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Chapter 9: Off the Edge
Eric couldn't stop thinking about Rain's look of disgust. She clearly thought he was a man-whoring jerk. And that had been the plan – to push her away and get a handle on his emotions. To make her think she was just like any other girl to him so that she would not have any power over him. It had worked. So why was it bothering him so much?
He couldn't figure it out and he didn't like it. Every morning he would watch her. He hated how affectionate she was with her friends especially Michael and the Amity kid. She was always hugging them or leaning into them or sharing food with them. It bothered him more than he liked. He hated it and he began to hate her for making him feel powerless. He wanted his power back.
DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT.
"Finish her!" Eric snarled to Rachel who was in the fighting ring with Nora. Nora was laying on the mat in pain obviously unable to fight anymore. Rachel grimaced and punched Nora in the face one more time and she became unconscious.
"Record Rachel as the winner!" Eric boomed.
Rain and Michael rushed over to help Nora. They carried her to the side of the training room. Rain placed Nora's head in her lap and they waited for her to wake up.
Everyone noticed that Eric was in a particularly nasty mood that morning and so they were all on edge, worried that they may do something to make his wrath come swinging their way - all but Rain, she had a wrath of her own brewing.
Her mind couldn't seem to stop going back to the day Eric kissed her and then to how he had made it clear that she (like all women) was just a toy to have fun with.
He had ignored her all morning but when he noticed that she and Michael were sitting down with Nora he growled at them to leave her and go back to training.
"I'm not leaving her until she wakes up!" Rain protested cradling Nora's head. Michael was already standing up.
Eric towered over her more than usual because she was sitting down.
"I'm not going to ask you again initiate," he warned her. "Return to training now!"
The voice he used and the deathly glare he gave her clearly showed that she didn't have a choice in the matter but she wouldn't accept that. It was about damned time he realised that he couldn't do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, to whoever he wanted.
Rain took her jacket off, placed it under Nora's head and got up.
"And I'm not going to tell you again, I'm not leaving her until she wakes up!"
Eric's nostrils flared and his eyes became daggers. Within an instant he was right before her, looking down into her wilful eyes. Their noses were almost touching and she could feel his breath upon her face. She ignored her instinct to take a step backwards, she didn't want to show any weakness.
"Are you disobeying a direct order initiate?" he asked in a dangerously low tone.
"I'm disobeying a stupid order, sir," she mocked him.
"Everybody stop!" he commanded loudly without breaking eye contact with her. She flinched. "Greenfield has volunteered to teach you all a special lesson." He smiled at her cruelly and grabbed her arm. "Follow us!" He ordered.
He dragged her out of the training room all the way to the metal bridge over the chasm. The others followed, all except Oliver but nobody noticed, not even Four.
"Being in Dauntless means you are training to be soldiers." He bellowed over the noise of the rushing water of the chasm. "Disobedience to your superior is a serious offence. Who can tell me why?"
An Erudite initiate answered, "Because when on a real mission you must obey your team leader without question or everyone will divide which creates anarchy".
"Good." Eric responded. "You hear that Amity?"
Rain glared at him. He was still holding her arm and she could feel his fingers digging into her flesh even more when he spoke to her.
"Let this be a lesson to all of you that disobedience will not be tolerated." As soon as he said this he grabbed both of Rains hands and swung her over the bridge.
She felt her heart jump into her stomach and she screamed in shock. She hung onto Eric's hands for dear life. Looking down all she could see was the rushing water. Many of the other initiates gasped but she was too terrified to hear them.
"Grab the rail." He spoke in a low tone as if this was just a regular occurrence for him. She looked up at him, eyes wide in fear.
"Or don't." he shrugged and he led her hands close to the rail and let go of them one at a time. She grabbed onto it quickly, she didn't have any other choice. Rain let out a noise of struggle as she tried to hold her body weight up.
Eric stepped back to lean against the railing behind him.
"You have three options." He stated. "You can hang there for two minutes and I'll forget your disobedience, you can fall and die or you could give up, but if you give up you're out."
Rain was breathing hard and trying not to move too much in panic.
"You can do it Rain!" Thorn called out to her.
Eric turned his head to glare at him but Thorn didn't care.
"Think of everything you've been through Rain, if you can survive that this should be a cake walk. It's just two minutes babe."
Rain growled and re-gripped her hands on the rail more steadily. Thorn was right, she'd been in worse pain than this. And that reminder was all she needed to give her the strength to continue. Who did Eric think he was to try to intimidate her in this way? She'd survived the death of her parents, she'd survived leaving Amity and she survived all the rigorous training they had been subjected too. She was strong. She wasn't going to give in today.
Eric glanced at his watch. "Time." He boomed loudly and knelt down to help Rain up. She suddenly found herself in his arms gripping his biceps to steady herself. She looked up to find him staring at her. "Training is over, get out of here. Go to lunch!" He commanded the other initiates. Most left still in shock, but not her friends.
"I trust you've learnt your lesson?" he asked her, eyes daring her to contradict him but she wasn't going to play this game with him anymore.
She looked down, feigning defeat. "Yes sir," she said quietly. "I'm sorry sir."
Eric blinked in surprise and she let go of him and ran into Thorn's arms. Michael and Beverly crowded around her. All of them praised her for her strength and bravery. Eric watched, confused about her reaction and jealous that she seemed to naturally calm down as Thorn wrapped his arms around her and lay his cheek upon her head. He realised that Rain's reaction had put a distance between them. He didn't like it.
He didn't realise that Four was standing next to him until he spoke.
"Two minutes," he stated quietly. "That's got to be a record for you."
"What?" asked Eric irritated and he drew his eyes away from Rain to look at Four.
"You usually hang them off the bridge for five minutes or more. Last year with Christina it was five and the year before that it was Andrew for ten. You should ask yourself what's so different about this girl that you only made it two minutes."
Eric glared at Four.
Four smirked back in response and left.
Eric sighed in frustration and saw that Rain and her friends were leaving.
DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT.
Eric didn't go down to lunch with the rest of them. He decided to eat in his apartment. Four's words were rolling around in his head. You should ask yourself what's so different about this girl that you only made it two minutes.
Four was right, he normally gave them a lot more time than that. He slammed his fist down onto the table. How was it that after what he did, he had even less control than before?
DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT. DIVERGENT.
As they sat down to lunch they realised that they had completely forgotten about Nora.
"Here, you have something to eat. I'll go check on her and make sure she's ok," said Thorn as he place a sandwich in front of Rain.
"I'll come too," volunteered Beverly.
"We'll all go," said Rain. She picked up her sandwich and got up with the others to walk to the training room.
They found Nora right where they left her only she was awake and crying. They all crowded around her and Michael put his arm around her. She flinched at first but then leaned into him.
"It'll be ok babe. So you lost a fight, we all have. It's not that bad," comforted Thorn.
Nora didn't say anything but she nodded. Rain and Beverly exchanged concerned looks.
"How about we practice our fighting techniques together until the first stage of initiation is over?" Rain suggested.
They all agreed but again Nora didn't say anything she just nodded while wiping away her tears.
"You know what I think?" Began Beverly. "I think we should stay in the pit tonight after dinner and have some fun! It's about time we actually enjoyed ourselves! Let's go to one of the clubs and have a few drinks and if we're game enough let's get a tattoo or piercing!"
"Hell yeah!" exclaimed Michael. The others joined in excitedly saying it was a great idea, except for Nora, but when Michael gently pushed her with his shoulder she quietly agreed.
Rain briefly wondered if there was anything else bothering Nora besides losing the fight but she dismissed it. We've all had bad days and tonight will cheer her up.
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