Eric took control of us after we'd eaten. He showed us to our accommodation, a fairly big room with ten small beds (that didn't look particularly comfortable), and a bathroom which we all needed to share. Personally, I thought this was a bad idea... After all, we all hardly knew each other, but I guess other initiates had to do it in previous years, so I'd have to suck it up and ignore my thoughts.
Eric had stood by the door, explaining the rules to us, but I hadn't really listened. I was intrigued as to why he, a Dauntless leader, was responsible for a bunch of initiates.
"We've instated new rules this year, which we hope to develop next year, to improve the training process."
"So you're cutting some of us? What does that even mean?!" One of the Candor boys, James, questioned.
Wait.. Cutting?! I'd missed too much of the conversation.
Eric stared at him as if he was stupid. "It means you're out. You won't be joining Dauntless."
I frowned.
"I thought we were already part of Dauntless though?" The Erudite boy, who's name I had learned to be Freddie, questioned.
"Not unless you pass the initiation." Eric stated, looking bored of the conversation. "If you place lower than fifteen in the first stage of training, then you aren't cut out to be Dauntless. Simple as."
I could have sworn I saw a glint in his eye as he spoke, and I almost shuddered. He was an incredibly dark man.
"So we'll be made Factionless?" James asked.
"Well where else will you go? Mummy and Daddy can't take you back."
I swallowed deeply. So if I didn't do well in these tests, then I'd be made homeless... Great. Definitely what I signed up for.
"You're free to do what you want now." Eric checked his watch. "I'd suggest getting showered and an early night. You'll need to prepare yourself for tomorrow."
I sighed and looked back at the beds. I'd let everyone else choose before I did, I couldn't be bothered with any arguing over who's sleeping where.
As everyone dispersed, I was summoned by the dark lord himself.
"First jumper." Eric called, and I turned and slowly approached him.
"Yeah?"
"It was good what you did on the roof today, but you aren't going to be able to protect your little Amity friend forever. You need to concentrate on yourself, or you won't get very far."
I frowned. "I wasn't protecting Talulah, but it's unfair for her to be made do something that she doesn't want to do."
"We all have to do things that we don't want to." He replied. "The sooner you learn that, the sooner you'll succeed."
"Right..." I nodded slowly and looked over my shoulder at the beds.
"Go and get some sleep, initiate. Trust me, you'll need it."
I awoke to the clanging of metal the next morning, the sound making my ears hurt slightly. I groaned and sat up, rubbing my eyes as the light filled them.
Four was stood on the stairs, making a ruckus to wake us all up. "Morning initiates. I want you in the Pit by eight o'clock. If you're late, you'll lose points before you've even managed to gain them."
I frowned and rubbed my eyes again, then looked up to see Four's retreating figure. I flopped back onto my pillow, my hair splaying around me, a yawn escaping my lips. Surprisingly, I'd slept well, dreaming about running with the Dauntless, dressed in all black. It was almost like a dream come true being here right now, and I didn't feel worried about being made Factionless, because I was determined to be here. However, I hadn't actually started any training yet, so I was thinking way too prematurely.
"Good morning, Jac." Talulah greeted from where she was sat on the end of her bed, right beside mine.
"Morning." I mumbled, not feeling particularly talkative.
"Are you not a morning person? I can leave you to wake up a bit if you'd like?"
I shook my head. "I'll never get up if you leave me alone, but I'd prefer it if you spoke without needing an answer."
A small smile appeared on her lips. "I'll just come and check that you're getting up every ten minutes."
I nodded and mumbled, "Thanks." before closing my eyes again.
True to her word, Talulah had checked on me every ten minutes, and I'd eventually gotten up with half an hour to get ready. I'd scooped my hair into a loose updo on top of my head, then headed into the bathroom to wash, before changing into my Dauntless black clothing. It was tight-fitting and I smiled to myself, I felt like a proper Dauntless, even though I still had a way to go.
