Bored at work…so here is a quick short chapter.
Still looking for a Beta volunteer.
As usual: I own nothing.
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I wrinkle my nose as the thick wave of smoke tickles it. The scent is not really unpleasant; just a bit too pungent. Vanilla and cherry scented smoke swirl in the air before me and it looks surreal in the glow of the dim, yellowish lights. The smoke drops as I walk into the room and hovers a few inches from the ground. It looks like I'm walking through white water; the haze moves in churning motions around my ankles.
The place appears mostly empty. It's probably still too early for the Dauntless to go out. A couple of soft looking couches stand out like dark islands in the grey smoky lake. A few of them are occupied. At the one side there's a large bar stretching along the stone wall. Many different colored glass bottles shimmer in the pale counter lights. It looks extremely inviting.
I make my way deeper into the ethereal room and duck behind a pillar just as the door I entered through flings open. My heart is drumming along to the low baseline bouncing off the walls. The music, along with the eerie smoke makes the hair on my neck and arms rise. I stand and wait a while before I move again. I slowly bend my head around the stone pillar, my palms and stomach braced against its surface, and take a peek from out behind it. A group of guys stands between the entry and the one end of the bar. They, of course, are all sporting black, but none of them have wild, colorful hair styles or any piercings. The group looks painfully neat and somewhat out of place. A thought flash through my mind.
Erudite.
But I quickly shake it off. They would be wearing blue.
I however cannot see Eric with them.
I glance towards the bar and the rest of the room, but cannot locate him. Maybe I should make a run for it? I should quickly sneak out of this place, before I'm noticed. I take a couple of deep breaths. Bracing myself, I move away from the pillar. The steps I take are rapid, but as I reach about halfway to my destination the door hurls open again and Eric steps out from the smoky fog into the room.
Oh, come on! Seriously?
I spin around quickly and jog back to my pillar. Unfortunately, a couple claims my hideout-post and start a make-out session against it. I glare at the twosome as I pass them and move to find a new spot.
I flop down onto a couch that's nestled into a dark corner of the room. Its back is turned towards the entryway. I peek over my shoulder and see Eric standing at the bar. A girl is sliding up to him and the two of them starts talking. I glance back toward the door and see the group of guys splitting up. Some walks towards Eric and the others towards a door I haven't notice before.
"Hi"
I jump at the close proximity of the greeting and whirl around. In the corner, nearly completely cast in shadow, sits a man. His legs are stretched out on the small table in front of him and his hands are clasped behind his head. A lazy smile lifts the corners of his mouth. He looks the very epitome of relaxed.
"Oh, sorry. I did not see you there." I say.
"No worries" he moves forward until his face reaches the light. The stranger has jet black hair with a thin neon green streak to the one side. His eyes are a peculiar shade of greenish-blue and framed off with thick lashes. A tip of a tattoo peaks from underneath his black shirt and makes a sharp point to the side of his throat. "You must not come here often." He nods to the room "Or you would have known that this seat is always occupied."
I scoff "Always occupied?" You live here then?"
He chuckles and the sound is pleasant. His voice is low and throaty and inviting. Actually the more I look at him, I realize that everything about him is is inviting. His smile, the dimple in his left cheek, his strong jaw and the amused flicker in his eyes. His arms are well built and looks like it needs to be freed from his shirt.
"I did not say it is always me who sits here"
Oh of course. Stupid me. "You like a guard then?" honestly I don't know why I'm even talking to this guy. I should be leaving this place and make my way to the dinner hall. Christa and Tris is probably waiting for me. I however cannot seem to break my gaze from the green eyes that's busy studying me.
"Something like that" his answer is very vague. "What's your name?" he asks and removes his feet from the table and rest his elbows on his knees. He clasps his hands in front of him, leaning a bit closer to me. His feet disturbed the surface of the smoky floor and the scent of cherries drifts up again. However, this time it did not smell so overwhelming.
"Alex" my voice sounds throaty. I try to clear it. The stranger's gaze travels down my body. He cocks his head to the one side and lazy grin spreads over his face.
"So, what made you come to the Singe?" he asks. The music is buzzing low. I really should leave.
"Hiding" I answer truthfully. My hand loosens its grip on the parcel I'm holding. I look down and notice the bag with the new clothes I bought earlier. I've forgotten about it. My head feels a bit thick.
"Ah, this is a good place to hide" he says and slowly nods. My eyes drop to his lips. They are nice and full. Why am I looking at his lips? The stranger notice and his smile broadens. I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment. I try and clear my throat again.
"Yeah, many dark little nooks…" I trail off. I'm not quite sure what I want to say. I slouch back into the couch. It is a very comfortable couch.
