"Rise and shine! This will be your one and only wake up call! I expect to see you in the training room at eight sharp!" Eric yelled, slamming his metal thermos against the door.
Groaning, I pulled myself out of bed so I could have a shower before the hot water went.
I showered quickly, taking no more than the ten minutes I would've had in Abnegation. I watched myself in the mirror as I brush my teeth, the cuts that peppered my forehead and cheekbone had scabbed, the bags under my eyes made me look tired.
I was very pleased with myself when I managed to find the dining room alone. I collected a muffin from the basket and passed the hot food options. Whilst I waited for Maddie and Jake, I braided my hair and watched as the initiates filtered in
"I hate early mornings." Maddie groaned, resting her head on my shoulder.
"Trust me, I'm not a fan either." I took a jug of orange juice and a glass from the centre of the table. Jake sat down with a full breakfast and a cup of coffee.
"Is that all you're going to have?" Jake asked, I watched as he sliced into the yolk of his sunny side up eggs and used his syruped pancake to mop it up.
"You are far too happy in the morning." I warned, tossing a chunk of my muffin at him.
Jake caught it in his mouth and grinned.
.:.
I stepped into the training room, a large concrete and brick room with tall, iron-framed windows at one end, the wooden floor was punctuated by large mats. My brother and Eric were standing by a digital board, all the initiates were listed in alphabetical order.
"Training will be eight till six every day with an hour break at lunch and time off between stages. After six you can do what you want, but if you want to leave the Dauntless compound you must be accompanied by a member." Tobias informed the group. "This is the ranking board, you will be ranked by your performance in each stage, in the first stage of initiation you'll train separately from Dauntless-borns but you'll be ranked together. Your rank will determine what jobs you can move into if you become Dauntless."
"And who gets cut." Eric added as he wandered over, taking a sip of his drink.
"Cut?" a girl asked, panic laced in her voice.
"Only the top twelve will make it into Dauntless, and since there's no going back to your families you live factionless." Eric answered, his voice void of any emotion as his eyes swept over the group, staring at me a second longer than everyone else, making the hairs on my neck stand on end. "The lowest ranking initiates will be cut at the end of stage one and at the end of stage three."
No one spoke.
I may not survive my initiation.
"You chose us, now we get to chose you."
.:.
The eleven transfers were silent as we were herded onto one of the large, flat rooftops where mannequin-style targets were set up behind some concrete barriers.
"If you are going to be in Dauntless being able to shoot a target is important, you are the city's protectors and you must be prepared to defend yourself and others. Being prepared to react despite your fear prevents cowardice." Eric explained, Tobias pressed a rifle into each of our hands as he talked. The gun was heavier than I expected.
I watched carefully as my brother stood in front of the target with his feet a shoulder width apart, he positioned his hands, one on the pistol grip the other on the hand-guard, as he pillowed the butt of the rifle against his shoulder.
When Tobias pulled the trigger the noise was deafening, I could feel as it vibrated around my head, I blinked before focusing on the target.
The dummy had a neat hole in the centre of its head.
"Now pay attention." Tobias stated "we have a lot to cover."
The transfers were lead through the components of the weapon, we deconstructed them until they were nothing but metal parts laid on a cloth, then we cleaned each part individually with gun oil, and were told to rebuild them again.
Once we had rebuilt our rifles, then we were allowed to shoot them.
I was third to finish, my brother checked over the gun with a critical eye before handing it back with bullets and a nod.
I joined the line of transfers who had already finished, Jake offered me a reassuring smile as I stood next to him, his dummy was already riddled with bullet holes, however, none were in the circles.
I planted my feet. I raised my gun. I squared my shoulders. I aimed. I squeezed the trigger.
The recoil of the gun was more than I expected, forcing me to step back, my eyes landed on my empty target and I gritted my teeth.
I tried again.
After a few hours, I was the only one who still hadn't hit the middle, everyone else was getting perfect groupings on their target.
"Break for lunch, be at the training room in a hour," Eric yelled, it wasn't until the gunfire stopped I noticed that there was a muffled quality to his voice.
