Author's Note:
Alright, first and foremost: a special shoutout to one of my favorite writers: mona-rose ! Go read her story Alone if you haven't already, and be sure to fave/follow/review for her:) She is a wonderful writer, and has an exciting plot, as well:) It is one of my personal faves! :)
And now... on to my reviewers!
JohnnyStormsGirl
- I'm glad you loved it! And, I know right? Took the fool long enough, lol :) And... you'll have to wait and see for the rest:D
RisughXD
- I love you too! I'm so glad this makes you so happy:)
Feigningintrest
- Oh please don't hate me! I'm glad it's good enough to disuade your loathing of me, lol :)
mona-rose (Don't forget to read her story Alone!)
- I love you! I'm so glad that you're enjoying it:) I'm also glad you liked the make out scene (did I really give you butterflies with that?), and I loved Max's reaction too, lol :) Thank you so much for reviewing:)
Electric Blue Reader
- I know it makes me sad, too:( I'm just glad I know more than you guys, do, lol ;) I think Eric is cute when he gets embarrassed too, and of course I wanted to hear that, silly:) lates
forgetmenot55
- Oh, I can pretty much guarantee that he will be unforgetable;) When you think you know how much time you've got left, it changes your perspective, greatly :) I'm so glad that you're enjoying this:)
interdictum in aeternum
- I love your reviews! Always in depth with your thoughts, and I love it! :) I promise you will cry; that is a guarantee. You will seriously ball your head off. I can't say anything else: I don't like to give out spoilers! lol :)
Girloftheshadowsx
- Gosh, who keeps putting these bombs inside you! Somebody get the bomb squad! lol, here's moooooooore:)
Simana
- Thank you so much:) I will definitely keep going; there's nothing I hate more than an unfinished story, lol :)
Thank you all again for the reviews, they seriously make my day:) And, if you didn't already figure it out, I update as soon as I complete the chapter:) So thanks for reading, and don't forget to fave/follow/review! I love hearing from you guys:) xoxoxoxo
"What are they doing in there?" Sassy whispered, an edge of unease apparent in her tone of voice, as they listened to the muffled screams on the other side of the metal doors. Four and Lauryn took one initiate at a time into their respective rooms, while the rest of the prospective Dauntless members waited out in the corridor.
"I don't know," Lia frowned, nervous in anticipation of what was to come. "Maybe-."
Four opened his door, first, holding onto the Erudite boy's arm, tightly, while he escorted Liam to the end of the hall. Cordelia didn't like the look on the boy's face; he looked like he had seen a ghost.
"What happened to him?" Marc inquired, in a hushed tone, his face going pale at the horrible possibilites that went through his mind.
All of the initiates fidgeted uncomfortably, their eyes all trained on the brown-haired instructor as he made his way back to the room. He stopped just outside the door, turning towards Lia, and she shrunk back a bit.
"Lia," he stated, simply, before holding the door open for her to enter. The dark-haired girl hesitated, glancing down the hall where the tough Erudite transfer had been dumped. "Today, initiate."
The amber-eyed girl swallowed thickly, as she stood, and made her way uneasily through the metal door, Four following behind her. Cordelia didn't see much of anything that caused her great concern, at first; the room was pretty empty, save for a chair that looked eerily similar to the one that she had sat in for her Aptitude test. There was also a computer, and a monitor, and several flashing lights ran across the screen.
"Take a seat," Four ordered, moving to open a drawer under the computer, and pulling out an injection gun, and a small vial of a silver-colored serum. Lia hesitantly obeyed, cringing at the cold feel of the metal that her bare arms rested on. "You're going to be facing your worst fears through simulation. This serum," the instructor held up the small cartridge for her to see. "Will activate the part of your brain that produces fear, creating a mental landscape for you to face your fears. There are sensors in the serum that will project the images from your mind to the monitor. You need to either face your fears, or lower your heart rate to pass the sim."
"Are you kidding?" Lia scoffed, eyeing the needle on the injection gun with apprehension. "They just let you guys see what's goin' on in my head?"
Four didn't waste time arguing with the Candor transfer, he simply pushed her hair aside, and plunged the needle into her neck, before releasing the serum into her blood. "Brace yourself, Lia."
"You fuckin'... piece of..." the dark-haired girl trailed off, as her world plunged into darkness.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Cordelia was lying in a large bed, the silky sheets pulled up over her shoulders. She sighed, in contentment, relishing in the rare indulgement of comfort. The dark-haired girl had barely begun to nod off, when she felt something moving over her feet.
