The Transfer (A Divergent backstory to Eric)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

  "Matt and Mia, Sean and Britt, and Eric and Four, today is your final test, you will fight until one of you can't continue, or one of you concedes."  Amar announces when we get into the training room the next morning.  We line up and watch, Matt and Mia are first up.  It's almost hard to watch as he breaks down this weak girl.  She falls to the ground after two blows and starts crying.  "I give up, I give up, please stop!" I let out a grunt, why did she even come here?  "Alright, next up is Sean and Britt!" Amar says.  Britt is surprisingly good, she jabs right at Sean's throat and bashes him in the side.  Sean picks her up and throws her, she kicks him in the shin.  He bashes the side of her head and she's down.  When she doesn't get back up Amar says "alright that's enough, Max help me get her off the mat, Eric and Four you're up next.  We take our place on the mat after they carry Britt off.  I crack my knuckles and stare at him,  I hit him square in the jaw, he stumbles back.  I kick him in th eribs, then he hits me and I feel a sting to my stomach, I punch him hard.  "You're used to getting your ass beat aren't you stiff! Should I tell them what your real name is?"  I seem to have angered him, he grabs my arm and puts me in a head lock.  He punches me until blood soaks my chin and my vision goes black.  I try to wrench out or kick his legs out from under him, but he keeps beating me, I topple over like a coward.  He kicks me one last time in the side of my head and I black out.  Max and Amar start to carry me up, I shove them off "I got it!"  I slowly get up a little wobbley and unsteady, but I will not be carried off like a weakling. 

  "Your rankings will be up tomorrow morning, you will be ranked with the Dauntless borns."  I see Lauren, she's looking at me. 'great! the first time she sees me and I'm taking a beating she'll really be interested now!' I think. "Your rankings will determine the jobs you'll get.  Gaurding the fence, leadership, working the control room, and keeping the factionless from killing eachother.  Now I suggest some of you...." Amar looks around the room and then at me "...get some rest."  The next morning my head is still throbbing, my knuckles are split open, my mouth swollen, and side bruised.  I get up still a little wobbly  and walk to the shower.  The warm water stings my skin.  I get dressed and go down to the training room, there's a group of people gathered around a board, I shove my way through.

1-Four

2-Eric

  I glare at him, everyone clapping him on the back, I look back at the ranks,

4-Lauren

  not bad I think.  She's with her friends laughing and joking. I try to find Matt's name.

8-Matt

  At least he made the top ten.  Max approaches me, "Congradulations! I want you to come with me!"  He walks me over to a group, Four is among them.  "I would like to recruit you all for leadership positions here at Dauntless"  Max says and I look up interested.  Four looks around and says "Thank you for your consideration, but I'm thinking I would like to work in the control room."  Max looks shocked "well I would be lying if I said I wan't disappointed, but I respect your decision and wish you the best of luck." I smile as he walks away from the group.  "So for the rest of you we will be meeting tomorrow morning bright and early in the conference room above the pit."  I walk back and find Matt.  He claps me on the back, I try not to flinch.  "Second place man! That's awesome!" I look at the board "should have been first, but I will be...Max recruited me for leadership." I walk out of the room and go back to the dorms.  I sit on the bed feeling somewhat pleased with myself.  I get up with a commotion coming from outside.  I think it's just the others celebrating, but then I hear a scream.  I run out to see a bunch of people standing by the chasm.  Two guys are pulling something out with a rope.  I shove to get closer, then I see him, Amar, his body limpless hanging from the rope.  I turn around feeling nothing, I go back to the dorm and sit back on my bed, exhausted from today's events.  The next morning a man comes in, "I'm Chris, by the end of today we should have apartments for all of you, come find me after 5pm to get your keys."  I get dressed and go up to the conference room.  I'm the third one there besides Max.  He motions for me to have a seat, I do.  "That was quite the fight the other day, I thought you had him beat for a while there." he says.  I nod "I did too, but I think I said something that didn't sit right him him."  Max laughs "is that what got him fired up?"  I laugh too.  The rest of the group joins us.  "So!" Max folds his arms "Do any of you have any ideas for what might be good for Dauntless moving forward?"  I sit up "I do."  Max and the others look over at me.  "I think we need to embrace the spirit of competition, it makes us better, brings out the best, strongest parts of us.  I think initiation should foster that sence of competition more than it currently does, so we get the best initates possible."  They look intrigued, so I continue.  "Right now initiates are competeing only against the system, I think they should be competeing against eachother for a spot in Dauntless."  Max is smiling, so am I.  "If they don't get a particular score by the first stage they are cut and become factionless." I look back at Max "Interesting concept Eric." he says, he looks pleased "Alright I will think this over, you all are free to go." I get up feeling better than I have in a long time.  I go to find Chris to get my keys.  I find him in the cafeteria next to Tori.  "Eric right?" He looks up, rifles through his bag "I've got your keys right here, third floor next to the chasm."  I take the key and head to the dorms, I gather my things and go to find my apartment.  I see Matt down the hall, he nods in my direction, I nod back.  I enter my new home and drop my bag.  I smile as I look around and think 'so this is the begining of my new life.'