Training was over for the morning and all the transfers were allowed a break to eat lunch. It wasn't a moment too soon either. The muscles in my arms were starting to throb and twitch long before we finished. I barely had enough energy to move the fork around the plate, and the exhaustive composure of Tris and Christina, who were sitting beside me, told me they felt mutual.
"Mind if I sit here," Will's voice asked from behind us. All three of our heads turned to look at him in unison, but Christina was the first to answer. "Don't you want to sit with your Erudite buddies?" Will looked back at the table he came from and cringed. Edward and Myra once again sat side by side, sneaking in kisses between their eating. It was the exact reason I avoided sitting with them, and Will gave the impression of boycotting them for that same reason. The thought almost made me want to smile because Will and I were alike in various ways. We both preferred Science to math (it was common for Erudites to prefer math over everything). We both could sit for hours together doing nothing but read. We both could name all the elements on the periodic table in order of their atomic mass. Though, Will always was more charismatic and more charming than me.
"Please don't make me go back there. And besides, I have an Erudite buddy right here too." He flashed me a cheeky grin. I shook my head and sighed in response, suppressing a smile. He hasn't changed a bit. "You two know each other?" Tris asked. "In a way..." I said vaguely, shooting Will a teasing glance. "In a way?" He said, smirking at me mischievously. "If I remember correctly, you use to make up any excuse you could to see me." My expression dropped at being exposed in such a public manner. I narrowed my eyes threateningly at him, but his green eyes only glinted back at me roguishly. Tris looked away, having thought she was invading on a private moment between Will and I. At this moment, I had to agree that she was.
After a lunch filled with distractions mostly due to Will, Four led us to a new room. This one is bigger than the previous training room we were in and had cracked, wooden flooring with a large ring placed in the middle. A chalkboard was on the left wall which contained writing that was not yet decipherable from the distance we were standing at. As Four led us closer, the writing got clearer and clearer. It was our names written in alphabetical order.
Four relayed the information he gave us this morning and eased us into the training session for today. It was all review for me so it wasn't necessary for me to stay tuned in. Edward and I learned this from our instructors years ago and we regularly carried the moves out through practice with each other.
Eventually, all the transfers caught on and tried to synchronize their movements to Four's. I shuffled myself into a boxing position: my right foot behind to make sure my stance was firm and my arms came up to keep my face guarded. I jabbed the punching bag with my left hand, lining up the shot for my power-punch. I made sure to put my entire body into the punch.
Four called it quits after his watched beeped for eight o'clock and everyone went off to form into their own little groups. Me, going to find Christina and Tris. Fortunately, they were already together so we wouldn't have to look for anybody. After I got to them, there was a new addition to the group. It was the broad guy who helped me up after my tumble onto the rooftop. "I don't believe you guys know each other, so Al, this is Adelaide and Adelaide, Al." I thought of correcting her since I did know him in a sense, but it would be pointless and just shook his large hand.
We all left the training room and go to the Pit. Al, who took the lead, turned back to us. "I want a tattoo." Will snorted from behind us. "A tattoo of what?" Al shrugged his shoulders "I don't know, maybe a ... spider."
An 'ewe' left my mouth without a moment of hesitation. Spiders were the absolute bane of my existence and they never ceased to terrify me out of my wits. Christina, Al, and Tris looked at me questioningly, but Will gave me a knowing look with the same smirk that always graced his features. "Adelaide here has a serious case of arachnophobia," Will cleared up for them. Christina made a sound of understanding and giggled afterwards. "I don't blame you. Bugs are a menace!" She said, shivering in disgust.
The tattoo parlour isn't far way now and Christina gave Tris and I a look. "No. I will not cut my hair, dye my hair, or get a piercing." Tris told her firmly. "Not even your belly-button," Christina pressed pleasingly. "No." Christina huffed in defeat and turned to me. "How about you?" I contemplated the question for a moment. If I got any of those, I could basically envision the heart attack my mother would have, but on the other hand, I have to fit into Dauntless. "Perhaps my cartilage," I said finally. "But not right now." Christina threw her hands up in aggravation. "I can't win with either of you!"
The guys laughed and Tris and I just shared a look.