Okay, thanks for the reviews!
Minerva1986 I'm so glad you're enjoying it! That was exactly why I started this story because I wanted a different type of Dauntless character rather than the most obvious bravery, I wanted a unique main character! I do kind of agree with the Kasper scene, with Lily and all but I didn't want Lily to fall into a slump, and I kind of have it in my mind that she is still extremely bothered by it, it's just Avery doesn't really have a part in the mental rebuilding, I think Avery would avoid that kind of emotional support. Anyhow thanks for the long review- great to hear feedback and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
Guest- yeah Eric is such a damned tease! I'm planning on developing his personality through the relationship and try to show that even though he's an complete arse, that he can kind of be a good guy subconsciously, and can be loved (lol I'm so far gone I love him XD).
I hold my breath as Lily's footsteps get heavier every second. She can't see us. She can't see it's us… but if she thought we were some dauntless couple…
I know I have ulterior motives doing this, but something inside me pushes me to go through with it. I thread my fingers through his short undercut and into his longer pieces on his head, pulling him closer with my grip. My head nuzzles into his shoulder
with our height difference, but as my heart beats faster with our touches, he smirks at me after a brief moment of puzzlement. And moves closer. And cranes his head towards my neck.
I barely have time to remember him licking my ear a few nights before on the roof, and curse myself for giving him an opportunity to continue.
His lips move straight to the joining of my neck to my collarbone, kissing and nipping lightly, and my brain can barely register his tongue swiping against the same spot, a high sigh leaving me.
My eyes are blurry but as soon as I open them I see a moving figure pass the alcove after a brief glance within.
My mind's in conflict, she's gone, but I don't want him to stop. Awareness of the situation seems to pull me in a particular direction though.
"She's gone." I murmur, albeit weaker than I've ever sounded. He lightly lifts his lips from my collar, making my insides twist with tension as he brushes them up my neck and the side of my face before putting space back between us.
"So you went running with her." He says, and I'm sure its just my mind imagining his voice deeper.
"I did. I don't know why, but I feel the need to keep an eye on her, no matter how reckless she is. I don't know why and it seems too complicated to find out." I say, letting my eyes move to the pathway where she was moments ago.
"Most people will have someone like that. Though usually it's a family member, it shouldn't be too much of a hindrance to you, you've proved that." He tells me, before stepping back even further.
"I won't be here for the next few days." He says, and I blink up at him.
"At all?"
"No, I'll be staying at Erudite for some conferences." He finishes, and I bite my lip lightly. He may not have been around that much the last few days, but I've seen him around the compound, distracting me of course. Maybe I should work on getting some
hardcore training while he's away.
"I want you to train on the roof, with knives. Practice taking moving shots, at any angle. I expect results when I get back." He tells me, and his voice has gone back to Mr Authority.
"Of course, sir." I answer obediently, and there's a flicker of something across his face before he finishes his stares at me and stalks away.
I hide myself away in the cove, now completely unseen, and wait for Lily to pass the same spot. After half a minute has passed, I head after her, a renewed fast pace after the break Eric gave me. Stupid Eric, forever distracting…
The next days are a flurry of the usual training. Mostly strength and endurance, to my irritance. Four seems to be a complete believer in preparing for combat, rather than in-field experience. However, I do let myself go late at night, on the roof.
Alone facing the targets on the opposite brick wall, I imagine the opponent running at me. I dodge, block, and roll past my imagination, before reaching up onto my feet to embed the knife into the target's heart. I've gone through similar drills over
and over, and now I'm confident of throwing at most angles up to 40 degrees either side of straight ahead. With nothing else to work on, I just have to attempt to keep on increasing the angle- though past 45 degrees I can tell it will get much harder.
With quick glance at my watch I grimace, as it's already 2 am. I may not sleep but I know I need rest, and three hours of it before I get up to run with Lily isn't enough. Ah well, I'll have to compensate tonight.
"Right, today we are starting a new training exercise. It's much more complex, and you're going straight in the deep end." Four paces in front of us on the gun range as usual. Shit, what a great day to get nowhere near enough rest. I keep my head down
and eyes closed, at the back of the group in hope I can daze out for a little and still manage to hear all of Four's instructions. Unlikely.
