Spitfire - Eric Coulter

Chapter XIX

My cheeks heat up at the compliment.

"That is...wonderful...to hear, Mr Coulter, would you mind if I talk to my daughter in private?", my father asks, ever so friendly, but he has a grip on my arm that tells me that inside, he is anything but calm. And my headache makes everything worse.

"Sure", Eric says. When my father pulls me away.

We turn into the next hallway and before I even register it, my father's palm connects harshly with my cheek.

"Haven't I told you to never, ever, leave our faction like your traitor brother?!", he exclaims.

"I have never made promises, Marcus", I state, while my voice is trembling, my hands shaking and I feel tears prick at the corner of my eyes.

"I am your father, and you will address me as such, am I clear?!"

"Yes", I gulp. I really was weak. Giving into him ever so quickly. Not this time. No. "Marcus."

A fist in my abdomen.

"You will respect me!", he yells.

"Respect is earned", I hiss and he shoves me against the wall behind me, my head colliding painfully with the stone.

"I will teach you to not disobey me! I will teach you obedience!"

His fist flies towards my face. I catch it. My breathing rapid. Marcus' face turns red. His second hand rises, but he is swirled around and thrown against the next wall. Tobias.

"You will never lay a hand on her again!", my brother seethes and I see a second figure in the hallway. Eric, who now walks towards me.

I crumble down, sliding down the wall, trying to breathe, just to breathe. But I can't. My face hurts, my stomach hurts, my head. Oh, my head hurts so badly.

"Four, that's enough", Eric commands and I look up, my father on the ground, Tobias standing above him.

"He was beating her, he deserves this", my brother says.

"It's alright, Four. He should go, and never show his face here again", I say. Now I can say it, with two of the strongest Dauntless members by my side. But not alone. Of course not.

My father even laughs at that. With Eric's help, I get up and walk over to the man that will forever haunt my nightmares. And I let my fist connect with his nose. It hurts me at least as much as it hurts him, but gosh it felt good.

"Will you lead our guest of the compound, Four? I will make sure that there is an alert system put in place if he does decide to come back", Eric says, my brother nods.

And then it is all over. And my knees give out once more. Eric, of course, catches me.

"It's alright, he can't hit you ever again", he soothes me as I bury my face in his chest.

"I am so weak. With him, I am always weak", I whisper, so quietly I think Eric might not hear.

But it seems that he does. He pulls me through the hallways, up two stairs and left. Our training room.

"You are not weak. You have proven that to me on your second day. Now prove it to yourself. Fight me", Eric says and stands in the middle of the mat.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

So I raise my fists and take the stance he taught me.

"Start."

I couldn't possibly win against him.

He starts. Fists flying at me with a speed that even Tobias doesn't match. I manage to block them, but nothing more at first. One punch after the other, until I get accustomed to the speed and throw some punches myself, which he, of course, blocks. But I get faster as well. Start using kicks. Eric does as well and sends me flying across the mat, but I roll over and stand back up. Eric sends me a smirk and I duck, tackling him to the ground. He is above me in an instant. I send my fist up hitting his solar plexus, making him gasp for air, giving me enough time to roll over, but he was quick, the grasp on my arms not weakening even when I was above him. I yank my arms back and down, then get up. When he sits up, I move behind him, putting him in a headlock, my heels digging into the side of his knees while I try my best to stop the blood flow into his brain. But he simply smashes his head back, against my chin, so hard it makes my eyes water and when I try to get up, my vision blurs, that I can barely block his next blow. Eric retracts his fist and comes to steady me.

"Sorry", he says while sitting me down.

"It's alright", I smile as best I can. Eric disappears from the room, coming back with an ice pack moments later, gently holding it against my jaw.

"You did well", he says, "no match for me, that will take years, but very well."

"Dear old Eric praising an initiate. Don't let anybody hear."

He smirks.

"Are you okay?"

I nod. "Not the worst things he's ever done. I'll survive and smash his face in next time I see him."

"There's my girl", he grins.

"Sadly, I have a meeting to attend and training starts again tomorrow. Expect the worst and double that", Eric then adds, giving me a quick kiss on the top of my head, then exiting the training room, but just before he leaves: "I'll make sure he never sets foot in Dauntless again."