Four a.m. came around far too quickly for Bianca's liking. Sporting her training clothes and her hair gathered into a messy bun, she pushed the door to the leaders' training room open and stopped in her tracks. Eric was already there getting warmed up, hanging from a bar on the wall and pulling himself up rapidly. The muscles in his large arms were absolutely bulging and Bianca found it difficult to tear her eyes away.
"Start stretching," he called out to her as he dropped down to the floor.
Snapped out of her stupor, Bianca walked to a mat and began stretching out her muscles, gearing them up for what she was assuming would be a rigorous couple of hours. She could hear Eric walking around the room and she focused her eyes on the floor, trying to shake the feeling of being stalked.
"Let's see what I'm working with," he said lowly as he came to stand next to her. She stood up straight and eyed him warily, not entirely trusting what he had in mind. He smirked down at her and added, "Do as many push-ups as you can."
Push-ups were a relief compared to the things her brain had cooked up. Getting into position on the floor, Bianca slowly lowered and raised herself. Three times. On the fourth time down her arms gave out and she hit the mat with an 'oomph'.
"Seriously?" Eric's snide voice asked from above her.
With an embarrassed groan Bianca rolled over and looked up at him. "Still want to help me?"
"I'm pretty sure you'll die if I don't," he said, the hint of a smirk on his lips as he held out his hand to help her up.
"Where were you?" Lynn asked as soon as Bianca appeared in the dorms. Everyone was just finishing getting ready for the day while the petite brunette was gearing up for round two. Eric had pushed her hard during their first training session but allowed her the last fifteen minutes to cool down, which she was grateful for.
"I went for a walk to get warmed up," Bianca lied, looking away from her friend. She'd decided to withhold the fact that Eric was helping her. She wasn't sure how Lynn and Marlene would react to her getting special treatment and worried they would resent her. The fiery Dauntless-born looked ready to call Bianca's bluff but they were interrupted by Lindsey shouting at them.
"Let's go, initiates! You have thirty minutes to eat before your run!"
The dining hall was quiet as the initiates filled their plates and sat down. Bianca was ravenous from her training and dug into her eggs like a starving woman.
"Damn," Uriah commented, chuckling along with Lynn and Marlene. Bianca looked up from her plate and sheepishly wiped her mouth with her napkin.
"Have to keep our energy up, you know," she said with a shrug. Suddenly the seat next to her filled and a body was invading her personal space.
"Good morning, gorgeous," the overly confident voice of the Candor transfer met Bianca's ears.
She sent him an irritated look as she sipped her juice, trying to ignore him in the hope he would go away. Lynn, on the other hand, took a more direct approach.
"The transfers are sitting over there," she said firmly, pointing at the table the rest of the transfer initiates were gathered around.
Candor ignored her and instead turned on the bench so he was facing Bianca fully. She tried to continue eating as if he wasn't there but he was determined. "So I was thinking-"
"Don't hurt yourself," Uriah joked, causing the table to chuckle at the transfer's expense.
He rolled his eyes before starting again, this time leaning closer to Bianca so she had no choice but to look at him. "I was thinking we should hang out this Sunday when we have time off. Maybe you could show me a little more of this place."
"I don't even know your name," Bianca pointed out, eyebrows furrowed and disbelief in her voice.
"My name's Peter," he said with a cocky smile, holding out a hand for her to shake. When she simply glanced at the offered hand and made no move to take it, he let it drop. He was going to say something else but when he opened his mouth and large body came to stand beside their table.
"Better get moving, initiates," Eric's deep voice had them all snapping their eyes up to him. His hand were balled into fists as he eyed Peter dangerously. Without a second thought they all stood from their seats and dispersed.
After dumping her tray of food in the cleaning bin, Bianca exited the dining hall, only to gasp in surprise at being tugged into a dark hallway. The firm hand that had grabbed her left her arm to cover her mouth, muffling any shout she may give. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim lighting and she saw it was Eric who held her.
"Eric, what are you doing?" she asked, shoving his hand off her mouth.
"Watch the Candor," he said, grey eyes glaring down at her.
Bianca stared at him for a moment before a slow grin crept across her face. "You're jealous!" she said with a laugh, taking a step away from him to lean against the wall.
His reaction was instant; he crowded her, their bodies almost touching, and placed his forearms on the wall on either side of her head. She instantly stopped laughing, instead looking at him with apprehension.
"Is there something for me to be jealous about?" he asked in a low voice, daring her to make him mad.
Bianca raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You think I'd do something with him?" When Eric didn't answer she scoffed and ducked to escape his cage. She put some space between them and started to back out of the hallway, knowing she was almost late for training with Lauren.
"We have an agreement, Eric. I don't plan on breaking it. If you're so worried about Peter, you watch him." With that, she left him standing there seething, trying her best to appear confident while on the inside she was terrified. She didn't know what kind of monster she'd just poked, but she felt like things were about to get a little more complicated.