"Moving targets. As you can see here there are five moving targets from this point. Each of you will stand in this position, and we will count how many fatal shots you get in two minutes, and that will attribute to your next ranking. You may choose your
gun yourself, but there is a correct choice." It's set out exactly as he described, and the only reason I perked up was because he said it contributed to ranking. Fuck my life I should've been more careful with resting habits.
Anyway, I should at least try and find the 'correct choice' of weapon, at least my head is responding normally. Right, at this reasonably short distance I'd say shotgun, but I'm shit with shotguns, so I'm going for the next best, the handgun. After that
horrific shoot-off in which ended with me fighting Eric in front of everyone else, I made sure to have a solid handgun shoot.
Zander, probably the best stationary shooter, went first, with a rifle. I couldn't count exactly how many hit, but I know it was a lot. Then went Thomas the Candor who shot more bullets, but hit less targets. The rest of their group went, most choosing
the rifle. I was ahead of Lily in the line, and quickly took a glance at Four who was scowling at his papers, also glancing towards the rifle the initiates kept choosing. Just before my go, I lean back and whisper to Lily.
"Use the shotgun." She blinks at me before I walk into the position, the first to take up the handgun. I glance at Four and he seems to pause on the handgun before looking back at me, an unidentifiable look in his eyes. I merely scowl to myself before
getting into position. The targets whirl up and start moving, and straight away I start shooting. I won't lie, I know I have an advantage against everyone else. Why? Because I've been practicing knife throwing at angles, so I have a feel of how to
aim, even if with a different weapon. But I'm not as good of a shooter as some of the others, so I think I can forgive myself.
I choose to take less shots that seem to be more accurate, but scowl as I miss the heart a noticeable number of times to the right. Damn it it's always like this, and with the moving targets it's just harder. My two minutes are up soon and I go to sit
down and wait for the rest. My eyes watch Lily as she walks up and takes the shotgun, and I smile.
She does well, noticeably so and I can see Zander following her shots like an eagle. The rest of the initiates go, Ben and Jay doing I'd say equally, as even though Jay is a worse shot, he adapted better to the moving targets. We round up before our morning
run.
"Right, these were rankings for the moving targets. From bottom up, Lottie, Isobel, Mickey, Beth, Thomas, Jay, Ben, Avery… and the top two had the same number of fatal shots, however one chose the correct gun. Lily, congratulations you're moving targets
first ranked." Four, finishes, before dumping his papers on the side and beckoning everyone to follow in the run. I pat a shocked and stationary Lily on the back before following, smirking at her surprise.
We're over halfway through the run, and now it's just Four and I at the front, silence except for our footfalls.
"Did you choose the handgun over the shotgun because you handle it better?" Four asks.
"Definitely. I concluded that the difference in performance for me was great enough that choosing the shotgun would have me at a disadvantage." I tell him and he chuckles.
"True." I glare at his back and I know he catches it as he glances back.
"But did you tell her?" He asks. I keep my face straight.
"What would it matter, it's her strongest gun at the moment she would've chosen it regardless." I know the implications of my words, but I know he won't take back the rankings, it would be like admitting he was wrong. So, he merely scoffs slightly.
"You're unbelievable. One minute you're telling her to get lost but now your running with her and helping her in evaluations." He exclaims, but I have no reply. It wasn't a question, was it? "You do know this is a competition. Rarely do many transfers
become permanent members, and at the moment I'd say there's only one I'm confident of that." He says with a meaningful look at me.
"What if I were to say I wanted to increase that percentage of successful transfers? That I'm confident enough of myself and merely with to close the disadvantage?" I reply with an obvious lace of sarcasm, pulling up to run beside him. He doesn't reply,
merely has a small smile and a look of disbelief.
"I wouldn't call it a disadvantage in your case. Your fighting's stronger than most of the dauntless-born, none of them had Axel as a teacher." This finally catches my interest.
"Who is Axel?"I ask, and he blinks at me.
"You know who he is."
"No I meant what is his role here, his… status. I just thought he was a trainer." I clarify, and his eyes widen slightly.
