~Four weeks later~
-September 28th, Saturday-
~Liam's POV~
I walk in the fear simulation waiting room, remembering all the times I've walked in here before. But unlike all the other times, I have a clipboard and cards with all the initiates names on them. I'm the one in charge, and I'm only like a couple years older than these initiates. I have them sit in the waiting room, while I enter the actual vault-like testing room. When I get in there, I spot the love of my life at the little computer and stool.
She smiles at me as I walk over and kiss her cheek before looking at the screen. "Are we ready to test these initiates my love?" I ask, and she nods her head and kisses my cheek in return. "Just about, all we gotta do now is wait for either Natalie or Tobias to show. Can't test them unless a leader is present for some reason, just like for leadership testing." She explains, and I finally notice my brother leaning into the far corner of the room. "Its kinda funny that you said Natalie or Tobias, when you know damn well they're coming together. They've gotten so clung to one another its getting ridiculous. And I could say the same for you too." He says, and I roll my eyes. "Okay negative nancy, one question, how do you get a girlfriend and still complain about how you're surrounded by couples? It makes absolutely no sense." I ask my brother, "And also, we've got two more days until the bet starts, I won't see this woman for a whole month, just like our sister won't see Tobias for a month. Should we includ you and Grace too?" I question, raising an eyebrow at him.
He shakes his head, "It won't work with them babe, they don't live together." Lauren points out, and Miles puts a hand on his chest dramatically, as if he got shot. "Ouch, thanks Lauren. It's not my fault no apartments nearby have opened up, if one had, we'd both be living together right now." Miles responds, and I shake my head. "You two have been together for about a month, that'd be pretty fast." I comment, "Natalie moved in with Tobias less than a month after they got together. And look at them now, fucking inseparable." Miles rebuttals, and the vault-door opens up. "Sooo we're keeping tabs on each other now?" My sister walks in saying, and my eyes immediately go to her now pierced and studded left nostril. I take a second to realize she just heard us through a sound proof door.
"Woahh Nat, when did you get that piercing?" My love asks her, "Just now actually, dropped by the parlor to see Tori and she said a nose piercing would look good on me so, I got one from her. It hurt like a bitch, and still does actually." Nat answers, and walk over to my sister. "Here, but twist it while I heal it, so it doesn't get stuck." I tell her, and she starts twisting it and takes my offered hand. I focus on the little hole on her tiny button nose, and make a three week healing process turn into a three second healing process. She closes her eyes and sighs in relief, dropping her hand from twisting, scrunching her nose a bit. "Thank you lil bubbie." She says to me, and I smile.
My sister's adorable, I swear. I'd protect her by any means. "You're welcome, big sissy." I tell her, and she gives me a big hug. I hug her back, and I notice Lauren poking her bottom lip out at me. "You guys make me wish I had siblings. I was an only child." She comments, and I smile at her.
"Well, I have plenty of siblings to share." I say, gesturing to both of my older siblings. She smiles back at us, "You guys are my family y'know? I've never felt at home with just any group. I just can't believe I get along better with people younger than me." She says, "It's probably because we're not that much younger than you Lauren, you're the same age as Tobias, and we're almost nineteen." My sister responds, and Lauren wags her finger a bit. "You got a point there, by the way, are you guys excited? You're almost officially adults." Lauren asks and says, "Hell yeah we are, since the day we turn twenty, both you and Tobias will shut it about us being so young." Miles says, and Lauren puts her hands up. "Hey now, cool it. It's just, we're literally watching triplets grow up, it's fascinating and adorable. You do know you three are like, the only set of triplets in the city right?" She questions, and I nod, knowing all to well of that now.
I had a vision where we told our story to the city, and apparently we become, in a sense, "famous" due to our separation at birth. "That nod was pretty firm Liam, are we really?" My sister asks me, and I nod again. We are, in fact, the only set of triplets in this big city. There are plenty of twins in the city, hence Elijah and Nehemiah but, my siblings and I are thee only, set of triplets. "Yes, triplets are especially rare nowadays due to the life styles of generations before us. And because mom and dad had triplets on her sides of the family. Our great great grandpa was a triplet himself." I say, and both Natalie and Miles give me funny looks.
