The discipline instilled in me by Norman from a young age was a result of his motivations; I didn't want my hands to end up purple from the ruler's blow. So, if Four set a specific time, I was ready 10 minutes early, with the bed made and dressed.

Today, there were no fights; it seemed they would begin tomorrow, and Jim's bout with Hall served as a test to gauge our readiness. Eric, disappointed, instructed Four to improve the technique for the start of the fights. This almost made Tiana explode as they had used her new crush as a guinea pig, but she couldn't do anything and received a warning look from Eric.

We spent an hour in front of the punching bag; today's technique was the "Jab in Zigzag," an effective movement allowing you to strike your opponent without being countered by moving from one position to another. We had to practice it repeatedly, which was exhausting, especially when the punching bag remained stationary.

For more than 5 minutes, Four had been assisting Andrea, and occasionally, my friend would laugh while the brown-haired guy smiled. You didn't need to be an expert to sense the mutual attraction between them; Andrea was skilled at flirting, and the trainer was reciprocating the advances.

I searched for Tiana with my gaze, who was also watching our friend. We made eye contact and smiled; I definitely wasn't imagining things. They two had something going on, and we needed to find out when it had started.

I continued with the technique, hitting harder, imagining the punching bag moving. Eric walked past me, observing my movements and strikes.

"That was awful," the blonde spoke.

I furrowed my brow. "Why? I'm doing it right."

"Maybe I'm not seeing it correctly. Do it again," he said calmly.

I positioned myself at a distance of one meter, took a step forward to throw a straight punch, and then shifted to the right, delivering a right hook and a body shot.

"No, definitely not seeing it wrong. It's awful," he crossed his arms. "You'll never become a leader like this," he raised an eyebrow.

"What am I doing wrong?" I asked calmly, wanting to avoid a lecture on the qualities of a leader.

"Four is doing a terrible job," he raised his voice slightly, aiming for the brown-haired man to hear. "The strike is fine, but you need to move your feet, you're too tense." he stood behind me, placing his hands on my waist.

I could feel his breath, and his grip was strong, sending a shiver down my spine. It's a dream, this man.

"One foot in front of the other," he pushed my feet apart with his, "lean this one," he indicated which foot with his own. He stopped touching my waist and lifted my arms, bringing my elbows together and adjusting my back.

He stood beside me, assuming the same position as me. "If you don't move your foot at the moment of the first strike to propel yourself and move, you won't have any force. Watch." he explained, demonstrating the technique.

As he struck the imaginary bag for the first time, he lifted his foot to propel himself and move. I nodded, observing his body, and what a body it was. His arms were tense, with large muscles, and the veins were visible due to the pressure.

"Now you," he encouraged, prompting me to stop looking at his arms.

Feeling embarrassed, I returned to the position Eric had put me in, making the best effort to recreate the technique Eric had demonstrated. And definitely, there was more impact when moving.

"That was better, keep practicing. And very important, no gestures." he said, nodding.

I nodded with a slight smile, returned to my place, and once again tried to recreate the technique, this time lifting my foot a bit higher to achieve the desired impact.

Eric nodded and walked past me, about to leave.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked, puzzled. He had helped me since the weapons combat, and even though I swore it was a coincidence, he did it again today while leaving the others with problems that Four had to solve.

Eric turned with seriousness, raising his eyebrows slightly as he took a step towards me.

"Do you want to be in the first place, don't you?" he asked, and I nodded. "And if you want to be a leader, start by not settling, you won't achieve it if you keep listening to Four." he shrugged, enjoying speaking ill of Four, it was quite noticeable.

"Will you help me?" I asked.

He smiled, running his tongue over his teeth; he enjoyed having attention, someone asking for his help because he had the power.

"We'll see, initiate. Perhaps." he said unabashedly, running his gaze discreetly over my body with a half-smile. He glanced behind me and then turned completely, walking away.

I let out the breath I seemed to have been holding. Did what I think happened just happen? A shiver ran down my spine, a mixture of attraction and fear engulfed me, an addictive feeling I wanted to experience again.

I turned on my own axis; Eric had left. As I turned around, Four's silhouette appeared, his arms crossed. My heart pounded with a start, and I quickly averted my gaze to continue with the punching bag.

"Be careful." his voice was deep, with a hint of disapproval.

