The Sound of Silence

by iamUNSINKABLE

Eric finished initiation ranked first at Dauntless, and became the youngest full-fledged leader that Dauntless ever had. During a Factionless riot that turned violent, Eric is injured severely, and suffers lasting consequences. Cordelia, A.K.A. Lia, is a transfer from Candor, and she finds herself attracted to the young leader, though, she's never gone for the silent type, before.

18. Chapter Sixteen - Let Go, Lia

Author's Note:

Sorry it took so long! I meant to get this up yesterday evening, but I have a two-year old:/ But, here's the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy it! So, now for shoutouts! :)

RisughXD

- I know! I hate them too! And I know, I love it when they get high as well, we'll be seeing LOTS more of High!Everybody, lol :) ILY ( Don't forget to check out The Last Scene)

mona-rose

- I think you will like this chapter, then! :) I know, that actually happened to me before! Like, we were smoking with friends, and then out of nowhere this guy says, "Hey Jamie, guess what?" and I was like, "What?" and he's like,"... Diarrhea." And I thought I was going to die! I could NOT stop laughing, like even I hadn't been really freaking stoned on the purp, I totally would have still died laughing, lol :) (Don't forget to check out Alone)

NL92

- Thank you for your review! And don't worry, he will :)

Oncer15

- Well, this is DEFINITELY a pro-pot piece, I mean, come on, weed is awesome! And Eric is going to smoke a bunch... but I can't say anything one way or the other because I don't want to spoil! :) Thanks for reading! And I absolutely loved reading The Hybrid!

Talia

- Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! :)

jonesiia

- Thank you so much for that! You're review is positively flattering! Love to you! :)

wowza

- Thank you so much for saying my story is 'fucking amazing'! :) yeah, I like doing weird things with my characters, lol :) Especially with Eric, coz he was SO one dimensional, lol:) I've pretty much got all of my music picked out, but I will CONSIDER requests :) Can't make any promises, because I've picked songs for specific sounds and lyrics, but I will take a listen and read the lyrics, and if I can fit it in, I will :) You're going to like this chapter;) And come on, who doesn't like making their friends uncomfortable? lol :)

Electric Blue Reader

- The fanbase be gathered! Girls (guys?) go rip off Trevor's testicals and make him eat them! (too much? lol, I'm weird)

EvieLyn

- Yeah, I like having Four and Eric be friendly, in one of my other stories, I actually made them be brothers! lol, I know, lol :) (Go read Take Care)

Simana

- Thank you so much! He will don't worry, and I've got a song planned for very soon, that will pretty much come about from Trevor and his posse, lol :)

MyHappyLove

- I'm so sorry my story f'd you up! :) Not really, because I absolutely love my story, that's why I'm writing it, lol :) But I'm so glad TSOS has made you a fan! :) There's a lot of good stories on here, take a look at my shoutouts, those stories are excellent and are updated regularly:) And I am too! Who couldn't be with Jai as Eric? lol;)

So, for any of you guys that are interested, I've made a playlist on youtube with the songs I use in the story, and I'll be updating as the "new releases" come out, lol. I don't own any of it, lol :) So, I'll post the link on my profile for whoever is interested:) It's a good playlist, obviously, lol :) Also, this chapter is rated M! Not as descriptive as I would like, but with an overall T rating... I don't want to get in trouble, so... But, when this fic is over, I'll be more than happy to throw out a few VERY descriptive one-shots, if enough of you are interested:) Alright, 'nough talk! here ya' go:)

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Previously on TSOS:

Tobias went to stand up, fully intent on giving the small group a piece of his mind, and maybe a taste of his fist down their throats, but Eric grabbed his arm in a death grip, forcing him back down. "D- d- don't," he said, in a low voice, and a coldness in his expression that had been missing the past week.

"Awe, baby," Clipper pouted, whining as she crossed her arms over her busty chest. "Don't be like that!"

"Baby?" Lia whispered, frowning at the platinum-blonde woman who had spoken.

"L- l- later, L- lia," Eric growled, scowling up at the girl, and turning his head when Blaze addressed him, next.

"So," the orange-haired man began, shifting his weight to one leg, and worrying his snakebite lip piercings. "That why Maddy left you? She found out that you were r- r- r- r- retarded?"

The Eric that Lia had come to know over the past five days was gone, and in his place, stood the brutal leader that had previously terrified her. The young leader had not yet said anything, but his icy-blue eyes were filled with a palpable fury, and it sent chills through the dark-haired girl.

