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The all too familiar sound of the alarm woke us up and surprisingly, I wasn't as tired as I expected to be though I was disoriented for a moment not remembering how I got into bed in the first place. It must've been Eric and I thanked him mentally.
None of us seemed to be tired, probably because we all experienced the greatest adrenaline rush of our lives so far.
It didn't take us very long and we were soon all gathered in the training hall and around the rings.
While I was waiting for my turn I saw Freyr and Eric standing next to Max, who was observing the scene from a raised spot at the side. My brother was in a crowd of older dauntless-born and by that it was clear that he would fight today as well because no one attended the final fight if they weren't a part of it.
"Vinnie versus Helen!" Max announced and we both stepped into the ring.
The expression Helen gave me now was the same one she gave me on the very first day when I took the bed before she could. There was rage in her eyes and I knew that she was one of the transfers that hated and despised me. It was a wonder that she was still in the program because her fighting skills were rather on the standard side.
I let her make the first move and immediately blocked her attack.
She was too predictable. She always made two steps forward, went for the throat first and then the right side by kicking. She didn't even come close to my throat because I gripped her arms but she still went for the kick which I successfully blocked. One twist was enough to bring her to the floor where I pinned her down.
Max demanded another round between us two but this time I made the first move and quickly knocked her out without taking a hit myself.
While two Dauntless dragged her off the ring and into the infirmary, I went back to stand among the initiates but it was only the dauntless-born who gave their congrats, the transfers being too intrigued.
Soon the second round started making me a little bit more nervous.
Freyr was the first one to fight against a transfer. He took off his shirt and tossed it on the ground while he approached the ring. It was a classic move of his. Taking his shirt off to distract the opponent with his trained muscles and intimidating looking tattoos. Even though the opponent was a little bit taller than Freyr, he looked like he would run off if he could but gained control over himself again and got ready.
He blocked the opponents move successfully but didn't end the fight without getting hit once or twice himself. The opponent ended up knocked out with a broken nose and again, the infirmary got another patient.
"Richard against Vinnie!"
I didn't know who Richard was nor what his skills were but he proved to be a tough opponent. He was very strong yet the execution of his attacks wasn't flawless. I managed to make him lose his balance but not without getting kicked here and there. One kick to the side of his foot and Richard started to wobble which was the perfect opportunity to bring him to the floor. From there on he never got back up again and we kept fighting for what felt like hours. A hit to the temple and he was disoriented. I immediately turned him so his face was on the floor and body locked him before I pressed a point in his neck that made him go unconscious.
I didn't notice the applause from parts of the crowd until someone pulled me off the mat and handed me an ice pack and a bottle of water. There goes another one to the infirmary.
It took several hours until the third round started and after that some more time until I got called out to fight again.
Frank and Eric fought against two of the strongest male initiates, getting their victory without getting hit themselves. So much for being graceful towards the initiates.
Soon it was my turn again and everyone who was left stared in silence, unsure of what to expect. Scanning the people, there were some with shit eating grins decorating their faces, making it clear that they wanted me to fail, but the rest was either just as nervous as I was or not affected at all.
"Four versus Vinnie."
I stepped onto the mat and it didn't even take a blink of an eye when Four decided to attack. Saying that I was nervous would be an understatement. Four was apparently the best one in his year with Eric in second and my brother in third place. The amount of respect I had for him and his skills was infinite yet I wasn't scared, just incredibly nervous.
He could knock someone out with one swift movement if he wanted to yet when we fought, he took his time and rarely went into offensive position. That's when I remembered what Frank told me about him!
He took his time. That's what kind of fighter he was. He takes his time by blocking any attacks like they are nothing and once the opponent loses stamina, he strikes.
I figured that the only way to finish this fight soon was to pretend. I had to pretend to get tired so I made sure to circle him more often and make slower movements.
It didn't even take very long until he made more offensive moves and then I made sure to strike myself.
I blocked his arms when he went for my throat and hit both his ears simultaneously which made him lose orientation and balance. Him trying to recover was the perfect opportunity to kick him in the liver then in the crotch and, when he crouched over, bring my knee to his face which made him fall to the ground.
A couple of hits to his sides and head and he was unconscious in a couple of minutes.
I let myself fall back on the mat where I allowed myself to finally take deep breaths of relief. My knuckles were hurting, in fact, everything was hurting and I felt a painful throb creep into my head. But that didn't stop me from laughing uncontrollably.
Three victories! And I managed to beat Four! The legendary Four!
Somehow I ended up at the side of the hall with my brother and Freyr hugging me as if I was a bag full of gold. Freyr peppered me with kisses once Frank let go but eventually he had to stop because the finals would come to an end soon and Max would announce the final scores.
And then it was time. A screen lit up and showed names of the ones ranked lowest and then showing the better ones. The nervousness lifted off my shoulders more and more when I couldn't find my name and once the screen showed the numbers one to five without any names, anticipation filled everyone in the room.
Then Max revealed the results one by one.
#5 Danny (DB)
#4 Leslie
#3 Hamilton (DB)
My name was still not on display and that's when I thought I would pass out because of all the anticipation. Thankfully, Freyr tightened his grip around my shoulders preventing my knees from buckling and that's when I realized that his name hasn't been on the board yet as well.
#2 Freyr (DB)
#1 Vinnie
We all started to cheer and I observed everyone around me in disbelief until my eyes locked with Eric's. We smiled at each other for a moment until Freyr interrupted and gave me another bear hug and a kiss that didn't last long enough. We kept hugging each other and once I opened my eyes, I saw Eric again but his smile vanished and he gave a rather stiff applause. What was that all about?
