Tris and Eric sat straight up against the cold steel wall of the train. They were both blindfolded and knew nothing except the sound of the train on the tracks. On their wrists and ankles were handcuffs and chains keeping them closely bound to the wall. Edgar and Andy were taking them to fight club; they didn't know where, that's why they were blindfolded. Eric was due to fight that night in the death pits. Tris' stomach was in knots. They sat close together and despite a small protest for Eric, they both kept their fingers laced together. The comfort of being close made up for not being able to see.
"Do you know who you're fighting tonight?" Tris questioned.
"No," Eric mumbled, "it's all random, either someone from a faction or someone factionless; whoever is stupid enough to step into the pit."
"Please don't worry about me," Eric asked rubbing Tris' knuckles comfortingly, "I promise I'll be fine. I can take anyone of them, I've had more training in fighting and techniques than anyone that goes to fight club. I'll be ok…I promise."
Tris knew there was no arguing this case, Edgar would do something terrible to Eric or both of them if he didn't do this. Still, something else was bothering Tris.
"So why do you think he's keeping us alive?" Tris wondered, "I mean he feeds us, gives us medicine, a bed…although this isn't where I want to be and he's making you fight, this doesn't exactly seem like torture."
"I don't think it's that simple," Eric said glumly, "you've never been to fight club, you've never seen the death pits. It's not like fighting back at Dauntless with one another or fighting some common criminals on the streets that we deal with. With these people there's no rules here, anything goes. This is my torture…and Edgar trying to torture you."
"What about all the stuff that these people have?" Tris asked thinking it all over, "The locks on the doors, they medicine, the clean beds and sheets and-,"
"They just steal it all Tris," Eric exasperated, "that's what these people do they steal."
"What about the locks? How would they get those off the doors of wherever they took-," Tris started to say.
"I don't know Tris!" Eric shouted out, "I don't know how they get those things or why but-, I just don't… I don't think that's what we should be worrying about."
"You aren't the least bit curious about how they got it?" Tris continued.
"No…" Eric replied flatly, "I'm more concerned about you and the fights I'm going to have to go through tonight. I just need to focus…we need to focus on what's really important."
Tris figured there ought to be some truth to that, however something inside of her was telling her that something was wrong.
"I know you're scared and nervous," Eric said and started to rub her knuckles again, "but… we have bigger things than that to worry about."
The funny thing was that Tris and Eric hardly ever argued anymore. In this situation, Tris could easily see the two of them getting into some huge argument and debating this to no end. Except now it seemed like it wasn't worth putting up the fight anymore.
"So…when did things start changing?" Tris questioned changing the subject, "After you and Jackson were friends for a year or something? When did it change?"
Eric sighed next to her and his grip on her hand tightened, "I actually remember the exact day. It was March eighteenth in my junior year of high school. I was two months away from seventeenth birthday and Andy and Edgar were giving me shit because…"
"C'mon Eric," Andy tried for the hundredth time, "I'm serious if you don't lose your virginity by the time you're seventeen you can't hang out with us anymore."
"He's right man," Edgar added in sipping his beer, "it's like a basic rule of manhood here at fight club."
Jackson stood next to Eric rolling his eyes. Somehow Eric doubted that Jackson would agree with them. Edgar was a factionless born boy and Andy was one of the most obnoxious Candor he'd ever met. The four boys stood around in an abandoned train station surrounded by other half drunken teenagers and young adults. There were three fighting pits going on at the moment, one pit was for minors, the next were for those eighteen and older, the ones Jackson just got promoted to, and the last one which none of the four boys dared to tread: the death pit.
Eric stood there shuffling uncomfortably. He hated when these guys talked about his personal life. He was also in bad mood, Jackson's choosing ceremony was in two and a half months. He was losing his best friend and he was still a virgin. He didn't want his first time to be with some easy chick that meant nothing to him. He always dreamt that his first time would be special…not that he told anyone that. Not even Jackson.
