So tried to fit as much as possible into this to kind of speed things along. So the next two or three chapters will hopefully be the ground work before the story picks up. Also any ideas for fears would be great. Lex excels in the physical aspect but she ain't perfect, so her fears are what I want to use to show her insecurities.

Thanks for reviewing. Hope you enjoy

My head snapped up with so much force that I may have caused myself to sustain from whiplash. My heart raced a million miles an hour and to say I was scared was an understatement. My bravado when speaking to Eric in public, and I emphasised the word public, was starting to falter ever so slightly as here I was, alone, standing in front of him.

I hadn't had time to register anything before I was pushed back, hard, against the cold, cutting rocks that made the wall here in Dauntless. I could feel my skin being cut, dripping with blood. But I wasn't going to give Eric the satisfaction of surrendering.

I was being suffocated, Eric's forearm pressed against my throat, his other hand pushed hard, just above my left hipbone, no doubt leaving bruises. His hot breath evaded my senses, but his eyes left me shaking. They were angry, beyond angry that I had ever seen, even arguments I had with my mother would leave her angry, but Eric was a work of art, perfecting the ever brooding and furious state. I had struck not just a nerve, but several, and looking back it was the way I had spoken to him in front of his peers. I openly mocked his authority. I was in deep shit.

"I could snap your pretty little neck and shove you off the chasm and no-one would blink an eye." Venom dripped with every word he spoke, his fingers digging deeper into my olive skin. My breath was ragged, as he was slowly cutting off my circulation. I never dared look away.

"Only problem is the camera looking over the chasm, Mr Leader." Each word came out in a shaky breath, silver spots dancing around my eyes. I touched the arm pinned against my throat, trying to pry it off. He didn't budge. He continued to hold me in place but lessened his grip on me. I gasped, taking a quick intake of breath.

"You're perceptive. But I guess that's a Candor trait." He retorted.

"Maybe. But I guess you'll have to think of another way to kill me." I taunted him, not caring that he still held me in place, and could kill me at any time. My inner conscious continued to scream "I told you so". I inwardly rolled my eyes.

He stood there for a minute, taking me in as his eyes roamed my body. I was thin like my mother, but had curves where she didn't. His grey eyes though lingered on my face, in particular the mutilation which had marked me since I was thirteen.

Pressure on my throat was now realised, Eric's arm now lifted, his hand however found a different place to touch. His fingers, tough and calloused, much like his hands, were nevertheless surprisingly soft, as they traced my scar. I swallowed hard, and part of me enjoyed his touch. The other screamed to get out.

The former won as I stayed in place. Heat began to rise on my cheeks, the colour evident on my face as Eric smirked. And then the pressure of his body was off mine, I was left standing against the wall, feeling hot and bothered, while I watched Eric walk away.

I ran back to my bed, slipping myself under the covers, praying no-one had seen our encounter. It was then that I realised Eric had won, as he left me flustered, and his secret still kept within him. I was furious, more-so at myself than Eric as I let myself become distracted. I had the opportunity to get him to spill his dirty little secrets, but he turned the tables. I'll be damned if I let that happen again.

We were once again awoken by metal clanging on metal, Four's voices echoed through the dorms. "Cafeteria, 20 minutes. Training room." I had traded my leggings with light weight black shorts and t-shirt that clung to my chest like second skin.

After Katherine insisted I wear my hair in a braid, we finally took our seats with the boys and Sarah. Conversation was spoken about what today might be filled for us; more guns, or fighting skills. My mind continued to replay last night over again, missing the conversation at hand.

"Lex what do you think? Lex" Jayce's baritone voice woke me from my daydreaming. He ran a hand through his long waves of brown hair that sat perfectly tousled on top of his ever so handsome features. His eyes were a deep shade of brown, almost black, though he came across as warm hearted, with a permanent smile that he featured.

"Think about what?" I quickly shot back.

"What we might be doing today?" Jayce questioned as he was picking apart his blueberry muffin. I snatched a piece from his hands, popping it into my mouth and shrugging.

"Don't know. Knowing Eric, probably something Hell would cringe about." I said after swallowing, the table laughing at my answer.

Stamina was something my brother spoke a lot about. He said it was of great importance to your body, even more so if you were to fight. It was at this time that I thanked him silently for the information he relayed to me most nights, as I was standing against Jayce in the squared ring.

We had walked into the training room to see our names being paired off with one another, a sign that something bad was in store for us. I was right.

Eric strutted in, looking like a male peacock, gesturing a tight smirk. He stopped next to Four, hands clasped behind his back. He turned, looking me dead in the eyes and spoke.

"Time to fight."

The fights before mine were brutal. Kyle fought hard against Mack, and a kick to Mack's temple left him unconscious, being dragged by the feet to the infirmary. Sarah was up against Adam, and though she was small and fast, Adam's strikes left her on her knees conceding. Katherine was surprisingly great, she had gained muscle quickly, and left Zack, playing defence rather than offense. Katherine was able to win with a roundhouse kick to Zack's temple, leaving him stumbling out of the ring.

