Hey there nerds, her is another chapter of my story. I own nothing except new characters and ideas and blah, blah, blah. I make no money from writing and all the rights go to the rightful owners. Check out my polyvore to see outfits and character pictures Noellamonster.

I was back in the cold metal chair, my skin aching from it. Had chosen a bad day to wear a cropped top My body trembled, my knuckles a stark white as I gripped the arm rests. "It's just a simulation, Alessa, you know this. Try to find a different way to face your second fear, think like a dauntless does." Four says quietly. He's wrong. The last simulation bled into my life, waking and sleeping. Nightmares, not just featuring the destruction of my brother but the feelings I had in the simulation—terror and helplessness and failure, which I suspect is what I am really afraid of. Sudden fits of terror in the shower, at breakfast, on the way here. Nails bitten down so far my nail beds ache.

And I am not the only one who feels this way; I can tell. Still I nod and close my eyes.

I am in darkness. The last thing I remember is the metal chair and the needle in my neck, Fours reassuring yet sympathetic dark blue eyes.

When my vision clears I see that I am nowhere I recognize, I am standing in an empty and endless desert. Shrubs and random splotches of dead grass covered the dry desert ground, bones of humans and what had to be monsters littered the ground.

"What…" I started to question myself when I heard thunderous footfalls, unhuman, monstrous. My heart jumped into my throat, the wall started to rise in the area just behind me. The gates locked. "No!" I screamed, "I'm here, please!"

"Die little divergent" echoed from the top of the wall, I sunk to my knees as I looked up. There stood Peter, a gun slung over his shoulder and a shit eating grin looking as if it was cut into his face. His eyes were bleeding red.

My heart hammered in my chest, the footfalls were louder now; so loud the ground shook and my body seemed to vibrate.

I turned, there stood three growling beasts. They all stood taller than I, taller than anyone, almost half the size of the wall itself.

One lunged, it's large body covered in a thick dense black fur, it almost looked like a wildly overgrown cat. Its claws sunk into my flesh and ripped down the front of my body, from shoulder to knees. I screamed in pain, only to hear Peters laugh somewhere off in the distance.

I scrambled back, managing to get myself standing again. Blood was dripping from my freckled and shredded skin, staining the desert floor.

I have to think dauntless…I have to beat this sim and not bring myself out of it with mind power.

Another lunged, this one was long and slithery. If I remember correctly this was a snake on a much larger scale. But the books said they were extinct…fuck.

I screamed as I charged the large cat monster, scaling the legs and swinging myself onto its neck. The snake lunged again, this time sinking its teeth into the cats' side. The third monster was the biggest, it had a dark grey leathery skin and razor sharp horns protruding from its head. It charged as I kicked the snake in its yellow slitted eyes. Its horns running right through the snakes and cats body, sticking to their bodies, unable too free himself. I stood jumping from the now bleeding to death monsters onto the stuck one. Before I could do anything I woke up.

My fist collided with Fours face and sent him stumbling back. "Goddammit Alessa" he held his jaw and looked at me with uncertain eyes. "You did better, you handled it like a dauntless would. You're scared of what's beyond the wall?"

"Yeah, being helpless and alone out there with whatever is living out there coming after him. Pretty stupid thing to be scared of but I mean…we have those high walls from a reason; I still can't figure out who's the monster though...whatever is out there or us."

"I understand that, it's difficult living with unanswered questions, letting your imagination get the best of you." He said. "I'm proud of you, Tris is still handling things like a divergent, she wasn't able to learn how to be a dauntless just yet."

"Does she know you know?" I question him.

"No, she doesn't. Not yet."

"Maybe you should tell her, so she feels safer and like she's not going to get killed at any second. Let her know what you and Eric told me, please. For her sake."

"I'll have to get Eric in on this, he's the one with all the information and knows how to handle these people the best. His girlfriend is divergent."

"I like that there are leaders here you can trust with anything…I'm desperately sorry for those in Erudite…how many of them have already died…" it wasn't a question, more like a very sad realization.

"Too many, and we're going to stop them before war breaks out."

I left, Lynn was leaning against the stone wall her chest heaving and head hanging down. "Hey" I spoke quietly, "What's wrong?"

Without a word she hugged me tightly, her arms around my neck as shakily tries to catch her breath. "I'm not even going to try lying to you anymore"

"Good, talk to me."

"You were in my fears today, please don't ask me to elaborate. I just want to forget it…"

"Let's go get a new tattoo then and I need a hair-cut, I miss my short hair." By now it was half way down my back and made me sweat like a pig.

"Maybe we can get a matching one." she attempted to smile.

I took her hand and leaded her to the hair place, it was a quick trim and washing. My hair had never felt so healthy. Now we were in the tattoo shop browsing the thousands of beautiful drawings.

"How about this?" she asked, it was a small snake. My breath caught in my throat. Monsters.

After a few minutes of painful silence; I spoke "Yeah, let's get it. You can choose where."

She looked to be studying me, "You already have a lot of tattoos, a few piercings…hmm…maybe just a small snake from your wrist to your second knuckle on your thumb?"

Fuck, it was somewhere I could see it. "Sounds great."

Lynn stepped closer and took my hand, "What's wrong?"

"A snake, a rather large one, was in my fears today. It was one of three giant monsters trying to kill me. I was locked outside of the gate."

"Look at me" her voice was gentle as she held my chin and tilted my head up to look at her. "No matter what happens I will never let you get hurt, I promise you"

Softly I pressed my lips to hers.