Tera wanted to take a nap when we got back to the dormitory. She told me and Raiden that we could leave if we wanted to, and after reassuring us a couple times that she'd be fine, we decided to leave.

"It's ten after four," Raiden says, checking his wristwatch. "Anything you want to do?"

"Yeah, actually," I say. "I kind of thought we could go to the training room. I need to get stronger and improve my fighting."

"Okay, I need the extra training anyway," he says with a shrug. "I could show you some fighting tips if you'd like."

"Yeah, that would be great."

The training room is completely empty when we get there. Raiden says we should stretch and get loose before doing anything, so we do.

"Okay, so we can warm up on the bags," he says, walking toward the punching bags with me following close behind. "And then we can working on fighting."

"Sounds good," I say. I start punching the bag, making the bag swing more than before.

"Dang girl," Raiden says, making me turn my head toward him. "I am so glad we don't train together. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of those punches."

I smirk but continue punching. We stay on the bags for about ten more minutes before Raiden leads me to the cement elevated block that we fought on earlier.

"In a fight you want to keep moving around," Raiden says. "Staying still makes you an easier target. You also need to pay attention to your opponent's body language. If they tighten their fist and move their shoulder back, they're about to punch."

I nod and he continues.

"Your opponent may try to blitz you, or rush in and throw punches left and right," he says, demonstrating the punches. "What you need to do in that situation is to get underneath the punches and tackle them. Understand?"

"I think so," I say with a nod.

"I'm going to charge at you and you're going to take me down," he says with a smirk, causing me to chuckle. "Okay, you ready?"

"Yeah."

He starts throwing punches left and right. I do as he said and charge at his stomach, making him fall backward and me land ungracefully on top of him.

"Great job," he says with a wink. "Do that in a fight. It may come in handy."

"What's going on here?" a voice says from behind us. It's Eric.

"Nothing," I say, getting up quickly and dusting myself off.

"Sure didn't look like nothing," Eric says, stopping to stand right in front of me. He raises a brow and I duck my head to keep him from noticing my cheeks tinging pink.

"We were, uh, just getting some extra training in," Raiden says, back on his feet.

"You're not supposed to be in the training room unsupervised," Eric says, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at Raiden. "You should know that by now."

"It's my fault," I say, getting his attention. "I insisted we come in here because I could use the extra training."

"Don't let me see you in here unsupervised again," he says, his eyes on Raiden. "Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good," he says with a nod. "Now, get out before I decide to punish you."

I brush past Eric with my head down but his hand shoots out to grab my arm.

"Not you," Eric says, making my eyes go wide and my heart rate to speed up. I make eye contact with Raiden and I tell him I'll meet him at dinner. He looks reluctant to leave but nods and does so anyway.

Eric waits until Raiden is long gone before releasing my arm and speaking.

"You said you could use extra training, and I agree," he says. "You may have won your fight, but you definitely have room for improvement."

I nod, not knowing what to say or where he was going with the conversation.

"I'll train you," he says. He crosses his arms, making him look even more intimidating. "Meet me in here every day after dinner."

"You, uh, don't have to do that," I say, momentarily distracted by his muscled arms.

"Oh, I know," he says. He seems to notice I was drooling over his muscled arms because he stretches them above his head, flexing them in the process, before crossing them again. "I won't be doing it for free."

"What do I have to do for you in return?" I ask, mimicking his stance by crossing my arms.

"I'll figure something out," he says with a smirk. "I'll let you know when. See you after dinner, initiate."

He turns around and exits the training room without another word or glance my way.

What did I just get myself into?

***

The dining hall is, as expected, buzzing with life. I spot Raiden at our table and make my way to him. As soon as I sit down his head snaps toward me and he starts inspecting my face, neck, and arms.

"Uh, what are you doing?" I say, prying his hands off me.

"I'm just making sure he didn't hurt you," he says, finally letting me go. "He didn't hurt you, right?"

"No," I say, shaking my head. "Why would he? I haven't given him a reason to."

"Why wouldn't he?" he says back, making me raise a brow. "Eric doesn't need a reason to do the evil things he does."

"Is he really that bad?" I ask, grabbing a plate to pile some lettuce on. We are having salad for dinner, and it reminds me of meals back in Amity. We ate salad seventy percent of the time.

"Well, he's not good," he says, stuffing a forkful of lettuce in his mouth. "I heard that he killed someone in his initiation class last year."

"This is his first year as a leader?" I ask, letting my gaze wander to the leader table where all five of the leaders are seated.

There's Garrick, a man who looks to be in his late twenties. Brenna, a woman who looks to be in her twenties, sits next to him. On her left is Magnus, a man who looks to be in his fifties or sixties. To the left of him is Max. And at the far corner of the table is Eric. The rest of the leaders are conversing with one another, but he's silently eating his meal.

"That's seriously all you got out of that?" he says, raising a brow at me. "I seriously just told you he killed someone, but you're concerned about how long he's been a leader."

"Oh, I heard you," I say. I grab a cup and pour some water into it before answering. "You said you heard he killed someone."

"Yeah, your point is?"

"My point is that you didn't see it," I say. I take a bite of my salad and finish chewing before continuing. "You said you heard it, not that you witnessed it first hand."

"Okay, you got me there," he says. "But he's still not a good guy."

I glance back up toward the leaders' table and my eyes lock with Eric's blue ones. I keep my eyes on his, not daring to look away. Our eyes stay locked until Max nudges him in the side to get his attention, making him break eye contact.

"Why'd he make you stay back anyway?" Raiden says, snapping my attention away from Eric.

"Just to tell me he's going to train me," I say, taking another bite of my practically untouched salad.

"He's going to train you?" Raiden says, confusion laced in his tone. "That doesn't sound like something he'd do."

"Oh, I'll have to do something in return," I say. "He said he wouldn't do it for free. He acted as if I begged him to train me."

"Now, that sounds like Eric," he says with a nod. "If you're careful, you should be okay. Just make sure to stay on his good side, if he even has one."

"Nah, I thought I'd get on his bad side," I say with a smirk. "Him hanging me over the chasm sounds like so much fun."

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm," he says with a deadpan look on his face. "I'm trying to be serious here."

"Wow, this salad is so good," I say, taking another bite. He chuckles at my attempt to change the subject and I grin.

I glance up and lock eyes with Eric again. Only this time, his eyes dart away quickly, as if he wasn't wanting to get caught. Hmm, that was strange.

"You finished?" Raiden says. I nod and wipe my mouth before standing up to put up my plate and dump my trash. I stop to get a cup of water from our table before we head to the door to the dining hall.

"See you tomorrow," Raiden says with a smile before we head in different directions.

Time for one on one training with Eric. Oh boy.

A/N: What do you think is going to happen during training with Eric? 😏

Anyway, thanks for reading initiates! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you did, please vote. Until next time. :)