Knowledge Pt.8

Knowledge pt.8

check here for the other parts!

Summary:

The story begins the same for everyone, on the day of the ceremony, one of the most important for all the kids who take part in it every year, and Michelle will not miss the opportunity to leave behind a faction that she did not feel belonged to her.

On her journey, however, she will encounter someone who will make her initiation feel like hell.

Pairing: Eric Coulter x reader

Word Count: 5.5k

As usual, Michelle didn't sleep that night, but it wasn't for training this time. She spent most of the night on a rooftop she had discovered while exploring the faction, relishing the peace it brought.

She felt anxious, almost scared at the thought of seeing her mother—if she showed up at all.

She stared at the horizon before her, occasionally scribbling in her notebook. Many found their city depressing and grotesque, with its various buildings and areas destroyed by the war years ago. For Michelle, though, they served as inspiration for her drawings.

However, her intricate designs began to take on a different tone from those she created in her old faction. They seemed to grow darker, more complex, and detailed as the days went by. Initially, she thought it was just a coincidence until she realized it was her state of mind, a reflection of the new reality she found herself in.

Dawn arrived sooner than she would have liked, and she reluctantly got up from the rooftop, heading toward the base's entrance. She stopped when she heard a faint mechanical noise, turning abruptly to locate the source.

She looked around, confused, until her eyes settled on a camera a few meters away. She approached it, swearing she had seen that camera pointing towards the end of the rooftop, not towards the door.

"What are you up to?" she muttered, peering closely at the device. 

The camera swiveled slightly, its lens focusing directly on her. Michelle's heart raced. She had always been cautious, but this felt different—like she was being watched, scrutinized. She stepped back, trying to think clearly. 

Was it a security measure? Or was someone spying on her?

She shook off the uneasy feeling and made her way to the entrance. She had a long day ahead, and dwelling on the camera would only distract her from her tasks. But as she walked away, the sense of being observed lingered, a shadow that would follow her throughout the day.

She raised an eyebrow, unaware of who was behind the camera, and continued on her way inside the faction.

When she reached the mess hall, she was surprised to see most of her companions already having breakfast, an air of lightness and cheerfulness among them. She took her usual seat next to Sunny, who was eating toast and chatting with Max and Tina, both of whom were also in high spirits.

“There you are! I was looking for you earlier. You weren’t in the dormitory or the gym. Where on earth did you go?” Sunny asked, sipping from the mug she held in her hand. “Ready? For the visits? Maybe you can introduce me to your parents! My mom would be thrilled to meet you.”

“I’m not going,” Michelle replied. Sunny's mouth fell open, confused.

“What do you mean you’re not coming? Your parents will be there!” Tina exclaimed, receiving a bored look from Michelle. “You don’t want them to come all this way for nothing, do you?”

Michelle shrugged, lowering her head and starting to poke at a piece of bread with jam, trying to buy some time. A thousand thoughts crowded her mind—the idea that her mother would actually come to the visits seemed highly unlikely.

But if she did come, what would she say? What would she do?

During breakfast, she withdrew into her thoughts, considering all the possible scenarios, until she felt a gaze piercing into the back of her head. She looked up, scanning the cafeteria for anyone who might be staring at her so intently.

“Why is Eric looking at you like he wants to kill you?” Michelle snapped her head towards Tina, who was looking behind her.

“Yeah, what did you do?” Max added, also observing the young leader.

Michelle turned slowly to see Eric's cold, calculating eyes fixed on her. His expression was unreadable, but there was a clear intensity that unsettled her. She forced herself to meet his gaze, trying not to show any sign of discomfort.

"I don't know," she muttered, breaking eye contact and turning back to her friends. "Maybe he's just in a bad mood."

"Or maybe," Max said, lowering his voice, "he knows something we don't."

"Like what?" Sunny asked, leaning in closer.

Michelle shook her head, trying to dismiss the growing tension. "I don't know. But whatever it is, I’ll deal with it later."

The rest of breakfast passed in relative silence, the cheerful atmosphere now tinged with an underlying tension. Michelle's mind raced with questions and uncertainties, the unease from the rooftop camera still lingering. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was brewing, something that would soon force her to confront more than just the possibility of seeing her mother.

Michelle slowly turned to see where the two were looking, and, of course, it was Eric. He watched her intensely, not so much aggressively, but more...curiously?

Sunny scoffed, "Ignore him. He's making our initiation a nightmare. I don't know what you did to piss him off, but I'd be careful."

Michelle nodded slowly, maintaining eye contact with the blonde until Lauren distracted him with an elbow to the ribs before standing up and silently leaving the cafeteria.

"I didn't do anything..." Michelle whispered.

"You must have done something. I don't think he's such a jerk to target you for no reason."

"Max, have you seen him?!" Tina exclaimed. "He's a total asshole. He's probably pissed because she climbed the ranks so quickly."

Max furrowed his brow, looking confused. "But shouldn't he be happy about that? I mean, the better people are, the better it is for the faction, right? Not that she's anything special."

Michelle looked at him, feeling a bit offended, and Max quickly corrected himself. "No offense, but there are people with way more talent than you, and yet he doesn't torment them constantly. You even helped him win capture the flag!"

"Ugh! Shut up, Max, you're not helping," Sunny snapped, standing up from the table. "Michelle, are you coming? Our parents should be arriving soon."

Reluctantly, Michelle stood up, ignoring the knot in her stomach as she walked toward the Pit; the chatter and laughter of her companions filled her ears. She distanced herself from the crowd, finding a more isolated, quieter spot.

Within minutes, the Dauntless faction was filled with exclamations, laughter, and chatter, even some tears. Michelle broke away from Sunny, leaving her to search for her parents among the crowd. Various colors invaded the monotony of the faction, like a splash of paint on a black canvas.

Michelle's eyes scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face. Despite her earlier resolve to avoid this meeting, a small part of her hoped to see her mother. The anticipation gnawed at her, mixing with fear and anxiety.

As the crowd continued to bustle, she found a quiet corner to sit and observe, her sketchbook in hand. She doodled absentmindedly, her mind swirling with thoughts of what she would say if her mother did appear. Would she be angry? Sad? Relieved?

Michelle watched as the families reunited, hugging each other as if they hadn't seen each other in centuries. A pang hit her heart; a false hope formed inside her when she spotted a man in the crowd dressed in black and white, with wavy hair and the posture of someone who knew he held power.

She pushed herself off the wall she had been leaning against, vainly hoping that the man was her father. However, that hope was crushed when one of her initiation companions embraced him.

She felt foolish for believing that her father, who had disappeared years ago, would miraculously return just to see her. She still hadn't come to terms with his absence, unable to accept her mother's words, assuming he had probably ended up in some building in another part of the city, killed by the factionless.

Michelle clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she bit her tongue against the irritation building inside her. The Pit, despite its immense size, began to feel claustrophobic, as if all the air inside had been selfishly stolen by the happy families who continued to laugh and chat.

Her ears felt like they might bleed.

At that moment, she decided that this was not the place for her. She gave up on the idea of searching for her mother in the crowd because, deep down, she knew the woman would never set foot in the Dauntless faction, let alone come to see her of all people.

Unnoticed, Michelle slipped out of the Pit, heading towards the gym she now knew like the back of her hand. In no time, she found herself bare-handed, her jacket discarded a few meters away on the floor, standing in front of a punching bag.

She was overwhelmed with a multitude of emotions, something she wasn't used to. Was it sadness? Anger? Disappointment?

Resignation?

Michelle took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Her fists itched to hit something, to release the pent-up frustration inside her. She approached the punching bag and started to throw punches, each hit harder than the last.

With every punch, she tried to channel her emotions—sadness for her father, anger at her mother, and disappointment in herself for still hoping against hope. The rhythmic thumping of her fists against the bag became a cathartic release, a way to express everything she couldn't put into words.

Tears of frustration mixed with sweat as she continued her assault on the bag. Her thoughts swirled in chaos, each punch a desperate attempt to make sense of her feelings. She punched until her knuckles were sore, her breath coming in ragged gasps, but she couldn't stop. It was the only way she knew how to cope.

In that moment of raw emotion, Michelle felt a strange sense of clarity. She might not have her family here, and she might never find the answers she sought, but she had herself. She had her strength, her resilience, and her determination.

And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.

As she slowed down, her punches becoming weaker, she leaned against the bag, trying to catch her breath. The gym was silent except for her labored breathing and the faint echo of her punches. She wiped her face with her sleeve, the sting of tears and sweat mixing together.

Michelle took another deep breath and started again. She let out her frustration, even if it was just for a moment.

“What are you doing here, rookie?” Eric’s cold voice echoed through the gym, freezing Michelle in place before she could continue her workout.

“What does it look like?” she retorted quickly, her fists pounding the heavy bag with increasing force. She imagined her mother’s face as the target, the hate she felt for that woman growing stronger each day. Every thought of her mother brought a new reason to despise her.

Despite the anger fueling her, Michelle stayed alert, now aware that she wasn’t alone. The young leader seemed to have singled her out from everyone else. She heard his footsteps approaching cautiously, his boots echoing in the gym alongside the thuds of her punches.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him stop beside her. Realizing the potential trouble she could be in for speaking out of turn to Eric, she decided to remain silent and avoid looking at him. She was aware that her current mood was not suitable for a confrontation.

Eric’s stance grew more rigid. “Oh,” he huffed provocatively, “so now we’re playing the silent game, rookie?”

Michelle finally stopped when Eric blocked the heavy bag with his arm, his piercing blue eyes fixed intently on her. A faint blush crept across her face, and she lowered her gaze, hoping he would leave her alone.

“Hm?” Eric persisted, having clearly caught her full attention. “What’s wrong? Has that little mouth of yours finally run out of things to say, or was it never capable of speaking up?”

Michelle lifted her gaze to meet his eyes, her anger still palpable. “Why do you think I switched factions?”

Eric looked almost surprised to hear her voice and grinned mischievously. “Ah, here we go. The rookie finally speaks. Was it so hard to answer your leader? Or was that too much to ask?”

He shook his head, a satisfied sound escaping him as he finally released the bag and placed his hands behind his back. Michelle, tired of the game Eric seemed to relish, moved toward where she had dropped her jacket. When she reached for it, Eric’s hand intervened, grabbing the jacket and tossing it aside, toward the door.

She turned to face him, her brows furrowed in confusion. “You wanted to train? Fine, then train with me. Let’s go.”

Eric removed his jacket, tossing it near where Michelle’s had landed, and then kicked off his boots, gesturing for her to do the same. Hesitant and confused, Michelle complied, wondering why, all of a sudden, Eric wanted to spar with her. Was this his chance to take her out? Was his hatred for her really that intense?

She followed him onto the mat, quickly assuming a defensive stance. “Take off your hoodie,” he ordered, and she complied, letting the black hoodie fall next to the mat.

Before the hoodie even touched the ground, Eric lunged at Michelle, throwing a right hook that she narrowly dodged. She knew Eric played dirty, but she was determined to play even dirtier.

Michelle responded immediately with a direct punch to the solar plexus, but Eric, with his superior experience, grabbed her wrist, twisting it and pulling her into his chest. He wrapped an arm around her neck, immobilizing her.

“You’re fast, but not fast enough,” he whispered into her ear, his voice strained from the effort of holding her in place. Michelle began to feel the air slipping away, her vision dimming. In a desperate move, she drove her head back with all her strength, striking Eric directly in the nose.

The blow wasn’t enough to cause serious damage, but it was enough to make Eric’s nose bleed and free her from his hold. Michelle wasted no time and went back on the offensive, landing punch after punch. Eric tried to regain control, but she had memorized the slight twitch he made before attacking.

They fought relentlessly for what felt like an eternity until Michelle managed to knock him down with a strike to his legs. However, Eric grabbed her and pulled her down with him.

The situation flipped as Eric ended up on top of her, his grip tightening around her throat and slowly choking her. Terror gripped Michelle as she realized her initial suspicion wasn't far off the mark.

She fought desperately to reverse the situation, but Eric was significantly larger and stronger. As the black spots began to cloud her vision, she repeatedly struck Eric's arm, praying he would relent. To her immense relief, the young leader finally loosened his grip on her neck.

Michelle scrambled away, propping herself up on her elbows and coughing violently. She stayed in that position for a few seconds, catching her breath, until she felt Eric rise and watch her. “Do you surrender?” he challenged, his tone taunting.

She shook her head, resolute not to give in. She heard his footsteps muffled by the mat as he approached; Eric was trying to catch her off guard while she was still on the ground. As he grabbed her hair to resume the fight, Michelle swiftly pulled a small dagger hidden in the lining of her pants.

With a quick, decisive motion, she shoved Eric’s arm aside and lunged at him, determined to use every means at her disposal to win. Gripping the cold metal of the dagger firmly in her sweaty hand, Michelle prepared herself to confront Eric, ready to turn the fight in her favor.

With a quick and precise motion, Michelle aimed the dagger at the exposed flank of her opponent. But Eric, reacting instinctively, blocked her arm halfway. A moment of stalemate followed as the two faced each other, breathing heavily in the charged atmosphere.

Eric’s eyes burned with fury, but there was also a glimmer of admiration for her resolve. Michelle, on her part, showed no hesitation; her eyes were ablaze with fierce determination.

With supreme effort, Michelle managed to free the dagger from Eric’s grasp and pressed on with her assault. This time, she aimed directly at his chest. Eric, skilled in close combat, managed to deflect the blow with his arm, leaving a shallow cut along his forearm.

The fight raged on, both combatants giving their all. Every move was calculated and brutal. Eric tried to regain control, attempting to overpower Michelle with his superior strength, but she refused to give an inch. Every attack was met with ferocity, every hold countered with determination.

In a moment of distraction, Eric failed to block Michelle’s next move. She repeated the same maneuver he had used earlier, forcing him against her chest and pressing the dagger’s blade against his throat.

Eric froze in place. “Not fast enough?” she whispered in his ear, releasing her grip soon after, panting heavily, and stepping off the mat, signaling that the sparring session was over.

“Playing dirty, initiate?” Eric asked in a serious tone, though Michelle could sense a hint of amusement in his voice. She shrugged, turning her back on him, and bent down to grab a water bottle from one of the benches.

