Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for moderate violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.
Chapter 3: Enkindle
Nina's sore arms trembled as she pulled a clean shirt over her head. She stared enticingly at the bunk bed she shared with Maddie, wishing she could crawl under the faded cotton covers. Maddie apparently had similar thoughts. She collapsed onto the bottom bunk, which Nina would be sleeping in, wearing only a towel wrapped around her freshly showered body. They'd survived their first afternoon of training. Nina tickled Maddie's foot and narrowly avoided getting kicked in the head. "Hey, that's my bed!"
Maddie smiled and got up. "I know. I'm just so tired! I guess we better go to dinner." She changed into a fresh set of clothing, moaning and groaning dramatically each time she had to lift her arms.
Nina raked her fingers through her wet hair, attempting to detangle the knots in it. "I'm starving, so hurry up," she said, sticking her tongue out at her friend.
In the dining hall, Nina and Maddie sat at a table with Amir, who had saved the girls two spots. Maddie and Amir immediately began discussing the Initiation process. Nina listened in quietly, tuned in to her own thoughts. She knew coming into Dauntless that it would be tough, but that afternoon's first drill had been a major wake up call. She would need to be extremely resilient over the following weeks in order to survive. Nina sighed and picked at her food, forcing herself to eat her plate in its entirety. Though she felt slightly queasy, she knew she had expended much energy today and would need to refuel herself in order to keep her body going.
Three other initiates sharing the table talked loudly amongst themselves, making no effort to prevent others from hearing what they were saying. They loudly discussed who they felt would be 'easily eliminated' and were sure that they would effortlessly secure a spot in Dauntless. The young man sitting beside Nina turned towards her and his thin lips turned up in a snake-like smirk. "Are you hippies enjoying Initiation so far, or are you getting ready to pack your bags tonight?"
Nina scowled. "Fuck off," she answered curtly, not willing to engage the boy in conversation. She turned away and took a bite of her hamburger, hoping the boy would disengage from the conversation.
"I guess the toughest part for you so far was climbing those stairs, huh, pansy? It's a pity you didn't just fall off them, would have saved you a lot of time since you'll just be going home anyways." The boy's cruel smirk widened and he looked to his neighbor for approval. His friend, a large boy who looked vaguely Neanderthal, laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.
Nina rolled her eyes and didn't answer. She took another bite of her burger and chewed it angrily. She could feel her temper beginning to rise. 'Don't engage, Nina, it's not worth it.' Nina reminded herself that it would benefit her in no way to make an enemy on day one. She just needed to keep a low profile and make it through Initiation. She pointedly turned her back on the boy and leaned forward to join Maddie and Amir's conversation.
The bully continued speaking to Nina, his voice low and menacing. "Ignoring me won't change reality, loser. You have no chance of survival here," he taunted. "I bet you give up by the end of the week." Then his grubby fingers pinched the back of Nina's arm, twisting her skin sharply and leaving an angry red mark.
Nina whipped around and knocked the boy's arm away from her. The sudden movement surprised the boy. He stood angrily and shoved at Nina, who shoved back instinctively. The full glass in his hand flew out of his grasp as he jolted, and its contents were emptied onto the person sitting at the adjacent table. The glass clashed to the ground and broke into numerous shards. There was a lull in surrounding conversations as people turned to see the source of the commotion. "Don't ever tough me again," Nina hissed quietly, "or I will fucking ruin you."
She took a sharp breath, grabbed her tray, and dumped its belongings into the nearest trash bin. Simultaneously, the person whose back had been soaked by the errant cup turned to identify the culprit. It was Eric, and he was fuming. He grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and lifted him several inches off the ground. "Tomorrow morning I want you in the training room at dawn running sprints until the rest of the Initiates show up. Next time you fuck with me, I'm throwing you down the chasm. Got it?"
The boy paled and nodded meekly and Nina quickly left the dining hall, hoping to avoid crossing Eric's line of fire. Her knees trembled with anger and her fists were closed tightly. A stream of expletives flowed in her mind.
Heavy footsteps followed her out of the dining room into the pit. She turned to see Eric storming out, his damp shirt clinging tightly to his torso. Nina appraised him warily, hoping desperately that he hadn't come to punish her as well. She crossed her arms and looked away from Eric, to a distant spot above his face. "I won't apologize for my behavior," she said through gritted teeth. "He was pushing my buttons."