"With what?" I asked, lowering my guard and turning to him with a half-smile.

He gave a wry, humorless smile, shaking his head.

"Eric isn't what you think. Be cautious," he said, and then he left.

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

Exhausted, I dragged my feet towards my bed, where the girls were waiting for me. Everyone else was at the cafeteria, but Four had made me stay until the end. According to him, I hadn't done the exercises correctly and needed to redo them. His annoyance was evident; he had heard Eric's comment and my indifference to his warning, so he took the exercise as punishment.

The girls waited for me while I endured hell with Four. Halfway through the push-ups, I had protested because I had done them properly, and it wasn't my fault that Eric had said I wasn't doing his job well—a remark I regretted, as I ended up doing three times as many. In the end, Four crouched down to a considerable distance, and I lay defeated on the floor after finishing 500 sit-ups.

He looked at me with a certain annoyance, intimidating anyone with that gaze. In a low voice so that only I could hear, he said, "If you want to be a leader, start by distrusting even your own shadow. You're heading down a dark and dangerous path called Eric. Start by watching out for him and respecting me. Is that clear?" With a faint "yes" whispered in response, he got up and walked away.

"I need to sleep for 5 days," I replied, letting myself fall onto the uncomfortable bed.

Tiana sat on her bed with a grimace, and Andrea joined her.

"It looks like a truck ran over you, friend." Tiana laughed.

"Yeah, you look terrible." Andrea agreed. "Four seemed upset. What did you do to have to go through that?"

I sighed, annoyed at the memory. I should go to Eric and confront him; it's because of him that I'm in this state.

"Eric told me that Four didn't know how to do his job, that he was teaching us wrong. He said it loudly, and Four overheard. When Four approached, I laughed. Or, well, half-laughed, and he got upset," I explained, making a face.

"I noticed that. He continued the training very seriously," Andrea nodded.

"What's going on here?" Tiana asked. "Both Eric and Four are giving my two friends looks. What happened?" she turned to us, curious.

I chuckled wearily. "I need to know why Four can't stop flirting with you," I pointed at Andrea, and she blushed.

"Yeah, let's start there," Tiana encouraged, turning to our brunette friend.

The smile on my brunette friend's face was that of a teenage girl completely in love; there was excitement in her eyes.

"It was when Fill took us to the liquor store. I was very drunk, and in a rush of adrenaline, I talked to him. It was a very calm and intense conversation," she explained shyly. "I don't know, I think he's responding to my flirting," she shrugged.

I smiled; Andrea liked him, and despite being mad at Four, I was happy for my friend.

"Why didn't I notice?" Tiana asked.

"You were too drunk," Andrea laughed, and I chuckled lightly.

"That explains a lot," Tiana nodded. "But he definitely reciprocates, Grace and I saw it today," Tiana smiled.

Andrea, with her cheeks flushed, smiled and bit her lip.

"Now, you," Tiana pointed at me. "Today, the grumpy leader exclusively taught you the technique, only you. But not only that, he took you by the waist, got close, ignoring your personal space, and shamelessly looked at you like a hungry dog," she recounted.

I burst into laughter, shaking my head. "It was nothing," I shrugged.

"Nothing?" Andrea asked. "Even Four noticed, he looked concerned," she grimaced. "It doesn't sit right with me," she confessed.

I ignored Andrea's last comment; she was the second person telling me to be careful with Eric, and it was starting to bother me.

"Yesterday, when I left the tattoo parlor, Eric approached me. He told me where you guys had gone. Then he warned me about the curfew at the doors and escorted me to the rooms by the longest route. We talked, and it seems he's willing to give me some advice on how to climb the ranks in Dauntless," I recounted as if it were nothing. "I think, I don't know. He's a man of few words," I bit my lip.

My friends' faces showed confusion, with one eyebrow raised.

"Curfew?" Tiana asked.

"Yeah, who would've thought. The door we went through to go down the stairs closes at 9," I explained.

Both turned to look at me, puzzled. "Grace, yesterday Tiana and I went back to the room through the same door at 11," Andrea recounted. "There's no curfew, or at least not for that door," she frowned.

A chill ran down my spine, furrowing my brow.

Their faces reflected the truth, and I couldn't deny it. Did Eric lie? And for what purpose?

I shrugged, trying to appear indifferent.

