Ordinary Acts of Bravery [A Divergent Fanfic]

Chapter 7 - Victory, or defeat

"There is nothing impossible to him who try."
—Alexander the Great

          Seconds after Eric had thrown out the orders, everyone dispersed. It left me alone with Eric, allowing us to stare at each other for a few heartbeats in the silence that remained. The satisfied smirk that then emerged on his lips, only fueled my annoyance and frustration towards him. If he wanted to have it his way, I would not let him get away with it so easily.

"Fine—" I agreed reluctantly, shifting my gaze to the building behind Eric. "Keep up then." I sidestepped him and headed directly towards the building before he could protest. Barely had I placed my hands in the first small crevasses that would allow myself to begin the climb before Eric stood at my side.

"What exactly, is it that's going through your mind?" Eric sneered but the insult fell short as I turned my attention to him. His eyes reflected the light coming from moon shining brightly above us. It enabled me to see them shift impatiently between my face and hands already on the building.

The dauntless leader didn't hide his annoyance when I huffed impatiently at him. "Getting higher, how else will we be able to see the flag of Four's team?" I asked stating the obvious with a 'duh' tone. It was a tone that deeply annoyed Eric. The way his eyes narrowed and his lips became a thin line was all signs on that very feast. I even had him at a loss of words for a few seconds.

The warm feeling that emerged inside me only made me relish in the feeling even more. This was something I could get used to. Every time he came back to taunt me, I had begun to learn what angered him the most. And now was the time to use it against him. Turning back to the building, I found another ledge to hold onto. "Follow me, and watch where you place your hands. This building isn't completely safe." I ordered.

Eric's brows furrowed in sheer disbelief. He definitely hadn't thought that I would have dared to order him around like that. He luckily didn't see the smile coating my lips when I took the lead, quickly scaling the building, remaining low against the side. It had tipped over and was now leaning heavily against another building behind it. It allowed for an easier climb.

Securely, I made great progress, ignoring the aching in my thigs as they reminded me of the strain they had been under for the last few weeks. It wasn't long before I was shaking and gasping softly for air. It was tougher than I had remembered. Despite my body remembered the climbing my muscles surely cured the strain.

It forced me to halt more than once, wincing when moving my right-hand to grab my cramping thigh. I cursed at it through clenched teeth before taking the opportunity to cast a glance back at Eric who was right below me. He was making his way up the side of the building a lot faster than I had expected him to be. He proved a better climber than expected.

Noticing my halted stance, Eric looked up, our eyes met for but a second before I turned away. Well knowing this would enable him to look directly at my ass instead as I began climbing again, taking bigger leaps, becoming careless because I needed to create some distance between us. I had no need for him to hear my roaring heart.