"C'mon man," Andy slurred out, "just pick a chick and go over to the empty train cart."
The boys glanced over at the slowly rocking empty train carts where couples and hook ups all alike took place. Eric would feel embarrassed spending the first time in a rocking train when everyone around knew what was happening.
"Trust me dude after the first time it's not as awkward," Edgar tried to reassure, "just get it over with."
"You guys idiots," Jackson said taking the whiskey to his lips.
"Easy for you to say," Andy replied punching him playfully in the arm, "You've been with Wendy for like two years now."
"Yeah and I love her," Jackson replied with a small smile.
"Aw, you wuv her," Edgar mocked him fluttering his eyes stupidly.
"Hey you guys can take your fight club trash all you want and pass these girls around like your cheap beer," Jackson said finishing off his drink, "but at the end of the night I have the same girl to go home to and take care of me."
"Whatever man," Edgar said throwing up her hands, "she got you whipped."
"Fuck off guys," Jackson stated and grabbed Eric's shoulders, "C'mon Blue, let's go."
Blue was a nickname that Eric had earned in the pit, at first it was because he lost most of his first fights and was left with blue bruises. Eventually he learned just the amount of force that it took to left a blue bruise on them for days. Even days after a fight with Blue the bruises remained.
Eric and Jackson walked away from Edgar and Andy who continued to laugh at them.
"They're so fucking annoying," Eric growled as they walked away.
"Eh fuck em' they're losers," Jackson replied, "You and me, we got a bright future in Dauntless. Andy won't choose a faction because Edgar tells him to and they'll both be factionless forever."
"Do you really think that it's a bad thing?" Erick asked him, "That you know I'm still…?"
"No don't listen to those guys," Jackson reinforced, "We'll find you a girl, a girl that will be worth your time, let's go."
"Wait you mean now?" Eric asked feeling his stomach drop.
"Yeah time for you to find a girl," Jackson said after putting a fair distance between Edgar and Andy and started scanning the crowd.
"But why now? I mean shouldn't we- l don't know talk about it?" Eric asked feeling nervous, "Shouldn't I think about what kind of girl I want or what I want her to look like or-,"
"Don't worry about looks man, all girls are pretty," Jackson responded, "you just gotta find the beauty."
Eric ran his hand through his loose hair and took a deep breath, "Look Jack…I don't know if I can-,"
"What about her?" Jackson asked pointing through the crowd.
Eric followed his gesture and felt like…well he wasn't really sure what he felt when he saw her. his heart started beating a little faster and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach but in a good way oddly. The girl he was pointing at was dressed in a long orange skirt and a white t-shirt with a necklace made of wooden beads around her neck. She was leaning against a non-rocking train cart watching to where the fighting pits were with a miserable look on her face. Despite her sadden straight Eric thought she was…pretty. She had a warm blond hair that glowed in the moonlight and fell smoothly down her shoulders and falling into her rounded face. Her deep brown eyes were full of sadness at watching the fighting pits, and her lips full and pouty were fashioned into a quiver. Eric was wrong…she was beautiful.
"Why does she look so sad?" Eric asked noting her reserved body language.
She was gripping onto a red solo cup with a fierce grip and had her other arm wrapped around her.
"I don't know," Jackson shrugged, "but I see her here at fight club all the time."
"Really?" Eric questioned trying to place her face, he didn't recognize her from anywhere.
"Yeah I've seen her around," Jackson continued, "she's always here but she never talks to anyone and is usually always staring at the moon."
Eric now felt incredibly sheepish and like his feet were nailed to the rail road tracks.
"Just go say hi," Jackson prompted, "introduce yourself…give her a piece of gum."
"I'm out of gum," Eric replied feeling his palms sweat.
"Just go be yourself man," Jackson said putting his large hand on his shoulder, "if she ends up not digging you…it's her loss man."
"What do I say?" Eric wondered.
"Ask her why she always stares at the moon," Jackson said quickly and shoved Eric square in the back towards her.