She tossed him a bottle, which he caught and drank from as if he were parched.

Michelle returned to the mat, sitting down and continuing to sip from her own bottle, ignoring the sharp gaze Eric fixed on her. “I have to admit, you surprised me, initiate.”

“I have a name,” Michelle responded tersely, noting that since joining the faction, Eric had yet to use her name.

Eric chuckled bitterly, surprisingly sitting down next to her. “I’ll call you whatever I please, initiate,” he emphasized the last word, a bit disappointed by her lack of reaction. Clearing his throat, he tossed the empty water bottle a few feet away. “You didn’t answer the question I asked.”

Michelle turned towards him, raising an eyebrow. “What are you doing here, initiate? Shouldn’t you be with your parents, pretending to be the picture-perfect family, ignoring the fact that you might never see them again?”

She turned her gaze back to the empty space in front of her, biting her tongue, her thoughts seething with frustration. Eric’s presence was a stark reminder of why she was here and not back in the Pit with the others.

“I don’t have anyone,” she said bitterly, catching out of the corner of her eye that Eric was still staring at her, waiting—or rather, demanding—a response.

Eric said nothing, choosing instead to observe something he had never noticed before: a tattoo peeking out from the tank top she was wearing.

The intricate design covered almost her entire back, and Eric frowned, puzzled by the fact that he had never seen this tattoo in the shop, nor this style. “Interesting tattoo,” he remarked apathetically. Michelle turned toward him, finally granting him her full attention, and saw him leaning slightly back, propped up on one arm as he studied her back.

Inside, she felt a flicker of pride and decided to take a perhaps foolish, risky move. She knelt and turned her back fully to him, lifting her tank top and bra with her hands to reveal the entire design.

She couldn’t see his reaction, nor his expression to gauge his opinion on whether he liked it or not. “Is there a new tattoo artist? I’ve never seen this style before.”

Michelle felt a pang of disappointment as she heard his apathetic tone, as if she had just asked about the most boring topic in the world. She felt a surge of embarrassment, thinking she had misjudged the nature of his initial question.

She adjusted her clothes, rising from the mat as quickly as possible, chastising herself for the second time that day for hoping she had finally received a compliment from him.

She didn’t understand why she continued to cling to the hope that someday the young leader might find some sympathy for her. It was a false hope, and she should have done what everyone had advised from the beginning: ignore him.

Gathering her belongings, she left the gym, too lost in her thoughts to notice that Eric followed her until he grabbed her by the shoulder and slammed her against the cold wall of the corridor.

Eric’s gaze was furious. “I don’t know who you think you are, but don’t bring me this disrespect, especially after not punishing you for all the crap you’ve pulled. So either you cut out this superior attitude, or I’ll personally see to it that you’re thrown off the edge.” Michelle stared at him, biting her tongue to keep fear from overcoming her. “Do you understand?”

She nodded slowly, sighing in relief when he finally released her shoulder, which would likely bruise with the imprint of his fingers. She watched him storm down the corridor, turning back toward the Pit, and Michelle hurried back to her quarters, not in the mood to encounter anyone on her path.

Unbeknownst to her, however, Eric didn’t head to the Pit. Instead, he made his way to the tattoo shop, where, upon entering, he was greeted enthusiastically by Tyson. “Eric, getting a new tattoo?”

“Not exactly. Who did the tattoo on the back of the new initiate?” Eric asked, glancing around the shop, searching for any tattoos that might resemble the one he had seen a few minutes ago.

Tyson chuckled, leaning on the counter with his elbows. “Well, my friend, I think I’ve done at least one tattoo for every new recruit who’s come through here this year. But I believe I know who you’re talking about. Michelle, I assume?”

“Exactly,” Eric replied nonchalantly, and Tyson smiled.

“I did the tattoo,” Tyson said, and Eric’s expression grew serious. “How come I don’t see this new style of yours on any of these walls? Did she have to do you a favor to get something done by you?”

Tyson burst into a rough laugh, shaking his head. Eric didn’t appreciate the humor. “No, Eric. The reason you don’t see one of my new ‘masterpieces’”—he made air quotes with his fingers—“is quite simple. Yes, I did the tattoo, but the design isn’t mine.”

“I don’t have time for these guessing games, Tyson,” Eric replied, frustrated. Tyson, sensing Eric’s mood, restrained his amusement and looked at him calmly.

“She designed it herself,” Tyson said. Seeing Eric raise his eyebrows, he nodded. “She came in and asked if it was possible to do a tattoo if she provided a specific design. Of course, we said yes. That’s why it’s not on display; she designed it herself. The girl’s got talent. I have to admit, I hope she’ll come work here... we could use some innovation.”

Eric nodded and left the tattoo shop, giving a brief nod to Tyson behind the counter. He went back to his own affairs, though inside he didn’t want to admit that he wanted a tattoo as cool as the one Michelle had. Especially since he’d have to ask her directly for a favor.

A month had passed since the beginning of the initiation, and as the first module came to an end, Michelle had managed to secure third place in the rankings, savoring the satisfaction of having improved day by day.

She ignored the gnawing emptiness in her stomach that had formed after her last interaction with Eric over a week ago and concluded that she must be a masochist for continuing to seek the young leader's attention amidst the crowd, fully aware that each encounter ended with her being hurt physically or emotionally.

In the end, she couldn't let it bother her too much; she needed to focus on climbing even higher in the rankings to prove to everyone that she was better than they were. It was a personal satisfaction that grew each day with every fight she won and every compliment Four gave her.

That day, everyone gathered in the massive gym, forming a semi-circle with Four in front of them and Eric standing a meter away, casually flicking a throwing knife between his fingers as if it were a feather.

“Today marks the end of the first module, and anyone below the red line will be eliminated tonight. So, I suggest you spend these last hours with the friends you won’t be seeing again,” he said, surveying the reduced group of initiates. “The second module, as mentioned, will be mental and likely the most exhausting, so take advantage of these days off to rest. We’ll see you again on Monday.”

Michelle heard someone sobbing behind her but remained still, staring at the ranking list pinned to the wall instead of following her peers out of the gym. She felt an embrace from the side and immediately recognized Sunny’s familiar scent, wrapping her arm around her friend’s waist in return.

Sunny’s excitement was palpable, and Michelle couldn’t help but grin. “We did it!” Sunny exclaimed, hugging her tightly. Michelle rested her head on Sunny’s shoulder, soaking up the positive energy radiating from her friend.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t celebrate so soon,” a voice that was all too familiar made Michelle spin around sharply, coming face-to-face with Eric’s sadistic smirk. “The next module is just as tough, if not tougher. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of you”—he looked at Sunny—“not make it.”

Michelle stepped away from Sunny and placed a hand on her shoulder, guiding her out of the gym in an attempt to shield her from Eric’s discouraging words.

“What an asshole,” Sunny muttered once they were out of earshot of the gym. “I’ll make it! Come on, I’m in seventh place!”

Michelle glanced at her friend and said simply, “Ignore him,” as they continued toward the Pit, where their fellow initiates and another group had gathered to discuss something.

“…tonight, at nine,” Michelle overheard someone say. As they reached the group, Tina approached them, grabbing both their wrists and leading them toward the clothing stores on the other side of the Pit.

“What are you doing?” Sunny asked, pulling away from Tina’s grip. Michelle followed suit. Tina looked at them as if they had just said the most ridiculous thing ever.

“We absolutely need to go buy something! Haven’t you heard?” Tina insisted.

Sunny huffed, “No, we just got here. Maybe if you’d let us stay where we were, we’d know what’s going on.”

Tina rolled her eyes. “There’s a surprise event tonight, and we need to be prepared. You know how it is—Dauntless here love to throw curveballs.” She grabbed their arms again, this time with a firmer grip. “Come on, you don’t want to be caught off guard.”

Michelle and Sunny exchanged glances, then followed Tina, making their way to the stores. 

Tina waved her hand dismissively. “Tonight’s a party to celebrate the initiates who made it through the first phase of the module, and we need to celebrate, girls!” she exclaimed, starting to dance without music or rhythm.

The two friends exchanged skeptical glances, but Sunny decided to join Tina, eager at the prospect of attending a real party rather than just going out for drinks with friends.

Michelle, however, wasn’t as enthusiastic as the two girls who eagerly moved toward the stores a few meters ahead, already discussing what they might wear to make a good impression.

She followed them quietly, pulling her jacket tighter around herself to shield against the biting wind that swept through the faction that day. The chill gave her goosebumps, and she sighed in relief as they entered one of the stores, finally escaping the cold.

“Come on, Michelle! Let’s go!” Sunny grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her toward the back of the store where various party dresses, skirts, and outfits were displayed, mostly in colors like black, gray, and red. “This one’s amazing!”

Michelle looked at the dress Sunny had picked off a hanger, a simple black, form-fitting dress that reached the ankles. She regarded it absentmindedly, nodding at the idea of seeing her friend wear it, which elicited a sarcastic huff from Sunny.

“We’re not torturing you, you know. It would be nice to see you dressed up for once, with a nice dress and some makeup to highlight your features,” Tina commented as she joined them with a couple of dresses in hand. “And who knows, we might finally find you someone.”

Michelle raised an eyebrow, looking at Tina with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. “Find me someone? Like who?” 

“Come on, it’s just a party,” Tina said, shrugging. “Besides, it's not every day you get a chance to dress up and have fun. You never know who you might meet.”

Michelle rolled her eyes at Tina's persistence, trying to escape the pressure to conform to the social norms of the event. She didn’t understand why it was so important to put so much emphasis on something like this. She loathed the attention, even though in the quiet corners of her mind, her thoughts often revolved around someone.

"Sunny only has eyes for Four, and I’ve got my eye on someone too. You’re the only one missing out!" Tina pressed on, ignoring Michelle’s clear signals of discomfort. "Isn’t there anyone you’re interested in?"

"No," Michelle replied, attempting to shut down the conversation.

Tina stopped and gave her a serious look. "I don’t believe you for a second. I mean, there are so many guys and girls around. How is it possible that no one interests you? I saw you talking to that tattooed guy—older than us?"

Michelle sighed, frustrated by Tina’s relentless curiosity. Grabbing a few items at random from the racks, she retreated into a changing room, finally free from Tina’s incessant chatter. Inside, she looked at the clothes she had picked out and wondered if trying something new might not be so bad.

One of the items was a dress similar to Sunny’s but shorter and with a cut that made her feel like a sausage. She tossed it aside and decided to try on the sleeveless, form-fitting turtleneck and pants. As she looked at herself in the mirror, a hollow feeling gripped her stomach, stirring up memories she wished she could forget.

Struggling to remove the pants, which reminded her too much of the Candor style, she accidentally bumped into the changing room wall with her elbow. She heard Sunny’s concerned voice on the other side. 

“Everything okay?”

“Yes,” Michelle snapped, her frustration mounting as Sunny continued to knock on the door. “Why are you in your underwear?”

Sunny looked her up and down with an almost disgusted expression. “And you thought you could wear those to a party?! You really don’t know how to dress, do you?” She took the pants from Michelle's hand and disappeared into the store, returning shortly after with five different skirts. “Now try these on and come out so I can see how they look! It’s so nice to do something normal for once.”

Michelle tried on the first skirt. “Hmm, not convinced. Turn around? No, it makes your butt look flat. Ew.”

Then the second one. “Cute, but it’s too formal and long.” 

“How so? It reaches your knee!”

Then the third. “This one you can keep, it’s not bad. A bit basic, but it actually goes really well with that top.”

Then the fourth. Michelle shot down the critique before it could even start. “I can’t walk in this,” she said, trying to pull down the thick material of the denim skirt, which seemed to lift an extra centimeter with each step she took.

“I’ll give you that one.”

And then the last one. When Michelle emerged from the changing room, her friend’s eyes lit up. She jumped up from the couch and gave a brief applause. “This is the one! Come on, look at yourself!”

She grabbed Michelle by the shoulders and led her in front of the full-length mirror. Despite her reluctance to admit it, Michelle found the skirt really cute. It was her style—black and, although very, very short, it had built-in shorts to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions.

What she liked most was the faux belt, which added a raw touch that contrasted with the rest of the outfit. She felt her friend’s fingers brushing her hair away and didn’t think much of it until she saw Sunny’s shocked expression.

“And when did you get this?!” Sunny exclaimed, staring at the tattoo that covered Michelle’s entire back like an intricate map. “It’s not my style, but it’s beautiful—huge, really huge.”

“A while ago,” Michelle said apologetically, heading back into the changing room to put her old clothes back on. She emerged with the other two girls, ready to prepare for the actual party.

Knowledge pt.7

check the other parts here!

Summary:

The story begins the same for everyone, on the day of the ceremony, one of the most important for all the kids who take part in it every year, and Michelle will not miss the opportunity to leave behind a faction that she did not feel belonged to her.

On her journey, however, she will encounter someone who will make her initiation feel like hell.

Pairing: Eric Coulter x reader

Word count: 4.9k

The tattoo healed surprisingly well, and before long, Michelle was back to her full strength. She was starting to get used to this strange routine: training, eating, training, sleeping, eating, and training again.

It was odd but satisfying. She was finally finding balance in her life, finding peace after sleepless nights plagued by the nightmare that still haunted her. Every time she thought about it, she felt powerless because it was true: what had she become?

The Michelle from a few weeks ago would never have hit a fellow teammate just for the sake of it, just to see her suffer after the years of isolation she had caused her.

She had become strong, was becoming strong. She used the advice Lauren gave her secretly during their occasional nighttime meetings, and thanks to her, Michelle managed to astonish many of her peers when she defeated Bowie, even though it was a bit of a struggle.

But what surprised her the most was Eric's expression. Instead of being proud or even a little satisfied with how she had beaten the boy, he looked at her almost with disdain. She hated that his revolting gaze made her feel so awful.

It was wrong. Eric was a jerk, and no matter how handsome he was, he was still Eric. Someone to avoid.

"You're improving!" Sunny exclaimed, grabbing Michelle by the shoulders and shaking her before hugging her joyfully. In less than two weeks, Michelle had managed to get back in the game, crossing the red line and returning to the top seven. "I'm proud of you."

