"Are you really just going to pretend nothing has changed?" Ellie's voice was high pitched and held a mixture of excitement, fascination and disbelief.
"So what if I am?" I cocked an eyebrow at her, wiggling into a pair of jeans, wrinkling my nose at them. Ugh, I need to update my wardrobe, stat.
"So, you realize you think Jett is attractive, Eric is getting increasingly jealous, you won't admit to yourself feelings for the blonde leader- which is, in a way, admitting you have feelings for the blonde leader and…you're just gonna ignore it all?!" Ellie's voice grew progressively higher and I winced, cocking an eyebrow at her.
"Modulate your voice, girl." I ordered and she flipped me off without hesitation, making a grin burst across my face.
"Let's go." Ellie grumbled, hopping off my bed and leading the way out of the apartment. "Look, I know you don't want to talk about your past but…is there any chance your father-" Ellie cut herself at the suddenly, perilously empty expression, my blue eyes devoid of the light and laughter that normally gives them a cheerful glow.
"You know I love you, Els," I began, my voice low and tight as I fought with myself to not snap at her despite how out of control the very mention of my father makes me feel. "But that subject is off limits, even to you." My tight leash of control snapped the slightest bit, giving the last word some bite that made Ellie flinch for a moment.
"I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." Ellie said softly, turning her gaze away from me.
Guilt prickled at me and I clenched my fists at my side, feeling like nothing is going right lately. If I can't figure out how to fix the things rapidly going wrong, my whole world is going to crash and burn.
Battle Scars
"So…you'll go with me to the parental center in a couple days?" Hope and wariness shone in Raven's eyes and I nodded, fighting against my automatic instinct to flash a bright, if insincere, smile. Instead, I reached out and laced our fingers together in a rare but truthful moment.
Gratitude and happiness shone in Raven's eyes and she darted forward to wrap her arms around me in a quick hug, dancing away before I could even stiffen. Snarling playfully at her, I darted forward and she shrieked with laughter, racing off into the tunnel.
Grinning, I chased after her, grateful I have such understanding friends.
What the hell did I ever do to deserve them?
…I hope I don't ever lose them and the thought scares me.
Battle Scars
"You ready?" Jett looked at me with barely hidden concern and I nodded, bouncing on my toes.
"Of course!" My mouth twitched into a teasing leer. "Are you?" I cocked my head at a jaunty angle, flashing a brilliant smirk. "'cause if you aren't, I'm sure I could get someone to hold your hand as you tried and ultimately failed to get on the train." I shot him a mock sympathetic look and he gasped dramatically, dark eyes dancing at the return of our familiar and easy banter.
"Why, you little shit! Get back here!" He lunged at me and I flitted to the side, elated snickers spilling out and a weightless bubble of happiness in my chest.
"Dauntless Leader Sienna approaching!" I heard one of my escorts bark out in quick warning.
I skidded to a stop, swearing rapidly under my breath and dodging Jett as he tried to skid to a stop too. I heard a muffled crash as he thudded into one of the other Dauntless guards and they crashed to the ground.
Sienna drew closer and I smiled innocently, waving cheerily at her as Jett scrambled to his feet, swearing rapidly under his breath.
"Hey, Sienna!" I called and she cocked an amused brunette eyebrow at me, flicking her red and brown hair over her shoulder and shaking her head at me, green eyes glinting with amusement.
"Causing trouble already, Paz?" Sienna asked dryly, coming to a halt and crossing her arms, planting her feet wide to keep her balance as the ground began to rumble, signaling the train on its way.
"Not at all." I smiled blandly, jerking my elbow out and into Jett's side. He muffled a curse, shooting me a filthy glare and pouting. I grinned cheekily back at him, deepening it until my rarely shown dimples appear. He blinked, startled and a little dazed.
"Stop flirting and get ready to jump!" Sienna shouted, the roar of the train nearly drowning out her words. I spied a small, disapproving glint in her eyes and turned away, her words flashing through my mind again.
