Categories > Original > Drama > Hollow Body Got A Hold On Me
Chapter Three
0 reviewsJai Eric Courtney recieved an Erudite result for his aptitude test, and plans to Choose accordingly. One horrible night before his Choosing ceremony will change his life, and his Choice. Now a ruth...
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Stormy's POV:
I find myself in a narrow corridor. I don't like small, tight spaces, but I don’t have to worry about that long, as all of a sudden, I'm in a cavernous area. I see Eric sitting on the rail, about ten feet from me, with his feet dangling down over the Chasm, his head in his hands.
Well, this is weird.
I walk out onto the rail, and sit beside him. He looks up quickly, clearly startled by my presence.
"You're not supposed to be out here," he says thickly.
"Oh well," I say dryly, throwing my legs over the edge as well, copying him.
He looks away from me, like he's looking anywhere but at me. "So what are you doing out here at this time of night, anyway?" he asks, shortly, but not in a rude way.
I hesitate.
I don't want to tell him.
"I just needed some space," I say to him.
He chuckles darkly. "Yeah, I guess I understand that."
We sit in silence for a little while, just listening to the water rushing beneath us, before Eric speaks again.
"So, first fight tomorrow, huh? You ready for it?"
No, I don't think I am.
"I guess I'll find out tomorrow, won't I?"
"Yeah, I guess."
We sit there for a while longer, each of us comfortable with the absence of words, just listening to the powerful river roaring through the Chasm.
"You're really not supposed to be in here, though," Eric says with a slight smile. "There's a suicide almost every year, usually a transfer."
"If I was gonna off myself, I'd have done it a long time ago," I reply icily, pulling my sleeves down to cover my healing wrist.
"Yeah," he says, low and dark. Something about his tone suggests maybe he's considered it, himself.
"Listen," he starts again. "If your fight doesn't go so well tomorrow, I can help you out with extra training. It'll be hard, and stressful, but the offer is there if you want it. Now, come on, I'll walk you back to your dorm. We both need to get some sleep."
I begrudgingly agree. After he bids me good night, I enter the dorm to see that Chaotic, Rebel and Rowan are back asleep as well.
Good; less explaining to do.
They don't have to know anything. It was just a nightmare; they don't know it was a memory.
I lie down, and shut my eyes.
**************************
I sit with Chaotic and Rebel in the cafeteria the next morning; I guess breakfast is as quiet as it gets at Dauntless. Everybody here is a night owl. I pick at my eggs, and sip on my orange juice. I'm not really into breakfast. We finish up, and drop our trays off as make our way to the training room.
Four and Eric are already waiting there, standing in front of a sheet-covered board.
When all eight of us are there, Four steps forward.
"Alright. This board behind me is gonna tell you who you are fighting. Every fight is scored, but you won't be ranked till your next fight. This is to see your skill levels, and who to place you with tomorrow. Remember what you learned yesterday, and put it to good use, otherwise you might leave the ring with a new face."
Eric pulls the sheet down, and tosses it to the floor.
Justice VS Chaotic
Rowan VS Jax
Daniel VS Rebel
Stormy VS Pistol
Alright, well, at least I know who the other guys are now.
"Justice. Chaotic. In the ring," Eric calls out. I give Chaotic an encouraging smile as she pulls her boots off, and enters the ring. Justice is much taller than she is, but he is skinny and has no muscle, whereas Chaotic looks like she's done sit-ups, every day, since she was born.
"What are you waiting for?" Eric calls out, as Four leaves the training room, and Chaotic and Justice begin to circle each other.
The dark-haired boy doesn't know what he's doing, and I seriously doubt he paid attention yesterday. Chaotic lunges forward, and sends an uppercut to his chin, and he falls, landing on his rear. He throws his arms up to defend himself, but Chaotic kicks him in the ribs, and grabs his hair, slamming his head into the mat.
Once, twice, three times.
He's out like a light.
Eric circles Chaotic's name on the board, and call's for Rowan and Jax to fight next. I congratulate Chaotic, and we watch the rest of the fights with interest. Jax won. I was totally right; Rowan is a teddy bear. Daniel won the next fight, and then it is my turn.
"Stormy and Pistol, in the ring," Eric calls out. He is looking at me kind of funny, this morning.
