CODENAME: 14

Twenty Five

Frost laughed a little as he turned to Feranmi "What do you think?" He asked.

Feranmi pursed her lips "I don't know. He's too cold, cruel, unfeeling and he's a jerk" Feranmi replied and Frost laughed again.

"But do you hate him?" Frost asked as Feranmi swallowed her saliva.

She dropped her head and shook it slowly "I can't hate him" she slowly replied.

"Pentecost..." Frost started as Feranmi raised her head.

"He's a very complicated person"  Frost said nodding.

"He's very cold and unfeeling. He rarely let's his emotions show. Even till now, I don't really understand or know him but there are few things I know"

"Pentecost isn't cruel as you think. He's just has a different style of doing things. A different style of protecting the people he cares about, a different style of caring for someone. Pentecost will never tell you that you are one of his people, his actions do" Frost said as he smiled slightly.

"When I joined, I was scared of him, he had been here few months earlier. I practically ran away anytime I saw him. Our third mission sort of us required to use our guns, guns I thought I might never have to use. I almost got shot yunno if not for Pentecost who shot like he didn't care"

"It was later I discovered that Pentecost had left his own partner to help me. The next day, he grabbed me to the L&D ring and threw me inside. It was a very funny incident each time I remember and as well I am forever grateful that he threw me inside that ring"

"His own ways for protecting his people may involve saying unpleasant words to them to harden their hearts, it may involve him pushing them to their limits to make them stronger, it may involve him doing all kinds of things to make them stronger so that they won't need his protection" Frost said.

"At that time, I never knew why Eyes and Lone wolf were so convinent talking to him. Later I knew. Its very hard to understand Pentecost, just take it easy with him"

"He hasn't paid a fine in the ring for a while now" Frost said as Feranmi turned to him.

"Fine?" She asked.

"Stopping a fight in the middle requires the stopper to pay a fine. He saved you; he probably paid a fine but I'm sure that old man would have asked him to fight instead" Frost said with a short laugh.

"You need to get a grasp of yourself 14, the world isn't as simple as you think. This isn't a movie, you have to get stronger to protect people you love. If you are always protected, how will you protect the ones you love?" Frost asked before he smiled.

"From what I know about Pentecost, I think you are important to him" Frost added with a small smile as he patted Feranmi's hair.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but just so you know. He lost his mom few years ago, he watched her get killed, imagine a 5 year old boy watching life drain out from his own mother. He isn't that strong. Try to understand him a little huh?"

Feranmi practically staggered as she walked to camp eight. Her eyes were brimming with hot tears. She imagined a smaller version of Seth shaking his mother while asking her to wake up.

Her heart broke at just the thought. She wiped her tears as she turned and started walking to the shooting range.

She tried to imagine loosing her parents. She remembered the assessment she was given and her heart clenched. He was just a small boy, why did he have to go through such unfairness?

Feranmi wiped the tears still rolling down her cheeks as she got to the range. She bowed her head slightly at the seniors there while they looked at her red eyed puzzled.

Feranmi instantly walked to a stand and wore ear muffs and eye goggles.  She picked up the gun and started shooting sporodically making others to turn to her.

When the bullets finished, she replaced it and continued shooting. She then dropped the gun and walked to the gun stand.

She picked a random gun and continued shooting. Everyone watched as Feranmi continued picking random guns and shooting.

Feranmi couldn't stop the tears running down her cheeks so matter how she tried. Frost's words kept echoing in her head and a smaller version of Seth kneeling in front of his mom crying and asking her to wake up kept appearing in her mind.

Feranmi continued shooting with anger. Different questions running through her head.

How did he grow up? How did he grow up without a mother? He was just a five year old boy.

At 5, it was a stage where a child needed the parents the most, especially the mother. It was the time when memories made with parents would not fade away.

At that time, the child would be able to distinguish bad from good, good people from bad people, a time when their emotions would be clean, their heart pure.

Yet, he had to experience such an event at a very young age. Feranmi's tears ran faster at the thought. Her thoughts drifted towards Frost's words again.

Beneath that cold surface, he's just an harmless boy.

Feranmi dropped the gun with a thud as she heaved a sigh. She walked towards the counter and requested for a change of bullets.

"Are you okay?" The agent at the counter asked as he changed the bullets.

Feranmi raised her eyes to look at him "Do I look like I am?" Feranmi asked again.

The agent smiled at her "Its okay to let out your anger and agony, don't store up such emotions. Its dangerous" he said as he gave her the gun.

"You can also use the opportunity to harness your shooting skills" he added as he walked out of the counter.

Feranmi fell to the ground as she buried her head in her laps. She then realized a few things. She was crying as if it was her it had happened to. Feranmi never cried except it had things to do Ini or her parents.

She didn't just have a crush on Seth, she was in love with him. Someone she didn't know anything about.

Feranmi sighed as she stood up, her eyes clear and her stance firm. She checked the gun in her hand and walked to the shooting range.

From now on, she was going to protect him.

Sporadic shooting following.

Well done! 100 points!

The announcement rang through the range and it shocked everyone and they rushed towards where the announcement came from.