Tobias came and collected the guns, I held mine out with sore arms but Eric grabbed him as his had closed around it. "Leave the Stiff's, she's going to learn to hit the middle. Twenty times. Consecutively."
My brother narrowed his eyes at the blonde leader "as the instructor, only I have the authority give that order."
"As a Dauntless Leader I have authority to overrule your decision." Eric argued smoothly, "I also have the authority to have you removed from your position, and Dauntless, if I so please."
I watched, along with the other transfers, the exchange, neither men seemed to step down. Smirking, Eric leaned forward and whispered so quietly barely I could hear him "you turned down your leadership role, now don't make me do something I will enjoy."
Tobi nodded stiffly and lead all the other initiates to the train station.
Eric sat with his back against the wall and watched my every movement. I tried to ignore him.
I curled my finger around the trigger and pulled, the bullet landed in the outer rings.
"Come on, Stiff."
I tried until my arms burned and my fingers cramped, I had chosen Dauntless long before it had chosen me, and the bitter taste of failure was starting to sting.
"This is bullshit." I stormed forward, he hadn't expected that by the surprise that flashed in his eyes, for the past two hours he'd sat silent, a cold look of indifference on his face, as if he couldn't even muster up the energy to ridicule me.
Eric jumped up and strode towards me, clearing the remaining distance in a few strides and forcing me to stop abruptly. "It's not my fault you're a failure, Stiff." he snarled.
"Well maybe if you done your job I wouldn't be."
Eric reached into his jacket, the barrel of a pistol was thrust between the space between my eyes. My anger died in my throat.
"What did you say, initiate?" His tone was soft and controlled, somehow that felt more dangerous, his jaw clenched. "Would you like to repeat yourself?"
I swallowed.
"I'm not scared of you." I stated quietly, narrowing my eyes at him.
"You should be."
The look in his eyes terrified me. They were blank, unremorseful.
"I could shoot you right now and no one would give a shit, you are nothing, I could end you before anyone even knew your name. If you ever," Eric pressed the barrel into my head harder to emphasis "ever talk to me like that again I will personally ensure you never step foot in this compound again."
I watched him, it seemed too dangerous to risk looking away for a second. The icy grey eyes narrowed before he holstered his pistol.
Slumping back against the barrier, I took a moment to breathe, just because I could feel my anger in Dauntless didn't mean there was no repercussions to my actions. The threat of death or factionless was very real.
I looked up at him on the opposite side of the roof, and asked quietly "will you help me?"
Eric didn't answer at first, he stared with a venomous look, then he spun me around so I faced the target. "You're too tense when you aim." He pulled me back so I was leant against him and he kicked my feet apart with his, he ran his hands down my arms, adjusting their position before resting over my hands which were clasped tightly around the weapon. "And you hold your breath when you fire." He released a deep breath before raising the gun.
"You're small, so crouch a little, it will help with the recoil," Eric instructed, his breath hitting the back of my neck making me shiver.
I altered my stance "like this?"
Eric nodded. "When you exhale I want you to pull the trigger."
I inhaled and aimed the gun, as I exhaled I pressed the trigger; smiling when I saw where the shot landed centre.
"Now hit the goddamn target nineteen more times so we can leave."
.:.
I hit the target a few more times before missing and then a further eleven. Eric came and adjusted my slipping stance when fatigue settled in.
The sun was dropping below the horizon, everything was glowing gold and it made it harder to aim, I was on my nineteenth target, I just needed one more.
"Stiff, if you fuck this up, you're gonna wish I hung you over the Chasm." Eric threatened.
I aimed and fired.
I kept my eyes closed
I heard Eric walk, the gravel crunching under his boots and the almost silent exhale of his breaths.
I felt him pull the rifle from my grip.
I opened my eyes.
Thank God.
He looked at his watch, sighed and clamped a hand on my arm. Without a word he dragged me down the staircase and out of the double doors where the track ran between the buildings.
By the time we got there the train had just left.
"Here." he said and passed me the gun, I stared at it ludicrously, what was I supposed to do, shoot the driver?
