Being able to see inside Rori's mind feels like an invasion of privacy. I felt fine watching everyone else's, but it's different with her. I don't know if it's because of my feelings for her or what, but I feel uneasy about watching her fears, especially when I can't jump in and help her.

"Here I go," simulation Rori says with a smile. She jogs out of the dining hall after simulation Eric.

He glances over his shoulder and stops walking. She smiles at him but his face remains stone cold.

Way to go, Eric. You're in her fear landscape. I sigh and keep my eyes glued to the screen, not wanting to miss anything.

"Eric," she says, slightly out of breath, "I have something important I need to tell you."

He crosses his arms across his chest, a bored expression on his face. "Out with it, sunshine."

"Not here," she says. "Let's go somewhere private."

He sighs and continues walking. She follows after him.

Instead of going to the roof like I would have done, simulation me takes Rori to my apartment, and doesn't even bother to hold the door open.

He flops on the couch, resting both arms along the back of it. "Okay, we're in private. Now spill."

Rori takes a seat on the edge of the couch and wipes her hands on her jeans. "I'm going to come right out and say it." She takes a deep breath and clears her throat. "I'm in--"

"Can we hurry this along?" simulation Eric says mid-yawn. "I have important company coming by soon."

"Yes, of course." She wipes her hands on her jeans again and closes her eyes. "I'm in love with you, Eric."

Her eyes open and she studies his face. Her gaze drops to her hands. "Eric..."

"I know what you want me to say," he snaps. "But I'm not going to say it, because it would be a lie."

"On the roof," she says, her voice trembling, "you told me you can't get me out of your head."

"After capture the flag, you told me that you have feelings for me. Then we kissed. Did it not mean anything to you?"

"No."

My hands shake, and I want to smash this monitor against the wall. I run a hand through my hair and continue watching the screen.

"You're lying," she snaps.

"That kiss did not mean anything to me--" he leans in close to her-- "and neither do you."

I want to jump into this simulation and punch myself in the face. I swear if I could I would. This is absolute torture to watch.

"Why are you doing this?" Rori says, her lip quivering.

"Yeah, we shared a kiss," simulation me says. "But that doesn't mean anything. I kiss plenty of women every day. You're nothing special."

A knock on the door snaps their attention away from each other.

"Finally," he smirks.

I want to punch that smirk off his--my--our--face.

He yanks her up by the arm and pulls her to the door. He opens the door to reveal a brunette woman wearing revealing clothing.

"Who's this, babe?" the woman says, her voice high pitched.

"A pathetic initiate who thinks there is something between us," he snaps. He pushes her out the door, making her trip and hit her face on the floor. "Now, leave me alone. I've never liked you, and I never will."

The sound of their laughter echoes before he slams the door shut. She pushes herself off the floor and wraps her arms around herself. She sighs and says, "I should have known."

***

The screen goes black, indicating the simulation is finally over. I pull my eyes away from the screen and focus on Rori. She sits up from the chair slowly, her eyes blinking rapidly. Tears flow from her eyes and she wipes some away.

"Rori," I say, trying to sound as comforting as possible.

Her head snaps in my direction as if I startled her. More tears stream down her face. Her eyes flick to the door before she hops out of the chair and sprints out of the room.

"Rori!" I call after her, but she doesn't slow down.

I sigh and rub my hand across my face. Just great.

***

I have been pacing my apartment all afternoon, not so patiently waiting for dinner. I am hoping to get a moment alone with Rori, to talk things over. I check my watch again. 5:42. I sigh in relief and make my way to the door. I lock it after me and all but sprint to the dining hall. I know she won't be there yet, but I want to see her walk in.

Surprisingly, the other leaders are already seated, chatting among themselves. I take a seat at the end of the table next to Brenna, the only female leader.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Eric," Brenna says.

"Oh, shut up." I reach past her for the water pitcher and pour myself a glass.

"Where have you been?" Max says, peering around Brenna to look at me.

"Yeah," Garrick pipes up, "we haven't seen you all afternoon."

"In my apartment," I say.

They nod and continue on with their previous conversation. I gather food onto my plate, my thoughts wandering back to Rori.

"Hey, there's a group of transfers," Brenna says.

My head snaps up and my eyes instantly find Rori. She's walking next to Oliver, behind Finn and Tera, with her eyes glued to the floor. My shoulders slump and I sigh, knowing she's trying to avoid my gaze.

"Hello?" Fingers snap in front of my face, blocking my view of Rori.

"What?" I say, turning to my right.

"Max asked you if there are any promising transfers this year," Brenna says, raising a brow. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I nod and lean forward to look at Max. "There is one: Rori, the transfer from Amity. She did really well in her fights."

"I'm glad to hear that," he replies. "Is she the blonde one over there?"

"Yes, sir."

He nods and studies her for a moment before returning to his meal.

My eyes return to Rori, and it seems like she is fidgeting. She glances up and her eyes meet mine. I flick my eyes to the entrance of the dining hall, not trying to make a scene. She nods slowly and I hold back a smile.

She stands up with her tray and says something to her friends before going to dump her tray.

I wait until she exits the cafeteria before standing up. "I'm heading back to my apartment. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

They nod and I walk off to dump my tray. As I make my way to the exit, I wipe my hands on my jeans. I enter the hallway and turn left, my eyes instantly fall on Rori. She is leaning against the wall, her hands shaking and her eyes closed. I walk toward her and rest a hand on each shoulder, hoping to ease some nerves. Her eyes snap open and I clear my throat.

"Hey," I say, hoping I don't sound as nervous as I feel.

"Hey."

"My apartment?"

I release her shoulders and she nods her head. I rest my hand on her lower back and lead her to upstairs. I feel her shiver and a small smirk makes its way to my lips. We finally reach my door and I unlock it before leading her inside.

"Please, have a seat," I say, gesturing to the couch.

I walk into the kitchen and grab a couple cups. I drop some ice cubes in both cups and fill them with water before entering the living room. I hand her a glass before sitting down next to her. I take a sip and put the cup on the coffee table before shifting to face her.

"I know you may not want to talk about this right now," I say, "but we need to."

"You're right." She nods and sets her cup on the table.

"Why'd you run out after your fear landscape?" I ask. "I would've tried to help you through it."

"I was embarrassed of having you be in my landscape." She drops and her gaze and stares at her hands. "And I was upset. I didn't feel emotionally ready to talk about it."

I reach over and lace my fingers with her. "Do you feel ready now?"

Her eyes wander across my face before she nods and smiles.

"In your landscape, I told you that you didn't mean anything to me." I give her hand a light squeeze and manage a smile. "Rori, that's not true. We haven't known each other too long, but you mean a lot to me."

It's true. I've never felt this strongly about a girl in my life.

"You mean a lot to me, too."

I grin at hearing that. "So, have you thought about what exactly your fear is?"

"Tera thinks it's rejection," she says, "and I think so as well. You rejected me in the landscape, despite already telling me you liked me."

"Yeah, I think it's rejection, too." I move closer to her on the couch and wrap my arm around her to pull me to me. She rests her head on my chest, making me smile. "I want you to get rid of that fear, so I'm going to try my hardest to show you that you mean the world to me."

"It's just a silly fear," she says. "I know how you feel about me."

"Let me cook you dinner tomorrow night," I say.

"Like a date?" she says with a laugh.

"Exactly."

I lean in, brushing my lips to hers before pressing our lips together. I cup her chin and her hand goes to the back of my neck. After a few seconds, I pull back, a small smile on my face.

"Meet me here at six," I say, "for our first date."

A/N: Hey, initiates! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and if you did please vote and comment! :)