I still didn't have an official title as a leader. I hadn't even completed both stages entirely, and Max and Freya hadn't offered me a position like that. I still had a long way to go, and yet the burden was placed on my shoulders by Eric, who tasked me with planning not only the strategy for the defensive group guarding the flag but also for the offensive group for the surprise attack.

My mind was divided in two, with time running out and Eric observing my progress. I was on the verge of tears several times, like a little girl waiting for the blue-eyed guy to come to my rescue, but it didn't happen. I stayed strong through it all, and now we were about to attack, hidden while Dona had instructions to cut off the power supply to leave them in the dark.

It was a tall building with only one entrance, a parking lot with old, rusty cars, and the lights on, illuminating every corner of the entrance. Four
was in position with the weapon, alongside Ian, Jim, and three others I didn't know at all.

It was a very risky plan. The seven of us were behind a large bush, at least a meter and a half tall, with the weapon aimed at an opponent. I had Jim in my sights, and as soon as the lights went out, we would shoot, having the advantage that they weren't moving, they looked like statues except for Four, who was constantly moving.

And it happened, the lights went out, and it was less than a millisecond, thanking that we had good reflexes when we all shot, and the emergency red lights came on. Jim's scream gave me relief, seeing him fall along with Ian and another one made me stand up and run towards the entrance. I was about to reach it when Eric grabbed my arm and pulled me to a car, watching several neuro-simulator bullets pass by me. I bumped my back against the rear bumper of the car with Eric in front of me shooting. He stopped, crouching down to my level.

"What? First time?" he smiled. "Don't be scared, Cyprian. It's going to get even more fun." He took position again and started shooting.

The others were behind the different cars, shooting as well, so I grabbed my weapon and positioned myself on the other side of where Eric was, starting to shoot at the born faction members that Four had chosen, managing to hit one who was about to go after Chris, who was part of our group.

A gap opened at the entrance, and I gathered my courage and slowly emerged from hiding. Ian was lying on the ground, recovering from the pain. He looked up and saw me advancing, widening his eyes and opening his mouth as if to shout since I was practically in his line of sight, and no one noticed me.

I smiled and shot him in the neck, his muffled scream coming again. As I was turning, I saw Four  shooting from the front of the car towards Eric, so I crouched down again, preparing myself. I propelled my knees with my index finger on the trigger and stood up a bit, managing to shoot the brunette. I walked towards where Eric was, smiling at Four lying on the ground.

"Two grenades towards the entrance, now." I whispered, raising my hand.

He obeyed and handed one to me. "Keep pressure on the lever, pull the pin, and throw." he explained. I nodded. "One, two..."

"Three, now." he finished, and we both threw the grenades towards the entrance. They exploded harmlessly, spreading a large amount of smoke, completely obscuring Ian from view. Another group of three people emerged from the building, shooting from the opposite side of where we were. The smoke was confusing them, giving our team the opportunity to shoot.

"Hall, come." I called out, and he ran towards us. "The three of us will enter, Chris and Roy cover us." I said, turning to the mentioned ones who were hiding in the car next to us, and they nodded in agreement. I smiled. "Let's go get that stupid flag." I stood up and headed to the left where Four was sitting, rubbing his neck.

The three of us walked in a line, I noticed Eric shooting Four, and with a steady trot, we reached the entrance. As soon as we arrived, the barrel of a gun protruded from the building. Without waiting to see her face, I grabbed the barrel with both hands, struggling with Andrea.

"Nothing personal, Andrea," I smiled, kicking her knee to make her release the weapon, then with a blow to her cheek, she fell to the ground.

Hall shot her in the foot, making her scream in pain. I frowned at him with annoyance, pushing his shoulder with my palm as the purpose of the push was to prevent him from shooting her. "You said it yourself, nothing personal." he smirked maliciously.

I rolled my eyes and we trotted through the dark corridors, where the only thing we could see were the lights hanging around the necks of the other team, who were easily defeated.

We arrived at the huge brown stairs, and without waiting another second, we climbed the steps. Our urgency to climb was such that we took them two at a time and hurriedly. I was surprised by the agility of my legs and the confidence I had in them because they never failed me. Eric was the first, followed by Hall, and I brought up the rear.

The dim lights outside illuminated the stairs weakly but functionally enough for us to climb. Several shots from below became present, and I didn't realize the gravity until Hall pushed me against the wall with his arm to avoid being hurt. Both Hall and Eric began to shoot, trying to overcome them.

