rather plain,” she said.
Farouk remained expressionless. Instead of any kind of response, he shoved a piece of meat into his mouth.
Shevchenko was unbothered and continued to vent.
“Isn’t it odd how Yoshida does not give me the time of day, yet he appears to lap up everything Savoi utters from her rude mouth? I can’t believe she had the audacity to call his full name without permission.”
Farouk gulped down the meat and said, “Aha, that is the root of your problem.”
Shevchenko waited for him to proceed, but he quickly stuffed his mouth again. She became impatient and stammered, “What the hell do you mean?”
Farouk paused from taking another piece of meat. He knew she would not allow him to eat in peace. He placed the platter on a nearby table and smiled.
“Instead of spiraling into your emotions, let’s look at the facts that have been presented to us. Cadet Savoi is not just some exotic beauty from the Islands. She was handpicked by one of Calvary Academy’s founding Generals. That alone definitely makes her special. When we throw Yoshida into the mix, he too was also selected by a founding General. That places them both in a unique category, which separates them from the likes of the rest of us. Now, we’ve seen firsthand Savoi and Yoshida have some kind of gravitation hold on each other. Who knows what might transpire from that. Perhaps you should steer your attention towards Roudan, since he seems to fancy you. That’s just my humble opinion and suggestion,” he said.
Shevchenko glared at him with contempt. “I didn’t ask for your opinion or suggestions,” she snarled.
A quarter to midnight, names were drawn to select an honored male/female cadet. Roudan and Savoi were chosen, respectively. Savoi gushed as she went on stage to collect her sash and bouquet. The crowd enthusiastically cheered for her.
Shevchenko snatched a glass of wine from a server. Farouk looked at her empathetically.
“Oh, don’t give me those eyes. I knew she would win. I just can’t believe Yoshida wasn’t chosen. Roudan isn’t even here. He skipped the damn dance in favor of playing a game with those silly other boys,” she protested.
Farouk smiled and waved for a server to bring her another drink.
“I think it can be noted Yoshida was probably not chosen because of his affiliation with the Yakuza,” he replied.
Shevchenko scoffed. “He isn’t with the Yakuza. He was with the Gokudō.”
Farouk clinked his glass against hers and said, “Noted.”
Savoi encouraged Yoshida to accept the sash on behalf of Roudan. They sat together on pillowing his/her thrones. The dance concluded with a last song, then the cadets were prompted to return to their respective barracks. Yoshida shimmied past the female cadets and bumped into Farouk.
“Hey mousey, we should head out to look for Roudan,” he said.
Savoi walked behind them with four shot glasses in her hand.
“Drink up, boys. I have a feeling we’re in for an adventure,” she said.
Shevchenko did not want to be excluded, but did not want to be subject to expulsion.
“Curfew just hit. There’s no need to go off gallivanting into the night when Roudan can take care of himself,” she protested.
Yoshida rolled his eyes and frowned. “No one asked you to join this search party.”
Farouk passed a shot glass to Shevchenko to silence her from causing more friction.
Savoi held her glass in the air and prompted everyone to follow suit.
“We’re Alpha squad. That means no man is left behind. We will find him and make sure he’s okay. The sooner, the better for us all.”
Yoshida clinked his glass to hers with a sigh. “Cheers!”
The entourage headed down to the lower rooms. There were at least twenty different rooms to check. When they reached a dimly lit basement, they found Roudan sitting at a table playing a card game with members of the Delta squad. Calvary Academy based the top four squads on cadets who showed the most promise for battle. Everyone that did not make one of the top teams were sent to receive corrective training. For all intents and purposes, Delta squad was considered the bottom of the barrel.
“Roudan, what happened to the Bravos?” Yoshida asked, with a hint of concern in his tone.
Roudan remained focused on the game. “They slithered away once they realized I couldn’t be beaten,” he answered as he slammed his second to last card on the table.
A member of Delta squad, named Molvik, secretly tucked two cards inside his sleeve, then pretended to slam his final card on the table. Roudan raised an eyebrow suspiciously, then chuckled.
Molvik glared at him smugly. “What the hell is so funny?”
Roudan cackled. “It’s hilarious how you skipped two turns, yet only have one card left to play.”
Molvik stood up and banged his fist on the table.
“Just what the hell are you getting at, wise guy?” he asked.
Roudan continued to laugh. “Either you’re some kind of amazing magician, or simply a lousy cheat. Either way, my final card levels above anyone else’s. So, your foolery was in vain, as I have won even this round,” he said.
Before Molvik could say another word, Roudan grabbed his left arm and retrieved the two hidden cards. Molvik clenched his teeth and withdrew his arm. He slumped back in his chair with a smirk.
“You think you’re so great because you’ve been assigned leader of the Alphas. I wouldn’t choke on that merit coin while gloating. Everyone here knows your family is a disgrace to Calvary Academy. We’ll all see you stumble soon enough,” he said.
Yoshida stepped towards Molvik, gripped a handful of his hair, and yanked his head back.
“That’s where you’re wrong, you silly Delta dog. Acts of valor aren’t hereditary, unlike that unsightly receding hairline you’ve got going. I may as well do you a favor and snatch it all out now, or you’ll be bald by graduation,” he said.
Molvik pulled his head from Yoshida’s grip, but not without a plug of hair pulled. He leapt across the table and took a pocket knife out from his trousers. Roudan reacted quick with a swift punch to his throat. Another member from Delta named Dende pulled out a baton.
“That kind of contraband will get you expelled from here,” Yoshida teased.
“You won’t be able to tell if you’re dead,” Dende replied as he swung.
Yoshida dodged the attack, then kneed Dende in the stomach.
Shevchenko looked at Farouk, who shivered in a corner. She grabbed Savoi by the arm.
“Let’s go. Nothing but more trouble will come from all this ruckus,” she said.
Savoi snatched away.
“No, we have to do something. We can’t just leave our team,” she replied. Without hesitation, she stood in front of a burly Delta to stop him from interfering. She looked into his eyes to reason with him.
“Call your dogs off. Let’s settle this with a new card game,” she pleaded.
Cadet Feliz shrugged his shoulders, then pushed Savoi to the side with brute force.
“Who are you calling a dog, you little bitch? Nobody wants to play another damn card game. Besides, this is no place for girls. Leave before you get your pretty dress dirty,” he said as he walked away to join the fighting.
A fit of rage crept inside Savoi. She picked up one of the metal folding chairs and struck him upside the head. Shevchenko and Farouk were reluctant to take part in the melee, but did not want Savoi to get hurt. The brawl ended after forty minutes. The entire Delta squad had been bested, and understood that they could not contend with their opponents.
Alpha squad departed into the night. They needed to cool off before returning to their rooms. Roudan invited everyone to sit with him. So, they made their way to the bleachers on top of the male barracks. From there was a view of the entire campus. The starry night sky above and the sound of the ocean waves brought serenity to their heart.
~The Waring Robins~
Living Works of D.K. Fair 