Tobias wanted to intervene, but knew that if he were to step in now, the blue-eyed man's wrath could quickly turn to him, and instead leaned back to watch the scene unfold.

"Y- y- you w- want, you want t- to r- r- run th- that, run that b- by m- m- me a- again, s- s- soldier?" Eric growled, his voice low, and menacing, as he towered over the orange-haired man, chest to chest.

Blaze gulped thickly, unable to break eye contact with the cold glare that was currently fixed on his forest-green eyes, and shook his head slowly.

Trevor was not going to have any of that; Eric was clearly not the man that he had looked up to in the past, and to him, it was disgusting. "That is why, isn't it?" the black-haired man scoffed, before chuckling, forcing himself to not cower under the icy daggers that were thrown his way. "Can't say I blame her, though, I'm- uuuuugh!"

"Eric, stop!" Cordelia screamed, as the young leader pummelled Trevor to the ground, straddling his waist, and throwing punch after punch to the black-haired man's face. She thought that the blonde was going to kill him.

The blue-eyed man saw nothing but red; literally, Trevor's face, and Eric's hands, were covered in blood, as the young leader continued his assault. "I- I, I a- am n- n- not, not r- r- retarded!" And with one final blow to the side of the black-haired man's face, the blonde stood up, smirking down, coldly, at the bloody, unconscious mess of his former friend.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Clipper screamed, pulling her arm back to slap the blue-eyed instructor. Her hand never made contact, though, as Eric caught her by the wrist, inches from his face, and turned his menacing expression to the platinum-blonde girl.

"Y- y- you w- want, want t- to t- t- test m- me, l- l- little, little g- g- girl?" Eric kept his voice low, and even, his icy stare fixed firmly on the busty girl's muddy-brown orbs.

Clipper pulled her wrist out of the young leader's grip, cradling it to her chest, and she backed up a couple of steps, before turning to leave, Blaze dragging Trevor and following along behind her.

"That was awesome!" Uriah hooted, pumping his fist in the air, and grinning like an idiot.

The ice quickly melted, when Eric noticed the audience of Dauntless members, their curious stares boring into him, and he quickly sat down, trying to hide his face by leaning into his arms. He was shaking, and he wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline from beating Trevor, or if it was embarrassment. He drew a long, shaky breath, and exhaled slowly, before wiping the gathering perspiration from his brow.

"Are you okay?" Lia asked, quietly, wrapping an arm around the young leader's waist, and squeezing, lightly.

"Y- y- yeah," the blonde cursed himself, inwardly, for how timidly he had spoken. "J- just... th- th- they're, they're s- st- staring at, at m- me." The blue-eyed instructor chanced another glance from under the cover of his arms, which acted as his shield, to find that the majority were still staring at him, and whispering to one another.

"Hey," Four said, offering an encouraging smile, and clapping his blonde friend on the shoulder. "They'll get used to it, yeah?"

Eric rolled his eyes, and scoffed. "I- I'm n- not, I'm not e- ev- even u- used to, used to i- it." And he really wasn't; going almost two years without speaking, from the time when he first found out that his stutter was permanent damage. The daily, and sometimes hourly, fluctuations in the severity of his stammering was a completely new experience for him, one that he wouldn't even have time enough to get used to.

"Eric, if you're going to sit with us, you're going to have to get used to us listening to your new releases," Violet stated, in a hushed tone, as she pulled the portable CD player from her bag, along with the disk inside the slip.

"I- I- I h- haven't r- released an- an- anyth- th- thing n- new?" the young leader frowned, confused, and his statement sounded more like a question.

"Well..." the blonde turned to look at the blue-haired girl who sat beside Amity, raising a suspicious eyebrow. "I kinda... burned a couple of your new ones? Lia said she helped you record it."

"O- oh," Eric shifted, slightly nervously, causing Four, Lia, and her friends to chuckle at the blue-eyed instructor.

"I'm cold and broken..."**

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The group had gone their seperate ways after dinner, and Cordelia followed the young leader back up to his apartment. They sat together on the couch talking about random things, and life at Dauntless, and the conversation eventually turned to their former factions, and families.

"So, your name is Everett and you're from Erudite?" the dark-haired girl inquired, sheepishly, feeling the blonde stiffen beside her. She had been rubbing his back, and could instantly feel her instructor's heart rate gain speed.

"M- my n- name's, my name's E- e- eric," he said, clenching his jaw, as his knee began to bounce, up and down, nervously. The blue-eyed man didn't want to discuss his life before Dauntless, at all.

