Just saying, I know little to nothing about violins. I had a couple of lessons with school when I was younger and I'm just going off what I remember. The scene (you'll know when) is Elements by Lindsey Stirling.
Max finally cleared his throat. "You don't have the authorisation to know that information."
"Okay." Almost subconsciously, her hand fell on top of Eric's and squeezed. Issy released the breath she was holding when he squeezed back.
After the meeting, Issy walked with Eric up to their floor in North block. She could tell that Eric was beyond annoyed at the outcome but kept his anger in, it wasn't his decision to make after all. Issy tried to comfort him but she didn't know what to say so instead Issy laced their fingers together silently as they walked. It seemed to help slightly and Eric sighed.
When they get to their doors, Eric veers off and enters his apartment and Issy walked into hers, leaving the door open for Eric. She searches her room for where she last saw the Leadership jacket. Issy finally finds it in one of her draws folded up. She walks back into her living room to see Eric standing in the open doorway, a jacket in hand. They swap jackets and Eric has a smirk on his face and Issy blushes lightly. She puts the new jacket on one of the chairs and begins to mentally organise what she'll need. Her concentration is broken when Eric steps into her apartment, shutting the door behind him.
He raises an eyebrow. "Am I not getting the hoodie back too?"
Issy snorts, walking back to her room. "Fuck no, you ain't getting that back." She glances back to see Eric sit down with the biggest smug grin on his face.
Issy quickly gets ready for the rest of the day, the fact that Eric stayed with her as she got ready burns her mind. Honestly, she expect him to leave as soon as the meeting was over but both of them had been acting differently enough to realise they can't guess each other's reactions anymore.
It feels almost foreign, slipping on her slim trousers and long-sleeved top, clothes that she'd wear for patrolling. As Issy brushed and tied he hair back into a braid, excitement shot through her. That morning when she woke up, her purpose was nothing more than sorting out her bike. Not that she was complaining though. With a small smile, Issy walked back towards the living room, picking up her combat boots and her squadron jacket – which, down to sheer stubbornness or the quality of the material, hadn't torn during her tumble – as she goes.
Eric doesn't even look up from his spot in one of the chairs with a book from her shelves in hand. Issy drops her boots and jacket by the low coffee table before heading towards one of the cabinets near the door. She pulls the second draw down open and pops the fake bottom up to reveal a small stash of weapons. Issy clips her handgun into the sheath on her right thigh and slips a selection of knives around her person, two in the scabbards on each thigh, four more for the scabbards in her jacket and boots.
"So that's where your armoury's at."
Issy turns to look at Eric. The book is down on the table and he watches inquisitively. "This? Oh no, this isn't it." Issy shakes her head with a laugh as she replaces the fake bottom and slides the draw shut. "You're not ever finding my armour unless I show you." She sits on the sofa opposite him, watching as a challenging glint surfaces in his eyes, and she picks up her boots. Once her boots are on, she slips a knife in each and stands up.
Eric stands in front of her with her squadron jacket. Issy smiles up at him before slipping it on and tucking a knife each side. He watches her with a soft smile, stepping towards her and zipping the jacket up before straightening it out and fiddling with the collar. Issy shivers slightly when his fingers brush her neck.
"You ready?"
"Hell yeah!"
xXx
The Leader and the young soldier walk into the garage side by side.
It was quite entertaining to see people part for not only Eric but Issy as well. Issy's eyes were golden, shining brightly in the darkness, paired with a broad grin promising trouble. Eric appeared indifferent but arrogant, and every so often he'd glance at Issy with a pleased smirk. She bet that they looked quite the pair, perfectly Dauntless.
Max raised an eyebrow at their entrance, looking amused. The other Leader was stood next to Harrison and another man, a truck and her bike behind them.
Harrison smiles at Issy as they get closer. "It's good to see you out and about Beta."
"Feels good to be out and about." Issy smirks, casting Max an unamused look. "I'd have stirred crazy and went on a pranking rampage if not." All three Leaders start chuckling. Issy raises both eyebrows, unimpressed. "I am being perfectly serious and I would have made your lives hell."