Pistol isn't a big guy, but he's muscular, and well-grounded. He's got a powerful punch, and a mean kick, and from the looks of things yesterday in training, he may have had some previous knowledge of fighting. I glance over to Rebel, she's nursing a swollen cheek, and a cut on her lip. Pistol throws his hands up in front of his face. He's left his core wide open. I go to jab him in the ribs, but he grabs my arm, and throws me onto the mat. He goes to kick me, but I grab his leg and somersault over him. I punch him on his left ear, and I can tell he is disoriented, so I pull back to punch him in the nose. He saw it coming, and ducked out of the way, my fist slicing through air. He elbows the back of my neck, and throws a jab to my throat, stealing my breath, before I fall to the mat, and he kicks me in the ribs numerous times.
I feel myself slipping away, and I vaguely hear Eric calling him out. I can tell Pistol is gonna be a problem.
**************************
Eric's POV:
"Pistol, stop! She's down! She's out!" I watch in horror, as the boy repeatedly kicks Stormy's vital organs. Daniel and Rowan go to pull him off of her, and I scoop her tiny frame into my arms to take her to the infirmary. There's always one sadistic asshole in every bunch.
Stormy coughs, and slowly blinks her eyes open.
"What are you doing?" she asks, slowly.
"Taking you to the infirmary," I reply.
"I can walk," she says, with a pout. I stop, and sit her feet on the ground. She sways a bit, and then leans over and vomits. There is clearly blood in it.
"Okay," I say, scooping her up, again. "You can walk, later."
She blinks a couple more times, and then she's out again.
**************************
The doctor said she has some minor internal bleeding, but nothing too serious, and that she should be ready to fight again, tomorrow. I wait by her bed until she wakes up, and hand her a Styrofoam cup, with water in it. She takes it, sipping from it slowly.
Why am I still in here with her? I don't do this with the other initiates. I'm confusing myself, now.
I don't like to be confused.
I shake my head, attempting to clear it.
"Thanks," she says quietly. "For last night, I mean. Whether you meant to or not, you distracted me, and that's what I needed."
"Sure," I say, not really used to gratitude.
"And thanks for bringing me in here, too. I guess you're still here because you want me to accept your offer?" she asks.
My offer?
Oh, yeah.
"Uh, y- yeah. Um, so the doctor says you'll be ready to fight tomorrow-."
"Tonight."
"What?" I ask, startled a bit.
"Tonight," she says again, and shrugs her shoulders, wincing as she does so.
"Why tonight?" I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.
"I have to pass initiation." I see something in her eyes, so I don't question her anymore.
"Alright," I say, standing up to leave. "Tonight. Nine o'clock. Training room."
**************************
Stormy's POV:
So, here I am; waiting, in the training room, and it's 9:08. I guess Eric is either late, or he's changed his mind. I'm a very punctual person, always have been. I guess, maybe Eric isn't. I look up from my spot on the floor, and I see Eric walking towards me.
"Hey," he says, hesitantly.
"Hey," I say, smirking.
I like smirking.
It's a new thing for me. I feel a bit more dangerous, and sarcastic, when I smirk.
"Alright, boots off." I comply quickly, and he gestures to the ring. Eric gets straight into it, not wasting any more time. We work on my blocking, first, and then, my technique. That one was a little awkward, but it was totally my fault. Eric wanted me to twist my hips when I punch, so that I'm using my whole body. I wasn't doing it right, and he put both his hands on my hips, to show me what to do, when I slapped his hands away, and jumped back. His look was startled. I guess my embarrassment quelled that conversation starter. All in all, I made a lot of progress.
I'm lacing up my boots to head to the dorms, to shower, and get to bed, and Eric is standing few feet away. He pulls his sweat-soaked shirt over his head, and I find myself staring. His body is beautiful, that much is certain, but I gasp when I see the scar running down his chest, and over his ribs where his heart is.
He heard me.
He looks up at me, then turns around quickly, pulling a dry shirt over his head, before rushing out of the training room. I find myself wondering where he got that scar from.
After I've showered, and am in bed, all I see in my head is that scar. Something about it pains me. It feels personal; it feels intimate.
Like, he's the only one who is supposed to know that it's there.
