Rat (A Divergent Prequel and Eric Love Story)

Chapter 4- Be A Man

 We returned to training after a brief lunch. I didn’t eat because the cooks ran out of food after serving the official members (practice ran a little late) and only had bologna sandwiches to serve to us. I refused to eat those things. It reminded me of Erudite too much.

When we returned to training, we were kept waiting, because Jackson, an Amity transfer, and Alicia, a Candor transfer showed up late to training. Eric waited for them by the doors with his arms crossed. Four insisted that we just go on with training, but Eric was persistent. “Probably somewhere making out,” Kait had whispered into my ear with a slight giggle.

Eventually, they stumbled into practice. Upon opening the doors, Alicia whispered to Jackson, “Eric is going to kill us!” She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Eric at the door.

“Oh no, don’t overestimate me. I wouldn’t kill you. But, close.” Eric smiled evilly. “Now, who was the one who made the other so late?”

Alicia and Jackson looked at each other, mouths wide open. Fear clear in their eyes.

“No one’s going to fess up? Fine, Jackson, be a man. Go stand in front of the target,” Eric ordered.

“Eric,” Four started to plead.

“Are you questioning my authority?” Eric questioned. Four said nothing. “Good, the initiate that gets their knife closer to Jackson doesn’t have to fight tomorrow. Alicia, you can go first.”

Alicia turned white from head to toe, as she stumbled over to the designated point, taking the knife from Eric’s hands. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed to Jackson. She threw her knife and it clanged on the ground as she missed.

Eric sighed. He does that a lot. “First jumper, let’s see what you have for us.”

I looked at Eric, pleading him to stop with my eyes. He didn’t pay any attention to my glare, just handed me a knife.

I thought of the way Eric had taught me to stand. I eyed my target. Not Jackson, but maybe the area near his knees. I threw the knife, missing where I intended, but pinning Jackson’s loose shirt to the wall behind him.

The others took turns throwing, all terrified and shaky as they threw. No one came as close to Jackson as I did, and I hadn’t even intended to get that close.

We left to dinner, and as I walked to a clear table, I noticed Alicia embracing Jackson. She rubbed her hands across his back in a sort of comforting way. As I approached, she glared at me, “You could’ve killed Jackson, you idiot!”

Her comment had taken me off guard. “I- I didn’t mean to get that close.”

“Sweetie,” Jackson said to Alicia, “she can’t help how good she is.” Jackson smiled nicely at me, but Alicia still frowned. I guess Kait was right about where they I had been.

I found Shauna and sat next to her. I told her about the make-over I intended to get. Her eyes widened at me. “Are you kidding me? We have to go right now.”