Radio Active

Section 3

"Whoa! Nadine who knew you where such a babe!"

"JACKSON! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!!" I scream at him trying to cover my naked body with my hands.

"What's happening in here!?" I hear Hugh's voice come from around the corner,

"NO HUGH!" I shout but it's too late.

"OH WOWSAS!" Hugh says loudly covering his eyes with his hands, Jackson laughs tears streaming down his face. I slam the door shut and quickly put some dry clothes on, which consists of a black top and some light black jeans it was the only stuff I had in my locker. I can't believe what just happened! I'm gonna kill Jackson! I pick up my wet clothes and put them into the tumble dryer, I'll have to come back for them later.

I leave the changing cubicle to be met with a sniggering Jackson, I scowl at him and walk towards the stairs past the shower room. "Hey what's wrong with you?" He asks me,

"WHAT!? WHATS WRONG WITH ME!? ILL TELL YOU WHA....." He cuts me off,

"Inside voices Nadine please." I take a deep breath and start my sentence again.

"I'll tell you what's wrong with me, you have just saw me naked while I was changing and to make matters worse Hugh! My boss! Saw me naked too! You know I'm a socially awkward person!" I walk towards the door that leads to the stairs once I've finished my sentence, I hear Jackson's quick footsteps behind me.

"It's not that bad man!" He nudges me in my side and I push him away.

"To you it's not!"

We don't talk to each other after that, we just walk in silence up the stairs and then through the two corridors to the cafeteria. Just as I'm about to walk through the stone arch I stop, I've just remembered the initiates have came today.

"Hey, you alright?" Jackson says to me his voice soft.

"Um yeah I.... I guess." I say back quietly.

"Well come on then" Jackson beckons for me to follow him and I do. What happens if Penny has transferred what will she do? How will she be? Does she still hate me? Blame me for my mothers death? No. Eric said he would come and tell me if she transferred and he didn't, so she mustn't of. Or maybe he didn't know what she looked like and she has transferred and he didn't know it was her.

We pass the table with Tash on and I immediately go and sit next to her, leaving Jackson to get some food by himself. I want to look around but I don't, I don't want to see her but I've got too I can't keep acting like this. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn to see who it is, it's Tash a warm, concerned smile on her face. "Are you alright?" She asks,

"Yeah I'm fine." I say back as confidently as possible.

"Stop lying to me Nadine. Tell me what's wrong?" Her voice is stern, she always knows when I'm lying. Just as I'm about to answer Jackson comes onto the table a pepperoni pizza on his plate and two bottles of water. "Why two bottles?" Tash asks him, he smiles.

"Well when I noticed that my companion was no longer by my side or in the queue so I decided to get her some water and she can share some of my pizza aswell." He gives me an amazing toothy smile and passes me a bottle of water, I've thought it before but Jackson is extremely good looking I can't believe he hasn't got a girlfriend!

"Take the pizza when you wish beautiful virgin olive oil." Jackson says a smirk playing on his lips, I scowl at. That nickname annoys the hell out of me.

"Shut up! And thanks it's much appreciated." I smile at him and take a small slice of pizza from his plate and take a bite from it. It makes me feel a little better but I still feel ill but at least I know I have a friend like Jackson even though he saw me naked earlier today.

"Oi missy! Don't think you've got away with answering my question!" Great, I thought she had forgot about that.

"What question?" I screw up my face as Jackson asks that question, bits of pizza spit out from his mouth. Okay he is good looking but we really need to teach him some table manners.

"What's wrong with her. Well come on we don't have all day!" Tasha says pushing me.

"It's only lunch! And it's just that my sister may have transferred today and I just don't know what she will be like with me." I say to her taking another bite of my pizza.

"Why? She's your sister you'll be the best of friends!" Tash says reassuring me but it didn't work she doesn't understand, none of them do I haven't told any of them about my past and I don't intend too.

I watch as Eric walks through one of the doors and walks to one of the tables towards the right of the hall, I follow him and see that he goes and talks to Four which is strange but, what do I know? I look over to Four and see a group of young looking people sitting around him. The transfers. I know their not Dauntless as I would recognise a few but I don't, I scan their faces and my heart stops for a second. I see a girl with short black, curley hair a hard look on her face while she listens to a convocation. Penny. My chest tightens and my head begins to do swirls things suddenly begin not to make sense, everything seems to go into slow motion.

The dining hall begins to get too loud I put my hands on each side of temples trying to massage my head, I try to concentrate on something else but I cant. I'm totally over reacting it's not this bad there's no need for me to react like this but ever since the day of my farther's death things changed.

When ever I get overwhelmed this is how I react and I hate it, I need to leave I need to go somewhere quieter. I get up ignoring what Jackson and Tash say and I just head for the Chasm to try and calm myself down, but I decide against the idea. I walk around the compound and sit in one of the darker corridors and pull my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and place my head on top of my knees and try to calm myself down.

******

Once I have calmed down I walk around the compound a little not daring to go into the cafeteria even though they're probably in the training room or getting a tour of the compound. I hear footsteps behind me and I turn to see who it is, I see a tall, dark man in his late 30s come towards me. Hugh. I smile at his presence as I like Hugh he was so nice to me when I first met him, he's just a nice guy in general but I feel like it's gonna be awkward between us as of this morning events. "Hey Nadine, can I have a quick word?" He walks closer to me a smile on his face but then his smile falters, "Are you alright?" He asks concerned.

"Yeah just got a bit overwhelmed that's all." I give him a quick smile which he sends back, Hugh is taller than me, much taller, he's about 6'4 whereas I'm about 5'5 not the tallest.

"Ah well, I've been told that Jeanine is coming to weapons bay some time to see about some blue prints about a control chip or something and I haven't done anything about it but I know your good at that stuff as is Jackson, so I was wondering if you two would try and work something out please. You can start it tomorrow if your still overwhelmed, I don't mind."

"It's fine Hugh I'll do it, it'll be good to get stuff off my mind. Is there a specification of what needs to be made so I can make the best product for Miss Nose?" Hugh laughs at my comment and so do I, Jeanine really annoys me and I hardly know the woman.

"Yeah it's on my desk so just go to my office." He puts his hand on my shoulder, "Thanks Nadine and if you need someone to talk to you know who." He gives me a toothy smile which make two little dimples on his face.

"Thanks Hugh." He squeezes my shoulder and walks down the corridor quickly.

Best go find Jackson.