"He is. Just a trainer who's possibly the most well-known man in Dauntless after the leaders themselves. Apparently, he was offered leadership multiple times in his years after initiation, but declined because a spat with one of the previous leaders.
That leader is dead now I think, but Axel's too old to be nominated now." Four tells me honestly.
"Oh." I say I had no idea. I got the impression he was more important than I first realised, but even so, he sounds mighty important.
"See what I meant, Axel's one of the best trainers in Dauntless, and you got him one on one. No disadvantage there." Four mutters and I give him a sidelong glance.
"You make it sound like it was more than it was. I only started training with him two years ago, and it was for an hour a month until just before aptitude when we'd finished exams, and even that wasn't much. I'm not as great as you may think." I say,
before we get into the hearing range of Lottie and Isobel, the next we were to overtake.
"Congratulations Lily! Oh my god you did so well!" Beth says with a warm hug to Lily as we line up for dinner.
"I can't believe it myself, but I'm so glad, I really needed it." She says to herself. She looks to me and I raise and eyebrow. If she even thinks to hug me…
"And thanks Avery. Why did you go for the handgun though, you knew it was…" She tries and fails to hide my knowledge of the 'correct' gun.
"I suck using the shotgun." I say shortly, and she shrugs.
"We should celebrate! You've never celebrated with us before, we just got this month's points, why don't we go drinking!" Jay suggests.
"Yeah I'd love to! Beth, Ben, Avery you'll come won't you?" She looks up to me expectantly and I sigh.
"Alright then." I accept. So much for an early night, though I guess Four did give us the morning off…
"Okay after dinner we have to go shopping, we still haven't bought any dresses." Beth says excitedly and I roll my eyes to myself.
"We'll have to keep an eye on this one- a couple of drinks and she's gone!" Jay jests about Beth.
"I'm not that bad! Besides, I'm sure Lily and Avery would be the same we're just smaller than you!" Beth moans, looking to us.
"Yeah… I'm a bit of a lightweight, they have pretty big parties at amity… though I don't know about Avery." Lily says and I just shake my head.
"You're a clumsy drunk. I didn't realise it was you at the time but you fell into the drinks table one time…" I chuckle to myself.
"What? How do you remember that, that was new years! That was the game where everyone had to take ten shots by the end of the night!" Lily exclaims embarrassed and outraged. I shrug.
"That's it! We need some Dauntless drinking games!" Jay says and I sigh. Going to be needing that morning off.
"Did I hear Dauntless drinking games? Amity, are you going drinking tonight?" I hear a vaguely familiar voice and turn to see the two Dauntless born boys I met on the train. Mark and Leon.
"We're celebrating Lily's first rank in moving targets. Four gave us the morning off." I inform them.
"Congrats kid!" Mark says to Lily, who's a little intimidated by his broad figure and long blonde hair.
"We're the same age." Ben says pointedly.
"Alright then Candor!" Leon laughs, and Ben grumbles slightly. "Hey maybe we'll join you. Head to JC's- the only place to go really."
"Yeah, and there's the most obvious drinking game- tallies!" Mark says
"Tallies?" Beth questions.
"Whoever drinks most. You get a tally for each drink- whoever has the most at the end of the night wins." Mark explains easily.
"Okay, we'll be there." Jay confirms, before the two dauntless born saunter off. We get food, and I can't even take a step away before Beth drags me away to the shops. With a few stops at a variety of shops, we're back at the dorms, changed for the night.
I managed to find a black bodycon dress with triangular cutouts on the sides of my waist, with long sleeves and a low v neckline. Unfortunately I failed to give any restrictions to Beth other than black, but I managed to convince her into a dress
just long enough that I don't have to worry about flashing anybody, but that's still a possible danger.
I also fix myself with some concealer, and fill my eyebrows in and add some mascara to Beth's satisfaction, leaving my long dark red hair down, the burgundy, purple and scarlet ends still strong.
We meet the boys at the bar that's more like a club with the number of people dancing around the pushed back tables, the only noticeable seats left the booths around the walls. And so the drinking begins. We manage to get to three tallies before just
as Jay said, Beth is gone. She's attempting to drag Ben with her, but settles with Lily who is borderline drunk, but will be once she finishes the sweet cider in her hand.
