A/N: YAY, ANOTHER CHAPTER! And yes, Eric is back in this one... Kinda. XD
As always, please R&R because your support keeps me going! :D
Apparently we weren't the only Initiates who had gotten the idea to do a little body modification this afternoon. Nearly all of them were down there with us, and every station was open and busy marking and piercing someone in it. Even a few of the older members were milling around while they waited for a chair to open up. So we found a place to climb up on to watch until it was our turn.
A few hours later, Alex had red streaks in his hair, Tara had fresh bands of linked chain on both her biceps, Darcy had added Dauntless fire around her Erudite tribute piece on her arm, and Gabe put a mesh pattern in the inch or so of space between his solid bands on his arms. I had mimicked Alex in the hair streaking, and now my dark curls were graced by several deep crimson ones in random places.
We were watching an impromptu series sparring matches, sitting up on a couple of huge marble blocks to get a good view, when I saw a few dirt-covered soldiers crossing one of the bridges over the chasm. As they filed in from the hallway and went about their business, it looked like they'd managed to break things up with maybe only a minor fight. No one came in very beaten, and no calls for medics were made. It made me feel a little better, which was a little weird since I hadn't even realized I was worried at all.
And then he walked in. I felt my heart give a little thump at his slightly disheveled appearance, and suddenly I was imagining him in the shower. Which didn't help my attempt at nonchalance. I felt like my entire body had just went red, but I guess I got off lucky this time because they were a little preoccupied watching the soldiers come back in to notice me drooling all over myself at the thought of a naked and wet Eric.
"Looks like everything went pretty okay out there," Darcy commented before turning her attention back to the match. "You call that a punch?! You missed by a mile!"
Alex, who was sitting on a block with Tara beside the one I was sharing with Darcy and Gabe, started laughing. "Easy there, killer. It's not a blood match."
Darcy just rolled her eyes while I giggled and passed her a bottle of water. "Still should've been able to land that, though."
"It's only to blow off steam and stay loose, Darce," I commented in return to her grumble. "Tell you what. After I get this thing off, you and me can spar. Full contact."
Gabe shifted beside me in surprise. "You have been watching her in practice, right?"
"Of course." I flashed Darcy a grin and a wink. "I think I can still take her."
"Oh, you are so on." She puffed up her little chest in mock bravado. "I'm gonna kick your ass, Ronnie. Just you wait."
I laughed and pushed my shoulder against hers. "You better bring all you got, Darce. I've been itching to get back in the ring. Got a lot of pent-up frustration that needs to be let loose."
She grinned. "Can't wait."
I'd managed to keep my eyes off Eric the entire way through dinner. Thinking about things he'd said during our little encounters, it had started clicking in my head and showing me just how to play with him the way he was playing with me. Separate myself from my emotions. Don't let anyone see that I wanted him. The desire could flow inside, but the outside should stay calm and cool. Just go about my daily life with my friends and be normal.
And that's what I was doing. Laughing and joking with the gang around our meal, discussing our training and analyzing our strengths and how to compensate for our weaknesses. I was acting like Eric didn't even exist in any manner other than being a member of the faction and a trainer. And it felt okay to do so. I was getting in too deep with him too fast. I needed to step back and clear my head. Put everything in order. My training was supposed to be coming before any kind of romance anyway. And Eric had interrupted that.
But then again, it was because of him that I had become even more determined to do well than before I had come to Dauntless. He fueled the fire inside me to do my best and still keep striving to improve. To be brave and strong and not let any weakness show. To prove to not only him, but to everyone, that I had what it took to be a Dauntless soldier. He'd been teaching me more than I ever even knew.
"So, what do you guys feel like doing?"
I shrugged at Gabe's voice behind me as we started to leave to mess hall. "Hang out at the pit, I guess?"
"Sounds good to me." Darcy looped her arm through mine as soon as she could step up to my side. "More sparring matches?"
"Trying to get tips so you can beat Ronnie?"
Darcy whipped her head back at Gabe and stuck out her tongue. I laughed and ruffled her hair. "It's still going to be a friendly match, Gabe. But I need to get back in the ring, and she's the perfect scrapper to go a few rounds with."
