Chapter ▪ One

The world is much easier when you're a kid. You never think about giving up, because you know you can do it. You don't know what you are able to do and you just don't care about it — you just do it. But then you reach that age, when you realize you're not doing it for the same reasons anymore. You're not doing it because you want it. You're doing it because other people want it and they start pressuring you. That's the moment when you give up.

She's been at Dauntless for a few weeks now and there were moments, when she thought about giving up. But there is something what keeps her being strong and it reminds her to stay herself. Christina said, that it might be the fact that she will end up factionless, if she gives up. Of course, she thinks that. But that's not it. That had never been one of her fears, so it doesn't push her to keep fighting.

"Tris, come on!" Christina says, walking toward the bed Tris is sitting on. "I'm starving. What are you thinking about, huh?"

"I'm not thinking about anything." A little laughter escapes her lips, as she turns to see her friend's face. She lies and both of them know. She's been thinking about her family a lot lately. Mostly about the look on her parent's faces, when she went away with all the other people of Dauntless. About Calebs very last look at her, before Erudite carried him away. She wonders, if Christina is missing her family sometimes.

"Up!" she demands in a rather friendly tone. As Tris slowly stands up, Christina wraps her arms around her slim body, keeping her in that hug for a few seconds before she lets go of her again. She smiles. "You will never be alone."

As they make their way down to the pit, Tris notices that they are followed by Eric. She has no idea where he comes from all of a sudden and she moves a bit faster. Christina noticed him as well and starts laughing quietly. "You think he's hunting you? Why so fast?"

"I just don't like his presence at the moment. That's all." She looks behind her one more time and her eyes met his, what causes her to turn her head around immediately. As they take a seat at one of the tables, he walks pass them, not paying any attention. He walks up the stairs, talking to Max.

"He's been hunting us down here." Christina laughs after sitting down next to Will, who is laughing as well, while looking up to Eric.

"I would run too, if he'd be following me. Anyone would do, if they are smart enough." They talk about him like he is some kind of a wild animal. He is brutal and sometimes he acts like one. He likes the way, how people fear him, respect him when he's being the man he is. Watching all of them like a predator, waiting until someone gets weak and he can attack — that is the way Tris thinks about him, at least.

"I wonder if he is always like that. Or if he just acts like that." Tris says quietly, rather to herself.

"Go and ask him. It wouldn't surprise me if you'd do. We know you have a death wish, Tris. You proofed that more than just once." She didn't hear the others laughing, while she's looking up at Eric. The way he stands there, talking to Max with folded arms, it makes her wonder about how he would talk to his girlfriend, if he would have one. Probably not.

A little touch on the shoulder brings her back, out of the thoughts she just sunk into. By hearing that one familiar voice, she turns around, looking into Four's eyes who just smiles at her.

"What? What is it?" she asks.

"I asked if I can talk to you for a moment. Alone." She obviously didn't hear him the first time he asked her. She nods, turning her head one last time to see Eric standing up there. But he's gone and she quickly follows Four to a spot not far away from her friends until both of them disappear behind the corner.

"I hoped you'd come around to see me at my apartment last night." he says, greeting her with a small kiss on the lips. His hands down at her hips as she leans against the wall.

"I'm sorry. I was tired and Christina kept me in the dormitory with her stories. Again." she smiles at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. It is the first time she promised him to come and didn't show up. But Christina kept her awake with her stories more than once.

"Don't worry, it's fine. But therefore you'll keep me company tonight. Okay?" Once again he presses his lips against hers and she couldn't do anything but smile into that kiss.


To reach his apartment she had to go up the stairs. It's on third floor. It feels like she had been there more than a thousand times already. But she's in that relationship with Four just a few weeks. As she reaches the second floor, she notices Eric coming down the stairs. He doesn't pay much attention, bumping into her shoulder. Her kind of annoyed sounding sigh makes him stop, turning around.

"Did you get lost, Stiff?" he asks, letting his eyes wander up and down her body. A part of her long blonde hair falls down her shoulder, covering her tattoo comepletely as she turns around as well.

"No. I know exactly where I'm going." As if he would really care whether she got lost or not. If that would be the case, he would probably just smirk at her, laughing about her while he turns around and leaves her without knowing where to go. She's happy that this would never happen.

"So you're going to —" he gets interrupted by a female voice calling his name. Tris takes a deep breath, breathing out like it is some kind of relief, some kind of rescue, she didn't even need, of course.

"Have fun." he smirks as he turns around. She frowns at the way he said it and at the way he looked at her. Her eyes remain on him walking down the stairs until he disappears. While continuing her way to her boyfriend's apartment, she still wonders why he looked at her the way he did. He never did that before, practically scanning her body with his eyes. And it doesn't even upset her, like it did that one time a Dauntless-born boy did it during the training.

She quietly opens the door of Four's apartment. Of course, he gave her a key just in case she needs to see him or just wants to escape the crowd down in the pit. His apartment is big, bigger than what she is used to from Abnegation. The room isn't filled with a lot of stuff, just the things that are necessary. A bed, a kitchen, a few places to sit on.

"Hey, there you are. What took you so long?" he asks with a smile, sitting on his bed.

"Eric. I've met him when I was on my way to you. He's never paying any attention to his surroundings, isn't he?" she says as her hand touches her shoulder, the place he carelessly bumped into. It didn't hurt, but she still feels the pressure on her skin.

