The Leaders will be the Death of Me

*Chapter Four* "The Death Machines"

A/N: This is Ash's first day of training outfit! ☺️

Once I hear the loud, banging metal against the rail of our "bedroom" I flinch remembering how my dad used to do the same thing to wake my brothers and I up. He said he was "preparing us for initiation". I smiled as tears filled my eyes. "I want you in the training room in ten!" Four screamed. I groaned and threw myself over the bed. I jumped on Peter and he looked at me smiling.
"Morning, sunshine." He smirked at me. I planted a kiss on his lips. He grabbed me and enveloped me in his arms.
"We have to get ready..." He sighed and pushed me off the bed.
"Hey!" I yelled laughing. I slapped him on his thigh. He cried out in agony and I rolled my eyes laughing. I got off the cool floor and slipped on a black crop top and gray sweats with white and black training shoes and pulled my long blonde hair into a messy ponytail. Next think I know I'm swept onto Peter's back, and I wrap my arms around him and put my forehead against his neck. I sigh. I don't think I can continue this. Not just for the leaders to kill me. I can't put him through this... I need to tell him. Tonight.
"Hey, Peter?"
"Hey, Ash." He mimics me. I can feel him grinning. I sadly look at the ground and force the tears to not fall.
"Can we talk later?" I say as fast as I can.
"Yeah, sure." He looks up at me concerned. We burst into the training room and he already has me laughing again. I sigh, knowing telling him is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done. By the looks on Four's and Eric's faces they're waiting on us. Four glares daggers at me. I sigh and jump off glaring right back at him. I go over and stand next to Chris, trying to distance myself from Four and Eric's icy stares. Wait, why is Eric here?! I start panicking. The previous nights details come flowing back to me all at once, overwhelming me. The whole time Four talks he studies me, its almost like he's trying to understand me. Then I remember Tori telling me, Four knows about me, the runaway Dauntless, he just doesn't know its me yet.
"Today we're just going to work on shooting. Tomorrow we'll work on knife throwing. The next two days after that we will be working on combat fighting, then eventually working your way up to fighting each other." All the transfers look at each other frantically, clearly panicking. I just stare straight ahead. Four and Eric both notice this. I look down at my feet refusing their stares. "There is a long table of guns over there. I will show you how to load the guns properly and demonstrate how to shoot correctly. Then you will start and I will walk around, helping to critique your shot. Understood?" He looked around to scan for questions, no one piped up. "Good."
Four strode over to the table of "death machines" is what my mother called them. No matter what, this was not the Dauntless part of me I had. Being in Amity for ten years, you learn to hate guns. We all walk over to Four at the beginning of the table, waiting for him to shove a gun into our hands. The closer I came to him, the more beads of sweat streaked my face, and more shaking of my hands. By the time I came to Four I was having a nervous breakdown. He studied me, which it had seemed, he has been doing this a lot.
"You good, Amity?" He smirked laughing at my emotional state.
"I'm glad this is amusing to you, Four." I glared at him. He just stared back. I shrunk back as he shoved the gun towards my hands. I step back to come in contact with a muscly upper body. I knew I was the last one in line, so this must be Eric. He grabbed my arms sharply causing pain to flow through me, causing me to wince. He made my palms lay flat giving Four the chance to lay the gun in my hands. I let the gun slide right off my hands. Four leans in closer to my face, his breath hot on my neck.
"Take the gun or fail initiation, your choice." He stares at me angrily, motioning towards my feet where the gun laid safely on the floor. I stare at it, gritting my teeth. I slowly bend down to get it, and Eric releases me. I obediently grab the gun and walk over to the last target. I watch Four as he shows us the correct way to hold, load, and fire a gun. He showed us five times, hitting the middle, in the exact same spot every time. He now dismisses us to try it on our own.
I take a deep breath. You are in Dauntless. You are not in Amity anymore. It's okay to hold a gun. I load my gun, praying I did it properly. I copy Four's stance as good as I can. I count to ten, and pull back on the trigger stumbling back a bit. In the process I fall into Eric. I land in his lap. I shoot up. I stare at him harshly.
"Watch where your standing. Aren't you supposed to be smarter than that?" I scoffed at him.
His palm connects with the side of my face, "Oh really Amity, at least I can hold a gun and fire without falling on my butt!" He teased menacingly.
I glare at him forming a fist in my dominant hand and pulling back. A hand caught my fist before it could come in contact with Eric's face. "I strongly suggest you don't punch a leader in the face." I heard Four angrily growl in my ear. I swing around getting ready to swing at Four when he catches that fist and flips me over slamming me on my back, knocking the wind out of me. I start coughing uncontrollably.
"You done, Amity?!" He growled. I glared at him, but reluctantly nodded, showing a sign of weakness. I cursed under my breath. I walk away and notice all the initiates staring at me with wonder. I glared at them and they shrinked under my glare.
"Lunch break! Be back at two!" Four called out. I begin to walk out when Four shouts "Not you, Amity."
I rolled my eyes, then turned around, locking eyes with Four. "Aww Four? U wanna eat lunch with me."
"Wow your just full of it, huh, Amity?"
"No such thing as "overly sarcastic." I rolled my eyes. "What exactly is the problem."
"The problem," Eric interrupted, "is that you think you can speak back or punch leaders in the face!"
"Leaders?" I scoffed. "If you were such a "leader" , Eric why are you overseeing a bunch of transfers initiation?" I smirked at him. "You obviously aren't important." I notice him clench and unclench his fists.
"Get control of your initiate Four, or she's cut! And I mean it!"
"You can't cut me!"
"Wanna bet!" He growled getting in my face, trying to intimidate me. Four grabbed my arm.
"That's enough, Ash. Go, Eric, I'll handle her."
"That would be frickin great, Four! Isn't that your job?!" And with that he stormed out of the training room. I rolled my eyes.
"Look, can I go? I promise to try and control myself from here on out, okay?" I start to walk out of the room.
"You're the girl..." I whirl around at his remark.
"The girl?"
"That was in Dauntless."
"Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."
He continued on. "That explains how you act..."
"Hello?! Earth to Four! I have no idea what you're talking about! Now may I go?! You've already wasted an hour of my time!"
He sighed and nodded. I stormed out of the training room. I run down a hallway and sit down and just cry. About my sister, my brothers, Peter, my moms, my father, Eric, Four, just everything in general. I let the tears fall down my cheeks voluntarily. My life is so screwed up.