-She leaned in closer and hesitated before speaking. "Don't break his heart." She said lowly before getting up and leaving.-
God, my life is just…spiraling out of my control. Groaning under my breath, I took a step forward as the train roared past, the wind whipping my hair out of the ponytail I had it pulled back in. Spitting out strands of my multicolored hair, I raced forward, shooting Jett a competitive look and grinning at him.
With a loud whoop, Jett raced after me, his whole body tensing as he leapt, easily catching the handle of the train and swinging himself inside, flipping around so he was crouched down and facing me, his dark hair being blown into his eyes.
"Come on, Pazzy!" I could see the shape of his mouth, reading the words and laughing. Pumping my arms and legs faster, I enjoyed the stretch and release of my body, excess energy being worked off as I raced alongside the train. I can tell if I wait much longer, I'm going to have to get into a different train box so I gather up my muscles and leap, feeling the gritty, rusted handle under my palm. It scraped lightly and I whooped, slinging my body into the train and tumbling into Jett, wrestling gleefully with him as the others cheered around us.
I love this feeling, the way my heart is pounding in my chest, threatening to burst completely free of the mortal skin holding it carefully in place. The wind rakes through my curls, flipping my hair around my face and I throw my head back, full laughter escaping me as Jett lunges up, tossing me over his shoulder and rolling around on the ground.
I hang onto his shirt with both fists, still laughing uproariously, doubled over his shoulder and clinging on to him. I can feel his laughter reverberating through me, shaking both of our bodies with the force of it. My grin hurts my cheeks and I know that our eyes share matching shines at the feeling of being together.
For once I don't have to worry about having Eric over my shoulder, glaring with fierce possessiveness that despite myself, I find myself enjoying increasingly more every day.
I pull back and grin happily down at Jett, the wind whipping my hair around the two of us, small, stinging lashes leaving kisses of pain behind. Settled into Jett's lap, I glance around at the others around us.
Along with Sienna are Izayah, Tabby, Zander, Ellie, Raza and Misty. I grin over at my friends, seeing the elated expressions on their faces.
This is the first time we will be having actual official time spent together and I feel a little sting of worry. I don't want to cause a rift between my friends and I but today I will be acting in the official capacity of a Dauntless-leader-in-training and I am going to have to act like it.
The train whistle blows out, sharp and piercing and I wince, cringing.
Jett laughs at the expression on my face and I wrinkle my nose at him, settling deeper into his lap and leaning forward, resting my chin on his shoulder and allowing my eyes to slide half shut as I stare at the world whipping past.
XXX
"Here's where we get off!" Sienna shouted, hopping to her feet and impatiently brushing aside her red-streaked hair. I nodded and leapt up, easily keeping my balance even as the train continued to barrel forward. Sienna stood back before racing forward, leaping off and tucking into a roll.
I lined up with Jett on one side and Ellie on the other, leaping off with them without a second thought.
I arched out in a dive before tucking my head and arms in, my shoulder coming into contact with the ground first before my body continued with the momentum and I rolled. Keeping my body tucked tight, I opened my eyes, watching as the world whirled past in a blur before I completed the roll and smoothly pushed off with my feet, flipping myself into the air, jogging a few steps before I caught my balance and settled into a walk.
Turning around, I watched at the others leapt out of the train and rolled to a stop. Sienna jogged over, smiling breathlessly.
"I love doing that." She said, the glow in her eyes showing the truth of that statement. I matched her grin with mine, bouncing on the balls of my feet, rolling my shoulders and nodding my head.
"Agreed!" I laughed, settling down a little.
"Dauntless! Over here!" I automatically turned, spotting a group of people dressed in bright, cheerful yellow and red stepping out of the woods. I glanced over at Sienna, my hand dropping down into my sleek black jacket, the silver detailing glinting under the sun.
"It's fine, Paz. That's the delegation Amity has sent." Sienna said, amusement coloring her tone. I nodded, a small flush on my cheeks and I released the hilt of my knife and allowed my hands to dangle by my sides.
"It's a rather rag-tag group, isn't it?" I asked and she shrugged, nodding.
