Chapter 4

The next morning, I wake up earlier than usual. Today, the initiates will be starting fights. Sighing, I get ready as quickly as I can and sit down at my desk, to organize the initiates into pairs.

I think for a moment before putting Will and Al, a Candor, together. They are friends with each other and of Tris and Christina, but are so evenly matched, that I decide to leave them together. Will is tall and quick, while Al is slow but strong. Then I decide to pair Peter with Edward and Christina with Molly.I have three Transfers left- Tris, Myra, and Drew. Tris is smarter and faster than Drew, and could easily defeat Myra. I decide to verse Myra and Drew, and let Tris sit out for the day.

?

I walk into the training room about five minutes early, and start writing the pairs onto the blackboard. I hear Eric slam the door shut behind him and stomp over to me. He sneers as he sees the empty space next to Tris' name, and turns to me.

"Why isn't Stiff fighting today?" He asks me.

"I thought it'd be pretty obvious, considering you are from Erudite. There's an odd number of Transfers, so one isn't fighting today." My voice is calm, but my thoughts are muddled. What if Eric finds out of my attraction to Tris? He's always willing to do anything to hurt me, and if he even suspected that I liked Tris, he would do everything in his power to make life miserable for her. I take a deep breath; there's no way he could find out.

"Well, why is she of all people sitting out? Still sympathetic of your old faction, it seems" Eric's face piercings glint and stretch as a cold smile appears on his face. I stare at him. "She was one of the three people I had yet to pair, and the other two seemed better matched for each other," I say. "And who's the instructor here, anyway?" As soon as the words leave my mouth, I wish I could eat them up again. Eric's face contorts into an even uglier, crueler image as he scowls.

"Think you're better than me, huh?" Yes, "Well, think again. I'm the Dauntless leader, and I could easily remove you from your post, even from your Faction… If it were to come to that." He smiles evilly. I can barely keep from rolling my eyes, since I'm already leaving anyway, until I hear his next sentence.

"I'll be doing the fight pairings for tomorrow, and I'll make sure to put your Stiff with a… Suitable partner." The color drains from my face. He called her mine. He'll pair her with Peter is all I can hear in my head as I walk around the room, pulling the punching bags off the hooks and storing them out of the way.

?

"Since there are an odd number of you, one of you won't be fighting today," I say, unable to keep my gaze from straying to Tris. I step away from the board and Tris' face fills with relief. I walk to the edge of the arena as Will and Al step in. They circle for a moment, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Al aims a punch at Will's jaw. He ducks and darts away, after sending a kick towards Al's stomach. The two continue circling, casting glances at Eric or me.

"Do you think this a leisure activity? Should we break for naptime? Fight each other!" Will and Al exchange glances before looking at me.

"But…" Al straightens, " Is it scored or something? When does the fight end?"

"It ends when one of you is unable to continue," Eric says, as comfortably as if he had just ordered lunch instead of condemned one of them to be too beat up to continue fighting.

"According to Dauntless rules," I counter, "One of you could also concede." Eric glowers at me, narrowing his eyes so he looks more intimidating. He is constantly forgetting that I am the one who knocked his teeth out in a fight.

"According to the old Dauntless rules. In the new rules, nobody concedes." Eric shoots a glare at me. To anyone else, it would look like Eric was challenging me. I know this is him of trying to conceal the coward he really is.

I also know that if I don't back down now, I will lunge at him and anger him further, so I bury the urge and look away, crossing my arms and clenching both fists. To avoid harming Eric, I create a silent chant, and let it become the only thing on my mind. Don't attack him. The coward. He isn't worth Tris' safety.