If people have read Max's POV in Golden Flames Outtakes they will know from the end note that there will be a separate POV from Eric in the Outtakes that will focus on different parts of the story so far, adding a bit more to his character before and after Issy comes to Dauntless. This chapter is goes along the story line after Chapter 16 only.
Once again, apologies if Eric seems off as I'm not used to writing him just yet.
Eric's POV
"Fuck it." Eric stops pacing and walks away.
"Where are you going?" Declan's voice bounces off the walls.
"To beat the shit out of a punching bag."
Eric walks towards the dorms at half six to wake up the initiates as Four is busy preparing for the day ahead. In a few weeks time Stage One will be finishing, the first cuts will happen and Stage Two will be starting. Over the past weeks, each transfer has gotten better and faster at the obstacle course and everyone had gone up against an Instructor. Eric went against Alec and had won by mere seconds and Issy won against Lynn the day before. Both of the twins have gotten a lot faster each day. It was a struggle to watch Issy without being turned on. She's getting bolder in how she acts around him with others close, teasing him relentlessly. It's even more of a struggle not to push her into his office and have his way with her. Eric thinks he's had more cold showers just recently then he has done in his life. That, and he's thought many times that he'll happily chuck Sam off of the Chasm. Eric doesn't quite know what's going on but he doesn't like the looks and small touches Sam has been giving Issy. To anyone else it'd mean fuck all but to Eric it grated on him everyday. Thankfully, Issy doesn't react to them, not that he knows anyway. Eric grits his teeth at the thought as his hand subconsciously raises to fiddle with the leather cord around his neck. One thing he does know though, Issy is slowly driving him mad and he likes it. Fuck. The only ones who seem to be enjoying his internal struggle are the bastards he calls friends: Declan and Josh. They seem to be enjoying it way too much, the shits.
He rubs his face, trying to think of something different, something that doesn't result in a cold shower. Today the initiates would be starting a new obstacle course. Out of the second part of Stage one the obstacle course they will be doing today has to be Eric's favourite. Today's course focused on one initiate at a time. An initiate and a Dauntless member are chosen at random, the Dauntless member has to get the flag in the room and the initiate has to stop them until time is up. That's with one small catch. The Dauntless member can move around freely in two third of the room, the last third is sectioned off for the initiate who isn't allowed to leave that third. In that third will be several objects defined as 'useless' and they have to use those objects to stop the member and each round the objects are changed and swapped. It tests the minds of the initiates when placed on the spot, it showed how they get through difficult tasks and how tactical they are. Not only that, but most of Dauntless, including most of the Leaders watch. This year Eric hasn't involved himself, this year he wants to watch.
With a devious grin he enters the dorms, flicking the lights on and freezes. Suddenly he feels parched as he swallows. In the aisle by her bunk Issy stands equally frozen into place as she stares wide-eyed back in nothing but an oversized t-shirt that comes to her mid thigh. Slowly, his eyes roam her all the way down, taking in her curves and all the way back up. Issy quirks her eyebrows at him and cocks her hip out to the side, making the shirt rise higher on one side, showing a little bit of her underwear. Black and lacey. His gaze lingers there and he swallows again. He feels himself harden in his pants. Eric needs to look away, like right now. . . but he doesn't want to. God, the things he would do to her if she was his. His dark eyes flicker to hers as he swallows once more. Issy's eyes are dark gold, darker than he has ever seen them. He doesn't think of the other transfers in the same room as them that could wake up at any moment, right now he can't think of anything else but her. He takes a step forward and he swears her eyes go a shade darker as she holds her ground. He goes to take another step when loud chattering outside the dorms stops him. Eric opens his mouth to say something but instead he closes it again, screwing his eyes shut and shaking his head. Opening them again, he tries to ignore Issy as he shouts for the rest of them to wake up.
"Be in the Pit, ten minutes." With one quick glance at Issy, he strides from the room. Unfortunately he doesn't have time for a quick cold shower. 'Fuck his life.'
Ten minutes later, Eric tries not look or even glance in Issy's direction. Of course he fails and finds himself watching her listen to Four as he explains today but more than once, his eyes connect with Bree's. An elbow connects lightly with his ribs, ripping his eyes from Issy. To his side Declan wiggles his eyebrows and grins suggestively. Eric elbows him back causing Dec to start snickering quietly. This time Eric elbows him harder. Eric tries to concentrate on Four's words while ignoring both Vince siblings.
" – will be watched by anyone in Dauntless, including the Leaders." Eric tries to ignore Issy glancing at him as Four speaks. "You'll only have one go at this so think it through. Follow me." They follow him to a hallway just off of the Pit. In the long hallway are chairs on either side with one door at the end and two doors either side at the opening of the hallway. The door at the end leads to the initiates third of the arena and the doors at the opening of the hallway leads to the stairs of the rows of seating overlooking the arena. Eric and Dec nod to Four before leaving through one of the doors and up the stairs.
