A/N:
Okay so I've learned I'm very impatient with waiting to upload chapters, so I'm uploading chapter 2 now! The chapters are going to be quite long since this story is going to last a while. PLEASE REVIEW if you read this story. It's a nice reassurance that either people like it or I need to fix some things.
Next, I made a mistake in my last chapter :( I stupidly wrote the name "Jeremy" instead of "Zeke". So Zeke in this chapter is Jeremy from the last (if that makes sense)
Enjoy!
He tightens his jaw and keeps looking at me intensely.
"Get back to class," he spits at me after too many moments of silence. Before I can protest, he walks away quickly, disappearing into the shadows of Dauntless. I huff in frustration and head back to class, ignoring the tightening in my chest.
After practicing different punches and kicks for about 8 hours, we are finally dismissed. I've been looking forward to this part of the day since Four announced that we can do whatever we want. Roxxy and I race back to the dorms to get in the shower, and then we head to the dining hall. I frown at the food today. It's some kind of noodle dish and it looks less than appetizing. The lunch lady scoops the dish on my plate and gives me a nasty look as if she knows what I'm thinking. I try to suppress a laugh, and Roxxy can tell. When we are clear of the mean lunch lady, we both start cracking up.
"She looked like she wanted to strangle you," Roxxy says through laughs. I giggle while examining my food.
"Hopefully she didn't put anything in this food." I poke the food with a fork, observing it thoroughly. I see the two boys from yesterday approach us, looking enthused to be sitting with us. I wonder how Roxxy made them like her so quickly. I'm not surprised since she's extremely pretty and her personality is just as great, but these boys looked like they would have rather done anything than talk with us.
"Hello ladies," Zeke says while setting his lunch on the table and sitting down across from us. The other guy, whom I still don't know his name, follows suit and flashes a smile at me. He has beautiful dark skin, and it makes his green eyes pop even more. His dark brown hair is short and professional, and his smile is dashing. He is definitely nice to look at. Roxxy and I both greet him, and after some conversation, I find out his name is Uriah, and that they are brothers. Zeke is the older one, and Uriah is in Lauren's training class this year. Their confidence brings an easy conversation to the table, and before we know it, almost everyone in the dining hall is gone.
"Shit!" Roxxy whines, a frown on her face.
"What happened?" Zeke asks her. They've been flirting ever since he sat down, and honestly, they make a cute couple. Every time they would flirt Uriah and I would look at each other and quietly laugh.
"I wanted to go shopping for some clothes before we have to go back to the dorm," she mumbles. I bite my cheek. It's already 7 p.m and I know we should probably go to the dorms, but Roxxy looks really disappointed.
"I'm fine with staying up, I can take you," Zeke offers nonchalantly. Roxxy's face immediately brightens and she squeals.
"Thank you! Are you okay going back to the dorms by yourself Lacy?" Roxxy asks me. I give her a smile but before I can answer, Uriah chirps in.
"I can walk her back," he says, and I give him a grateful smile.
"Thanks. Go have fun Roxxy!" I tell her, and we part ways. Uriah walks closely next to me, close enough that our arms brush occasionally.
"So what's it like training with Four?" he asks me.
"He's intense sometimes, but otherwise very professional and good at teaching for sure. Why, do you know him?"
"Yea. Him and Zeke were in the same training class two years ago."
I nod, and a wave of silence falls over us.
"How's Lauren's class? She seems a little… intimidating," I laugh, trying to break the silence. He returns my laugh and nods his head.
"Yea she can definitely seem scary, but I've known her for years so to me she's just a friend."
"I wonder if she ever feels bad about kicking Dauntless born out," I ponder out loud.
"I think she knows that Dauntless needs the best soldiers, no exceptions. So she does what she thinks is best for Dauntless," he explains to me. He goes on about all the things people in Dauntless have to prepare for, and why there are no old people in Dauntless. I frown at the thought. I read about that in the book, but part of me didn't want it to be real. In Erudite, the old people are praised because they are wise and have more knowledge than anyone younger than them. Here, they have the option of either execution or become factionless, since they are no use as soldiers anymore. The thought irritates me, and Uriah must pick up on my unease because he nudges me with his shoulder.