They soon become serious but Issy still sees the amused twinkle in their eyes and she huffs. Max looks between all of them. "On a serious note, this meeting is important and I don't particularly want to be there longer than we have to. Jim," Max points to the unnamed man. "Once we have arrived at Erudite, I want you to drive around the perimeter and make sure nothing is out of the ordinary. If you spot anything, do not engage, radio it to Harrison or me and drive back to Erudite's main quarters. Beta, once we get there, you'll roll your bike into the truck and join us inside." That took her by sight surprise, standing guard outside, sure, but actually going in? "Harrison, you have your orders. Keep everything alive until we get back." Harrison nods his head before leaving. Issy walks up to her bike as the other Leaders walk to the truck and Jim climbs into the cab. "Beta?" Max calls and Issy looks up. "Your helmet is connected to my radio so if you think something is up you can contact me easily."
Issy nods and Max climbs into the back of the truck with Eric, the doors slamming shut behind them. She takes a deep breath as she slips her helmet over her head. Was Max right? Issy thinks as her hands shake slightly when she grabs the handlebars and pulls herself onto the bike. She swallows the lump in her throat when she starts the engine, revving the bike once, twice, thrice. Would she panic and be unable to do her job? Issy pushes down the insecurity, shaking her hands out and ignores how heavy her legs feel when she lifts the kickstand with her foot. Its only getting to me now someone's pointed it out, Issy reasoned with herself, I am fine. She began to chant those three words in her head even as the truck started to drive off. Issy inhaled a shaky breath as she pulls out of the garage slowly, her mantra on repeat. As Issy settled into the drive and felt the wind on her neck, she finally started to believe it.
xXx
The ride over to Erudite was uneventful. Issy kept an eye on her surroundings as she drove and nothing seemed out of place. She frowned slightly as the main glass and steel building of Erudite's compound got closer and closer. This building held the conference rooms, the Leadership offices, private labs, the main library and where initiation was held. There were other building surrounding it. These were for the other departments and Housing buildings distributed around. There were few actual houses built on Erudite's land, some were scattered amongst the towering buildings, others were on the outskirts of the main buildings.
The frown was still on her face when the truck pulled to a stop in front of the white steps leading up to the front entrance. Issy pulled her bike to a stop soon after and took her helmet off. The frown shifted into a grimace as she looked up to the building. Someone's hand fell on her shoulder and she looked to see Max, Eric was standing near the nose of the truck. He squeezed her shoulder before patting it slightly. Somehow Issy found the strength to tear her gaze away and unmount her bike, rolling to towards the back of the truck. It was at that point, she realised they had a problem.
"Hey Max!" Issy called and Max popped his head around the open door. "Ya know when you said I'd roll my bike into the truck?"
"Yeah?"
"How the fuck am I meant to do that without a ramp?"
Max looked down then. "Oh." He said quietly.
There was a long pause and Issy gathered he didn't know what to do next. She could barely contain the roll of her eyes. "Eric!" She called out, realising she should have called out to him first. The younger Leader appeared soon enough and glanced between Max and Issy, the piercing lifting as his eyebrow rose. "Some dumb fuck decided I'd roll my bike into the truck with no ramp."
Eric's head rolled slowly to stare at Max. The Head Leader shrugged with a sheepish grin before walking towards the front of the truck. Eric sighed. "Step back."
"Woah what?" Eric didn't answer Issy, he simply leaned down and picked the bike up. Even through his Leadership jacket, Issy could see his muscles bulging… It may have taken Issy a few moments to focus… "You break my bike and I'll make you regret it."
Eric smirked at her as he pushed the bike into the back of the truck. He didn't take her threat seriously and honestly neither did Issy, she was still trying to focus. Eric – the bastard – knew that too. He leaned in so close that his lips brushed against her ear. "I'd enjoy it." He whispered and he leaned back with a wicked grin on his face. Issy bit her bottom lip, leaning back against the truck down as she stared up at him. She had no response to that other than her heart accelerating and warmth spreading through her body. She watched as his eyes darkened, tracing all the way down her body and then back up to her eyes.
Their moment was cut short however when Max sighed loudly. "Control yourselves please."
Issy shook her limbs out, trying to sort herself out. They were at Erudite for fuck sake. If they were at Amity, it would be fine… Issy slammed the truck door shut and pushed past Eric. "Dumbass." She muttered. It was the best she could come up with.
Eric shut the other door, slapping the side of the door to let Jim know it was clear to go. The young Leader followed after Issy and she could hear the smirk in his voice when he responded. "At least it's a nice ass."
When they stood in front of Max at the steps, he looked between Issy's scowl and Eric's wide smirk. "I will separate both of you if I have to." Eric snorted and Max shot him a glare. Max began to walk up the steps with Issy and Eric walking side by side behind him. "Serios faces people, you know how shitty these people can get. Eric, as much I know you enjoy it, don't scare any of them shitless. Issy, don't blow the building up and stay out of mischief. We need this meeting to work in our favour."