Eric tripped over the tracks but managed to keep from falling. Taking a deep breath and swallowing a lump in his throat he made his way over to this beautiful girl. She turned her gaze away from the fighting pit and looked down at the ground swirling around her cup which she had yet to take a drink from. It didn't take long for her to notice the strange Erudite boy walking towards her. Eric wiped his sweaty hand on his pants.
Finally after what felt like a life time, he was in front of her. Her wide brown eyes were staring at him and her full pink lips were pursed.
"Hi," Eric stated briskly.
"Hi," she replied melodically.
"Do you want some gum?" Eric said quickly.
"Um, ok," she agreed.
Eric dug his hand into his pocket and found nothing as Jackson's words replayed in his head 'give her a piece of gum.'
"Oh I uh… forgot," Eric said feeling his face become warm with embarrassment, "I actually just gave- well actually what happened was this stupid kid that I'm friends with, well he's not really my friend he just follows around my actual friend around a lot but he uh…. He took my last gum like…four days ago."
"Oh," she nodded as a small smile broke out over her face.
Her deep eyes were glowing in the moonlight and seemed to light up more even with a small smile, it made Eric's heart skip a beat.
"So I'm Eric," he stated sticking his hand out to her.
"Melody," she said softly with a polite smile and met his hand but only barely touched it.
Eric's hand was unnaturally sweaty and she seemed to notice too as she gently wiped her hand on her skirt while Eric, once again embarrassed, returned his hands to his pocket.
"So uh why do you watch- or stare at the moon?" Eric asked trying to rack his brain of what Jackson had said.
"How do you know I stare at the moon?" Melody asked growing worried, "you been watching me?"
"Oh no, no, no, it's not like that," Eric said blurting anything that came out, "I wasn't watching you, I don't even know you. I don't think I've ever seen you before but my friend, the real one, he has. He's here all the time, his names Jackson he's really popular around here. He's in dauntless and notices everything and he noticed you and he told me about you. But he doesn't like you or anything he's got a girlfriend, Wendy."
Melody seemed unamused, "do you always talk this much? Even noses don't drone on like that without at least putting in a word or two I don't know."
"Oh yeah well I mean we're not all that bad," Eric said trying to calm down, "and you seem pretty- like pretty smart I mean."
"How would you know if I'm smart or not, we just met," Melody pointed out raising her eye brow.
"Well…every time you look at the fighting pits you look upset… disquieted, disconcerted, timorous-," Eric said speaking slower.
"Then why do you come here?" Melody asked with a surprising harshness to her voice.
At first Eric was thrown off by her coldness; but even with her cold stare drilling into him, her lips were more pouty than ever and Eric thought it was cute.
"I don't know..." Eric shrugged, "because I want to be Dauntless."
"This is not what Dauntless is like," Melody replied sharply.
"How would you know?" Eric questioned her.
"Because Dauntless doesn't promote mindless violence," Melody replied sternly, "that's all this is...it's not really my thing."
"Right, the Amity thing," Eric said not really knowing what to say in fear of setting her off again.
"It's not that," Melody said getting sterner; "I don't really fit in with Amity."
Eric nodded, "I know how you feel, I don't think I really fit in with Erudite. What grade are you in?"
"I'm a junior," Melody replied.
"Me too," Eric pointed out, "maybe we'll both end up at the same choosing ceremony."
"Maybe," she replied with another shrug.
"So why do you always stare at the moon?" Eric asked glancing up at the half full moon.
Melody sighed and turned her gaze upward. Her skin was so smooth and beautifully pale under its glow, her eyes shone brightly and her lips formed a smile.
"Because it seems like the best place to run away to," she replied dreamily.
"Why do you want to run away?" Eric asked her with genuine curiosity.
Melody turned back to face Eric with the same timorous face and only shrugged. Now they were at a dead end and Eric began to panic again.
Melody reached down to a small leather purse on her hip and pulled out a small pack and asked, "Do you want a piece of gum?"