A/N: Wow, I got some rabid readers out there, huh? Hah! I love it. You guys rock. Really. Well, then. Let's go ahead and find out who saved Ronnie!

As always, please R&R because your support keeps me going! :D

I woke up in the infirmary with an IV attached to my left hand and my right one bundled up in a cast that went from my fingertips and up halfway to my elbow. The cast was nestled in a sling that kept it laying across my chest and held close. Everything from my shoulder to my fingernails hurt on that arm. On my left, I noticed four long bruises running across my wrist, and four more about halfway to my elbow. Finger markings. Where someone had grabbed my arm. I imagined I probably had similar ones on my right arm under the cast because I vaguely remembered something grabbing hold of that one, too.

A sound to my left grabbed my attention and I turned my head to look for its source. I'd moved a little too quickly, apparently, because I was rewarded with a sharp pang in my right shoulder and a blast of white behind my eyeballs. A hand fell tenderly on my left arm, accompanied by a very familiar voice.

"Holy shit, Ronnie. You're awake. You had us scared out of our minds for two days now."

"Gabe?"

Holy shit, my voice sounded awful. Like I'd been eating sand or something. But if I'd been out for two days, it really wasn't surprising that I was a bit croaky. I hadn't had anything to drink. The fingers on my arm tightened briefly and suddenly there was something being pressed to my lips.

"Yeah, it's me. Here. Drink this. It's just water." A happy sigh as I grabbed hold of what I now recognized as a straw and sucked up whole mouthfuls of the best tasting water I'd ever had in my life. "Man, you have no idea how glad I am you're okay. We nearly lost you."

The blinding light behind my eyes subsided and I was greeted with shaggy blond hair and endlessly deep green eyes filled with both worry and relief. And sleeplessness from the look of the red that rimmed them. How long had he been sitting here in the infirmary? All night? The whole two days? My heart wrenched painfully. I was so lucky to have someone like Gabe. I really needed to tell him that more.

"I was so scared I was gonna lose my best friend." His voice cracked and tears welled up in those gorgeous green eyes. I wanted to reach for his hand. To show him some comfort. But all I could do is smile weakly at him.

"Can't get rid of me that easily, apparently," I joked. That got the laugh I wanted, however small. "Gabe... What the hell happened?"

"I was coming across the bridge," he started, sitting on the bed next to my legs. "Saw the whole thing. These two guys- Marco and Riz- were arguing about something. Marco shoved Riz back, and he fell into you. You went over the edge. I dived for you, and I swear it was like Eric just popped up out of thin air and grabbed your arm right when you lost your grip on the bridge. Then Four showed up and helped him pull you out. Eric carried you here all by himself."

I can honestly say that I was genuinely surprised that Eric had followed me. I really didn't think he would have after we'd been avoiding each other for nearly a week and half. But now I was grateful he did. I don't know if anyone else would have been able to get to me in time like that. Even Gabe.

"And my arm?"

"You broke four fingers. Dislocated your shoulder and your wrist pretty bad. Tore a couple muscles. But the doc says you'll heal up and be fine in a few weeks. You're actually getting a break from training because of how well you've been doing, so you don't have to worry about falling behind. And they're going to let you keep your ranking as it stands. No one's bumping you down no matter what."

"Everyone agreed to that? Max? Four?" I had to take a breath before the next name because I was still having difficulties talking about him, no matter the context of the discussion. "Eric?"

"Yeah. It was unanimous. They decided to let you jump into your fear landscapes after you're released from here, since you can't train with a bum arm, but they said they were keeping you in the program. You've proved yourself to them, Ronnie. You're practically Dauntless already."

I was shocked. As far as I knew, Initiates never got this kind of treatment, accident or not. I guess I really had chosen right with Dauntless after all. The realization flooded me with relief and joy. Or was that the drugs they were pumping into me to keep the pain down? Hell, at this point I didn't care. I wasn't going to get kicked out of Dauntless because I couldn't properly finish my training.

"Wait," I said after a moment. "What happened to the guys that were fighting? Because this was a complete accident, you know."

Gabe's face fell a little bit, and he looked uncomfortable. "Eric, uh... Eric kinda lost it on them after he carried you in. Nearly threw Marco into the chasm himself. It took six guys to get both of them away from there and separated. He kept yelling something about your life being on Marco's head and that he's responsible for all your injuries and nearly costing Dauntless a promising soldier. Hell, even Max was pissed he was the reason you got hurt like this."

"I guess throwing Initiates into the chasm is kind of frowned upon, huh?"

I smirked and Gabe snorted a short snicker. He patted my knee and stood up.

"I gotta get back. Let Four know you're awake. He'll probably be in later to pretty much tell you what I have... Only better. You know, since he's a trainer and all that. Anyway. Get some rest, Ronnie. I'll bring the gang around after training this afternoon."