Suddenly, I was being pulled after the blonde man once again, we quickly caught up to an open door, Eric grabbed the handle and hoisted me inside, I landed in an ungraceful pile, barely rolling out the way before he jumped in himself.
"You're a dick, you know?" I hissed as I moved into a sitting position, there was a slight movement of his head, as if he nodded, but that was the only acknowledgment of my comment he gave. "And Four would've made a much better leader."
He seized my arm and swung me around, shoving me out the train carriage, my arm automatically clasped the one which was dangling me over the Dauntless compound.
And the street several stories below.
I screamed against my gritted teeth and my fingers clenched at the fabric of his jacket whilst he looked off in the distance.
The wind chilled me as the train thundered on reliably, I was pretty certain that Eric wouldn't drop me as I had the distinct notion that if he wanted me dead I would be, but if he was to, I'm sure Tobias would be the first to figure out who it was.
Only a few moments later, I was jerked back in, and Eric watched quietly as I rearranged my tee shirt. His eyes were readable now, and I could see his... admiration?
I didn't want his twisted form of admiration, I looked away and refused to meet his eyes for the rest of the journey.
We arrived at the main entrance to the compound late into the evening, Eric silently jumped from the carriage and disappeared inside. I was left to my own devices, technically training had finished for the day, but all the other initiates were further ahead in their combat training compared to me.
The dining room was pretty deserted, apparently the kitchen was open for cold food late into the evening for the Dauntless who's jobs had less sociable hours, I ordered a sandwich and whatever fruit they had left.
I found a table in the corner and peeled open the two slices of bread, revealing thick cuts of ham and cheese. I took a bite and chewed, lost in my own thought.
My brother came and sat opposite me, without a word he slid over a napkin with a wedge of chocolate fudge cake sitting on top.
"I heard Eric was back and thought you'd be here." He knocked his knee against my own "are you okay?"
I nodded.
"Do you want me to go over what we did this afternoon or do you want to sleep?"
I would rather be in bed but I knew that I needed to be at the top of my game tomorrow, the transfers saw me struggle today, they might peg me as the weakling tomorrow.
"I want to train."
The training room is empty, my brother grabbed tape and bandages and sets about wrapping my hands, his movements were sure and deft, the telltale sign of someone who had repeated this hundreds of times in the past.
"Did you ever miss me?" I asked quietly, Dauntless spoke with nothing but pride for 'Four', first in his class with the least number of fears of any initiate, Dauntless-born or transfer. I was proud of him too, he made his life what he wanted it to be, but I wanted to know if I was still part of that life or another scrap of Abnegation he would rather turn to ash too. "After the ceremony, you didn't even look at me."
Tobias avoided my eyes, and the brief pause in his actions was enough to tell me that I had caught him off guard. "Of course I missed you, you don't understand how happy I was to lift you off that net, I just didn't know how to reach out."
I remained quiet.
"Sasha, I never said how sorry I am." Tobias spoke quietly, his eyes focused on the movements his hands were making "for leaving you alone in Abnegation with him."
I shook my head "if you hadn't left then you'd of never been able to be rid of him, there's nothing to forgive."
"It was the hardest decision of my life." He admitted.
"I understand, I understand if you want to forget everything," I let out a shaky breath as he frowned "you're Four now, I know, if that means-"
"I wanted a fresh start, Sasha, but it didn't mean that you weren't going to be my sister." Tobias interrupted "you were always going to be part of my life once you turned eighteen, whether you transferred to Dauntless or not."
My eyebrows rose. "Oh."
"And you can use Tobias." My brother secured the bandage around my wrist and wrapped me in a bear hug. "It's okay when it's you."
I buried my head against his chest listening to the reassuring thump of his heart inside.
Tobias kept his arm around my shoulders as he lead me toward the row of faded black punching bags.
"You learn how to fight in order to prepare you to act, bravery is not the absence of fear but the ability to act despite it, this will be an important factor of your survival in Dauntless."
Hi again, I'm trying to update as much as I can before going back to school. How do you feel about our proper introduction to Eric in there?
Edited