As the train approaches the completely abandoned part of the city, I jump off, and head straight for the tallest building I can find. My eyes land on the Hancock Building. I run as hard as I can, enjoying the burn in my lungs and legs.
I need an escape, and the only place I know I will be able to hear my own thoughts is as high as I can possibly go, which means the Hancock Building.
The crunch of ruble and debris beneath my feet becomes the music powering me forward, and all I can focus on is moving towards the Hancock building.
Once I arrive at the building, I carefully step through that shattered glass door, careful not to cut myself. I face the large lobby of the building, which is filled with graffiti, courtesy of Dauntless I'm sure, and a lot of glass, from all the shattered windows and doors.
Seeing this place in its glory days would have been a beautiful sight. I mean, so much of it is made of glass, and call me an Erudite, but I love the elegant and crystal-clear look of glass. I guess my roots are still within me, despite the thought I was a total Dauntless.
The place is getting darker by the minute, as the sun is setting, so I quickly scan the area for a stairwell. No sooner have I found the stairwell have I discovered I got about a hundred flights of stairs to conquer, given the building is one hundred stories tall.
Normally I would be complaining, but right now, I need a distraction, badly. I begin the challenge, and count the steps in my head, unsure of what else to fill my head with.
About halfway, my shirt, face, and roots of my hair are all drenched in sweat. This is one of my best workouts, and it is feeling amazing. But suddenly, I hear my name being called from below.
"Arielle, hold up!" A male voice calls up. Wait, what?
Who the hell followed me?
The only name that comes to mind is Eric. Oh shit, he's coming to kill me now, because I completely embarrassed him. Shit, shit, shit. Why did I decide today would be a great day to be a little snark?
Eric was never one to reveal his feelings for or to anyone, let alone apologize, so I'm guessing he wasn't very happy when I threw it back in his face. Maybe if he didn't hit you, this wouldn't be happening!
I begin to move faster and faster, trying to escape him. If he catches me, I am unsure whether I will cry and beg for my life or push him down these one hundred flights of stairs. The latter option is sounding very appealing.
I continue to go up the stairs, despite the male voice, some thirty or forty flights below, continuing to call after me. By the time I reach the top, I'm panting and unable to move my legs. I take a seat on the edge of the building, and await my mystery follower.
Why the hell would Eric follow me? I pissed him off again, and made it clear that I wanted him to fuck off. He has absolutely no reason to follow me.
Maybe he is trying to get me alone, so he can apologize and talk it out alone. Yeah, that's likely Arielle, he'll waltz right after you when you were a total bitch to him. That would be so sweet, but so not Eric. He doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself, and when he does, I think I would die of shock. After all, he doesn't even have a beating heart, right?
"Fuck, Arielle, I just came to see if you were okay!" Uriah's voice rings out, and my jaw drops in shock.
It was Uriah?
"Uriah, what the hell are you doing here? Better yet, why did you follow me? Zeke is probably looking for you!" I cry, while Uriah is bent over panting, attempting to catch his breath as well.
"Sorry for not being an asshole." He mutters irritably, and I roll my eyes.
"You didn't have to come." I reply, and he rolls his eyes as well.
"Well, news flash, I'm not going back down all those stairs!" Uriah snaps, and I stay quiet. He sits on the ground across from me, and we are both just catching our breath. Words aren't really needed right now.
Why would Uriah care about me enough to follow me? I mean, it was super nice of him, but when someone runs out of the compound, it usually means they want to be left alone. I don't know if I could make that any clearer. Maybe he is having issues as well?
"I'm sorry." I mutter, and Uriah nods. "Now why did you actually follow me?" I ask again, and Uriah looks at me like I'm an idiot, but I'm not, I can read people well, even if I'm not a Candor.
"I just told you. I wanted to check to see-"
"Uriah, I'm not an idiot, believe it or not." I tell him, and he stares at me for a few moments, debating whether or not he wants to tell me his true intentions.
"Zeke and mom were fighting over my dad again, and it bothers me when they do." Uriah says, and I nod.
"What happened?" I ask, my inner Erudite getting the better of me. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that." I say, retracting my statement.
"It's okay. He died shortly after I was born. The Chasm. Everyone says he jumped, but I've had my suspicions that it was more than that. Mom always says she sees him in Zeke, and I know Zeke would never consider jumping. He is loved by all, and so was my father, according to everyone that knew him. And what kind of parent would leave their brand new baby and toddler son alone with their mother? There was something more." Uriah tells me, and I go over to him, sitting beside him and looping my arm around his shoulders.
"I'm so sorry, Uriah. For all three of you." I tell him, and all he does is nod.
"Your turn. Why did you run?" He asks, and I look down to my boots.
"Eric." I tell him, and he looks taken aback for a moment.
"Why would Eric be giving you problems? You're an initiate, and a top ranking one at that. Shouldn't he be praising you?" Uriah chuckles, and I crack a smile.
"Yeah, Eric, praising someone, that's funny." I laugh dryly. "No, he just decided to make my last couple days as an initiate hell. And he has a particular hate for me." I say, not looking to Uriah's curious eyes.
Uriah doesn't need to know everything right now, he doesn't need to have a weight on his shoulders when he is living the last free year of his life.
"C'mon, I'm done with all this sad shit." Uriah says, standing up and pulling me off the ground. "Let's go zip lining!" Uriah yells, and points to the harnesses hanging up against a shed-like structure on the large roof.
"Whoa, whoa wait. There's a zip line up here?!" I say excitedly, but still really unsure.
"Yeah, are you seriously a Dauntless? You've never heard of this?!" He asks incredulously as he straps himself up in the harness.
"No, is it safe?" I ask.
"As safe as it gets for a Dauntless. Don't tell me you're going back down all those flights, or are you afraid of heights?" Uriah asks, and I shake my head.
"Then get a harness and clip yourself on behind me. We'll go together." Uriah tells me, and I grab a harness, stepping into it as Uriah instructs. I clip two straps onto the line, and the last one onto Uriah.
"Ready?" He asks, and I nod reluctantly.
"Here goes nothing!" He yells, and propels our bodies off the roof.
I am free.
Totally wasn't planning this one, but hey, I just got to 110 reads because of you amazingly wonderful people, so here you go! I am so thankful for all of you, thank you!!
And a special thanks to @LilaRose94 for the comments and votes on every chapter, you are such an amazing person and thank you for inspiring me to keep writing!
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Stumble Across the Fire (Divergent Eric fanfic)
FanfictionA fire has arrived in Dauntless. Her hair resembles it. And so does her personality. Arielle Dalton is taking Dauntless by storm. Her charm is spreading through Dauntless like a wildfire, and nothing is going to slow her down. Except for Eric Coult...