Author's Note:
Shoutout to all my lovely reviewers! Ya'll make me happy! :) Big thanks to Feigningintrest, mona-rose, beautifulviolence, the guttersnipe, RisughXD, Missufishy, interdictum in aeternum, Classybird, mrsbishop21, and Lauren :) Seriously, I love getting the regular reviews from you guys, I hope you enjoy the second update of the day:) Don't forget to fave/follow/review, ya' know I love those reviews! :) xoxo
Lia slowly made her way down to the training room; yesterday was the last day of stage one. Yesterday was her last fight, and she won; she knew she was going to make it, but, she was nervous about if all of her friends would. She was nervous to find out if Marc would be staying.
The large Amity boy sensed this, as he walked by her side, and shoved her playfully, in an attempt to cheer the dark-haired girl up.
"Hey, I don't suck that bad, anymore, ya' know?" he feigned a hurt expression, causing Cordelia to smile, genuinely, at the ginger-haired boy. She knew that was true, but, she couldn't help but be concerned, just the same.
They entered the large, open training room just in time to see Four press a few buttons on the black remote that controlled the ranking board. Lia felt her heart drop into her stomach for a moment, as she turned around, scanning the names from the bottom to the top.
Ten.
Marc was ranked ten.
"You made it!" she breathed out a sigh of relief, turning to hug her large friend. Marc chuckled lightly, turning the dark-haired girl back around and pointing to the screen.
"Lia, look," he said, with a grin crossing his freckled face. The former Candor scanned up from the Amity boy's name. Nine, Violet. Eight, Justin. Seven, Grey. Six, Sassy. Five, Uriah. Four, John. Three, Liam. Two, Donnie.
Lia had ranked first in the first stage of training. Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes went wide when she saw her ranking.
"Better close that," Marc said, flicking her jaw with his thumb, and his middle finger. "Before you swallow a fly!"
"I'm number fucking one!" she screamed, throwing herself at her friend, jumping into his arms, and he spun her around a few times, before setting her back on her feet.
"These rankings can change," the brown-haired instructor spoke up, raising his voice above the loud chatter of the transfers. "Your final rankings will show up at the end of stage two. You all need to fight hard, and don't hold back. If you do... it could be the difference between staying and leaving. Stage two will be focused on your ability to face your worst fears. Conquer them, or they will conquer you."
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"I'm number one!" Lia squeals, as she and Marc take their usual seats at their usual table. Uriah, Violet, Sassy and the Amity boy all start clapping for her, and she playfully bows in her seat. The dark-haired girl notices that their table is one short of a regular occupant.
"Where's Todd?" she inquires, knitting her eyebrows together in confusion. He was always here, sitting right next to Violet. They were always here before her and Marc.
She noticed the expression on Violet's face, when the purple-haired girl's gaze fell on the table. "He's in the dorm. He's low, Lia," she informed the Candor girl. "He should make it, but his pride is hurt, ya' know?"
The dark-haired girl nods, in understanding, worried for her green-haired friend. She picked over her salad, eating only the tomatos and small pieces of cheese that were stuck between the wilted pieces of discolored lettuce.
"This is disgusting," she asserted, as she pushed the brown-tinged greens around with her fork.
"I know, right?" Uriah chirped, throwing a tomato at the amber-eyed girl. "Hey, so did you know our parents are coming after lunch? It's Visitin' Day, ya'll!"
Everyone laughed at the silly, darker-skinned boy; everyone, except for Lia. Marc noticed, and nudged her in the side, his own personal way of letting the dark-haired girl know that he was there for her.
Cordelia smiled softly at the big, Amity boy, and set her fork down with a sigh. "Violet, do you have some more of that positively depressing music? I need to know that somebody feels worse than I do."
The purple-haired girl raised her eyebrows; Lia hadn't told anyone besides Marc what had happened to her parents.
"Yeah," she answered, suspiciously, reaching down and digging through her black bag. Eventually, she pulled out a CD, labeled 'Welcome to My Life', and Lia had to admit, the handwritten script looked familar.
Violet placed the CD in the player, turning the volume up.
Do you ever feel like breaking down?
Do you ever feel out of place,
Like somehow you just don't belong
And no one understands you?
Do you ever wanna run away?
Do you lock yourself in your room
With the radio on turned up so loud
That no one hears your screaming?
No, you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels all right
You don't know what it's like
To be like me
To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked when you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
And no one's there to save you
No, you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life**
"Oh god, turn it off!" Lia whines, covering her face with her hands. She knows her friends probably think she's just being playfully overdramatic, but she really can't take anymore. "It's too depressing, I think I'm just gonna go for a walk, yeah?"