She kicked out, and curled back up, brushing the feeling off as paranoia. That was when it got bad.
No sooner had she allowed herself to relax again, than the feeling of hundreds of insects scittering up her legs caused her to bolt upright. The amber-eyed girl threw the covers off of her, revealing hundreds, possibly thousands, of large, black cockroaches.
A blood-curdling scream bubbled up from her throat, as she attempted to remove the disgusting bugs. She quickly hopped out of bed, jumping up and down on the floor, trying to rid herself of the nasty creatures.
Lia grabbed one of her boots from her bedside, and chased the roaches around the room, smashing them to death on the floor, the wall, and the ceiling.
SWITCH-SWITCH-SWITCH
The former Candor was stood in a large, open field, wading through the tall grass. The sky was grey, and darkening, the wind picking up and whipping her dark-brown locks every which way. Lia snapped her gaze to the treeline, towards the west, when a sudden flash of blinding light bolted to the earth from the churning sky above.
The rumble that followed only seconds after, caused the hair on her neck and arms to stand on end. The dark-haired girl noticed her breath coming in rapid, shallow respirations, as the ground shook beneath her feet.
"What is going on?" she said, her eyes going wide as the field began to split in half before her eyes. The amber-eyed girl turned quickly, sprinting in the opposite direction, hoping to outrun the ever-closer, ever-growing fissure.
Another bolt of lightning split the sky, the thunder rolling ominously, as she gained ground. Lia tripped over a root, crying out in frustration, as she realized that she had sprained her ankle from the awkward way that she had landed. Her head snapped around to determine how much time she had to escape, but it was too late.
Cordelia's eyes went wide, and she choked on a scream, as the ground gave way beneath her, plunging her into the void below.
SWITCH-SWITCH-SWITCH
The dark-haired girl walked down a deserted street, her hands in her back pockets, as she glanced to each side of the road. There was no one in sight; there weren't any animals, either.
She felt uneasy, the eery silence seemed deafening to the Candor transfer.
Lia felt a tremble under her feet, and a wetness, swrirling around her ankles. She looked down, shocked to see steadily, and rapidly, rising water had covered her feet.
The murky, brown liquid was relentless in its ascent, moving past her shins, before she could even blink her eyes in confusion. Cordelia started moving again, attempting to trudge through the muddy substance, but the violent current would not allow her.
The substance had reached mid-thigh height, and the dark-haired girl gasped as her feet were pulled out from underneath her. The current grew faster, and deeper, and Lia could not grab hold of anything to stop herself through the flow of the icy water.
She thrashed, and fought to swim, unable to stabilize her body as she was thrown to, and fro. Eventually, her arms grew tired, and while she was nowhere near ready to give up, the current was too strong. The undertow of the flood yanked her underneath the murky depths, the dirty water filling Cordelia's lungs.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
The dark-haired girl sat up quickly, a sharp intake of breath sounded more like a wheeze leaving her throat. She was panicking, but it didn't last long, as she realized that she was still in the room with her instructor.
"Easy, easy," Four cooed, placing a comforting hand on her shivering shoulder. "You did good."
The brown-haired man typed furiously on the keyboard in front of the computer, before offering her a small smile. "Nine minutes for your first time is really, really good," he offered the small encouragement, before helping Lia down from the chair.
Cordelia was still shaking, her face white, and her amber eyes blown wide, as Four escorted her back out into the corridor.
"Lia! Are you okay?" Marc's worried voice drifted past her ears, and she could only offer a small nod, to acknowledge her Amity friend. The amber-eyed girl allowed Four to guide her to the end of the corridor, gently coaxing her through the exit.
"I was covered in spiderwebs," Liam addressed her, quietly, from his seat in the corner. Cordelia turned to look at the Erudite boy; he was still pale, and trembling. "I was gagging on them, and I-... I couldn't breathe. It seemed so real."
"Yeah..." was Lia's only response. She decided not to stick around and wait; she simply wanted to get away. The dark-haired girl quickly took her leave, moving swiftly through the winding halls. A wave of dizziness overtook her, and she had to pause, leaning against the wall for support, her breath coming in short bursts.
"A- a- are y- you, you o- okay?" Eric's voice was an awkward-sounding whisper, but a whisper, nonetheless. Lia wanted to turn towards him, but she didn't want to fall on her face at his feet, either, so she settled for a simple shake of the head.