"Well, how about I go first?" the amber-eyed girl offered, scooting back a bit in her seat, and folding her legs up under her backside. "My name's Cordelia Ward, and I'm from Candor. I was good at being a Candor, but I was bored, so I decided I was going to choose either Erudite or Dauntless, and my test showed my aptitude for Dauntless, so I defected. I had great parents... really great," Lia paused, a sad smile on her face, as she remembered the highlights of her childhood.

"I got caught in a lie, at school, when I was a first year. I was six, of course, and the teacher sent me to Jack Kang," the dark-haired girl chuckled, at the memory. "I was so scared; he gave me this long lecture about the importance of honesty, and that there was no such thing as a 'white lie'. I thought my parents were going to kill me, but... they took me to the park and got me ice cream, instead... I miss them."

Eric frowned; he hated to see Lia in such pain, and he knew that pain, all too well. "M- m- my n- name's E- e- everett E- Eric, T- t- thomas, an- and I- I d- def- f- fected, defected f- from E- e- erud- d- dite."

The amber-eyed girl perked up, at his admission, and gestured for him to continue. She noticed that Eric took several deep breaths, before he spoke again.

"I- I w- was- wasn't a g- g- good E- erudite. A- all I- I- I e- ever, ever w- wanted t- to b- b- be w- was, was a s- s- soldier," the blonde ran a hand through the longer hairs on the top of his head, and momentarily closed his eyes, as the not-so-pleasant memories came back to him.

"M- my p- p- parents, th- they w- were th- the b- best... th- th- they w- were i- in th- the wr- wrong, wrong pl- place, a- at the wr- wr- wrong t- time, th- though. Th- there w- was a, was a in- inter- f- f- faction g- gala, o- or some- something, an- an- and a g- group, a group of f- f- faction-, factionl- less s- stopped, stopped th- their c- c- car an- and th- they sh- shot, they shot th- th- them... l- l- left th- them, left them o- on th- the s- s- side o- of the r- r- road."

Cordelia's eyes had gone wide, as she listened to the young leader, and she could tell that Eric's mind was not in this apartment, anymore.

"I- I- I was, I was t- t- ten. I- I g- g- got h- home f- f- from s- s- school, an- an- and, and J- jeanine M- m- matthews w- was w- w- waiting f- for m- m- me t- to t- t- tell m- me..." the young leader had crossed his arms, a scowl on his face, as he continued to vent. He had never told anyone this much about his past. "Sh- she p- p- placed, placed m- me w- w- with A- alex and K- k- kim L- l- logan, f- first, b- b- but-."

"Wait, first?" the dark-haired girl inquired, furrowing her brow in confusion, as the blonde pressed his lips into a thin line, and he stared at the floor.

"Y- yeah. F- first. Th- they d- didn't, didn't l- like m- me. I- I was, was t- too w- w- wild f- for th- them, an- and n- not s- s- smart en- enough f- for th- th- their s- s- standards, standards, s- so, th- then th- th- they p- placed me w- with, with Al- l- lana an- and V- vinc- c- cent C- c- campbell," Eric paused to take a shaky breath, before continuing.

"I- I- I l- liked, I liked th- them, b- b- but I- I w- wasn't, wasn't g- g- good en- enough wh- when m- my s- six y- year e- ex- exam s- s- scores c- came b- back... th- they g- got r- r- rid of, rid of m- m- me, t- too. I- I s- s- stayed w- with E- e- ezek- kial and B- b- beth W- winston f- for t- two y- years, b- but th- they w- were o- old, s- s- so... th- they w- weren't th- that b- bad."

When the blonde didn't continue, Lia decided to press him for the information; she wanted to know everything about the young leader, even if it wasn't pleasant. "What about the last two years? Who did you stay with?"

Eric hesitated, for several minutes, debating on whether or not to continue this conversation, where he revealed everything about himself.

"D- dean an- and C- c- claudia R- root, an- and th- th- then J- jeanine f- for, for th- the l- last c- couple, couple m- months b- before m- my t- t- test."

"Where have I heard those names before?" Cordelia thought, as she racked her brain for the information. She had seen those names in an article, one of her father's cases...

"Th- they're f- f- faction- factionless n- now."

The dark-haired girl was positive that the couple had gone before her father for a trial, but, there was no way... "Eric?" The blonde's eyes had slightly glazed over as he stared off into space, and the sight was unsettling. "What did they do?"