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The former Candor girl ends up at the tattoo parlor, browsing through the many glass templets, while she listens to what she recognizes as another of the mystery musician's songs.
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
She gazes over several designs, before sighing, and going straight to big, burly Paul.
No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through
"Lia!" he exclaims, happily; an odd look for the tough-looking tattooist. "What can I do ya' for, today?"
"Hey Paul, I wanted to get a memorial tattoo," she explains, quietly, as she settles into the large, reclined metal chair. "I want two white roses, entertwined together on the back of my left shoulder, directly behind my heart."
"Okay," the large man sits in his chair, pulling a slate pencil from behind his ear and begins to sketch the design on a piece of transfer paper. He works quietly, his lips pursing every so often, as he scratches the pencil across the thin sheet of paper.
But my dreams they aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free
Finally, he holds it up for Cordelia to see, a wide grin on his hairy face. The dark-haired girl inspects the drawing, smiling at the image. "That's exactly what I saw in my head," she informs the large man, as she turns over, pulling her shirt up over her head.
She lays on her stomach, with her head turned to the side, while Paul prepares the ink, needles, and her skin, for the procedure. He rubs a clear, sticky substance over her desired placement area, massaging it into the skin, before wiping it clean with a damp rag.
"It's just to numb the area a bit," he explains, as he attaches the needle to the gun, and dips it into the charcoal-colored ink. He begins with the outline, the tiny, sharp pinpricks hurt, at first, but after a while Lia fell into a sort of trance.
No one knows what it's like
To be mistreated, to be defeated
Behind blue eyes
Maybe it was the lighting, or the music, or the overall hypnotic atmostphere of the parlor; whatever it was, the dark-haired girl nodded off to sleep.
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes***
Paul didn't mind; it wouldn't have been the first time that a client had fallen asleep while he worked on them. Tattoos were a slow process, if you wanted a good end result. He finished the outline, and colored in with the white ink, before shading with different tones of light grey, and off-white.
Occasionally, Lia would let out a soft snore, and the burly man had to hold the needle away from her skin while he attempted to hold back the laughter. Eventually, he finished, and shook the girl's non-tattooed shoulder to wake her.
Cordelia leaned her head up off the chair, slightly, turning her neck towards Paul, and smiling softly when she realized that she had slept through the process.
"You wanna see it?" the large man asked, and the dark-haired girl nodded, immediately. She turned over, and sat up, stretching her arms out as she woke up the rest of the way. She winced when the action caused her skin to pull taut under her new tattooed shoulder.
Lia swung her legs over the side of the chair, hopping down, and accepted a hand-held mirror from Paul.
He pointed her to a full-length mirror, and she walked over, standing with her back facing the longer glass. She slowly held up the smaller mirror to catch the reflection from the larger mirror, and grinned when she saw the delicate-looking roses. One for her mom, and one for her dad. White for honesty, and openess. Entertwined, to symbolize their loving marriage, and teamwork to raise her, together.
"Thank you," she said, quietly, turning to Paul with a few tears running down her cheeks. "It's perfect."
The burly man, offered the Candor girl an awkward smile, informing her that the tattoo was on the house. Lia protested, but Paul insisted, and she finally gave up, thanking him one last time, before pulling her shirt back on, and exiting the parlor after he had bandaged her up.
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"Lia!" Sassy exclaimed when the dark-haired girl sat down at their table. "Where were you? I didn't see you in the Pit. Did your parents not come?"
Cordelia sighed, heavily, laying her head on the table. Marc noticed her distress and ran, what he thought, was a soothing hand over her back.
"Ow, shit!" Lia sat up quickly, wincing at the pain on her left shoulder blade. "Tender, Marc!"
"Sorry," he offered, awkwardly, blushing. "What did I do? What happened?"
The dark-haired girl offered a small smile, and slumped her shoulders. "No, it's okay. You didn't know," she says, waving her hand to dismiss the unnecessary apology. "I got a tattoo."
"Oh, I want to see!" Uriah exclaims, bouncing in his seat, while Violet and Sassy giggle at their crazy friend. "Seriously, let's see it, Lia."
The amber-eyed girl shares a wary glance with the Amity boy, and understanding lights his features.
"Guys, it could be personal, ya' know? Don't make her do that," he offered, attempting to help ease the awkward situation that the Candor girl was currently in.
