the heartless [e.c]

13 | silver flask

MY TIME IN my fear landscape went down by three minutes , which Four said was a fast improvement. He gave me an awkward pat on the back as he sent me on my way. I exited the room feeling confused , but good. Maybe if I could get my time down I'd be able to remain in the top five.

The door we exit from isn't the same one we use to enter the room. This ensures that you're alone after leaving the simulation room , but I wasn't alone. I could see the figure a few feet ahead of me and although I try to walk faster to avoid them , it doesn't work.

"Are you avoiding me ?" Eric walks after me. It doesn't take but a few strides for him to be by my side. When I don't answer him , he stops in my path to block me from going any further.

"Stevie ," he says slowly and before he can continue I cut him off. "I'm not avoiding you , why would you think that ?"

He frowns. "Maybe because you ditched me at the tattoo parlor without an explanation. You didn't show up for breakfast. Even now you won't look me in the eyes."

I move my eyes to his. "I didn't realize not having an appetite automatically equals avoiding you."

I stay long enough to see his reaction , which was mostly confusion , then begin to walk away. But Eric continues to follow me. Even into the Pit.

"You didn't answer my question ," he continues.

"Which was ?"

"You ditched - ," he sounds out of breath. "You ditched me at the tattoo parlor last night."

I frown. "That's not a question."

"My question is why ?" he says. "Can you slow down for a second , I can't -"

I immediately stop. "I just think that I need to focus on initiation for now on ," I say. "So if you'll excuse me."

I walked away without seeing his reaction this time. I was scared that if I did , I would've stayed.

•

"Are you okay ?" It was dinner time and Harmony was telling me some kind of story , only just now realizing I wasn't listening.

I nod , "I'm fine. Just a little tired."

She nods , "Too tired to have that private conversation ?"

"In the middle of the cafeteria ?" I ask. "There is literally nothing private about this place."

"I know , but it won't take long." She says , "I only have one question."

I nod , giving her to okay as I fill my spoon with peas. They're in my mouth as she asks the question , then spat back out as she finishes. "Are you seriously asking me this ?"

"I saw you two at the tattoo parlor , and walking together in the Pit today." I begin to shake my head as she continues. "You have to be honest , Stevie. You promised."

"No ," I say. "There's nothing going on between Eric and I."

There's a twinge of pain in my gut , because it was true ... and I didn't want it to be.

"Okay. Good ," she says. "Because Eric is absolutely terrifying and you could do so much better."

"You don't know -"

I'm interrupted by a Dauntless boy coming over to our table. "A group of Dauntless are going out to play a game. You guys coming ?"

He's staring at me and I'm about to decline when Harmony kicks my ankle under the table. "Sure ," I say while sending her daggers. "What's the game called ?

A massive grin spreads across his face. "The game is dare."

•

"The game is simple ," the boy from before , Ambrose , says. "The first person picks someone and dares them to do something. They take a drink , does the dare , and gets a chance to dare someone else to do something."

He's hanging out of the train cart , only holding on with one hand. There's a silver flask in the other. He does this without care that we're two stories above the ground , like he wouldn't break his neck if he fell out.

"And when everyone has done their dare , or died trying , we get a little drunk and go home."

Harmony and I aren't the only initiates on the train , Ashley and Oliver sat across us , whispering and glancing our way. I stare back at them , giving them the finger with a sarcastic smile on my face. Ashley gasps while Oliver rolls his eyes.

"Why'd you do that ?" Harmony whispers beside me.

I shrug. "I'm tired of letting those two get to me. So fuck them."

She nods , "Yeah. Fuck them."

As soon as she says the words her hands clasp over her mouth and she mutters a quiet apology. I laugh , looking behind her to see Eric's blue eyes already on me.

•

We jumped off the train close to the Erudite headquarters. A few dares go around. Oliver is dared to climb the tallest tree we could find , which is what we were doing now ; searching. I wasn't focused too much on doing so though.

Eric once again was the only thing on my mind.

"Why do you think he would come ? A leader shouldn't be encouraging us drinking , right ?" I ask Harmony.

She looks annoyed , "Why do you care so much ?"

"I don't ," I shrug. "I'm just curious is all."

"Sure ," she says. "You have fun being curious , I'm going to go mingle."

Harmony begins to walk towards Ambrose and the two engage in a flirty conversation. "Fine ," I say to no one. "I'll just walk by myself then."

We play the game for a few more hours and everyone except for a select few had completed a dare. In just one night I had seen naked bodies running through the woods and the consumption of strange little bugs under rocks.

I was one of those few who didn't receive a dare. I was fine with. I didn't feel like eating strange things or exposing my body.

The walk back to the train was long and boring without Harmony. She was too busy spending time with Ambrose , who slowly became more touchy during the night. He had her hand on her waist as they walked. She seemed happy , so I didn't intervene. But I was definitely keeping an eye on the two.

Eric walked ahead of me. The whole night he managed to go without a dare too. We didn't talk at all , just eyeing each other from time to time. The blonde from the tattoo shop was there too. She was all over him. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous , because I was.

But why ? Eric and I didn't have anything special. Maybe Four was right.

"I've seen you staring at him all night ," The voice of Ashley is right next to me. "You know I was just kidding whenever I told everyone you two were fucking but maybe my little white lies weren't lies at all."

"What do you want ?" I ask.

She laughs. "I don't want anything little sister. Except to let you know that visiting day is tomorrow and you're a complete failure. In training , in being a daughter , even in your love life."

"May I remind you that I'm one spot ahead of you ," I tell her with my jaw clenched.

"For now ," she says. We both stop walking and she brings her voice down to a whisper. "But I'll be able to knock you down in no time."

Ashley skips ahead of me , drawing the attention of Eric from up ahead. He stops for a moment , taking a flask from the inside of his jacket and throwing it towards me.

I catch it , and without hesitation bring the cold metal to my lips.

•

WORD COUNT : 1280