The young leader shook himself, and cleared his throat a bit, before standing up and walking over to his kitchenette, turning on the sink and allowing the basin to fill with water. He blatantly ignored the amber-eyed girl's inquiry, and instead began to wash the few dishes that lay in the sink.

The former Candor knew she wasn't going to get anymore out of Eric, not right now, at least, so she dropped it. She would find out a way to confirm her suspicions; hoping against hope, that she was mistaken. Lia needed to get her hands on the disposition from that trial. "Do you want me to go?" she asked, as she sauntered up to the blonde, wrapping her arms around his waist, from behind.

The blue-eyed man turned around, quickly, shutting off the faucet as he did so, and regarded her with an unreadable expression. "N- n- no," he mumbled, shifting his gaze to stare at the dark-haired girl's full, pink lips, before flicking his eyes back up to her lovely, amber orbs.

"Then..." Lia started, swallowing nervously, as she bit her lip. "Do you want me to stay?" Her voice had turned to a whisper, and a pretty blush crept over her porcelain cheeks.

"D- do y- y- you, do you w- want to s- s- stay?" the young leader dropped his voice to a low, husky tone, moving to run a single digit teasingly up the length of the dark-haired girl's neck, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, and causing Cordelia to shiver.

The amber-eyed girl could only nod, concentrating on keeping her eyes from fluttering shut at the soothing contact. "For the record," Lia spoke up, quickly, rushing through her words. "I've been on the shot since I was fifteen. I mean... ya' know, if... um..."

Eric chuckled, low in his throat, and leaned in close with his lips brushing against the crest of her ear, his warm breath blowing her hair, gently. "Wh- what d- d- do y- you w- want, want me t- to d- do t- t- to y- you, L- lia, Lia?" he said, his voice deep, and gritty, as he ran his hands gently down her sides, to grip her waist.

"Don't be gentle," Cordelia whispered, urgently, as her body went warm, and tingles shot through her where his hands touched her. She felt the blue-eyed man's pressing need pushing against her thigh, and his eyes darkened, substantially.

"O- okay," Eric replied, smirking wickedly, before grabbing the Candor transfer and throwing her backwards over his shoulder, and Lia giggled, as the young leader carried her through the living room, and down the hall, pushing open the door to his bedroom.

A surprised gasp escaped from Lia when she was tossed onto a large, comfortable bed, bouncing a bit before her body stilled on top of the duvet, and she leaned up on her elbows as Eric looked down at her, his eyes greedily raking over her healthy form.

The young leader kicked out of his boots and socks, before kneeling down to remove his initiate's shoes, as well, smirking mischievously the whole time. His eyes went wide at Cordelia's next words.

"I told you not to be gentle."

Eric's face broke into a grin, and complied, roughly sliding the dark-haired girl's skin-tight, black pants down her milky-white legs, as she pulled her t-shirt over her head, leaving her in only her bra and panties. Lia leaned up to work the button and zipper on her instructor's jeans, as he tore his shirt from his body, tossing the thin article against the door, before pushing the covering over his legs away.

Cordelia felt no shame in staring at the young leader's sizeable erection, covered only by the thin material of his black, boxer-briefs, as he crawled up between her legs, and hovered over her, gazing into her eyes, with his own pupils blown wide with want.

"A- are you, are you s- s- sure? I- I, I d- don't w- want t- to-."

"If it's too much, I'll tell you to stop," Lia cut in, breathily, growing impatient, as she pulled Eric's face down to hers to catch his lips in a bruising kiss, passionately sliding their lips together.

The young leader wasted no more time, and unclasped the dark-haired girl's bra with one hand, sliding it down her arms, and reaching down between their shivering forms to slide her panties down her legs in a swift movement. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, sliding and swirling with Lia's, and moaned, low in his throat.

"You're overdressed," Cordelia asserted, momentarily breaking the contact, to push the blonde's underwear down past his hips, his throbbing member springing free from the caging material. Lia hummed in satisfaction, as Eric kicked the fabric away, and attached his lips to her hardened nipples, in turn, swirling, and flicking his tongue over the small, pink buds.

The blue-eyed instructor sneaked his hand down over the former Candor's smooth stomach, slipping a finger to rub over Cordelia's smooth, wet folds, earning a breathy moan of pleasure from the dark-haired girl. "Don't tease me, Eric. I want you. Now!"

