Inextricable: A Divergent FanFiction (Book Three) ©

Chapter 3

I awoke to complete darkness, or at least that's what it seemed like in the beginning. It was only after I'd waited a few minutes -blinking groggily the entire time- that I eventually managed to get accustomed to the lack of light.

What the hell?

Wherever I was, the place had the strong lingering scent of disinfectant. Inclining my head so that I could get a better view, I saw that I was lying atop a metal bed inside a white-tiled room. When I shifted to see even further, I heard a rustling that reminded me more of paper than fabric, and noted that I was covered with a flimsy medical sheet, and dressed in a gown of the same material.

A hospital, I'm in a hospital; I found myself thinking with alarm.

Looking down at my left arm, my suspicions were confirmed when I saw a series of IV lines attaching me to two bags of fluids; one was clear and labeled with some kind of medical jargon I didn't understand, and the other was light green and branded as PS:25%. Swallowing nervously, I also realized that my forehead was plastered with an assortment of electrodes; a couple of wires even seemed to snake beneath the neck of my gown, and I assumed they were attached to my chest.

I could feel my worries grow, and I knew a full-on panic attack would be right around the corner if I didn't keep a clear mind. To keep myself distracted I followed the wires that snaked from my body, up and up, until I was looking at a machine that was steadily whirring and beeping beside me. It had a large screen with various green, yellow, and red squiggles that bounced up and down, creating odd swells and valleys in accord to the tempo of my heart and other vital functions.

Unreal, this has to be some kind of hallucination; I tried to rationalize, though internally, I knew the scene around me was all to true.

When the quiet sounds of someone sleeping reached my ears, I jerked my head to the right and breathed a sigh of relief. Even in the dark, and with his face mostly obscured by a blanket someone must've left him, I could tell that the person that was sharing my space was none other than Danny. Finally a familiar face.

Though what I really wanted to do was wake him up to ask what had happened to land me here, I resisted as I recalled the foggy memory of someone saying –oh so eloquently– that Danny had been about to lose his shit. While I'd forgotten most of what I'd heard during my comatose state, and what little I did remember was hazy, I knew enough to feel validated in letting him continue sleeping.

What happened to me? Why am I here?

I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to try and dredge up the last recollection I had. It seemed, however, that the more I tried, the more everything seemed to elude me. It wasn't until countless minutes had passed that I was finally able to catch fragments of a memory. Once I had it though, I held onto it with an iron grip.

I remember... water?

Yes. It'd been late, the night heavy with a rain that had pelted our exposed skin; it's bite like that of a thousand tiny bees. The ferocity of the downpour had made the events seem almost paranormal. My white shirt had been plastered to my chest, making it feel as if I had a second skin, and my boots had been completely covered in mud and twigs.

But, I wasn't alone. I was with–

Danny, Basho and Matsuo Kang, Axel Mason, Pike Freeman and Gabe Wynn; including myself, it had been a group of seven candor. I remembered laughter, an unending wave of adrenaline, the feeling of competitiveness, the insatiable need to win. We'd been running. No, not just running, but chasing something.

Think harder.

Another wave of memories came, less fragmented than the last. A ball? Yeah, a soccer ball. We'd been playing a game, though it had felt like something much more significant than that at the time. I remembered the feeling of rivalry, not amongst our own, but against...