I have nightmares again tonight, but they're not about me at all. They're about an Erudite boy who saved my life. His screaming, and anguish are all I know until morning.
I find myself in a narrow corridor. I don't like small, tight spaces, but I don’t have to worry about that long, as all of a sudden, I'm in a cavernous area. I see Eric sitting on the rail, about ten feet from me, with his feet dangling down over the Chasm, his head in his hands.
Well, this is weird.
I walk out onto the rail, and sit beside him. He looks up quickly, clearly startled by my presence.
"You're not supposed to be out here," he says thickly.
"Oh well," I say dryly, throwing my legs over the edge as well, copying him.
He looks away from me, like he's looking anywhere but at me. "So what are you doing out here at this time of night, anyway?" he asks, shortly, but not in a rude way.
I hesitate.
I don't want to tell him.
"I just needed some space," I say to him.
He chuckles darkly. "Yeah, I guess I understand that."
We sit in silence for a little while, just listening to the water rushing beneath us, before Eric speaks again.
"So, first fight tomorrow, huh? You ready for it?"
No, I don't think I am.
"I guess I'll find out tomorrow, won't I?"
"Yeah, I guess."
We sit there for a while longer, each of us comfortable with the absence of words, just listening to the powerful river roaring through the Chasm.
"You're really not supposed to be in here, though," Eric says with a slight smile. "There's a suicide almost every year, usually a transfer."
"If I was gonna off myself, I'd have done it a long time ago," I reply icily, pulling my sleeves down to cover my healing wrist.
"Yeah," he says, low and dark. Something about his tone suggests maybe he's considered it, himself.
"Listen," he starts again. "If your fight doesn't go so well tomorrow, I can help you out with extra training. It'll be hard, and stressful, but the offer is there if you want it. Now, come on, I'll walk you back to your dorm. We both need to get some sleep."
I begrudgingly agree. After he bids me good night, I enter the dorm to see that Chaotic, Rebel and Rowan are back asleep as well.
Good; less explaining to do.
They don't have to know anything. It was just a nightmare; they don't know it was a memory.
I lie down, and shut my eyes.
**************************
I sit with Chaotic and Rebel in the cafeteria the next morning; I guess breakfast is as quiet as it gets at Dauntless. Everybody here is a night owl. I pick at my eggs, and sip on my orange juice. I'm not really into breakfast. We finish up, and drop our trays off as make our way to the training room.
Four and Eric are already waiting there, standing in front of a sheet-covered board.
When all eight of us are there, Four steps forward.
"Alright. This board behind me is gonna tell you who you are fighting. Every fight is scored, but you won't be ranked till your next fight. This is to see your skill levels, and who to place you with tomorrow. Remember what you learned yesterday, and put it to good use, otherwise you might leave the ring with a new face."
Eric pulls the sheet down, and tosses it to the floor.
Justice VS Chaotic
Rowan VS Jax
Daniel VS Rebel
Stormy VS Pistol
Alright, well, at least I know who the other guys are now.
"Justice. Chaotic. In the ring," Eric calls out. I give Chaotic an encouraging smile as she pulls her boots off, and enters the ring. Justice is much taller than she is, but he is skinny and has no muscle, whereas Chaotic looks like she's done sit-ups, every day, since she was born.
"What are you waiting for?" Eric calls out, as Four leaves the training room, and Chaotic and Justice begin to circle each other.
The dark-haired boy doesn't know what he's doing, and I seriously doubt he paid attention yesterday. Chaotic lunges forward, and sends an uppercut to his chin, and he falls, landing on his rear. He throws his arms up to defend himself, but Chaotic kicks him in the ribs, and grabs his hair, slamming his head into the mat.
Once, twice, three times.
He's out like a light.
Eric circles Chaotic's name on the board, and call's for Rowan and Jax to fight next. I congratulate Chaotic, and we watch the rest of the fights with interest. Jax won. I was totally right; Rowan is a teddy bear. Daniel won the next fight, and then it is my turn.
"Stormy and Pistol, in the ring," Eric calls out. He is looking at me kind of funny, this morning.