"Exactly" he mimics my movement and also leans back into his sofa again. "This one time, on one of my free nights, one of the guards at the fence got injured. How? I don't really know. I mean, the fence is like the most boring patrol site ever, right?" he says like I should know this. He must not know I'm still an initiate. "Anyway, I really was not feeling up to it. So I came here. This is not the only dark corner, if you know what I mean…"
I shake my head "Umm, no?"
He points behind me. I turn and scan the area until my eyes land on what he is referring to. A wall with many fitting room stalls are stretched out against the one side. The curtains draped on it blocks many little rooms from view. Why would this place have fitting rooms? But I soon shed the idea of a changing room, when I couple emerges from it…the woman still adjusting her skirt. I feel my face grow hotter.
"Oh..."
"Well, let's just say that no one found me for hours" he stretches out the last word and grin "By the time they did, a replacement was already found." He shrugs and I giggle. Why am I giggling? Ugh.
"Shirking your responsibility? Shame on you" I say. Why is my voice so husky? I sound like a flirt. Am I flirting with him? The music feels like its thrumming through me. Low and intoxicating. The man in front of me is very good looking. I like his eyes on me. I lick my lips. Something in the back of my mind goes off. A warning?
"So I take it you are not hiding from one of your duties then?"
I shake my head, the action feels slow "No, I'm hiding from someone."
A haze of cherry and vanilla seems to envelope my senses. The stress from my body seeps away.
"Do I know this person?" his smile never leaves his handsome face.
"Probably" I don't say anything else. I'm too distracted by the stranger's attractive features and the blissfully oblivion about life's problems taking hold of my mind.
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"I cannot believe you are actually trying to do that!" I laugh and swat at Blake's hand while trying to wiggle loose. He is sitting on the table in front of me, cradling my left foot in his one hand and holding my leg in place with the other.
"I need to see if you are telling the truth" he states and hooks one finger underneath the shoelace to try and slacken it. I panicked laugh escapes my lips again. I'm pretty sure my feet stink, being cooped up in the training boots all day. Why am I even wearing training boots? They are so ugly.
"I swear; I will kick you in the face if you don't let go!" my voice does not sound intimidating at all and Blake just chuckles.
"Why?" He looks back at me and wipe the neon green streak from his eyes.
"Why? Because you don't just grab a stranger's foot and try to yank her shoe off!" I pull my leg back for momentum and then give him a gentle kick in the chest. My actions are slow and sloppy, but his hold slips and I retract my legs and fold them in front of me on the couch.
"We are no longer strangers" Blake glances down at a watch on his wrist and then back up at me "We know each other for approximately four hours." Something tickles at the back of my minds, but I cannot place it. I shake my head a little and shrug the feeling away.
"That still does not give you permission to look at my birth mark!" I retort. The edges around Blake seems to tilt and sharpen.
"I need to see if you are telling the truth" he says again, but luckily he does not reach for my foot again. Instead he leans backward to grab his drink. "You sure you don't want one?" he adds. Maybe I should have a drink, my throat is kind of dry.
I nod and reach out my hand. I feel like I'm floating. "Were you by any chance Candor before you became Dauntless?" I ask. He hands me his drink. The glass feels nice and cool in my hand.
"Guilty." He gives me a sheepish grin. "Old habits die hard I suppose."
A silence stretch between us and I glance down at his lips again. I think I've done that for the hundredth time already, but when I look back to Blake's eyes I notice him staring at my mouth. He moves slowly forward and I feel the air growing hot around us. Blake is going to kiss me. Do I want him to kiss me? Hell, yes! I lean forward as well.
The sweet cherry smoke drifts up again. I close my eyes.
I wait. Nothing happens.
I frown and reopen my eyes to see why Blake is taking so long.
He's no longer leaning towards me, but rather looking at something behind me.
"Hey, Four." Blake's voice is thick.
Four? Why is Four here?
"Blake. I see you found my missing initiate" Four says from behind me. He sounds a bit exasperated. I turn to face him, but topple sideways and land with my back on the couch, staring up at Fours' unamused face. The glass in my hand clatters to the ground, spilling the contents all over my pants.
Woah, vertigo. I try to focus on Four's face. He looks strange from this angle.
For raises an eyebrow at my position and I snicker. Does he always have to looks so serious?
"Did she drink that?" he moves from around the couch to stand between me and the Blake.
"No, it was my drink. Wait, did you say initiate?" the sultry sound from Blake's voice vanished. I try to look past Four to Blake, but was only met by my trainer's black shirt. "Shit, sorry, Bro. I did not know she was an initiate."