The you-weren't-here-how-did-you-know-that look. A look I greatly despise. I roll my eyes a bit and tap my right temple, reminding them I can see the future, and just recently, the past too. As the days go on, I can feel my ability "expanding" in a sense, and the more it expands, the more things I can do. Just like how my sister slowly but surely discovered her element ability, one element at a time. "Uh Yeah duh, we know you can look into the future, but the past too? How? Wouldn't that be a whole different ability?" Miles questions, and just then, I get a vision.
My eyesight goes completely black and rather than images popping up, I see a clear yet blurry third person view of . . . myself. My eyes were solid gold, but not how they usually turn gold. The whites of my eyes shined bright, and my nose, was bleeding. And it was like the first time I had a vision. Eyes open, tears flowing. And just like that, I pop back into reality, bewildered as ever.
I've never, ever, had a vision like that. Where the meaning of it was unclear. Where I don't know what the fuck is going to happen. "Liam what did you just see? What the fuck happened with your eyes?" Natalie says, now directly in front of me. Did it just happen now? I explain what I saw and how it didn't give me a clear idea of what it meant, and all three of them start freaking out. Miles goes off about how he was right, the night of our birthday.
How he was hesitant, and how he knew there was a catch to our abilities. Natalie tried to calm him down, while Lauren comes over and sees if I'm okay. Suddenly, the vault door opens, and in walks Tobias. He whistles sharply to get our attention, "Woahh, what's going on in here?" He asks, and we all shut up and look at him. "Nothing important, let's just get started." I say, starting to look through the name cards, pulling our five divergent heads to the very front. Lauren goes back around to the computer, and Miles goes back into his corner while Natalie comes over to me to see what I'm doing with the cards.
"You're pulling our inconclusive ones up first huh?" She asks, and I nod and hand her half of the cards. I keep the first half though, so I can be the first to step out and call the first name. I look behind me to see if Lauren was ready, and she gave me a thumbs up. I also see that Tobias just noticed Natalie's new piercing. He smiles down at her and twists the diamond stud, and she asks him if he liked it. I turn back and head out the door, and when I do all the initiates pipe down and turn their heads to me immediately.
I look down at the first card and clear my throat, "Bellamy, you're up first."
***
"Okay so like, is this gonna hurt?" Bell asks us, as he sits down in the partially reclined testing seat. I close the vault door, "No actually, it doesn't." Tobias answers, given he tested the serum, along with Tris. I'm grateful that I had a vision of my sister basically dying that day, since I knew what to do, and when to do it, to avoid just that. "It doesn't?" My sister questions her boyfriend. "There's our catch." Miles comments, and I already know what he's gonna say.
"When we first got them, we all fell to the ground in pain all for different reasons due to what type of abilities it was for each of us." He explains, and my sister visibly realizes he's right. "So, you're saying it hurt for us because we were the first ones and only ones who ignited our powers without a serum?" She asks, and I shake my head. "No, it hurt for us because we're the most powerful ones. Our eyes are gold and our abilities came out on their own because we're thee strongest inconclusive meta-humans. No offense Four." I explain and say, "None taken," He says to me and turns to Bell, "But what everyone's trying to say is that, it depends on how divergent you are, and what your power or powers are." He simplifies, just as Natalie prepares the syringe with the serum. "You ready Bell?" She asks him, coming over with it. He nods and tilts his neck so she could have a clear shot.
She plunges it, injects, and pulls it out. He passes out and they all surround the computer screen. I don't join them since I already know what happens. Bellamy has exactly six fears. Drowning, burnt alive, eaten alive, crushed alive, losing a loved one, and lastly, being ignored or forgotten.
After his last fear ends, we all look to him anxiously, awaiting for him to awake with an ability. When he does wake up, he wakes up with a start and sits straight up. He looks at us, and we watch the glow within his veins travel up his arms, past his neck, up to his eyes and into his head. His eyes shine a bright silver momentarily before he scrunched them closed. "What do you feel?" Natalie asks him, approaching him without hesitation.
Tobias stops her by grabbing her wrist, obviously uneasy about what his new found abilities could be. "Your not invincible yet, remember?" He tells her, and Bellamy starts freaking out. "Am I gonna explode or something?" Bell questions nearly frantic. Natalie slips out of her boyfriends grip and calms Bell down, "No, you're fine, you won't explode. Four is just being cautious since we don't know what your abilities are, even though he knows I'm gonna be fine if something did happen." She says, looking back at Four. He rolls his eyes, and I chuckle a bit.