The mood among all of us was incredible and we ended up jumping up and down in unison while chanting 'dauntless' over and over again making me forget about Eric's sudden change.
Soon, all the initiates were crowd surfing while the group as a whole moved to the dining hall where food was already served at the tables, a festive energy coursing through everyone.
Someone was whistling loudly once we were let back down again and we immediately turned our attention to where the sound was coming from.
It was Max on a type of balcony again and he gave us a speech that ultimately rounded off the evening.
Realization hit me once again when the speech was over. I was ultimately a part of Dauntless! I was one of the best ones even and most importantly... I. Was. Dauntless!
"Frank? Freyr?" I said once we were standing up from the table. They both turned with proud smiles on their faces which made me want to cry. Out of happiness of course! "I owe you a huge 'thank you' for your help! Of course a simple 'thank you' doesn't even closely give justice to how fucking grateful I am for your commitment and..." I was desperately searching for any words to say while a wave of happiness washed over me again and tears threatened to spill. Both my brother and then my boyfriend gave me hugs muttering 'it's okay's over and over again.
It seemed like someone always wanted to disrupt moments of happiness because while Freyr and I were hugging, an important man approached us and gave a smile.
"Congratulations you two!" Max said in an unusually cheerful voice. Or at least it was unusual for his standards. But he came straight to the point which was typical for him. "You did great and that's why I would like to talk to both of you. In my office if that's possible."
Max still looked cheerful yet neither I nor my brother or Freyr could tell if that was good or bad. Especially Frank and I were getting distressed while we exchanged looks. Was he suspecting something? I didn't think about my aptitude test results up until now because I thought they weren't relevant for the physical part. Yet somehow I kept thinking that Max suspected something.
"No need to be stressed out. You did nothing wrong but I'd still like to talk to you. It is rather important for your future at Dauntless."
Even though that was supposed to relax me, I still couldn't shake of some nervousness though I couldn't refuse because Freyr was already pulling me with him.
Once we arrived, Max ordered Freyr to wait outside for his turn. Max made sure to close the office door and offered me to sit down in front of his desk while he sat on his chair.
"Vinnie." He started. "I want to congratulate you again for your extraordinary score. It is very rare that we have such a talented initiate but I'm curious. To be honest, I've been observing you for a couple of months now but I'm still not getting smarter. How did you go through both initiation phases with that score?"
I couldn't tell what his intentions were and it made me furious somehow. In Erudite, I read a book on body language yet somehow I couldn't apply anything to this situation let alone remember a single thing I read.
Was he implying that I was divergent? Did he know? I was sure that I went through the simulations just the way a true Dauntless would and even Frank reassured me that so many times yet somehow I wasn't so sure anymore.
Hoping that Max couldn't read my mind or my body language I tried to gather any rational thought and give him an answer that matched the truth yet didn't give anything away.
"The trick is to find the most effective way to get out of frightening situations. Fears are irrational when it comes to being a member of Dauntless and depending on what fear, we should be able to get through real life situations without being affected by them. That's what my brother taught me and I believe that my history in Erudite helped me with finding quick solutions."
Max nodded and I saw that he approved of the answer. Still I couldn't shake of the fear of being caught but I kept going.
"Of course physical training is key to get a good result in the fights and to be honest, my brother, my boyfriend and I spent every free hour on training moves and improving my strength as well as agility, velocity and everything else. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be anywhere near to where I am now."
"So it's true. You and Freyr are the ones who willingly put their own body under more fatigue and that at night! People think you're crazy!" Max laughed and I joined in, figuring that he really didn't suspect anything.
"They can say whatever they want. If it wasn't for those extra training sessions then how else would I have gotten better?"
"Of course. Vinnie, we're obviously not here to only talk about the training. As I said, I wanted to talk to you about your future at Dauntless. Your brother might have told you about what happens to the best ones."
Surprised by not having heard about whatever he was about to tell me, I shook my head.
"Even better. Because we don't want to let the best performances go unnoticed, Dauntless' leadership has special offers for the best initiates. Now, you know that there are different paths after initiation but not all of them are available to everyone. The path of leadership, for example, or training initiates is only available to the top three with a certain certificate."
Having trouble processing all of that, I asked a question that must've made me look very stupid. "What does that mean?"
Thankfully, Max just laughed it off and answered the question. "That means, Vinnie, that your way to climbing to the top is free from any obstacles. You can choose to do whatever you want and whatever you choose, the leadership will be by your side and provide any help you might need."
"That's..." I tried searching for words to tell him how happy and thankful I was but yet again my mind just blanked and I sat there closing and opening my mouth like some fish gasping for air. "Does that... Is it... How..."
"You don't have to say anything. I understand if you are overwhelmed right now so that's why you can sleep over it and tell us about what you think tomorrow."
He gave me a folder that I was supposed to go through until tomorrow evening.
I carefully took the folder as if it might explode at any second and made my way outside where Freyr and Hamilton were waiting for their turn.
Soon I was in my bed and I wanted to read through all the papers in the folder but exhaustion and sleep washed over me from the previous sleepless night and the exhausting day.
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Is there a reason why Wattpad can't play gifs? The picture for this chapter is a gif but it doesn't work and it's so annoying because (I think) they used to work in the past; correct me if it wasn't. (edit: figured it out guys)
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one even if it was only some kind of filler.