Pistol isn't a big guy, but he's muscular, and well-grounded. He's got a powerful punch, and a mean kick, and from the looks of things yesterday in training, he may have had some previous knowledge of fighting. I glance over to Rebel, she's nursing a swollen cheek, and a cut on her lip. Pistol throws his hands up in front of his face. He's left his core wide open. I go to jab him in the ribs, but he grabs my arm, and throws me onto the mat. He goes to kick me, but I grab his leg and somersault over him. I punch him on his left ear, and I can tell he is disoriented, so I pull back to punch him in the nose. He saw it coming, and ducked out of the way, my fist slicing through air. He elbows the back of my neck, and throws a jab to my throat, stealing my breath, before I fall to the mat, and he kicks me in the ribs numerous times.
I feel myself slipping away, and I vaguely hear Eric calling him out. I can tell Pistol is gonna be a problem.
**************************
Eric's POV:
"Pistol, stop! She's down! She's out!" I watch in horror, as the boy repeatedly kicks Stormy's vital organs. Daniel and Rowan go to pull him off of her, and I scoop her tiny frame into my arms to take her to the infirmary. There's always one sadistic asshole in every bunch.
Stormy coughs, and slowly blinks her eyes open.
"What are you doing?" she asks, slowly.
"Taking you to the infirmary," I reply.
"I can walk," she says, with a pout. I stop, and sit her feet on the ground. She sways a bit, and then leans over and vomits. There is clearly blood in it.
"Okay," I say, scooping her up, again. "You can walk, later."
She blinks a couple more times, and then she's out again.
**************************
The doctor said she has some minor internal bleeding, but nothing too serious, and that she should be ready to fight again, tomorrow. I wait by her bed until she wakes up, and hand her a Styrofoam cup, with water in it. She takes it, sipping from it slowly.
Why am I still in here with her? I don't do this with the other initiates. I'm confusing myself, now.
I don't like to be confused.
I shake my head, attempting to clear it.
"Thanks," she says quietly. "For last night, I mean. Whether you meant to or not, you distracted me, and that's what I needed."
"Sure," I say, not really used to gratitude.
"And thanks for bringing me in here, too. I guess you're still here because you want me to accept your offer?" she asks.
My offer?
Oh, yeah.
"Uh, y- yeah. Um, so the doctor says you'll be ready to fight tomorrow-."
"Tonight."
"What?" I ask, startled a bit.
"Tonight," she says again, and shrugs her shoulders, wincing as she does so.
"Why tonight?" I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.
"I have to pass initiation." I see something in her eyes, so I don't question her anymore.
"Alright," I say, standing up to leave. "Tonight. Nine o'clock. Training room."
**************************
Stormy's POV:
So, here I am; waiting, in the training room, and it's 9:08. I guess Eric is either late, or he's changed his mind. I'm a very punctual person, always have been. I guess, maybe Eric isn't. I look up from my spot on the floor, and I see Eric walking towards me.
"Hey," he says, hesitantly.
"Hey," I say, smirking.
I like smirking.
It's a new thing for me. I feel a bit more dangerous, and sarcastic, when I smirk.
"Alright, boots off." I comply quickly, and he gestures to the ring. Eric gets straight into it, not wasting any more time. We work on my blocking, first, and then, my technique. That one was a little awkward, but it was totally my fault. Eric wanted me to twist my hips when I punch, so that I'm using my whole body. I wasn't doing it right, and he put both his hands on my hips, to show me what to do, when I slapped his hands away, and jumped back. His look was startled. I guess my embarrassment quelled that conversation starter. All in all, I made a lot of progress.
I'm lacing up my boots to head to the dorms, to shower, and get to bed, and Eric is standing few feet away. He pulls his sweat-soaked shirt over his head, and I find myself staring. His body is beautiful, that much is certain, but I gasp when I see the scar running down his chest, and over his ribs where his heart is.
He heard me.
He looks up at me, then turns around quickly, pulling a dry shirt over his head, before rushing out of the training room. I find myself wondering where he got that scar from.
After I've showered, and am in bed, all I see in my head is that scar. Something about it pains me. It feels personal; it feels intimate.
Like, he's the only one who is supposed to know that it's there.
I have nightmares again tonight, but they're not about me at all. They're about an Erudite boy who saved my life. His screaming, and anguish are all I know until morning.
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