I could feel the tension emanating from my jaw to the point of causing me great discomfort. I perfectly disguised my distressed and frightened look with a completely expressionless face as I entered the well-known training room with Tiana by my side, who insisted on reproaching me for my absence in the pit and how Ian seemed sad, and Raphael asked her to give me a message. "Tell her to come after the fight, I need to talk to her."

Ian simply looked at me with a sad grimace since we got up from bed and went to breakfast. Even Jim expressed his opinion, agreeing with the redhead that I had no emotional responsibility, as they counted on my assistance because I had promised it. The only sincere thing I could do was explain to them that the stitches had burst and that I was very sorry; as expected, they were not satisfied with that, except for Andrea, who knew how important this day was for me.

As I entered, most of them were warming up. Max, Freya, and Eric were near the ring, talking calmly as if this day were the most common thing, while I was a bundle of nerves. Tiana's arm was wrapped around mine, so it was easy for her to drag me into the group of friends who hate me.

"Hey guys, we're here. Fill us in," Tiana spoke calmly as she joined Jim to hug him.

"Andrea's admirer said they'll have a surprise for those who make it past the first cut, then Tori and Raphael are giving us free rounds at the bar again," Ian summarized with a smile.

I noticed that the water bottles were very close to us, so I approached without committing to the conversation, grabbed one, and opened it as I approached them again.

"I'm in," the redhead hurriedly agreed with a smile.

"Me too," Andrea nodded.

"No need to ask, bro, I'll go." Jim scoffed with a smile.

Ian nodded enthusiastically. "I won't ask you, I know your answer." he turned to me with suspicion.

I rolled my eyes, tired of the situation. "Am I the only one who cares about this day? The first stage is the most important; you should understand that."

"No, you should understand the importance of a promise. You're so blinded by leadership that you don't realize you're hurting yourself and us," Ian retorted, annoyed. "I don't even gain anything by reproaching you; it's a waste of time to expect anything from you."

"Ian," Andrea scolded, surprised.

I hardened my expression, furrowing my brow slightly as I approached him. "It's your problem for having such high expectations of me. I'm only seeking the leadership position, and your stupid and irresponsible antics won't ruin it for me over a simple and crude promise," I spat out emotionlessly, not holding back at all, letting all the venom out of my mouth. I could see surprise and disappointment in his eyes; he didn't expect such a response.

"Grace," Andrea intervened again, scolding.

"Don't you see it yet? Eric is changing you, manipulating you at his whim, destroying the Grace I grew fond of," he shook his head, squinting.

"Don't confuse things, don't try to categorize me. There are many things you don't understand, and I won't bother explaining them to you," my displeased expression was evident. I was so upset that I cared little about hurting a friend's feelings.

I walked past him, bumping into his shoulder without care, making my way to the exercise center to warm up and release the knot in my throat that was growing mercilessly.

****************************

His gaze was intense, filled with sadistic amusement, composed of irony, seeing me as a mere cockroach ready to be crushed. He winked at me as we stepped into the ring once Four named him and then me to fight.

Max, Freya, and Eric were the furthest away, watching us carefully, analyzing who was fit to take on the leadership position and its accompanying benefits, while around us, the others looked at me with pity. They predicted Hall's victory due to his size, and I couldn't allow that.

I had a tight bandage on, unnecessary to hurt me, along with a thick cloth protector, all put on by Eric last night, who didn't let me leave until he finished the job of healing me. Despite being embarrassed and experiencing a very uncomfortable moment, at least for me, he did an excellent job, wishing me luck in the fight. At this moment, my wound didn't hurt, and I was infinitely grateful because I could fight without distractions.

I raised my guard, mirroring him, moved around the ring, observing his movements, and threw a jab in a zigzag pattern, causing the second blow to impact his jaw and the kick to his knee, making him stagger. I moved to another spot, pushing my left leg on the ground to pivot and hit his abdomen with the right shin of my leg, making him bend over. In a split second, he grabbed my leg and hit my ribs, effortlessly throwing me over to the other corner of the ring, landing on my shoulder.

I let out a groan of pain as I quickly got up and tried to breathe calmly. He didn't give me time to raise my guard when he advanced towards me, landing several punches with closed fists, punches that I could hardly dodge. I widened my eyes and landed a blow on his chin once I saw an opening, and before he could continue, I raised the tips of my toes to push off and hit his neck with my left elbow.

I stepped back to catch my breath and calm the stabbing pains emanating from my shoulder, touching the bandaged wound. Instinctively, I sought Eric's gaze, who nodded discreetly, signaling for me to continue. But as I turned my gaze back to Hall, I received a blow to my left cheek that sent me sprawling to the ground. Without giving me a moment to recover, I twisted my body and pushed him in the chest with both feet as he approached mercilessly.

What followed was worthy of being recorded, so that all of Dauntless could witness the fight of the century, how two initiates battled relentlessly for leadership, regardless of the blood streaming from our brows, noses, and mouths. It was blow after blow, mutual and painful. There came a point where I felt a slight tug on my left shoulder, indicating that the stitches were starting to come undone again, but I cared little and continued with several kicks.