"Yessir." Issy saluted him before slowing her pace so that she could walk directly behind her Leaders as they led the way into Erudite.
Erudites parted for the Dauntless whispering and pointing as they went. No one ever recognised any Dauntless members if they were Erudite borns, none of them recognised Eric. Issy unfortunately didn't have that small mercy. If her hair didn't cause them to remember Issy, then her eyes definitely did. Issy could feel the eyes following her but she kept her head high and ignored them.
Jeanine met them at the front desk, a tight smile on her face and the usual pristine blue dress. She welcomed Max and Eric before her gaze found Issy and Jeanine frowned. "You're dismissed miss Vince."
Issy blinked in surprise at the resentment in her voice and Eric bristled. Issy looked to Max as Jeanine wasn't her Leader, even if Issy was in her Faction. Max narrows his eyes slightly, Jeanine having the tight but welcoming smile back on her face, before nodding to Issy. The young soldier steps away from the Leaders and walks further into Erudite when the Leaders walk towards one of the conference rooms.
She takes the lift up to the classrooms and teaching offices. If the young Erudites hadn't had enough at school then they'd come here for extra classes after school and on the weekends. Issy had never really been bothered about extra classes though she did spend a lot of time up here with Cody, Alec and Cara in a certain Professor's classroom. Douglas was Issy's favourite growing up. He didn't care if her and Alec's project wasn't educational based and was probably going to cause havoc to the Faction in the next couple of weeks. More often than not the Head Educator had cornered Douglas and politely interrogated him about the twins' miscalculations… The professor denied all knowledge.
His classroom was at the end of the hallway on the fifth floor, East side. At the very end was a large glass panel with a window seat overlooking the park between buildings. Often the twins could be found sat there on a rainy-day playing chess or reading. Issy paused just before his door, staring at the window seat, remembering the time that was spent in this hallway and up on the seventh floor where Douglas' lab is. She knocked on his door before opening it up and leaning inside.
Her eyes immediately saw a smallish group of kids ranging in age. All of them were staring at her with wide eyes. After all, what were the chances of a Dauntless popping up during class? There expressions made Issy smirk.
"Ah! Now there's a familiar face!" Professor Douglas grinned from where he sat at his desk. He stood up and held out his hand. Issy stepped further into the room and shook his hand. "What are you doing back in Erudite?"
"Guarding." Issy shrugs. "My Leaders are in a meeting so I've got time to kill."
"I hope you and your brother are still up to mischief?"
"Whenever we have time to spare." Issy laughs.
Douglas glanced from Issy to his students before his eyes lit up. "You mind just telling us about Dauntless' initiation? We're just going over factions for Choosing Day."
Issy remembers these sessions. Douglas held the same classes every year so that the younger students could learn about the faction that best suits them. His students would go to the sessions of the faction that they felt they belonged to so they could get an idea about it. It was unorthodox by most factions' standings but unorthodox was Douglas' methods.
"Sure." She had nothing better to do.
"We haven't really started," Douglas said. "We've discussed thoughts about the Faction but information is limited."
Issy nodded slowly before looking at the students. "What do you want to know about the faction of the brave?" There was silence before questions started pouring from their mouths.
"What's the compound like?"
"What was your rank?"
"Is it true that a river runs through it?"
"What's initiation like?"
"What do you do?"
Issy held her hands up. "Okay! Okay!" She laughed and they quietened down. "I'll answer in order of subject. The compound is cavernous and built deep below the ground. It gets cold during the winter but lovely and cool during the summer. There is a river that runs through it and there's even a waterfall – we call it The Chasm. Initiation is split up into three stages. The first is physical. You'll build muscle and learn how to fight and use weapons. The second is a secret for those too young for initiation." There are a few grumbles about hoarding knowledge. "It's not hoarding knowledge because what happens in Stage Two is different for each initiate. The third is the final test based upon what happens during Stage Two. I ranked first and I patrol the factions in a squadron."
"Wait!" One of the younger kids calls out. "You ranked first and you chose patrolling? Why not Leadership?"
"I wasn't interested." Issy said simply. The students turned to discuss amongst themselves at the new knowledge and she wondered if she'll see any of them in years to come wearing Dauntless clothes instead of Erudite ones.
