I will Survive

Part 6: Capture the Flag

The next couple of days are great. Due to me having to constantly defend myself at home, my fighting skills are great. I'm the top of the class and I've won like, every fight.

Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty happy with myself.

My friends, on the other hand, aren't doing great. Katie is ranked 14, which is pretty good. Mia's 23, below the line, but if she just wins one more fight she will be above the line. It's really just Lainey I'm worried about. She's ranked 33 out of 36. I don't think she's gonna make it, and neither does she.

"Alright, initiates! Listen up." Four calls. "We're going on a little field trip. Gear up with the equipment in the boxes and be at the train platform in 5 minutes."

I follow the other initiates over to the boxes and bump into my dauntless born friends.

They are all doing well. Matt is ranked 3 and Sam is 4. Ember is 10th. I don't get to see them a lot during the day but we still hang out almost as much as my transfer friends.

"You excited?" Sam asks me.
"Um-yeah, I guess. Do you know what it is I should be excited for?"

"It's a dauntless tradition, so I'm gonna guess it involves hurdling ourselves over a pool of lava with canon balls flying at us from every direction." Ember says jokingly. We laugh.

"Don't forget the evil robot sharks!" Matt adds, as he joins the group. More laughter.

I grab my gear and head to the trains. I'm one of the first here, not surprising. Most normal people can't get ready in 5 minutes. Then again, I'm not normal. I'm dauntless.

Once everyone else arrives, we jump on the train. I stumble a little but Four grabs my hand at the last second. He pulls me in and I mumble a quick thanks before turning to find my friends.

"It's like capture the flag," says Four, as he opens a crate filled with paintball guns. I grin.

"Now teams." Eric says," I'll take the stiff." I roll my eyes at the nickname. Being top of the class has proved I'm no stiff, hasn't it?

I brush it off and walk over to Eric's side. Matt and Ember end up on my team as well. Mia too.

We are each given a gun and our team is given a flag. Four's team hops off the train first. We hop off about 3 minutes later.

We are by a tall building and some crates. The ground is muddy and the night is chilling. I like it.

"Alright, we need a strategy," says a random dauntless guy I don't know, "any idea's?"

"Who put you in charge?" Ember challenges. I roll my eyes as the whole team begins to argue. I step out of the group and watch the horizon as I see the other team approaching us from the distance.

I rush back to the group.
"Would you guys knock it off! While you were all bickering the other team has made it halfway over here." I yell. That shuts everyone up.

"Well, get moving! We're playing defense now. Someone hide the flag on the top off the building, Matt and Ember, you guard." I demand. To my surprise, people listen. I see Eric's look of approval, and I blush. God I hope it's dark enough that he didn't see that.

Without warning a neon green paintball splatters against the metal crate beside me. I shoot at the teams 3 times and manage to take 1 down. I head for cover as more people come to take them down.

I hide behind the crate, shooting anyone who happens to turn the corner. I glance over at the building where are flag is hidden. Ember and Matt are both at the bottom, covered in neon paint. There are the other teams members blocking the entrance tithe states. As far as I know, no body is guarding our flag.

I can't go through the entrance with out being shot. I decide to try and climb the side of the building. Good idea? Probably not, but it's too late now. I begin climbing the side and in a few minutes, I'm already halfway there. It's a good thing this building has so many ledges for me to hang onto, other wise, I'd be screwed.

I'm a fourth away from the top. No one has claimed the flag yet. I still have a shot. Speaking of shots, I paintball bursts open right next to me. I falter. My steady speed continues as I recover from the shock. Another one goes off farther away from me. I notice that is neon orange, my team color.

Idiots, I think. They can't see who I am from this far away. I continue climbing. A paint ball hits my hand and I fall down at least 10 feet. I gasp. My hand scraps against the cement building. I press myself closer towards the building and pray that this idiot will stop shooting at me. No luck.

Another shoot land 4 feet from my leg. I see from above that the other team has already claimed the flag. I sigh and begin to climb down. I'm about 25-30 feet away from the ground when another orange paintball hits my cheek. I fall backwards, off of the ledge.

The wind whips through my hair an I squeeze my eyes shut. If this 30 foot drop doesn't kill me, it will still hurt like hell. The ground is getting closer. I brace myself for impact, put it never comes. Instead a land in two strong arms.

Eric's arms.

We lock eyes. He look away blushing and sets me down.

"T-thanks." I mumble, still a little shaken from the fall.

"The paints orange," he points out and I nod, "your own team shot you?"

"I don't think they could see-"

"It doesn't matter! You could have been seriously hurt." He says. I bite my lip.
"I don't want you hurt." Eric mumbles. He then walks away, leaving me standing there.

I think it's confirmed, I definitely like Eric.