Worried whispers break out as the small group sees who their opponent will be for the first fight. Some, like Molly and Peter, shoot each other cocky grins, believing that their victory is already assured. I do my best to swallow the anger that their cruel confidence ignites, and put on a calm instructor's mask instead.

I notice Christina glance nervously at the board, then turn to Tris, whispering urgently. She looks nervously at Molly, and I can't say I blame her, but part of being Dauntless is having the strength to fight against impossible odds. Christina will either have to win or learn how to better defend herself from her failure. Putting them out of my mind, I motion Will and Al forward. Both look reluctant, but they enter the arena. Despite his size, Al looks scared, and I can't help but notice his reddened eyes. I hide any sympathy I feel, and give the order to begin.

They stand on opposite sides of the mat, and Will drops into a fighting crouch, Al copies his move reluctantly, and I see Eric, who had just entered the room, smirk at his clear aversion to fighting. Al has just given the ruthless leader a weakness he can, and no doubt will exploit. I can only hope none of the others are stupid enough to follow his example.

The Dauntless members who subscribe to Eric's philosophy of what a Dauntless member should be: cruel, ruthless, evil, are like sharks, and any sign of blood will spark a frenzy to tear any weaklings among them apart. Not even I can protect the poor fool now. He must learn to protect himself. By the looks of the fight, that will take a lot of training. He punches reluctantly, but the blows are powerful nonetheless.

Will blocks a punch, but grimaces at the impact, then trips Al, who hits the floor with a loud thud. As the blows start to take their toll, the two fighters circle each other hesitantly, Will glances at me like he expects me to stop it, but I can't pamper them. They've chosen Dauntless, and they need to learn to fight. They need to be prepared to fight dirty, because none of the people they fight will worry about causing them pain. Many of the Dauntless are brutal opportunists, and they need to learn how to defend themselves as well as attack viciously.

"Do you think this is a leisure activity? Should we break for nap-time? Fight each other!" Eric yells from the corner of the room. He has obviously gotten bored with their hesitancy and is hoping to humiliate them into fighting.

"But...Is it scored or something?" Al asks, standing up and lowering his hands to his sides. "When does the fight end?" he asks.

"It ends when one of you is unable to continue." Eric says, speaking before I have a chance to.

"According to the Dauntless rules, one of you could also concede defeat." I tell them. Both look relieved, but then Eric speaks up again.

"According to the old rules," he corrects. "In the new rules, no one concedes." He says this with a self-satisfied smirk, leaving no doubt as to whose idea the new rules were.

"A brave man acknowledges the strength of others." I tell them. Knowing that I am on dangerous territory. No one opposes Eric, but he is trying to spread his perverse ideology, and these transfers are mine to teach, not his. As long as I can help it, I refuse to let him poison them.

"A brave man never surrenders." Eric tells them, scowling. He locks eyes with me, a dangerous threat lurking in that angry darkness, but I refuse to surrender. Someone has to stand up for the once-noble principles of Dauntless, even if it is only me. Al's whine breaks the tension.

"This is ridiculous!" he says, shaking his head. "What's the point of me beating him up? We're in the same faction!" By the way Will's eyes narrow, I know that Al's unintended slight has given him more reason to fight than Eric's taunting ever could.

"Oh, you think it's going to be that easy?" Will asks, a savage grin lighting his face. "Well go ahead then, come on and get me, slowpoke." Al throws a punch at him, and Will ducks, letting It go harmlessly overhead. He dodges another punch, slipping around behind Al to kick him in the back. I see Al wince, then turn slowly to face him. His face reddens in rage, and he charges at Will, punching him hard in the jaw. Will hits the mat, and Al comes to his senses.

He kneels by Will, tapping his cheek tentatively. The already quiet room goes silent, like the transfers are holding their breath. Will doesn't move, and I see the flash of triumph in Eric's eyes. Will groans and opens his eyes, and I can almost hear a sigh of relief.

"Get him up." Eric says sharply, managing to look disappointed. I have to turn away from him, so I circle Al's name on the board, knowing that if I don't look away, I might not be able to control the hot rage coursing through me. Al drags Will off the mat, and Christina and Molly step on to it.

Al half-carries Will out of the room, and I follow them to lead them to the infirmary. I don't want to leave the transfers alone with Eric, but I would trust him even less to be around Will and Al. I won't be gone long, and I don't think even Eric could do much damage in such a short time.

A/N: ok, so please review! And feel free to send me reading requests, and I'll try to review anything I read. And if you have time, could you please read/review my other stories? One is a Divergent collab with fanficfollower, and the other is Twilight related, and I'd really love to know what you think of both of them if you have the time! Thanks!