"Don't worry about that yet. First, you need to get through initiation," he reminds me. I manage to smile at him and finally, we reach my dorm.
"Thanks for walking me, I appreciate it. I'll see you around," I tell him, and then go in for a hug. In Erudite people rarely showed this type of affection, but it's quite nice to hug people.
"Bye," he says, and he walks away. The dorm is filled with the majority of people sleeping, but some are still out exploring like Roxxy. I have a feeling they're going to regret that when they wake up.
The next two weeks in Dauntless initiation have been nothing but tiring. After learning how to fight a punching bag, we were asked to fight each other. I made a promise to myself to not lose a single fight, but of course, that was a bit impossible, especially since some of the guys in my class are bags of muscle.
I managed to win 3 fights out of 4. I got lucky with my pairings. The first two were girls who are about the same size as I am, but just not as prepared. I kept myself on my feet until I got a few good punches in, and they were out like a rock.
The next one was a little more tricky. It was with one of the stronger guys in my class, and he got a lot of punches in. The only problem was that I was faster than he was, so I could hit him and attack him before he got the chance to dodge it. After about 15 minutes of fair fighting, I uppercut his jaw, kicked his side, and punched him across the face, which brought him to the ground without getting back up. I felt a little sorry for him just because he seemed embarrassed afterward because he lost to me, someone significantly smaller and scrawnier than he was. I remember the look on Four's face. He was rather impressed, and I allowed myself to enjoy the victory for just a second. Hurting someone is no doubt a part of Dauntless, but I don't think I'll ever feel good about it.
The last fight was against one of the strongest guys in my class. Of course, I knew I had a very slim chance of winning, but I gave it my all. I mean, as much as I could with a fight that lasted less than five minutes. The boy, Jack, let me attack first, but after landing a wimpy punch on his jaw, he lifted me up and slammed me on the ground and punched me repeatedly until I only saw black. I woke up in the infirmary with what felt like a bruised face and sore head, and I snuck out of the infirmary, not wanting to spend another second there. I ignore the aching in my side.
Now I'm on my way back to the dorms to find Roxxy. When I reach the dorms in hopes of finding Roxxy, I see no one is there. I bite my lip.
Maybe they're at dinner?
I make my way to the dining hall and sigh in relief when I find Roxxy waving me over, visible concern on her face. I manage to smile at her and keep my head down a little, trying to hide my black eye from my other classmates. I sit down next to my friend and she pulls me into a hug.
"Oh my gosh Lacy I was so worried! I went to check on you after class and you were out cold. The nurses said you wouldn't be awake until tomorrow! How are you feeling?" she asks me. I look around the table and Uriah and Zeke's eyes are fixed on me. I try to sound fine, but it fails. Jack punched me hard in the throat and has left my voice sore and raspy.
"I'm feeling alright. I'm glad fighting is over, though. Do you guys know what's next?" I ask the table, and Zeke nods his head.
"You should be learning how to either shoot a gun or throw a knife, Four always alternates which one is first," he informs me. I'm grateful for him answering because it starts up a whole conversation about what shooting a gun is like. I stay relatively silent the whole time, thinking over what had happened earlier today. I can't help but feel stressed about my ranking now.
Since this is the last day of fighting, it means we've completed the first stage of training, so we will be getting our rankings tomorrow. I can't imagine why I'd be anywhere near the bottom. There are a few people in our class who most definitely will fill up the bottom slots. Roxxy and I will probably be somewhere in the middle, because Roxxy won 2/4 of her fights. In her defense, she got paired up with a lot of strong people, and although she's not small, she's definitely not as strong as they are. I feel Uriah nudge my foot from under the table and I look up at him.
Are you okay, he mouths to me. I smile softly at him and nod. I see his face drop as he looks behind me. I give him a confused face and he gestures for me to turn around.
"Lacy, you need to come with me to Erudite. Your heart problems have had a voice of concern in Dauntless and Max wants to get that checked out before you continue with your training," Eric tells me. Maybe that's why he excused me from class a couple of weeks back. I can't help the groan that escapes me.
"Now?" I ask him. I just got my food and I'm rather hungry.