"Yeah but it's to be expected. Amity votes on who they send out, that's how they normally deal with things in a peaceful, non-confrontational way." Sienna said, the small twist to her mouth showing her disdain with the way Amity was run.
I widened my eyes with true surprise, her disgust echoing with me.
"Wait, seriously?" I asked. "Connor told me that but I thought he was lying!" I exclaimed and she whipped her head to me.
"The little shit did what? I'm supposed to be teaching you about Amity!" Sienna said loudly and I shrugged, turning my attention on the Amity people getting closer.
"Sienna! It's good to see you!" A girl bounded forward, green eyes glittering with happiness and honey-blonde hair flying out behind her. The girl was slight and delicate, something about the gentle shape of her mouth and the way she held herself, with inner peace reflected by the gentle glow in her eyes told me she was truly content with her home in Amity.
"Yeah, I'm sure it is, Falene." Sienna scoffed but there was something uncharacteristically soft in her voice and I shot her a sharp look, curiosity stirring in me. I flicked my gaze between the girl hugging Sienna and the dauntless leader, cocking my head to the side.
They…hmmm.
Maybe…no.
Oh.
They are siblings.
That's the only conclusion I can come up with that makes sense. The signs are in the exact same color of their eyes, the small but pertly tilted noses and even their smiles. Wow. Sienna…was born in…Amity?
The absolutely bewildered look on my face makes Sienna laugh and gently push her sister back.
"Yeah, she's my sister, Paz." Sienna gently teases and I blink, stunned. Shifting my cobalt gaze over to Falene, I cocked my head to the side, scanning her up and down. She blushed softly but held my gaze. If it were someone else, I would have bristled and stepped forward to challenge them but this girl holds my gaze with gentle curiosity and a core of strength that makes my eyes widen.
Well. It figures that Sienna's sibling would have the same core of strength.
"Hello, Paz. Sienna has told me a lot about you." Falene holds her hand out and I look blankly at it for a moment before nodding and flashing a polite but somewhat reserved smile.
"All good things, I hope." I shot a mock stern look at Sienna and she grinned, shrugging at me.
"Maybe, maybe not. I guess you'll never know!" Sienna crowed and I narrowed my eyes at her but there was a grin on my face. "Anyway, as you know, this is Paz and Ellie. The rest are Raza, Misty, Zander, Tabby, Izayah and Jethro." Sienna reeled off and turned to a tall but broad man. "Everyone, this is Mack, my father and my two brothers, Clint and Teddy." Sienna said, gesturing to the two guys.
We muttered greetings and Sienna smiled, leading the way through the woods while she chatted easily with her family, a protective arm slung around Falene, who listed with wide eyes and a look of almost hero-worship in her eyes.
"Did you guys know Sienna was an Amity transfer?" Tabby asked, popping up at my shoulder. She was looking just as shell-shocked as I was.
"Of course!" Ellie said and I looked at her with surprise.
"And you didn't think we would be interested in knowing that?" I asked and she shrugged, looking faintly apologetic and amused.
"I thought you already knew and just weren't saying anything so you could make fun of the others for not knowing."
I have to admit, that does sound like something I would do.
"What does it really matter anyway?" Ellie asked and I bit my lower lip, careful not to bite down on the two silver hoops side by side in my lower lip.
"It doesn't. I was just surprised because Sienna is really the leader I've been trying to model myself after." I admitted, seeing their surprise and brushing it to the side.
"Really? I didn't think you would try to act like someone else. You have always struck me as the type to not give two fucks about what anyone else thinks." Raza said and I grinned at him with pride.
"Thank you."
We caught up to Sienna and her family, following them to the Amity compound. It was cheerful, spacious and the buildings had the lingering look of nature about them. I spotted along building, a few creatures that I vaguely recognized as horses being led in and out of it. There were picnic type benches outside the main building and I gathered from the people eating there that it was supposed to be their primary eating space.
"Johanna!" Sienna called and I focused on the short, round woman heading our way. Perhaps short and round wasn't the best description for the woman with dark skin and a beautiful, warm and welcoming light in her eyes. She was wearing loose and flowing clothes in yellow trimmed with red, a smile on her face.
