Chapter 4: Physical

 His first report to Jeanine had been a basic rundown of her skill levels and his plan for her further training.

His second report was a bit more detailed. He highlighted her double training, outlining his one on one training with her, which consisted mostly of hand to hand combat, weight and endurance training. Then her training with Four, which was the basic initiate training, but altered to her heightened skill level. Eric noted her ability to quickly learn, needing only a brief demonstration before being able to perform the given task.

He expressed his concerns as well. Her eating habits had not improved. She still only ever ate a few bites of food, even with his encouragement. He had noticed she favored apples, beans, and bread. He had started grabbing an apple with his own meal, and setting it next to her before he would sit down across from her. He never saw her eat the second apple, but it always found its way into her jacket pocket, and he assumed she ate it later.

Because of her eating habits, she hadn’t gained much weight. Give or take a pound or two, she  was still nothing more than muscle on bone. She was strong, but she looked frail. A little fat was healthy, and she could use some. In their sparring, he had noticed a slight increase in her weight, which was good, but she still had a ways to go.

Eric had also noticed a slight limp in her walk. It had not affected her training in any way, and she was very good at concealing it, but he had noticed it seemed a bit more prominent after their early morning sparring. He had scheduled a physical examination for later in the day, and promised to record its results in his next report.

When his report finally sent, he shut his laptop and pushed it from the edge of his desk. He sat quietly for a moment, mauling over tactics to get her to eat, which frequently crossed his mind. He was charged with her success in Dauntless, and although she didn’t need much help with that, she wasn’t going to succeed if she starved to death prior to the final initiate tests. 

A knock on his office door snapped him away from his thoughts. “What?” He called, annoyance thick in his tone.

The door clicked open and a bald head slipped in. A wide toothy grin, nestled in a trimmed red beard, greeted Eric. “Oy, what are you doing there, brother?”

Eric leaned back in his chair with a bored look, “just finished my report. What do you want, Gregory?” 

Gregory slid into Eric’s office, his smile never waning. The two had been friends since their initiation into Dauntless, and were quite the opposite of one another. Where Eric was cold and venomous, Gregory was playful and positive.

“Trip to go see Bob might cheer you up.”

Eric rolled his eyes. I don’t need cheering up.”

Gregory’s smile widened, “you always need cheering up. Come on, Isaac will meet us there.”

Eric rolled his eyes again, but stood and followed Gregory out of the office and to the elevator. He let Gregory fill the silence as they made their way to the tattoo parlor. He talked mostly about the tattoo he was planning; some abstract phoenix on his chest.

When the two ducked inside the parlor, Isaac was already on the table, head down, with his dark hair hanging off the edge of the table. Tori, a tall and slender woman, with long, dreaded black hair, was busy on his back, tattoo gun in hand. She had just gotten the tattoo gun out of the way when Gregory gave Isaac and playful slap on his fresh ink.

Isaac hollered, almost jumping off the table. He gave Gregory a glare when Tori yelled at him to lay back down. 

A bald, muscular man, skin barely showing through the black tattoos that covered his body, with large piercings in his lip, nose and ears, walked up behind Eric, who was still watching Gregory tease Isaac, much to the displeasure of Tori.

“Ink or metal today?”

Eric turned, giving Bob a slight smile, “not today, just tagging along with these two fools,” he motioned to Gregory and Isaac. 

Bob nodded, “you could probably stretch those lobes next week if you want to drop by.” He then turned and headed over to another Dauntless in the corner, before Eric could respond.

Eric always did enjoy his time in the parlor. Bob had been doing his tattoos and piercings since initiate training, and despite Eric’s fear landscape depicting him with hundreds of curved needles, hooking through his flesh, Eric always embraced the sting of the tattoo gun, and the pulling of the piercing needle. However, the masochistic pleasantries of the parlor would have to wait for another day. 

He checked his watch before bidding farewell to his fellow Dauntless, and heading back out to the stairs and down the perimeter of the pit. Treya’s training should be done for the day, and her check up at the infirmary was in thirty minutes, unbeknownst to her.

He was lucky. She stayed behind the other initiates as they hurried out of the training room, eager for dinner. He found her and Four still in the training room; Four wrapping a bandage across her knuckles. 

“I’m sure the other guy looks worse,” Eric mumbled as he approached the two.

Treya looked annoyed as Four shook his head “I already had Stephen sent to the infirmary.” He looked up at Treya from her bandaged hand “you knocked his teeth out, you know.”

Eric turned his attention to Treya, “you win the fight?”

Four shook his head again, “fighting would mean you’re in the ring, being watched by a trainer.”

Eric raised an eyebrow. Initiates fighting outside of the ring was frowned upon, as many initiates still don’t know what they’re doing.

