Seconds felt like hours, unable to wait anymore, I threw the covers aside, and made my way to the corridor, trying to tail the group.
Following my instincts, I approached step by careful step, to a corridoor, that had only one gate at the other end, the rest of it stood, narrow, cold and uninviting. It appeared that there were people, talking behind the door, for a faint murmuring was audible in the night which was otherwise deadly silent.
I had never been to this part of the pit, and it appeared fairly new compared to the other parts of the compound, I observed my surrounding, trying to find a way out, in case things went out of hand, the way out was the the sole passage that I had come through and it didn't exactly prove to be helpful.
Deciding to take a chance I moved forward, only to be yanked back, suddenly by my arm, a hand clamped on my mouth preventing me from crying out for help. I was dragged all the way to the main compound, kicking and struggling. I was scared for my life thinking that these were the people who had been in the bunker, but it was only one person here .
When I was finally released, I pushed my attacker and tried to run away, instead the man grabbed me, it appeared as if my push hadn't had any effect on him.
Finally noticing the face and appearance of the attacker, I realised that it was none other than Belikov. The fight left my body and I calmed in his presence.
"What are you doing outside the bunker at this hour of the night?" he questioned, with his accent being prominent in the last few words.
Thinking better of the situation, I decided not to tell him about the events of the night, for I had yet to trust him of all men in the faction.
" I lost my way in the compound and have been wandering for whole of the afternoon and a greater part of the night. Trying to get back to the bunker."I said, trying to channel as much of fake confidence as I probably could.
I stood unflinching under his scrutinizing gaze, with my hands on my hips, never backing down from being arrogant.
I knew that my reaction was probably over the top but it was the sole cover I had. I didn't know if Belikov, knew anything about the group, or was a part of it, thus keeping my mouth shut was the only option.
"Follow me." He said, leading me through a set of tunnels like passages, that opened in a broom closet near the bunker.
"There you go. I shouldn't find you loitering in the corridors after hours, novice. Consider it a warning and nobody is to be told about the passage, its only to be used during emergencies. "
He stated gruffly, before departing without a second glance my way.
Over years I had learnt to resist the harsh words from my mother, but only a few words from him had me feeling like a bratty kid, who was at fault.
The rest of the week passed quite uneventfully, despite which I remained on my toes, jumpy, and cautious but aware of my surroundings.
As the weekend approached, everyone seemed to loosen up, on the Saturday morning, the families of the initiates, visited and it wasn't a surprise when my mom didn't turn up. Janine Hathaway had her reputation to care for, why bother with an insolent daughter.
I left the central premises after waiting for an hour.
Having no place to be, I headed to the gym to get some practice, wondering why had I even hoped for her arrival. I was worthless to her, a mere annoyance , she would probably be happy to indulge in her work, now that she was finally rid of me.
The thought left me bitter and sad. I had seen other kids with their parents, happy and jovial, smiling, playing, enjoying their comfort, and couldn't fathom the reason for my mother's dislike.
People were averse to animals, a certain vegetable, a dish to eat, clothes to wear, some activities , but I was yet to see another mother averse to her child.
To my surprise and utter relief, the gym was deserted
Beginning with basic, stretches, I warmed up, practiced with some weight and then moved to combat techniques.
These, often drained me the most, tiring me in a very short span of time, nothing could I do to improve these however hard I tried.
"Humph", I gasped for breath between a set of eight double punches, wondering how others used this in actual combat.
"Your execution is incorrect. "A voice surprised me.
Following it I discovered that its source was none other than Belikov.
"Elaborate. " I said, shrugging casually, not minding the fact that I was talking to one of the most respected Dauntless leaders.
I had last seen him two days ago in the class, he had surprisingly been missing from the rest, unlike the various tales about him. The Dauntless called him a God. He had a great and spotless reputation, I had come to learn.
Depositing his gym bag at the corner of the gym, he came to stand beside me, somewhat resembling the stance that I had been practicing in.
"This was fine, "he said motioning towards his feet, "but this begins from here" he said, making a fist and placing it close to his body, at his waist.
"And you need to retract your attack fully, in order to prevent injury. Sloppiness, here can be painful." He added, repeating his previous movement, showing me once again.
Nodding in understanding, I tried to copy his stance and method. I tried my best, but the way he observed my actions , made me feel like the novice I was.
" You need to save your energy, don't use brute force, use your agility and size to your advantage against the opponent." He supplied, as I continued working on my own.
A few minutes later he headed to the other side of the gym to continue with his own training, it was hard not to stare, but I tried my best.
Half an hour later, we took a water break and then I returned to the practice, but he didn't, he sat on the gym floor observing me as I tried hard to ignore the feel of his stare on my back.
I hesitated for a moment as he practically manifested beside me, silent as a ghost and analysed my moves under his practical gaze. It was when he lightly pressed his fingers on my wrist as my punch hit the bag, and tilted it, correcting the angle.
"If you hit like that , you risk hurting yourself more that your opponent." He commented.
His fingers had been in contact of my skin for only a while but I could almost still feel his touch where it had been moments ago.
"You need to use your elbows and knees more, since you don't have much muscle. Work on your technique not with your mass." He added before leaving to continue with whatever he was practicing.
My actions since then were not really focused, his mere action had muddled my thinking and I soon left the gym, wishing to gather my thoughts and gain clarity.
-o-
Another chapter over. Any guesses about what happened that night?
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