"Me too," Michelle replied, returning the hug. Sunny was just below her, in ninth place, after taking several beatings from her teammates. However, she managed to maintain a high rank thanks to her precision with firearms.

Michelle, on the other hand, couldn't boast the same. She felt more comfortable with a blade in her hand; the cold metal gave her chills, especially when she pressed the sharp edge against her palm, trying to see how long it would take to draw blood.

Michelle often wondered what would happen if she let her thoughts take over, if she sank the knife's blade into her palm or put the barrel of the gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger.

These thoughts were new; they made her uneasy, slightly disturbed by her own mind. Yet, every time she picked up a weapon, she wondered the same thing.

What would happen if?

She stared at the target in front of her, the sound of blades falling to the floor making her ears ring. It was annoying, a continuous tinkling of varying intensities.

Michelle assumed the correct position and took aim, unaware of Four standing behind her, observing her closely. She threw the blade, hitting the target straight in the head. She smiled to herself but immediately stepped aside when she heard the rough voice of her trainer behind her.

"Not bad," he said, taking a place beside her to inspect the target. Every hit was on point, all lethal. "Well done."

He moved over to Sunny, who wasn't having as much luck. She wasn't bad—most of her throws hit the target, but just as many fell to the ground clumsily, making Michelle wince.

Michelle looked around, waiting for the right moment to retrieve her blades, and took the opportunity to glance at her teammates. Some were doing better than others, undoubtedly.

Andy was probably the best among them, after her, in her opinion. Next to him, Arlo and Bowie were trying their best, mimicking their friend's movements in an attempt to land a lethal hit.

Finally, as she scanned the gym, she saw the devil.

Eric was leaning against one of the columns, cleaning a sharp blade with a small cloth. He kept his head down, focused on his task, and for the first time, Michelle saw him with his guard down. Without his murderous glare, puffed-up chest, and broad shoulders covered by a black hoodie, he wasn't that intimidating. Michelle would have sworn that the young leader could read minds because he suddenly lifted his head, looking around until he locked eyes with her.

His eyes, cold as ice, observed her from a distance. He glanced at her target, and he had to suppress a look of surprise when he saw most of the hits were lethal.

Michelle continued to be a surprise, and Eric hated surprises. She looked away first, hearing the tinkling of blades hitting the floor cease. She seized the moment to go retrieve her blades embedded in the target.

The blonde shifted his gaze to the ranking board, searching for her name among the top five. He hated to admit it and would never say it out loud, but he was pleasantly surprised by the girl; in just a few days, she had climbed two spots, moving from seventh to fifth place.

She had potential, perhaps too much for his liking.

"Alright, everyone, that's it for today!" Four shouted as he returned to the table where he indicated they should leave their blades. He stopped Max. "You stay here and clean," he ordered, and when Max started to protest, he cut him off again. "No buts, no ifs. There are rules, and if you break them, there are consequences. Now clean."

Sunny, after placing her blades on the table, ran over to Michelle, and the two friends began walking toward the exit. Training was over for the day.

"What happened?" Michelle asked. "To Max." She had noticed his new black eye, but given they were in training, it could easily be the result of one of his recent encounters.

"Yesterday around lunchtime, he started a fight, insulted some Dauntless guys, and let's just say they didn't take it well. He got quite the beating—it's a miracle they didn't break his nose," Sunny shrugged. "You had already left by then."

Michelle nodded, not very interested in the interaction. She had already talked to Sunny about it; she had little interest in Max and Tina. Any sympathy she had started to feel for Tina had completely vanished when she began complaining every single day.

Tina had become insufferable, and Sunny seriously considered adopting Michelle's routine to avoid her as much as possible, fully aware that Michelle's routine was borderline insane. Only someone not entirely sane would push themselves to such limits.

That evening at dinner, there was a strange atmosphere in the cafeteria, especially at one particular table. Eric, Lauren, and Four were whispering among themselves, intent on discussing something secret and watching the initiates closely.

Michelle paused at the entrance of the cafeteria, confused by their behavior; she wouldn't normally have noticed or been curious about them, but they were their trainers, so their conversation must have been about the initiates.

"Elle?" Michelle whipped her head around, startled by the all-too-familiar name. Sunny was watching her, puzzled. "Everything okay?"

"Don't call me that," she said, perhaps more harshly than intended, walking past Sunny toward an empty table. She huffed when she saw that the table she usually used was occupied by Tina and a group of other initiates.

"Michelle!" She stopped again, rolling her eyes at having to move to another part of the cafeteria. She turned and saw Lauren beckoning her over. Cautiously, she approached their table under Eric's vigilant gaze.

She stopped in front of their table, acutely aware that several eyes were on her. Lauren smiled at her. "Tonight, don’t sneak out. Stay in the dormitory, okay?"

Confused, Michelle started to ask why, but Eric's firm and authoritative voice cut her off. "That's an order. Return to your seat, initiate."

As Michelle walked away from the table, Lauren turned to the young leader. "Can't you ever be nice, Coulter?" she said, flipping her long hair to the side and playing with it absentmindedly.

"Where's the fun in that?" Eric replied with a malicious smile. It wasn't a true smile; it was more of a sneer that didn't reach his eyes or light up his face as it should have.

"They're not pieces of meat to play with," Lauren retorted, stabbing her fork into her hamburger. "And what's your problem with her anyway?"

Four turned, curious to hear the answer, if Eric would even give one. The slight smile vanished from Eric's face, replaced by his usual mocking expression, almost amused at seeing someone think they could mind their own business.

He sprawled in his chair, legs spread under the table, making Four pull back to avoid contact. "Jeanine wants to keep an eye on her, and I think you already know that. The fact that she's being handled with kid gloves is infuriating."

“Aren’t you glad you can’t torture a little girl? What a shame,” Four remarked, standing up from the table, but Eric’s arm shot out, blocking him. “Watch how you speak, Four.”

His voice was icy, his gaze murderous. Anyone else in Four's position would have fled in fear of Eric’s wrath, but Four stared him straight in the eyes, swallowing hard.

“Thanks for the reminder,” he replied sarcastically, shrugging off Eric’s arm and leaving the cafeteria. His exit drew curious glances from several Dauntless members, having caused a minor commotion.

Lauren’s giggle caught Eric’s attention as she shook her head and stood up as well. “Unbelievable, truly unbelievable. See you tonight, Coulter.”

She patted him on the shoulder as she walked past before leaving for good. Eric followed shortly after, retreating to his quarters to rest before the evening’s events.

He smiled to himself, anticipating that they would definitely have some fun tonight.

Michelle lay on her bed, fully dressed and on top of the covers. She knew, she felt, that something was going to happen. Their trainers whispering among themselves, the early end to training, and the directive to stay inside the dormitories all pointed to it.

She stared at the bunk above her, motionless, waiting for something to happen.

Tick. Tock.

Midnight.

Tick. Tock.

One minute past midnight.

Tick. Tock.

Two minutes past midnight.

Tick. Tock.

She was going mad, the ticking of the clock on the wall slowly carving its way into her mind. She could hear her heartbeat, her breathing, syncing with the clock’s ticking.

She got up, unable to stay in bed another minute, waiting for something that might not even happen. She walked around the room as quietly as possible, hearing the faint sound of her boots on the cold floor.

It was cold, very cold, and Michelle wasn’t sure if it was because the entire Dauntless base was carved into rock and built with concrete. But damn, it was cold. She soon found herself with goosebumps, wearing only a simple T-shirt.

The dormitory was too small. She found herself pacing it at least twenty times, and when she turned to check the time, the clock showed just twelve eleven.

She rolled her eyes, putting on her leather jacket, and decided to leave that small room. It was late, and their trainers probably wouldn't show up. She mentally scolded herself for overthinking and jumping to conclusions too quickly.

She marched towards the door but stopped in her tracks when she heard voices outside. She immediately recognized Eric's cold tone, accompanied by what she thought was Lauren's laughter.

Her heart started pounding in her chest, not wanting to be caught disobeying orders. She looked around as the voices and footsteps grew louder and closer, then decided to press herself against the wall adjacent to the door.

The metal door burst open, slamming against the wall, and some of her companions stirred at the noise. "Get up, you good-for-nothings, wake up!" Eric started banging what Michelle recognized as a rifle against the stair railing, making a loud metallic clanging.

Michelle winced at the unpleasant noise, which soon stopped.

"Where the hell is she?" Eric demanded through gritted teeth, glaring at the empty bunk. He scanned the room, furious at her insubordination. Before he could say anything else, Lauren chuckled again.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" he snapped, irritated, but she ignored him. "Hello, Michelle, been up long?"

Eric whipped his head in the direction Lauren was facing, spotting Michelle leaning against the wall with the most serene expression. He looked her over from head to toe, noting that she was already dressed and ready to go.

Eric arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Well, what do we have here?" he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not getting enough sleep, huh? It shows."

Michelle grimaced at the young leader's unpleasant comment, fully aware of her exhausted appearance. She shrugged, trying to appear indifferent to his words.

What infuriated Eric the most was her lack of reaction. Her gaze was empty, devoid of emotion, as she observed those around her and listened to what people had to say. She seemed like the most boring person imaginable.

Michelle watched out of the speeding train, the screeching of the rails giving her a slight headache, but she didn't want to miss the sight of the city at night. The downtown buildings were illuminated amidst the apocalyptic landscape, a view she rarely got to enjoy.

The last time she had such a clear view of the city at night was with Anne, the night before the test—the last carefree time they spent together.

She looked around at the groups of teenagers in the train car and thought about how young they all were. They were training, fighting each other to the blood, and they were only sixteen years old. Was this really their fate? To grow up too fast for a society like theirs?

Michelle often wondered what life was like before the war, when the world was united, and everyone lived life as they wished. Teenagers went to school, had fun, made mistakes, and it was okay. Now, each of them carried the weight of their faction on their shoulders.

"Alright, listen up, everyone!" Four's voice boomed inside the car, catching Michelle's attention, though she didn't move from her spot near the door. "Today, we're going to play a game. Some of you might know it. Capture the Flag."

As protests arose from the younger group, Eric stepped in, pushing off the wall he was leaning against. "But with our twist." He dragged duffel bags into the center of the small circle that had formed. "Each of you will be given one of these. You won't kill each other. They are designed to shoot a dart that simulates the pain of a bullet, so you definitely don't want to get hit. The team that captures the opponent's flag wins."

"It's a strategy game. We'll split you into two groups. One will get off first to plan their strategy, while the other will get off in a different area to do the same. You'll have half an hour to organize." Four began distributing the rifles, similar to those used in their training. "Eric and I will make the teams."

Eric smiled arrogantly. "You go first. I wouldn't want to take away your only possible advantage."

"Chloe," the girl smiled, moving to stand behind Four.

"James," a boy Michelle had never seen before positioned himself beside Eric. The game would be more interesting mixing the children of the Dauntless and the transfers, comparing different strategies and strengths.

Four then called Lauren, giving her a high-five as she took her place beside him. He shot a quick glance at Michelle, avoiding Eric's gaze, which followed his trajectory and smirked mischievously upon seeing the person of his interest.

Perhaps it was a mean trick, a stupid choice, but Eric called Michelle solely to spite his opponent. The girl looked up, equally surprised, but remained by the door, watching the blonde with suspicion and distrust.

"Unexpected," said Four. "Do you want to blame someone in case you lose?"

"Yes, we can say so," Michelle felt offended by Four's comment, not expecting such little consideration from him, especially considering she had only shown sympathy towards him.

"Maybe you're not as special as you thought," the voice in her head told her.

She returned her gaze outside, curious about which part of the city they would end up in following the rails; they weren't too far from the Abnegation houses, maybe about twenty minutes away.

The two 'leaders' continued calling names one after the other, and Michelle sighed at the idea of being on the team with almost only children of Dauntless. She didn't know anyone except for Andy, who, in any case, she hadn't had the chance to get to know yet.

"Now, Four's group will get off first, while we'll get off at the next stop. Understood!" They nodded in unison, and shortly after, Four's group disembarked from the moving train, leaving the remaining kids to wait.

"We'll get off in a square surrounded by tall buildings," Eric said, buttoning up his jacket to protect himself from the cold night. "We have to win, your safety depends on it."

A couple of guys exchanged worried glances at the young leader's premise. It didn't take them long to understand that losing was not an option; they would have to do everything in their power to win, and there were no discussions about it.

"The area is surrounded only by buildings, so keep your eyes open for their flag," Eric pulled out a green flag from the bag, and Michelle was intrigued by the strange material. He passed it to several teammates, each of them touching the peculiar fabric. It almost seemed like luminescent velvet.

He passed it to Andy, taking a moment to carefully observe his teammates, noticing how, even among the few women present, she was the smallest. Not the shortest, fortunately.

"Let's go, move!"

The group followed his orders, leaping out of the moving train, landing on their feet or rolling on the concrete floor. They turned on the small lights on their jackets, emitting a faint glow to better observe their surroundings.

They gathered in a circle in a small square.

"Let's climb a building and put the flag there, simple. Then, from the other side, we'll check where they've hidden theirs," said one guy.

"The structures are unstable, idiot, you can't just climb them!" a girl elbowed him. "In my opinion, putting it on the ground is the best option; they'll expect us to put it up high."

"Shitty strategy," growled Eric. "But it's probably the one Four and his group will follow, so find something better."

Michelle distanced herself from the group, deciding to start exploring the area in search of a good vantage point; she felt a strange excitement inside her. It had been months since she had been able to explore an abandoned place, let alone go out at night.

The designated area was relatively small, and the two groups would have to play their positions well to hide the flag and win. She shifted the rifle so it wouldn't hinder her, entering an old building.

Her teammates' voices were now indistinct.

Sighing, she saw that the stairs were unusable, forcing her to exit and find another way in. It was a beautiful structure, tall and distinctly unique, modern despite its age.

"What are you doing?" Michelle turned abruptly, raising the rifle in the direction of her interlocutor, but immediately lowered it when she saw Andy's surprised expression. "Woah, calm down. The boss wants to know what the hell you're doing."

"The boss?"

"Eric? Anyway, what are you trying to do?" He approached her.

"A lookout point, to get a better view of the area," she said, walking away. She wanted to position herself more towards the center, allowing her to have a total view of the area around her.

