If it weren't for their poor progress over the past three days, I would have felt sorry for them in these last two days before the fights. And if it weren't for the warm welcome from all the initiates who greeted me with smiles, my days would have been boring. Even Kate showed effort and commitment.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal, except for the resentment I had been holding in my throat for two days against the stupid blonde. I've been hunting Jina for two days but haven't caught her, she's either accompanied or avoiding me. She knows what she did, she knows that the consequences of her actions will be reflected in her face when I have her in front of me and punch her in the same way she did to Marlene.

After days of not training the initiates, returning was amazing, except for the moment I saw Marlene's black eye. It seems Jina not only yelled at them, but she also went after the only initiate in front of her and laughed at her. That's when Four intervened before things got worse, and none of them had told me because they knew how I would react. I would even bet that Jina knew what would happen and knows perfectly well that she won't get away without a scratch.

Eric laughs at the situation. Every time I come to our floor and tell him how Jina ran away again when she saw me, he laughs and kisses me on the forehead. "I won't tell you to let things go, she's become a headache and could use a punch. I'm just telling you to wait for the right moment, let it come to you, and you might even enjoy it." "Take me as an example, I didn't hit Damian the first day he approached you. I waited for him to come to me and ask about you." he shrugged. "That's when I hit him, without cameras or witnesses." Eric can be quite peaceful and sinisterly intellectual when it comes to hurting people. It's an art, and in the small details, it's something only he can achieve, so I decided to wait for the occasion to come.

Meanwhile, Hill is proud to have beaten me at chess twice in a row. She keeps saying that she'll turn me into a mini Hill for plans that, according to her, it wasn't time to reveal yet. The raven-haired woman is scheming something, she has a superior vision to that of Jeanine and Max. As time passes with her, I realize she's waiting for the exact moment to crush Jeanine and Max with her finger, but it's curious because she respects Eric, and he's Max's successor. Hill intends to go further, I bet she wants to be the new president of the government, she's just waiting for Jeanine to take Marcus's position so she can simply take it, and from what I notice and sense, I'm part of her plans.

"These are the last fights, next week, you'll fight against Four's initiates. Except for Kate, who will fight with one of them today. So, Uriah against Marlene, Lynn against Jake, George against Oliver, and finally John against Fany." I looked up again, seeing Kate looking at me uncertainly. "In the end, we'll go to the other side of the room, and you, Kate, will fight with a transfer. Is that clear?"

"Yes." they all replied in unison.

"Alright, let's get going, start."I encouraged, pointing to the ring.

Their training was basic but tough, intense, and agile. I preferred to teach them effective combinations and make sure they mastered them rather than overwhelm them with training that might confuse them. They've mastered defense and attack, except for counterattack, they still need to master it—responding once the opponent attacks. They handle kicks easily, at least some more than others, hence the list. Just like jabs and knee strikes, everything is going well except for elbows, which I've only been teaching them these past few days, and I'll continue to help them so they can pass the cut.

Uriah and Marlene stepped into the ring while I felt Kate's presence beside me.

"Grace, I'll be fighting someone from the other team, right?" she asked in a whisper, timidly.

"Yup, that's what I said." I replied without taking my eyes off the fighting.

"What will happen in the cut? If I win, will I still leave?"

"Nope." I responded with a smile. "If you win, the other person leaves, if the other person wins, you leave."

"I don't want to leave."she murmured nervously.

I turned my head to look at her, smiling without showing my teeth, seeing her nervousness running through her neck.

"Then win. Use a double jab, combine it with a lateral foot push, and finish with a spinning elbow strike." I spoke quickly, turning back to the fight. "They won't expect the elbow."

"How do you know?"

"Because I trained them for a few days, just kicks and jabs." I shrugged.

As expected, Uriah won. Jake, on the other hand, lost to Lynn, she broke his nose and kicked him in such a way that he fell out of the ring. Kate's brother is climbing up the ranks, so he has no problems with the cut.

Uriah.
Lynn.
Jake.
Marlene.
Oliver.
John.
George.
Fany.
Kate.

"This is the ranking, it's already updated, and I just sent it to Four for next week, and he just sent me his list. They're just waiting for us." I spoke next to the electronic notice where the clarification was updated.

"Why are we fighting there?" Oliver asked, standing beside Kate.

"Yeah, they should come to us." Jake supported with an ice pack on his cheek.

"Here, there's no territory or sides, we'll go there because the infirmary is closer." I shrugged. "And Kate, you'll be fighting a big guy named Al." I approached the girl.

"Is he the tall one?" Marlene asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah." I smiled, still watching Kate. "But he's clumsy, forget about the elbow, Kate. Go for his legs, he has no coordination and even less balance, be smarter than him."

The girl nodded with a half-smile, everyone knew about my bet with Four, and although this fight doesn't define anything yet, I refuse to let one of my initiates leave.

I turned around, and with all the initiates behind me, we left our side of the training room, meeting Mike's arrival as he looked for Kate. I rolled my eyes, ignoring him, I hate him. I forgot that I once felt pity and affection for him. He's the one who made Max take me out of my position, and although he gave it back to me, that doesn't change the fact that he insinuated my negligence. I just fired him, and he's no longer part of my team.