"Awwwww, you're such a sweetie, Ronnie," Darcy crooned, playfully hanging on my arm with an overly exaggerated lovey-dovey face. It made me laugh again.
"Sweeter than honey," I crooned back in the same cheesy tone.
"Well, I don't know about you guys," Tara chimed in with a slight eye roll. "But I'm gonna go get changed. I'll meet you guys in the pit."
I looked down at my clothes, the same ones I'd put on this morning for training. Just like everyone else. We hadn't bothered to change after lunch, too excited about going down to the pit to spend the afternoon together. I made a little grunt of agreement.
"Yeah, I think I'll change, too."
I heard the others agree with me, and we quickly set off for the dormitory.
The nightly Dauntless party was just getting underway when we got back down to the pit, music pouring from the speakers in its usual bass-driven rhythm. Tara waved to us from the marble blocks we'd been perched on earlier in the afternoon, and we slipped through the gathering crowd to join her. Darcy brushed her copper bangs away from her eyes, titling her head to take in Tara's outfit after we'd climbed on top of the huge stones.
"How the hell did you get up here in a skirt that tight?"
I wondered the same thing. Tara's skirt was like a second skin wrapping around her toned thighs. She grinned and jerked her head back in the direction of the crowd. "Boys will do anything for a girl in a skirt. I just had a couple of them lift me up."
I snickered and shook my head. Darcy and I had gotten a couple of dresses and skirts for our outings down in the pit, but we'd yet to wear them. I'd decided to wait until after I'd gotten my cast off because it just felt weird to me to be wearing something like that with this monstrosity on my arm. Darcy was waiting for just the right Dauntless male to come along. Which had gotten me to comment that he'd show up as soon as she strutted around in it, especially since her figure was shaping up so well. So tonight we'd just slipped on pants and tank tops of equal snugness as the rest of our clothes.
"And how are you getting down?"
Tara batted her eyes at Alex in response to his question. "Then I'll have someone lower me down, silly. I'm sure I can find a few volunteers around here somewhere."
"Hey, Ronnie."
I turned my head to the voice off to the right of where I sat. Dalton, the guy I'd been dancing with the night I fell, was leaning on the edge of the marble block, looking up at me. Man, was he pretty to look at. Blonde hair styled up into a short faux-hawk, light grey eyes that hinted little specks of dark blue, long straight nose, gorgeous smile. It was a shame I'd caught interest in Eric before meeting him.
"Hey, Dalton," I smiled as I greeted him back.
"How you been? Arm getting better?"
I nodded. "Just a week or two to go until I get the cast off."
"That's good. Maybe you'll be able to go out for War Games with your group then."
"I hope so. I really don't want to miss out on that."
"And you shouldn't. It's actually a lot of fun. If you don't get shot, that is."
I snickered. "Yeah. I've heard the stories. Do the stim darts really feel like being shot by a real bullet?"
"Supposedly. I've never been shot by a real bullet so I can't tell you for sure."
I nodded again, trying to ignore Darcy's elbow in my ribs. I knew what she was thinking. That I should go off with Dalton and have fun. And I was tempted to, in all honesty. Dalton was hot. And he seemed interested in me. But I really didn't want Eric to beat the living crap out of him just because he'd seen us together again.
"I'll see you around later, yeah?"
"Oh, I'll be around. You can count on that."
He grinned a little wider, flashing me a wink before slowly pushing off the marble block and walking away. Darcy immediately pounced.
"Oh. My. Shit. He is so into you, Ronnie! What are you doing letting him walk off like that?!"
I rolled my eyes. "He's four years older than me, Darce. And I'm sure he's got other girls flocking to be with him. Plus, I'm only an Initiate. We're not supposed to be hooking up with soldiers just yet."
"Fuck that! He's gorgeous!" She whipped her head back in the direction Dalton had went, but he was already gone. "I'd go for him if he showed interest."
"Then go put on your skirt and go get him."
"Yeah, no. That's okay."
I shrugged and grabbed at the bottle Gabe had set down on the stone so he could climb up with us, taking a big swig while he huffed about getting my own if I wanted a drink. Then I smirked at her, the obvious dare plastered all over my face. "I thought you were Dauntless, Darce."