I could sense the core of inner strength in her and it surprised me. I thought Dauntless was supposed to have the strong ones?
"Welcome to Amity, Sienna. We haven't had you here for a while. Oh, Ellie! It's good to see you again!" Johanna said warmly, pulling first Sienna into a hug before scooping up Ellie next. She turned her eyes on us and I resisted the urge to shuffle my feet, instead standing tall in front of her.
There is something about this woman that makes me feel like a child again and I itch to prove myself to her laughing eyes. It wasn't cruel laughter but warm laughter, like she was inviting you into her confidence and I could almost physically feel my walls wanting to melt away and leave the sun shining in and warming my soul.
"Hello, I don't believe we have met." Johanna said strongly and I gave her a quick nod, my eyes quiet and watchful.
"My name is Pazia and I am here on official capacity as a Dauntless-leader-in-training." I explained respectfully. Sienna shot me a puzzled look, no doubt wondering at why I am not acting as loud and wild as I normally do.
"Welcome to Amity, Pazia." Johanna said, opening her arms and- before I could realize what she was doing- pulled me into a hug. I froze in her arms, shocked and shook to my core.
There is something about her hugs, something that warms my heart in a quick, painful pulse but at the same time, I don't want to pull away because that would mean losing this feeling. I would imagine this is the feeling a mother's hug would give and I relax the tiniest bit to bring my arms up to her shoulders, hugging her back for the barest of seconds before I gently extract myself by stepping back.
I feel oddly fragile right now and she smiles at me with gentle, accepting understanding that makes my eyes widen.
She's…she's dangerous.
Turning to the rest of the group, Johanna waits patiently for introductions and once she receives them, she smiles broadly and ushers us into the main building. The whole way up to her office, she chatters calmly, bringing all of my friends into conversation like they were all natural born Amity members and I would feel irked about it- if I wasn't wanting her attention, something that shakes me.
"You'll get used to that feeling." Ellie whispers softly in my ear, giving my hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it.
I nod blankly and return my attention to the wide, open and welcoming office.
"So, what did you want to speak with me about?" Johanna asks calmly and Sienna looks expectantly at me. I froze, for a moment forgetting what I was supposed to be saying before I recovered and sat down in front of Johanna's desk.
"We need a new supply of grain for Dauntless and a perimeter report from last month to this month." I answer and she smiles brightly at me, as though she is actually pleased we have come from another Faction to blatantly pry through her business.
"Of course, I have it right here." Johanna opens her desk and pulls out a thick sheaf of papers, handing them over. I handle them awkwardly, privately wondering why she didn't just put all of this information on a thumb drive. "Was there anything else?" Johanna asked, folding her hands on her desk.
"Yes, to your knowledge, how many members of Amity would be transferring to Dauntless next year?" Sienna asked bluntly and I tucked the papers in Ellie's bag, listening intently.
"As far as I can tell, there will only be one member." Johanna answered and Sienna shot a look at Falene. The look was cautiously hopeful but at the same time, rife with warning and a slight hint of anger.
"Who?" Sienna asked and Falene laughed lightly, shaking her head.
"Not me. I'm going to stay here." Falene said, a sense of confidence and security in her that I both admired and envied. I may do my best to act like I have my shit together but half the time, my confidence is fake; a mask used to cover up how unsure I am in my new role as the only LIT for dauntless.
This girl, however, radiates a inner sense of peace, like she knows who and what she is meant to be and nothing will ever shake that confidence in herself. I want to feel like that and I hope one day I will.
"You sure?" Sienna asked but she had relaxed and amusement glinted in Falene's eyes said she caught it. My estimation of the girl raised a few more notches.
"Positive." Falene said cheerfully, leaning into her father's side.
"Good." Sienna said, a distinct note of satisfaction in her voice.
"Who is the person you believe will be a transfer?" I asked, leaning forward and getting us back on track. Johanna hesitated, the barest hint of apprehension in her eyes before she stood up.