He knows I hate him, that I don't want to talk to him, but that's not a hindrance for him to attend his beloved's fight, who is on the brink of losing in the cut. Both Mike and I are interested in Kate passing.

When we arrived, Four approached me, standing by my side while my initiates spread out in the place, and both Kate and Al got into the ring.

I felt my nerves running down my spine, trying to disguise the slight nervousness in my hands as I tightly held the tablet.

"It's incredible that you haven't punched Mike." Four whispered.

"Have you heard of inner peace?" I asked casually. Four chuckled and nodded. "Well, I don't have it, I'll get my revenge and punch him, just like I have yours stored away." I shrugged.

Four nodded with amusement, both Kate and Al were up there, picking up signals from us, timid in the situation.

"The rules are the same, fight and give it your all." I said, nodding towards Kate, trying to relax her.

I threw the tablet onto the mat, on the other side of the training room where I used to train the born. I exhaled with evident annoyance as I felt the anger creeping up my spine, running through my shoulders, and my hands trembling.

She disregarded my suggestions and ignored them, she had started out so well, was doing excellent, and I could already see her victory. However, it didn't matter, she froze halfway through and let herself be crushed. Al didn't even hit her properly.

That's why Kate was at the bottom of the list.

"Can we do something?" Oliver spoke behind me.

I turned, letting out a scoff, noticing how everyone had arrived with long faces, even Kate, and especially Mike, who had wide eyes, looking desperate.

I grimaced and shook my head.

"Can we talk to Max? Maybe he can make an exception." Uriah suggested, standing beside me.

"Max? That's a joke." I chuckled. "He hates me, in case you forgot. I don't have the power. Let Mike go and fix it, he's very experienced in convincing Max."I said, pointing to Mike.

He lowered his gaze, averting it from everyone present who was looking at him. Kate, with a hopeful glint in her eyes, looked at him.

"Is there any way to convince him?" she murmured.

Mike looked at his beloved with a grimace, a face full of pain, shaking his head.

"Rules are rules." he muttered with a broken voice.

"I can't let her go, she's my sister." Oliver spoke desperately.

"Rules are rules, there's no way to do anything." I replied firmly.

I walked over to Kate in annoyance. "If only you had listened to me, damn it, Kate! I gave you everything, on a silver platter, and you let yourself be crushed." I raised my voice as the girl shrunk back, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry." her lip trembled.

I scoffed, letting out a bitter laugh. "You have until midnight." I finished, turning back to the ring to pick up the tablet.

Kate's crying was silent, drowned out by Mike's embrace, who I could swear was crying just as much.

"Mike, take her, let her calm down and visit her family." I said, with my tablet in hand and my stern gaze. "Let Max say goodbye to her, you know he likes to give his speeches." I focused on looking him in the eyes, raising my eyebrows a little higher than usual, tilting my chin slightly, waiting for him to understand the signal.

He nodded, taking Kate with him. He understood my suggestion, he'll go to Max and ask for a way out, a way to save her skin.

As much as I would like to leave her here, I can't. I can't just let others see that I have the power to leave an initiate who didn't pass the cut living in Dauntless, it's too unorthodox.

Right now, I curse Eric and his constant rule changes. Kate wouldn't have been hurt if they hadn't implemented a cut again, first Sarah, and now Kate. They would have had weeks of advantage to rise if the cut were until the end of the five weeks.

"What are we going to do, Grace?" Uriah whispered beside me, taking me by the shoulder and pulling me out of my thoughts.

I blinked, disconnecting from my subconscious, and looked at the curly-haired boy with brown eyes, who gave me a half-smile.

"Weapons." I said, quite naturally.

"Expelling my sister from Dauntless, and your solution is to continue training." Oliver said, narrowing his eyes, disapproving of my response.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "She knew what she was getting into and its consequences. Freezing in the middle of the fight is not acceptable."

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

I was the villain to half of the eight initiates, except for the inseparable quartet. I could hear Uriah defending me from Fany or John's comments more than once. Eric was also the villain, though thinking about it, he has always had that reputation. Now that I'm the villain to them, I don't find the situation repulsive. I always thought I would need approval, but I don't. I like being the villain, especially if I can instill fear in them.

The weapons training went smoothly. I set up the shooting range with knives, and as expected, Uriah, Lynn, Marlene, and Jake did excellently. They had practiced thanks to me, so there was no problem for them.

I helped the others, and they at least managed to hit the silhouette. However, time ran out, and I let them go with the promise that we would continue here tomorrow. Everyone left, and I was the last to leave the training room, but I stopped.

"If you saw Grace's face." the brunette sneered. "You beat up the girl so bad, she couldn't take it and had to leave."

"Grace doesn't seem so bad to me. I don't know why you hate her." a male voice I didn't recognize chimed in.

"Is that a joke? She's a pain, just like Eric. Two peas in a pod. I really can't stand them."Cristina scoffed.

"I heard she has a bet with Four. Whoever ends up at the top of the list at the end of the stages will be considered the better trainer."

