Revolution -Eric Coulter-

Chapter 10

Riley was exhausted after sleeping poorly. The previous night had been thrilling, and she enjoyed spending time with her new friends. Friends, it was a word she cherished. She never had friends in Abnegation, only Tobias. 

There were several training sessions going on that morning. Christina and Tris had been working on gun exercises. They were both in need of practice. Al and Will were working on their combat techniques. Will was ranked high on the board, but Al hadn't. He and Tris were the only two under the red line.

Riley was on the edge but was still above the line. Her focus was on gaining muscle. After a few comments that Eric had made to the group, she had decided to focus on that. Her mind was focused solely on the punching bag when a hand grabbed her upper arm. Riley was silent as someone pulled her away. As she turned to look at them, her eyes locked with her brother. "In about twenty seconds, Eric is going to call your name," he spoke only between them. "It is your turn in the ring, but I don't know your partner."

Riley was trying to process the words. "Is it going to be Peter?" That was her true worry.

"No, I don't think so," Four ran a hand over his mouth. "From our discussions, he seems to like you."

"That's good, right?"

"Yeah," he assured her. "He is not fond of many of the initiates."

"In the ring," Eric's voice called over. Riley turned to look at him. "Riley and Paulina."

Riley knew Paulina. She was always with another girl named April. She wasn't very strong and was the slowest runner. "Watch her elbow," Tobias began as they stepped closer. "She has a sharp jab but sloppy punches." Riley nodded, "you are strongest in your legs. Use that, and make sure to cover your face."

"Okay," Riley whispered as she stepped away from him. The mat was only a foot away. Her eyes scanned around for others, but hardly anyone was watching anymore. Everyone was too busy focusing on bettering themselves because of the leaderboards.

The girl looked at Paulina. She was an Amity transfer, and her eyes held a spark of fear. "Okay, step onto the mat," Eric instructed them. Riley stepped on and put her hands over her face in a defensive position. Paulina did the same thing. "Go." Riley decided to step closer. She remembered with Tris that she stepped away when Molly went after her. There was a sense of authority in her actions. Without hesitation, she took another. Paulina had run out of space and took a hesitant swing at her. It was slow, and Riley was able to move out of the way. She used this chance to hit Paulina in the side of the head. Paulina then grabbed her arm and held it as she jabbed her in the stomach. Riley took a pained breath as she tugged her arm free. The brown-haired girl hit her again in the side with her elbow.

With the newfound separation, Riley took a swing and missed. This threw off her balance. With that, she remembered Tobia's words and covered her face from Paulina's next hit. The moment her fist hit her arm, she grabbed it and pulled her into her knee. The impact went straight into her chest and caused her to step away. Riley could feel both her brother's eyes and Eric's watching her every move. Paulina surprisingly recovered and went for a lower attack. Without time to process, Riley took a full-force hit sending her to the ground. She used her arms to brace her head, not wanting to hit it on the floor. Paulina raised her hand to strike her, but Riley used her force to kick her leg. The girl let out a pained breath, and Riley looked up at her brother. He gestured for her to hit the leg again, and she listened. She used her arms to push up and fully kicked Paulina's legs out from under her. The unexpected action caused the girl's entire upper body to hit the floor first.

Riley stood and got into a defensive position. Only Paulina never got up. Her body laid on the floor as she clutched her head. "Okay," Eric stopped them, seeing that Paulina wasn't getting up. "Thank you." Riley took a deep breath as she processed what had happened. Her feet carried her off the mat and towards an open area. Paulina had hit her hard, but not horribly. She was one of the weakest fighters in the group, and it was why she was ranked in spot thirty. "Good job," it was Eric's voice. His words surprised her, but she stopped to look at him. "Go eat and clean up that mark."