Dissonant (DIVERGENT)

Chapter Five: Kiss Me

"This feels like falling in love

Falling in love

We're falling in love

Settle down with me

And I'll be your safety

You'll be my lady

I was made to keep your body warm

But I'm cold as the wind blows so hold me in your arms"

Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran

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Gage's slender fingers nervously raked through her hair. She'd watched Eric fight before, but it always made her nervous. Eric rubbed his hands together and specifically cracked each of his knuckles. Gage knew he was focused now. He always cracked his knuckles before a fight. Gage knew the Dauntless boy too. He was rude and a nuisance, but he knew how to fight and that was the only reason that he passed initiation last year. His name was Roy and he was a towering young man with a buzz cut and tattoos coating his chest.

"Go Erudite!" some people chanted.

"Go Roy!" the Dauntless roared.

Gage never chanted with the crowd. She watched as the ring-girl lowered both of the boys' hands and clapped her hands to start the fight. Eric darted around Roy like he was teleporting back and forth. Suddenly Eric lunged, he always likes to get the first punch in. His fist slammed into Roy, a vicious uppercut. Roy wheeled after Eric with malice clouding his eyes. Roy charged at Eric like he was a bull and Eric was the matador.

Eric agilely darted around Roy's lumbering stride. He leapt into the air and spun his foot slamming into Roy's face. Eric then clapped his flat palm right over Roy's ear. Roy roared in rage and lunged for Eric. He merely kicked forward. Eric's foot slammed into Roy's ribcage and Roy staggered backwards. Eric smirked manically at Roy and circled him like a lion stalking it's prey.

"Get up Roy!" the crowd roared. Roy got to his feet and wiped the blood out of his eyes. The look he gave Eric made Gage shiver, but Eric merely smirked back and motioned with his hand for Roy to come forward. Gage quickly noticed that Roy was smarter than everyone thought. He waited patiently baiting Eric closer and closer.

"Eric!" Gage yelled. "Be careful!" she watched Roy. Eric went for the punch tired of waiting. Roy grabbed Eric's arm and twisted it. Eric was flung onto the harsh concrete and he whirled around, clutching his shoulder. Roy grabbed Eric's foot and yanked him back toward himself. Roy straddled Eric and began throwing punches with an inhumane maliciousness. Blood splattered and Gage could hear snapping noises. She looked away uneasily. She saw Eric's friend, Petra, a row below her. Petra had her face buried in a tall, blonde-headed Erudite boy's shoulder. Gage wondered if he was her boyfriend.

"Hey get him out of there! He's going to kill him!" Zeke yelled angrily. Soon the uneasy crowd took up the chant. Zeke, Shauna, Gage, and Quentin soon went down there. Zeke grabbed Roy's arm and Roy turned on Zeke. He lunged for him, but Zeke blocked the punch easily and grabbed Roy's wrist. Quentin quickly grabbed the other wrist and twisted it behind Roy's back. Zeke and Quentin kept Roy's wrists pinned behind his back as Shauna pushed him backwards away from Eric. Gage knelt beside Eric.

"Gage," his face was splattered with blood. Eric was clutching his shoulder and his bare chest was already bruising.

"Hey relax," Gage said as she helped the couple of stand-in medics slid Eric onto the stretcher. The "medics" were just some volunteer Erudites who helped out when needed. They quickly got Eric far away from the crowd and Roy. "You're okay." Gage's small hand found Eric's large one. Gage looked at their clasped hands. Hers was small and slightly tanned, but scarred and calloused from working in the compound. Eric's was large and pale with split knuckles and blood splashed across it. The red blood looked strangely bright against Eric's pale skin.