"I will be," she said, quietly, through her slightly labored breathing. After only a few moments, she felt like she was finally able to stand without support, and turned to face the young leader, who had a concerned expression on his face. "It's nice to see you, though."
Eric smiled at the amber-eyed girl, a genuine expression, and he held his arm up for her to take. "W- w- wanna, wanna go t- to m- m- my p- place?"
Lia stared at his arm for a minute, before winding her left arm underneath his, holding on to his bicep with her right hand. "Well," she started, grinning at the blue-eyed man, as they moved through the corridors. "Aren't you just an old-fashioned gentleman?"
Eric chuckled, low in his throat, and shook his head slightly, in amusement. "I- I- I d- doubt it."
They had no choice but to detach their hold when they approached the Pit; there was still thirteen days until the end of initiation. The pair jogged up several flights of rickety stairs, before taking the short corridor that led to the young leader's home. The blonde quickly unlocked his door, holding it open while Lia stepped through.
After he had closed the door, and locked it behind him, Eric joined the dark-haired girl on the couch, his thigh brushing up against Cordelia's. "So, please tell me that I don't have to do that again," the Candor transfer begged, hopeful that the worst was over. The blonde offered her a sympathetic expression, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
"M- most, most p- p- people h- have t- ten to, ten to f- f- fifteen r- really, really b- bad o- ones; i- it t- takes a f- few, a few d- days t- to g- get all o- of, all of th- them r- r- r- record-, recorded i- in the c- c- computer, computer," he informed her, with a professional mannerism underlying his tone.
Lia's eyes went wide at the revelation, and she groaned. "But, the worst is over, right?" she pressed, twiddling her thumbs in her lap.
Eric set his mouth in a thin line, his jaw clenched, and a hard expression on his face. "T- they o- only, only get w- w- worse; y- your w- worst f- f- fear, i- is y- y- your l- last, your last f- f- fear."
The Candor transfer groaned, again, throwing her head back against the couch, as she pouted. "Well, shit!"
"I- I, I kn- know," the blonde instructor nodded his agreement, offering a small, sympathetic smile. The two sat in silence for several minutes; it wasn't an awkward silence, though.
"Do I have to go through them anymore, after initiation?" Lia inquired, sitting back upright, and matching the young leader's hunched posture.
"N- not un-, not unless y- you, you w- w- want to," he replied, picking at one of the scabs on his knuckles. The dark-haired girl scoffed at that, crossing her arms over her knees.
"Who would want to?" she asked, incredulously, unable to believe that anyone would willingly put themselves through that for anything other than initiation.
Eric hesitated, momentarily, mulling over how to answer her question. "Y- you c- c- can, you can d- dev- develop n- new, new f- f- fears, an- an- and m- most D- d- dauntless ch- check, check up o- on th- theirs s- s- so th- that, so that th- they a- are, a- aw- aware, aware."
Lia chewed on her lip ring while she thought about the information that Eric had supplied. "What about you? When's the last time you checked for new fears?"
The blonde suddenly found the floor a very intriguing sight, and Cordelia furrowed her brow at his lack of response. "You haven't?"
The young leader shook his head, raising his gaze to meet Cordelia's amber orbs. "N- not since, not since m- m- my in- initiation... I- I g- g- guess I p- pr- probably, I probably sh- sh- should, should th- though."
Another extended period of silence followed, with occasional glances and soft giggles from Lia.
"Hey," the dark-haired girl chirped, causing Eric to turn his face towards her with a raised eyebrow, the dark-colored piercings in his brow glinting in the flourescent light that flooded the young leader's apartment. "Could you maybe... could you maybe play me a song?"
The blonde's crystal-blue orbs went wide, and he shook his head furiously.
"Aw, come on, please?" Lia pleaded, dropping to her knees on the floor in front of her instructor with her hands clasped together, while she pouted, batting her eyelashes. "Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Pl-?"
"F- f- fine!" Eric growled, only slightly annoyed at the Candor transfer's tactics to get him to do what she wanted. The blonde stood quickly, throwing open the door to his music room, and the dark-haired girl skipped happily behind him.
The young leader glanced around the room, until his gaze settled on the glossy, black piano near the window, and he approached the stringed instrument, swiftly, sliding the bench out enough for him to sit.
Lia leaned against the side, watching Eric, with a victorious smile on her face. She watched as he removed his jacket, before ghosting his long fingers over the ivory keys.