"No, why don't you take your time. Please, I have all day," he says in a nasty voice. He clenches his jaw and looks as bored as ever. I roll my eyes and say goodbye to my friends.
"Bye Lace," Roxxy calls out through a bite of food. I turn my attention to Eric and try to get him to detect my waves of anger.
"When am I going to get back?" I ask him, frustration detectable in my voice. He doesn't answer.
"Eric," I say harshly, trying to get his attention. This is the last thing I wanted to do right now. Eric's presence disgusts me and brings back sore memories.
"Tomorrow morning. We are spending the night in Erudite."
"Dammit," I mutter to myself. I want to focus on training right now, not a problem that's been fixed years ago.
"Why didn't you tell Max that there's no problem? You and I both know that my heart has been fixed."
He doesn't answer and my patience is growing thin. This is going to be a nightmare. I follow him outside and I need to cover my eyes when I see the light shining in. Chicago always had long summer days. Eric doesn't look bothered at all, and he keeps walking along the train tracks. Before I can even hear the train coming, Eric starts sprinting and I try to keep up. As Eric hurls himself on, I find it hard to run with the pain in my rib. I hadn't discovered the pain until now. I wince as I try to keep up with the train, and just as I'm about to miss Eric's train car, he holds out a hand and effortlessly pulls me up. I breathe heavily as I go to sit down on the train. This whole thing was much easier when I wasn't injured. I hold my rib and lift my shirt up to see the bruise. My whole side is black and blue, and a part of the rib looks like it's sticking out beneath the skin a little.
"That looks broken. Did you leave the infirmary before they discharged you?" Eric asks, but he doesn't sound concerned, more so annoyed.
"It's not broken, it's fractured," I correct him, but decide it's probably best not to answer his question. I try to catch my breath but it's hard when it hurts every time I breathe.
"Maybe next time leave the infirmary after they fix your fractured rib." He moves closer to me, examining my rib as if he knows what to do. I roll my eyes at his confidence.
"You're lucky we're going to Erudite. If we stayed at Dauntless you wouldn't be able to continue your training," he informs me. I look up at him wide eyed.
"That's allowed? But it wasn't my fault I got hurt," I protest.
"Actually it was. You weren't strong enough to fight back." I shake my head at him. That doesn't seem fair to me. Yes, I might have hurt other people but I made sure not to put them in the hospital.
"Did you take me out of class that one time because of my heart as well?" I ask him, curiosity taking over my stubbornness to not talk to him. He grunts in response and I nod. I look out the train car and see the city rush past me, like a smeared painting.
"Get up, we are jumping off soon," Eric grunts at me. I get up and wince at the pain in my side. He looks at me with an eyebrow raised.
"You gonna be okay with jumping?" He gestures to my hand grasping my rib.
"Like you care," I snap at him.
I don't care if Eric is trying to be nice or look out for me or anything like that. I will never forgive him for what he did. Just the thought makes my blood boil all over again, and I'm suddenly thankful for the pain in my side for distracting me. Without any warning, he hauls himself off the train and I know I have to go next. I take a deep breath and jump off, landing on my feet with a shock that leads to my rib, causing me to scream out in pain. I try to recover quickly because I can feel Eric's gaze on mine, and I don't want to give him the satisfaction of my weakness. He starts walking towards the all too familiar buildings ahead of us, and I'm praying I don't see my parents.
Eric looks extremely out of place in the Erudite compound. He is larger than anyone else here, and his outfit helps his intimidation tactic. He is wearing a tight black shirt that does little to hide his muscular figure and loose-fitting black cargo pants. He glares at anyone who tests his presence in the compound, and the people immediately scurry off. He smirks in satisfaction, but his arrogance just makes me sick. I spot a few familiar faces staring at me in awe. Although I haven't been in Dauntless for very long, a lot has changed. I used to look prim and proper while I was in Erudite and I would always wear my hair up in a high bun. I would wear blue office clothes constantly due to my mother. Now, I wear my hair lazily down and wear tight black clothes that show off my figure. My figure has definitely changed since I left as well. I used to be scrawny and skinny, but now I have toned muscles and curves I didn't realize I had. I also decided to get a nose ring a week back with Roxxy, while she got a tattoo. I hadn't exactly realized it before, but I finally look more Dauntless than Erudite.
