Death Wish

Part 13

I didn't speak to Eric for the rest of the week.

He still came to training with Four and didn't hesitate to yell at slacking transfers, but he didn't say a word to me and often avoided my gaze. After fighting him and getting my but kicked, I took no chance at pissing him off again. I reverted to being quiet and reserved whenever his presence was near and did my best to not attract any attention from Eric.

However, word had gotten around. It seemed almost all of Dauntless had heard about the fight between Eric and I, and several Dauntless members had even stopped me to congratulate me for taking Eric on and surviving. Apparently, very few people willingly fought against Eric. Who knew right?

Even Lily and Frankfurt acted differently. Often keeping their distance and only glaring at me from across the room. Frankfurt was fully healed by now but even he didn't seem all that interested in causing trouble with me again.

Ryan, Matius, Rency, Morsov, and Deitrich still treated me the same. Well, one of them would occasionally would make a comment about me being crazy or a badass or just being a lunatic in general, but I didn't mind. They were all well earned titles at this point.

The bruises from our fight were slowly fading and I was able to open my jaw all the way after the first few days. The healing ward's medicine worked fast.

But the noticeable purple mark on Eric's lower cheek gained far more attention than any of my minor bruises.

As far as rankings went, I had actually moved up one place to snag fifth of all things. I know I only moved up one space but to be in the top five and as a female was a success regardless.

I supposed Max and Four had changed the rankings without Eric's consent since I was instantly dropped to the bottom notch. Perhaps they thought I showed bravery againsf Eric or theh were acknowledging my great progress in weight lifting and conditioning. Or maybe, in some alternate reality, Eric was the one who recommended it.

The Rankings:

1:Frankfurt(Gross)

2:Deitrich

3:Morsov

4:Ryan

5:Ferris

6:Matius

7:Samuel

8:Lily

9:Adam

10:Rency

11:Emer

12:Freya

13:Lucille

Today was our first day of learning how to shoot guns. In comparison to knife throwing, I was substantially less skilled at shooting.

I was laying on my stomach with my elbows propped up to hold a rifle that felt cold and laden in my hand. Unlike the knives, this long piece of metal seemed to slow me down and limit my range of movement. It just didn't seem to fit my body.

All of my shots hit either the fourth or fifth ring of our target boards or missed entirely.

Rency, on the other hand, had adapted quickly to the rifle.

She was making all her shots in the second or first ring. But that wasn't the most surprising thing. The person who was doing the best was actually Freya. From the moment she picked up that gun it was as if she was a virtuoso.

Four even complimented her by saying "We finally found something you're good at."

I mean it didn't exactly sound like a compliment but it was the nicest thing Four he'd ever said to Rency by a landslide.

I continued to struggle. I just couldn't keep my hands steady. They always shook slightly, just as they always had. I looked disappointedly at my target that was dotted with the fewest holes out of everyone else's.

"Maybe try not breathing before shooting, like hold your breath and exhale after you shoot," Remcy advised next to me and I nodded.

I tried once more to steady my hands and not let my breathing alter my aim. I took the shot and it landed a little closer to the third circle rather than the fourth. I smiled and thanked Rency who just smiled brightly back with her perfect white teeth. Sometimes I wished I'd met Rency before entering Dauntless. Always supportive and nice. I tried to be the same with her.

I repeated the tactic again and again, making minimal improvement that was hardly satisfactory. I huffed in frustration and tossed some whispy brown baby hairs out my eyes.

Suddenly, a boot pressed down painlessly upon my left foot, forcing it sideways and altering my posture. I turned my head to see Eric pressing my foot down so I would have the right technique.

Instantly, my heart rate picked up at the sudden proximity and I wasn't sure if I should be scared or nervous. I hadn't been this close to him since he had me pinned to the sparring mat.

"Don't pull the trigger so fast, do it gradually," Eric ordered. His steel blue gaze didn't meet mine, instead he kept his eyes on my target board.

I nodded respectfully, not daring to speak a word.

I willed my hands to stay steady and pulled the trigger slowly, keeping my pale brown eyes trained on the target. The bullet landed right on the first inner circle. I pulled back and grinned triumphantly before looking  back to Eric to thank him but, he had already walked away. He sauntered down the line of initiates with an unreadble expression but didn't spare me a second glance. My mouth twitched curiously.

"Is he still upset about ya'lls fight?" Rency whispered quietly even though there was no way Eric could hear her over the sound of the gunshots.

I shrugged. "I have no idea," I replied. "But I hope not."

"I'm sure he's fine," Rency assured. "Probaply just annoyed that you got a jab on him."

I snorted at her comment but didn't say anything in response. I adjusted my rifle to start shooting again and was mindful to have the right foot placement this time.

"So, are you going to the party tomorrow?" Rency asked while taking another shot.

"Wait, what Party?" I asked, tilting my head in surprise.

"The one we were talking about two nights ago at dinner," She explained.

When she said 'we,' she meant her and everyone else was talking about it as I either listened or drifted off.

She gave me a look. "You know you could always listen in when we're hanging out, you might learn something or occasionally remember things," Rency teased with a joking grin.

I rolled my eyes. "My face hurt yesterday, leave me alone," I whined half heartedly before before gesturing
for her to continue.

"Well, it's basically a big party for the initiates since we are finishing the physical training and starting the second stage of training soon," She told me.

"Do people have a party for everything around here?" I asked and she shrugged.

"Probably, it makes life more fun. Are you going?" She asked with a pleading look.

I contemplated the thought. There had been parties in Candor, but I was rarely invited, and the one time I did go, a girl threw up on me from drinking too much.

But this party would be with people I actually knew and liked. And also in a faction that I had chosen and would call home.

I hummed thoughtfully before shrugging.

"Yeah, I'll go," I agreed and then paused to take another shot. This one landed in the first ring but was a little too close to the second ring for my liking. "But I don't have anything to wear."

"Oh perfect! We can go shopping!" Rency said with a smile spreading across her freckled features.

Her glee was contagious. "Sound great," I replied kindly, grinning softly.

I repositioned myself, making sure that my left foot was positioned just as Eric had shown me, then slowly pulled the trigger. It landed just shy of the exact middle of the target.

It was a good shot.