It's been a while and it might be longer until the next one as I have a few Outtakes to write, one of which might be up with the next few days ;)
"Get some sleep Issy." Eric moved back and smirked again as he walked to the door. He opened it and looked back at her. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow." Issy finally started to breath normally when he shut the door behind him.
Issy managed to get at least five hours sleep before she awoke. It was a good amount of time for Issy, the longest since she's been at Dauntless. That fight must have really tired her out. She's spent this last few hours staring at the ceiling in boredom. The door was definitely locked, she had checked and she didn't have her sketchbook. Almost grumbling she looked to her side at the books Eric and Four had left. Issy sighed, realizing she had nothing else to do and switched the light on, pulling up the first book The History of Dauntless. Word by word, page by page she devoured the book. She actually found it quite fascinating, not that she'd say that out loud. Soon enough she had finished the book and placed it to her other side before she grabbed the next one. Half way into her second book Issy heard noise from outside. Glancing at the clock she saw that it was 08:53. 'The first shift must be in.' Issy folded a napkin in between the pages to bookmark her page as the lock clicked and the door opened. A young man stood there in the same uniform that Marlene wore. He had short brown hair, green eyes and an easy smile. Issy tensed up when he smiled, she didn't know why but her gut told her to. He walked in further and smiled down at her.
"Hello, I'm Jake. I'm here to check your injuries." Jake smiles again and she flinches away from him.
"I'd rather you wouldn't."
Jake stops smiling and his eyes narrow. "I don't care what you rather I do." He sneers. "Now if you'd stop being a bitch maybe I could do my job."
"What did you just call my sister?" Issy relaxes as Declan's voice hisses from the doorway. She sees him take in the scene before him: Issy is backed up to the very edge of the bed, nearly hanging off of it and the man, Jake, is at the side of the bed. Declan's eyes narrow on Jake. "What did you just call my sister?" He repeats very slowly. When Jake steps away from Issy but doesn't answer Declan takes a step back from the door and calls out to someone. Boots tap against stone as that someone gets closer. Jake flinches away from both Issy and the doorway as Eric appears, standing tall next to Declan. Eric looks between Declan and Jake before his eyes linger on Issy.
"What's your name?" Jake flinches at the steel in Eric's voice.
"J-Jake sir."
"And what are you doing here Jake?"
"I h-heard that a patient w-was in here and thought t-that they might need help."
Eric raised an eyebrow and glared. "That's funny. Do you know why that's funny Jake? It's funny because only Marlene is assigned to her, no one else and no one else knows of it but Marlene and the Head Doctor by order of Max. So that leads me to my next question of how you know of it?"
"I-I-I-"
"Also you have to take into consideration that somehow he got hold of the keys to this room." Declan pointed out. "Only Marlene was given those keys."
From the bed Issy pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "If you're quite finished playing Good Cop Bad Cop I'd like to get out of this room." All eyes turned onto Issy. "What? It's boring in here."
Declan looked in between laughing at her and sighing in exasperation. "Fine but I see you anywhere near her again or even talk to her again I will make your life a living hell, am I clear." Jake nodded quickly at Declan and ran out of the room. Dec turned to Issy and smiled widely. "Why didn't you read then if it was boring?"
"I was reading!"
Declan walked further into the room and placed a stack of clothes at the end of the bed. "Clean clothes. We'll be outside waiting for you okay." He walks forward a bit more to ruffle Issy's hair and kiss her forehead.
"Where's Alec?"
"Already down there with Mum, dad and Cara."
"Okay."
Once Declan and Eric had left the room, Issy let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. Picking up each tub she realised she would have to get someone to rub the salve into her back and she sighed again. She threw her head back and shouted out. "Dec!" The door was thrown open as Declan ran in.
"What? What is it? Are you okay?" He shot questions at her in a hurried manner and Issy started giggling quietly.
"I just need you to rub some of this on the bruising on my back." She held the tub up for him to see.
"Issy I thought it was something serious." He plucked the tub out of her hand once he was by her side. "Lean forward." Issy arched forward but shot back up again when her ribs protested. "Eric!" When Eric appeared in the door Dec motioned to Issy. "Can you hold her forward please?" Eric just nodded as he strode over and gently grasped Issy's arms and pulled her forward into him. As Declan applied the salve to her back Issy hissed and held onto Eric's arms. The small, traitorous voice in the back of her mind liked the firm feeling of his arms and was instantly reminded of what Marlene and Bree were trying to get at. She pushed the thought aside when Dec finished on her back. She let go of Eric at the same time as he let go of her, yet he took his time letting go of her. "Anywhere else?"
