Chapter 32: The first day of training, part 1.

7:00 am

"Here we come!" Eva said, turning to Kay.

The blonde thanked her with a nod, then looked towards the building that housed the Yorktown division. In front of it stood Dwight, Clark and Samantha.

They certainly expect me.

Kay thought, feeling tense. She hoped in her heart not to receive reproaches already on the first day. She got out of the car and walked.

Buena suerte mi amada.

El thought, then said:

"Eva, can I ask you a question?"

"As long as it's not on the you-know-what. I've already told you too much." Eva answered, jokingly.

The raven-haired girl giggled.

"No, it's not about that. Do you know what the German word hure means?"

"Whore."

"Whore tell someone else! And now answer my question! What does hure mean?" She asked El again, clearly annoyed at the epithet.

"Whore."

Furious, El slapped the back of Eva's neck.

"Stop insulting me, and answer my question!" She intimated.

" Whore!" Eva replied, angry.

El grew more and more annoyed.

" I swear I'll smash your face now... Stop offending me and answer!"

"Hure means whore!" Her interlocutor exclaimed.

El, realizing the gaffe committed, said:

"Ah, I see… Sorry to assault you, but I thought you were offending me."

Eva glared at her.

"Listen, baby... Eva doesn't insult people like this, at random." She stated.

"I'm mortified..." The former Blue Division commander stated, looking down.

"This time I'll turn a blind eye… But in the future, be more careful." The driver warned her.

Meanwhile Kay had joined the three girls: Dwight wore a full uniform consisting of a dark green jacket over a tan shirt and tie, a green skirt and an officer's cap; Samantha wore an olive green uniform, a pair of sunglasses and a Confederate general's hat. Clark, on the other hand, was wearing the same tank uniform as the day before. The first two stared at her impassively, the third smiled at her.

"I'm late?" She asked.

"Luckily not for you, miss... On the contrary, we expected you later." Samantha answered her.

"I see you got your own private chauffeur." Sarah said.

"A kind tribute from Hilda." Kay replied, winking at her.

"I hope you are wide awake, because the ceremony will begin shortly!" Clark warned her, jokingly.

"The ceremony? But it has already taken place!" The girl said, puzzled.

"We need to introduce you to the rest of our division." Dwight said.

"Ah, I understand.. How soon will the ceremony begin?"

"About half an hour, when the others have arrived. In the meantime, we could have a chat… Follow us to the meeting room."

Kay nodded.

"Ok."

When they reached their destination, the four girls sat down, one a short distance from the other.

"To begin with, tell us the rules we listed yesterday." Dwight said.

"Wake up at five, breakfast, I come here to train until eight in the evening, the only breaks are for breakfast and lunch."

"You have a good memory!" Clark complimented, in a friendly tone.

"Well, here are a couple of others, rookie… First of all, the tank crew members of our team must show respect towards their superiors, that is towards us. And they have to get along with their mates. We do not tolerate quarrels, brawls or enmities within our ranks. And not even bad apples, those are unceremoniously chased away." Samantha warned her.

"I can assure you that in my old school I never created any problems." Kay reassured them.

"Since I only met you yesterday, your guarantees are worth less than zero to me." The Texan replied, cold.

"Right. Aren't you going to expect us to trust you right off the bat?" Dwight backed her up.

"I think you are too biased. Scarlett seems like a cool chick to me." Clark objected.

Samantha glared at her.

"That's because you're naive. You believe there is good in every person, and that can turn out to be a mistake." She reminded her.

"I understand your doubts. I myself, in your place, would be suspicious of a new student, at least initially. I hope in time you will come to trust me."

With that she bowed.

"I hope you won't create problems for us... Anyway, since we should be colleagues, let's get to know each other a bit. What city are you from?"

"London."

"What neighborhood?"

"Westminster."

Thankfully Darjeeling educated me about United Kingdom.

"Westminster… That's where Big Ben stands, right?" Dwight asked.

"And not only. Ever heard of Hyde Park? Or the historic abbey?"

"I've heard of it." Samantha cut it short.

"What team do you support?"

"Arsenal."

"Ever been on holiday abroad?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Ireland, Canada, USA, Australia, Japan."

"Did you have pets at your old school?"

"No."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"A little brother and a little sister."

"And you ditched them to move here? Won't they be worried?" Clark asked, puzzled.

"And the same goes for your parents." Dwight added.

"I will contact them as soon as possible, explaining the situation to them." Kay replied.

"So much the better. Even if by now they will have already alerted the police… In short, you have been missing for about two days."

Kay snorted.

"Changing the subject… You know many things about me, but I know very little about you. I know you, Sarah, are from Illinois. I know Samantha is from Texas and she is a Dallas Cowboys fan. As for Clark… Well, I know next to nothing about you. I would like to get to know you better, as you are getting to know me."

"Is fine. What do you want to know?" Dwight asked her.

"Let's start with you, Clark. You're from New York, right?"

The interested party nodded.

"Exact."

"From which district?"

"Manhattan."

"An affluent area."

"Of course!"

"I know that the United States also has a tankery team."

Clark nodded.

"In the last North American championship we beat Canada in the final."

Kay laughed.

"I would have been surprised otherwise. Do you follow other sports besides the Tankery?"

"I like basketball and baseball." Clark answered her.

"Which teams do you support?"

"New York Knicks (basketball), New York Yankees (Baseball)."

Kay smiled.

"Great teams. And you, Dwight?"

"I'm from Springfield. I like tankery, baseball and football. I support the Bears (Football) and the Bulls (Basketball)."

"Very well… You, Samantha?"

"I'm from Dallas. I like football. I support the Dallas Cowboys."

I know this discussion will last a long time…

She thought, annoyed.

At the same time El had just arrived at the Rodrigo headquarters.

"Thanks for the ride." She said, turning to Eva.

"Do not worry, it's a pleasure!" The German girl replied.

She got out of the vehicle and walked towards the building, but she suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Does hure really mean whore?" She asked.

Eva nodded.

"Why do you ask me that? Did someone tell you that?"

"I… I heard it in a movie on TV last night."

I can't tell her that Hilda told me…

"Ah, I see… Well, good luck on your first day of training!"

"Gracias!"

Once through the entrance she found herself in front of Francisca.

"Buenos Dias, Grandes!" She greeted her.

"Buenos Dias, Francisca." She waved back.

"Do you feel ready?"

"For what?" The former Blue Division commander asked.

"We have to introduce you to the rest of the team, of course."

"Ah understood."

I hope none of them follow Japanese sensha-do or risk being exposed.

She thought, sweating cold.

"Is there still much to go before the ceremony?"

"A quarter of an hour, half an hour at the most. In the meantime, we could chat a bit. Looks good on you?"

El nodded.

"Yes."

"Good… Follow me, let's go to my office."