Fatal Attraction (Eric/Divergent)

VI.

After breakfast, Amar announces that we're fighting today.

The training room smells like sweat, and feet. I sit with my fists clenched, waiting for the others to finish their fights. The transfers initiates and some of the Dauntless-born initiates are standing around the area. The training room is a huge room with wood floors. In the middle, there's a large circle painted and a green chalkboard on the left wall used to write the fight pairings for each match. Faded black punching bags hang at three foot intervals along one end of the room. 

''Physical endurance and capability is required. Being weak is not an option so now you are pitted against each other to prove what you have learned. You fight until one of you can't anymore. Or until one of you concedes''

I stood there with my arms crossed, waiting for the others to finish their fights. This whole time Zeke chewing on his thumbnail.

So far, Zeke already fought the Candor girl and Four fought Mia from Amity and Sean from Candor. He almost lost to both of them. I was yet to fight. 

This continued for about 20 minutes until Amar called my name. I was up against Ashley. I took a long breath. Ashley is one of the best people in the initiates group and she was one of the undefeated ones. Shauna fought her and lost badly. 

She had brunette hair with strikes of blue that hung past her shoulders, big gray eyes and a very cocky attitude. I quickly glanced at her across the arena and noticed that she was smiling sadistically while staring at me the whole time. She had a good amount of strength, stamina, speed and reflexes.

...

We hit the ground with a thud. It's all happened in mille-seconds. I let out a groan as my fist connected with her face causing her to yelp out in pain. I took this opportunity to flipped us over so I was on top. She grunted as she struggled against me. The skin around the rings in her lip looks red now and I took a look at her face. She wasn't happy. 

Movement caught the corner of my eye, and I looked past her, noticing Eric leaning against the doorframe and then focused on her again. Which was probably very, very stupid but having him here makes me kind of nervous. She used my distraction as leverage to draw her fist back and punch me in the nose sending me reeling backwards. Red crimson blood starting to trickle down and I cursed to myself.

''I think your nose is broken'' She says as a matter of fact. She got up to her feet but didn't approached. I quickly stumbled to my feet and spit a wad of blood.

Now my face is patch worked with bruises and cuts. I feel hot with embarrassment. 

She rushed towards me but I ducked under her arm, as she swung. I took the opportunity to punch her in the side of her ribs before she had the chance to fight again. An instant later, another fist connects with her jaw making her head whip to the side. 

The brunette bared her teeth as she painfully moaned. Starting to get angrier, she screamed as she scratched her long nails across my cheek. She was getting even more pissed off by the second and I wasn't sure how long I would be able to hold on. The fight was taking too long. 

Another fist flew towards me and I yelled. I was suddenly blinded with rage and I couldn't take it anymore. I felt my emotions take over. I mustered up all the strength that I had and kneed her in the stomach. She let go and huddled down in pain. I wiped the blood on my mouth with the back on my hand. Ashley finally fell to the ground with her arms supporting her. I could tell that she was trying to regain her strength but I needed to prove myself. I looked up at Amar, and he signaled me to continue. I brought up one of my feet and kicked her in the stomach, making her fall on her side. By this time, she was holding her body with both of her arms.

I raised my foot again, ''Stop!'' She shouted and scrambled off hastily, making a beeline for the door while I stood up in the middle of the arena. My right eye is bleeding and the sweat trickling from my forehead and down the side of my face.

Everything hurt—my arms, my chest, my legs, and my head. Especially my head. It felt like an overinflated balloon. Suddenly everything started to spin and my head started to pound. I closed my eyes as I started getting light headed. I felt like I was going to throw up from being so dizzy.

"Al, you ok?" I heard someone say but I couldn't tell who the voice belonged to. It was all distorted. By this time everyone was looking at me.

Shauna and Four turned their attention towards me as I closed and opened my eyes. All I saw was a blurred version of Zeke and the last thing I felt before I blacked out was two arms catch me right before I hit the ground.

I opened my eyes and noticed I was in the infirmary. I sat up slowly and turned toward the hallway when I hear footsteps, I saw Zeke, Four and Shauna, looking concerned yet relieved.

''You're awake'' Zeke said.

"What happened?" I sit up, and the sudden motion makes my headthrob more.

 ''You fainted. Been out a good 10 min'' Four said.

Shauna sat on the chair next to the bed. ''You put up a good fight against Ashley'' 

''Well rest easy. You're up against Eric tomorrow. You know that right?'' Zeke said.