Gini was no help.
Well, actually, he was a lot of help, it just wasn't what Virg wanted to hear. But his best friend had always been able to see right through him, and that had nothing to do with his divergent power. Gini was a life giver, a healer in every sense of the word, and sometimes Virg wondered if that extended to psychological wounds as well. He certainly seemed to have a sixth sense telling him when Virg was lying to himself, although maybe that just came with familiarity.
"You fancy Jord," was his ultimate diagnosis, and Virg rolled his eyes. The two were sitting in a secluded area of the chasm which ran through the centre of the Dauntless compound, their backs to the wall to be sure no one could creep up and overhear. The crashing of the water down below was so loud that no one would be able to hear from a distance unless they were an enhancer.
"I don't fancy her," Virg objected, his eyes running over their surroundings, constantly checking that no one was approaching them.
"Bro," Gini deadpanned, giving him a pointed look.
"What? Gini come on, man. I..."
"If you're about to say I barely know her, don't bother. This is why you're freaking out because it's obviously not ideal."
"Far from it," Virg muttered. "Do you know how many possible divergents we have in this group of initiates? Trent, because obviously we know him. Then there's Hannah, who I'm pretty sure is a telekinetic from what Trent tells me, not that I've observed anything myself. Then of the transfers we've got Jord who could literally be anything, Emily and Lola are easy to tell..."
"Shields?" Asked Gini. Virg nodded.
"There's a few I'm not sure about. There's a group of three Erudite transfers that are always together, Lola is one of them, the other two are Lia, and Rory, who happens to be Hendo's sister. I'm not sure if it's the fact that they're together all the time or what, but they give me Erudite vibes."
"Vibes?" Gini chuckled. "Virg you're so weird sometimes."
"Shut up," Virg pretended to glare at his friend. "You know what I mean. It's their emotional aura, they just feel like an Erudite-Dauntless cross."
"Like me?" Gini raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, like you, like any Erudite-Dauntless divergent. Remember Andy and Corinne?"
Gini nodded in understanding.
"Lia in particular," Virg continued. "She's brilliant, Gini. She's already worked out the smartest way to fight, and use her own advantages. She just needs to build up some muscle and she'll be a force to be reckoned with. Normally I have to explain that to them, even Jord didn't get that on her own."
"Even Jord," Gini smiled, shaking his head. "Your high opinion of her is very sweet. She's the one I'm most concerned about, by the way. Are you sure you can't feel her emotional aura? Maybe she just doesn't have one."
"What, dead on the inside? I don't think so," Virg chuckled.
"No, idiot, of course she still has emotions, I just meant maybe there's no aura. I don't know, no one before's ever had more than one power, and if she's already a telekinetic..."
"We've got a problem," Virg nodded.
"I've got a question, by the way," Said Gini. "You know I have a theory that divergence is genetic."
"You tell me this daily," Virg rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. Gini's occasional nerdy obsessions made him one of the most interesting characters of his acquaintance. "What's your question?"
"If Hannah is telekinetic, as you say she is..."
"As Trent says she is," Virg corrected him. "I can't say for myself."
Gini gave him his trademark annoyed look.
"How's my aura looking, big man?"
"Annoyed," Virg read his emotions easily, giving him a smirk. "Sorry. Go on."
"Okay, well whoever says Hannah is telekinetic, it would make sense because so is her brother."
Alex (or Ox, as he had been known since his initiation days) was Hannah's older sibling. He initiated the first year Virg and Hendo had taken charge of the program, and Virg well remembered the trouble he had with helping him to contain his exuberant energy which tended to spill into random objects flying around the room whenever he was feeling extreme emotions.
"Not another Oxlade-Chamberlain," he sighed. "You're probably right, Gini. I hope she's not as crazy as her brother."
"Okay, well, I still haven't told you my question," said Gini.
"Fire away, bro," Virg kicked the heel of his boot against the wall, trying to rid himself of his nervous energy.
"Rory. She's Hendo's sister. If she's divergent, wouldn't Hendo be divergent as well?"
"I don't trust Hendo," Virg said immediately, feeling his own nervousness spiking.