Everyone looks over to me, "What're you laughing at over there?" Bell asks me, and I come over to my sister and ask her if I can take off her necklace. She says yes by moving her long brown curls, and I un-clip it, before holding it up in front of Bell. He looks at me questionably, and takes it. And the moment the item touches his palm, he looks down at the necklace in complete bewilderment. "Oh my god." He breathes, and I know exactly what he's seeing. He's seeing the past, the present, and the future of my sister's necklace.
Where it's been, where it is, and where it's gonna be. It's called, "Psychometry, also known as token-object reading, or psychoscopy, is a form of extrasensory perception characterized by the claimed ability to make relevant associations from an object of unknown history by making physical contact with said object." I explain quickly, and everyone looks at me like I grew a third eye along with a third eyebrow. I dumb it down, "He can know the past, present, and future of an object by touching it." I explain slowly, and they all 'Ohh' me. I absolutely love my family, but boy can they be a little slow for me. "His first ability is like mine, in a sense." I also say, "Whatever you're seeing, explain it. Right now." I tell Bellamy.
He stutters a bit but eventually, "Um, uh, Natalie Freeman. This necklace was pasted down to her from her mother when she turned eleven, and she uh, wore it for twenty plus years until . . ." He trails off, and looks up at all of us. Me, Miles and Natalie, "Until she gave it to her pregnant bestfriend, your guy's mother, an hour before she passed. Thus leaded this necklace straight to Natalie when she turned eleven." He says, looking over to my sister with her necklace clutched in his hand. "You lost it that day, when you and Miles were playing tag with my brother. It stayed lost for nearly seven years until, my brother found it the day before both his and your guy's choosing day." He continues to explain, obviously getting the information a little faster than he could speak. My sister's eyes widen a bit, given I know she's never told him the story behind her necklace to Bell. "And uh," Bell starts up again, furrowing her eyebrows at the images I know he's seeing.
When he doesn't continue with his words, my sister speaks up, "And?" She asks, a tad bit desperate. She knows what's next. The future, of that gemstone necklace. "Nevaeh Eaton." He blurts, and both my sister and future brother-in-law look at each other in shock and excitement. "It's given to her fourteen years from now, on her eleventh birthday." He says, and I take the necklace from him, and give it back to Natalie.
"So we really are gonna have a daughter? Did you uh, did you see her?" Tobias asks Bellamy, and he nods. He looks over to my sister, "She looks exactly like Nat." He says, and my sister smiles wide, and so does Tobias. "This ability is amazing, what's my other one though?" Bell asks me, standing from the chair. I stand right in front of him, "Alright, I'm gonna say something to you, and you need to focus on every word I say. You'll find out what it is if you do it right." I explain, and I look over to Lauren and mouth I love you to her, before looking back into Bell's eyes. "I don't love Lauren, and I never have." I say, disgusted at the words falling from my mouth.
Everyone besides Bellamy gasps, especially my love. I don't look over at her devastated expression, since I already seen it in my vision. I absolutely cannot bare to see it again. "William!" My sister chastises, and Bell stops her from coming over and smacking me. "Nat calm down, he's . . . he's lying." Bell says, looking around my head.
"I can see what he says, and his words are red. And I don't how but, I can feel his dishonesty." Bell explains, and he gasps himself. "I'm a fucking lie detector!" He yells, fist pumping the air. "No one can lie to me now, this is fucking awesome." He comments, and I see that my work is done and head over to Lauren. She looks at me with hurt in her eyes, "That was uncalled for, asshole." She says, crossing her arms. "It was a lie my love, it was the only lie I could think of on the spot, since it's so far from the truth. You know I love you." I say, and she grabs me by the collar of my jacket and hugs me around my neck.
"It better be far from the truth." She whispers in my ear, and smiles when I hug her back. I catch my sister looking over at us, admiring while clung to Four's arms. Just then, I see the name cards float out of my jacket pocket, and towards my sister. I try to snatch them before they got too far but, it was no use. She winks at me and laughs, before opening the vault door and walking Bellamy out.