I'd skipped breakfast, not feeling particularly hungry, giving myself time to mentally prepare myself for the day. I'd sat on the end of my bed for a few moments, telling myself that no matter what, I would never give up. I would not give my parents the satisfaction of saying 'I told you so' if things didn't work out in Dauntless, not that I would have gotten to hear it if they were to say it.
I'd arrived at the Pit at just the right time, the others filing through from the dining hall at that exact moment. Four was waiting inside for us, staring at the door. We approached him, and huddled around to look at him as he spoke.
"Today we will be learning the basics." He informed us. "Basic fighting techniques, basic use of a gun, and basic techniques of knife throwing."
I looked around and saw that we were surrounded by targets, some of them looking like the shape of a human body, others just a plain round board.
"I'll be teaching you the fighting techniques this morning, then we'll take a break for lunch at about one. Got it?" He asked, getting a small response from us. "This way then."
By lunch time, my entire body felt like it was throbbing. I'd spent the past two years working out as much as I could, but that had felt like nothing compared to what Four had us do this morning. The warm up had been bad enough, running an entire lap of the Dauntless grounds, before god knows how many sit ups, push ups and stretches, never mind the actual techniques. He'd shown us how to kick, punch and block, then sent us off to practise with each other, telling us that it needed perfecting.
By the time I'd arrived in the dining hall, I could have curled up and had a nap on the table.
"You look exhausted." Lu spoke, looking up from the opposite side of the table. Somehow, we'd managed to be the last ones in again and ended up sat with Lu and her friends once more.
"I feel it." I grumbled, reaching my hand out for an apple.
She grinned. "You've got weapon training next, haven't you? Just you wait until tonight.. You'll sleep like a log."
I made a face and let out a loud sigh.
"Is it really that bad?" Talulah spoke from beside me.
Lu nodded. "If you've never shot a gun before, the first few times will feel incredibly odd. Like your bones are vibrating."
Talulah's eyes widened, and I frowned.
"Great." I muttered before taking a bite out of the apple.
"You're not very optimistic at all today, are you?"
"I'm not used to feeling this bad... It's like I've been a slob my entire life!"
Lu laughed. "You'll get used to it. Trust me, it gets easier."
"I'm taking your word for it." I mumbled, biting into my apple again.
Four met us all in the Pit again after lunch. When we arrived, the targets had all been set up properly, and guns were laid out waiting for us. I stared at them, biting my lip, trying to prepare myself for what Lu had told me.
"Next up, I'm going to teach you how a gun works." Four announced, looking at us all. "Come and collect one, then I'll go through it all."
We all did as we were told, and then listened as he explained each part of the gun and how to load it. I watched what he was doing with the gun carefully, to make sure that I didn't miss a single thing.
It was when he gave us an example of how to aim and shoot that I started to feel nervous, Lu's words circling my mind.
"Go to a target each, and try it out." Four ordered, and I slowly walked to the end one.
I watched as the others started to shoot, a few gasps and grunts filling my ears as the first few shots went off.
Talulah hadn't managed to get the target next to me, a Candor boy had, but he seemed okay to me.
I turned to the target, and stared at it determinedly. I lifted the gun, and aimed it as well as I could, just like Four had instructed. I closed my eyes for a second, then took a deep breath and opened them again. Shooting it incorrectly wouldn't harm anyone, I'd just have to try again.. There was no need to be nervous.
I stared for a second longer, before slowly pulling the trigger, feeling the gun's vibrations go all up my arms, knocking me back slightly. A small squeal escaped my lips, and I nearly dropped the gun, my heart pounding.
I heard a chuckle, and twisted my head in the direction that it had come from. The Candor boy beside me was laughing at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing..." He said, grinning.
"You used to be Candor and you're lying to me?"
He chuckled again. "I'm sorry, it's just your reaction to the shot was funny."
I rolled my eyes and looked back at the target. I'd completely missed it, and the bullet was embedded in the wall behind it. I sighed.