"How do you know that?" Cristina asked.

"I overheard a born member talking about it with Tris. Sorry, I overheard them." he chuckled.

"She should forget about the bet, it's nonsense. Four isn't exactly my favorite person, but at least I know he's better than Grace."

"She trained me for a day, and she also helped Tris, right? She's good, although strict."

"Ugh, just marry her."Cristina scoffed. "She pretends to be strict to get attention, she's probably trying to be like Four. It's no coincidence. We all saw how they replaced her and put in another trainer, it's obvious that she's the problem."

"You're right." the boy murmured.

"Why don't you speak up, Tris? You complained about her not too long ago. Say what you think, don't be afraid, she's not here." Cristina insisted.

That's why God loves me... He gives me the opportunity to beat people up.

I walked out of the training room completely, causing everyone to look at me. They all fell silent, glancing at each other.

"Don't stop, keep going." I said, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall.

Silence fell again. I could feel the tension in the air and the obvious discomfort as they realized I had overheard them.

"Or do you want me to continue?" I continued, smiling. "Because since you brought it up, there's something that I find quite intriguing. You say I'm strict just to get attention and that maybe I'm the problem. Cristina, I ask you, don't you have something better to do?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at her, but she avoided my gaze. "Look at me when I'm talking to you and answer if I ask something."

"Uh, I... Sorry." she whispered.

"Don't you speak anymore, sweetheart?" I chuckled bitterly, stepping forward. "Just because you're mediocre doesn't mean I'm wrong. I don't care how Four trains you, but it says a lot when you complain about my training methods. So I suggest you stop meddling in my life if you don't want me to show you what real training is like, like a true Dauntless would."

"But you're not a true Dauntless." Tris spoke from my right side.

I immediately turned my head towards the tall girl, noticing how she blinked and opened her mouth as if she regretted speaking, as if her tongue had been quicker than her brain.

I smiled. "Yes, I was from Amity, stretch. Congratulations, you know how to read." I took two steps back, looking at the quartet of initiates, I prefer my quartet of initiates, born in Dauntless. "And now that I think about it, I have the afternoon free. Go to the training room on the side of the born. Let's see how mediocre you are."

"All of us?" Al whispered.

"Yes, Al. All of you. Thank the girls for that."

"But Four trains us." the other guy spoke, I didn't know his name, he was tall, thin, with dark brown hair.

"And I'm their leader." I said, crossing my arms.

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

This is what I call happiness, satisfaction, and above all, revenge.

They had endurance, I admit that. But they weren't tolerating the Murph, and the time had exceeded in a mediocre way. None of them had finished, and Al was already lying on the ground.

"I think he passed out!" Tris stopped, trying to help the fallen boy, looking at me for assistance.

"Did I tell you to stop?" I asked with a piercing look.

They were carrying the 15 kg weights, although I admit it's cruel of me since they only need the 10 kg ones. They were expelled from Dauntless, they were in one of the training grounds where I made my initiates run. The sun was starting to bother them, at least for them, as I had my cap.

There were only the five of us, and I enjoyed seeing them suffer. It was even more enjoyable knowing that there are no rules for initiation care. The guards watching the entrance were watching the scene with a smile, mocking them.

"Grace!" Four's shout made me roll my eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked, arriving at my side and seeing how I had the kids suffering.

"Behavior correction," I shrugged.

"Leave them, they've had enough. I need to take the kid before he gets heatstroke." Four requested with a sigh.

"You don't have to worry, Four. He already got heatstroke." I said nonchalantly. "He'll wake up in an hour, I think."

He exhaled with frustration, rubbing his face with both hands. "Just leave them, Grace. I don't know what they did, but I assure you they've learned their lesson."

"Mm, I don't think so. It's not enough. Cristina is too mouthy, and Tris is picking up her habits. When they finish the Murph, I'll leave them alone."

"The Murph? They could die, it's forbidden."

"It was forbidden."

"Your mom forbade that exercise, Grace."

"And she's dead." I grumbled, turning to Four. "I'll decide when it's enough."

Four's stern look didn't deter me; it only reflected a strong character, waiting for me to yield. But I knew I had formed my character.

"He could die." he whispered. "If he dies, not only will his death be on your hands, they'll think it's because of the fight with your initiate."

Ugh, he's right.

My professionalism would be compromised; I couldn't allow it, especially since I just got my position back.

"What do we have here?" Peter asked a few meters away from us, showing mockery in his words as he looked at the four initiates suffering. "You guys look pathetic." he scoffed.

It wasn't just Peter, there was a tall, muscular girl with short hair, laughing at the kids and making fun of them with comments about their situation.

Peter turned to look at me as I approached him. "Was it you? Excellent, I would love a camera..."

I didn't let him finish, my fist collided with his nose, causing him to let out a painful groan along with a burst of blood as his septum deviated.

He didn't do anything to me, I know.

But I was still angry, and I needed to take it out on someone. The idiot helped me release my fury.

With a furrowed brow filled with hatred, I turned to Four, who was watching the scene with a grimace.

"They're all yours." I said.