A/N: *walks in 6 months late with Starbucks* What'd I miss?

Disclaimer: Don't own anything, still

Chapter 14

The next morning I struggle to keep the smile off of my face. Gar and Rachel are clearly suspicious of my sudden change in mood, but barely have time to ask what's going on before Robin leads us up to the fear landscape room, where a woman named Rose explains what we're going to be put through today.

"Wasps, cages, public humiliation, abandonment, the death of my father, being kicked out of Dauntless and being kidnapped by faceless strangers. This is what I fear the most in the world. However, most of you will have somewhere between 10-15 fears to face; that's about average for initiates. To prepare you to face your own fears, today you will each be facing one of mine. Line up and I'll assign each of you a fear, then get you hooked up to the simulation so we can get started."

Kidnapping is my assigned fear and I breathe a sigh of relief. If I had been assigned to cages, I may have actually struggled with this task seeing as confinement tends to be a frequent theme in my other simulations. Although I'm not sure how much better kidnapping is going to be…

We face our fears in reverse rank order, which means I will go last. I smirk as I watch Xavier blush from whatever he faces in public humiliation before reality fades and transports me to an empty field.

As I try to assess my surroundings, I hear a van screech up behind me, door quickly thrown open to reveal a group of men with no outstanding features, their large limbs stretched out to grab me. One of them manages to get a grip on my waist and as I prepare to put up a fight, the scene begins to shift.

The roaring waterfall of the Pit paralyzes me to the point that Sergei's rough grip on me is practically unnecessary. Malcolm's loud guffawing voice sends chills down my spine and makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. And as Xavier's cocky, cold smirk stands before me…

"STOP! STOP STOP STOP MAKE IT STOP!"

I didn't even realize I was sobbing on the ground of the fear landscape until I was roughly pulled to my feet by rough hands. I brace myself for a thorough scolding from Jason or perhaps Rose but am caught off guard as my eyes meet with Robin's.

"Now just what in the hell was that, Stiff?"

I'm so shocked by his harsh tone and his abrupt use of "Stiff" I almost don't know how to react. Luckily I am quick to recover, closing my mouth into a snarl and narrowing my eyes at him in pure fury.

"Fuck off Robin."

I throw his hand off me and storm out of the fear landscape, not even sure where I'm going as I ignore the shouts of my name, demanding I come back.

I let my feet carry me all the way to the train tracks, having finally picked a destination as I jump on board the next one that passes.

The glass encased building approaches quickly, thankfully leaving me no time to second guess my actions before I jump off the train and walk into the Erudite compound. It looks much smaller on the outside… There are groups of people clad in blue gathered into small discussion groups or walking with stacks of books in their arms… How am I ever going to find her? I can't possibly have that much time to look around before I get caught either by the Erudite or the Dauntless probably searching for me by now.

I spot what appears to be a reception desk manned by a mousy looking blond boy and get a wild idea in my head. I shake my hair out of its braid and adjust my tank top in a way that emphasizes my cleavage. I know very little about flirting and even less if I would be any good at it but if these last weeks in Dauntless have taught me anything about the subject it is that I am pretty and for most boys, that's really all it takes. I approach the desk with an innocent enough smile on my face.

"Excuse me? I'm a little lost. I was hoping maybe you could help me find somebody?"

I twirl a piece of my hair in between my fingers to add to the façade as the boy looks up from his paperwork. I watch his eyes widen in shock as he takes in my appearance- either from the color of my clothes marking me as Dauntless or from the way I'm wearing them- blinking several times before stammering out.

"I- I'm sorry, b-but I really c-can't, I- I mean that's not really-"

"Korina?"

The boy's stuttering is interrupted by the one voice I cared about hearing in this glass prison. I wasn't sure what I expected when I turned to face my sister; she looked almost exactly the same except she was dressed all in Erudite blue and wearing glasses for some reason. I can feel a genuine smile form on my face before I notice her scowling at me; rolling her eyes as she grabbed my upper arm.

"This way. Try not to make any more of a scene."

I could easily throw her off me if I wanted to but seeing Komilla again makes me feel like a little girl back in Abnegation, being scolded for selfishly talking out of turn or taking another child's toy without asking permission first. So I let her lead me to a quiet corner of the Erudite compound, probably predicting this to not be a friendly conversation. My homesickness had overshadowed my memories to the point I'd nearly forgotten how little we got along. Her first words spoken in private were a nice reminder, though.

"You're dressed like a slut."

Ouch. Our relationship was never great, but it was NEVER this hostile, either. Hostility is something I'm quite familiar with these days, so it does little to phase me.

"Thanks. You're dressed like a traitor."

"Oh no. You transferred too, you do NOT get to play the victim this time!"

"How am I playing the victim? Have you seen what's being published by YOUR new faction about Abnegation? About our Father? Do you even care?"

"Of course I don't care! Why do you think I transferred? I couldn't WAIT to get away from them and their IMPOSSIBLE standards! I couldn't stand being constantly compared to you; sweet Korina, thoughtful Korina, beautiful Korina… Meanwhile I could never measure up and got constantly scolded for "being too hard on you" and "not behaving sisterly enough""

Komilla was still snarling at me, but looking into her eyes, I could see real pain hiding there. How had I never noticed our parents were being so harsh to her? I must be even more selfish than I ever realized if I was so focused on myself that I couldn't see my sister hurting. No wonder she hates me so much.

