Marine Academy
Part 1
Chapter 1
"My milk is very fresh! Just out of my sweet and lovely Marguerite! Very fresh, very fresh! This way ladies and gentlemen! "Shouted an unbearable voice in the middle of the market square.
Murphy felt her patience slip away as the minutes ticked by. She could no longer stand spending her sunday mornings running her father's stand. The fish smelled terribly from being roasted in the sun and the neighbors at the stall spent hours screaming to bring in customers.
She, on the contrary, made no effort to sell her father's fish, who was desperate to see the housewives heading to other stands. But this morning especially, she wanted to be discreet. The Navy soldiers had come to train at the port early in the morning. Uniforms were visible on every street corner and she didn't particularly wanted to stand out. The young woman therefore remained quiet behind her fish stand, reading pages of her book.
"This book looks interesting!" said a deep voice that had just appeared in front of her.
She jumped slightly, still immersed in her reading. An imposing man stood in front of the fish stall, his face obscured by a ridiculous hat.
The young woman remained speechless in front of him for a few seconds, surprised to see a Navy uniform in front of her.
"Yes, it is…" She whispered, closing the book gently after slipping in her bookmark.
"Okay…" He began before devouring three donuts in a row. "I'm going to take all your fishes here," he continued, pointing to the tuna which was no longer very fresh.
"We'll have a fishes and tomatos barbecue." He finished, more to the attention of the man in uniform behind him who was taking notes.
The young woman couldn't have dreamed of a better opportunity. She grabbed her biggest bag and carefully stuffed all the fishes inside, covering them with ice to preserve them better.
"Thank you Mr..." She hesitated for a moment, she couldn't recognize the rank on the uniform.
The high-ranking officer finished his box of donuts, nodded at her and left in silence, leaving the man behind him to grab the fishes.
"Fresh milk from Marguerite this morning, Vice-Admiral!" Does this tempt you? The farmer yelled again as the two men in uniforms passed by him.
Murphy sank into the folding chair, exhaling loudly. She had forgotten to breathe during the entire conversation. She wiped her forehead, still stunned by the aura of the man who had just left. The young woman hurried to close the curtain of her stand, put down the "Closed" sign with satisfaction, looked at her watch, slipped her book "History of World Government and the Marine" into her bag and hurriedly left to join her mother at the end of the valley.
Murphy sighed in relief when the last of the uniforms were no longer visible and she continued on her way as she went up the hill. The small village was a good half-hour walk from the island's capital.
Murphy took advantage of this long walk to take out her book, which she continued to read as she walked. Despite all her interest in the geopolitical history of government, her mind kept wandering to a meeting she was impatiently awaiting: the arrival of the postman.
He was a man dedicated to his profession who even worked on Sundays to ensure that each citizen was assured of receiving their mail on time.
She had barely turned around the road when she heard a very special bell ring behind her. The young woman then heard a bicycle coming at high speed towards her.
"Captain! Captain!" She shouted, waving her arms at him.
The young women had always found it ridiculous that the postman insisted so much on being called Captain, but it was never good to upset eccentric people.
The postman, his helmet screwed onto his head up to his eyes, braked sharply at the young women's feet.
"Oh here Murph, I have this for you!" He said, barely out of breath, throwing an envelope in her face.
She didn't even had time to thank him before the man left pedaling at full speed, ringing his bell to say goodbye.
Murphy stared blankly at the envelope in her hands. Obviously, it was already open, but carefully closed. Captain had the annoying tendency to open and read the mail of the citizens of the island.
The young women delicately removed the letter from the envelope, scanning it quickly, feeling her vision blur with tears as the words passed. It took a few seconds before she sighed, tears sliding down her cheek.
She stuffed the letter, the envelope and her book into her bag, and continued on her way in silence.
Murphy finally arrived at the yellow gate of the family home later in the morning, under the surprised gaze of her mother hanging out the laundry in the garden. Murphy pulled the handle and looked at the scene before her, a scene she wouldn't see again for a long time: her mother, in a summer dress, struggling with the laundry and the ocean breeze coming from the south that she could see in the distance. The sea was calm, a few fishing ship including his father's were still on the water at this time.
Her mother glanced at her quickly when she finally finished pinning all her laundry on the line. She then saw her daughter standing near the gate, her eyes red with tears. They exchanged a knowing look and understood each other in an instant, without exchanging a single word.
"Congratulations, my love," she said, hugging her tenderly, her face nonetheless full of worry that only parents can know.
"I did it mom! I succeed!" She whispered, trying to hold back her tears of joy.
Her mother gently cuddle her back before kissing her forehead. An immense wave of joy and relief transported her before the worry that had never left her since the birth of her daughter resurfaced.
"Your father is going to be very proud of you! You will be an incredible doctor, there is no doubt about it."
She gently pushed her daughter into the house so she could sit on the sofa to relax and took the opportunity to check the cooking of the salmon that filled the room.
"Dear candidate number 875, We are pleased to inform you of your success in the entrance exam to the Marine Academy. Your arrival to the Academy will take place on the first day of autumn, at the Marine Academy on the twin island of Marineford, within the "Medical Team" sector in the first year. The Director of the Academy warmly congratulates you and thanks you for your commitment to the Navy and the World Government."