We were both tired, sore, and fed up; we pleaded with each other to surrender with our eyes, to let ourselves be defeated, but the response was clear and immediate: that was not going to happen.

I lost track of time; all I knew was that this was dragging on and needed to end. I noticed a lack of coordination in his feet due to fatigue, just like mine, but I was the first to realize it. I mentally prepared myself and, with one last effort, I launched several blows to his jaw and temple, receiving blows from him in return. I raised my heel and kicked him in the back of his knee, causing him to stagger and kneel. I stepped back to gain momentum and struck his face with my bare foot, knocking him down completely.

I was about to declare victory when I saw him attempting to get up, so I hurried to straddle him and hit his face with my elbow. I only remember managing to dodge two of his punches when he grabbed the wide strap of my blouse and pulled me to one side, which I resisted, pushing myself to the other side. At that moment, the sound of fabric tearing was heard.

My blouse had completely torn, revealing only my gray bra. I had to ignore my obvious embarrassment to approach him once I stood up and hit his chest with my foot, wrapping my legs around his neck, taking his arm, and throwing him to the ground, locking him in a chokehold. With his free hand, he pounded the mat of the ring several times in desperation, surrendering.

I was blinded, unable to stop, and only exerted more pressure, watching as his cheeks turned red and then purple.

"Enough," Eric's shout snapped me back to reality. I released the pressure and stepped away from Hall, who was gasping for breath. I jumped off the ring, watching as Four approached him, coughing and shaking his head.

I had forgotten that I was in a bra, that my torn blouse was lying around somewhere, while everyone present was in complete silence, witnessing the surprising ending. Two cold hands grabbed me from behind by my arms as I moved away from the spot, bewildered, glancing sideways as Eric led me away. I followed him without saying another word.

"Hey, look at me." Eric ordered, lifting my chin. I obeyed, looking at him like a child awaiting approval. I didn't have an emotional expression that could reflect what I felt; there was still confusion in my surroundings as I watched him smile discreetly.

"How is she?" Freya's arrival took me by surprise. She assessed my face. "We need to take her to the infirmary," she nodded.

"Did I win?" I asked Freya, who was touching my hair.

"Yes, it was incredible." the leader smiled subtly, despite the considerable distance from the others. "Max was impressed," she assured.

Eric gently took my left hand, cradling it in his hand, sending a shiver down my spine as I watched him raise my limb.

"Eric, give her your jacket," she ordered without turning to look at him. He obeyed, revealing his incredible and muscular arms to the light. I couldn't help but look, appreciating the width of his muscles and his tattoos; it was something worth seeing. He took off his jacket and passed it over my left arm, wrapping it around my back, and finally placing it over my right arm.

"I'll take her to the infirmary." Eric announced.

"No, wait," Freya grimaced. "Max likes you to be with him in these kinds of fights."

"I can go alone." I suggested.

"No, I have an idea."

************************

"I'm sorry, I insisted that I could go alone," I smiled nervously as we continued walking.

Four smiled without turning to look at me as
we walked on. It seemed that Freya was aware that Eric and he didn't get along, so she hurried to ask him instead of the blonde. I insisted that it wasn't necessary, that it wasn't a long journey, and besides, the other fight was about to start, and the brunette was the coach, but as always, my voice was not taken into account. Eric took the board, and Four, without complaints, took me to the infirmary.

"Take it easy, it's always ensured that an injured person is accompanied by someone else," he shrugged.

"But my injuries weren't serious. Well, I might lose my arm because it's the third time they're going to stitch it up, but regardless, I can go alone," I insisted.

He sighed. "Disorientation, poor nutrition, a change in temperature after a blow to the head can cause fainting, hemorrhaging. It's not the first time it's happened here, so they choose to take care of them," he explained.

"Oh." was all I could articulate as we continued walking.

"I'm sorry about what happened in the fight; it must have been embarrassing."

"What, that everyone saw me in my bra?" I asked with a smile.

"No, that everyone saw three wounds on your back," he clarified.

A shiver ran down my spine; I had forgotten about it. I ran my hands over my arms to hug myself as I tried to control my racing pulse.

"I usually forget I have them," I replied with a lump in my throat.

He placed his hand on my right shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine if we change the subject," I chuckled nervously, looking down at the ground.

"I overheard your conversation with Ian. You were pretty tough, don't you think?" he changed the subject abruptly.

I rolled my eyes. Can we ask for another change of subject? "I don't know, maybe. He had to understand that this day was very important to me and I couldn't neglect it to go have fun a day earlier."

"He's an insecure kid, Grace. You're his complete adoration, and he can't stand that you're always attached to Eric."

"You too?" I asked wearily.

"I know there's nothing," he rolled his eyes, masking a smile. "Don't worry, Raphael took the liberty of telling me everything. By the way, he's very sorry and wants to see you."

"Maybe I'll go see him in a few days," I shrugged. "What's the surprise they have for those who pass the cut?"

He turned to me with a playful smile.

"War game, capture the flag."