Issy took the tub from his hand, replacing it with another. "Ribs please." Issy tried to sit up straight but yelped in pain and slouched back down. Without a word from Dec, Eric moved behind the both of them and tenderly held Issy up once more. Dec shot a quick smile in Eric's direction before he crouched down and applied the second cream to her ribs. At first she flinched away, not because of the pain but because of the coldness of the cream. A look of understanding passed through Dec's eyes. When Dec rubbed over the rib that she broke she bolted back into the headboard and cried out in pain. Eric's hands tightened reassuringly as Declan followed her, mumbling his apologies. Declan finished with the cream a few minutes later and gathered her into his arms when Eric let her go. Issy buried her head into Declan's neck and whimpered, sniffing silently.
"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Dec asked as he pulled away and Issy saw Eric frown over her brother's shoulder.
"Declan, I'm fine."
"Okay, we'll be – "
"Outside, I know." She tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace.
For the second time that day, Dec and Eric left her room to allow her to get changed. She continually hissed and groaned in pain when she moved too suddenly, making her stop to control her breathing. Deep down she knew she needed help as she finally managed to put her hoodie on after her fifth try but she didn't want to appear weak, not in front of a Dauntless Leader, even if he is friends with her brother. She's had years of weakness and now she wants to be strong, even if it means hiding how she really feels. Issy looks down to the ground at her combat boots. When she leans down to pick one up she wheezes in pain and bites back a cry. She tries again but this time cries aloud.
"Issy are you alright?" Declan's voice calls through the door.
She regains her breathing and calls back. "I'm okay." For a third time she reaches down and ends up crying louder, uttering a loud 'Fuck' when the door slams open and Declan storms in with Eric on his heels.
"What the hell are you trying to do?" He exclaimed and came to a halt to her side. Eric stayed by the door, leaning against it but ready to jump forward within a moments notice. Her hair cover her face from both of their eyes and Issy is thankful for that as she tries to will the brimming tears back into her eyes. "Issy?" Dec says softer, kneeling in front of her and places a hand on her knee while the other brushes some of her hair out of her face. Quietly she mumbles something to her brother. Aware that Eric can hear them, he whispers back. "Issy, you're not worthless or weak or whatever he tried to drill into your mind. You are none of those things. What I see before me is a strong, fiery young woman who stands up for the people she cares about. Who likes to prank and annoy people but will be there when they fall to help them back up again. Who doesn't stand down or back away from a challenge because she's too damn stubborn and loves proving others wrong. That is who I see right now and none of it is what Jeremy described you as." Issy saw Eric tense at her uncle's name. "So what's wrong pup." Pup. Issy smiled at her old pet name her siblings had adopted for her when she first became obsessed with wolves.
"I can't get my boots on." She whispers.
Declan just looks at her surprised before he starts laughing. "Is that all?" He says in between giggles. He laughs harder when she pushes him away and into the floor.
"Declan!" She whines. When Declan doesn't stop laughing she turns to Eric who has a small smirk playing on his lips. "Eric! Can you knock some sense into my brother?"
"Betrayal sister." Dec puts a hand on his heart as he slowly stops laughing. "What makes you think I can't take him." Issy scoffs at her brother and makes a point of checking Eric out. He stands straighter, alert and unconsciously flexing his muscles. Issy then looks at her brother and raises an eyebrow at him. "Alright, alright!" Declan raises his hands at Issy before shooting a quick look at Eric that Issy couldn't catch. Picking up one shoe up, he helps her get it on and tie it up before moving onto the next one. "I could've won."
"You could have also lost." Eric adds.
Issy bites her lip to keep herself from laughing. "He does have a point." Dec glares up at her as he finishes tying the last shoe's laces.
"What have I done to get you both to gang up on me?"
"I'm your sister, it's kinda my job."
"I'm your best friend, it's kinda my job." Issy flashed Eric a wide grin which he returned when Declan groaned at them both.
"C'mon. Best get you to the Pit, they'll be wondering where we are." Dec held out a hand and she took it, allowing him to lead the way.
The Pit was filled with more colour then it usually was. Blue, white, red and yellow blended into black. Declan and Eric helped her down the stairs. Both men glared at any Dauntless born bumped into her, be it accident or not. Issy limped between them as her brother lead them to a large table at the back. When they get closer Issy can see Blake sat with Hugo as they laugh at something Alec said. Her eyes focus on the two in blue talking with Max and the other in blue sat next to Alec. As if he sensed her gaze Max turned to look at her, nodding her head in her direction. The first thing she notices as her dad strides towards her is the few streaks of grey hair highlighting his dark hair. Gently, her dad pulls her into a light hug. Lightly, she wraps her arms around him as tears prick her eyes. Dec smiles at his parents and follows Eric over to Max.
