Sinners and Saints (8 page)

Chapter 16

Vylette was amazed when
she walked into the enormous dining hall. Tables, draped in pure white cloths, dotted the room here and there topped with food created scenes as the centerpieces surrounded by plates and napkins. The table closest to her housed a huge cake made to look like stacked suitcases with passports and maps scattered about. All made with edible food. Another table adorned a map of the world made from fruits and vegetables. To say she was amazed was an understatement. She had to force her mouth closed when she realized it had gaped open at all the wondrous creations.

“
Beautiful, aren't they?”

Looking to her left, she noticed
a short hefty man wearing a suit and apron reveling in her admiration.

“
Yes, it is. I take it you are Chef?”

“
Yes, I am. I see that look, and yes I have a name, but I prefer Chef, if that is alright?”

“
Fine by me. Do you do all of this by yourself?”

“
Mostly, but I do have a few assistants who help out. There are many people here who for one reason or another have a hard time sleeping at night, so we stay up and create beautiful things so that we can block out the darkness that haunts us. It is a healing of sorts.”

“
So it helps all of you?”

“
For the most part, yes. Healing, like many things, can take many forms. This is just the outlet we choose.”

“
Well, I’m sorry that any of you had to endure whatever it was you endured, but your creations are really amazing.”

“
I heard once that in order to enjoy and see true beauty, you must see and endure true darkness and ugliness.”

She sighed, “
I can see how that would hold some truth.”

Her stomach
, sending another warning, interrupted the quiet moment. Hand over her middle, she turned, chuckling, to the chef, who was laughing lightly with her. “Guess that means I need to admire beauty while I eat.”

“
Yes, sounds like it.” Chef gestured toward a table. “Have a seat, I’ll bring your lunch right out.”

“
Oh, before you go, Mrs. Travine got held up and would like for you to have her lunch sent to her.”

“
I'll get right on it, thank you.”

Nodding, she bid him goodbye and walked to the nearest empty table.

Seems I have the entire room to myself. Oh, well, perhaps I can have dinner with Travine later.

Vylette thrummed her fingertips on the table, absentmindedly thinking of other things, while she waited. Before she got to
o far into her mind, the smell of hot seasoned steak and baked potatoes brought her right back. She looked up and saw Chef swaying between tables, a tray of hot food on hand heading her way. The steam from the food instantly made her face sweat as it was set before her and she just about laughed out loud.

“
Mrs. Travine called you didn't she?”

“
Yes, she did.”

Looking back at her plate
, she studied the steak stacked up like the Eiffel tower and the butter dripping off the side of her France shaped potato. “Okay, you guys win. I give up. You are a genius. All hail, Chef.”

It was nice after the somber conversation when she came in, to hea
r his boisterous laugh.

“
It is a passion of mine as she told you, and that right there, that look of pure amazement, is why.”

“
I am in awe of you, kind sir. So, does this mean tomorrow I can have a shoe shaped sandwich with handbag chips?”

“
I will see what I can do.”

“
Oh, I look forward to it.”

“
Great, I must go. Enjoy your meal, Vylette and if you need anything I will be right through that swinging door behind the buffet line.”

“
No problem. Thank you.”

As soon as he walked off, she pulled off her badge, l
aying it on the table, so she didn't knock it in her potatoes, took a small piece of steak off the skewer and popped it in her mouth. She moaned out loud as she chewed the juicy, seasoned to perfection meat. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed every ounce of it.

“
Oh my God, this is so good.”

“
Yes, I have to say, I am enjoying it too.”

She jumped and opened her eyes to see Mr. Buchanan, resting his face on his hand, staring at her, smiling wickedly.

Heat like she had never felt before blazed across her cheeks. She tried to keep the look of embarrassment off her face.

“
Mr. Buchanan.”

“
No, no, please continue. I have never seen someone enjoy a piece of meat so much.”

Shaking her head, trying to remove the redness on her face,
she murmured, “Yes, well I do love a good steak.”

“
That is just not any steak, that is so much more as Chef is the best in the world. Trust me, I have been to almost every country.”

“
Is that so? I'll take your word for it.”

As much as she didn't want to eat in front of him, her rumbling stoma
ch urged her to do so. She decided on delicately eating her steak and potato. He carried most of the conversation as she ate while she contributed with a nod here and there. He spoke of the many different types of foods and dishes he has tried when he traveled. Had she not been so hungry, this would have been a chat she would have been completely tuned into as she loved food.

“
...German food is good too...”

Taking a breath from her lunch, which was now half gone, she noticed Mr. Buchanan was sitting with hi
s hands folded on the table. She decided to contribute to the conversation.

“
I have actually had German food before. I can't pronounce what it was I had, but it was very, very good.”

“
Oh, have you been to Germany before?”

“
No, but in my hometown they have an authentic German restaurant. My family went there once. We really enjoyed it.”

