CHAPTER 13

ERIC POV

Final day of fights today. I have been looking forward to this fight so much. Finally people will take notice of just how bad ass I am when I take down Four. Four, stupid name, I can't wait to tell everyone who he really is, but I need to bide my time with that one. Say it when he least expects it, make a fool of him in the biggest possible way that I can.

I'm sitting on my mattress next to Four tying my shoelaces when he starts to stir. He looks like complete shit. Ha this is going to be awesome. I look at Four and tell him, " You look like hell." He tries to move and you can almost hear the throbbing in his head. He must have finally let loose, about time he did. Always keeping to himself like he thinks he is better than the rest of us.

"I hope that when you lose, you don't use it as an excuse," I say as I try to sneer at him, "Because I would have beat you anyway." With that I get up, stretch and walk out and to the training room. I'm walking to the training room thinking of the fights Four won, he had the easiest of fights, first that stupid Amity girl who almost beat him. Then that oaf from Candor, can't remember his name, not that it's important anyway. Jeanine has set things up with Max so that I will get a leadership position anyway. I just need to beat Four more for my pride than anything else but it will definitely be good to be able to brag about beating the guy with only four fears.

I get to the training room and I see all the transfer initiates and some of the Dauntless-born initiates standing around the edge of the room. This is awesome, I am going to beat the crap out of Four in front of an audience. Then even the Dauntless-born will fear me. I couldn't have had this play out better if I had bullied people into for me.

Four enters the room and he looks even worse that he did lying on his bunk. It takes every ounce of energy I have to not start laughing at him. Amar is telling him to get his shit together and tie his shoelaces. Man this is going to be a blood bath by the time I finish with him. I crack my knuckles, great intimidation technique, and stare him down.

Amar steps back and I rush at Four and my fist hits him square on his jaw. Excellent start Eric, lets keep this up, he has stumbled back and is holding his face. I quickly follow with a kick that hits him hard in the ribs. "This is easier than I thought it would be," I tell him. Feeling pretty proud of my opening effort here.

Damn, he uppercuts me in my stomach, better not have that happen again. I respond by smacking my hand into his ear, he loses his balance and is using his fingers to keep himself from falling onto the ground. As he is trying to steady himself I say just loud enough for only Four to hear me, "You know, I think I've figured out your real name."

I swing my arm with as much force as I can, trying to have this fight finish as soon as possible, I'm trying for his face but he moves and I hit his collarbone instead. Shit that hurt like a bitch. I shake out my hand, trying to distract him from the pain I'm now in I say, "Should I tell them? Get everything out in the open?"

I have his name between my teeth, I'm about to say it when he grabs my arm. Fours whole demeanour has changed all I can see is rage in his eyes. I have only seen that look from one other person before, me. I know I'm in trouble now, I am bracing for the impact as he swings his fist into my face. I am stuck, I can't move he has a hold of me with one arm and his fist just keeps pounding into my face.

I am screaming now, I can't even think about how I am embarrassing myself with the screams that are coming from me. He doesn't stop pounding on me, he is relentless, I try to wrench away but I can't he is holding on to tight. I can feel the warmth of the blood that is oozing over my face, into my mouth. Blood has a horrible metallic like taste to it. I try to spit the blood out of my mouth and one of my teeth falls to the floor. I can't focus any more, he kicks me hard in the side and I topple over. He meets my eyes and although everything is starting to go blurry I can see the hate in his eyes. The rage I can see in his eyes is exactly how I feel about Four at this moment. I won't stop until I have brought him down I am thinking as I am being carried to the hospital. I'm going to have to come up with a new way to hurt him. Make him pay for making me look like a fool. I don't care how long it takes, I will get back at him.

FOUR POV

After the fight I find myself in a hallway near the pit. I sit against the wall letting the cold from the stone creep into me. My headache has returned, as well as various aches and pains from the fight. My knuckles are tacky with Eric's blood, I try to rub it off but it's been dry to long.

Everything from my nightmare has been coming true, right down to the fight I have just had with Eric. Knowing what is going to happen makes everything so much harder this time around. I thought that knowing what was going to happen would make my life easier. But no, I still have to build relationships with the people around me. If only it had been different from what I had already experienced. You hear people say 'if I knew then what I know now, things may have turned out differently,' I can only hope that is what will happen now.

My thoughts are interrupted with Shauna knocking on the stone wall like it's a door. Shauna, who is going to become one of my closest friends, who if I can't stop what is going to happen will end up in a wheelchair. Will have to see friends and family die. I try to shake these thoughts from my head as she starts a conversation with me.

She wants me to help her to learn to fight better. Who knew that this is what made me want to become an initiate instructor. Helping her helped to change my whole life in dauntless, this is when I really started to become friends with Zeke and had all those nights just hanging with Shauna, not having to speak most of the time just enjoying each others company. As she walks away from me I stare down at Eric's blood on my knuckles and smile. Thinking to myself I can do this, I can make everything right, I can excel here at Dauntless and make changes for the better. Not only for Dauntless and the whole city, but also just maybe, for me as well.