"There are too many." Hall commented.

"They must have sent very few for the flag; they protected theirs more." I deduced.

"I'll stay, I'll give you time. Run." the dark-haired one nodded confidently.

I nodded in gratitude and confusion. I didn't know whether to hate him or respect him. There was loyalty in his actions, so much that he ignored his moral principles, shooting my friend maliciously. In this game, we may be on the same team and there's loyalty, but now I know that if we end up on different sides, he won't hesitate just because it's me. He's like a mini Eric.

Eric and I ran, climbing the stairs seemed eternal. I had calculated at least five floors or more since we left Hall. My breathing was loud and fast, just like Eric's. We were tired and out of breath, our legs aching, but neither of us was going to give in.

As we continued walking, we encountered the surprise of the absence of at least five steps. The wood was weak and unreliable, and I could see mold on it.

"We have to jump," Eric commented, hanging his weapon around his neck. "I'll go first." He turned to look at me with a nod, successfully regulating his breathing in preparation for what was to come. Several drops of sweat dripped down his forehead and neck.

With his long and agile legs, he made a perfect leap to the other side, turning around and waiting for me. I sighed, placing the weapon on my back in the same way.

"Don't look down, ignore the height," he ordered.

I nodded, although the height didn't compare to the fence net, I still had a certain accumulated fear. I positioned myself on the edge of the step, bending my knees, and with a leap, I managed to hold onto the other side with my knee on the main step. I took a deep breath and smiled as I placed my foot to stand up, but it broke.

I was hanging with my feet in the air, one hand on the broken and splintered wood, which managed to hurt me. I let out a muffled scream of pain from my injured shoulder. Eric approached, stretching out his hand.

"Give me your other hand." he ordered.

I nodded and raised my right hand so that he could quickly grab it. He lifted me up by my armpits, and just before the other step could break, which creaked as it made its final efforts not to break, he took a big step, pulling me up. He pressed me against the wall, wrapping his arm around my waist because we were both about to fall.

We both looked up, then turned to each other, surprised and breathless, breathing through our mouths to regulate our breathing while our eyes remained connected. He smiled, his lips curving at the corners. With his free hand, he cupped my cheek, and still with the heat and adrenaline emanating from our bodies, without measuring the consequences, we connected our lips.

His lips were soft and warm, his movements confident, seeking to dominate mine, and I was in the clouds, feeling like I was in damn paradise. It wasn't my first kiss, yet it felt like one; I couldn't even begin to compare it. It was a pleasurable delicacy, an explosive carnal art difficult to describe.

I completely forgot that we were in the midst of a war, that our goal was to win and capture an orange flag. Truth be told, at this moment, I didn't care if someone came and shot us; I was more focused on his lips, gripping his neck to deepen the kiss. I feared it was a fantasy, that I wasn't really kissing him, and instead, I was lying on the ground dead from the fall against the stairs.

However, the contact of his tongue against my lower lip brought me back to reality. There was no doubt after I placed my lips on his, his tongue and the pressure of his teeth against my lower lip, feeling the impact of his skin against mine, the sweet taste that made me savor his entire mouth.

I'm kissing Eric Coulter... No, even better.
Eric Coulter is kissing me.

The warmth of his tongue intertwines with mine, our mutual desperation and ecstasy encompass us, and although I'm short of breath, I feel like I can survive on kisses alone at this moment—wet, hot, and lively kisses from Eric. That passionate kiss and his hand squeezing my buttock made me feel a tingling sensation in my stomach, raising my leg to wrap it around his hip to feel his erect member more precisely. He took the liberty of running his hand over my thigh, buttock, and back, slipping his hand under my blouse.

Nothing lasts forever, and the rumble from several floors below us made us stop and return to reality. We pressed our foreheads together, noses touching, he bit his lower lip, holding back a smile.

"Let's go for that stupid flag." he whispered between my lips.

My body still felt hot, and his absence was palpable as soon as he moved a few inches away. He could sense my vulnerability and smiled even more. It was satisfying for him to see me exposed to him; he knew I desired him, and he played with me. I nodded disoriented, starting to trot down the stairs while my mind couldn't stop replaying that heated scene, fearing it might be the first and last time our lips would connect.

The stairs ended, and Eric stealthily approached the main door, placing his index finger between his lips and positioning himself to one side of it. I positioned myself on the other side, nodding, and he turned the door handle, both of us taking our weapons and getting into position.

