Vic (a divergent fanfiction)

28

Felix and I are in Jeanine's office for one of her experiments. Fear tingles through me sending goose bumps down my body. My skin prickles in the tension. What will Jeanine do next? All her experiments have seemed dangerous or painful. Will she make me try to kill Felix again? What adjustments has she made to the serum? Why is Cal trying to get my attention when he betrayed me? What is he up to? Mournful sadness surges through me as I think of my brother. How could my beloved brother do this to me? Why is Cal on Jeanine's side?

Jeanine enters the room. She just spent an hour in the lab tinkering with her new serum. That's not good for me, it probably means that this serum is extra strong. Jeanine places the familiar device on her desk. "This is the upgraded version of my previous serum." Jeanine announces, "The test on Vic definitely showed promise." She holds up the syringe full of crimson coloured liquid.

"You aren't putting that anywhere near me." I tell her defiantly.

"Not yet Vic." Jeanine agrees, "Felix will try this first."

"No!" I shout, "I'll go first!"

Jeanine smiles. "I'm glad that you have enthusiasm, but I'd prefer to test Felix first." She approaches him, her heels clicking. Two guards hold the struggling Felix down as she kneels beside him. Jeanine scans the serum just as she did last time before cleaning the needle.

"I won't do this! I won't! You're stupid serum won't work!" Felix yells.

"It may, or it may need more enhancing." Jeanine says, injecting him with the ruby coloured serum. Felix goes slack, falling unconscious. "Let him up." Jeanine commands, pressing buttons on the odd device. Felix stands, his eyes darting around, his expression alert and confused. Then his dark pupils rest on me. Felix charges without warning, pinning me to the ground.

"Stop! Felix stop!" I shriek as his arms wrap around my neck. He's under her control. Jeanine's serum is working. what can I do? Pain throbs through my neck as I try to push him off me. I don't want to hurt Felix, I don't want to fight my friend. I remember the feeling that I experienced when he kissed me. I remember his soft warm hands. I can't let Jeanine do this to him. I glance at Jeanine, "Stop this. Please Jeanine." I whisper lamely. My throat is sore from Felix's choking hold on me, and my voice sounds hoarse and weak.

"Don't worry Vic. I still need you alive." Jeanine states, pressing buttons. Felix stops hurting me. His whole being seems to freeze as Jeanine gives him a command with a few pushes of a couple buttons. Then his body goes slack and he crumples to the floor. "He's out." Jeanine reassures me. Felix sits up slowly.

"Wha? W-What-what h-h-h-happened?" He asks.

"My serum worked." Jeanine explains, "But I still have to test it on Vic."

"Why?" We both question.

"She has stronger divergence than you Felix. The effects may be different." Jeanine answers. She pulls a second syringe from her pocket and scans it on the device. Her guards approach us cautiously, ready for a fight. Felix raises his arms and lets him hands ball into fists, but I shake my head.

"Too many." I mutter, "We can't fight our way out. We'll only delay."

Jeanine smiles once more. "Wise choice Vic. You ready?"

"Ready as I will be." I answer bravely. Then she injects me with the serum. The pain from the needle's prick doesn't linger for long. I feel everything sway around me, swirling into a bewildering storm of blackness. I'm temporarily cloaked in the darkness that coiled it's way round me. Suddenly, I open my eyes, perplexed by what I see.

Me and Cal are together in the public dauntless training room. The cool stone walls are chilled with the bitter air that fills the underground dauntless compound. A large dummy stands in front of us, wearing a goofy grin that someone drew on it. The dummy's marker drawn smile reminds me eerily of Jeanine's. The lopsided mouth on the dummy comes with a pair of matching crooked looking eyes. A table in the corner of the tiny room is stacked with pistols and knives. I've always loved practicing with knives. "Why-What-Cal? What's going on?"

"Vic, are you ok? We were practicing and you fell asleep." Cal informs me, "Tomorrow is the choosing ceremony."

"But Cal, that already happened." I say.

"Are you sure that you didn't just dream about it?" He wonders.

"Yes, I mean-I'm fairly sure. It felt so real. What are we doing?" I inquire.

"You are going to fight the dummy. See if you can get it down." Cal replies.

"Ok. I'll try."

"Good. I know you can do it Vic." Cal tells me.

I run at the dummy, knocking it to the ground. The leathery substance that the dummy is made of reminds me of potato sacks. I punch the dummy over and over, trying to show Cal my skills. The strange dummy's head rocks back and forth, swinging and swerving violently with each pounding impact. Red. For a second I think I see blood, even when it doesn't fit to my situation. I stop trying to break the dummy and stare at the spot on it's face where I thought I saw it bleed. The part of the head that I believed to be bleeding. The part is in between the eyes and the mouth, the part of the face where you could see blood during a nose bleed. There is nothing there now that I try to focus on it.

"What?" Cal questions, "Why did you stop?"

"This doesn't quite feel-real. I-I don't-well it doesn't make sense Cal."

"Whatever, We have practice to do. Continue what you were doing, the punches were great." Would Cal say that? Would that really be true? Maybe I'm overthinking, but something doesn't feel right. I can't lay a finger on it, so I keep bashing the dummy. A feeling suddenly fills my lips, a warm, hard pressure. The pressure somehow feels nice and for some reason I taste a sweet honey taste. But there is nothing around me to cause this wonderful feeling. I stop hitting the dummy, scanning the room for whatever's making me feel so great. Something runs through my hair. A hand. Two hands. The touch is soft, warm and affectionate, passionate in someway. Felix. Of course, I'm in the serum. Felix thinks I's going to kill him. He doesn't want to hurt me though, like I couldn't hurt him. He's kissing me. A wonderful joy spreads through me. I must resist Jeanine, I have to escape the serum's icy clutches. I will not let you control me, I think as the illusion that was weaved for me dissolves, I will be brave.

Reality hits me hard. Felix lies on the floor where I pinned him. Jeanine stares at me in shock. A few choking sounds leave her lips before she finally asks, "How-Why-Vic? How did-What-How did you recover?"

"Love." I whisper grinning. And Felix grins too.