She resumed walking, ignoring Andy's sigh as he hurried back to the group still busy working on a strategy. At that pace, they would fall behind, losing any advantage they had.

The night was cold, and Michelle reproached herself for only wearing a T-shirt under her leather jacket, trying to warm up by running around the designated area. She reached what she thought was the center, which was full of old containers surely brought there during the war.

She listened in silence to the deserted city, hearing no noise, she decided to enter one of the buildings to climb it. She chose the tallest building, but when she entered, she froze in her tracks.

The entire structure was completely engulfed in darkness.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she advanced, shining the light in the direction of the stairs.

"There's nothing. There's nothing. There's nothing," she continued to repeat to herself in a low voice, keeping her gaze low on her feet to carefully observe where she stepped. They were old buildings, very old, and also unstable.

Michelle climbed the stairs, one flight after another, until she reached the roof. Stepping out, she took in a deep breath, relishing the clean night air that the city offered; she looked up at the sky, fascinated by the stars illuminating the night.

"The view might just be worth it," she whispered to herself, moving closer to the roof's edge and crouching down to avoid being seen. Using the scope of her rifle, she scanned the perimeter, taking advantage of the night vision.

She observed the interior of the buildings through the windows and soon spotted the opposing team's flag, fluorescent orange, hanging from a window. She wondered how she hadn't seen it before; from ground level, it must have been clearly visible.

Shifting her gaze away from the flag, she noticed movement inside the building; someone was guarding the flag. At the base of the building, she saw more movement, people hiding behind columns, ready to defend their flag.

On the other side of the small square where several containers were abandoned, she recognized some members of her team hiding behind them, initiating the actual game. Shots rang out from both sides, and Michelle used her advantage to advance her team.

Taking aim, she shuddered at the thought of hitting the wrong person and jeopardizing the game. They couldn't afford to lose due to her mistake.

She fired at a boy she thought was Bowie, trying to stop Eric, who took on the task of advancing as far as possible. She sighed, nervous at the thought of hitting Eric instead of the enemy, realizing it would be a grave mistake.

Eric hid behind a container, ignoring the commotion around him, preparing to shoot the initiate as soon as he turned the corner. But before he could raise his rifle, the boy appeared, falling to the ground in pain.

For a brief moment, Eric glanced behind him, confused about where the shot had come from, but he didn't let himself get distracted and continued on his path.

Michelle did her best to help her teammates, shooting anyone who came too close, but her attention returned to Eric, defending his back to ensure he reached the entrance of the building. Then he would be on his own.

No one seemed to realize her presence, her advantage of being up high, and she smiled to herself when she heard someone from the opposing team shout about a sniper.

Michelle looked back at Eric, taking out a boy crouched behind a column with a shot to the shoulder; at that moment, Eric raised his arms in frustration, annoyed by anyone who continued to shoot.

He turned several times, searching for the person responsible for those shots, but each time there was no one. Until something came to his mind, a person from his team who had been missing from the start, and he looked up at the roofs of the surrounding buildings.

There, at that moment, he managed to see a dark figure peeking slightly over them, and involuntarily he smirked mischievously, not expecting such a strategy from her; he was convinced the girl had gone into hiding, returning to the opposing team to reveal the location of their flag.

Instead, she was there to pave the way for him.

He nodded in approval, indifferent to whether she saw it or not.

Michelle blushed slightly when she saw Eric gaze in her direction, a nod of approval before he disappeared into the structure, preventing her from helping him further.

"Well done," Sunny said as they returned to the Intrepid base, feeling a bit tired and disappointed from losing the challenge. "Where were you? Guarding the flag?"

"No," Michelle simply replied, wrapping an arm around her in an attempt to lift her spirits. "I saw everything," she whispered in her ear, receiving a playful slap on the arm from her side.

Michelle chuckled as she remembered her fall on the stairs, giving Eric the perfect opportunity to grab the flag. It had been embarrassing for her, both because of the poor impression she made in front of the young leader and because it made his victory easier.

"Forget about it!" she exclaimed, pulling away from her and laughing. "You mustn't tell a soul what you saw. You have no idea how humiliating it was to fall in front of him," she covered her face with her hands, continuing to laugh to try to forget the embarrassment.

At the back of the line, Eric watched the young girl, his fingers stroking the soft velvet of the opposing flag. He felt caught off guard by her actions, genuinely surprised by the strategy she had decided to adopt in just a few minutes.

"Stop it, or you'll create a hole in her head," Lauren slowed her pace to walk alongside him, noticing how he was keeping an eye on Michelle. "What's on your mind?" she asked, seeing his puzzled, almost annoyed expression.

"Michelle was on the roof," he simply said. "She was the one leading us from above."

Lauren smirked. "In other words, we won thanks to her," she shifted her gaze to the girl, smiling. "She's not as bad as you think, you know? We know you're not fond of the initiates, but Michelle is sharp."

"Well, don't get your hopes up too high. She's good, smart, and thinks quickly, but she's not at the top of the leaderboard—"

"Almost. She's almost at the top of the leaderboard, and after today, she'll rise to fourth place, one step away from the podium. I don't know why you're so fixated on the idea that initiates are worthless," Lauren stopped, forcing him to do the same. "You were an initiate too, and nobody discredited you for being new here. In fact, you had people who believed in you. I believed in you, and damn if I was right! You're the youngest leader this faction has ever had."

Eric looked at her in silence, biting his cheek, hating that Lauren was right. "Give her a chance, harness her potential, and see what a bright future she could have here."

She looked at him defeated, tired of his continuous sadistic and tough behavior, thinking it could be of help to him or his position. "You need to let go of what's behind Jeanine's request. None of us know what she wants from her, why she wants her results regularly, or why she's so interested in her. It's none of our business, especially not yours."

“Not–”

“Eric, put aside that Erudite mindset; it doesn't serve you much here, and you know very well that asking too many questions isn't a good thing, even in your position," the girl whispered, pointing a finger at him as a warning.

She moved, making space when she saw someone approaching them out of the corner of her eye. To her great surprise, she recognized the slender figure of Michelle, who was no longer wearing her gear, but instead a simple black tight-fitting shirt and a pair of black sweatpants.

“Four is asking for you to join him,” she said simply, her voice barely above a whisper, afraid of interrupting an intimate moment between them. She hated even the idea, feeling guilty for wanting to be in Lauren's place.

“Sure, let's go, Eric. You can complain to your best friend,” Lauren joked, resting a hand on Michelle's shoulder, inviting her to lead the way through the cold corridors.

Eric remained a few steps back, observing the girl's back, whom he tried to hate more and more, but curiosity was high, more than hatred. Michelle was unique, something about her caught his attention and drew him toward her.

"Excited for the visits tomorrow?" 

Michelle looked at her confused. "Visiting day? It's when families come to say their final goodbyes," Lauren explained, still texting away, ignoring how the girl beside her seemed anything but enthusiastic.

Michelle walked straight, chin up, trying not to think about her mother. She would bet gold that the woman wouldn't show up, glad to have relieved herself of a burden when she left, yet she couldn't stop thinking that maybe she wanted to see her one last time.

To show her that she had changed, that the Ellie she knew no longer existed. That she couldn't lock her up in that cage she called home anymore.

Michelle was free.

Home Is Where The Heart Is | Negan Smith

check the other parts here!

Summary:

There is no longer a home, no place of comfort in that world. One survives to live, risking life to move forward and protect one's people.

But there are always two sides of the same coin. So, is the villain truly the villain? Or is He just the villain in your story?

Pairing: Negan Smith x reader

Word Count: 1.5k

august 25, 2010

Delilah's eighteenth birthday was a tragic one. She spent it in a hospital room, watching her father connected to life-support machines. Carl stayed by the bedside, holding his father's hand, his sobs muffled in the blankets, while their mother stood just outside the door, speaking animatedly with a doctor. Shane tried to calm her, gently placing a hand on her arm.

Delilah felt suffocated in that hospital room. She curled up in a chair in the corner, hoping her father would wake up, but everyone knew, except Carl, that this wouldn't happen. At least, not now.

Carl's sobs grew louder, echoing in the empty room. Delilah had to fight back her own tears at the sight of her little brother in such distress. His desperation was palpable, especially when he offered to donate his blood to help their father.

She rose from the chair and went to Carl, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He immediately sought refuge in her embrace, letting go of their father's hand and clinging to her with all his strength, tears soaking her shirt.

"Will he wake up?" he whispered. Delilah stroked his hair, trying to soothe him.

"I don't know," she replied. His sobs grew louder at this, and she felt a pang of guilt for not fully comforting him, but she didn't want to lie. She understood how these things worked, she knew what her father's job entailed, and unfortunately, their mother had prepared her over the years for such a possibility.

But Carl was young; he couldn't grasp what was happening, not yet. "Everything will be okay, Carl. I promise," she whispered like a mantra, holding him close until his cries began to soften.

The door to the room opened, and their mother entered with Shane, both looking devastated. Delilah knew what this meant. The doctor had no good news, and that could only mean one thing: Rick Grimes had very little chance of survival.

"Let's go home, kids," Lori whispered, her gaze never leaving her husband. "Let's give Dad some time to recover." Her voice was barely audible, but they got up anyway, Carl still in his sister's arms as they left the room in silence, followed by Shane.

"I'll take you home," Shane offered. "Go get some rest, and we'll wait for news from the hospital. Don't hesitate to call me for anything; it's what Rick would want."

"Thank you, Shane," Lori replied, accepting the comforting embrace he offered. It made Delilah shiver, and she held Carl even tighter. There was something wrong, something she had never seen before in Shane's eyes, and it was something she wished had remained hidden.

“How's your dad?”

“I don't know. He's in the hospital, and from what I understand, there isn't much good news. I just hope he gets better soon,” Delilah replied over the phone, pacing back and forth in her room. “It was a really shitty birthday present.”

Camilla chuckled on the other end. “I can imagine, but things will get better. I wanted to drop by to see you all, bring something for you and Carl, and even Lori, but my mom won't let me leave because of some weird news on TV.”

“Yeah, I heard something about that. It's probably another hoax. Tumblr is full of them lately. People losing their minds and doing stupid stuff. Did you see that post?”

“Which one?”

“Liza reblogged it. Apparently, cannibalism is making a comeback,” Delilah joked, unaffected by the macabre video circulating online. “It's probably fake, almost certainly, but it's one of the weirdest trends in the past few weeks.”

“Ew!” exclaimed Camilla. “And you watched it? You're crazy; I don't know how you don't throw up at that stuff.”

Delilah shrugged, taking a bite of the apple in her hand. “It's fake anyway. I doubt a group of lunatics would go around America eating people without getting caught. And the person filming it is way too calm.”

“You're weird, girl, let me tell you,” Camilla sighed on the other end. “Ugh, I have to go. My mom is freaking out over this news and wants to go back to Mexico to stay with relatives. She seriously sounds like a crazy woman!”

Delilah laughed. “Alright, see you tonight?”

“I don't think so, especially if my mom keeps this up. Talk to you tomorrow, girl!”

When she finished the apple, she tossed it out the window into the neighbor's garden, unconcerned about the complaints she would hear the next day. Her curiosity was piqued by her mother’s worried voice coming from the kitchen, apparently talking on the phone.

She left her room, peeked into Carl’s and quietly closed the door, seeing him asleep on the bed with one of their father's hoodies as a blanket. The sight made her heart ache; seeing her little brother in such a state broke her heart.

"Is everything okay?" she asked her mother as she came down the stairs, entering the kitchen where Lori was barricading the windows with blankets, blocking out the light. "What are you doing?"

Lori turned, surprised by the intrusion. Her face was full of worry. "Help me," she ordered, tossing Delilah some blankets and heading to the living room.

Delilah started to panic, confused by Lori's strange behavior. "Mom, what’s going on?" she asked, raising her voice, but Lori didn’t answer her directly.

"You're not going out tonight."

"What?! Why?" Delilah exclaimed, dropping the blankets. "You can't do this to me, it’s been planned for weeks! Mom?" She felt her anger rising, irritated by her mother's behavior.

She watched Lori move frantically around the house. "No one is leaving. Now help me until Shane gets here," Lori said, turning to look at her, and Delilah was shocked to see the pure terror on her mother’s face. Her anger turned into sheer fear.

"Mom?" she called. "Mom, what’s happening?"

Lori stopped, running her hands through her hair. "I don’t know, honey, I don’t know. Shane called from the hospital saying something’s happening, people are losing their minds, biting other patients. It's chaos in there, just like in the city. Everyone’s trying to leave."

"Leave from what?" Delilah asked, confused.

"I don’t know, something they mentioned on TV. But now help me and wake Carl up, we need to get ready to go," Lori resumed covering the windows. Heart pounding, Delilah went to wake Carl.

Delilah watched the landscape outside the window. The sky had grown dark, and they had been driving for hours, not knowing exactly where they were headed. She had heard Shane mention a refuge in downtown Atlanta, and the initial plan was to reach it as soon as possible. However, it seemed the entire city had the same idea, as they quickly found themselves stuck in traffic, an endless line of cars ahead of them.

“Wait here,” Lori said to the two kids as she got out of the car, followed by Shane, who went to talk to other people who had also stepped out of their vehicles, realizing they wouldn't be able to get out of this traffic jam anytime soon.

Delilah watched Carl looking around, alert. “Where did they go?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, leaning her head against the window. “They’ll be back soon, don’t worry.”

Carl turned to her. “How can you be so calm?”

“I’m tired,” she answered simply, closing her eyes to block out the external noises: people shouting, arguing, and especially the car horns blaring. “If you sleep, time passes faster.”

“I’m not sleepy, I want Mom,” Carl said, shifting on the seat to look outside, searching for Lori. “They’re coming back!” he exclaimed when he saw Lori and Shane returning with some other people.

“See? I told you it’d be okay,” Delilah said, growing more exhausted with each passing minute. She soon fell asleep, succumbing to the embrace of Morpheus.

But her peace was short-lived. Loud noises jolted her awake, and she noticed the car was now empty. Panic set in as she frantically looked for Carl, hoping he hadn’t wandered off to explore. Relief washed over her when she saw him with a group of people, playing with a blonde girl.

Shane and Lori were near their car, looking up at the sky from where the noise originated. Delilah joined them, also looking up, trying to understand what they were watching.