Eric comes to a sudden halt and I crash into his back. I realize we are at the hospital and I feel panicked when I think of seeing my mother here.
"You didn't call my mom right?" I ask Eric quietly. He shakes his head at me.
"That would be unprofessional. Faction before blood." he reminds me. At this moment I allow myself to be grateful for Eric's professionalism. We walk through the doors of the cardiology department, the section of the hospital I'm very familiar with. A nurse comes forth and greets us, not at all phased by our harsh looks. She leads us through a curtain and sits me down on the hospital bed.
"Hello. Oh, you have to wait in the waiting room sir," the nurse informs Eric, but he shakes his head at her.
"I'm required to stay with her at all times," Eric barks. The nurse seems to want to say something else, but she leaves it there.
"Eric, you do know this procedure requires me to go shirtless, right?" I remind him. The last thing I need is to have Eric's eyes on my chest while I get wires hooked up to me.
"I'll close my eyes." He focuses on his phone, completely uninterested in anything else I have to say.
"I'm sure you can fulfill your duties on the other side of the curtain. That's the very least you can do," I hiss at him, and the piercing in his eyebrow disappears as his eyebrows furrow. I hadn't really noticed how much he's changed a lot since the last time I saw him. He had always been a brooding force, but his tattoos and piercings just scream Dauntless. He looks as though he was born to be Dauntless, something I never really noticed when he was in Erudite. He gives me a nasty look, then reluctantly walks behind the curtain. I feel more at ease now that I know only the nurse will be seeing my chest.
After hours of probing and poking at my chest and ribs, the nurse announces she's done. She says I'm cleared to complete training as long as I look out for any tightening in my chest. She explains that the tightening signifies my heart is tearing again, and I need to get another serum injected into it. She put a gel type fluid into my rib to speed up the healing process so it'll be fully healed in two days. Finally, she announces she's finished and I get up and stretch my legs.
"Thanks a lot," I tell her, then I leave and go find Eric. I'm half tempted to leave Erudite without him, but he is the only way I can get back to Dauntless. When I go to the waiting room I see he is asleep and I roll my eyes. I shove his shoulder until I see his eyes opened, alert as always.
"Eric. Let's go I'm done," I tell him. He smooths out his shirt as he gets up and leads me out of the hospital.
"So can you complete training?" he asks me. I'm surprised he even cares. I nod my head at him.
"Where are we sleeping tonight? Why can't we just take a train back?" I feel uneasy about staying the night in the faction I've been trying to escape for so long.
"It's 2:00 a.m, initiate. Why don't you use your smarts and figure out why we can't go back," he answers, and I glare at him.
"You didn't answer my other question." I remind him. He comes to a stop outside an apartment and uses a keycard to unlock it.
Oh, I think to myself. Are we going to stay here together? He opens the door and the apartment is fairly empty. It has one king-sized bed, no couches, and a large kitchen. I suspect this apartment is a new one and they haven't had a chance to put any other furniture in it because the bed only has two pillows and one linen blanket that doesn't look very warm.
"So this is your room, right? Where's mine?" I ask him, grasping on to the hope that we have separated rooms. The last thing I want is to sleep in a bed with Eric. Eric simply snorts beside me and jumps onto the bed.
"Make yourself at home, initiate," he advises me, and my stomach sinks.
"Eric, seriously stop. I'm sick of this. I don't know if you're doing this to annoy me or maybe you think this will make me forgive you, but I'm done. Just get me another room and I will be out of your way," I beg him. This is a long shot, but the thought of sleeping with him in a bed makes my stomach queasy. It will bring up too many memories that I don't want to think about. It's been hard enough to deal with initiation, but now I have to look at Eric's face and try not to remember what he's done. Eric walks over to me and his face is red with anger, his neck vein popping out. I swallow but stand my ground.
"Get in the fucking bed Lacy," he snarls at me. I'm assuming stubbornness isn't something he deals with too often in Dauntless. I walk over to the bed and take a pillow off of it, glaring at Eric. I set it down on the floor by the door and try to fall asleep. As I drift off, I can hear Eric's angry huffs next to me as he crawls into the bed alone.