It's Raining Not Pouring

Chapter 02

"Xena! Xena, wake up, training starts today." Xena groans as she sits up and brushes the sleep out of her eyes. The bright light makes her squint. "Ugh, what time is it?" "Its already eight o' clock. Training starts in two hours."
Xena is now wide awake. She grasps the fact that she starts training today.
Suddenly the hand grasps her throat again. She has to prove herself, or else she fails, and she'll be an outcast. "Okay, could you maybe hand me a washcloth?"
As Beatrice walks to the bathroom that connects to their bedroom, Xena jumps out of bed and bumps her knee on the bedside table.
"Shit, where's my suitcase?" She looks around and sees her suitcase lying on the floor next to Beatrices bed, and its OPEN!
She walks to the suitcase, and she is shocked to see all her clothes messed up, and all her belongings thrown on the floor.
"BEATRICE!" Xena calls to the open bathroom door. "Sorry, I'm co-" When Beatrice sees the furious look on Xena's face, she freezes. "Did you do this?" Xena asks through clenched teeth, her anger boiling as she notices Beatrice's expression going from shock to guilt. "DID YOU?" She never knew she could get so angry at such small things.
Beatrice's face becomes red as the blood rushes upwards. She replies softly, "Yes, I'm really sorry Xena. Will you forgive me?" Xena is now as angry as can be, and even though the innocence vibrates around Beatrice, she explodes. "How am I supposed to trust you now? I barely even know you! You went through my belongings! Without asking me!!" "Look, I'm sorry Xena, I was just curious, and you are so rich, I was tempted." Xena takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. Of course, this is all new to Beatrice. She doesnt know wealth. "Alright Beatrice, I forgive you, but never, and I mean never invade my privacy again." In Xena's mind she knows she has nothing to hide, yet she feels extremely uncomfortable with the thought of not having privacy. She misses her father, the way he gave her complete privacy, yet did not avoid or ignore her.
She continues to get ready, and dresses in a pair of jeans and a gray cropped top, and when both she and Beatrice are ready, they proceed downstairs.
When they get downstairs Xena can feel her anxiety creeping into her mind like a spider on a web.
When they walk into the hall, she can hear giggles erupting. She looks around and realizes that she and Beatrice are the only girls. Of course. It's in tradition. Most women dont become Mafias, they only marry them.
The two girls walk up to the long table, where a man in his forties is standing. Xena recognizes him, Abigor Maranzano.
She is actually surprised that he is there, face to face with them, as he usually stays anonymous or undercover when working with other people. But as always, she only realised moments later that this means there is more pressure on her, and so she'll have to work harder.
"Alright, initiates, come closer. We will start training tommorow, unfortunately, because today we need to travel somewhere. This does not mean that the training will be easy! I will be your 'coach', and just so you know, I won't go easy." His dark grey eyes meet Xena's and a smile creeps up on his face. "Ah, a Bon Vardo. I knew your mother you know, and she was too spoiled by her parents to even fight. She passed though, because she was pretty." Xena's entire body stiffens at the mention of her mother. "Don't you dare insult my mother like that. She was not weak." She watches as a he smirks and then he says, "Oh, I never said she was weak, I said she was spoiled, like you."
He chuckles silently and before she could snap back he continues, "We expect you to he in the front courtyard in exactly half an hour, so we can escort you to your first training point.
Xena barely even listens. The anger in her heart is so painful, that she struggles with breathing. It is in these tiny comments, that she finds the anger that makes her strong, yet it is one of her her greatest weaknesses.
Xena stays in the hall for a few minutes to cool down, thinking about how much her father would have been hurt by those comments, thankful that he wasn't there to hear the words leave Abigor's mouth. Then she walks outside to wait in the courtyard for the next fifteen minutes. No one is there, and she is thankful for the silence.
She takes a stroll through her mind, recognizing every thought. She is now training to become a Mafia. She doesn't exactly know what that means, yet she is ready for it. She realizes that she has made a life choice, and so have all the other teammates, so if they fail, they will have to join the outcasts; poor homeless people who are seen as talentless, for they made the wrong decision, and ended up failing.