Made It Out Alive

Part 4

I woke early the next day and took the time to properly stretch and warm up before the last day of fighting. I knew that Peter was most likely going to be my opponent, and I knew that I was going to place above him by the end of the day, I had something to prove. When the fights were announced no one was surprised that my name was next to Peters. When we entered the ring he smiled at me. Not his usual smirk but a genuine smile, like he had been waiting for this. He swung first, an easy hit to dodge. I swiped at his knees and sent him tumbling to the ground. I pinned him to the ground alternating hits so that he never knew where my next hit was coming from. He managed to throw me off and return the favor. I would have a black eye and my lip was busted but I was ready for him when he came at me again. We fought longer than almost anyone else had, dancing around each other as we looked for signs of weakness to take advantage of. Finally I found one and left Peter passed out cold on the floor.

I was putting ice on my eye when Tris took up her place in the ring with Molly. I watched as Four had to pull Tris away from Molly as she kicked her repeatedly once she managed to get her on the ground. He looked alarmed as he watched her walk off. I had known that she had had it in her, she had a lot of anger that she had stored up and the blood lust was easy to see in her eyes when she had entered the ring. I moved to the other half of the room where the Dauntless born were fighting each other and plopped down next to Uriah.

"You guys already done?" He asked as he turned his head to acknowledge me.

"I am, I didn't feel like watching the rest of them fight. It's not super interesting when they haven't gotten any better." I shrugged.

The Dauntless born were more interesting to watch. They had been raised to fight, this was something they excelled at. It was like watching Orion and Eric fight.

"Is that what it looks like when I fight?" I asked as I watched Lynn take down an opponent twice her size.

"Kind of. You're better at it. More graceful, like you're dancing." Uriah replied.

I waited with him until the rest were done and dismissed for dinner. We moved as a pack through the halls, joking and shoving each other the way I had always seen them do in the hallways at school and moving through the city. We ate with the other Dauntless born until the chatter died down at the mention of Visiting Day. They all shot me a look of sympathy. They didn't know that I had family here, or that my grandfather had originally been one of them. I brushed off their worries as I joked about them being stuck with their families meddling in their business. Finally I made my way to my bed and plopped face down on my pillow. I hadn't realized how hard it would be to have to face my parents again.

When I woke up I laid in bed for a few extra moments as everyone shuffled around quietly getting dressed. I headed to the showers and let the water wash over me, the thought of having to face my antiviolence mother causing a bubble of anxiety to form in my stomach. I wrapped my towel around myself and headed back to my bunk, my footsteps leaving little stains of water on the ground.. The sound of doors slamming open caught my attention long enough for me to see Eric standing in the front of the room. I turned my back to him as I pulled on underwear under my towel. I let the towel fall as I pulled on my bra and quickly pulled a tank top over it, I could feel his eyes lingering on my back as I moved and for some reason it caused me to slow down just enough to give him a little more of a show. I turned to face him, his gaze lingering on me as he waited for the others to give him the attention he was waiting for.

"Attention! I want to give you some advice about today, if by some miracle your family does come to visit you, which I doubt. It's best to not seem too attached. That will make it easier for you and easier for them. We also take the phrase 'faction before blood' very seriously here. Attachment to your family suggests you aren't pleased with your faction, which would be shameful. Understood?"