"Thank you Issy. If you were wondering, I sent your and Alec's prototypes over to Dauntless knowing that you'd have better use for them."
"I had wondered…" she smiled. "If that's all, I'll go. I just wanted to pop by and see how you are."
"Yes. Of course." Douglas smiles and shooed her away. "It was nice seeing you Issy."
"You too Doug." She closed the door behind her and turned back to the lift.
xXx
Issy had found herself wandering around Erudite aimlessly. The while and blue, glass and steel, seemed so different to the dark colours of the caverns of Dauntless.
The soft keys of a piano snapped Issy out of her thoughts. She didn't realise how far she had walked until now. Issy was in a long hallway still in the main building but this side of it was dedicated to what Erudites class as hobbies. Issy didn't really class it as such when it was required to learn one instrument and two languages. Anything else was extra learning. As Issy padded closer to the music room, she could her a gentle voice accompanying the piano. It took her a few minutes before she recognised the voice. With a small smile she push the door open quietly. The large room was filled with different types of instruments and had floor to ceiling windows to light up the room.
Her smile grew bigger when she spotted her dad playing the piano while her mum sat on the bench next to him as she sang. It never was about the extra learning with her parents, her family in general; it was about the enjoyment it caused.
"I always loved hearing you play together." Issy grinned as her parents both jumped and turned around. Her mum immediately jumped up and pulled Issy into a hug when she was close enough.
"We heard about the injuries." Her mum said when she pulled away. "How are you hun?"
Issy hadn't heard from her parents or her little sister all the while she was healing but such was the life of faction before blood. It was a miracle that they weren't getting pulled up for the amount of attention they still gave their children. "I'm being eased back into work by being a guard for my Leaders as they meet with Jeanine."
Her dad frowned, standing up from the piano and gently dropping the fallboard over the keys.
"Shouldn't you be with them then? You know, guarding?"
Issy grins and her dad grins back. "I was dismissed." She walked further into the room and glanced around. Issy pauses as her eyes catch a singular instrument propped up by its stand. Her eyes crinkle slightly as she walks towards it, her fingers brushing against the dark maroon wood of the violin.
"Nobody plays that anymore." Her mum says.
Issy sighed and someone shuffled behind her. "I haven't played in ages." It was true. She had stopped playing when Hugo transferred. Issy and her brother played a lot together and when he left it felt odd without Hugo there to play with.
Her dad comes up on her left, the bow in his hands. "That shouldn't stop you."
The gold blazed in her eyes as she took the bow and she smiled shyly; an expression not often seen on Issy. She picks up the violin carefully, like it would disintegrate into ashes. Issy retunes it before placing it on her shoulder and places her chin on the rest. She turns to see that her parents have pulled up chairs and wait for her to play. She almost laughs at that. Instead Issy closes her eyes, her muscles remembering how to play, and she just forgets as the bow begins to slide across the strings. She sways to her own music, unaware of the time passing or the additional audience she's gained. When Issy draws the melody to a close, she opens her eyes and freezes.
There by the door, just behind her parents, stands Jeanine, Max and Eric. Max looks like he can't believe the scene in front of him. A flash of recognition passes on Eric's face. Jeanine smiles, like actually smiles. Issy stares in the direction of the three Leaders, at Jeanine, in shock. Her expression deepens even more so when Jeanine starts to clap.
"Despite you infatuation with causing trouble," Jeanine drawls. "I have always admired have you pushed yourself to learn this instrument. Even at a small age, you didn't give up until you mastered it." The Erudite Leader glances out of the window for a long moment before glancing back to Issy. "The music you produce from nothing but yourself and that violin is good, keep it up Issy." With a nod to Issy's parents and the Dauntless Leaders, Jeanine goes to leave with Issy gaping at her back. At the door, Jeanine pauses. "If you were to take that to Dauntless with you, no one would miss it." The door clicks shut after Jeanine.
There are several moments of silence and Issy's still staring at the door, her jaw nearly on the floor. She's still processing what happened – hell! If it actually happened. She points the bow towards the door. "We all heard that right?"
"I didn't know you could play." Max comments after another moment of silence.
Issy looks at the inhabitants slightly distressed. "Why is no one answering me?"
"Yes Issy, we all heard that." Her dad huffed lightly.
"Thank you!" She spun around to face Max with an apologetic grin. "What did you say? I wasn't listening."
Max rolled his eyes. "I said I didn't know you could play. What else can you do?"