I get roped into various shots by Mark, mostly tequila I think and then both he and Jay who have been chatting constantly are off onto the dancefloor, quickly followed by Ben. I manage to order a beer at a guess subconsciously to try and take down the
alcohol concentration, but it doesn't take much for Leon to convince me into another shot.
"Come on Avery, one more then get on this dancefloor with me!" Leon slurs ridiculously and I giggle. Damn its always tequila…
"Fine! Two vodka shots!" I order, and me and Leon link arms before downing it and I let him pull me to the rest of them. I'm confident that my drinking tolerance is pretty high for a girl, and though I've had a reasonable number of drinks, as it was mostly
tequila, it wouldn't make much of a difference. Lily links her arms around me as soon as I reach her and I shake my hair out and dance with her. She's had a couple tequila shots herself and is giggling all over the place, and we twirl around in circles
completely giddy. I catch sight of something and point over so Lily can notice it, and sure enough Beth and Ben are getting very cosy.
"I was… was I was waiting for them!" Lily manages to shout over the loud crowd and I throw my head back, laughing for no reason.
"Come on Avery dance with me!" I feel a hand on my waist at the cutout in my dress on my bare skin, and I know I tense slightly. It turns out to be Leon, and my tipsy body doesn't hesitate as he pulls me closer and we start to sway. He murmurs incomprehensible
things in my ear and I laugh because I can.
I know I'm drunk, but I know I'm nowhere near as drunk as Lily or Beth, I can still recognise the faces around me, and I still sway to the beat rather than erratically and randomly. As Leon twirls me around I'm sure to keep an eye on her, just in case.
Then all of a sudden, I'm shocked sober.
He's here. I see him in a booth, my eyes just reaching over Leon's shoulder, and I blink in amazement. I guess it's been a good few days. I spin around and into a little more space so I can see better in the dark lighting, and I confirm it's him. I also
confirm the very scantily dressed woman lounging on his lap.
I don't know what I expected, and I know I shouldn't have expected it, but my heart drops. I'm irritated at myself for it, but I can't deny that it does. I can see her metallic silver hair shining down her back, the only thing covering it as she wears
a backless shimmering dress ending non-existently at her butt. And the next time Leon pulls me against him, hips swaying, not a single part of me resists.
It's like I'm separated into two beings, my mind berating myself for whatever feelings I held, trying not to get lost in feelings I always knew were pointless, and my drunk body, grinding into a boy I barely know, trying to compensate.
"Come…come with me!" Lily yells, tearing me away from Leon to the bar, and this time I'm the one ordering the ten tequila shots, pulling the salt up next to me, before taking my own five shots and the extra she couldn't finish.
We go back onto the dancefloor and I'm losing myself in drink, and for once I hate my high tolerance. I wish I could be completely gone like Lily, no sense of my mind, instead of guiltily dancing the night away, my thoughts weighing me down.
I don't know what time it is, and by this point I don't know who's surrounding me. I remember dancing with Leon once more for a good part of an hour, before roping along with Lily whose the only one I recognise next to me.
"Avery….Av, Avery what's the time?" Lily stumbles into me giggling.
"Late."I reply, and she bursts into giggles before falling to the floor laughing. "Alright, I think… yeah…. I think you... should go back… to the dorms." I manage to say, and she shakes her head giggling.
"What are you… you…" She starts laughing again and I haul her up onto her feet in her high stiletto heels, and pull an arm round her waist, and let my feet remember the way back to the dorms. I vaguely catch a clock and see it's actually only half one,
much earlier than I thought, but then we started drinking very early.
"There you go..." I mutter as Lily falls onto the bed, already half asleep in my arms and completely out when she hits the pillow, and I haul her legs up onto her bed. I manage to pull myself onto the bunk below my high one, as there's no way I'm getting
these shoes off, and no way I'm getting up that ladder in these shoes. I merely slump onto the bed, and close my eyes.
