Divergent | Jungkook AU

Chapter Twenty

I BREATHE THROUGH my nose. In, out. In. “It’s just a simulation, Ji,” JK says quietly.

He’s wrong. The last simulation bled into my life, waking and sleeping. Nightmares, not just featuring the crows but the feelings I had in the simulation—terror and helplessness, which I suspect is what I am really afraid of.

Sudden fits of terror in the shower, at breakfast, on the way here. Nails bitten down so far my nail beds ache. And I am not the only one who feels this way; I can tell. Still I nod and close my eyes. I am in darkness. The last thing I remember is the metal chair and the needle in my arm.

This time there is no field; there are no crows. My heart pounds in anticipation. What monsters will creep from the darkness and steal my rationality? How long will I have to wait for them? A blue orb lights up a few feet ahead of me, and then another one, filling the room with light.

I am on the Pit floor, next to the chasm, and the initiates stand around me, their arms folded and their faces blank. I search for Hanni and find her standing among them. None of them move.

Their stillness makes my throat feel tight. I see something in front of me—my own faint reflection. I touch it, and my fingers find glass, cool and smooth. I look up. There is a pane above me; I am in a glass box.

I press above my head to see if I can force the box open. It doesn’t budge. I am sealed in. My heart beats faster. I don’t want to be trapped. Someone taps on the wall in front of me.

JK.

He points at my feet, smirking. A few seconds ago, my feet were dry, but now I stand in half an inch of water, and my socks are soggy. I crouch to see where the water is coming from, but it seems to be coming from nowhere, rising up from the box’s glass bottom.

I look up at JK, and he shrugs. He joins the crowd of initiates. The water rises fast. It now covers my ankles. I pound against the glass with my fist.

“Hey!” I say. “Let me out of here!”

The water slides up my bare calves as it rises, cool and soft. I hit the glass harder.

“Get me out of here!” I stare at Hanni.

She leans over to Yeonjun, who stands beside her, and whispers something in his ear. They both laugh. The water covers my thighs. I pound both fists against the glass. I’m not trying to get their attention anymore; I’m trying to break out.

Frantic, I bang against the glass as hard as I can. I step back and throw my shoulder into the wall, once, twice, three times, four times.

I hit the wall until my shoulder aches, screaming for help, watching the water rise to my waist, my rib cage, my chest.

“Help!” I scream. “Please! Please help!”

I slap the glass. I will die in this tank. I drag my shaking hands through my hair. I see Kai standing among the initiates, and something tickles at the back of my mind. Something he said.

Come on, think. I stop trying to break the glass. It’s hard to breathe, but I have to try. I’ll need as much air as I can get in a few seconds.

My body rises, weightless in the water. I float closer to the ceiling and tilt my head back as the water covers my chin. Gasping, I press my face to the glass above me, sucking in as much air as I can. Then the water covers me, sealing me into the box.

Don’t panic. It’s no use—my heart pounds and my thoughts scatter. I thrash in the water, smacking the walls. I kick the glass as hard as I can, but the water slows down my foot.