Counting to three in my mind, I kicked the door open, firing several times at anyone I could, even though I didn't know them at all, assuming they were born in Dauntless. Eric did the same, entering and hiding behind a pillar to attack two who had taken cover.

I stayed on guard, facing Tiana. We both pointed our guns at each other and smiled.

We fired at the same time, but our bullets ran out. We both threw our weapons aside and assumed a fighting stance.

"Will this define our friendship?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why, are you giving up?" she smiled, toying with me.

I shook my head and lunged at her, hitting her jaw, abdomen, and kicking her legs. "No hard feelings," I winked, and just like Andrea, I hit her in the face with my elbow.

I spun around, looking for Eric, who finished off a guy with a punch, sending him to the ground. I smiled, nodding my head to signal him to go up the stairs towards the flag.

We climbed the steep stairs, and he opened the hatch, being the first to climb up. My pulse raced again as I felt the air rushing through my hair and realized the height. Eric grabbed the flag as I stood up, holding onto the railing. He took hold of my waist, pulling me close to him and handing me the flag. We both waved it, listening to the shouts of victory.

We won.

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

I entered the pit as usual, the music blaring from the speakers hung in the upper corners of the facilities while several people drank and laughed normally.

We won. We descended and realized that the group guarding our flag easily subdued the small group that Four had sent, confident that we would leave our flag unprotected. We boarded the trains, arrived in Dauntless, and everyone scattered around, including Eric, whom I didn't see again.

I also didn't see the guys again, and I doubted they would speak to me again. I got carried away in this game and gave in to Eric's impulses, who insisted on winning. I couldn't blame Eric either, as he also wanted to win. It's satisfying to have the victory.

I noticed Four emerging from a group of guys. I was about to leave when I noticed him approaching me with a smile.

"I'm not sure whether to congratulate you or blame you for what you just caused." he said, crossing his arms with a playful look.

I raised an eyebrow, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Eric will have a more stressful, irritable, and egocentric attitude in the coming weeks." he explained.

"More?" I laughed.

He chuckled. "Yes," he nodded. "Congratulations, Grace. You managed to make him win."

"But I don't understand, it wasn't just me or him; the whole team won," I insisted, confused.

He smiled, taking a step forward and leaning slightly to my right side. "In the four years we've been here, none of us has won until now. The difference was you. You made him win." he explained before stepping back.

"Is that why he made me plan everything?" I asked.

"No, I overheard him talking to Max. He asked Max to let you take charge to see how much potential you have. Eric doesn't usually let anyone else make decisions; his ego doesn't allow it." he whispered the last part. "Enjoy yourself." he nodded, turning and leaving.

I bit my lip to contain the excitement flooding through me. The adrenaline and satisfaction of having achieved something were inevitable. Once again, I surveyed the area, confirming what my subconscious kept repeating to me; I am Dauntless, I am someone in Dauntless.

I made my way through the crowd, ready to head to the dormitories and sleep for the next three days.

"Grace, you were excellent." Chris's presence emerged from a group of Dauntless-born. I smiled.

"Thank you, you guys were amazing too." I smiled.

"Ignore Mike, he's an idiot. You did really well." Dante joined the conversation.

"I was on the other team, but I congratulate you. You fought really well." a girl with blue hair approached.

"You guys flatter me. Everyone was amazing," my smile couldn't be any wider or more genuine. "Have fun, I'm off to rest."

I said goodbye to them, continuing my journey and weaving through the crowd. I left the area and entered a faction hallway, walking calmly as I turned left with familiarity, realizing that I was getting used to the layout of the facilities. Without hesitation, I walked with the confidence of reaching my destination.

As I passed through a dimly lit hallway that gave me an uneasy feeling, my arm was suddenly grabbed and pulled, causing my back to collide with the wall. It's the third time my back hits the wall; I'll end up sore.

I looked up to find Eric, who had a playful smile.

"You enjoy being praised, don't you?" he leaned his forearm against the wall above my head.

"I won't deny it, it's gratifying," I shrugged.

He smiled even more, his free hand touching my neck, his thumb sliding along my jawline as he leaned in.

Thank goodness for the dark hallways of Dauntless.

Once again, our lips met, but this kiss was demanding, aggressive, and dominant. I let myself be carried away by his dominance, his hand gripping my neck and the heat our bodies produced. My body responded to his touch, and he knew it. He knew that just by touching me, he could make me beg, and my poorly disguised sighs didn't help as he bit my lower lip.