She calls the next name, "Nehemiah, you're up." She says, and in comes the twin. He sits in the chair, asking the same question Bell asked, and we reassure him that no, it will not hurt. My sister injects him, and when he falls out, they proceed behind the computer screen. Nehemiah has five fears, the average amount of fears a person could have. Being factionless, getting electrocuted to death, the dark, swarmed by spiders, and lastly, he's afraid of losing his brother.
When he wakes up out of the simulation, his veins and eyes do the same as Bell's did, and I rub my palms together, excitedly. Nehemiah's combination of powers is beyond the coolest, since the two are polar opposites. His right arm catches flame completely, while his left arm frosts over. "Say hello to Icy hot. He can control fire with his right side, and ice with his left." I simply explain, and Nehemiah fist pumps the air with his left arm, excited about his new powers. Unfortunately though, he shoots my brother with a blast of ice on accident, throwing and freezing him to the wall.
I laugh, given I knew I'd get to see that happen again. "Bro, I am so sorry." Nehemiah apologizes, and my brother melts himself out of his ice. "It's all good, good thing I'm also a hot head." He says, making a bad pun. "My sister can teach you how to gain control of your fire side, and we'll have to work together on helping you control your ice side. Since none of us have anything close to that ability." He also says, and Nehemiah hops out the chair, so Miles can walk him out. My sister tells him the next initiate and he calls them up, "Stephanie, come on in." He says, and the pretty blonde walks right in and sits down.
She doesn't ask if its going to hurt when injected, like the first two boys. And when she passes out, everyone except me and Nat go behind the screen. She seemed to be upset, while looking at Stephanie questionably. She's thinking of all the ways she can question why on earth Stephanie's older sister told her Tobias broke off their relationship for no reason. She knows its honestly none of her business in a sense but, she can't help but stick her nose it places where Tobias's name has been spoken.
Stephanie flutters her eyes open, and just like her veins, they turn silver. After that though, nothing really stands out as to what her abilities will be. So I assist the situation, "Stephanie, look into a pair of eyes in this room, and think of absolutely anything you would want that person to see." I explain, and she wastes no time to lock eyes with Tobias. It takes her a minute but, she makes him see her sister. Her crying sister.
And it has no effect on him, other than pure confusion. She moves her line of vison over to my sister, and she matches her hard gaze. And she shows her what would be perceived as her worst nightmare. She shows my sister both Elaina and Tobias in the midst of erm, certain relations. And my sister gasps and nearly lunged out at Stephanie, yearning to do some non-metahuman damage.
Luckily though, Tobias caught my sister nearly mid air, and holds her back. "Stephanie, I don't know what the fuck your sister told you but, rather than your powers, I suggest you use your fucking words!" Natalie yells, and her pooling eyes shined a bright gold, as per usual when she gets mad. "Gladly!" She exclaims, and looks over to Tobias. "Why did you leave my sister to be with this tramp?" She questions gesturing to my sister, and just as I expected, my sister gives up on fighting against Tobias and uses her abilities. She grabs Stephanie by the throat and slams her against the wall, all while barely moving a muscle. Stephanie struggles against her ability, and looks my sister dead in her eyes.
~Jade's POV~
I meet Stephanie's glare, and my vision starts to go pitch black slowly but surely. This time though, I fight it. I hardened my glare, and so does she. And it felt as if our abilities were pushing against eachother. It felt strange though, because I could feel myself using multiple powers at once.
Something I've never really done before. And the more I fight against her, the more I begin to realize I'm using and bringing out my final ability. I smile at her, and I focus on the new and unfamiliar haze my last ability brings to my mind. And the more I focus, the clearer my eyesight gets. I'm doing it!
I'm finally using my last ability! I release Stephanie, and she breaths in deeply, and stares angrily into my eyes. I laugh a bit, "You might as well just stop, your little ability won't work on me anymore." I say, feeling my shield ability settle in as goosebumps travel up my arms and legs. "Can you please explain why you think I left your sister for Natalie? Is that one of the many lies she's been feeding you?" Tobias asks, and Stephanie rolls her eyes. "My sister isn't a liar. And anyways why would she lie about being thrown over your shoulder like a piece of trash?" She questions, and my love laughs.