"Aw, come on!" Uriah whines, and Sassy joins in with him, even going as far as to pout out their lips and begging. Lia sighs, in frustration, as she stands up and turns around. She pulls her shirt over her head, and rips off the bandage covering the artistic design.
"That's... that's beautiful, Lia. They would love it," Marc asserts, quietly, smiling up at the dark-haired girl. Sassy gives the Amity boy a confused expression, raising her eyebrows in questioning.
"It's for my parents. They... they died, recently," Cordelia informs her friends, as she pulls her shirt back down, covering her milky-white skin, once more. "I'm gonna go for a walk, okay?"
"Again?" Uriah asks, loudly, before Violet smacks the backside of his head. "Ow!"
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Eric leaned over the short, brick fencing that encircled the roof of the training area. He gazed up at the stars that littered the night sky, breathing in the chilly air that always fell over the city at night. The young leader, shifted his gaze to the ground below, swallowing thickly, as unwelcome memories made their way to the forefront of his mind.
He hated the person that he had become; a recluse, lonely and silent.
He remembered a time when he would've laughed at people like him; if there even was anybody else like him.
Now, he could barely stand to look in his bathroom mirror; he was disgusted with himself. The blonde sighed deeply, and glanced out over the city, the apocolyptic leftovers of a war from a time before he was born. The city was mostly in ruins, buildings toppled or crumbling, abandoned vehicles lining the streets. All the foliage overgrown, and choked by weeds, and the sparse wildlife ran free through empty streets.
He turned at the sound of the door opening, and closing, and was slightly surprised to see the Candor girl walk through.
Lia spotted the blue-eyed leader leaning over the edge of the roof, and she went to stand beside him, mimicking his posture. She could feel his gaze on her, but she didn't turn to look at him.
"I'm sorry I've asked you so many questions," she started, quietly, as she gazed out over the abandoned buildings. "I guess, I realize now that there's some things that are too painful to talk about."
"Well, this is unexpected."
"And, I'm sorry for being a bitch, about everything," she finished, finally turning her head to meet his gaze. She noticed just how blue Eric's eyes were in the low flourescent lights that lined the outside of the training center. There were little silver flecks, that she realized was the reason they always seemed so cold; like ice, or crystal. But out on the roof, in the near-darkness, they appeared to be more like water, secrets swimming just below the surface.
Eric noticed the small, gold flecks in the amber eyes of the Candor girl, making them sparkle, like the stars in the sky. He didn't really know what to make of her apology; no one, with the exception of Lauryn, ever told him that they were sorry.
This was a new obstacle for him, and he wasn't sure how to respond. So he didn't; he simply gazed into the dark-haired girls lovely, amber eyes.
"You have pretty eyes, Smart Mouth... Wait, what the fuck did I just think?"
"You have pretty eyes," Lia informs the blonde, matter-of-factly, not realizing how awkward she made the young leader feel by her very Candor statement. He raised a pierced eyebrow at the fall of her words, and the dark-haired girl grinned at him.
"It's really nice up here, do you come up here often?" she inquired, turning her eyes to scan over the ruined city, once again. It really was peaceful on the roof, and quiet, though that could just have been because of the lack of words on a certain leader's part.
Eric nodded, when she glanced back over to him, briefly, to find him staring at her. She felt her cheeks redden, and a small smile made it's way to her face, when he turned away, quickly. She knew, that he knew, that he'd been caught staring at her.
The blonde cursed himself, inwardly, for turning away. If he'd simply kept staring at her, she probably wouldn't have thought anything of it.
"What the fuck is going on with me?"
Cordelia caught sight of that sideways, Y-shaped scar again, and before she could stop herself, she reached her hand up, running her fingertips over the white scar tissure. Eric flinched, and she pulled her hand away quickly, muttering an apology under her breath, as she felt her face turn a deep crimson.
She turned an even deeper shade of red, when she felt the young leader glide his thumb over the drying tear trails that she didn't even know were on her cheeks.
"You're doing something to me, Smart Mouth."
"Um... so," Lia gulped, nervously, as she caught Eric's gaze, once more. She realized, in that moment, that she was attracted to her instructor.
The young leader tucked a stray strand of dark-brown, almost black, hair behind the Candor girl's ear. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly returned to his previous position of leaning over the brick barrier on the edge of the roof.
Cordelia didn't know what to make of what had just transpired, but she didn't feel as awkward as she had only moments ago. They stood there, together, gazing out at the city and the stars overhead. Lia occasionally made random comments about training, or her parents, while Eric simply offered a simple smile, or a nod.