"My girl, my little spark." He pulls back and scans her for changes. "So Dauntless already." Her dad takes a hold of her arm and leads her to the table. She sits opposite to her mum and her dad sits on her right. Declan soon joins them, sitting next to their mum as Max spots his own family. After much guilt tripping from Ella, Eric also joined them, taking up the spot by Issy's left. From beside their mum Cara glances over her, her gaze focusing on the bruising on her neck.
"Alec said you were bad but you look like absolute shit." Alec starts snickering into his hand but stops when their mum delivers a firm whack to the back of his head.
"Love you too sis." Sarcastically, Issy rolls her eyes.
It was nice, somewhat calming to be surrounded by her family again with the addition of her new Dauntless family. For the first few hours the Vince family caught up on everything and anything, their parents and Cara crying softly at their group tattoo for Reece. A some point Blake and Eric had muttered something about how they were intruding and started to get up but were quickly waved back down when Richard and Ella said that they were just as important to them as their children are, stating that blood doesn't define family. Both men sat back down, blushing lightly. That prompted the conversation to turn onto Blake and Eric as Richard asked how their careers were going. Issy didn't miss the side glances Blake and Cara shared, both quickly looking away when they caught each other looking. Issy smirked at her sister and noticed that Dec had also seen the exchanged and wiggled his eyebrows at Issy. Their friends had came over to introduce their families over the course of the day – both Dauntless born and Transfer. Ella had squealed loudly as Flare and her family came into view and launched herself at Flare's mum in such a way that other Erudite would have scoffed in disgust. Not like her or her family cared as they grinned when their mums fell to the ground, giggling like school girls. Flare's dad stood with a grin identical to Richard's as they watched their wives laugh and cry in happiness. Richard stood up and clasped hands with Flare's dad as Max and his family came to see what all of the commotion was for. Booming out a loud laugh, Max helped both women off of the ground. Issy sat with a wide smile on her face. She knew both of her parents had transferred from Dauntless and that her dad was or still is best friends with Max. But her mum never mentioned anything about her friends. She was glad to see that despite the number of years that went by her friends still loved her.
After the mums calmed down, Ella gestured to the table where everyone else was watching with grins. Both Flare's and Max's family joined them at the table, it was a tight fit as everyone was pushed against each other. Eric shuffled slightly as Issy breathed in sharply, relieving her of the pressure on her ribs. Issy shot him a grateful look and was met with a small smile. They learnt that Flare's dad is called Ari and her mum is called Bella. Issy's eyes sparked golden in understanding as her mum and Bella looked at her and nodded. 'Ari – Alec. Bella – Issy. Guess I have a namesake.' Ari was her dad's neighbour when they were growing up, resulting in a tight friendship along with Max. Bella is her mother's bestest of friends and was there for her when her dad died when they were little. The transfers found out that Max's wife is called Marissa and she over looks training for ambassadors. Stories of the reckless childhood was thrown back and forth until it was time for her parents to leave. Eric helped Issy to stand as everyone stood and stepped away from the table. Ella and Richard hugged their friends good bye and turned to their family. Starting with Declan they hugged him tight, once the let him go Dec lifted Cara into a hug making her giggle. Ella mumbled something about wanting grand kids which caused her children to choke. Hugo was congratulated on his work in the Weapons lab by his dad as Ella pulled an unsuspecting Blake into a hug. Turning the twins a sob broke out of Ella's mouth.
"My golden eyed darlings, I know you'll both make it, I know it." She dries her eyes and smiles almost feral. "I like the look of the family name Vince in the top positions so if anyone's in it kick their arses out of it." Issy barks out a laugh and clutches her ribs. Ella pulls them into a light hug and steps away as their dad takes her place. Ella moves to Eric a wraps him in a hug to much of his surprise. After a moment he relaxes in her arms as she whispers something in his ear making his eyes widen as they flash to the twins and back again. He mumbles something back which has Ella smirking as she pulls away. Richard brings the twins into another light hug and Cara hugs them both as well before they leave.
"Don't worry Ella," Bella calls out to her friend as Ella, Richard and Cara leave the Pit. "I'm willing to bet there's a number of people that will look after these two trouble makers."