I nodded and gave him a smile. He threw back a little wave and trotted off. I shifted in the bed, wondering just what the hell I was supposed to do now. I wasn't used to lying around. Four weeks here and I was in a routine. Moving, every single day. I didn't rest. But yet, here I was. Laid up in the infirmary with a busted arm. And the drugs were actually making me sleepy again, which was a little strange, but I figured there wasn't much use in fighting it. Sleep was a good way to let the body heal itself. So that's what I did. Closed my eyes and let myself fall back into the warm little cocoon of a dreamless sleep.

I adjusted my sling for what felt like the hundredth time already today. I was nervous. I'd heard so many horror stories about these fear landscape sessions. Like one year, some guy actually had a heart attack in the chair because he was so scared. I knew they couldn't possibly all be true. Just made up to freak us out even more than we already were. Which they did.

The door opened and I turned to look at Four. He'd handed off our group to another trainer for the day so he could supervise my first session. Giving me a little wave of his fingers, he turned around and I stood up to follow him inside the room. It was almost like the one I took my aptitude test in. Except there were no mirrors in here. Just a bare room set up with a chair and a computer on a little table next to it.

"Okay, so here's how it goes," he started as I finally got myself into the chair so he could hook the electrode to my temple. "I'll inject you with a sim serum, and monitor your session on the screen. Most people have about ten to fifteen fears so it can get messy in there fast. You need to try to remember to stay as calm as you can. Fight your way through the fear. If anything starts to go too wrong, I can pull you out."

"These stay confidential, right?"

Yes, I was freaking out. I knew Eric would probably show up in there, but I didn't know in what form. And I really didn't want anyone to know that I was afraid of him. Or ever thinking of him at all for that matter. But Four just nodded and went about typing on the keyboard and bringing up little readings charts and stuff on the monitor to my left.

"Doesn't leave this room. So you don't have to be worried about being embarrassed by your fears. Everyone's afraid of something. I'm not here to judge you on your fears, Ronnie. I'm here to help you get through them so they don't freeze you up and get you killed."

I nodded. Four could be a hard-ass at times, but he was actually a pretty nice guy when it came down to it. I'd never once in my time here ever heard anyone say anything bad about him. A lot of people admired him, actually. And I trusted him. Like, really trusted him. Especially now that he'd helped save my life. I knew I was in good hands with Four.

"Ready?" He asked, pressing the syringe gun to my neck. I exhaled hard and nodded. The gun made a small hissing noise and I felt the needle go into my skin. His voice was the last thing I heard as I closed my eyes and the serum took affect. "See you on the other side."

Sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined along the entire wall, bathing the entire room in a warm glow. I blinked. Wait. What? Why was I back at my parents' home in Candor? I didn't live here anymore. Dauntless was my home now. This didn't make any sense.

The sound of gunfire and shattering glass downstairs grabbed my attention and I gasped before realizing it. Mom. Dad. I practically flew over my bed and rushed down the hall, taking the steps two or three at a time.

"Mom?! Dad?! What happened?! Are you guys alright?!"

Silence. The room was empty. All the windows intact. No sign of anyone.

"Mom?"

No answer. I made my way from the family room to the kitchen. Empty.

"Dad?"

Again, nothing. A hard knot formed in my stomach. Something was wrong here. Something was very wrong. I grabbed two sharp knives from the butcher block on the counter. Not my throwing daggers, but they would have to do. Keeping the blades pointed back at my elbows in case I needed to fight someone off, I slowly crept around the corner to check out the study.

The door was nearly closed. Weird. My dad hardly ever closed this door. In fact, hardly any of the doors in the house were ever closed because we never kept anything from each other. My parents could barely even hold it together long enough to make my birthday presents a surprise.

Fingers still wrapped around the handle of the knife, I started to push the door open with my knuckles. And that's when the smell hit me. Coppery and just a touch sour. Blood. Someone was hurt. I shoved the door open and nearly dropped my weapons. The wall of windows on the other side was gone. Glass everywhere. Bullet holes all over the walls. My parents... Dead on the floor in a massive pool of deep crimson.

"NO!"

I rushed forward only to be yanked back into the darkness of the hallway. I slammed against hard stone, smacking my head. But I knew the feel of what I'd hit without needing to look. The walls inside Dauntless. An almost inhuman growl filled my ears and something wrapped around my throat. A hand.

"I'm tired of playing games with you, Ronnie."

Eric. My eyes shot open. He was looming over me, glaring down at me with the look I'd seen on his face that day in the stairwell at target practice. I went to fight him off, but my knives were gone. When did I lose them? Where did they go? His grip on my neck tightened. I struggled to breathe. Grabbed at his arm, trying to pry it away. But it was useless. I couldn't get free. And I was too scared to remember to fight properly.

"Time to end this once and for all."

With one swift movement, he flung me over the edge of the walkway and down into the darkness of the chasm below.