Numinous

Chapter 14

Waiting for our stage two training consisted of us sitting in a dimly lit room; The Dauntless-born trying to pick a fight with some transfers. Thankfully they were only interested in the top five of the transfers, so they left Nat and me alone.

Uriah and his friends from the train said hello to me. They were glad and impressed that I'm doing this well for a 'banjo'.

The number of initiates in the room depleted as the minutes passed by. Stage two training takes forever. I've been here since eight in the morning, I was dismissed quickly to grab breakfast and then lunch.

Four comes through the double-doors calling my name after two Dauntless members drag an initiate out of the testing room; she was petrified and very pale, like she saw a ghost.

The testing room looks like the testing room in school for the Aptitude Test. Four beckons me to sit.

"Ever heard the phrase 'face your fears'?" he asks continuing when I nod my head 'yes'. "Well, here we're taking it literally. I'm going to inject you with a serum that stimulates the part of your brain that processes fear." Sitting back, Four begins to reset the equipment from the previous test.

"It induces a hallucination, and then transmitters in the serum allow me to see the images in your mind."

"Creepy" this man is now going to witness my greatest fears? How lovely.

Four injects the serum into my neck, wincing in slight pain.

"Now, you're going to be facing your worst fears. Most people have about 10 to 15 bad fears. To pass the fear, you have to calm yourself. Slow your heart-rate and your breathing, and deal with what's in front of you." Got it...slow my breathing so I can focus on getting past my fear.

"Be brave." That's the last thing I hear before I'm submitted to the darkness.

***

I'm in a glass box; it's just big enough for me to turn around in.

I try to find something outside of the glass, but there's nothing. It's all pitch-black outside of the box I'm trapped in. The only light, is the spotlight directly above me.

I kept ransacking my mind for what fear this could be. I didn't have to wonder anymore, because I felt a tickle on my leg.

Looking down at my leg, I see a hairy tarantula creeping its way up my body. My heart starts beating faster; quickly shaking it off my leg only for more to appear, and start climbing my skin.

More bugs appear, roaches, moths, different varieties all in this tiny box.

I scream as I shake crazily, trying to get them off me.

Maeve, stop! This isn't real. Remember? 

Okay, let's think our way through.

Biting my lip to muffle a whimper that's threatening to escape, a spider is now on my mid-section.

Placing both hands on the glass, I give it a hard push, grunting in pain at the intensity.

Come on Maeve!

I give one final heave, and the glass wall shatters, falling through it and onto the ground, everything goes black.

***

Gasping for air, I am out of the sim. Beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

Four has a sour look on his face as he types on the computer.

"Maeve, how long do you think you were in the simulation?"

"It felt like an hour or more."

"Try five minutes."

"You're lying to me Four." I shook my head.

"Why would I lie about your time?"

"Probably for the same reasons that the Candor who did my aptitude test lied to me."

"What?" Four cocked his head in confusion.

"She told me I was Abnegation, but I know for a fact that it's not the truth. I know that she was lying to me. Why a Candor would lie though? I don't know." I was beyond pissed, I'm sick of these lies!

"Maeve, you got five minutes for your time. How? I don't know, but the quicker your time, the better the rankings. You're dismissed, you have the rest of today off." With that, I leave the testing room. I find myself wandering around the Pit, only to end up at the tattoo parlor, again.

This seems to be my brain's go too place; walking in to find Puppy, as usual.

"Blondie!"

"Puppy!"

"New tat?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what I want though."

"I'm glad you said that. I've been sketching something I thought you'd like." He hands me a sheet of paper that has a gun on it, but the gun is made of flowers.

"Oh! Puppy, I love it!" Puppy smiles before being ushered away by someone who had a question. 

I glance down at the beautiful sketch in my hand.

"Pretty." I've grown accustomed to hearing that voice appear behind me; I spin around to face Eric.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to get it. I just don't know where." I admit.

"Hmm." Eric ponders, circling me. I feel almost like prey being stalked by its predator. "Here." He says placing his hand on my left hip. 

"I think it would look great here." Eric slips his hand under my shirt and rubs his thumb on my side. Too shocked to say anything, I just stand there like an idiot. My cheeks blushing a deep red. Although this place is dimly-lit, I'm pretty sure he could see the blush on my face.

With a half-smile, he removes his hand from my side and begins to walk away.

Turning to see him go, I notice a tattoo on the back of his neck that was just freshly put there.

It's a semi colon.