The blonde smirked, releasing her left nipple with a pop, and a wink. "Y- yes, yes m- ma'am." Eric gripped Lia's hips, yanking her down, closer to him, and his aching cock twitched at her entrance, before he slid inside of her, moaning at the warm wetness that encircled his manhood. "F- f- fuck..."

"Me. Now," the amber-eyed girl whined, wrapping her legs around the young leader's back, willing him to move. She moaned as Eric growled, pulling out and thrusting back inside of her, hard and fast, a feral look in his crystal-blue orbs, as he held her gaze, with half-lidded eyes.

Cordelia rolled her hips up, in time with every thrust, moaning and squirming beneath the blonde, as he continued to pound into her, groaning and panting heavily. "Oh!" Lia exclaimed, in surprise, as she was suddenly flipped over onto her stomach, Eric releasing an animalistic growl behind her.

The young leader pushed her knees up, so that Lia was bent forward, holding herself up with her elbows, as he entered her once again, the different angle bringing new waves of inconceivable pleasure. Eric kept one hand on her hip, while he slid his other hand up the length of her smooth back to grasp a fistful of silky, dark-brown hair. He tugged on it slightly, as he continued to thrust inside of her, picking up speed as the former Candor started mewling beneath him.

The blue-eyed instructor was rapidly approaching his climax, so he reached around the dark-haired girl with the hand that had been holding onto her hip with a bruising force, and circled her clit with his finger, furiously. Lia moaned, as she bucked her hips back against the young leader, accepting each thrust eagerly, as she nearly went over the edge. "Er- ic... Eric, I'm..."

"L- let g- g- go, L- lia," Eric groaned, as he felt Cordelia clamping down around his dick, the silky wetness and sudden pressure pushing him over the top, and he moaned in sync with the amber-eyed girl as he spilled inside of her pulsing womanhood. After a few more slow pumps, the young leader collapsed onto his side, pulling Lia tight against his chest, and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

The dark-haired girl gazed into Eric's tired, blue eyes with a smile on her face, running her fingers over the young leader's smooth jawline. "I don't want to, but I should probably head down to the dorms," she started, with slight disappointment lacing her tone. "It's pretty late."

Eric shook his head, and held onto her tighter, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. "S- s- stay w- with, with m- me," he murmured, he pulled back a bit, to press his forehead against Cordelia's, as he looked into her eyes, begging her not to leave.

"Okay," Lia replied, with a sleepy grin, as she snuggled against her instructor's chest. She noticed the lamp on his desk was still on, and the light was rather bright; she didn't know if she would be able to sleep with it on. "Aren't you going to turn out the light?"

"N- no," Eric replied quickly, a little too quickly, and Cordelia remembered his nervous actions during the war games. Eric was afraid of the dark, and slept with the light on. She decided not to broach the subject that night, and instead listened to the sounds of the young leader breathing, his breaths evening out and deepening as he fell asleep.

She pulled back a bit to look at him, his face serene and worry free, in his sleep; he looked his age, in his sleep. She sighed, as she looked over him, reaching down to pull a large, soft throw over them, to keep away the chill that was sure to come. Before she had pulled the blanket up all the way, however, she caught sight of several, small discolorations littering Eric's muscular torso.

Upon closer inspection, Lia could tell that they weren't discolorations; they were, in fact, small, white scars, all of them similar in shape and size; like small, figure eights. "What the hell?"

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Lia wandered, aimlessly, through the empty streets of Chicago, the icy air chilling her to the bone. She had to keep moving, but she was so tired, and the shivering was uncontrollable. She huddled down against the side of an old dumpster, her teeth chattering furiously.

She rubbed her hands together, in an attempt to warm up her freezing fingers, but it wasn't working. The dark-haired girl could barely keep her eyes open, and she slowly drifted out of consciousness.

She woke up, and it could've been minutes, or hours, later; Lia didn't know. She couldn't feel her legs, and her arms were all but numb, her face hurt and she knew she must be blue.

She struggled to even shift her eyes to look at the swirling white flakes of snow, and ice that fell from the grey sky, and her eyes felt heavy. When she closed her eyes this time, they did not open. Lia had frozen to death.

SWITCH-SWITCH-SWITCH

"Eric, talk to me!" Lia screamed at the blonde, who was sitting behind his desk, in his office, ignoring her as he signed different sheets of paper. Four walked in the room, then, throwing an envelope in front of the young leader.

"Max needs you to take a look at these, and report back within the hour," the brown-haired instructor said, not sparing a glance towards the amber-eyed girl.

