"You feeling okay?" I ask Tera as we make our way to the training room.

The bruises along her jaw have somewhat faded, but they are still noticeable. They will probably decorate her face for a while.

"Yeah," she says with a nod. "I finally got rid of that killer headache."

"I'm glad."

I push open the door to the training room and look around. My eyes meet his familiar cool blue ones before I break contact and turn toward my spot against the wall. I sit and stretch my legs to warm up.

I sneak a glance in his direction and our eyes meet yet again. I quickly avert my gaze and duck my head to hide my blush.

"He is staring at you," Tera says, nudging me in the side.

"Who is staring at me?" I ask, pretending to play dumb, even though he is the only male in the room.

"You know who," she says, raising a brow before continuing. "Why is Eric staring at you?"

"I dunno." I shrug my shoulders and look away. "That's a question for him, not me."

The door to the training room flies open and the other transfers pile in the room, saving me from further questions.

"Listen up, initiates," Eric says, his voice as loud and powerful as usual. "Today we'll be learning how to load and fire a gun."

"I don't see any guns," Jillian says.

"Excellent observation, Captain Obvious," Eric deadpans, causing me and Tera to chuckle. "They're on the roof. Now follow me."

We follow Eric up many flights of stairs to the roof where Four is waiting for us. He demonstrates how to load and fire a gun before having us find a target and practice.

We've been shooting for around two hours, and Eric has only flipped his lid once. Jillian was having trouble hitting the target, even after Four helped her with her aim, and Eric got irritated. It was kind of funny watching her squirm.

"All right, initiates," Eric calls out. I lower my gun and turn my head toward him. "You are free to leave. Be back in the training room at two. Better not be late."

I return my gun to Four and stand off to the side to wait for Tera, who actually did well today. She hit the target every time, and even got close to the center a couple of times.

"Rori," Eric says, "stay back for a second."

Jillian and the other transfers ooh and I roll my eyes at their childishness.

"I'll meet you at lunch, okay?" Tera tells me as she brushes past. I nod and turn to face Eric.

He keeps his face blank until we're the only ones left on the roof. "You did really well today."

"Oh, uh, thank you." I honestly did not expect that.

"Fighting continues tomorrow," he says. "I'll train with you after supper if you still want help."

"That would be great," I say with a nod. "I need all the help I can get."

"You have two hours until lunch," he says after checking his watch. "Might want to take advantage of the free time."

"How much did you pay for that tattoo?" I ask, my eyes flicking to the tattoo on his arm.

"About forty points, why?" he says with a smirk. "You wanting to get tatted?"

"I've thought about it," I say. "I want something cool, but meaningful."

"I can take you to look around if you want," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "That way you'll have an idea of what you want before you get points."

"Lead the way, Eric."

***

"Where have you been?" Tera says the second I sit down at the lunch table.

"With Eric."

Raiden snaps his head toward me and says, "Why were you with him?"

"He told me to stay behind."

I grab a hot dog from the stack piled in the middle of the table and put it on my plate.

"And?" Tera says impatiently.

"We talked about training before he showed me the tattoo parlor."

"Don't tell me you got one without me," she says, a frown on her face.

I chuckle and shake my head. "He showed me where it was. I looked through designs and must have lost track of time."

"Did you find any you liked?" Raiden asks, glancing at me briefly before returning his attention to his meal.

"There were a couple," I say. "I kind of want to get the word brave written on my wrist, and maybe a flower to represent coming from Amity."

"I like that," Tera says. "You could put the flower on the left side, and then flames on the right side of the word. It could symbolize your transition to Dauntless."

"Wow," Raiden says, setting his hot dog down. "That's deep."

I look and my wrist and picture it in my head. My mouth turns up and I catch her eyes. "I am definitely getting that."

As we all get quiet and eat our meals, I find my gaze wandering to the leader's table. I try and keep my eyes focused on my plate but it is harder than I thought. I finally give in to temptation and look up.

My eyes meet his blueish gray eyes and I freeze. Why do I always catch his gaze? His mouth turns up at one corner and he winks at me, causing my cheeks to tinge pink.

That was the hottest thing I've seen. Someone pinch me.

I avert my gaze and cover my face from his view.

"Did you-- um, Rori?"

"Yes?" I say, glancing at her quickly before focusing my gaze on my plate.

"Your face is the color of a tomato. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm, uh, fine," I stammer out. I gulp down some water and stand up. "It's hot in here. I need fresh air."

"Okay," she says. "Do you need me to come with you?"

"No, that's okay," I say, backing away from the table. "I'll, um, see you guys later."

I turn and rush out of the room before they have a chance to say anything. I pace the hallway before resting my head against the cool brick wall. I hear footsteps behind me but I don't glance up or turn around.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and it turns me around gently. A hand under my chin forces me to look up.

"You okay, initiate?" he asks, his mouth forming a smirk. "You look a little... flustered."

"Of course I'm flustered," I say, closing my eyes. "You winked at me."

"What, you've never had a hot guy wink at you before?"

I snap my eyes open. "Your ego is the size of the Pit, you know that?"

He chuckles and says, "I know."

I smile and stare into his eyes, wondering what he's thinking.

It dawns on me that this position looks like we're about to start a make out session to people passing by, so I clear my throat. He snaps out of it and releases my chin, but doesn't lessen the proximity between us.

"Have you thought any more about what design you want for your first tattoo?"

"Yeah, actually," I say with a nod. "I want the word brave with a flower on my wrist, and my friend suggested I put the flower on one side and flames on the other."

"What friend?" he says. "Was it the brown haired boy?"

"Why? You jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?" He glares at me and steps closer, making our faces be mere inches apart.

"That's a question for you, not me." I chuckle at his defensiveness and shake my head. "And to answer your question, it was Tera that suggested I do that."

"Oh." The color pink tinges his cheeks and I smile at the sight. "Well, I, uh, think that would be a cool tat."

"Me too," I say. "It represents the transition from Amity to Dauntless."

He clears his throat and checks his wristwatch. "You have an hour until training. See you then."

He walks away from me without another word and I shake my head at his retreating figure.

He is the most confusing person I have ever met.

A/N: Thanks for reading, initiates! Sorry for the long wait, but the Eric scenes should make up for it! 😉

Anyway, I hoped you liked it, and if you did, please vote!