OVERTHROW - Eric Coulter

Chapter 18

I woke up hungry, so I headed to the cafeteria. I grabbed a tray and served myself a hamburger, knowing that if I ate too much during training, I'd lose weight. I also served myself a large portion of salad to balance it out.

Tiana arrived shortly after me, looking at me like I was a phenomenon. She claimed it was the first time she had seen me eat like that. Then the others started to arrive, some opting for something light, others grabbing a coffee, while I was almost done with my meal.

It was ten minutes to eight, so we decided to leave. Ian didn't speak to me at all, avoiding my presence, and everyone noticed, but no one commented on it, including me. Eventually, he'll talk to me and tell me what his problem is.

Here we were, entering the training room, with Andrea hanging onto my right arm as we made trivial comments about our future jobs once we passed the tests. She wanted to be part of justice in Dauntless, regulating laws and punishments in the faction, aiming to change life in Dauntless. As for me, I wanted to be a leader.

As I entered, my blood froze for a few seconds, my mind exploding with endless possibilities trying to come up with a good excuse to see Jade, who had a battered face with bruises and visible scars, standing next to Genesis, both with their arms crossed and the latter nodding with a lost gaze. When Jade turned to look at us as we entered, she leaned towards the blonde, who immediately raised her gaze to me.

Her demeanor hardened, she lifted her chin showing superiority. Excellent, Eric will have to fulfill what he assured me, because I won't leave here alive.

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How can I explain what happened? I wouldn't know how to explain it, I wouldn't know how to describe what was happening. I had finished three sets of 500 sit-ups just because our trainer insisted I hadn't done them properly. I ran all over Dauntless about ten times, and only because Four intervened with Genesis, telling her that we needed to start the fight.

"Enough, Grace." he shouted.

I stopped, panting heavily, and bent over, resting my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. I lifted my head to see Four intervening again. With heavy steps, feeling like I had no desire to continue existing, I walked towards the blonde who had a look of disdain.

"The bell saved you for today. But you haven't escaped from me." she declared, spinning on her heel and walking away.

I must admit that I missed her encouraging comments. I missed the attitude she had yesterday morning, before she realized and misinterpreted the situation with Eric. And even though there was a moment when I wanted the same thing Genesis was looking for, not anymore. Eric won't change, especially not for a berry picker or an initiate.

With nothing to say, I followed Genesis, walking with measured steps because I needed to calm my breathing, and my fatigue shouldn't be evident. The fights are starting, and Eric isn't here to save me again.

We entered the room, Four's group was fighting with coordination as I nodded occasionally.
We approached our team, Jade was sitting on the floor, breathing heavily, and Genesis approached to help her. I stayed in my place, and Tiana came up to me.

"I think it's rage." the redhead whispered in my ear.

I bit my lower lip, suppressing a laugh as I closed my eyes. "Poor thing, they'll sacrifice her," I sighed, feigning pity and sadness.

To no avail, a slight chuckle escaped my throat, immediately silenced, but it seemed it wasn't my day because Genesis turned to me with annoyance.