“He’s a misogynistic asshole who had it coming.”

Eric huffed, “what did he say to you?” He didn’t particularly care, he was more curious what sent her over the edge.

“Not to her,” Four answered, annoyance in his voice. “He was running his mouth at Jessica.”

Eric looked from Treya to Four, then back to Treya. “So you what? Punched him?”

“In the mouth,” growled Four, letting go of Treya’s hand, satisfied with the bandage. “His teeth cut up her knuckles, and he’s in the infirmary, seeing what they can do to fix his teeth.”

Eric nodded, mauling over the situation.

Treya expected harsh words about being a team, and not attacking team members, but the lecture never came. Instead, Eric nodded toward the door, “come, you have an appointment.”

Treya’s brow furrowed, unsure of what he was talking about, but followed nonetheless as Four shook his head and departed for the mess hall.

At the infirmary, Eric signed Treya in, and it was only a moment before a middle aged woman with short, spiked, bleach blonde hair called “Treya Price?” Her eyes darting towards Eric at the familiarity of the name. The woman gave Treya a good look over, “You’re Thane Price’s daughter. You look just like him.”

Treya tensed at her father’s name, and Eric gave her a puzzled look.

The woman’s hard eyes bore into Treya, “I’ve had many patients from his temper and sadistic tendencies.”

Treya finally composed, shooting the woman a dark glare. 

The woman’s eyes narrowed as she straightened herself up a bit, “I’m Anne, I’m the head nurse here at Dauntless. I’ll be administering your exam.”

“My exam?” Treya’s tone was dark.

Anne looked to Eric again, then back at Treya, “your physical exam.”

“It’s routine. All initiates get a physical exam,” Eric sounded slightly annoyed and bored.

Anne turned, “follow me.”

The two followed her to an exam room, and Anne shut the door once they were all in. Eric sat in a vacant chair in the corner, and Treya crawled onto the exam table after Anne’s coaxing.

Eric pulled a small computer tablet from his jacket pocket, and busied himself with its contents.

Anne grabbed Treya’s wrist and checked her pulse. She then slid a small clamp with a long cord, onto Treya’s finger. Treya’s vitals popped up on a screen on the wall behind her. Seeming satisfied with the vitals, Anne ordered Treya to open her mouth. “That back tooth bother you?”

Treya shook her head, and Anne noted something on the small computer tablet in her hand. 

Anne took the stylus pen from the top of her tablet and clicked its side button. A bright light lit up on its end, and Anne flashed it in Treya’s eyes a few time. Her brow furrowed, “look over my left ear, and don’t move.” Again she flashed the light in Treya’s eyes, first the right, then the left. Then the left again. She turned off the light and jotted more notes on her tablet.

She instructed Treya to stand, and Anne tapped a few times on her tablet. A blue light lit up on one end of the tablet, and Anne slowly scanned it across Treya’s body, head to toe.

The light flicked off.

On the wall screen, Treya’s vitals vanished, and a scan of her body appeared, with certain areas highlighted.

“Nothing broken currently. But you’ve had some pretty serious injuries in the past, haven’t you?”

Treya didn’t respond, still studying the screen.

Anne motioned Treya back onto the exam table, “take off your shirt, pants and boots. You can leave your underwear on.”

Treya’s eyes flashed over to Eric, who had formerly been very attentive to his own computer tablet in his lap, was now alert, watching Treya and Anne.

Anne looked from Eric to Treya, “out Coulter.”

Eric flashed an angry glare at Anne, his jaw tense. 

Anne looked back to him, her eyes and voice stern, “out.” Apparently Treya wasn’t the only one who wasn’t intimidated by Eric’s angry demeanor.

Reluctantly, Eric stood to leave, his angry glare still on Anne. 

Treya sighed, “it’s fine.” She was slightly annoyed with the whole situation. She had been careful to conceal herself in the barracks; showering late after everyone was asleep, or early before everyone was awake. She wasn’t going to get out of stripping down for Anne, and she figured the woman would just report back to Eric, since he was her trainer. There was no hiding.

She angrily kicked off her boots, before sliding off the exam table, onto her bare feet. She unbuckled the Dauntless issued belt and wiggled out of her training pants, overly aware of both Eric and Anne watching her. She sat back on the table before pulling off her long sleeved shirt.

Eric and Anne gave her a hard look over. Treya’s body was littered with scars. Small circular burn marks covered her chest, peaking out of a tight wrap that bound her. Long white scars crisscrossed her upper arms, and a thick white scar trailed down her left side. More small circles littered her thighs, overlapping a few faded scars. 