"Four, tell him to talk to me!" Cordelia begged, moving to stand directly in front of the other man. But Four didn't make eye contact with her, and said nothing, as if she wasn't there. He simply turned, and walked out the door.

She felt her heart begin to race, and she wondered if she was invisible; maybe she had died.

The dark-haired girl moved to lean over so she was right by Eric's ear, and she screamed, a blood-curdling scream. It didn't faze the young leader.

Lia tore at her hair, in frustration, and fear, her heart beating furiously in it's cavity inside her chest. She fell to her knees, and forced her breathing to calm down.

SWITCH-SWITCH-SWITCH

"I- I d- don't, don't l- love y- you, L- lia."

"You're lying to me!"

"I- I- I ch- ch- changed, changed m- my m- m- mind, a- about, about y- you," Eric said evenly, fixing the dark-haired girl with an icy glare, as he turned on his heel, and walked out the door, leaving Cordelia alone.

The former Candor rushed towards the door, attempting to run after the young leader, but an invisible barrier would not allow her to leave the room. "Eric! Eric! Please, come back! Don't leave me!"

Lia tried to leave again, but was still met with the invisible forcefield, and it caused her to fall backwards to the floor, where she turned on her side, and curled up in a ball, and cried, until she fell asleep.

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"Huh, looks like that was the last one," Tobias informed Cordelia, once she had opened her eyes, panting heavily. "Tomorrow, and forward, you'll be working on all of them, at once, to work on your time, but right now, you're at sixteen minutes in total, so you got nothing to worry about."

Lia just nodded, as she stared down at her hands, hesitating to leave. Four noticed this, and frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Something wrong, Lia?"

"Um..." the Candor transfer knew that Eric and Four were close friends, and she hoped maybe he could enlighten her about the near-invisible scars that covered the young leader. "Have you... have you ever noticed the little scars that Eric has?"

"What are you talking about?" the brown-haired instructor inquired, his brow furrowed in confusion. He knew about the scar from Eric's accident, and the scars from the young leader's suicide attempt, but other than that... he hadn't noticed anything.

"He's... he's got these little, white scars, about this big," Lia held up her pointer finger, and her thumb, about an inch apart for a visual. "They're all over chest, and shoulders, and back... they're weird."

"I never noticed anything," Four started, crossing his arms over his chest, and shifting his weight to one leg. "But, it's not like I was gonna stare at another dude's chest in the shower's, either, Lia."

"Oh," the dark-haired girl responded, forcing an uneasy smile to her face. "Oh, right, yeah. Of course." Her intuition was raging, and her curiousity was killing her.

"What do you mean by 'weird'?" Tobias pressed, moving closer to the amber-eyed girl, noticing her worried expression.

"I don't know... like, maybe... I don't know. Sorry I brought it up," Cordelia waved her hand to dismiss the subject, and quickly left the fear sim room, in search of the one person she felt would help her with this mystery. Lauryn.

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"Root?" the red-head asked, incredulously. "No, there's no way that was Eric... It can't be, I mean... Eric's so... Eric?"

"Please, I just need to see that article," Cordelia pleaded with the green-eyed woman, wringing her hands, nervously. "We both know he wouldn't say anything, but, I just need to know, one way or the other."

Lauryn sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead, and shaking her head a bit. "Okay," she breathed. "Okay, I'll see what I can do. I honestly didn't even know he had lost his parents, or lived with foster families. I mean, he was upset on Visiting Day, but... I thought his parents just chose not to come, ya' know? It's not uncommon."

"Just get as much information from the case file as you can, okay?" Lia pressed, her eyes begging, and grateful, at the same time. "It won't change anything, but, I can't stand not knowing."

"If that was Eric... he's going to be really, really pissed at me," the red-head stated, sadly, sighing. "He already hates me."

"He doesn't hate you, Lauryn," the dark-haired girl assured, placing a hand on the Dauntless-born instructor's shoulder, and giving her a small smile. "He feels bad about what he said, yesterday, I know he does. I could see it in his eyes, when you walked away. Just tell him what you told me, yeah? He loves you like a sister."

"I really hope you're wrong about this case," the green-eyed woman said, turning to walk out the doors, with Lia on her heels.

A/N: I know, I'm so bad about vaguely throwing the plot twists out there, lol. But, come on, some of you already guessed he had a rough start in life, right? Well, hang on, it's pretty rough:/ But, don't worry, I'll be throwing in plenty of fluff, and lots more awesome music! And yeah, now that they've played as a band, I can't just have Eric going solo all the time, lol :)