"I'm aware," Gini nodded. "This could be good, though. If we can find out what Rory is, we can find out what her brother is. It could be key to understanding what his motives are."
"You won't turn them against each other, if that's what you're thinking," said Virg, eyeing his best friend curiously.
"I wasn't planning on it," Gini shook his head. "I've seen it as well, they have a very close bond."
Virg muttered something that was lost in the crash of the water, and Gini turned to look at him, concernedly.
"It's gonna be fine, Virg, you've gotta trust yourself," he laid a hand on his arm, and Virg shook his head sadly.
"I worry, you know. Every year. Sometimes they don't all make it, and I feel responsible. And there's so many of them this year, I need help with this."
"I'll help you bro, you know that."
"Come watch them train?" Virg finally turned to look at his best friend. "I could do with your input."
"Sure," Gini nodded, standing up from leaning against the wall. "Alright well, I'm going to head to bed. You going?"
"I'll stay here for a bit, I need to clear my head or I won't sleep," said Virg. He moved over to stand by the railing that prevented people from falling into the deep fissure below.
"Okay," Gini nodded. "See you tomorrow."
~.~.~.~
Jord was a little surprised to see a new face in training the following day - she overheard the dauntless borns referring to him as Gini, but apart from that, Virgil didn't give any explanation for his presence in the room. The two stood side by side, muttering quietly to each other, and it put everyone on edge. The two looked a little comical together, Jordyn thought. Gini wasn't a short guy, but next to Virg he looked small.
"Didn't know Virg could smile as much as he has today with Gini here," Ems commented, the brunette working beside Jord, as usual.
"Init," Jord nodded. "They must be close."
Gini's presence didn't give Jordyn the same uneasiness in the pit of her stomach as Virgil's did, and in all honesty, she didn't mind his presence there as it made Virgil seem less overbearing to her. Like her fellow initiates, however, she couldn't explain his presence, and perhaps she was concerned that he was an assessor or something.
Jordyn felt she was actually making progress with her training. That was, until Hendo called everyone to attention. The initiates gathered in quickly.
"Our first one on one fights are today," He stated, in a tone of voice that indicated he didn't expect anyone to question him.
"This afternoon?" Asked Trent.
"Nope," said Hendo. "Right now. Thank you for volunteering, Trent. You'll be fighting Hannah today. Step up, you two."
The two dauntless borns, and anyone who knew them, stared at Hendo in shock.
"What?" Hannah stated, dumbfounded.
"You heard me," Hendo was expressionless, but Jordyn couldn't help noticing how his eye wandered to where Virgil and Gini were standing.
"I'm shook," Ems muttered to Jord, and she glanced at her friend, wide eyed.
"Everyone's shook," she responded. "Even Gini and Virg."
Emily turned to look at the two stoic characters, who stood side by side at the opposite side of the mat to Hendo.
Trent and Hannah made their way onto the mat, Trent dusting off his hands on his trousers nervously, and Hannah biting her lip. The two eyed each other in nervous confusion for some time, neither of them prepared to start the fight.
"Go on," Hendo urged impatiently, folding his arms across his chest.
"I don't hit girls," Trent muttered.
"You're implying she's incapable of defending herself," Virg raised an eyebrow at Trent, surprising everyone. For some reason, Jordyn hadn't expected him to be okay with Hendo's decision, but maybe he had known about it all along. "That's not how it works at Dauntless," Virg added. "That's part of why we train you. Everyone needs to be able to stand up for themselves."
Jordyn glanced around at the other initiates on the mat, taking in the group of dauntless borns who she remembered meeting one morning in the dorm, when they were bullying Trent. Upon remembering this, she wasn't surprised to see the satisfied smirks on their faces. Angel and Diego were nudging each other, whilst Mason, Daniel and Scott looked on in glee.
"How long do we fight for?" Asked Hannah. The question was directed towards Hendo, but Virg spoke before he could even open his mouth.
"I'll stop the fight when I'm satisfied it's over," he stated.
A staring match ensued between the two trainers, but Virg stood his ground, and Hendo finally shrugged, nodding.