"Why did you even bother coming here, Korina? To try and rub it in my face how well you're doing now that you're Dauntless? Well it's not going to work, because I'll have you know I'm doing great things here! I'm top of my class!"

"That's great, Komilla. I'm happy for you, really. I'm best out of the initiates for Dauntless too, but that's not why I'm here. Mother sent me here. On Visitation Day, she wanted me to come and ask you about-"

"Mother came to visit you? Why didn't she just come ask me herself? Do she and Father hate me that much?"

I could see the hint of tears starting to form in Komilla's eyes. She's trying so hard to be tough, cold and unfeeling, but the idea that our parents really, truly hated her caused the cracks to form in her façade. I reach out to put a hand on her shoulder, a gesture she is clearly surprised by, but doesn't reject.

"They don't hate you, Komilla. They wanted to visit you, they really did; Mother told me so. But they couldn't. Don't you know that Abnegation members are banned from the Erudite compound?"

"Wh-what?"

Clearly she didn't. As quickly as her vulnerability had appeared, the wall went back up as she shook my hand off her shoulder.

"I- I mean, of course I knew that! Every Erudite member knows that! I just didn't think it had been put into place before Visitation Day!"

She was obviously lying, but I wasn't going to call her out on it.

"Anyway, I think you've bothered me enough for one lifetime. Maybe we'll meet again one day, Korina. Once we've both completed initiation, perhaps I'll finally be able to prove to you all the ways I'm just better than you."

Komilla's words trigger something in my mind, a strange yet familiar feeling.

"I always was the better fighter…"

"I won't forget this, sister dear!"

I hear myself gasp as I come back to reality. With my eyes back in focus, I see Komilla is gone and two strange Dauntless soldiers are approaching me. Following them is…

"Korina Anders. I've been looking forward to meeting you. Although I didn't expect our reunion to occur so quickly."

Roxanne Mandrake. The head of Erudite, who was manufacturing the horrific lies about my family.

"Come with me. I'd like to have a little chat with you."

I feel as though saying no is not an option. Without saying a word I let the Dauntless soldiers guide me to what I assume is Roxanne's office. I sit across from her at her elaborate glass desk and watch as she pulls some files from a cabinet behind her. Seeing her so closely now, I understand what Gar meant when he said it felt like she was more than one person.

"Your choice on the day of the ceremony was very surprising to us."

"Us?"

"The other faction leaders and those of us who design the tests. Speaking of the test, why was it that your results had to be entered manually?"

Oh no. Of all the possible subjects Roxanne Mandrake could have to discuss with me, she picks the very worst one.

"I… I don't know. The liquid I was given made me sick, my tester didn't say anything about not being able to properly record my results. She told me Abnegation and sent me home."

"I see… And if you were told Abnegation, why would you choose to leave?"

I can't be honest, but thankfully I was never meant for Candor.

"Why wouldn't I want to leave? I hated the rigidness of Abnegation. All the rules and restrictions… I couldn't live with that for the rest of my life. And Dauntless seemed like the place where I could reinvent myself. I may always be selfless, but that doesn't mean I'm a coward."

"Right. Speaking of Dauntless, it also says here one of your test results from your second phase of training had to also be entered manually. And not just yours. Two of your fellow initiates; Garfield Logan and Rachel Roth, also had one or more of their test results manually entered. Why do you think that is, exactly?"

Rachel and Gar had issues with their tests too? This is news to me.

"I don't know. We don't really talk about the tests once they're over. I didn't even know something had happened to their tests. Why are you asking me all of this?"

A smile crosses Roxanne's face. I think she's attempting to make a comforting gesture but I'm only further unsettled.

"Simple, Korina. I design the tests. Not just the aptitude tests, but the tests for your Dauntless initiation as well. And in all the years we've been using these tests, we've never seen them fail on a scale this large. All I'm trying to do is merely identify the problem so I can find a way to fix it and improve the tests."

I can tell she's only telling a half truth. She wants to fix a problem alright, but not with the tests. She wants to identify the Divergents. Like me. And Richard. And possibly Gar and Rachel. Every survival instinct in my body is screaming at me to run from Erudite compound and never look back, but instead I shrug.

"Sorry, I don't know how else I can help you. I don't know why the tests would be screwing up like that."

"Of course not. Well, thank you for your time anyway, Korina- I mean, Kori. Oh, and one last thing before you go. I'm sure you've seen the Erudite reports being put out recently. Would you say you agree with them?"

There's only one answer that will let me leave here without a struggle and it isn't the truth.

"Every last word of them."

Roxanne Mandrake's smirk is the last thing I see before I am escorted from her office and into a car, driving me back to the Dauntless compound.

I sit in the backseat of the car with my hands trembling, trying to process what had happened before my sister left. Another flashback, just like the one last night when I'd kissed Richard. Like a memory, but one that didn't belong to me. Just like the fear landscapes.