Lori took her by the shoulders, hugging her. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered in her ear, stroking her hair. “As long as we’re together, it’ll be okay.”

The noise grew louder, and planes flew overhead. It didn’t take them long to realize where they were headed. Delilah followed Shane, who entered the woods, moving in the direction the planes were flying, with Lori right behind them.

“What’s happening?” she tried to ask, but her voice was drowned out by the roar of more planes passing overhead.

They stopped when they emerged from the woods near the highway. Delilah brought her hands to her mouth, horrified by the sight before her. Atlanta was being bombed, and even from that distance, they could see the explosions, the city lighting up in flames.

The refuge was gone, just like the normalcy of their entire world.

Knowledge pt.3

check the other parts here!

Summary:

The story begins the same for everyone, on the day of the ceremony, one of the most important for all the kids who take part in it every year, and Michelle will not miss the opportunity to leave behind a faction that she did not feel belonged to her.

On her journey, however, she will encounter someone who will make her initiation feel like hell.

Pairing: Eric Coulter x reader

Wordk Count: 6.5k

That night, Michelle couldn't sleep, whether it was due to the snoring of several of her companions or simply because she hadn't yet fully realized where she was.

She chose a bunk bed with Sunny, taking the cot below, figuring that with her habit of sleeping little at night, it would be more comfortable and effective to be underneath.

The beds were uncomfortable, hard as rocks, and sleeping on the floor would probably have been more pleasant, but the other initiates, unlike her, were already deep in the world of dreams.

Michelle sat on the floor with her back against the edge of the bed, gazing ahead at the open showers and bathrooms, a small source of light emanating from there. It was the only light in the entire room.

If it hadn't been for the thin rays of light seeping through the cracks of the door, the room would have been completely engulfed in darkness. She could barely make out the shapes of the beds, let alone who was who.

She pulled out the photo of her and Anne from under the pillow, smiling as she looked at it. She had managed to sneak it into initiation with her, hiding it under the bed while they changed to take their belongings to be incinerated.

She didn't mind seeing her clothes burn; it was like tangible proof that her past no longer existed. Ellie Black was gone; she had been replaced by a better version of herself.

Michelle.

She promised herself to give her best, to push herself to the limit, and to prove to everyone that she was the best by coming out on top. It wouldn't be easy; she was practically starting from scratch unlike many others; she was agile, fast, but lacked the physical strength she would need for the first part of initiation.

She spent the entire night wandering around the dormitory, curious to see if it held any secrets; of course, she found nothing and remained seated at the foot of her bed contemplating her choice to join the Dauntless.

It was done now; she couldn't go back or she would become an outcast, and if there was one thing she would rather do than be cast out from the faction, it was certainly to die. She would throw herself off the cliff if necessary.

She didn't understand where this innate fear of hers was coming from; when she had stepped onto the platform just a few hours earlier, she had been struck by lightning, realizing that it was the right choice.

Her place was with the Dauntless; she just had to learn to live with it.

She took advantage of the fact that everyone was asleep to take a quick shower, which turned into a full-fledged session. She stayed under the water long enough to hear her first companions waking up.

As the water streamed down her body, Michelle scrubbed vigorously at the dirt she had accumulated throughout the day, from climbing onto the platform to jumping off a moving train. She wasn't dirty, just a bit dusty, but she felt weighed down by it, her only thought being to rid herself of that sensation.

She rubbed so many times at different parts of her body that they began to redden, tingling slightly. She ignored the faint burning sensation before getting dressed and putting on the clothes they had issued that evening. They could go pick out clothes of their choice the next day with the points they were given weekly.

Eric had explained to her how things worked in the faction; there was no money, only points, earned by working or, if participating in initiation, given weekly in small amounts for personal indulgences.

Unless one had a private kitchen, everyone ate in the mess hall, saving on food expenses. The rest, besides clothes, were things they could easily do without.

But there was one thing Michelle wanted to get, a sketchbook to start drawing again. In the short time she had spent in that faction, she had felt inspired for many new drawings; she was brimming with ideas; between the cliff, the Pit, and the various tattoos, she had plenty to work with.

"You're an early bird, huh?" chuckled Sunny, still half asleep with a towel in hand for a quick shower.

Michelle smiled at her disheveled hair, resembling a bird's nest in its disorder. "I didn't sleep."

Sunny stopped and looked at her, eyes wide open. "You're crazy. If you don't sleep, you won't have the strength for training."

Her concern made Michelle smile even more. She had a friend.

"I don't need much to feel rested," she replied, pulling her hair into a tight ponytail for the day; it would be the most efficient solution to keep her hair out of her face.

"Maybe not for you, but for your body," Sunny continued as she undressed, stepping into the warm water and sighing at the heat. "It's not good for your head either; you need to sleep a certain number of hours to be fully functional."

Michelle didn't respond, but someone else did in her place. When she heard the voice, she recognized it immediately, rolling her eyes and trying to brush her teeth as quickly as possible.

"There's no need to repeat it to her; she's always been like this. A stubborn head that doesn't understand a thing."

Chloe stepped up to the sink next to Michelle's, splashing water on her face and smiling at the girl beside her. "Isn't that right, Ellie?"

"Ellie? Who's Ellie?" Sunny's voice sounded muffled under the water stream, but both former Candors heard her clearly.

"Our dear Michelle. Her real name is Ellie, or rather, it was," Chloe's tone was sharp for no apparent reason; Michelle had no problem admitting that she had decided to leave her past behind.

"Michelle?" Sunny stepped out of the shower and didn't find her new friend, but instead the girl she had just been talking to and two other guys she remembered being from Michelle's old faction.

"Oh, get used to this," replied one of the guys, the one with a buzz cut.

She looked at him confused, not knowing what he was referring to.

"Ellie takes off, silently. Don't be surprised if she leaves you in the mess to save her own ass," said the other guy, slightly shorter than the first.

She didn't know how to respond honestly, watching them while clutching her towel to her chest, immediately feeling intimidated. The girl smiled at her before turning on her heels and heading back to the dormitory.

After all, it was only six in the morning.

While Sunny was left alone in the dormitory bathrooms, Michelle was exploring the Pit. It was empty, a stark contrast from when they had arrived the day before.

There were few people, just some Dauntless heading to work or simply going to sleep after a long night shift. It was cold, very cold, and Michelle blamed it on the fact that the structure was built into the stone, consequently isolating the warmth.

She wrapped herself in the black leather jacket provided to her; it wouldn't be the most comfortable for training, so she decided to wear a simple hoodie underneath.

Trying to remember where the mess hall was, she crossed the Pit and thankfully found it right in front of her. The day before, they had taken twice as long, having taken the opposite route to see the cliff; maybe it wasn't the labyrinth she had thought it was.

As she entered the mess hall, she was pleasantly surprised to see that it was almost entirely empty, only a few Dauntless were present. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Four, sitting at the same table they had dined at the previous evening.

She decided to sit at the same table as him, directly across. When she sat down, Four looked up and gave a slight smile. "Isn't it a bit early for you, initiate?"

Michelle looked at him, feeling bored from hearing the same thing twice in a short period of time. She ignored him and poured herself a strong cup of coffee, without adding any sugar or milk, receiving a disgusted glance from her instructor.

"What?" she asked, taking a sip from the cup, savoring the pure taste of coffee that filled her mouth.

"Nothing, I just don't know many people who like their coffee plain, and... that's it."

Michelle shrugged, grabbing a slice of toast for breakfast.

She looked around the mess hall to see who was there at that early hour and pleasantly noticed that there wasn't a soul around. Just then, she spotted Eric and Max sitting at a table in the center of the room; had they just arrived?

She narrowed her eyes observing the blond, he seemed bothered by something Max was saying. They spoke in hushed and suspicious tones, one of them calm, relaxed on the bench where he sat, while the other had a cold, furious expression as he listened to what his superior had to say.

"Ignore them, it's for your own good," Four tried to warn her, but Michelle didn't shift her gaze from the unusual pair, continuing to watch them closely, wishing she could read lips at that moment.

Max turned his head slightly and caught Michelle watching them out of the corner of his eye; he whispered something to Eric, who suddenly turned his head to look at the girl.

Michelle decided it might be best to stop staring and resumed her breakfast, trying to ignore the tension building in her body from being caught. Eric's gaze was sharp, cold. It was intimidating.

She tried her hardest not to turn around to see if they were still talking, but glancing at Four, she immediately understood that someone in particular was approaching. She expected to feel a presence sitting at their table any moment, but instead, two hands fell heavily on her shoulders.

"What do we have here?" Eric's voice was almost amused as he began to move his hands over Michelle's shoulders, who was confused and scared at the same time.

Scared not because she had been caught staring, but because it felt like he was giving her a massage. With his thumbs, he started to knead her shoulder blades, and she even found it strangely enjoyable until he found a spot on both sides and pressed down, causing her to straighten up with her back immediately.

Michelle cried out in pain, but Eric didn't seem to have any intention of letting her go.

"Eric, let her go. She hasn't done anything," Four stood up abruptly, attracting the attention of the few people in the mess hall, who began to watch the scene and whisper among themselves.

"I'm not talking to you, Four. Sit down," he glared at his peer, who reluctantly took his seat again. "So, what do we have here, huh? A nosy little initiate?"

Michelle remained silent, and Eric, not appreciating her silence, pressed even harder on her shoulder blades. Michelle gritted her teeth at the unpleasant sensation, not exactly painful, but very uncomfortable.

"If I ask you a question, you have to answer me, initiate," Eric lowered himself to her eye level and whispered into her ear. "Huh? Has someone cut out your tongue already?"

The mocking tone in Eric's voice annoyed her, and before speaking, she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, hoping her voice wouldn't tremble when she spoke. "Nothing."

It came out no more than a whisper, and Eric smiled, a rather unpleasant smile according to Michelle; it was the kind of chilling smile, sadistic.

"Nothing? Are you sure, because a moment ago you seemed very interested in our conversation," now he was whispering too, amused by the situation. Max had told him to let it go, that hers was just too much curiosity, nothing to punish a girl for.

But he saw the perfect opportunity to make her talk, whether she wanted to or not. He had seen her the previous evening, silently around people who talked too much, and his curiosity was evident.

Why wasn't she speaking?

Eric stopped pressing on her shoulders, but he didn't release his grip. He straightened up and gave her two pats on the back.

"Nothing, huh? See how you'll become nothing in no time," he said, walking away without saying goodbye.

Only then did Michelle realize the silence that had fallen over the entire mess hall, causing her to blush slightly and lower her head over her own cup. She resumed sipping her coffee under Four's watchful gaze.

She was afraid she wouldn't make it; Eric's words certainly didn't help. The initiation itself was already tough, she didn't need one of the faction leaders against her as well.

Four noticed the slight trembling of her hands despite her efforts to appear impassive; he sighed, continuing to watch her.

"Don't listen to him, you have a chance like everyone else," his voice was gentle, and Michelle looked at him, grateful for his attempt at reassurance.

But the fear of not making it, of becoming an outcast, had already solidified in her mind. She would have to give her best to succeed, to use all her non-physical skills to win because she knew she didn't have much strength.

"Everything okay? You both look like you've seen a ghost," Lauren, full of energy as usual, took a seat next to Michelle for breakfast. Her good mood waned slightly as she noticed that neither her colleague nor the new recruit had said anything yet.

"Michelle, I told you to be careful. It's not a joke," Four stood up from the table, visibly annoyed.

Lauren turned to Michelle to find out what had happened, curious about her friend's strange behavior, but she ignored her, continuing to drink her cup of coffee.

The rest of the faction didn't take long to wake up; by seven in the morning, the mess hall began to fill up, and Michelle decided it was time to head to the training quarters, even if it was an hour early.

She left Lauren with a nod, which she returned with a smile. As she passed through the doors of the mess hall, she encountered Sunny and other initiates heading to breakfast.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sunny stopped her, grabbing her forearm and pausing with her.

"I'm going to find the gym," she replied, waiting for Sunny to let her go.

"Oh, okay. See you later."

Michelle began to walk through the Pit, trying to figure out where the gym actually was; there were no signs or anything that could indicate where the facility might be.

The Pit had come back to life; children ran recklessly, risking bumping into Michelle at any moment, and several Dauntless headed to work, opening the shops that faced the Pit.

She had to give the impression of being lost because someone touched her shoulder, catching her off guard. She jumped back and heard a raspy laugh.

"Hey, easy there. Didn't mean to scare you!" It was the man Max had been talking to while they waited for all the initiates to jump off the roof.

"Everything okay? Are you lost?" Michelle observed him, getting lost in the intricate tattoos that covered almost all of his skin. The man must have noticed because he smiled and rolled up his sleeves. "Do you like tattoos?"

"Yes," she replied, continuing to admire the ink patterns on his arms, fascinated.

"Where's training happening?" she asked, still captivated by his tattoos.

"See that corridor?" The man pointed to a hallway at the far end of the Pit. "There are stairs, lots of stairs, that will take you straight to where you need to go."

"Thanks," she said, tearing her gaze away from his tattoos to head towards the corridor he'd indicated. But before she could leave, he stopped her. Michelle turned to him, puzzled.

"Feel free to drop by the tattoo shop anytime. Tori and I run it. You could get one yourself." Despite his distinctive appearance, filled with piercings and covered in tattoos from head to toe, he seemed like a genuinely kind person.

He spoke to Michelle with kindness, and there was everything but ill intent in his eyes.

Michelle nodded before leaving.

The hallways were as dark as any other, and she paled at the thought of the number of stairs she'd have to climb to reach the dormitories; stairs upon stairs.

During her journey, she encountered no one, making her feel as if she were in the wrong place. After about five minutes of nothing but stairs, she reached a long, empty, dimly lit corridor. From a distance, she saw iron doors and cautiously opened them.

She was relieved to see that she was in the right place. At that moment, she understood why it took her so long to get there, with all those stairs; it was the interior of an old factory, probably, a vast empty space set up with various machinery and objects for training.

In the center of the room were four mats that she guessed would be used for hand-to-hand combat, while a few meters away, several punching bags were hung from a beam.

On the other side of the room, in a corner, there were machines that she had already seen during one of her explorations in an old abandoned complex. It was a weightlifting area.