“
Well, if we are ever in Germany together, I will show this awesome place I found. It doesn't look like much on the outside as it is a small hole in wall kind of restaurant, but oh man, mouth watering food. I love it.”

“
Oh, you think we will end up there?”

“
In this business, you never know.”

After she finished her meal, she wiped her hands, placed the napkin on her plate and pushed it to the side giving the man across from her
, her full attention.

“
I imagine that is true.”

“
So, how were your classes this morning?”

“
I have only had one so far today. Combat training with Hardass.”

She smiled at his loud happy laugh.

“Oh, you mean Haiden. Did he let you get away with calling that?”

“
Yes he did.”

“
Wow, how did you pull that off.”

“
I kicked his ass in front of the class.”

“
Whoa! What?”

“
Here's the run down. When I first came in, he caught me off guard and slammed me into the mat, so when he turned to use that as a lesson to the class about not paying attention, I knocked him on his ass. Then he wanted to see what I knew, combat skill wise. I held my own enough, that he had Mrs. Travine put me in the advanced combat class.”

“
Oh, just wait until I see him...I am going to have a lot of fun with this.”

Shaking her head and begging, “
Don't go and make it harder for me, now.”

“
Oh, I won't. Okay, maybe it might, but I can't say nothing at all. This is too good to pass up.”

“
Well, if I get my ass kicked in class because of you, I am going to come hunt you down and give it right back.”

The wicked smile on his face
had her heart in a frenzy.

“
Feel free...anytime.”

Blushing once again, she averted her eyes from his gaze and noticed the time.
“Snap! I have to go! I didn't realize we have been here for a couple hours. I have to run to my room and change and head to the grounds for field training.”

“
Okay, I will see you later. Have fun...”

She got
up from the table and rushed away, his comment barely audible.

“
Oh, Vylette, don't get too muddy.”

Smili
ng, but not turning to comment, she rushed to the stairs and up to her room.

Chapter 17

After Vylette had checked in with the instructor, Mrs. Vallmore, she stood in formation with the rest of the handful of recruits facing a muddy obstacle course of ro
pes, buildings, trees and walls. For this class she had been assigned standard camo gear and boots, her hair twisted and bound to the back of head.

Mrs. Vallmore, stepped onto a high platform to the left of them, holding a stop watch giving instructions.
“Okay, recruits, today is going to be a bit different. The person who gets through this course the quickest will get a free day on me. What I mean by that is this. You will get a day to do whatever what you. If you want to spend the day at the Spa, you shall have it. If you want to sit in the game room and watch football or play games all day, you got it. One day and one day only, out of class. All the down time you need. But today...today, I get to run you into the ground. So, on your mark, get set, GO!”

S
he bolted with the rest of them. The first part of the course was crawling through the mud, under and through tangled ropes.

I swear I see this in every army/spy/action flick I have ever watched. I wonder if this is really necessary or if the instructors
just like seeing people struggle through mud?

Halfway through the web of rope, she came upon a girl next to her, stuck and on the verge of tears. She worked herself sideways until she reached her.

“Here, let me help you. Be still so I can see where the ropes are connected to the top.”

The girl did as she was told and stayed quiet other than saying
, “Thank you.” She just about had her free when a shot rang out and everyone stopped moving...well everyone, but Vylette, gunshots didn't bother her, so she stayed working the knotted mess the girl was in. Finally, a whimper from the girl and a yell from the instructor caught her attention.

“
Recruit!”

The girl indicated Mrs. V
allmore was talking to her, she spun her head around.

“
Yes?”

“
You are Vylette Echo?”

“
Yes, I am.”

“
Vylette, why are you helping that girl?”

“
Because she is stuck.”

“
So?”

“
So...she needed help.”

“
Did I say you could help anyone?”

“
You didn't say I couldn't.”

She swore for a half a second, the woman was trying to hide a smile.

“Well, she is now your responsibility.”

“
Meaning?”

“
You are responsible for her from now on. You do not progress until she moves forward. You cannot leave her behind. If she gets injured, even in mock fashion, it will be your job to make sure you both get where you need to be. If she loses a mock limb, it is on your shoulders that she will reside while you carry her to the designated destination.”

Okay?

“Fine. She is my responsibility.”

“
Not just today, but from now on, while you are in training, Every day when you come in here, you are to be by her side, making sure she completes the mission for the day...and do it in a timely manner. As all of these training challenges have a time limit.”

Well, damn.

“Okay. I get it.”

Mrs. Vallmore, grabbed her stop watch and prepared to hi
t the timer to get them going again. As soon as she heard the “Go!” she went back to untying knots and freed the girl.

“
Can you move?”

“
Yes.”

She followed quickly behind the girl as she seemed to make her way through easily now. Free of the rope maze, she
jumped to her feet and swayed between trees and mock enemies shooting foam darts, her 'responsibility' tight behind her. They made it through the fake jungle quickly and headed through the house maze. She grabbed the girl's hand, just as the room filled with smoke and pulled her close to the ground.