I feel Four's hands circle my upper arms. He pulls me into a standing position and sling one of my arms around his neck while he wraps one of his arms around my waist. "Can you walk?" he asks. I turn my face sideways and smile at him. His brown eyes are beautiful up close.
"Of course I can walk!" I say optimistically and take a step forward. My legs wobble and I grab with my free hand at the couch's armrest. "Oops, maybe not."
Four holds me in place and I like the weightlessness of my body. I sway to the rhythm of the beat, but my movements are limited. My hip keeps bumping against Four's.
"Seriously Blake, you did not think to escort her out?" Four complains. I stop my swaying and turn to look at the guy I wanted to kiss mere seconds ago.
"Who am I to hinder someone's fun?" Blake laughs and I smile at him. I like him. He's nice. And handsome. "Like I said, I did not know she's an initiate."
"Who else would get drunk off the vapors?" Four bends and opts for picking me up bridal style. My legs are draped across his one arm and my back pressed against his other upper. My head rests on his shoulder.
"Light weights" Blake answers Four's hypothetical question and I laugh. Blake smiles back up at me and I feel like melting. He truly is beautiful. Four is also beautiful.
"Right" Four drawls "I'm taking this one to the showers. If you see Eric, tell him that I need to speak to him." With that, Four turns around and marches through the smoky lake with me in his arms. I crane my head over his shoulder and shout "Bye Blake!"
"Cheers Alex. Enjoy your shower."
As Four navigates us through the room, I notice that the place is a lot more stacked than earlier. All the couches are occupied and many of its occupants are busy making out. It looks fun. We pass a couple of girls holding glasses with vibrant looking liquids. I swallow and lick my dry lips.
"I want one." I say and look up at Four.
"What?' he asks and shuffles past the group.
"That." I point to one of the girls holding a sparkling blue drink.
"No."
"But I'm, thirsty" I whine. I feel Four sigh, but he doesn't say anything. We move past another couple of people, no one giving us the slightest bit of attention. Four must be strong to carry me like this and I absentmindedly stroke the hard muscle of his upper arm. His chest is nice and warm and I can feel the vibrations of the music through him.
"I want to dance." I say excitedly and start to wiggle out of his arms.
"Definitely not." Four growls and intensifies his hold on me.
"Why not?" I challenge him. Seriously, will he not let me have any fun? He drags me away from Blake, refuses to let me drink anything and now I'm not allowed to dance!
Four press his lips tightly together, not saying anything.
"Ugh, you are such a Stiff" I mutter "You should go back to Abnegation." He might be beautiful, but he is no fun. Blake is fun. I want to go back to Blake.
Four goes rigid beneath me. I laugh. How ironic…a Stiff going stiff.
"What did you say?" his voice is very low. We reach the door and he kicks it open. The passage outside is cold and I shiver. I want to go back inside. I press myself against Four's chest for heat. He is nice and warm. I inhale deeply. He smells good too. Four walks us down a couple of paces before he stops in front of another door. He presses his hand against a key pad and I watch as it swings open. Once inside he drops me to the floor.
"Ouch!" I yelp as I land hard on my butt. The stone floors is cold and hard.
Four stalks away from me. His butt looks cute from down here. I'm about to tell him that, but suddenly a spray of cold water hits my face.
I struggle and splutter and gasp. The water is freezing. Four does not stop.
"Aaah, no! What are you doing?" I choke as some of the water gets spurted down my throat.
Still Four continues.
Slowly the fog releases its hold on my brain. The fuzzy feeling in my stomach disappears. The cherry-scented, hazy dream washes away with the cold water.
My minds feel sharper.
I wake up.
Four releases the trigger of the washing hose. He looks intently at my face. His eyes narrow and he lifts the water-hose again.
I roll to the side, dodging the spray by a few inches as it hits the spot I've just been sitting in. Four stops spraying again. A small smile lifts at the corner of his mouth.
"Welcome back, Alex"
I blink up at him and then to the room I'm in. I'm in kitchen. Crouching on the floor. I'm wet. The water dripping from my hair and sticking to my lashes. My clothes cling to my skin. It's fucking freezing. I try to focus. The last thing I remember was being startled on the couch by the man with the neon hair.
I look back at Four.
"What the fuck just happened?"
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Wow, thanks to the 35 people following this story (Now, if only you would review as well, sigh).
Thanks to: Debbydgq, AndreaGreenleaves, CallMehGabbeh, TheNeonZombie, KarukMomma, , Juyon1 and mrsbishop21 for your reviews. Much appreciated. I'll choose you if I have to pick teammates for the War-Game.
Mwa/x