"She would lie because she's the one who threw me away like I was nothing. Stephanie, your sister cheated on me, and that was years ago. And anyways, I couldn't have left your sister for her." Tobias explains, and Stephanie asks how couldn't he've. "Because I wasn't even here yet! I was still in Amity when he finally broke it off with that skank sister of yours." I sneer, and the seventeen-year-old lunges out at me. I clench my fist and instead of recoiling and launching it into her face, I stop her with my ability, right before she makes contact with me. "Make better decisions before I snap you like a pencil." I hiss, inches away from her face. She glares back at first, but once I flash my eyes gold, she puts her hands up in defeat and looks away.
I let her go, "I know my sister, she isn't a cheater. And anyways, how am I supposed to know you guys aren't lying?" She states and questions, and I feel my skin heat up. "You've been separated from her for what? Five-six years? You don't know your sister, trust me. You knew her when she was your age and Erudite, but now? No." I question and say, and all she does is give me a stank face. "And if you want proof that she did, go find Eric Coulter. The bastard will gladly tell you he fucked my Ex while she was still my girlfriend. Now, if you don't mind, we've got plenty of other initiates to test. See yourself out." My love suggests, and says, and the blonde wastes no time to turn to the door. She takes her leave, and I realize only one of her powers are known to us, so I ask my little brother. "She can make daggers out of thin air and throw them as fast as a bullet." He explains, and I laugh-scoff.
"You're lucky you're fourth ability finally came out, cuz if it didn't, she would've used her second one on you. And trust me, it would not have been pretty." He tells me, and everyone else in the room gasps. "Oh my god, it really did come out, I can't read her mind." My older brother exclaims, staring at my forehead. I feel his power trying to pry its way into my mind, and it kind of tickled. "Haha, you can't be nosey anymoreeee. Mental powers stand no chance against my invulnerability." I say, winking at my brother. He rolls his eyes, "What about physical powers? Four, give her a little shock." Lauren suggests, obviously forgetting about the first time he used his powers.
He shakes his head, uneasy. "I think I'll just take your word for it on this." He says, and I entwines my fingers with his. He doesn't want to use his ability on me, given it was the first thing he ever did with it. I squeeze his hand understandingly, and he smiles at me. Liam calls the next initiate, and it just so happens to be Grace.
She enters, thanking my younger brother, and heading straight over to my older brother. He greets her with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, and guides her over to the center chair. "You ready Grace?" I ask her, coming over to the medicinal table that laid next to the chair. I take an empty, un-injected syringe and the capsule full of the "Aware" Serum and plunge the needle into the rubber extraction piece. "As ready as I'll ever be, I just hope it doesn't hurt as much as I think it's going to." She responds, moving her long red-orange-ish curls from one side of her neck to the other.
I shake my head, "Actually, it doesn't hurt, It hurt for us triplets, but the injection? It does the opposite of hurt when it comes to normally inconclusive people." I explain, pulling the serum out of the capsule, and properly into the syringe. I come over with the syringe, and she tilts her neck. "Brace yourself." I mutter, and plunge the needle into her neck before injecting. She lays her back and her eyes flutter closed, and that's when we all gather around the computer screen once more. All except for Liam of course.
She has five fears, which include, suffocation, bugs, losing family, big bodies of water and lastly . . . love. She's afraid to love someone, and I undoubtedly wonder why. Given my brother's feelings are now somewhat on the line. And speaking of my brother, along with fears and such, his facial expression surely showed fear. Grace sits up, and her veins and eyes do the same as the last three initiates.
Us instructors look at her uneasily, and she looks back at us the same. Liam is the first to move in the room and he takes my hand and lays my palm out flat in front of Grace, "Make some soil." He says, and it takes me less than a second. I generate some soil in my hand and I moisten it with my water ability, and I start to see where this is going. "Grace, what's your favorite flower?" My brother asks her, and she takes a moment to think. "Peonies, why?" She answers and asks, and my brother veers down at the dirt in my hand before looking back up into Grace's eyes.
I look at her and I see that she realizes what he's trying to say, and she smiles before looking down at my dirt. A minute of her staring passes before magically, I feel something move on my palm. And before I know it, something starts sprouting from under the dirt. It grows and grows until it blossoms into a beautiful pink peony. I make my dirt vanish, and float the flower over to the person who made it.
