Dauntless

Chapter 13

I went to bed that night exhausted. There were no more pillow fights because everyone else was feeling the same.
As I lay down in my bed, Ella whispered to me,
"So what's up with you and the instructor?" I couldn't see her but I could imagine her smirk.
"Nothing!" I replied.
"Liar." She said. I sighed and provided her with the information she wanted.
"I don't know ok! He's just so.." I struggled to find the word.
"Handsome." Ella provided.
"Well yeah. And he just stares at me, and there's no way I can ignore him."
As I speak I gesture with my hands, even though no one can see them, at the end I let them fall back onto my bed, and I blow out a breath.
"Yeah, it's weird." Says Ella. "Well, I think you should just forget about it. If he does it again you can wonder. But if not, it doesn't matter." I hear her turn over in bed to more comfortable.
I 'mmm' in agreement.
And I too roll over to sleep, but it takes a while in coming.

+++

The next morning we wake up at 7:00, so there is more time to wake up and rub the sleep out of our eyes.
After breakfast we walk to the training room.
There is a black board set up that I didn't notice before. Rico stands in front of it, writing things down.
"You're earlier than yesterday." He mumbles to us, I look around, expecting someone else to answer. But only Ella and I are in the room, the boys went for a second breakfast because they were so hungry.
I clear my throat, "Uuhh... Yeah." My voice sounds week and I hate it.
Rico stops writing and he turns around.
"Zoe." He says, staring at me, I swallow, "and Ella, the first jumpers." He looks across at Ella.
Did he pause at my name or did I just imagine it?
You're imagining it, stop it! I scold myself. I look behind Rico at the blackboard. There are names written.
I search for mine and find it.

Zoe - Lucy

It says. I'm about to ask what it means when Zack and Adrian stroll into the room.
"You alright?" Zack asks.
"Of course I'm alright! Why wouldn't I be?" I laugh. I can see Rico look at us from behind Zack's shoulder.
"I just wondered." Replied Zack. We looked at each other for a moment, then he leant down a hugged me. I was surprised for a moment, but then relaxed and hugged him back. I breathed in his scent, and was surprised to find he smelt of candy. He pulled away and smiled at me.

+++

When everyone had arrived, Rico said,
"So, yesterday you did knife throwing, and today we will do bare knuckle boxing." Whispers spread through the crowd. Rico spoke again the voices died down. "Your names have been paired together with your fighting partner. There are no rules, except no killing or unnecessary fighting. When someone gives in, there will be no more punching afterwards, you stop straight away. Or points will be deducted, or maybe you will be disqualified."
"I'll never give in you'll have to beat me to a pulp before I even make a noise." Boasted a guy from the crowd. I looked over to see macho guy, his name, I had discovered, was Mino. Macho Mino.
He stared over at our group. No, at Zack.
"Alright calm down now." Rico said, sternly. "The first pair can step into the ring." He gestured towards the boxing ring.
Two guys walked toward the ring, flexing and swinging their arms.
I looked at the names on the board.

Lance - Reece
Hannah - Kezyia
Zoe - Lucy
Ella - Nat
Jace - Filippo
Sandra - Allora
Kalifa- Aron
Zack - Mino
Adrian - Jake