The roar of Dauntless gets louder as they get higher. On the fifth landing Declan opens the door and walks towards the other Leaders along with several Squad Captains and Department Heads including Hugo's boss Ryan, Head of the Weapons Lab and Manufacturer. Declan takes the seat on Max's right and Eric sits on the other side of Dec. Hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room are four large screens for each side. Currently the screens show a count down until the first randomized pairing is shown. Approximately one minute left.
"It's a shame that if you're related to a member you can't be paired together." Declan whines. "I would have loved to see Alec or Issy hand Hugo's arse to him." The room begins to quieten down as screens count down from five. Four, three, two, one. Two pictures pop up and the first pairing is Flare and Liam, a Dauntless member that vying for a job in Leadership.
They watch as Flare does everything she can with the seemingly 'useless' objects she's been given but ten minutes in Liam gets the flag. Not many people win this course, it's only a few, mainly those who transferred from Erudite that have won. 'Mainly Erudite not all.' Eric reminds himself as Charlie fail pitifully. Eric takes great joy when Shauna hands Sam his arse, he can't help the smug grin that comes onto his face. Four pairings later, they have watched a surprising round where Bree wins followed by a very close win by Alec as he went against Jason, next Jess lost and Hector won against Lauren. This year's set of initiates keep surprising people day by day. So far Eric was most surprised by how Bree was doing in the second part of Stage One. Steadily, she had begun to rise through the ranks. Once again the count down appeared on the screens and the room was quite as they waited.
As the names popped up Eric could feel a grin slide its way onto his face as Dec started laughing. Issy came out of the Initiate's door and looked around at what she has with her. A few miles of rope, a trash can lid and several bamboo poles. From where Eric is sat, he can see her golden eyes sharpen as they focus on the member's door. She smirks as Four comes through the door and closes it, once he spots Issy he groans quietly. The bruising on his face is nearly fully healed but still noticeable.
Declan leans in closer to Eric. "The one thing I've always admired about Issy her thought process, watch."
When the timer starts, Four rushes to the flag. Eric can see Issy panics for a second before she spots the trash can lid. Picking it up, she flings it in his direction and it hits up square in the face. The crowd around them hiss as Four yells out.
"Dammit Issy! Not again!"
From behind Eric, Ryan leans forward and asks what does Four mean by 'not again'. Eric can't help the gleefulness in his voice as he tells him what happen at the end of Capture The Flag. Several of the Squad Captain that listened in start snickering among themselves as Four begins to get up. Quickly, Issy runs back to her pile of objects and picks up half of the bamboo poles before running back to the line. Once again, Four rushes to the flag as she throws the poles high into the air and then using a stone pillar next to her, she launches herself into the air and accurately kicks the end of each one. Seconds later the poles either land in Four's way, stopping him in his tracks or slam into him. Eric can hear the hisses coming from Four as they hit him. This time, instead of heading straight at the flag, Four zigzags to it as Issy gets the remaining poles and kicks them towards him, several again make him stop in his tracks. With only the rope left, Issy grabs it and starts making a lasso of one of the ends. She starts swinging the rope, building momentum before releasing it towards Four. It wraps around his waist and she pulls back on it, Four's fingers only just missing the flag before he is yanked back. He leans his weight forward, slowly dragging Issy towards the line when she wraps the rope around her wrists and pulls again. This time Four stumbles back, shocked by her strength. Again Issy pulls him back until he is near her line and she wraps the rope securely around the pillar before making a second lasso from the other end. As she does that Four fiddles with the knot as he struggles against the rope. With his arms to his sides, she quickly throws the lasso around him, tightening his arms to his body, effectively immobilizing him. Huffing out a small laugh she drops the rope, watching Four as he struggles. Eric glances to the timer, to her and then to Max. Max sits with a shocked expression, as do some of the others. Declan is grinning like the Cheshire Cat and Eric knows it's reflecting his own. Max calls out that Issy is the winner and she makes her way over to the other initiates, but not before looking up again. Eric can't tell if she's looking at him or if she's looking at Declan. Either way, he can't help himself by winking at her as he grins.
By the end of the day, nine out of nineteen initiates win their matches. While everyone goes to dinner, Lauren, Lynn and Eric stay behind to mark the initiates for the day. When Four finally joins them, Eric can't help but laugh. His whole forehead is now bruised. That, along with the light bruising on the side of his face makes him look awful. Four glares at them as they laugh. The whole of Dauntless will now know that the legendary Four got his arse handed to him by an initiate. Issy was lucky with that speculation.
A small(ish) note to (Guest):
I'm so glad you loved both this and the Outtakes! Your review made me so happy when I read it! With your theory on who Reece is to them is soooo close its unbelievable, but you won't find out until Stage Two starts. If you haven't found out by now, I've posted Max's POV and have plans for Eric's (Outtake) POV but I also have plans for Ella Vince (Issy's mum) POV as well. When you suggest Kayden's I honestly hadn't thought of it before, I was thinking of doing Bree's maybe or even Lilah's. Thanks again for reviewing!
While I'm at it, does anyone have any other suggestions of who Reece is?