She smiles up at me before taking it, and smelling it. "Out of all the abilities I've seen so far, yours suits you the best. Or, at least, one of them do." I tell her, and her eyes widen a bit as she obviously realizes she has more than just one ability. "What's my other one?" She asks looking over at my little brother. He points over to Miles, "Place two of your fingers on your boyfriend's temple and find out." He directs, and Grace slowly turns around to face my older brother. He steps closer and she gently places her fingers, and the two of them gaze into each other's eyes. Her fingertips glow silver, and she closes her eyes whilst furrowing her eyebrows.
"Why are you afraid?" Is what she asks after opening her eyes. She then immediately gasps, "She's an empath, she can feel someone's emotions just by making contact with that someone." Liam explains. "Your abilities kinda like mine." Miles says, obviously trying to avoid answering her question. "Uh uh, answer my question. Why is the first emotion I feel from you fear?" She says and asks, and he whispers in her ear, "We'll talk in a minute." And Grace pulls Miles out the testing room saying bye to all of us. I yell to my brother, telling him to call Elijah in and to also come back when they're done.
And even though the door already sealed shut behind them, I hear an okay from the other side. Two minutes later Elijah pops his head into the room, and I beckon for him to enter fully. He pops a squat into the center chair, "Alright, lay it on me. How does this work again?" He asks, and Tobias wastes no time into re-explaining the "Aware" serum, and what its going to do to him. I admired my love as he spoke, and his eyes kept finding their way back over to mine while explaining to Elijah. Sometimes, I still can't believe I get to have this man all to myself. I watched my mother and father's love blossom into what it's become now, and I can't believe I get to have exactly what I admired growing up.
". . . But yeah, that's how it all works, you ready?" I finally get out of my head and hear, and Elijah nods his head and lays back into the semi-reclined chair. I get another syringe together, and before I know it, I'm injecting Elijah in the neck. I've become so familiar with serum injecting I can space out and still do it properly. Elijah falls unconscious, and everyone surrounds the screen once more. And his fears consisted of the expected, being singled out, being strangled to death, serious heights, buried alive and lastly, losing his twin.
Five fears, just like his brother. He sits up, and for some reason, I feel like his veins and eyes glowed brighter than the first four initiates. The glow absorbs, and us instructors all look to Liam, wondering what on earth his abilities could be. Is it gonna be just like his twin's power? Two Icy hot's?
"Elijah," He calls for his attention, and the twin makes eye contact. Liam beckons for him, and my brother leans in to whisper once he was out of the chair and near. And for some reason I choose not to be nosey and listen in. Elijah nods after receiving whatever message and it was like my body knew what going to happen. Elijah recoiled and aimed his fist straight for my boyfriend, and just like that, I caught his fist with my ability
But the difference was though, my arm quaked and shaked as he kept driving his strength against my own. I start to use my telekinesis more, pushing his fist back to keep him from hitting Tobias, and even then, I struggled against this new found sense of strength of Elijah's. That's it. That's what it is. "Super strength, I'm not surprised." I say, and he finally lets up and I release his fist.
"Still no match against your telekinesis though. Y'know, you're pretty strong for a girl." He says to me, and I flash my gold eyes at him, "Watch it Eli." I warn, using my little nickname for him. I call his brother Neeuh and him of course, Eli. "Ooh spooky yellow eyes, ahh I'm so scared." Elijah mutters sarcastically, turning around. I grab him with my power and spin him right back around to face me. And I raise my now heated palm to his cheek, and with the closer I got the more Elijah squirmed.
"Alright alright! You win." He gives in and I laugh, backing off. Elijah looks over at Tobias, "Please, whatever you do, don't piss her off. She might explode or something and blow Dauntless away, along with me in the process." Elijah jokes, and I get ready to smack him but, by the time I swung, he was already out the bulky levered door. "Is it just me or did anyone else see how fast he left? Like, abnormally fast." I question, and everyone nods. "Super strength, and super speed. You've got to be kidding me." I say with a huff, crossing my arms. He's powerful, almost as powerful as me.
I can feel it. "The kid is going to be lethal once he gets the hang of both powers." My love says, coming over to get the next syringe ready. "They're all gonna be lethal, especially since we're the ones going to be training them." I point out, heading over to the door to call the next initiate. "Let's hope they don't kill anyone," Lauren says, and I nod. "Or each other." I add for her.