Oh. I thought, Zack and Macho Mino.
That's why he glared at him.
And Ella and Nat.
"El!" I said to her.
"I know. I'm going to kick that fancy little tush of hers." She replied and I burst out laughing.
Adrian turned to us.
"Who's Jake?" He asked.
Just then we heard Rico shout
"Ok!" We looked over, the skinny guy who tried to take my bunk, Reece, was lying on the floor, hands covering his face. The other guy, Lance threw his hands in the air, he had won.
He smugly jumped down from the ring, and Reece stumbled walking over to the wall and sat against it.
"Alright, Kezyia and Hannah please?"
Kezyia and Hannah were Nat's friends, and they kept clinging to eachother because they didn't want to fight eachother. "Go!"
The girls stood at either end of the ring, skipping around and fidgeting. They would throw light and on purpose misses at eachother.
Then Rico said,
"Right stop! Girls, I understand you're friends, but if you play by the rules then none of you will get seriously hurt. And if you want to stay with a faction then you better try a bit harder." They nodded, "ok, when your ready."
This time, Kezyia, who was the stronger one, went for a light punch on the shoulder.
Hannah kicked out and caught Kezyia in the shin.
I turned back around to the others, these girls were just messing around.
I looked at Rico, he had his green eyes on the girls, his arms crossed and his head tilted.
He flicked his eyes to mine, only for a second, then they went back to the ring, and so did mine.
Both of them were standing and not baldly beaten up, but Hannah was shaking her head, she'd had enough. So Kezyia won that round.
The girls ran out of the ring with eachother, hugging and apologizing.
It was my turn now.
"Zoe and Lucy please." Said Rico, he looked at me when he said my name, but he didn't look at Lucy.
I jumped into the ring and faced my opponent.
She was ugly.
I'm sorry, and I know whatever I say about her wont make me win or make me a better person, but if I'm supposed to describe her, then that was it. Ugly.
Her front teeth stuck out at a weird angle, she had a SERIOUS acne problem, her nose was squashed and shiny, and she was as flat as an iron board.
She was tall and lanky, with hardly any muscle on her at all, I wonder why she stuck with dauntless?
"Go." Said Rico.
I put my arms up to protect my face, and I stood on my tip toes, ready.
Lucy punched, but I ducked.
All the other fights had ended when someone had given in, I wonder how this one would end. Because I sure as hell was not going to give up.
Again Lucy punched and I ducked.
Damn!
I thought. I'm on the defensive, that was not how I wanted this to go.
Lucy swung at me and the throw made her stumble, I took that as my chance. I punch her in the gut and she went oof!
She stood up and I punched her in the face, but she was so tall that I only got her in the jaw.
She kicked and caught me in the thigh, I groaned and went for another punch, but she side stepped.
She kicked again, but this time I grabbed her foot and pulled it. She slipped and fell on the floor. But she got up quickly, and as she was getting up I punched again, and this time I got her in the nose. Her hands flew to her face and blood streamed out of it.
She stumbled into the stretchy rope around the ring, and it flung her to the other side. She stumbled blindly and I stuck my foot out. She tripped and fell to the floor.
"1,2,3,4,5!" Timed Rico. "Zoe has won."
He announced, I smiled at him and his mouth twitched slightly.
I ran back and wished Ella good luck as she ran to the ring.
Ella and Nat were around the same height and the same build. They were the perfect match for each other. I was certain Ella would win, there was no way she would let Nat beat her.
They started and straight away Nat did a high kick at Ella's face, she ducked. While on the floor, Ella kicked out and Nat stumbled, but she regained her balance and punched at Ella, she dodged it. The match carried on for a while in this fashion.
But then Nat kicked out, again, and copying me, Ella grabbed her leg and pulled. Nat tried to get out of it, and did a strange twist in the air, making Ella stumble a bit, but Nat fell face first on the floor. She lay there, groaning in a daze, and Rico counted.
"Ella is the winner!" He said and Ella smiled and came running towards us. Hannah and Kezyia ran to Nat and helped her up. They glared at us.
Then it was Jace and Filippo, it was a boring match neither were any good, or the match after that, the two girls, Sandra and Allora. Then there was the girl, Kalifa, and the guy, Aron. This was strange because it was a fight between a boy and a girl, but oh well. They were good fighters, but I couldn't be bothered to watch. Kalifa won that match.
"Good luck!" I said to Zack as he approached Macho in the ring.
The fight was a big one. Both guys were very muscly, and there were a lot of hard and well aimed punches.
Macho punched Zack and I winced.
"That's gonna hurt in the morning." I whispered to Ella, and she nodded her head.
"It's probably going to hurt now."
Then Macho punched Zack hard in the nose and blood spurted out. He held it and punch him hard in the temple, making him stumble.
"Can I kick him in the balls?" He panted to Rico. He laughed and said,
"Do whatever you want to him, I'm sure he'd do that to you without even asking for my permission." Zack smirked and strode up to macho. Grabbed his neck and threw him to the other side of the ring. Macho Mino ran at Zack, and just as he reached him, Zack lifted up his knee hard and Macho stopped, pain cover his face.
All the boys went ouch! And oohhh!!
Some girls even winced.
Macho fell onto the floor, clutching his Crown Jewels.
As Zack walked away in victory, macho grabbed his foot and pulled. Zack fell, headfirst, his head smashing onto the metal pole holding the ropes around the wing. Everyone gasped in horror.
Rico expertly jumped over the rope and ontop on Mino.
"What do you think you're doing!" He spat, his words like venom. He had him by the throat, he lifted him up and then smashed him back down.
"Do you want to end up factionless? You idiot! You might as well leave now!" Her roughly pushed him and stood up to check on Zack.
Ella, Adrian and I were already there.
My heart was beating fast and my breath was uneven.
I looked at the bleeding cut in his head and whispered,
"Oh God!"
Rico inspected him and said,
"He'll be fine, let me take him to the infirmary." Zack's eyes fluttered open and he looked around, dazed. He groaned and sat up, swaying.
"No, I'll take him." I said. "Come on." Zack stood and I held onto his arm to support him.
"No, you're not strong enough to support him!" Said Rico.
Not strong enough?
I never let anyone say things like that to me, just because I was female, didn't mean I couldn't do things other than than cook and clean.
"Say that again." I threatened. My tone poisonous.
He squinted at me and said,
"Fine, take him to the infirmary."
I glared at the back of his head as he walked away, then I turned to Zack and we walked to the infirmary.
When we got there, the nurse took him from me and told me to wait outside. I didn't feel like going back to training so I wandered around the building.
I walked to the tattoo and piercing shop, and I looked at all the things they could do.
"Hey." Said a voice. I looked around to see a woman with blonde hair that turns into pink at the bottom, and piercing and tattoos all over her. The shop owner.
"Like anything?" She asked.
"Oh yeah! I like all of it, but I'm an initiate, I have to wait until the end of the month, for my points." I explained.
She nodded her head.
"Dauntless born?"
"Yes."
"I can tell." She replied.
"Really? How?" I asked.
"You look like one, in your looks, but in your aura as well. Your strong-willed, don't stand for anything." She said, turning to look at me. "But don't let it get the best of you, sometimes you have to give in and accept it." I nodded. She smiled and went back to work, organizing the different piercings. I stared at her. How does she know this stuff? Is she just making it up?
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Ira." She turns, "Yours?"
"Zoe." We shake hands, "nice to meet you."
I clear my throat and say,
"Well, I should probably go then. Hopefully see you again." I say.
"Ok, bye!"
I walk back in to the infirmary and sit outside it. I close my eyes. And I drift off to sleep.