As I feel my heart race along with my mind, I do something I hadn't done in a long time. I silently being to pray to the goddess of my family, praying for any answer that might relieve my confusion and ease my worries. I'm so focused on my prayers I almost don't notice us pull up to the Dauntless compound. I see Slade and Jason standing outside and immediately realize that perhaps I should have been praying for mercy.

Slade thanks my Erudite escorts before he and Jason silently lead me inside to a small room I had never seen before. I brace myself for scolding.

"Just what do you think gives you the right to run away from training like that?"

"I… I just… I was embarrassed…"

"You were embarrassed? And you thought that justified your unauthorized field trip?" Slade scoffed at my pathetic excuse and I heard Jason snicker behind me. "You realize I have half a mind to throw you back out onto that street to the factionless over this? So you had better come up with something better than-"

"She was embarrassed because she came on to me."

I hadn't even heard Richard come in and his words were just as shocking to me as they were to Slade and Jason, who stared at Robin with incredulous eyes. Jason was the first to speak, clearly choking back laughter.

"You? She came on to you?"

"Yes. She tried to kiss me last night, I rejected her. Yelling at her this morning must have pushed her over the edge."

Jason is now visibly struggling to hold back his laughter while Slade is smirking at me.

"Is this true, Stiff? Did you make an advance on your instructor?"

I don't make eye contact with Slade as I simply nod. As angry as I was with Richard this morning, I'm thankful for his story now. Even if Jason is practically crying tears of joy right now.

"Wow, I mean, I've gotta hand it to you, Robin. You certainly are the braver man out of the two of us for sticking with protocol in such a…" I feel my stomach flip in disgust as Jason's eyes roam my body. "… Tempting situation."

"Jason! Pull yourself together. Robin, see to it that none of the other initiates get the idea of coming on to you in their heads. And as for you, Stiff…" Slade's barking commands are oddly soothing as they clearly indicate that this meeting is over. "Stop throwing yourself at your instructor. We may not be as tightly wound as Abnegation here in Dauntless, but that doesn't mean we reward acting like a harlot. Now all of you, get out!"

None of us need to be told twice to leave. I hear Jason grumble "lucky bastard" as he walks past Richard and out the door. I am careful to make sure I am well out of Slade's eyesight before I start following Richard. Eventually, he reaches back and takes my hand as he guides me to his room. He checks to make absolutely sure there's no one nearby before he turns to me and sighs.

"Look, about this morning, I-"

"I don't even care about that anymore, I have something way more important on my mind right now." I take a deep breath as I recount my visit to the Erudite compound, saving my weird flashback for last. I can feel myself start to shake again, tears starting to well up in my eyes as I take both of Richard's hands in mine. "I don't understand what's going on. Some things don't feel real anymore and I don't know why. Just… Please, tell me something real."

Richard gently lets go of my hands to hold on to my face.

"What's real is that you are one of the strongest girls… Hell, strongest person, that I've ever met. And you're so much stronger than whatever is happening to us that I know we can figure it out at take it down together."

I take a deep breath to calm my nerves as I process everything that has happened. Gently, I take Richard's hands off my face and look him in the eyes.

"You don't get to be both you know. You can't be my hardass instructor in one breath and my caring boyfriend in the next. That isn't fair to either of us. And I'm not saying this cause I expect you to go easy on me during training; of course I wouldn't expect that. But you don't have to be such an asshole when I screw up to try and cover up our relationship. Just be yourself. Like nothing has changed. No more overacting and no more lies."

Richard gives my hands a brief squeeze and nods.

"You're right. And I'm so sorry for being so harsh this morning."

"I forgive you. Now… Speaking of no more lies. When were you gonna tell me that Gar and Rachel are Divergent?"

I can tell from the look on his face that he was dreading this moment. He sighed and took a seat down on the bed.

"I was waiting to see if they'd tell you themselves. They don't know about you and they don't know about each other. I figured it'd be safest to wait until after initiation, when we could meet without it looking suspicious. I guess there may never be real safety, though. I'm sorry I hid this from you, but I promise, once Initiation is over and you guys are full fledged members of Dauntless, we will figure this out. Together. As a team."

"Like the heroes of the story you told me on the Ferris wheel?"

He smiles at that memory. It was a simpler time then; before I knew what lengths Xavier would go to to get to the top, before the Erudite were actively targeting the Abnegation and before I knew that Roxanne Mandrake was trying to weed out the Divergent.

Before the flashbacks to a life I've never known.

"Yeah. Just like the heroes from the story."

A/N: In all seriousness, life is unpredictable and being an adult is hard. That's the only excuse I've got. Things were going on in my life that stole my motivation but I have a good feeling that things are gonna start getting better! Next time on Dauntless Titans… it's three am as I'm finishing this and I can't remember the outline for the next chapter right now but I have it written down somewhere! Not sure which story is going to get updated next but I hope to get at least one more update done in April and I want to have Dauntless Titans finished no later than the end of the year. In the meantime, thank you for sticking with me during these long periods of sudden and unexplained inactivity and R&R! -starprincess