"I talked to Four about Eric, he's also noticing that closeness toward you. He said it's a good time to step back, that you shouldn't trust him." Andrea spoke up.

"But I don't see anything wrong," Tiana chimed in. Andrea shot her a stern look.

"Oh, come on, Eric is hot. A fling with my friend won't hurt,"

I laughed.

"But I don't know what they're talking about. There's nothing going on. Relax, guys."I reassured them indifferently. "I need to shower, I stink. Can you cover for me?" I asked, and they nodded.

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

My body ached, every muscle begged me to sleep, to rest so I could be well for tomorrow, but my stomach begged for food, and my hunger was greater.

The girls showered, and the three of us went to the dining hall, where several had already finished. We set aside the topic of Four and Eric; we knew we wouldn't get anywhere, especially with Andrea, who was the most biased.

We entered, and several turned to look at us, while others ignored us, except for Jim, who had gotten up from the table and was looking at Tiana. The redhead ran to his side and hugged him tightly; the guy had a big bruise on his left eye, but he looked fine.

"Finally, you've been discharged," exclaimed Tiana, not letting go.

"Let him breathe, or you'll send him back to the infirmary," joked Ian, Jim's friend, who was sitting with several other people.

Tiana let go, blushing, while Jim looked at her with an enamored smile. He followed her to sit with him and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Andrea sat down next to them.

"Sit down, tough girl," Ian invited, turning to look at me.

I smiled. "Tough girl?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Your stern face says it all, it surprises me that you come from Amity," remarked Ian, shrugging.

"Mm, yeah, that's why I left," I rolled my eyes. "I'll get my food and come back," I said, turning around to head to the food tables.

I grabbed my plate and headed for the meat section. I opened the glass window and took a pair of tongs to grab a beef cutlet; in Amity, the diet was entirely vegetarian, and we only had a small portion of meat once a week.

Arriving in Dauntless was a delight; the meat was varied and served in large portions. Dauntless were carnivores, and I didn't have much trouble adapting.

I closed the window and went to the salad section, adding a considerable amount of lettuce with tomatoes. I took two lemons and placed them on the side.

"Is the diet strict?" Eric asked mockingly, approaching me.

I smiled and shook my head. "Not really. I plan to attack the mashed potatoes," I shrugged.

I took my plate and turned to go to the other table where there was mashed potatoes, rice, and whole-grain bread.

Eric's steps were slow as he walked calmly towards me. I gave him a fleeting glance and saw him scanning my body. Well, he's an idiot.

"I recommend a meat-based diet, add more meat, and leave out the potatoes next time; they'll only make you gain weight. Meat is protein, and combined with exercise, it will increase muscle mass." He positioned himself beside me, leaning on the table, and took a piece of potato from a pan, popping it into his mouth as he looked at me with amusement.

I shifted my weight to one leg. "How accommodating," I raised an eyebrow. "But I refuse to give up potatoes. I'll accept more meat, but I won't give up potatoes," I made a dismissive gesture.

He gave me a smile, showing his perfect teeth, and shook his head. "I'm surprised, coming from Amity. They don't eat meat," he shrugged.

"How do you know they don't eat meat?" I frowned.

He shrugged again. "Everyone knows," he replied indifferently.

I nodded and took the spoon to serve myself a small portion of potatoes.

The noise in the kitchen rose; several shouts of joy and laughter began to be heard, catching my attention. A brunette woman entered the large hall, about 30 or 35 years old, with barely visible wrinkles. She had a big smile as she walked into the room, heading to the table where Max, our great leader, was seated, who kissed the woman's forehead and hugged her.

"Who is she?" I asked curiously to Eric, who was staring at me intently.

He glanced at the woman and then back at me. "She's Max's wife, Dauntless's mother," he replied, stepping closer. "She looks after the transfers, cares for them like her own children so they don't feel abandoned. In fact, suicides have decreased; everyone loves her," he commented. "She's making a trip to Erudite and Candor, she usually does that at this time of year, helping families, strengthening alliances, she's a good leader."

I nodded, still keeping my eyes on the woman, and smiled. She radiated good energy.

"During this week, she'll visit them, see their progress, and help them. I advise you to stay within her line of sight, give her a good impression of yourself, be charismatic. Max listens to her a lot when it comes to leadership promotions," he advised, speaking close to my ear.