More determined to hit the target this time, I lifted the gun again and aimed the best that I could. I pursed my lips, before pulling on the trigger again, watching as the bullet hit the left side of the target.
A smile spread across my lips, and for some reason I looked back at the Candor.
He was also smiling, his eyebrows raised, nodding slowly. "Not bad, Erudite. Not bad. You're getting there."
I continued to smile. "Thanks."
"I'm Nathan." He introduced himself.
"Jac." I replied, nodding at him.
"Nice to meet you." He said, turning back to his target, lifting the gun.
"You too." I watched him as he aimed and shot, getting the bullet almost at the centre of the target. The lucky shit! I wanted to be able to do that.
The knife throwing came last. Four had allowed us all a quick break whilst he set up, then we were back at work, watching whilst he showed us the techniques.
I'd managed to get a place in between Nathan and Talulah, and watched as they threw their first knives. They both missed, and I was certain that I would too.
I lifted my arm to a position that mimicked Four's, and threw the small metal knife at the target that was a few metres away. Unfortunately, I missed, but it had hit the wood next to it and stayed, unlike Talulah's and Nathan's that had clattered to the floor.
Talulah threw hers again and missed, a frown forming on her face. "I can't get it." She grumbled, preparing herself to throw another. I watched as she did it, seeing it bounce off of the target and fall to the floor again.
"Why aren't you throwing?" A deep voice came from behind me, causing me to jump, and my heart to pound. I snapped my head around to see who the voice belonged to, to find that Eric had entered the room.
He was looking directly at me.
I swallowed and quietly spoke. "Me?" I asked.
"Yes, you." He approached me, and paused about a metre away.
"I was watching Talulah..." I answered his previous question.
"Were you instructed to do that?" He questioned.
I noticed that Four had made his way over and was stood beside Talulah, a frown present on his facial features.
"No..." I replied cautiously.
"So why are you doing it then?"
I frowned. Why was he being an asshole? I stopped for a minute to watch Talulah throw... It wasn't a big deal? "I just wanted to see her technique."
His eyes flitted behind me to the targets, then fixed back on mine. "Why? She's not hit it. She's clearly doing something wrong."
I looked down at the floor, then back up at him, unsure of what to say.
"Come on Eric, leave it out." Four came to my rescue.
Eric ignored him. "Show me how you throw."
"Now?"
He stared at me like I was stupid. "No, in an hour. Yes, now!"
I turned back to my target, all the eyes of my fellow initiates on me. I lifted my arm, and positioned myself how I had the first time, then took a deep breath and threw the knife. It hit the edge of the target, a few inches away from where my first one had landed. I took another deep breath before turning back to look at Eric, to find that he was a lot closer than he had been before.
"You're stood wrong." He stated.
"Carry on, everyone!" Four shouted, diverting the attention from us.
Eric grabbed my hips and twisted my body so that I was turned to the side slightly. "Separate your legs a little more, and when you throw, lean back a bit."
I did as I was told, stepping my left foot back slightly, uncomfortable from the way he had just grabbed me.
He removed his hands from my hips, and lifted his right to position my arm. "Look at the exact spot that you want to hit and concentrate." He ordered. "Blank out everything else, except how you want to hit that spot."
He wrapped his hand around my wrist. "And then, you throw as hard as you can, not moving your eyes from that spot you're aiming for." He pulled my arm back, then we threw the knife together, his strength hurting my arm a little.
The knife hit just centimetres away from the centre of the target, and my eyes widened. I had to admit, he was good.
"There we go." He spoke, then lowered his voice, moving closer to my ear. "Remember what I told you yesterday?"
I slowly nodded.
"Amity will stop you succeeding, initiate. Don't forget that." He stepped away from me, and walked away, towards where Four was watching the others.
I stared after him, a frown furrowing my eyebrows. Why was he so against Talulah? She hadn't done anything to him had she? Damn, that man was confusing.