Eric pulled the wet shirt off over his head, crumpled it into a ball, and squeezed the liquid out of the fabric. "Well the next time someone 'pushes your buttons', try not to ruin my clothing." He angrily tossed the soaking shirt away from him. It hit the cavern wall and slid down.
Nina couldn't resist rolling her eyes. "Don't be so melodramatic, it's just water." She huffed and picked up the shirt. "I'll even wash it for you. Happy?" She offered, her words dripping with sarcasm.
Eric stormed up to her and shoved his finger in her face. "Don't give me attitude."
Nina defiantly put her hands to her hips. "Don't dish it out if you can't take it."
Eric's furious steel eyes made Nina flinch, but she refused to back away. 'What a fucking drama queen,' she thought, with half a mind to tell him so, consequences be damned. "You better watch your mouth," he hissed. "I can make your life miserable here."
Before Nina could retort, someone interrupted them by calling out Eric's name. It was Max, the leader of Dauntless. Before stepping away, Eric shot Nina an intense warning look; he would not be forgetting this incident anytime soon.
The next morning, Nina's body ached in ways she hadn't even known were possible. She groaned into her pillow and pulled it over her face to block the light.
"Get up, get up, get up," sang Maddie. When Nina made no effort to move, she began to annoyingly prod her in the side.
Nina swatted away her hand. "I hate you. Go away." She rolled over and curled up, eager to catch just a few more minutes of sleep...
"I brought you breakfast," said Maddie sweetly. This did not surprise Nina; for as long as she could remember, Maddie had enjoyed waking up early to exercise and tend to her family's small garden. Meanwhile Nina had gotten chastised by Amity leaders countless times for showing up late to required activities, and her parents had caught her more than once staying up late past her curfew.
Nina lifted the pillow and looked up wearily. Maddie was holding a muffin in one hand and a bowl of apple sauce in the other. Nina smiled and took the goods from her friend. "Just kidding, I love you." She ate the apple sauce first. The taste was sweet and made Nina feel nostalgic, though it was no match for a fresh apple. She knew she likely would never have one again; fresh produce was available in Amity only, while the other factions received shipments of jarred or processed items. She closed her eyes and pictured Amity now, the orchard glittering with bright sunshine. The days would soon grow shorter and cooler as autumn replaced summer. She wondered how her parents were doing, and if they missed her like she already missed them. Her old friends would enjoy the last days of warmth outside while Nina would be trapped in this dim and humid place. Nina was yanked away from her thoughts when she spotted Eric's black shirt, which she'd hung up to dry at the end of the bed the night before; she reminded herself to avoid his attention today.
Nina changed quickly and joined the group of transfers in the training room right on time. She was pleased to see that the boy whom she'd had an altercation with the night before, whose name she'd learned was Clark, was sweating and exhausted from his forced early-morning drill. Her mood instantly soured when Eric and Four walked in the door. Eric had a calculating expression on his face that made Nina nervous.
"Initiates," began Four, "today we will begin training you in the art of physical combat. Starting tomorrow, you'll be pitted randomly against each other to fight." He cleared his throat and continued. "Your ability to block and hit your opponent will be a determining factor in your ranking." He stepped into the arena, which had a matted platform. "Eric and I will start by demonstrating-"
Eric cut Four off as he stepped into the ring, crossing his arms menacingly. "Actually, I have something better in mind. We'll have one of the Initiates help demonstrate instead." Eric gave Four a stern look that dared him to argue. Four's face tightened as he stepped off the mat. Eric shot the group a smug smile and cracked his knuckles. "Nina?"
Nina mentally kicked herself for having ever argued with Eric. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid girl!' She reprimanded herself, 'I need to learn to hold my tongue.' Clark gave her the middle finger as she passed through the group. She stomped on his toes in response, earning chuckles from Amir and Maddie, then stepped onto the mat. She cautiously approached Eric, a grim expression on her face.
Eric spoke to the group. "The first thing you need to learn is how to block your opponent." He stepped behind Nina and rotated her hips into the proper stance. Next, his hands curled over hers, forcing Nina to close her fists. He lifted her fists to her temples and continued instructing, "You need to keep your fists up at all times. Don't let your guard down."