"If you will follow me, I can take you to where he works. He should be in the wood chopping field right now." Johanna explained, leading us back through the building and outside.
"Why do you think he will be transferring to Dauntless?" I questioned and she smiled grimly.
"You will see." She said and I cast a look back at Ellie, who had a troubled look on her face. I cocked my head to the side, wondering at it but decided not to push.
Tabby pushed forward, striding at my side with a faint look of uneasiness in her eyes. I can tell she feels like me, comfortable in this place and caught off guard and therefore, defensive at feeling comfortable in the place that is not our faction.
"This place gives me the creeps." Tabby muttered.
"Tell me about it, I definitely get the banjo strumming softies feeling here." I muttered back and she cracked an infectious grin that I mirrored.
"Too true." She agreed as we slowed down.
The large field stretching out in front of us was a rippling pond of golden wheat, certain areas having the wheat cut out in large circles. In the circles were piles of long tree trunks and a platform where men and women alike chopped wood with surprising strength. They all moved with a sense of confidence as they shouted across the field, laughter and gleeful words ringing out in the peaceful air.
A light breeze ruffled my hair and I stared at the sky with incredulity.
"Seriously? How much more perfect can this place get?" I asked. This place is perfect, yes but it is, in a way, too perfect for me to ever have survived here.
"I don't like this place." Tabby said and I nodded.
"It's normally like that with people from Dauntless." Johanna said, laughter in her eyes and voice. "Your faction first feels uncomfortable and off-guard and from there, they either love this place or hate it. Most of you end up hating it in my experience." Johanna said and I jerked my chin up defensively.
"This place isn't real." I snapped and strode past her, surveying the field with Tabby nodding in agreement at my side.
"Which one is it?" Sienna asked, breaking the slightly awkward silence.
"That one." Johanna pointed and I followed her finger.
At first, I thought she was mistaken because the male chopping wood with speed and visible anger could not belong to such a peaceful place as Amity. He was huge, already bulked up with muscle and from the tight scowl on his face, was not happy where he was. He had closely cropped dark red hair, tan skin and was too far away from me to tell his eye color.
He looked almost as tall as Eric and while bulky, not as large as Eric. There was something familiar about him and I furrowed my brow, cocking my head to the side in contemplation.
"He's my little brother." Ellie spoke up at my side, her voice small and her blue eyes locked on her brother.
"He? Is your…little...brother?" I asked with disbelief, looking between my tiny, copper-haired friend and the large brute on the field.
"Yeah."
"Wow." I said blankly and she forced a small smile.
"We are half siblings and I always avoided him because he was such an angry kid growing up. Nothing anyone does or did ever reached him. He is always getting into fights and even though he eats the bread laced with peace serum, he is violent and is never calm." Ellie said.
"When he gets into Dauntless, he's going to be a force to be reckoned with. I hope Lauren can handle him." Sienna commented and I nodded, pulling out my tablet and marking him down as someone to watch.
"Right. Is there anyone else?" I asked briskly, turning on one heel to face Johanna, ready to be out of this faction.
"Not that I can think of." Johanna answered slowly, a piercing look in her eyes. I nodded curtly.
"Then our business here is done." I stated, swiftly turning and heading back the way we came. "Fall in!" I barked out and the hurried thud of boots marching in time told me they had listened. I glanced back in time to see Sienna pull away from giving Johanna a hug, followed by Ellie.
It doesn't look like they are as removed from their old faction as they should be but I turn forward, resolving to focus on something else.
"We aren't going to the lakes today?" Jett pulled up beside me and settled into an easy jog that matched me step for step.
"Not today. This place is making me uneasy." I answered lowly and he nodded, understanding in his eyes.
"I feel the same way but I do want to go to those lakes. I'm tired of taking showers." Jett grumbled and I laughed, marveling at how he can raise my mood with just a few words.
"We'll sneak out and visit the lakes sometime, I promise." I teased and Jett grinned back at me.
"I'm holding you to that." Jett said firmly and I shrugged in agreement.
"I know." The content note in my voice both pleased and startled me. I haven't felt content in a long while.