“What’s this for?” Anne had stepped between Eric and Treya, blocking his view of her, and tapped the wrap on Treya’s chest.

Treya bowed her head, slightly embarrassed, “for training. I don’t have a-“ her voice trailed off.

Anne nodded, the realization hitting her. “Coulter,” she nodded her head to the far wall, and he moved there without question, his eyes still on Treya.

Anne turned Treya on the table, so her back was to Eric, then she slowly unwrapped her.

Eric’s eyes scanned over Treya’s back, and the long crisscrossing scars that marked her. His brow furrowed, his eyes darkened. It was in Treya’s file that she had been abused as a young child. Her father, a Dauntless traitor, was notorious for having a short temper, and a lust for causing pain. He had raised his son to have his same short fuse and sadistic appetite, and when he was banished to be factionless, his son willingly followed. It seemed Treya, as a small child, had fallen victim to their dark cravings.

Treya’s fearlessness made sense to him now. She wasn’t afraid of others because she grew up with monstrous people. She learned to fight out of a need to survive, and she was quick to defend others who were weaker, because she knows what it’s like to be abused by someone much larger and stronger than her.

Treya’s arms crossed over her chest when the wrap finally fell free from her body. Her head still bowed.

“I don’t want you to use this anymore. You wrap it so tight, it could cause problems.” Anne’s eyes shot up to Eric, catching his gaze before she looked back to Treya. “Get yourself a good bra. It will give you the same support without cutting off circulation like the wrap.”

Treya swallowed hard. She was embarrassed to be so exposed in front of a woman she had only just met, and her trainer who she had worked so hard to convince that she was a strong warrior. She didn’t like letting people in, and opening up to them. She didn’t like her past being brought to the surface, and the pity that always came with it. She didn’t want or need pity.

“I don’t have any money,” she finally mumbled.

“All initiates receive credits when they start training. You can use them in the shops. Just let them know you’re going to use your credits.” Eric leaned against the wall, his eyes narrow as he continued to examine Treya’s back. For once, there was no malice in his voice.

Anne glanced up at Eric as she picked up the wrap and moved it away from Treya. “I’m keeping this,” she stated, giving Treya a serious look. After setting the wrap on a far table, she took hold of Treya’s left shoulder, before raising her arm and feeling her shoulder from all directions. She moved Treya’s arm in a few different ways, while her fingers dug around her shoulder.

Anne had Treya put her shirt back on, before lying her back on the table. She roughly grabbed Treya’s right hip, her fingers digging into it. She moved Treya’s right leg around as she felt her hip. Her brow furrowed, but she let go after a moment, and allowed Treya to redress.

She jotted down more notes in her tablet, before asking “Treya, are you sexually active?”

Treya looked up from her boots, glancing from Anne to Eric, then back to Anne, “not currently,” she almost stuttered.

Anne looked up from her tablet, her eyes hard. She straightened herself with a sigh before heading out of the exam room, motioning for Eric to follow.

When the door had shut behind the two, Anne abruptly turned around, and gave Eric a stern, warning glare. “Are you sleeping with her?”

Eric’s brow furrowed, “why would you ask that?”

Anne turned her tablet around so he could see the screen. Treya’s body scan was on one side, highlighting her left eye, left shoulder, right hip, and her pelvis. “Areas still affected by former traumas. Eric if you’re sleeping with her, it better be consensual or so help me, I will make sure you’re brought before the other leaders.”

Eric growled, “I don’t make a habit of sleeping with initiates. Don’t get it confused which trainer you’re talking to.”

Anne continued to give him a stern look, but her body relaxed. She believed him. She knew Eric was rough. She had administered contraceptives to his partners in the past, and their body scans always light up like a Candor Christmas tree. But this time, it wasn’t because of him.

“She has retinal damage in her left eye. She probably struggles more at night or in dim lights.”

Eric huffed, “So in all of Dauntless.”

“She has some cartilage damage in her shoulder and hip. Her shoulder has some slight inflammation, but nothing too concerning. Her hip however,” Anne sighed before she continued, “I’m guessing she broke it when she was young, and it didn’t heal properly. There’s some serious clicking and grinding there.” 

Eric nodded. His jaw had relaxed once Anne’s accusations ceased, and he listened with a concerned look. “Should she be training at all?”

Anne let out a dramatic sigh, “I’m surprise she’s not in more pain than she is. I’m not opposed to writing her a script for pain meds. As far as training, yeah, she can train, I suppose. She probably shouldn’t, but I don’t think you could stop her if you tried.”

Eric nodded again, before signing his name on Anne’s tablet. As her trainer, he needed to sign off on her medical records, saying she was fit to continue.

Anne wandered off, letting Eric open the door to retrieve Treya.

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