"You're early," Four's voice echoed through the empty room, and Michelle turned to try to figure out where he was.

Four was on a bench near the mats, holding a bottle. Michelle shrugged and approached, surveying the place with attentive eyes.

"You never talk?" Four asked curiously, watching her as she moved around the gym.

"I don't like to," Michelle simply replied, touching the punching bags to gauge their weight. When she saw that they didn't budge at her touch, she realized she'd likely end up hurting her knuckles.

"I figured as much. You'll be hot in that sweater during training," Four remarked.

Michelle shrugged again, ignoring him, and Four smiled, mimicking her. In doing so, he earned a glare from her, and to defend himself, he raised his hands in the air.

The door opened again with a loud noise, grabbing both of their attention. Four stood up when he noticed Eric entering with Lauren.

They were an odd pair, with Eric looking ready to kill someone and Lauren walking with all the tranquility in the world. When she saw the initiate, she smiled.

"Always early, I like that," she said as she passed by, giving Michelle a friendly punch on the arm.

However, Eric didn't seem pleased with that small interaction and decided to stay silent, with a bored expression on his face as he took a seat on one of the benches opposite to where Four had placed his belongings.

The latter began reviewing data on a tablet, while Lauren took a seat on the other side of the gym where an area similar to where they were now was set up.

Michelle stood with her hands in her pockets, watching Four tinkering with the tablet and occasionally glancing at the blonde to her right, who seemed intent on wrapping his knuckles.

She didn't realize she was staring until she locked eyes with Eric. She immediately looked away, not wanting to risk getting in trouble like she had an hour before, and fortunately, the other initiates, both interns and transfer ones, diverted Eric's attention from her.

Michelle approached where Four was positioned. She began to feel anxious, unsure of what to expect from the first training session, and she sincerely hoped that Eric was only there to supervise.

It was barely eight in the morning, and his knuckles were already sore, blood staining the wraps he had just put on.

In a few minutes, all eleven transfer initiates gathered in front of Eric and Four, who silently observed the initiates. They waited for silence before speaking.

"The initiation is divided into three different modules: the first is more physical, the second emotional, and the third mental. These three phases will last for two months. After these, if you pass, you'll officially be part of the Dauntless," Four began, walking towards the huge windows, and Michelle was grateful she had brought her jacket.

The sky was overcast, as it had been for the past few days, indicating they wouldn't have a sunny day for a while. One of the windows lacked glass, and they passed through it to enter a rooftop, which was set up with various targets and types of firearms.

"One per station!" Four shouted, standing in front of the table where the weapons were positioned, picking up a couple and approaching the initiates to distribute them. "The three modules carry different weights on your score, so don't worry if you're not good at something; you have a chance to catch up."

"If you're not good, you'll be thrown out," Eric added, entering the rooftop behind them with a nonchalant and bored air. He took his place at the table where Four was handing out the guns.

He reached Michelle and handed her the pistol; it felt heavy in her hands, and if she were honest, she didn't like it. She weighed it, passing it from hand to hand, feeling it.

It didn't feel right in her hands. 

"Now copy my position," Four positioned himself, holding the pistol with both hands, legs slightly apart for balance. "And fire."

His shot was perfect. It hit the center of the target's head.

Michelle began to tremble slightly, feeling awkward with the gun in her hand, and looking around, it seemed like everyone else had already done it. She raised the gun and spread her legs.

Around her, several shots rang out, but few of them hit the target. Even fewer were lethal.

She was the only one who hadn't fired a shot yet. She felt as if the gun would explode in her hand if she did.

She felt Four's presence behind her before seeing or hearing him. "Everything okay?" he asked, looking at the target with her, still devoid of holes.

Michelle nodded slightly, and he looked at her, immediately understanding what the problem was. It wasn't the first time he had seen someone react that way to a gun; it was a natural reaction to be afraid of a firearm.

With a gentle touch, he adjusted her stance, nudging her legs apart a little more with his foot.

"If it helps, close one eye to aim," he said, waiting for her to pull the trigger. Michelle took a deep breath, closing her eyes to try to isolate herself from her surroundings.

She opened her eyes and took aim, still trembling a bit, but when she fired the first shot, she managed to hit the silhouette. Nothing lethal, but she would certainly have lost the use of her right leg if it had been a person.

"Well done," he said before moving on to the person next to her.

Michelle smiled at having managed to pull the trigger and looked around, unconsciously searching for Sunny. She saw her busy shooting at a position a little to the right of her, and when she looked at Sunny's target, she was surprised to see two shots to the head, lethal, and some to the abdomen.

When she realized someone was watching her, she turned, locking eyes with Michelle. Sunny smiled at her, a euphoric expression on her face.

Michelle resumed shooting at her target, but she could only hit the arms or legs. She huffed in frustration at not being able to get closer to the heart or head.

"Is that the best you can do?" Eric's derisive tone caught her off guard, turning her head so quickly it gave her a headache.

She watched him in silence, hoping that after this comment, he would leave to torment another initiate. But he stayed there, arms crossed over his chest, watching her as if she were incapable.

"Shoot."

Michelle turned, the trembling in her hands more pronounced under the critical gaze of one of the leaders. She took a breath and took aim. The shot threw her off balance a bit, feeling the recoil more than before.

Surprisingly, she managed to hit the area between the neck and shoulder.

"See you below the red line, initiate," Eric whispered in her ear.

He left Michelle at her station, annoyed to see so many incompetent people gathered together. His eye fell on a girl, the shortest among them all, who had managed to hit the head, heart, and abdomen with every shot.

He stopped behind her, observing her technique. She was short, lacking muscles, without curves, but she had good technique.

The girl realized his presence behind her and briefly turned her head to see who it was. Seeing Eric, she turned her head back to the target, frightened. The stories from Four and Lauren had terrified her; she wanted to have as little to do with him as possible.

"Name?" his tone was monotone.

"T-Tina," she stammered, glancing to her left to observe Max, who watched the scene suspiciously.

"Not bad," he said, returning to take a round to see how the other initiates were faring.

Tina blushed at the compliment, turning to Max to silently celebrate.

Four kept an eye on him, feeling his gaze on his back, and if he were honest, he was annoyed by that behavior. He turned to look at him, catching him again near the same initiate he had sat next to at breakfast that morning.

What was so special about her? He had been wondering since Max, at breakfast that morning, had told him to keep an eye on Michelle. He hadn't told him why, just to be careful of her movements.

He didn't understand; she was obviously incapable, lacking muscles or strength, and she would be thrown out at the end of the first module. Wasting energy on such a recruit was pointless in his opinion.

They remained on the roof for the entire morning, shot after shot, everyone managed to become familiar with the pistol. Some more than others.

Sunny joined Michelle as soon as Four declared that they would have an hour for lunch, releasing them.

"It was amazing!" exclaimed Sunny, taking Michelle's arm, who, on the contrary, had a rather annoyed expression. Her arms and fingers were tingling from the effort of holding the gun up in the air for hours.

"Don't you like it?" Tina asked, joining the two girls and noticing Michelle's unhappy expression. "I thought it was so cool!"

"You did great," commented Sunny.

"Thank you, you were pretty good too," Tina took Sunny side to talk to her, but they were interrupted by Max, who, in a rather impolite manner, barged into the conversation.

"I, girls, was much better than all of you put together," he puffed up his chest, strutting around like a peacock to show off.

Tina shoved him playfully, laughing. "Yeah, right. That's why Eric came to compliment you," she said proudly, and Michelle felt a twinge of jealousy knowing that he had complimented her, when instead he had told her that she wouldn't even pass to the next module.

Michelle detached herself from the group, irritated by Tina's showing off. She knew it was a bit of an overreaction, she had no reason to take it so personally, but knowing that she was already on thin ice made her even more irritable than before.

"Hey…" Sunny tried to call out to her in vain, Michelle quickened her pace to reach the cafeteria.

She arrived at the cafeteria sooner than expected, overtaking anyone in her way, and when she reached the Pit, she was joined by Sunny. Unconsciously, she relaxed, a more serene expression on her face knowing that her one friend in that faction was by her side.

In many ways, Sunny reminded her of Anne, perhaps it was the fact that she was insistent and wouldn't leave unless she spoke to her.

"Are you sure everything is okay?" she asked, approaching her because of the noise in the cafeteria. A worried expression on her face.

Michelle pondered whether to tell her or if it was too stupid of a reason, but seeing her so concerned, she decided to talk to her about it. "Eric is convinced that I won't pass the first module."

Sunny looked at her first surprised and then angry. "Don't listen to him, we've just started. You have plenty of time to improve, and besides, you weren't even among the worst. Some didn't even hit an arm on the target!"

"I don't know what to say," Michelle shrugged and went to sit at the same table she had chosen since it always seemed to be empty.

"Ignore him, show him that you're the best in here," Sunny clung to her arm, smiling, and Michelle couldn't help but laugh along.

She reminded her too much of Anne.

"Anyway," Michelle lifted her head from her plate when she heard Sunny speaking to her, "What do you think of the other initiates?"

Michelle looked around to locate where the remaining nine initiates were sitting. Most of the former Erudite were sitting together, except for the brunette in front of her; the two Abnegation were sitting by themselves with the lone former Amity.

Then there were her former faction mates, talking amongst themselves on the other side of the cafeteria.

She shrugged. "Nothing special."

"True, but that Patrik over there is really good at shooting. He also seems to be in good shape," Michelle turned to look at the boy sitting with Chloe and Connor, with his usual cocky expression.

Michelle remembered all the times she saw him bullying some poor kid at school; it was obvious he was in good shape. He was the type of person who sailed through every situation, and it was almost normal for him to be so comfortable among the Dauntless.

"I guess you two don't get along from the way you're looking at him," Sunny turned to her, smiling mischievously.

"He's been a jerk since we were kids, that's all," Michelle replied bluntly.

"Yeah, it shows," her friend said lightly, returning to her meal.

The remaining ten minutes passed in silence as they finished eating and headed back to the training quarters. Michelle and Sunny were the first to leave the cafeteria and the first to arrive in the gym, after Four, of course.

He turned to look at them when they entered and then returned to writing something on a whiteboard placed near the various mats used for combat. "Today we start with techniques, we don't want you to get hurt."

"Good," Sunny said, starting to stretch, receiving confused looks from Michelle. "You should stretch too; it will make your muscles hurt less."

Michelle trusted her, especially after Four nodded in agreement with her friend. She stood next to her, copying her movements, and discovered that she was more flexible than she had imagined.

It didn't take more than ten minutes, just enough time for the huge room to fill up again with the transfers.

Michelle looked around and was relieved not to see Eric with them, but rather in the distance with the Dauntless kids and Lauren. Maybe this time she would be able to do her best without feeling intimidated.

She was wrong.

Eric's presence or absence didn't change the fact that she struggled to move the punching bag. She was relieved to see that many of her other classmates were in the same situation, although not exactly as bad.

Four moved from initiate to initiate to correct their form and give advice on how to improve, but when he came to her, he remained silent, observing her.

"You lack strength," he remarked, moving from her right side to her left. Michelle felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. "But you're fast, very fast. Use that to your advantage."

He helped her improve her form, slightly bending her back and then pointing out critical points to strike. She felt slightly relieved to know that she wasn't completely lost, but that she simply needed to focus more on her tactics than strength.

Four had been kind in correcting her mistakes, in highlighting her weakness, but she knew that when Eric passed by, he could bury her. 

As she continued to hit the punching bag, she thought about how much harder than expected it would be to pass the initiation; she never imagined it would be so tough. Had something changed?

Towards the end of the training, Four stopped them and ordered them to pair up according to what was written on the whiteboard. Michelle paused for a moment to catch her breath and, walking towards the whiteboard, saw that her name was not paired with anyone.

She looked at Four in confusion, who approached her. "You're odd, one of you had to be with me."

Everyone took their places on the mats, and Four began to speak. "Now apply what you've done so far between yourselves. Don't hit each other hard; it's just to get the hang of the movements."

He turned to Michelle, giving her a small smile. "You start."

Initially, she was worried about having to train with their instructor, thinking he would be too harsh, but instead, it was pleasant; the movements were fluid, and every mistake he corrected, showing her a more effective way to defend or attack.

"Four!" all the initiates stopped to watch Eric advance towards them, a malicious grin on his face. "Allow me to give a demonstration."

Four looked at him grimly, not pleased with his tone and behavior. He approached them and took his place in front of Michelle, before casting a brief glance at the other initiates.

"Continuing like this will get you nowhere," he said sternly. "You have to prove that you're the best for us to choose you."

He assumed an attacking position, and Michelle watched him, immediately going into defense mode. She tried to hide the trembling in her hands as people began to surround them to watch the scene.

Everyone knew Michelle wouldn't come out of this without a bit of blood. Especially Four.

"Now watch, and maybe you'll learn something," Eric said before turning his attention back to Michelle, immediately noticing her insecurity and trembling. He smiled, pleased with her reaction.

Eric began to circle, forcing Michelle to move. He waited a few seconds before taking a step and then attacking, which she immediately noticed, allowing her to dodge the punch coming her way.

He was surprised, he had to admit.

After the first missed strike, he focused on the poor girl, launching blow after blow but failing to land a hit. Sunny watched them tense, ready to assist her friend as soon as something happened.

Four was surprised; he had noticed her speed but underestimated her tactics; Michelle could anticipate Eric's moves.

Eric, unlike Four, was more pissed off and annoyed than surprised. Sure, it was lasting longer than he wanted, but the fact that he missed her by inches was infuriating him.

Their skirmish picked up speed, and Michelle began to miss shots; her anxiety was starting to get the better of her. Her movements became less precise, and with a lunge, Eric managed to graze her, making him realize that this was his chance.

Michelle tried to dodge his strikes, but with each blow, Eric was getting closer and closer to hitting her. She was short of breath, her heart racing as she struggled to hold her ground.

The only thing she could focus on were Eric's words, telling her that she wouldn't make it, that she would be eliminated at the end of the first module, and as much as she wanted his words to motivate her, they had the opposite effect.

They dragged her down.

She got distracted for a moment, just a second, and in that moment, Eric managed to land a hit on her cheekbone. Michelle fell to the ground, and for a few seconds, she felt nothing, neither the people around her nor the pain.