The two brunettes on the mat took up a defensive stance, and began circling each other. Hannah was the first one to strike, landing a blow on Trent's upper body, and Trent retaliated, blocking Hannah's other fist with his left arm, and striking with his right. Hannah recoiled, shielding herself from further attacks, and Trent paused, not wanting to hurt his friend any more.
"Don't be a coward, Trent!" Mason yelled from the sidelines.
Trent glared at him, but said nothing, turning back to Hannah. Perhaps this comment stirred something in him, as he seemed to stop holding back. Jordyn could see the look in Hannah's eyes - the brunette was surprised, and hurt, but she followed suit, and a proper fight ensued. The two were fairly evenly matched, which served to back up Virgil's words that they'd both been training, and although Trent's build as a male definitely made it easier for him, Hannah had her own advantages, and she was certainly no weakling either. She was anticipating him well, and Jord realised that since the two of them were of a similar height and reach, they were actually a good pairing to practice sparring. It was merely the fact that the two of them were so close that didn't sit well with her. There was something unethical about deliberately choosing the two of them, especially for the very first fight, and Jordyn wondered what point their trainers were trying to make to them by putting the two of them up to it.
Trent's movements were beginning to look a little jerky and tired, but despite this he seemed to be moving quicker than ever, with Hannah struggling to keep up with him. Jordyn thought it was strange, but being so focussed on the fight she had no time to process it.
"Come on, you guys," Lia was calling from the sidelines, as everyone began urging them on. "Keep pushing, you got this."
"Don't give up!" Jord yelled. "You're doing great, come on!"
Trent was definitely tiring now, and it was easy to see he'd worn himself out too quickly. Hannah was still light on her feet, and was finally able to pin him down, before Virg finally called time on the fight. Both of them heaved an audible sigh of relief, with Hannah collapsing on top of her friend, finally showing her exhaustion.
"Sorry," she muttered.
Trent's response was muffled, but he moved his arm out from under his body where it had been trapped to put it around her, causing the tension to run out of Hannah's shoulders.
"What did we learn today?" Virg asked the group, glancing around at them.
"Don't underestimate girls!" Yelled Mason.
"Apart from that," Virg responded, as some of the girls giggled.
"Don't tire yourself out too quickly," said Lia.
"Good," Virg nodded. "Anything else?"
The initiates stared at him, willing somebody to respond. Virgil stared back at them, waiting. At his side, Gini was silent.
"Be careful who you trust," Jordyn finally said, in a quiet voice, and everyone in the group turned to look at the blonde, who retreated into herself somewhat. Virgil stared at her for a second, before nodding.
"Thank you, Jord. You absolutely need to look after each other, but until you know for sure that someone won't chose to respect authority, or the rules, over what they believe to be right, you have to be careful."
This particular statement went down like a lead balloon, and a sense of wariness suddenly filled the room. It was like Virg knew something they didn't, like he was warning them about some challenge that was approaching on the horizon. Trent and Hannah glanced at each other in concern, simultaneously reaching for each other, seeking comfort in the fact that neither of them had wanted this. Was Virg targeting them, with his words? Were they at fault for allowing Hendo to force them to fight each other, even though they didn't want to?
Hendo had said nothing for some time, content to simply watch the proceedings unfold. Now, as he called for order and announced that Sadio and Diego would fight next, Jordyn's eyes flicked between him and Virg, trying to understand what was going on. She believed it to be a power struggle, but it was unclear if one of them was actually in a higher position than the other.
Virgil was not looking at Hendo; rather, he seemed to be absorbing the scene around him. As the tall, dark haired trainer glanced around the room, Jord met his gaze unflinchingly, trying to understand whatever it was he had been trying to tell them. As usual, she came up with nothing. Perhaps Virgil would forever be a closed book to her.
A/N: remember who the real enemy is 😈 also HANNAH HAHA I'm so sorry! But at least you beat him ;) well done btw, nobody really gave you credit for that, damn those initiates.
ALSO if you haven't noticed, every chapter title is taken from song lyrics, can you work out where they're all from?
Thanks for reading guys, please vote and comment if you enjoyed!