Slowly, a grin curved at Issy's lips, golden fire lighting up her eyes as she looked over to Eric, who was not so subtly shaking his head, eyes wide with a glare, and mouthing no. "By your lack of knowledge of my skills, I'm guessing no one else told you what they could and couldn't do from there upbringing in Erudite?"
Max turned to Eric with a no shit look and Eric sighs, rubbing his face. "It's part of our education that we learn at least one instrument and two languages from before the war. They can learn more than that, but some keep it to the minimum." Eric watches as Issy cocks her head to the side as her eyes narrow at him.
Max turns back to Issy with the same expression and she sighs too, walking over to a table and sets the violin down carefully.
"I'll start from the top of the list and shame my brothers while I'm at it." Her parents grin as she walks over to the stand and begins to dismantle it. "Firstly, we can all sing, understand Morse Code and Sign Language. Don't allow my brothers to tell you different. Declan, as I remember, can play the drums and he learnt Italian. He, to my knowledge, never wanted to learn more than that." She set the pieces on the table, moving to the storage closest and began to search through it. "Hugo played the piano and knows Russian and Japanese. Alec knows German and Greek. He learnt to play the guitar and the flute later on." Issy comes out of the closet with a violin case and a canvas bag. She placed them next to the stand pieces and glanced up at Max, he nodded, and she began to put the stand in the canvas bag. "At first I learnt to play the guitar when I was very little thinking that if Alec could do it, so could I." She smiles, as does her parents, in remembrance. When the twins were growing up, they did everything together. Where one twin was, the other was never far behind.. "I was still quite young when I decided I wanted to learn the violin at the same time. I remember thinking that it looked like a guitar, you just hold it different. How hard could it be?" Issy zipped the canvas bag up and opened up the case. She laughed softly. "I complain a bit."
"You complained more than a bit Issy." Her dad laughed as she blushed. He looked towards Max and Eric, grinning at Issy's embarrassment. "First she complain she didn't like the colour –"
Issy put her hand up to stop him, offense clear on her face. "Hey! It was an awful mustard colour! I wasn't having that!"
"– Then she would complain that her arm feels like it would drop off and why did she have to have her elbow sticking out."
"Alright, alright!" Issy closes the case with her violin in it and scowls half-heartedly at her dad. "I think they get the picture. On top of that, I decided to learn Russian and Latin." Max stares at her as she smiles. "I know a few phrases in the languages that my brothers learnt so that we could talk privately. Although I can swear fluently in all of them."
"I don't even know what to do with all of that information." Max looks towards her parents who shrug.
"I do." Eric grins at Issy as he rubs his hands together. "I think I might ask Declan for a small sing-song." Issy starts laughing.
Max turns back to Eric then. "What do you know?"
"I learnt Latin, Morse Code and Sign Language along with the piano and guitar."
After a moment of thinking, Max turned the conversation onto her parents. Issy fiddled with the case, her eyes on her parents, and ignored the burn of Eric's gaze.
xXx
After a long conversation with her parents, Max stated it was time for them to leave. The Leaders led the way out of Erudite with Issy following after them, the case and the canvas bag strapped across her shoulders.
Sometime during their small journey Eric slows his pace to walk alongside Issy. He doesn't say anything for a moment.
"You know I remember a little girl, younger than me and a few years before I chose, trying to learn the violin." His voice was soft and Issy looked up to him, her lips parted. "Her hair seemed to be black while tied in a bun but had greying strands, which seemed so strange for a girl younger than me." Erudite more or less made Issy have her hair in a bun so it appeared like a normal shade but sometimes her hair would get loose or she'd tie it wrong and her grey ombre strands would fall out or show. "She'd stick her tongue out in concentration and laugh brightly when she got something right." Eric grinned, glancing at her. "She'd laugh so loud at her achievement that the tutors and anyone around her would shush her."
Issy almost stopped walking in shock. She remembers that happening and – "There was always a boy sat by the piano playing the most difficult songs with ease. He never shushed me but laughed and grinned when I didn't pay attention to those around me. When one of the tutors had come over to tell me off for being too loud, he'd smirk as he played, his eyes never leaving the keys." She stop walking then, staring at Eric in astonishment. He smiled down at her, coming to a stop next to her. "It was you." He had changed so much since then but his eyes hadn't, she wonders how she didn't notice…
"C'mon," Eric nudged her with his elbow. He was still smiling down at her. "We better catch up with Max or he'll leave us here without realising it."
Even as Issy followed after Eric, she got the feeling that he wasn't joking…