We make our way back to the train in relaxed silence, making it there just as the train almost finishes going past.
"Come on!" I shouted and whooped, leading the charge across the grass. Laughing, I pushed myself to go faster, everyone easily keeping up. We pull closer, there are five box cars left. Racing faster, I leap into the third one, everyone piling in after me.
Laughing, we untangle ourselves and settle back on the train, talking together about the visit to Amity. The talk is full of teasing remarks to Ellie about how she got the midget genes and her brother got the giant genes.
Her cheeks are red with a mixture of annoyance and the wind nipping at them by the time we make it back to the Dauntless compound.
I stand and ready myself to jump off, racing forward and launching myself off with the others. For a moment, we are suspended in air before arch down and roll, smoothly popping to our feet at the same time, using the moment to keep jogging forward.
I am in the lead with Jett right at my side, Ellie and Tabby hanging back the slightest bit, the others fanning out behind us.
After being at bright and open Amity, Dauntless is a bit of a shock to my senses, but a good one. I embrace the shadows, roughly hewn stones, eerie red lights and the way others race past with reckless speed and loud laughter.
Maybe in another life I could have been in Amity but in this life, I am beyond happy. I have no desire to ditch Dauntless for Amity and the thought pleases me.
I'm a member of Dauntless. A full member and a leader in training to boot. How can life get any better than this?
We were rounding the bend at a steady marching jog when I spotted them.
Max, Eric, Jeanine and Peyton.
The four of them were walking along slowly, Max listening intently as Jeanine spoke. Eric was behind them, a large, hulking mass of golden skin barely holding in all of the muscles. It's funny but I hardly notice anymore how large Eric is.
He is so tall that his head nearly brushed the top of the tunnel and his shoulders are wide and bulky enough that they take up a lot of space. Unlike with Jett, he doesn't narrow down at the waist. He is just more muscle and power. He walks with this steady, prowling gait, like he is the ultimate predator and he is just humoring his prey by keeping a collar on.
The sudden thought of Eric in a collar, shirtless with leather pants and no shoes flashes through my mind and heat flashes through me, glittering in my eyes and making a slight red tint on my cheekbones.
They see us a moment later.
Jeanine nods in acknowledgement while Max grimaces the slightest bit, caution mixed with welcome in his eyes. Eric sweeps his strong blue gaze over us. He has a look of bored blankness on his face that sharpens into dark interest when he sees Jett jogging at my side. His icy blue eyes linger on my cheeks, the red in my cheeks and the glitter in my eyes making confusion twist briefly through his expression before something like possessive rage brews in his gaze. He draws his eyebrows down, the hawk-like intensity of his gaze bringing to mind, again, Eric in a collar, a barely leashed force that could take me at any moment but was simply humoring my caution.
My breath caught in my throat, the intensity of the emotions riled up inside at a simple, single glance from Eric startling me.
"Sienna. Paz. I take it your Amity trip went well?" Max asked as they drew closer. I nodded and turned to Ellie, accepting the papers just as she handed them out. Smoothly transferring them over to Max, I slowed to a stop, fixing my eyes on the senior leader.
"Absolutely. We have everything we needed." I answered and he nodded with approval, accepting the papers and tucking them under his arm.
"Good, what are you doing next?" Max questioned and I shrugged, glancing back at my group.
"We may go to the Torture Chambers." I answered easily and Jeanine's sharp blue eyes widened the slightest bit before her icy mask recovered. A mocking smirk twisted on my mouth and I allowed my eyes to linger on her before looking back at Max. "Was there another assignment for me?" I asked and he shook his head.
"You need to go to the control rooms." Eric barked out, his deep, rumbling voice harsh with rage. I cocked an eyebrow at him and pursed my mouth but nodded.
"You know where it is?" I asked Jett and he grinned, nodding at me with his eyes locked on Eric's.
"I used to work in there before I joined border patrol. I know the way." Jett answered and Max nodded curtly.
