We all made our way to the training room, which four had showed us on the way to our dorm room. When we arrived i noticed Four and Eric standing at the top end of the room and walked over to them. We all crowded round and listened for the next instructions. "You will all go through two stages of training, the first will be physical the second will be mental, as said you will train separately from the dauntless born but will all be ranked together. Your ranking will determine your position here whether that be leadership or guarding the wall" four stated, i nodded my head. "Rankings will also determine who gets cut" Eric announced getting up from his seated position and walking towards us, I felt my heart leap at the thought. "This means that should you fail, you will be factionless, you choose us now we get to choose you" he said causing whispers to erupt through the group.
I had began to think that i had made the wrong decision here. There i was thinking I would be clever and choose dauntless to try and prove a point, that we don't all need to surrender to where we are born or what the test tells us but that we can succeed in different environments. How stupid do i feel now, i could potentially end up factionless. There was no way i was was going to let that happen. I looked over at peter and gave him a nod, he seemed to know exactly what i meant by this as he nodded back. We were in this to win it, no matter what the consequence, no mater what we had to do. An understanding was formed in this moment.
Four split us up into pairs and sent us to various mats and bags to start practicing punching and blocking, i got paired with a Candor transfer a girl names lizzie. She seemed nice and happened to also be friend with Peter, so seemed to work out well for us. I had been hitting the bag while she was holding it but i just seemed to be getting sore hands rather than actually doing any damage to the bag. Four had been walking around with Eric observing us and had noted my poor effort. "You need to put your whole body weight into the punches" he told me i nodded my head and lent back and punched with more force and the bag swung a bit, knocking Lizzie off balance, i smiled to myself and turned to thank Four, he then moved on to help tris who seemed to be having the same issues as me.
Eric then announced that he wanted to see a fight, so he choose Tris as the first jumper and a girl who jumped last, we all gathered round. The other girl looked much larger than tris and i was actually worried that tris would get hurt in this, i mean what does she know about fighting coming form abnegation. I mean I don't know much either but at least i could learn quickly, it was part of my traits, poor tris didn't even have a chance. "This should be good" Peter whispered to me but i kept on looking at the mat. Four and Eric seemed to be bickering about the not allowed to surrender rule but it didn't make a difference the fight was on and tris was already being hammered. I winced as the other girl landed a massive blow to the side of her head and knocked her out cold. Please do not pair me with her was all I could think. There goes the lack of Amity i laughed to myself, earring a weird look from Peter. We were then all sent back to the dorms as tris was taken to the nurse.
Peter, Lizzie and I decided to go a walk round the compound to see more of Dauntless. We found ourself at the pit where all the action happened, we grabbed something for dinner and found a spot to sit. I looked around the room and saw Tris sitting with four and some others at a table near by, "that's interesting" I said to peter and Lizzie nodding over at tris. "Jealous" Peter asked i shook my head while Lizzie laughed "he's not my type Peter" i told him "So who is your type Erudite" someone asked and i turned round to see Eric standing behind me with his arms behind his back, a mischievous look on his face "No one you know" i smiled at him but his smirk just go bigger "Well, if it's no one i know your going to be alone for a long time Erudite. Your only options are in this room, Well that's if you make it" he said my face began to distor in anger but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. I had a hunch and i was going with it "Ah but we Erudites have high expectancy levels, you should know all about that Eric". The rage began to build in his eyes at this and his smirk dropped. Bingo, i thought to myself. "See you in training" he told me, obviously trying to intimidate me, he started to walk of but i shouted over to him "Ilianna, My name is ilianna" he stopped but did not turn back around and stormed out of the room.
"What was that about" asked Lizzie, i took a bite out of my burger before swallowing and smiling at her "Ive just figured out a little something about Eric that he probably hoped I wouldn't" i told her which just made her and peter look even more confused.
After dinner we decided to initiate our self's into dauntless properly by getting a tattoo each. I went for a ivy vein which travelled up my shoulder blade, to show growth. This after all was my main reason for joining Dauntless. Afterwards we retired to our bunks in the dorm. I laid down staring at the ceiling with a smile on my face, i really think that i am going to be okay here. I realised pretty quickly that Eric was in fact Eric who had transferred from Erudite a few years before me, I remembered him from the various talks the older students would give on things they had learned, i am sure his was on the serums that we helped produce for the factions. I admired him for his intellect and passion. Now he seems a lot colder but who am i to judge i didn't know him back then but i would like to possibly get to know him a bit more now. I shook my head and turned over, focus on your goal, stay in this faction. By any means i told myself.
ERIC POV
I tossed and turned in my bed not being able to get that stupid comment out of my head. How did she remember me from Erudite, i mean i must be at least 4 years older than her, we couldn't have even met and yet there she goes spouting off her mouth in front of everyone. I tuned over onto my back staring at the ceiling and let out a sigh. I don't remover her and part of me thinks i would have, I haven't seen eyes such vivid green eyes and her hair, it was so silky looking. Stop, i thought. What the hell is going though your head, she's a stupid initiate. Nothing special and i bet she wont even make in through. I sighed again doubting my thoughts. I will just have to make sure she doesn't make it though then. I don't want her rembering anything else and thinking we could be friends. I made it to where i am on my own by any means necessary and that's the way it's going to stay.
I finally turned over going to sleep thinking of that stupid Erudite initiate, ilianna.