My eyes flash open. I'm wide awake and it's only been a couple of hours since I laid down. I'm jumpy in my body. I sit up and blink, and notice Lily still completely out on her own bed. Haha, she's drooling! I seem to have regained some of the control
over my body, and I reach down to take off the strappy heels on my feet. Happy barefoot, I stand and stroll away from the dorm, letting my feet carry me wherever they wish, as long as I get rid of some of this energy. I'm happy. Why don't I drink
tequila more I've never had so much fun walking! The stone on the floor is cold to my feet, and I hope it's helping me sober up, because at this rate I'll still be drunk by afternoon training.
It's now, that I realise where I'm taking myself. I stand in front of the staircase up to the training block. Work, of course, work will help me sober up. I dash into the first of the rooms and thoughtlessly slam my fists into the first punching bag I
see. It feels good to have something solid in my hands, and I always wanted to strengthen up my arms didn't I!
I don't know how much time passes of me tripping over my drunk feet, uselessly slapping the punching bag with little strength, and pretending to duck and dodge nothing.
"The fuck are you doing initiate." The voice strikes me cold, as I freeze in my steps. I slowly turn my head, hoping my eyes will correct my thoughts, that wasn't his voice.
It fucking was. Eric stands, leaning against the door, expression unreadable. The only thing I can seemingly recognise is the darkness in his eyes, usually a result of anger. His eyes are trailing me up and down, and it doesn't take me long to realise
my dress has ridden up to barely cover, me, it ending high thigh, and one of the cut-outs showing the band of my bra. A furious blush warms to my cheeks, even more so than the drunk red already painted.
"Training… I like training at this time…" I mumble stupidly.
"So you like training drunk too?" He questions, stalking up to me. Usually I wouldn't have moved, but I back past the punching bags and when I see the lust in his eyes as he nears, I smirk. I laugh to myself and even in my drunk state dart round him and
out the door. I can hear him following me as I rush down the stairs, and into the maze of apartment hallways in attempt to lose him. But I know he'll catch me.
"Got you!" I hear him and I yelp laughing, as he corners me, my back against a door. I'm breathing heavily, now without heels looking up at him unknowingly, my lips parted.
"Let me go." My lips pout ever so slightly as I let out the teasing whine, to which he merely presses closer and lets a hand trail over my jaw, his thumb playing with my lips.
"So fucking cute." He murmurs huskily, his eyes still dark. As he leans closer I can smell the alcohol on him, it must be my drunk mind not noticing his unusually relaxed manner as he leaned against the door. "Lucky you, you chose the right door."
"Huh?"
I don't have a second to process as the door opens behind me and I fall into the apartment, my arms reaching out to grab him before I fall. He lithely catches my waist, and lifts me into his arms, his hands happily wondering in through the cutouts of
my dress, and I let out a contented sigh.
"Were you making that noise when that Dauntless born did the same?" His growl is sudden, and I barely notice him slam the door, press me onto a sofa, his hands stroking my skin and holding me down at the same time.
"Huh?"
"The dauntless born, earlier tonight." He growls out easily, jealousy plain in his eyes. I can't believe this. Even drunk I know the words to rebute.
"You have no right to be jealous." I say softly, but with a sudden sharpness in my eyes. He doesn't reply for a while, but it doesn't take long for him to move me to lie down fully on the sofa, this time one hand moving further up my chest through the
cutout, the other moving under my dress to my hip as he pins me.
"Doesn't matter, only I can touch you like this." It's a growl one again as he leans over me, and his lips attach to my collar as they did before heleft. It's much rougher this time though, and as his teeth graze against my skin before biting down
I can't stop the flurry of noises that come subsequent.
My alcohol addled mind doesn't notice the time passing before he finally pulls away and I'm breathless despite my lips were left bare, and my vision is ridiculously hazy.
"…I'm glad your back Eric…" The words are out before I can stop it, and my vision fades to black.
I know…. I lied. Well kind of I did intend to write up a good few chapters, but I had forgotten how much time I actually spend with family over Christmas. I hope this longer chapter compensates, along with all the Eric action. I threw in the drunk scene purely because it's Dauntless, plus I don't think I would've been able to show Avery upset when she's sober, because she'd just compartmentalise it, whereas now I'm planning for her and Eric to actually have a heart to heart at some point, when this scene will resurface. Anyway, enjoy, review as always