"Alright, take Paz there and show her the work done in there. Jeanine is going back to Erudite with her assistant-" I coughed to hide a snicker but from the anger in Peyton's eyes, I could tell she knew it was really a snicker. Good. "-and then I am going to need to meet with you, Jethro. I want you to gather your patrol members and meet in my office, I still need to go over your debriefings from your last mission." Max ordered and Jett nodded respectfully. "The rest of you, take the day off but tomorrow come to my office, I have assignments for each of you."
"Yes, sir!" We all barked at the same time and Max rolled his eyes, a small grin pulling at his mouth as he stalked past. Jeanine walked with him, her cold blue eyes focusing on mine for a moment before she nodded, something about the look in her eyes making me cautious. I watched after her with narrowed eyes, startled into stepping back when Eric walked right at me, his broad chest effortlessly blocking my view of everything around me except him.
For what seemed like the first time, I suddenly registered just how tiny I am compared to him. I was like the life-sized doll, barely reaching the middle of his chest. I tipped my head back, staring up at him with a question and vague challenge in my eyes that made him smirk darkly, bending down to wind one hand through my curls, yanking my head back as he moved forward, using his chest to push me back into the tunnel wall.
"I'll see you later." His rumble was thick with want, a needy sound that made me whimper lowly, twisting my thighs together to hold off the automatic pulse of heat that went through me. The action failed though because all it did was rub the bundle of nerves at the apex of my thighs and my breath caught in my throat as I brought my hands up to clutch at his dark jacket. Normally, he would seal our mouths together in a rough tangle of teeth and tongue but for once, he is exercising control and, in turn, building up the heat between us even more.
I wanted to say something, anything but for once, my words and blustering confidence failed me. I watched with wide eyes as he released me and strode off into the tunnels, his hulking form fading gracefully into the darkness of the tunnels.
A/N: Quick shoutout to my reviewers (because you guys are so awesome), I just want to say thank you so much. I really appreciate the fact that you guys take the time to give a quick (or long) review after reading a chapter. I love that you tell me what you like and how anxious you are for another chapter. Those types of reviews just make my day and set me to writing even more! I don't know how many of you actually read these A/N's but I have been typing up a storm recently and since I don't want to lose this sudden burst of inspiration, I'm still typing. I have a couple of chapters written out and ready to go so I plan on establishing an updating schedule (until I get the dreaded writer's block again and have to struggle for each chapter) and since I know Monday isn't really a good day for so many people, that's going to be my updating day. Hopefully these chapters will be a bright spot at the end of a bad day and if they aren't, I'm sure there are plenty of other stories that will be. Once again, thanks so much to everyone, not just my reviewers. I adore every single one of you that follow, favorite and review my story!
Guest - Hello and thank you so much! I am so flattered you think this is one of the best Eric/OC stories you have read. It's really awesome that I have international readers that appreciate my writing. I will work on writing a chapter from Eric's POV but I think I'm going to post it as a one-shot instead of part of this story. I'll definitely let everyone know in my A/N at the top or bottom of the chapter when I finish it and post it! Once again, thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
Veera98 - Yeah...it would have been fun if the joggers didn't survive but like I stated previously, it would have created too many other problems that would have broken Paz/Eric apart. I was actually going to write a smut scene there but for some reason, Eric thought it would be more fun to drag it out so it ended up just teasing you guys but not following through. As for slapping Eric...you are completely right on that subject! It almost makes me want to write a scene where Paz (for some reason) slaps Eric...I am so happy you liked the development between Jett/Paz because I realize most if not all of my readers came into this story under the impression that this was a singularly Eric/OC fic. While that is the ultimate endgame- the OTP for this fic, I am not going to make it that easy for either of them! And that 'proud mommy' line made me burst into laughter and grin for hours so THANK YOU! I swear, you are one of the best reviewers for this story!
Selyse Newman - Thank you so much for your review, I'm glad you liked the chapter!
calhounariel97 - Ha! That suggestion made me grin because it totally would fuck with Eric! However, I don't think we want Jett to die! Thanks so much for your review, I really appreciate it!
mmelody6 - Thank you so much!