Chapter 7: Second Day

I walk into the training room the next day expecting a plethora of weapons. Instead, I see punching bags lined up in rows. I stop abruptly, and Eve runs into my back.

"Oh. My. God," she says, and I just nod. We have to learn how to fight. This is going to be just great.

I see Ten and Sin mock fighting each other at the back of the room, not actually landing blows, but pretending to.

"Come on, Sin," I hear Ten saying, and then Sin laughs. Ten ducks under a blow from Sin, then jabs up at his stomach.

Samuel stands behind us, as does David, both muttering quietly. "What the hell?" I hear, clearly from Samuel.

Then Ten and Sin stop fighting each other, and turn to see us standing and watching them. Ten flicks his hair out of his eyes, with a half-smile on his face.

"Today, we're going to learn how to fight," Ten says.

"Well, more like you are going to be learning how to fight. We already know how." Sin smirks.

"I will be showing you how to punch, and Sin will be showing you how to kick," Ten starts to demonstrate punches against the air, and then the punching bag. Sin shows us the kicks.

We take our place at a punching bag. Eve and I stand across from each other. I start to punch and kick, but the bag barely moves. Eve laughs at me and I tell her to shut up. Suddenly, Ten is in front of me, watching me struggle.

"You both don't have a lot of muscle," he says to me. His eyes are fixed on my face as he speaks. "Your best weapons are your knees and elbows. Keep the tension in your core. That way you'll put more power in your punches." His green eyes lock on mine for what feels like an eternity. Finally it breaks, and he walks away. What is he trying to prove? He hurt me yesterday, made me stand there as he taunted me. I take a deep breath in, holding it until my lungs ache. I let it out. I start to punch and punch and punch, channeling anger and frustration and homesickness and missing my mother and brother into each strike. I missed home. Things weren't so complicated there. There I knew where I stood, but here…

"OKAY GUYS!" Sin shouts over the sound of skin on leather. "IT'S TIME FOR LUNCH!" The noise stops, bringing a tentative silence. It is shattered by Eve exclaiming "Oh my God! What were you doing?! Your hands are BLEEDING!"

"Yeah," I answer, "so is that cut on your hand."

"I'm always bleeding," she says. "But seriously!"

I glance over at the punching bag. The faded grey leather is stained where my blood has soaked into it. I put my fingers out to touch the stained places. I see my hands. The knuckles are split and bloody, dark red running down my arms.

Ten walks down the aisle of leather punching bags, pausing only a second to look at me, then turning around again.

"She's bleeding Sin," I heard him say.

"Get over it, Ten," Sin said back.

"You know I—"

"Fine."

Footsteps approached, then, Sin was taking my hands in his. Sienna was already there with paper towels, and he wrapped them, shoving me off toward the infirmary without another word.

I approach the infirmary as the paper towels wrapped around my hands start to be soaked through. The nurse, a purple-haired woman with a septum piercing, sighs when she sees my hands. She rushes to grab bandages and alcohol.

"You barely avoided stitches. What were you doing?!" she asks.

"Punching a punching bag," I wince as she rubs alcohol over the cuts, making them sting.

She says nothing, but finishes wrapping my hands. I then realize that, when we fight, they will be my weakness. After lunch, we will start fighting. They will know where to aim to cause me pain.

I thank the nurse, tugging my hoodie sleeves over my hands. I head for the Pit and food. My stomach is growling. I see Eve and Sin sitting at our corner table. They are chatting animatedly. Ten is there, looking despondent. I run hurriedly through the line at the front of the cafeteria.

Ten smiles at me faintly as I sit down.

"Hey," I say.

"Hey, Julie," Eve says, pushing a huge slice of Dauntless cake toward me.

Sin makes a wild grab for it, but I lick the top. He hesitates, then goes for it.

"No," I caution. "Bad. Bad Sin! My Dauntless cake!"

Ten seems to shake off his bad mood. He grabs for my cake as well, and I smack his hand.

"Fine you vultures," I say. I put the cake in the middle of the table, and they polish it off.

After lunch we all file into the room. There is a chalkboard on the wall. It is labeled with names.

Andrew-Leon

David-Samuel

Sienna- Eve

Julia-Evan

Theran-Andrea

Andrew and Leon jump into the circle. Andrew easily beats Leon, smashing him with a crippling blow. He doesn't rise.

Samuel beats David in five minutes flat. Then I become nervous as Eve steps into the circle. She looks scared and nervous.

Her eyes are wide. Sienna lunges toward her, jabbing for her face. Eve tries to duck, but she is too slow. A line of blood runs from her eyebrow, and she goes down. She staggers upright twenty seconds later, and the ring is cleared for my fight with Evan.

He stands across from me. A sarcastic smirk is painted on his face. "Really, Sin, Ten. You put me against her? The Stiff?" He laughs harshly.

"Oh shut the hell up." I say and jab him in the face. I see blood running down into his mouth. I must have punched his nose. He kicks my side. Damn. I feel pain explode in my stomach. He punched me in the stomach, that insufferable—. My leg swings to kick at his side. I make contact, and he staggers. I kick him again. He falls, and I kick his head, knocking him out. I don't like Evan.

Ten circle my name. Victory. Yay.

I don't feel happy, though. I feel like an axe murderer. But then Evan gets up and I don't feel too bad. Eve bounds over, eye swelling, but otherwise okay.

"Hey, nice job!" she says. "I would have loved to kick Evan's ass."

"Thanks," I say, massaging my side. "He packs quite a punch."

"Of course," she drawls.

"Oh, shut up. You got beat by a hippie," I say.

"I let her win."

"Yeah, right."

"I did!"

"You were beat by a hippie! You were beat by a hippie!"

"It was either that or hang over the Chasm. I prefer my life to my dignity."

"You were beat by a hippie; you were beat by a hippie," I chorus.

"Shut up!" she dives for me. I dart away, running behind Ten.

"Whoa!" he exclaims.

"COWARD!" she yells.

"You were beat by a hippie!" I sing.

"Ohh," Ten says in his Instructor Ten voice. "Quit it you two."

We run off to dinner, ignoring Ten's glare.