"All right, initiates," Four says. "Today is your final fight. You will be scored like last time, so fight hard."

"Up first," Eric's voice booms, "are Oliver and Thomas.'

Like Thomas, Oliver is a Candor born transfer. He did not get a chance to fight the other day because of the odd number of transfers, so I am curious to see how he does.

Oliver is nonchalant as he steps up on the platform. Thomas, on the other hand, looks nervous, probably because he had his rear handed to him the last time he fought.

Oliver is the first one to throw a punch. His fist meets Thomas's jaw, causing him to lose balance and stumble backwards. Oliver takes advantage of his opponent's disoriented state and lands another punch to his jaw, causing Thomas to hit the ground.

He waits for Thomas to pick himself up from the floor. Thomas charges at Oliver to try and take him down, but Oliver kicks at his legs, making him tackle the floor instead. He jumps on Thomas and throws a couple punches before Four declares Oliver the winner.

"Up next is Finn," Eric says, scanning the room, "and Jillian."

"Kick that nose's butt," Tera whispers to Finn. He throws a grin over his shoulder before wiping his palms on his black jeans.

He steps up on the platform and lifts his arms to block his face. She tries to punch him a few times but never lands one. He dodges her punches before he pins her down and sends his fist to her cheek, successfully knocking her out.

"Finn wins," Four says.

He walks over to Jillian's limp body and tosses her over his shoulder. I watch him leave the room before focusing my attention on Eric.

"Reid, on the mat," Eric says. His eyes flick between me and Tera before his eyes settle on me. "Reid are Rori are the last fight."

"Good luck," Tera whispers.

I shoot a smile her way before taking a deep breath and stepping up on the platform.

I bring my hands up to guard my face as he steps up on the mat. He is a good half a foot taller than me, and is quite a bit heavier than me.

He swings his fist toward my face, but I dodge it. He charges at me and tackles me to the floor and lands a punch to my jaw. I use all my force to push him off me and scramble up. He stands to his feet and I do the double jab, straight cross technique Eric showed me.

I fake twice with my left before my right fist connects with his jaw. He stumbles backwards and I kick his feet out from under him.

I catch my breath and wait for him to get back up before swinging at him again. He catches my arm and wraps his arm around my neck. I scratch at his arm to try and loosen his hold. My eyes flick to Eric's before an idea pops in my head.

I didn't want to have to do this. I swing my arm back and punch Reid in the groin. He releases me with a groan and collapses on the floor.

"Rori wins," Four says, stepping back onto the platform.

He and Oliver drag Reid out of the training room to the infirmary. I watch them exit the room before stepping down from the mat.

Tera rushes to me and wraps her arms around me, catching me off guard. I haven't been hugged in a long time. I manage a smile and hug her back. We let go and I turn my attention to Eric.

"Impressive," Eric says with a nod. He looks away from me to address the group. "All right, initiates, listen up because I'm not repeating myself. You have tomorrow and the weekend off. Training is at eight on Monday. You are dismissed."

***

I've looked in every place I could think of, and there is still no sign of Eric. I checked the training room and the Pit, but he wasn't in either of them. I even checked the dining hall, thinking he'd be eating an early dinner, but he wasn't there either.

The roof. Of course, he said it was one of the only places where he could get peace and quiet.

I ascend the stairs, hoping he is up there, because I really don't want to get in trouble for going up there without supervision.

I open the door to the roof and my eyes immediately focus on the body standing near the ledge. Their hands are shoved in their pockets as they take in the view. The door closes behind me with a thud, causing the man to turn around.

"Mind if I join you?" I ask, tucking a lose tendril of hair behind my ear.

He shakes his head and turns back toward the view. I slowly walk to where he is and study him before tearing my eyes from him. I focus my gaze on the sky and take a deep breath.

The one thing I miss most about Amity is the fresh air. Anytime I needed to clear my head, all I had to do was head outside and watch the sky. The fresh air and the blue sky helped me feel better, most of the time.

"Your fight went really well," Eric says, flicking his gaze to me before looking away. "But I'd watch my back if I were you."

"What do you mean?"

"Initiates ranking in the top three have the chance to be offered a leadership position, and some people would kill for power," he says. "You're a higher ranking transfer right now, so watch your back."

"I will," I say, nodding. "In that case, can we continue training after dinner? I mean, if you're not busy."

He tilts his face toward me, a smirk on his lips. "You just want an excuse to be near me, don't you?"

"You wish." I scoff and turn my face away from him to keep him from seeing the blush forming on my cheeks. "You said I need to watch my back, so I need to be able to defend myself in case something like that does happen."

I feel his fingers on my chin and he gently forces me to face him. Our eyes lock and we stay in this position for a few seconds before he breaks the silence.

"Don't worry, you'll be prepared," he says, his breath fanning my face. "I'll keep training you."

"Thank you," I say, watching his gaze flick to my lips. I clear my throat and he snaps out of it and releases his hold on my chin. "So, why did you come up here?"

"Got a lot on my mind," he says. "I needed a quiet place to think."

He crouches down and sits on the ground, leaning against the ledge to support his back.

"Like what?" I sit down next to him and pull my knees to my chest. I stare at him, waiting for his answer.

"Mostly just leadership stuff," he says, his eyes focused on the ground in front of him. "I've also been thinking about this girl; I just can't get her out of my head."

"Is that a good or bad thing?"

He turns toward me and locks his ocean blue eyes on mine. "I haven't decided yet."

His eyes never waver from mine, and I start to fidget from the intensity of his gaze.

"The weird part is that I've only known her four days," he says, his face dangerously close to mine, "and my mind keeps wandering to her."

"I'm sure she is going through the same thing," I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

His mouth turns up at the corner but falls as he focuses his gaze on his black boots.

"I don't know anything about you." I stretch my legs out and lean back against the edge of the roof.

"Nobody really does." His gaze flicks toward me briefly before he returns it to his boots. "What do you want to know?"

"What's your favorite color?"

"Black."

"That is so shocking," I say, pretending to be surprised. "I was thinking it would be pink or something. Or maybe yellow, you know, to match your bright personality."

"Oh, shut up, Miss Sarcastic." He chuckles and nudges me with his elbow. "Anyway, what's your favorite color? Red? Yellow?"

"Nope," I say, popping the 'p' for extra emphasis. He raises a brow and I smirk. "It's purple, actually. I like the shade of purple that paints the sky during a sunset. It's breathtaking."

"What's your middle name?"

"Joy."

"Aurora Joy. It's interesting."

"How'd you know my name was Aurora?"

"Lucky guess," he says with a shrug. "I figured Rori was short for something."

"Excellent observation," I say. "What's your middle name?"

"Mendel."

"Oh, I really like that," I say. "It's unique and not over-used."

"Gotta go," Eric says, checking his watch. He stands up and brushes his pants off before offering me his hands. He helps me to my feet and I dust myself off. "I have to discuss some things with Four."

"Okay," I say, nodding.

We head down the stairs, neither of us talking.

"Bye, Rori Joy," Eric says, before we part ways. Of course, his signature smirk is present on his face.

"Bye, Eric Mendel."

A/N: Thanks for reading, initiates! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please vote!