+++

I get shaken awake and I look up to see Zack. His head is bandaged but he looks fine.
"Zoe?" He says.
"Yeah?" I yawn, rubbing my eyes.
"It's lunch, come on."
I get up and ask,
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, it aches a bit but nothing bad. The nurse says that I'm really lucky, if it had been a bit more to the side, I could have ended up paralyzed, or dead." He said, I shudder.
"Hey it's fine!" He comforts me, "we all won anyway! Wait, what about Adrian?" He asks.
"No idea." I reply.
"Let's go find out then." He says, swinging and arm around my shoulder.
We reach the mess hall, and we find Ella and Adrian sitting at our normal table.
Ella is intimately inspecting something on Adrian's face, and when I walk up to them, I feel like I'm interrupting something. Ella sits back.
"Are you ok?" She asks Zack, he just nods.
Adrian turns to us and I gasp.
He has an ice pack on his jaw, but underneath it you can see red swelling.
"Dude what happened?" Asks Zack.
Adrian laughs, he tries not to open his mouth much though, or it would probably hurt.
"Jake." He mumbles.
"Oh" I say. "You lost?"
"No!" Says Adrian. "I beat him! He was good though,he gave me this." He says, indicating at his jaw. "He's a good punch, but not good enough."
"Who is jake?" Asks Zack.
"A guy from last years initiate class. He wasn't too good last year, so Rico thought he could fight with the extra one of us." explains Ella.
I nod, and we sit down for lunch.