But then it came.

She gritted her teeth in pain, the sharp sensation preventing her from opening her eyes. It felt as if her entire face had been shattered into a thousand pieces by that simple punch.

In the background, she could hear Eric's voice speaking to the initiates, but she couldn't focus on his words because of the intense pain.

She remained on the ground for a while, not too long, because when she got up, Eric was still standing in front of her, proud with his arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at her.

He smiled at her. "That's how you get yourself kicked out," he exclaimed to the other initiates before dismissing them.

It was already six o'clock.

Some of them stayed to watch Michelle for a few more seconds before heading back to the dormitory to take a shower. She remained still, holding the right side of her face with her hand, the pressure alleviating the pain.

She stared at Eric, who was still on the mat. He looked back at her, pleased with the blow he had landed; it would leave a nasty bruise if it hadn't already broken it.

They locked eyes, a silent promise to make each other's lives hell.

Knowledge Prologue

check out my other works here!

Summary:

The story begins the same for everyone, on the day of the ceremony, one of the most important for all the kids who take part in it every year, and Michelle will not miss the opportunity to leave behind a faction that she did not feel belonged to her.

On her journey, however, she will encounter someone who will make her initiation feel like hell.

Pairing: Eric Coulter x reader

Word Count: 475

Warnings: REALLY slow burn, angst, ncn elements, charachte death, Eric being an asshole at the start, hurt/comfort

"Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"No, how could I be?"

"Come on, Ellie, it won't be the end of the world." A slender, red-haired girl with a face dotted with freckles smiled at her, attempting to reassure her, but to no avail, as she too was gripped by anxiety. "So, it's decided." her smile slwowly fading.

Ellie, gazing at the panorama before her, watched as the city below slowly faded with the onset of night. A gentle wind blew, and she tried to shield herself from its cold by wrapping herself in the white blazer draped over her shoulders.

She shrugged, her voice a sigh. "It was decided years ago, Anne..."

Anne looked at her, tears welling up in her eyes. The looming Aptitude Test would separate them, the friendship they had forged would break irreparably.

They could have lied, said everything would be fine, but in that moment, on the rooftop of the building where they had lived for sixteen years and shared countless memories, they realized it would be one of the last times they would see each other.

The redhead approached her friend, resting her head on her shoulder, seeking comfort. Ellie embraced her, allowing a few tears to escape, silently reliving all the moments they had shared together.

But in the end, they had always known. They had become inseparable for a reason, both excluded from the faction that was supposed to be their home, too different from all the other kids dressed in black and white like them, yet at the same time too different from each other to choose the same faction.

Anne was, she was good.

Ellie watched her as she tried to suppress her sobs, hiding within her arms. Her heart was made of gold, rare in its kind. Always ready to help others, hesitant to speak anything but the truth knowing it could hurt someone.

However, the Candor were not pleased with all this caring nature of hers. They were not pleased even with Ellie's silence, especially with her penchant for getting into trouble.

Her mother considered her a disgrace to their family. Ellie's antics tarnished the name her father had built through years of hard work before disappearing, presumably killed by the outcasts, those without a faction.

It wasn't a secret that her mother was more excited for Ellie's Aptitude Test day than Ellie herself. She didn't hide the fact that if Ellie left their faction, she would do everyone a favor.

"I'll miss you," Anne managed to say as she wiped away her tears, her eyes now red and slightly swollen.

Ellie smiled faintly but said nothing, returning her gaze to the landscape before them; the city was fully illuminated now that the sun had completely set, creating a breathtaking view.

"I should go, or they'll wonder where I am. Goodbye, Ellie."

"Goodbye, Anne."

Knowledge pt.5

check out the other parts here!

Summary:

The story begins the same for everyone, on the day of the ceremony, one of the most important for all the kids who take part in it every year, and Michelle will not miss the opportunity to leave behind a faction that she did not feel belonged to her.

On her journey, however, she will encounter someone who will make her initiation feel like hell.

Pairing: Eric Coulter x Reader

Word Count: 5.1k

Michelle was nervous at the thought of facing the combat the next day. After witnessing what some of her peers were capable of, she felt somewhat intimidated. She hoped to be paired with someone relatively weak to train with.

Lauren was skilled, very skilled, but she didn't fight to win.

It must have been shortly after 7 pm when Michelle reached the tattoo shop where Tyson worked. Unlike the previous mornings when it was closed, this time it was open to the public.

The place was bustling with Dauntless eager to get a tattoo, and as she made her way through the crowd, she tried to find him near the stations.

To her surprise, however, she found Tori busy working on a tattoo for a girl she had never seen before. The woman looked up as she saw Michelle approaching and offered a brief smile before returning her focus to her work.

"Hey, Michelle. Nice to see you here. Have you decided to get a tattoo?" she spoke slowly, too focused on the tattoo.

It seemed to resemble a snake, although from where Michelle was standing, she couldn't clearly make it out.

"Let's say I have," she replied, taking a seat on one of the nearby stools, clutching the notebook she had recently purchased in her hand.

She had already started jotting down some ideas, hastily and without anything specific in mind. Getting a tattoo was more complicated than she thought; she felt very uncertain about certain aspects, knowing that such work would later be permanently inked on her skin.

It had to be perfect.

"Any ideas? Tyson told me you were working on something. Everything okay, Mia, go to the counter and book the last session," Tori spoke to the girl sitting on the chair, who got up and greeted her monotonously.

Michelle watched the girl leave with a dismissive air.

"Never mind her, she's always like that," Michelle's attention was once again drawn back to Tori, who was now setting up the station for a potential new client. "So, let's see?"

Michelle opened the notebook and showed Tori the various doodles she had made. The woman examined them carefully, occasionally making comments. The style was one she had never seen before, and she quite liked it.

"These are really beautiful, unique," she said, passing the notebook back to Michelle. "Which one would you like to do? So I can start making the stencil."

Michelle flipped through the pages until she reached a drawing that Tori hadn't seen before; she had stopped earlier.

She handed the notebook back to Tori, who carefully observed the intricate lines and details within. At the center of the different lines was the symbol of the Dauntless.

Tori furrowed her brows; the pattern seemed familiar to her, yet she couldn't recall where she had seen it before.

"It's like a map of the place, and the symbol marks where the Pit is," Michelle explained, watching Tori's reaction. The woman's eyes widened slightly as she realized the different corridors leading to the Pit.

"It's...wow," she said, genuinely amazed. Slowly, she tried to trace each tunnel, and indeed, Michelle's drawing was accurate. "Do you want this?"

Michelle nodded, and with her permission, Tori went to make a photocopy of the drawing and then create a stencil. She returned shortly, handing back Michelle's notebook. "Give me one, maximum two days, and you can come to get it done. Where would you like it?"

Michelle pondered for a moment. Her arms were too small to accommodate a tattoo of that size; it wouldn't have the right impact.

"Back," Michelle replied.

"I'll let Tyson know," Tori responded before bidding her farewell to attend to a new client who was patiently waiting beside the station, holding a sheet with the design he wanted to get tattooed.

Michelle returned to the dormitories after briefly stopping by the cafeteria to grab something to eat, trying to follow Lauren's advice as much as possible. She ate a couple of hamburgers and a side before heading to the dormitory for a shower, taking advantage of the fact that everyone had gone to dinner.

The warm water relaxed her muscles, and the smell of sweat quickly washed away, replaced by the scent of cleanliness.

She tried to be as quick as possible to get some sleep; she was undecided whether to go to sleep now as usual or actually use the night to rest. The next day, she would have to face one of her peers, and she didn't know what would be wiser.

Michelle riflected on Arlo and Patrik's fight, the memory of the sound of their fists against their opponent still fresh in her mind. She had to be as prepared as possible; sleeping wasn't an option.

She slipped into bed, closing her eyes and falling asleep for what felt like an eternity, but something disturbed her sleep, causing her to wake up abruptly. When she turned to check the time, she noticed the clock was nearing midnight.

She got up very cautiously, trying to figure out what that sudden noise had been, but not noticing anything particular, she assumed she had imagined it, still half in the world of dreams.

She quickly changed into her clothes and slipped out of the dormitory. The dimly lit corridors at night made her feel a bit anxious; it was true. The occasional blue light that illuminated them was not enough to make her feel safe. She remained stiff-backed, ready to block a possible attack.

As she walked away from the dormitory, she heard another noise similar to the previous one.

She hadn't imagined it then.

It was the door of her dormitory opening and closing. The unmistakable creaking made Michelle flatten against a dark wall, not knowing who it could be at that hour. She heard whispered laughter fading away from the corridor where the dormitories were located. She was puzzled by this. Who were they? What did they want? Would she get into trouble if her absence was noticed?

Ignoring such concerns, she quickened her pace toward the gym accommodations, reaching them in record time to avoid whoever might be in the corridors.

As she did every night, she was relieved to find the gym empty, devoid of life, allowing her to train in peace. She wrapped her knuckles as Lauren had taught her and began hitting the bag for hours, ignoring the burning sensation in her arms.

She needed to be strong, to improve her standing.

She was the only one with so few points; everyone else had already fought, causing them to either rise or fall in the rankings. She, on the other hand, had only fallen, placing her below the red line.

She was no longer tenth; she was eighteenth.

She would have to work her ass off to get back to the top, but she promised herself she would make it. She would do whatever it took to climb back up.

Everything.

"Do you ever sleep?" Michelle jumped in place, hearing a voice from the other side of the gym. She spun around to see who it was, not recognizing the voice. She relaxed when she saw Four entering with a duffel bag.

She shrugged at his question, Four must have figured out her routine. "Lauren told me I'd find you here. You should rest, Michelle," Four said, more as advice than an order. His voice was gentle, as if he genuinely cared about her and her well-being.

"I'm rested," she replied, averting her gaze from his blue eyes.

Four clicked his tongue against his teeth, placing his stuff on a nearby bench. "Come here."

Michelle stopped punching the bag and turned to see what Four meant. She saw him standing on the combat mat, patiently observing her.

Confused, she approached.

"Show me what you can do," he said, getting into an attacking stance, followed immediately by her.

Four lunged at her, trying to grab her, but Michelle followed Lauren's advice and threw a lateral punch to his temple, making him step back.

He gritted his teeth at the impact but quickly recovered, continuing the sparring with her. Once again, he was surprised by her agility and speed. She dodged his blows with ease, and she had improved since the first time he had seen her spar with Eric.

She had refined her technique, attacking instead of always being on the defensive. But Four was good, better than her, and after twenty minutes of exchanging hits, he managed to bring her down.

"Watch out for—."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she replied, irritated, getting back on her feet. It was the same problem that Lauren had pointed out to her several times: she couldn't focus on attacking and protecting her feet at the same time.

She assumed an attacking stance again, and it was her turn to launch herself at the guy in front of her, putting him in serious difficulty. Michelle landed several blows to his chest, legs, and even one to his throat, managing to regain the upper hand.

But what she didn't know was that Four was holding back, reducing the force of his blows. He wanted her to improve, to make her better, but without hurting her.

He had to admit, though, she was good. She knew what to do, and it was incredible how she could predict almost every one of his moves. She had potential.

And that's when it occurred to him that perhaps the reason they needed to keep an eye on her was precisely for that, for her potential abilities; a member like her was necessary within the faction.

But it couldn't be just that.

Nearly an hour passed before Michelle started to tire, causing her to lose concentration and allowing Four to bring her down, equally exhausted.

Michelle relaxed on the mat, staring at the ceiling when she felt Four sit down beside her, handing her a water bottle.

"It's still early, it's not even three yet. You should go rest," he said.

But Michelle shook her head, getting up and heading back to the punching bag, ignoring Four's bored look. Why was she so stubborn, he wondered?

Four had to admit that he admired her in a way. He saw determination in her eyes and knew she would make her way through the initiation; she hadn't started off on the best foot, but there was time.

He watched her train for a while, then left via the rooftop, leaving the girl to her thoughts.

Unlike Four, Michelle was confused about why he had come there, only to leave after sparring with her. It couldn't have been just for her; otherwise, he wouldn't have arrived with a duffel bag and left via the rooftop instead of returning the way he came.

As she punched the bag, she felt weak, as if her punches, despite all the determination she put into them, were too feeble. She felt restrained, as if something was holding her back from pushing beyond her limits.

She couldn't give it her all, she knew, but she didn't know how to break through that mental barrier.

She kept hitting the bag repeatedly until she couldn't feel her arms anymore and until the sun began to lighten the sky, illuminating the room. She stopped, exhausted, but she was starting to love the sensation. The burning of her muscles was becoming a feeling of comfort for her.

She quickly headed back to the dormitory to take a quick shower and then go to the cafeteria for a hearty breakfast, but her plans didn't go as smoothly as she thought.

As she approached the iron doors of her dormitory, she began to hear a rather loud commotion coming from inside. When she opened the doors, she understood the reason for the agitation.

The entire room was covered in a black dust that had not only stuck to the walls but also to all the initiates present there. She saw Chloe almost in tears as she noticed that the strange substance didn't come off easily from her body, and Michelle looked for Sunny, who was sitting on her bed with a resigned expression.

She reached her as quickly as possible, ignoring the confused looks and unpleasant comments from her peers.

"Why isn't she dirty? She must have something to do with this!"

"It must have been her, for sure!"

"Where the hell was she? Why is she clean?"

When she stood in front of Sunny, the girl smiled at her despite her downcast face. "Funny, huh?"

"What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know, we woke up and suddenly found ourselves covered in this strange powder. It doesn't come off easily, it stains," he showed her his arm, which was no longer black but gray.

Michelle looked around, watching her desperate companions trying to get the substance off themselves.

On the other side of the room, Chloe observed Michelle with hatred and suspicion. She wondered why she was outside and especially if she had organized this prank, a way to skip the sparring that would take place in a few hours.

"You think?" Connor whispered next to her, glancing between her and Michelle.

"Come on, bro, you can't tell me something smells fishy here! She was outside the dorm, she came back just in time to see all of us covered in this stuff, and she's clean," Patrick continued to vigorously rub his face with a wet cloth to try to get rid of the residue.

Chloe huffed, "I agree, it's too much of a coincidence."