The blonde gulped, suddenly nervous at how vulnerable he felt while playing. "A- a- are you, are you s- sure?" he questioned softly, his voice merely a whisper. The dark-haired girl nodded, encouraging him to begin.
"Th- this is- isn't f- finished, finished y- y- yet, b- but... o- okay, th- th- then," the young leader took a deep, shaky breath, as he shook out his hands in an attempt to loosen up. Eric closed his eyes, involuntarily, as he began to play, his fingers gliding over the keyboard.
"I open my eyes
I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light
I can't remember how
I can't remember why
I'm lying here tonight."
Lia felt her heart swell, at the sound of his smooth voice, and she watched him intently as she listened.
"And I can't stand the pain
And I can't make it go away
No, I can't stand the pain."
The dark-haired girl swallowed thickly, as she took in the lyrics, the melancholy chords flowing together with the raw emotion in the blonde's voice.
"How could this happen to me?
I made my mistakes
Got nowhere to run
The night goes on
As I'm fading away
I'm sick of this life
I just wanna scream
How could this happen to me?"
Cordelia stared at her instructor, in amazement; she had never seen anything like it. The way Eric's face twisted as if he was in physical pain, the way he leaned forward over the keys, passion in every note played, and every bit of melody uttered.
"Everybody's screaming
I try to make a sound but no one hears me
I'm slipping off the edge
I'm hanging by a thread
I wish I could start this over again
"So I try to hold onto a time when nothing mattered
And I don't wanna explain what happened
And I can't erase the things that I've done
"How could this happen to me?
I made my mistakes
Got nowhere to run
The night goes on
As I'm fading away
I'm sick of this life
I just wanna scream
How-..."
Lia frowned when Eric suddenly stopped playing, his fingers still resting on the keys, with his head bowed. "Hey," she attempted to gain the young leader's attention, but he didn't acknowledge her. The dark-haired girl slid onto the bench beside him, reaching her hand out tentatively to turn his face towards her.
She was distraught at the despair etched over his features, a single tear spilling over and running down his cheek, and he turned his face away from her, quickly standing up, and rubbing the moisture from his eyes, roughly.
"Eric, I-."
"D- d- d- don't, don't l- look a- at, at m- m- me!" the blonde ordered, his voice raw. Lia moved to stand behind him, pulling at his shirt until he turned to face her. The dark-haired girl smiled gently at him, and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.
Eric was ashamed of himself; he didn't want to be seen as weak. He found that he was enjoying the innocent contact, though, so he welcomed the embrace, holding the Candor transfer firmly against his chest, as he buried his nose in the dark-brown locks at the crook of Lia's neck.
"Why do I have to fucking leave, when I've finally found a reason to stay?"
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
"Alright," Cobra clasped his hands together on his desk, glancing back and forth between Four, and Lauryn. "After you voiced your concerns, and described what you could see of the episode, yesterday, I've since spoken with a collegue of mine in Erudite."
The older doctor, rubbed his face, sighing deeply, causing the two instructor's to share a worried look.
"And...?" Four pressed, growing increasingly nervous at the older man's hesitation to share his thoughts on the blonde leader's dire condition.
"And, it's not good," Cobra stated, disapointment lacing his words. "If he's been having these episodes for that amount of time... I can't say anything definitive without further testing, but right now, I wouldn't give him more than a couple of months."
"No," the red-head breathed, gripping the arms of her chair, her heart dropping to her stomach. She turned to look at Tobias, who was swallowing, repeatedly, his honey-brown eyes blinking rapidly.
"It is imperitive that you bring Eric to me. I need to run a few scans of his brain, and then I can compare the scans from when he was diagnosed, to give a more accurate time-frame," Cobra insisted, tapping his fingers against the wooden surface of his desk, to emphasize the importance of his words.
"What... what's the soonest?" Four inquired, in a small voice, his tone laced with pain.
"Any second," the doctor explained, rubbing the back of his tattooed neck. "Any fucking second."
A/N:
So, the song I used is called 'Untitled' by Simple Plan, and I did change just a few of the lyrics, but it was only like a handful or words, lol. Next chapter might possibly cause tears, jus' sayin'... and of course we'll see a few more of Lia's fears:) It might be kinda nasty though, just warning you. When I wrote the particular fear I'm talking about into the plot outline, I thought I was going to throw up just thinking about it! Okay, enough from me, now I want to hear from you guys! :) xoxo