“
Crawl on your hands and knees and try and keep your face covered. Most of the smoke should rise, leaving a small pocket of air along the floor.”

Vylette moved them onward through the course once the girl was be
hind her, just as she told her. She moved them from hallway to hallway and through room to room, making progress for the most part despite the two wrong turns she made. They had reached the end of a hall, a shot up door a few feet away, but the gap left them exposed to the enemy. She turned to the girl behind her.

“
Stay here. I need to check it out before we go any further.”

The girl nodded
, but just as she turned to glance around the corner, her responsibility shot up and ran for the door. Vylette jumped and sprang at the fleeing woman, knocking her to the ground and somehow avoiding an assault of flying paint balls. Pinning the girl to the floor, “What the hell are you thinking, Stay there.”

She popped her head up and took a quick glance around. She seen n
othing, but heard footsteps heading her way which meant the mock enemy was closing in and they most likely had her in their sights.

Now or never!

She grabbed the girl by the hair, yanked her from the floor and dove through the shot up, half broken door, landing on her face in a mud filled pit that smelled like a mix of sauerkraut and dirty feet. She didn't stop. Checking her surroundings, she noticed the final wall, the helicopter blades beyond it, just a few inches higher.

Rendezvous point.

Girl in tow, she pulled them from the swamp of sludge and headed for the end of the course. The girl behind her, never slowed. She must have known what lay beyond that wall. Readjusting her hold, she traded a handful of hair with an arm and hiked the girl over the wall before scaling it herself. Landing on her feet and hands, she heard them a second before she saw them. The mock enemies had them surrounded, pointing plastic guns at them. One of the enemies spoke.

“
Your mission has been compromised. Surrender or die.”

S
lowly she stood, urging the girl to do the same. Never putting her hands in the air, she took in all her surroundings including her enemies. Where and how they were positioned, she gauged how far apart they stood. She felt the girl next to her bump into her. She turned and looked the girl in the face. Little miss helpless winked at her and they sprang into action. For a few minutes it was a blur of hands, hits and commotion before she and her partner had the enemies taken down, and they headed for the button on the small pad next to the helicopter.

Slamming her hand on the huge button, sirens and lights went off alerting everyone something was going on. The girl next to her spoke up.

“Did we just win?”

“
I don't know.”

A second later, a smiling Mrs. Vollmore
came around the corner.

“
Way to go. You two make quite the team. Vylette, meet Jazmin.”

Jazmin, repeated her question, only this time it was directed at the instructor.

“Did we win or did we just finish?”

“
Oh no, the two of you won. Very good, Vylette.”

She turned to Mrs. Vallmore,
and explained, “It wasn't all me. She did her part. I swear though we were almost toast when she bolted out that door, but when all these enemies surrounded us, she was the first to throw punches. I just went along with it. I had the same idea, but I was calculating how to take most of them on my own without getting us killed. I had no idea she was going to go all 'Badass' mode.” She shrugged. “It worked.”

“
Well, I said the winner got a free day, but I am sorry to say that only one of you can take it.”

Vylette threw in her suggestion.

“Give it to her. I am new, so...”

“
If that is what you want. Jazmin, you get a free day. Please come with me and let me know what you want to do, so we can get it set up. As for the rest of you, I will see you next class session.”

Vylette shook congratulatory hands, as the other recruits gave her high fives and such for a good job done. She made her way through the throng of people heading toward the main house. Not everyone was happy about her win,
as she passed a group of recruits she thought she heard “showoff” accompanied with dirty looks when she glanced their way. She kept walking.

I don't care, right now, I want a hot shower.

Outside the main doors, she sat on a nearby bench and pulled off her mud crusted shoes. A shadow of what looked like a man, blocked the warm sun on her skin. She glanced up.

“
Yes?”

“
Hi. I’m Mike. Don't mind those guys back there. They always act like that when they lose.”

“
Nice to meet you, Mike. Thank you, but it didn't bother me.”

She scooted over a bit when he sat down next to her.

“How did you get through that house maze so fast?”

“
What do you mean?”

“
I mean that was the first time you had ever been in there...we have been practicing in that building for a week and you still beat us.”

“
I just paid attention that's all.”

“
Paid attention to what?”

“
The layout. I followed the lines of the walls along the floor and what parts of the ceiling I could see, but I took two wrong turns. I’m not perfect. It was more an instinct than anything else.”

“
Well, it was still a great job.”

“
Thank you.” She stood, boots in hand. “Well, I don't want to be mean, Mike, but I really don't want to have to take a chisel to my skin when this crap dries, so I am going to go climb in a shower while it’s still wet enough to wash off.”

“
Okay, I'll see you around then.”

“
Bye.”

She walked through the door and headed to her room where the prospect of a hot shower was quickening her pace.