The dormitory doors swung open again with such force that they slammed against the wall, drawing the attention of all the teen present. They turned to see who had entered with such vigor, and the room fell into a deathly silence as Eric strode in, followed by Max and Lauren.

He looked around, his expression furious. "Can someone explain what happened?" he said very slowly.

He was trying to restrain himself from shouting at everyone and punishing them for this prank. He was even tempted to make them all Factionless after this. He had never seen anything like it in three years.

No one answered the question until Chloe, convinced of her theory, stepped forward.

She was scared to speak to Eric, especially with his current mood, but she swallowed her fear and began to speak, her voice slightly trembling. "We woke up, and the room was like this, covered in this substance, and..."

"And?" Eric raised an eyebrow, unsatisfied with her explanation. He wanted a culprit, someone to punish for this action.

Chloe glanced in Michelle's direction, who immediately understood what was about to happen. Michelle paled, realizing the trouble she would be in within seconds. She had no way to defend herself.

It was her word against at least three of theirs.

"Michelle was outside the dorm, she came back just in time to see us covered in this stuff... and she's clean," Chloe insisted.

Eric's head turned slowly to find the girl in question, and when he did, indeed seeing her completely clean and dressed for training, he smiled.

Shivers ran down ers spine as she saw his smile. It wasn't a good start.

"Oh really?" His tone was strangely light, cheerful, and Michelle swallowed the lump forming in her throat. What would happen to her?

Before Eric could speak, Max intervened. "Do you have any evidence that it was Michelle? Besides her absence from the dorms?"

"No—" Chloe tried to speak and continue her accusation, but she was interrupted by Lauren.

"Then let's not point fingers at anyone, I believe Michelle has a valid alibi for tonight, right?" Lauren turned to Michelle, expecting an answer, and the girl nodded. "Good, then we'll check her alibi now and then we'll see."

"I don't think that's necessary, it's quite obvious," Eric said, annoyed. "Get up, come with me."

Michelle didn't immediately get up, and the boy looked at her, the smile gone. "Now!" he shouted.

Michelle stood up abruptly, following the blond boy out of the dormitory, hoping that at least Lauren would join them. She kept her head held high as she followed Eric along a series of different corridors until they reached a door on the right.

Someone was following her, she heard footsteps, and she fervently hoped it was Lauren and not Max. She needed someone for support.

Eric opened the door for her, gesturing for her to enter, and feeling very uncertain, she stepped inside, trying not to turn her back on the boy for too long. Inside was a long table with several chairs, and what made her most uncomfortable was how unnervingly calm Eric was.

"Sit down," he ordered, and Michelle complied, taking a seat as far away from him as possible. But of course, the boy had no intention of letting her off so easily and approached her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Michelle saw Max and Lauren enter, which made her feel a little better. How could she testify to her innocence? She would have to ask Four to testify for her.

Max approached them, a serious and bored expression on his face. "Michelle, let's make things clear. Did you do this?"

"No."

"Do you have a way to prove your innocence?"

"Yes."

"How?" Eric asked sharply, convinced that hers was a falsehood.

"Four."

The three leaders looked at each other in confusion.

"Explain," Eric ordered, ready to catch Four in an inquisition and dismiss him.

"I was training, he arrived too, we sparred, and then I returned to the dormitory," Michelle began, unconsciously playing with her cuticles.

Max observed her bandaged knuckles and glanced at Lauren, who nodded and left the room.

However, Eric wasn't satisfied with her brief explanation. "Why were you outside the dormitory in the middle of the night? You know it's forbidden, or do I need to remind you?"

"I was training," Michelle simply replied, trying to remain as calm as possible, not wanting to get agitated and give Eric any satisfaction.

She wouldn't play his stupid game.

"And why?"

"To improve."

Eric clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Oh, because you know you're weak and incapable? Hmm, I can accept that even though I warn you how useless it is in your situation."

Michelle remained still, silent, as she absorbed the young leader's criticism in front of her. She had to try not to be influenced by his words; they were baseless cruelties and she shouldn't give them weight.

He was a jerk, an asshole, selfish, and arrogant. She wanted to smash his face in more and more with every inch he approached her. They were face to face, at the same height, his gray eyes against her blue ones.

Max watched the scene from outside, intrigued.

Their staring match was interrupted after a couple of minutes when the door of the room opened, letting in Lauren and then Four, who seemed anything but happy to be there. Eric straightened up, shifting his attention to his peer, ready to hear what he had to say, but Max spoke up first.

"Four, we've called you here to testify that Michelle was in the training dorms all night. She said you were together at some point," his tone was monotone as he spoke to the boy, Eric beside him crossing his arms, waiting for his response.

The boy briefly glanced at Michelle before returning his gaze to Max's eyes. "Yes, that's true" he said.

Max nodded, perhaps a little unconvinced, before letting them both go their separate ways. But it wasn't him who was most bothered by the situation; it was Eric, who watched Michelle's back as she walked away as if he wanted to plant knives in it.

When the door of the room closed behind them, Michelle released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, stopping in the corridor to try to understand what had just happened.

Was someone trying to blame her?

"Everything alright?" Four turned back, not hearing her footsteps.

She nodded, resuming walking as if nothing had happened. She had promised herself not to show weakness to anyone, not even Four; his kindness towards her made her suspicious, the way he interacted with her was different from how he did with others.

"We'll find whoever is behind this tasteless joke, you don't have to worry about Eric," he assured.

"I'm not worried," she lied, a big one at that. Eric's hostility towards her was unfounded; she had done nothing to antagonize him other than blocking his blows during training.

But was that really enough reason for him to hate her? As a leader and coach, he should have been proud of her, happy to see that an inexperienced initiate was able to put up some challenge.

They walked in silence through the long corridors until they reached the dormitories again, where the boys were cleaning the strange dust off the walls, their skin speckled with gray patches.

Chloe's excitement faded when she saw Four return with Michelle, still intact, ordering her to go take a shower and then go help the other initiates clean the room.

She was grateful; she hadn't had the chance to change out of the clothes she had trained in that night, and she felt sticky all over, a light layer of persistent sweat on her skin.

"Keep cleaning, when you're done, meet us in the gym!" Four said before leaving.

Chloe threw the rag she was cleaning the floor with to the ground and angrily approached Michelle, grabbing her shoulder and forcefully turning her around before delivering a punch to her cheek.

Michelle whimpered, touching her face. It was the same spot where Eric had hit her earlier in the week, and the bruise hadn't completely faded yet.

"You're sleeping with Four, aren't you?" Michelle stopped to stare at the girl with wide eyes, incredulous to hear her words. "You break the few rules we have, pull this stunt, and still nothing happens to you. You even skipped the fight yesterday, what a coincidence!"

The room fell silent, and Sunny joined Michelle, standing by her side. "What the hell, Chloe?"

"No, I'm not talking to you!" Chloe was furious, pushing Michelle again, and Sunny intervened to stand between them, receiving a slap from Chloe. "Tell me, who? Four or Eric? Huh?"

Michelle looked at her confusedly and smiled, then laughed lightly. Sunny turned to her sharply, never having heard her laugh before. "Chloe, I'm not the whore here," she said, still holding her hand to her cheek.

"What do you mean?" the girl said through gritted teeth, her eyes frantic as she glared at her with anger. Connor and Patrik approached their friend, passing by the group of boys who had formed a circle to watch the argument between the two former Candor members.

Chloe knew exactly what Michelle was referring to. They were no longer in their old faction, but if anyone were to expose that information, her reputation would be permanently stained. Not to mention the trouble it would cause for the other person involved.

Michelle smiled even more, and the brunette next to her shuddered slightly. Her smile, at that moment, seemed sadistic. "You know very well," Michelle said.

Chloe remained silent, straightening up and returning to her original position, not wanting Michelle to reveal that secret out of spite. What worried her the most was one thing: how Michelle could be aware of what had happened during that school year.

"Stay quiet, and we won't have any problems," Chloe said, turning her back to Michelle, effectively putting an end to the small spectacle that had unfolded.

As the crowd of students dispersed, Sunny turned back to Chloe with a puzzled expression. "What have happened to make her react like that? She seemed ready to pounce on you until you mentioned that!"

"She slept with a teacher to pass the year" Michelle replied simply, heading off to finally take a shower. She left her friend behind, mouth agape, as she contemplated the revelation.

Michelle had stumbled upon the secret by chance, her curiosity leading her to the rooftop of their school where she caught them in the act. She wished she could wash her eyes out with bleach to rid herself of the memory.

If the secret were to come to light, it would undoubtedly spark the most scandalous uproar their faction had ever witnessed. Michelle, however, had resolved to keep it buried, seeing no advantage in its exposure. On the contrary, she feared repercussions for herself, for once again venturing into forbidden territory.

Even as she turned the faucet, the echo of their voices from the adjacent room persisted, but she pushed them to the back of her mind. What lingered, haunting her thoughts, were Eric's words—spat with such venom and malice that they cast a shadow of doubt over her very being.

She knew she had to demonstrate her superiority to all. Yet, the path ahead seemed strewn with obstacles.

After finishing her shower, Michelle joined her companions to help with the remaining tasks. They had already completed most of the work before they headed to the gym, almost two hours later than usual.

Upon their arrival, Four and Eric were already present, standing in front of the board with the names of those who would be fighting that day. Everyone was there, even those who had taken a beating the day before.

"Run three laps as warm-up, then come back here!" Four instructed the boys, who started jogging around the room.

Before joining them, Michelle approached the board to check who she would be matched against for the upcoming fight. She drew close to the board under Eric's watchful eye, who observed her with almost disdain.

"Scared of ruining that pretty face?" Eric's hand shot out unexpectedly, catching Michelle off guard as he took hold of her chin to inspect her face, smiling at the fresh bruise. "Oh, it's already ruined. What a shame."

His tone was sarcastic, and Michelle hated the sensation she felt when his hand touched her face. She wanted to rip his hand away, yet at the same time, the warmth it left behind was something she longed to feel again.

When Michelle saw who she was matched against, she scowled. As much as she couldn't stand Tina's shrill voice, at that moment, she wished she could smash someone's face in. Why not the girl who had punched her a couple of hours earlier?

"I want to fight Chloe," she said, looking Eric straight in the eye, who raised an eyebrow, smiling.

"Do you really think you have a say in this?" he chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Michelle contemplated begging him, maybe it would work. "Please," her voice was barely a whisper, and the young leader's smile faded as he straightened up from where he was leaning against the wall.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch it," he said.

"Please, Eric," she said louder, and he observed her, noting her clear eyes and the bruise on the side of her cheek that had broken a few blood vessels in her eye.

He considered her request; she wasn't asking to back out of the fight but to change opponents. He would have said no to anyone else, but his old Erudite mind immediately grasped her purpose.

He arched his lips into a smirk, watching Chloe jog to the other side of the room. It would be amusing to see Michelle take her frustrations out on her companion, especially after accusing her of being involved in the prank.

He turned to look at the initiate in front of him before giving her his back and changing the names on the board. When he turned back, he didn't find Michelle; she had left after getting what she wanted.

"In the center!" Eric yelled, gathering all the initiates. He decided to make a small change to the list. "Chloe and Michelle, on the mat."

Four, who had joined him, looked at him. "That's not the pair or the order," he said, watching the two girls take their positions.

"I don't care," was all Eric said, keeping his eyes fixed on them. "It will be entertaining."

Four looked worriedly at the pair before resigning himself to the situation and watching the match unfold. He couldn't do anything if Eric said otherwise.

The two girls faced each other, Chloe ready in defense, confident she would win the bout. She threw the first punch, but Michelle dodged it, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards her, causing Chloe's fist to collide with her own face.

The girl stumbled back, holding her bleeding nose in her hands.

Michelle felt a surge of satisfaction; striking her opponent's face had given her a sense of fulfillment she had never experienced before. She brought her hands up to her face, ready for a response from her adversary.

Chloe didn't take long to compose herself and launch herself at Michelle, blinded by anger. How dare she behave like this towards her?

For a while, Michelle continued to dodge her blows, careful to observe every move Chloe made. Before attacking, she moved her fingers, as if realigning them after each strike.

She dodged a blow to her temple, but Chloe still managed to catch her off guard, sweeping her feet out from under her. Chloe pounced on her, pinning her to the mat and starting to repeatedly strike her in the face.

Eric smiled at seeing the girl on the ground, finding it ridiculous how it had all ended up like this, while Four walked away, not wanting to witness the scene. It would be hard to get out of that position, especially if the opponent kept hitting you in the face.

"Come on, Michelle!" Sunny cheered, and Michelle, determined not to be overpowered, gathered all her strength. Despite the throbbing in her head, she managed to free one arm and strike Chloe in the throat.

The girl stopped hitting her, rolling to the side with the sensation of suffocating. Michelle seized the opportunity and threw herself on top of her, pinning her down.

Now it was her turn to strike; she felt nothing, a loud ringing filled her ears, her vision was blurred, and her head pounded, but she kept hitting her, harder and harder.

Chloe's hands tried to push her away in every way possible, but by now Michelle had only one thing in mind: to finish it.

It felt as if she were watching the scene from outside herself, unable to stop, but what worried her the most was that she didn't want to stop. She would continue until the last breath left the girl's lips beneath her.

"That's enough," Eric said, observing the scene, Chloe now unconscious on the mat.

He was pleased with what he had seen; he hadn't expected such a reversal, but his almost happiness was cut short when he saw Michelle continue to strike Chloe.

"Initiate, I said enough!" he raised his voice, and Michelle stopped, still not taking her eyes off Chloe's almost unrecognizable, inert body.

She looked up, watching Eric, who nodded for her to move away from the girl. She obeyed, getting to her feet and wiping the blood from her nose with the sleeve of her hoodie.

She was short of breath, and a strong metallic smell invaded her nostrils. Blood.

She left without saying a word to anyone, and no one said anything to her, not even Eric, who let her go.

"I told you, she's capable," Four said upon his return, now worried not only for her well-being but for what she might become.

He had witnessed the final part of the match and saw how Michelle struck Chloe, with pure fury and hatred.

"She's dangerous," Eric said, watching her leave, a smile on his lips. "I don't mind."

That was the beginning of the end for Michelle.