The last days of training had breezed by pretty quickly. The knife throwing and shooting training went by pretty smoothly, most of them being neck and neck. Fighting, however, was the one that took the longest. Just as I was watching the fights, I could tell all of them were fighting for their lives. They fought with the drive of wanting to stay and represent us as newfound members of Dauntless. The idea didn't give me a good feeling in the end, since Max was holding their lives in his hands.
The smell of chocolate muffins and coffee spread throughout the dining hall as the cooks brought them in and set them on the tables. Cheerful shouts and anxious looks could be seen upon all of the initiate's faces. They knew what today was.
Today would determine whether or not they would stay in Dauntless, or be booted out onto the streets.
Max has still yet to tell me whether or not he accepted my offer. My father hasn't sent me any letters on the matter, telling me that the deal may be off.
I was sitting with the other leaders in between Lucas and Eric. Eric and I didn't talk for most of testing day, except for when discussing who to give more points to. I think it was mainly because of our 'moment' we had during Capture the Flag, in which spread rapidly in the compound. So, now everyone knew.
The banging of cups and water splashing interrupted me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Max with his two bodyguards and a projector. Since the rankings were to be combined, they decided to project it on a screen to make everything easier.
"Good morning initiates and leaders! Today is the day that we find out who will be staying for stage two, and who will be leaving after dinner today. I will speak for the leaders when I say this, no matter what happens, you are cherished for your determination and your want. Turn and look at the screen."
Rapidly, numbers and letters started appearing on the screen. I brightly smiled when I saw that most of the transfer initiates made it into the second stage. I was upset knowing that Edward and Myra had a sudden disappearance due to Peter's jealousy. It pissed me off more than anything.
Screams of joy and sorrow echoed throughout the room. I was feeling two emotions at that moment: happiness for the initiates who progressed to stage two, and sadness for the initiates who were to be booted out of Dauntless. In my head, I was praying that Max took my offer to heart and decided to transfer them to the Special Corps Compound.
"Silence!" Max's voice boomed throughout the dining hall.
Everyone immediately went silent, waiting for Max to continue on with his speech.
"Now, three days ago, an offer from one of our staff had come to my attention. I was informed that at a different Dauntless location, a lot of elder members are retiring. This has caused a panic to fill up these positions as soon as possible."
Lucas nudged me, reminding me of the deal I had made with him.
"Adelaide, if you could stand upon the table please."
Getting into formal stance, I got up from my seat and made my way to the table, anxious eyes all looking upon me.
"Adelaide, you're concern for your initiate's future has kept my mind going. You were willing to put yourself on the line to make sure that your students would be able to see a successful future. Your father and I have spoken about this topic day and night. That is why that from now on, anyone who is cut will be transferred to the Special Ops Center to be trained in a more diplomatic sense of Dauntless."
Whispers and excited cries sounded were heard as he was talking.
"In exchange, you and your partner are now permitted to stay for the rest of the initiation until the end of stage three. Is that understood?"
I saluted, "Yes, sir!"
A smile crept onto his face, "Congratulations everyone! You now have the rest of the day off!"
With that he left, and I was met by countless hugs, thank you's, and cries from the cut initiates. For the rest of the morning, i was met with hugs and thank you's from initiates, and stares from leaders.
After lunch, Lucas and I went over by the bar and ordered a mixed drink. It was nice to have some alone time at the moment, since everywhere I went was bombarded with initiates.
"You are an amazing woman, Adelaide," Lucas said, taking a drink of his Corona.
I smiled, "I'm just looking out for the initiates. Everyone deserves a second chance."
Looking around the bar, I noticed Four wandering around aimlessly, as if he was looking for someone. Once we both caught eyes, he immediately rushed over to us.
"That was a thoughtful thing you did back there," Four stated plainly.
I smiled, "Thank you-"
"But, I am here to warn you. Eric is not too pleased."
I sighed. Of course he wouldn't be.
"Where is he?"
"Throwing knives."
I nodded and got up, "Excuse me, I'm gonna' go deal with him before he decides to attack me in my sleep."
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Lucas asked concerned.
I nodded, " I can get through to him."
I slid out of the booth we occupied and walked toward the training room, where Eric was swiftly throwing a Dauntless's best friend. I didn't approach him too quickly because I could tell by his face that he was letting off some steam.
"Are you just going to stand there?" Eric asked on a cold tone.
"If that's what's needed."
A little smirk rose upon his face before he threw his last blade. It landed point blank on the target.
He turned towards me, "Why did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Don't try that. You know what," he said, his voice hinting a hostile tone.
"We needed initiates to fill in the spots. If I didn't do that, the Special Corps center wouldn't be stable for the next five years. Those positions are crucial, so why pass the opportunity?"
"But they failed. Why would you want people that failed?"
"Because the positions they are going for are not primarily physical," I accentuated. "They are more secretary and diplomatic. They will be trained to be able to argue for what is best for the faction."
Silence waved over us. Eric was now looking down at his feet. Was he upset? Angry? Embarrassed?
I took the chance of approaching him slowly, just in case he was thinking of lashing out. I stopped when I was standing right in front of him. My hand went to the right side of his face, slowly lifting his head up to see his blue, emotionless eyes staring back into mine.
"What's on your mind?" I whispered.
He was silent for a little bit before he spoke.
"Why are you like this? Willing to give these initiates a second chance when they didn't prove worthy?"
I stroke his cheekbone, "Because I would want someone to do the same thing for me."
He slightly nodded before bringing his hand up to mine, not making an attempt to move it.
"Just because they didn't prove himself or herself doesn't mean that they have nothing to offer. They just have a different skillset than everyone else. It shouldn't be wasted."
He sighed, "What do you do to me?"
I became confused, "What do you mean?"
"You do something to me. You bring out soft feelings within me. I was taught to be better, to be smarter, and to not care about anyone about myself. But, with you here, you have opened my eyes to realize everyone else's needs, and to actually want to help. I would usually be pissed off because this is happening. But, I'm not. You make me soft," he said in a struggling tone, as if he was trying to stop himself from breaking down.
I smiled, "Maybe that's a good thing. I know it's hard, but you need to understand that everyone deserves a second chance, no matter what. Just don't get too soft on me. I like you when your cruel sometimes."
The corner of his mouth tugged up, creating what seemed to be a genuine smile.
"Are you okay?"
He nodded.
"I'll leave you alone."
Just as I started to walk away, Eric grabbed my hand.
"Can I ask you something?" Eric asked, his tone suddenly becoming soft.
"Yes."
"Did you mean what you said two days ago? About my strive for excellence?"
After a short silence, I nodded, "Of course. I always mean what I say."