He used his knee to nudge Nina's legs apart and tapped her leg behind her knee, forcing her legs to loosen. "Don't be a Stiff." Nina instantly thought about the Abnegation girl who had failed to jump from the train. She forced her thoughts to return to the present as Eric continued speaking. "You need to keep your legs relaxed if you want to move quickly. Stand with your feet a shoulder-width apart, toes facing forward." Eric grabbed Nina's chin, more roughly than was necessary, and positioned it downwards. She had to stop herself from spitting in his face in retribution. "Your opponent is going to try to strike your face. Tuck your chin to avoid that. If you get hit in the face, that's a broken nose or a cut. Getting blood in your eyes will impair your ability to see, and your opponent will easily take you down."
He swung his foot up at Nina, and she instinctively flinched away and dropped her guard. "Wrong move," he said sternly. "That reaction leaves you open for attack and can get you easily killed. You need to duck at your knees and land a strike on your way back up." Eric quickly swept his leg up at her face again. She ducked properly this time and launched a sloppy punch to Eric's face. He easily deflected it with his forearm.
Eric threw a punch at her face, striking her right cheek. He hit hard enough to hurt but softly enough that it wouldn't leave a mark. Nina glared at Eric and threw another punch towards him. He nimbly blocked it again and smirked. "Watch the way I block," he told the initiates. "I twist my torso and use my forearm to catch the hit. Remember to keep your fists up. Never leave your face unguarded." He lobbed his fist at Nina's face once more. This time she rotated her hips and angled her forearm up to deflect the punch. 'I think I'm getting the hang of this.'
"When it comes to punching your opponent, you don't want to be sloppy like Nina." She shot Eric a dark scowl, which he ignored. "You want to land a strong, clean punch with plenty of force behind it. Don't rely on just your upper body strength. Use your legs and torso to add power to your punch. Rotate your fist horizontally as you strike and immediately return to base position to block." Eric threw a jab to Nina's nose that she failed to block. "That would have been a broken nose if I had put any power behind it," he admonished her.
Nina nodded and wiped away a small trickle of blood from her left nostril. She mimicked his strike and landed a solid punch on his chin. She felt momentarily pleased with herself - until he swept his right leg quickly under her calves. Suddenly Nina was on her back, the wind knocked out of her lungs. Eric's knees were on either side of her body and one hand pushed down on her upper chest, pinning her to the ground. Nina tried to wriggle her lower body to get him off of her.
"This is a dominant position," Eric explained, his head turned to face the Initiates. "It's the best position to be in when you're fighting, because you can easily strike, choke-hold, or lock an opponent." He displayed a few different grappling techniques using light punches that Nina attempted to deflect.
"If you find yourself in the guard position, there are some techniques you can use to overpower and escape your opponent." Eric flipped her so that now he was on his back with Nina sitting on his abdomen. She glared fiercely at him, eager to show off what she'd learned. She leaned down and put Eric in a choke-hold. He rotated his hips and pushed his knee up, forcing Nina to let go. She found herself with her back on the ground once again, this time with her legs tangled with Eric's. He smirked down at her then continued to address the Initiates. "If you fail to break guard you can also try to land a few punches. Often the person in the dominant position is unable to properly deflect blows." Nina dealt two consecutive blows, striking Eric at the temple and his nose. She clamped her thighs around his torso to limit his hip mobility and tried to regain the dominant position. He momentarily lost balance but Nina was unable to break guard. He dealt one final, soft blow to her nose, then got off her. He offered her a hand up, but Nina scoffed and stood up without his aid. He rolled his eyes and turned away from her to face the Initiates. "Use the punching bags and training equipment until lunch." When the transfers didn't immediately move, Eric barked, "Now!"
Nina strode away to meet up with Maddie and Amir. The three friends chose adjacent punching bags and began practicing their strikes. Four and Eric weaved among the Initiates, occasionally offering tips or changing someone's posture. When the leaders were on the other side of the room, Maddie locked eyes with Nina. "What the fuck was that about?"
Nina shrugged and looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about." She alternated left and right hand strikes. She felt herself subconsciously improving the power and speed behind her punches every time Eric looked her way. The heat of his gaze electrified her.
"Like hell you don't know!" muttered Maddie. "Eric looked like he wanted to kill you – I know you well enough to know when you're not telling me something."
"Well," Nina gave in. It was no use lying to her best friend, and she was a terrible liar anyways. "I may or may not have given him some attitude…" she confessed, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
Maddie snorted and Amir playfully struck at Nina's shoulder. "You're either the bravest or the dumbest person I know."
Nina chuckled and punched back. "Probably the latter, to be completely honest." She swept her sweat-soaked hair into a ponytail and struck the bag repeatedly until her hands were bruised and bloodied.
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