Reticent

FOUR

By dinner Percy's arms were already sore, thank god there was cake. She sat with the rest of the initiates, a mixture of a couple dauntless born and transfers. They all kept to their own groups leaving Percy exactly where she wanted, at the end of the table, happily ignoring everyone. Well, maybe not happily, but that's just because she could feel Mike's eyes burning a hole straight through her head. It also didn't help that she could feel Eric watching them the whole time. Apparently, he didn't think that she would be able to handle it if a situation arose.

She managed to finish her food as some Dauntless were still coming in.  She went to the roof and sat down on the edge. It would be the first time since the choosing ceremony earlier that day that she would be able to smoke. She sat through a cigarette and a half an hour after that before going back to the dorm. 

She hoped that maybe, just maybe, everyone would still be at dinner and she could shower alone, something Percy knew was going to become an unattainable luxury very quickly.

Figuring there was no actual door that led into the long room Percy walked straight in. At the far end, in a corner was a couple making out. "Really Emily, you couldn't find some dead-end somewhere?"

"Wow, funny Percy, you can't say anything though."

"Why's that?"

"Oh don't think I didn't see you making eyes at Eric."

"I was not making eyes at-, you know what I'm getting a shower you can go back to whatever. "

"It's a good thing you weren't making eyes at him, Max would..."Percy didn't bother listening to the rest of Emily's sentence, knowing what she was going to say already. 

Halfway through her shower initiates started to file back in so she cut it short knowing it wouldn't be long before Mike showed up. She went back to her bunk and got dressed.

Tomorrow was when shit was going to hit the fan. Fights start tomorrow and from there it can only get worse. Percy fell asleep holding her pillow over her ears trying to get sleep.

---

"Percy and Mike, you're up," Zeke called out. Of course, Percy should have seen this coming from a mile away, that little scene that they had made on the first day had pretty much painted them as the perfect pair to duel first. 

Mike was big, to say he could be intimidating was an understatement. He was built like a concrete wall and weighed about as much as one. Moving him was going to be no easy feat, but it wasn't impossible. His height and weight made him slow and off-balance. Percy knew if she could just get him mad enough he would get reckless. Reckless targets make for easy targets. 

The two of them kicked their shoes off and stepped onto the mat. "The fight only ends when one of you is unable to fight anymore or if you concede. Start,"

Percy made no move as Mike squared himself and brought his fists up. There were no weak spots in his stance, then again Percy wouldn't have expected there to be, Mike was the epitome of dauntless in all its stereotypes. The perfect fighter.

Mike made the first move jabbing at Percy's left eye, she dropped her body to the right avoiding impact. Percy moved her arms in front of her face. She knew that it wouldn't be long before he would try again, putting a little more force into it the next time. That was her plan though, every time Mike missed another punch his temper would heat up more and more. Each throw would be more powerful and more dangerous than the last but also more sloppy. She just had to stay out of the way until he was grasping at straws.

Five minutes went by, five minutes of dodging and circling. "Hurry up initiates, we've got other shit to do," Eric was getting impatient with the lack of action and no one seemed to disagree. No one had noticed him come in this morning, everyone was focused too intently on the fight that was unfolding in front of them. 

It was at this point that Mike had had enough.  "For fucks sake!" Mike took a wild swing from his right using his full body to hurl his fist at the side of Percy's head. It was the opportunity that she had been looking for when his form fell apart. Percy threw up her leg and kicked Mike in the throat, dodging his swing and watching him hunch over. With his head down, holding his throat, and trying to catch his breath Percy took the opportunity to take her knee to his nose followed immediately by an elbow to the back of the head, and down he fell. Blood pooling on the mat by his face as he regained consciousness a second later.

"Someone take him to the infirmary," There was no sound as Mike was lifted off the mat by two of the larger initiates and Percy jumped down off the mat. 

Relief flooded through Percy's body. She figured that this was a good warning to the other initiates not to try and mess with her but there was also the chance that she had just painted a massive target on her back by placing herself at the head of the class. 

While she was calming down from her ordeal she noticed the eyes trained on her, everyone in the room was in awe, they all knew her to be quiet and almost a recluse. No one had expected her to be capable of taking out someone so much larger than herself. The only pair of eyes that Percy cared to notice, though, was that of Eric.  They held a similar surprise, but there was a layer of satisfaction behind them.

"That's enough staring, make pairs and start fighting," Zeke walked off to observe the initiates as they began their respective fights.