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Even though every iniciate was feeling the weight of the 2nd phase of training, the Dauntless borns were dealing with the pressure a lot better than the transfers. Lilith had been trying to get Christina and Nate out of the dorm when they had some free time and, while Nate was easily bribed with the promise of sparring together, Christina usually stayed in her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest and not saying a word. Lilith had never seen her friend act that way before, and it scared her.
She found herself hanging around Siobhan, Rita and the rest of the Dauntless borns nearly every day after their simulations, creating mischief around the compound and sneaking around through different rooms at night. Siobhan had recovered from her funk as soon as she'd started going on the escapades with her friends, and Lilith enjoyed seeing her so happy. It had been a while since the brown haired girl had been herself.
Seeing as there wasn't a need for someone to oversee the current phase of their initiation, Lilith had been seeing a lot less of Eric. The only times she managed to catch a glimpse of him were when she was sitting in the dining hall with her friends, having some meals as they each processed what they had been put through, that day. The leader barely glanced in their direction as he moved to the seat to the right of Max, leaving his former spot next to Granger void. Lilith hadn't asked, but she could see in Granger's face that Eric's distant behavior was taking a toll on him.
"How the hell did the Stiff get first place?" Lynn's voice cut off her train of thought.
There was no answer from the other dauntless borns, and the brunette raised her head, her eyes widening as she saw the other girl looking at her over her shoulder. Lilith shrugged, looking back down at her boots, "Don't ask me. I have no idea."
"You didn't ask?" Lynn's eyebrows were up to her forehead.
"I kind of figured she didn't want to talk about the rankings, after Peter got in her face about them," Lilith replied, "I did talk to her a few days back, though. She said she was having as much trouble with the simulations as we are."
"And you believe her?" Marlene questioned, a twinkle of curiosity in her eyes.
Lilith hesitated for a few seconds, remembering how the former Abnegation's behavior had given her the feeling that she was hiding something. Even though she had kept an eye on the blonde girl, and talked to her regularly after they'd been on the roof together, she hadn't managed to get any more information about Tris' experience with the simulations. Her friends were all looking back at her by the time she responded, "She didn't give me a reason not to."
"Well, maybe she's just good at this type of thing," Rita shrugged, as she finished putting her hair up in a ponytail, "She didn't really stand out in physical training, so maybe she's really good at the psychological stuff instead. She has to compensate somehow, right?"