Eventually, the dark-haired girl began to yawn, emotionally exhausted from the long day, and she turned to say goodnight to the Dauntless leader.
She surprised herself when she stood on her tip toes, and kissed his cheek, before offering a soft, "Goodnight, Eric," and she left him standing there, on the roof, alone.
The young leader's eyes went wide, and he raised his hand to feel his cheek, where it felt tingly from the unexpected contact.
"What are you doing to me?"
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Lia made her way through the dark corridors at a comfortable stride; she felt happier, somehow, after spending time on the rooftop with Eric. She didn't know what had possessed her to kiss him, but she couldn't take it back now. She smiled to herself, glad that she had at least apologized to him for being an ass. She was still curious as to why he didn't speak, but she knew that he had his reasons, whatever they may be.
She hardly paid any attention to where she was going, and she ended up in a part of the compound that she hadn't been to, before. She stopped in the narrow corridor, glancing around at her surroundings. She knew she would have to try and find her way back to the transfer dorms, but she didn't even know where to start.
"Hey, Lia!" The dark-haired girl turned towards the voice that called her name, to be met with Donnie, Grey, and Todd. She sighed in relief at the sight of her green-haired friend, and smiled in spite of her current predicament.
"Todd! I've been so worried about you! Vi said you- Oof!" Cordelia doubled over, in pain, from the harsh blow to her stomach. She didn't know which of the boys it had come from, but as they all forced her to the ground, she guessed it didn't matter who threw the first punch.
"Stop! Todd, what are you doing!" Lia cried out in pain, and confusion, as her friend held her down. She wriggled in their iron hold, trying to break free, but it was three against one.
One of the boys had tied her wrists together, behind her back, and another boy had bound her ankles. They hauled her up, as one, carrying her struggling form through the corridor. "What are you doing?! Where are you taking me?! Put me down!" Lia screamed, as she continued to thrash around, even though she was bound. Donnie, the larger, more muscular of the three boys, ordered for Todd to shut the Candor up. The green-haired boy obliged by sending a sharp elbow to the girl's temple, and she fell unconscious.
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Eric was walking through the halls on the way to his apartment, when he heard voices, just below him. "Take a left... No... We... the Chasm, hurry up!"
The young leader peaked over the edge of the railing, looking down to see three initiates carrying a bound, and unconscious Lia. He felt a surge of anger rush through his veins, and he quickly, and stealthily made his way to the Chasm, by way of a shortcut.
The shortened path brought him to the cavernous area before the ill-intentioned initiates arrived, and he waited for them to come, hiding in a crevice at the entrance that they would be using.
Soon, they came dragging the dark-haired girl in, about to step out onto the rail. Eric stepped out first, with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring daggers at the initiates with his angry, icy-blue orbs.
"Oh, shit," Todd said, his voice shaking, slightly. He began to sweat profusely, knowing that he, and his new Dauntless-born friends had just been caught attempting to murder a fellow initiate; the top-ranked initiate, at that.
"Oh, shit, nothin'," Donnie scoffed, "He's just one man, there's three of us. Take him out!" Grey and Todd quickly dropped Lia to the ground, her skull making a sickening, cracking sound against the stone floor. This only caused an increase to the blonde leader's rage.
The three boys tried to charge him at once, but Eric easily settled into attack mode, knocking Donnie into the side of the wall, where his head caused a second cracking sound. He then threw an uppercut to Grey's nose, the bone sliding into his skull, and he was dead, instantly.
Todd was more hesitant, and rather than be made factionless, or killed by his instructor, he dove past Eric, and threw himself over the rail of the Chasm, screaming as he fell into the violent river below.
Eric's eyes were still wide with rage, when he heard a small groan. He turned around quickly, dropping to his knees to cut the bindings from Lia's hands and feet.
Cordelia slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry, as she felt a tugging on her wrists before they were finally free. She felt her hair being parted, and warm hands feeling around her scalp.
The young leader scooped the dark-haired girl up into his arms, satisfied that at least there was no blood, though, there was a nasty knot on her head.
He carried her swiftly to Lauryn's appartment, placing the Candor girl on the red-head's couch, and furiously attempted to write a note to explain the situation. His hands were shaking, furiously, but he was able to get the job done.
Eric ordered for the green-eyed woman not to let Lia out of her sight, until this mess was taken care of, and notified her that he would send a medic to check over the dark-haired girl. The blonde leader took one last glance at the, once again, unconscious girl, before making a swift exit.
**Welcome to My Life - Simple Plan
***Behind Blue Eyes - Limp Bizkit