I was standing across from Jayce, Eric's idea of punishment, knowing we had formed a tight friendship. As we circled each other, I tried to remember certain attack positions and moves I had read secretly at home. Jayce moved first, throwing a punch to my jaw. I side stepped him, and kicked my foot hard against the side of his knee. He stumbled but held his ground. I took the opportunity to try and clip him in the chin, though he saw my play, reaching for my wrist, and pulling me towards his body. He pushed by back down, and delivered three hard knee kicks to my chest. I pulled back, winded, trying to inhale. Jayce charged at me and saw this as a way of ending the fight. I tucked and rolled out of his way, landing behind him. I kicked him hard at the back of his knee, making him fall forward.

Looking at Eric, I flashed him a condescending smile, before running and twisting my body around Jayce's, the motion making him fly off me, stumbling onto his feet, where I roundhouse kicked him, something I had perfected over the years, watching my brother practice, knocking him onto his back. I pushed myself onto him, one knee on his thigh, the other pinned his right arm down. I held my forearm onto his throat, a strange sense of déjà vu. My other arm held Jayce's left wrist. Yet he refused to give up, thrashing against me.

"Just concede" I huffed out. He chuckled, still smiling.

"Never." He continued to squirm about me, until I saw him start to fade. It was there that I got off him, knowing I had won. I turned to Eric, and watched his flashy smile fall right off his face. Four on the other hand could not wipe the smirk off his face.

"Winner-Lex." Eric stated through gritted teeth. I turned back around to give Jayce a hand, and felt relieved when he took it, a sign that our friendship was still intact.

"I'll get you back" Jayce said through a smile, pulling me into a hug

Nodding, replying with "Looking forward to it" as he left his arm around my shoulder, walking back into the dorms to shower.

Throughout the week we continued with fights. It was an even playing field, and most of us had already faced each other. I had only lost one fight and that was to Adam. It had been brutal, and I was sporting a black eye from the repeated punches he threw at me. Jayce had defended my honor, even though I vehemently denied I needed defending, and safe to say he had put Adam into the infirmary.

For the last week I had searched most of the Dauntless compound for the one person closet to me. I had asked many of the higher ups if they had seen him, and only looked at me with a beguiled face, giving me a sympathetic pat on the back, and a "poor girl." I was utterly confused.

My brother was nowhere to be found.

The feeling of cold, sharpened metal frightened me. My hand gripped the small agile knife that was supposed to be impaled into the blue Styrofoam board 10 metres away from me. Knives were being tossed by my fellow initiates, some struck into the board, and many clashed with a clutter onto the ground. Eric passed behind us, eyeing each throw critically.

My board stood before me, clean. No knives had been impaled, not one tossed in its direction.

Eric stood behind me. I didn't dare turn, nor give him a snide remark. I knew I was going let him have one over me, another win under his belt. But knives were one of my fears. Gooseflesh covered my arms, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Hot breath warmed by back, as I could feel Eric, any closer and I would've been pressed against him.

"Something wrong, initiate?" the condescending tone making me tense.

"No." I tried to muster out a tough retort, yet it came out meek. It made me look weak.

"Then throw it." I turned to look at him, his grey orbs bore into mine.

"If I don't?" questioning him.

He pondered the question for only a moment before he answered me, "then you'll wind up factionless."

Turning back I was met with silence, as the initiates had picked up on the conversation between Eric and I. Jayce looked at me with encouragement, nodding his head to my board.

I tried to remember the stance my brother used back at Candor, practising with the steak knives at home. Aligning myself with the board, my legs apart. I positioned my arm that held the knife just behind my head, while my knifeless arm was extended.

Within that moment, I heard a Thwack. And I flinched back, straight into Eric. The knife had landed inside the bodied outline. But what scared me was where.

"Mirror image. Is that how you got your scar, initiate?" His voice set me over the edge. I spun around to face him, grabbing the second knife that was braced into my belt, pressing it to his cheek.

"Maybe I can give you one, since you're so consumed by mine." My eyes were filled with a fire and aggression that I didn't know I had in me. But Eric didn't back down. We stood there. A standoff, until Katherine's voice brought me back to reality.

"Lex. Stop." My eyes were glassy but I refused to give Eric the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Dropping the knife with a clatter, I ran out of the room, ignoring the calls of Four.

I guess my brother left more of an impact on me then I realised.

Jayce and Katherine found me staring absentmindedly at the ceiling as I lay soundly on my bed. Jayce had picked up my head and positioned himself on my bed, placing my head into his lap.

"What happened out there Lex?" Katherine's voice was slow and soft, cautious, afraid that I would snap any moment.

"I don't remember. I guess my dauntless side came out to aggressively."

"Wait, how many sides do you have?" Jayce questioned. I tensed, remembering I had a few. In particular two stood out. I looked up at me, plastering on a fake smile.

"Wouldn't you like to know" The sexual innuendo flew straight past his head, Katherine though picking up on it. She smirked, giving me a raised eyebrow. I shiftily shook my head at her.

"Anyways, I'm thinking of getting a tattoo. Come with me?" the sentence surprised me as it came out of Katherine and not Jayce. Pondering about it, I stood up, giving her a nod and thumbs up.

"Why not, sounds like fun."

An hour later I had emerged with my septum pierced, and a lioness surrounded by the Dauntless flames, on the side of my right wrist. My father would always call me his lioness, a strong creature from before the war, who ruled the wild alongside her partner. She was tougher than he was, which appealed to me.

Katherine and Jayce were still being inked, as they chose pieces that would take them a few hours. I wished them luck and left, on a mission to get some answers.

I needed to find Jax.

My brother.