"Don't care about him. He's an asshole and the worst thing is that he's even proud of that. He likes the fact that people see him like that. Did he hurt you?" he asks quietly, gently running his hand down her shoulder as he stands up.

"No, of course not." she replies with a smile. "Does he have an apartment here, too? On that floor?"

"Yes, at the other end of the corridor. Never been there, though. Why are you asking?"

"Oh, I was just wondering." she shakes her head.


This morning she woke up early. Earlier than Four, which happens not so often. Instead of waking him up, she just leaves him a note, saying that she left earlier because of training. As she opens the door to leave his apartment, she notices Eric coming out of his room as well. He carelessly lets the door behind him close loudly as he yawns. It must be early for him, too. She remains on the spot she is standing on, watching him passing her by slowly.

"You're still here, Stiff? Still lost?" he jokes, laughing quietly. She doesn't know why she started following him down the stairs. She actually wanted to wait until he's gone, but somehow her feet moved all by themeselves. At least that is what it feels like.

"I still know where I'm going." she hisses back at him.

"Temper. I like that." he grins, his eyes still fixed on the stairs while moving.

"You know, Stiff. I really respect you." he says, stopping and turning around to see her after they reached the second floor. "And I respect Four, too. I'm being serious —"

"Stop it." she says, trying her best to not look at him. He is anything but serious and she won't let him do what he tries to do. He is not able to hurt or upset her. Not like that.

"Oh, clever. You're not as stupid as I thought you were." She slowly raises her head, looking up into his eyes. He didn't think that she was stupid. She knows that, because he's not good at lying. Not right now. She rolls her eyes as she starts moving again, getting away from him. She never thought that she was able to actually make him stop talking.

"Meet me at the office later, will you?" he shouts down to her, what causes her to turn around one last time. She knows, that this was not a question. No favour he is asking for. So she nods and turns around to finally get rid of him.


After the training Tris took a shower and she still doesn't know why she hurried so much. This morning and the talk she had with Eric didn't go out of her mind, not even during the training. Today he didn't show up. He is probably busy at the office, the place where she is supposed to meet him now. She still doesn't know why. Quickly she moves up the stairs, not noticing that Peter had been following her the way up.

"Where are you going, Stiff?" he asks, his voice the usual tone.

"It's none of your business. Have you been following me?" she frowns at him and the way he grins.

"Obviously, but just because this is the only way up. Start using your head, Stiff." he says, passing her by. She doesn't even care about where he is going. She is just glad that he left her alone, without her letting him know how annoying he is. Moving toward the office door, she takes a deep breath. She starts to wonder what she is actually doing and what he wants. She could turn around now and just go. But it's like her hand raises automatically, knocking on the door before she opens it carefully.

"Come in." she hears Eric's voice saying. He doesn't sit on the chair, he is standing in front of the desk, looking through a few papers. He doesn't fit in here. It just looks weird, a muscular, tattooed and pierced man doing the paper work in an office. There surely is a secretary or someone else to do that job for him. Why he is doing it now, she can't explain. He looks up, putting the papers aside, as if they are suddenly anything but important.

"Come closer, Stiff. I don't bite." he smirks. She is not sure if she heard it correctly, that little 'not yet' he said to himself rather quietly. Slowly she does as he says, moving a little bit closer. He begins to just look at her. She remembers that moment when Four just didn't stop staring at her. She didn't like it, but having Eric looking like that, it doesn't seem to bother her somehow.

"So, what is it? Why am I here?" she asks, not sure what his response will be. She turns his head, looking around when she suddenly feels his hand grabbing her wrist, pulling her closer to his body. She feels his lips pressing against hers, his hands roughly having their place on her hips, after they ran down her sides. She raises her own, pressing against his chest as she pulls away.

"What are you doing?! Let go." she says while he smirks, still having his hands on the same spot, not letting go.

"Shh shh, calm down." he rather demands, than asking for it. She stops moving, still having her hands on his muscular chest. It doesn't even feel that bad. It doesn't look bad, either. Her hands slowly and carefully run down his chest as she catches her breath again.

"So, you wanted me to come for this?" she asks.

"What else would I want from you, Stiff? Just having a bit fun, that's all." That smirk again. She had seen it too often lately. He starts leaving kisses down her neck, pressing her body even closer to his. It doesn't feel right, but still she finds herself enjoying this little moment. The way he roughly has hold on her hips, the way his dark voice sounds when he's talking, it makes her forget about Four for a little moment. And that is exactly what he wanted to reach.

"You want it too, I know that." He shortly presses his lips against hers once again, before speaking. "You deserve a real man, not that pathetic boy you have to see every night."

She looks at him, right into his usual cold eyes. There is some truth in what he says, he definitely is a man. He is muscular, tall and he is feared and respected by many others. Not that it would be different with Four, he earned the respect of the others, too. But there is something that Eric has, that turns her on even more. She doesn't know what it is. Not yet.

He tries once again and she repeats the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. They stay like that for a little while, until he starts moving, causing her to take a seat on the desk. His hands run down her thighs, surprisingly gently pressing against her inner thighs to make her spread her legs a little wider, so he can take his place in between them. Then she suddenly feels his warm hand slowly running up, touching her skin under her shirt as he tries to pull it up.

"Stop it." she pulls away once again, softly pressing her hands against his chest. "I can't do this. I guess I love Four too much to let this happen."

He takes one step back, folding his arms like usual. So, this man can be tamed, if you're doing it correctly. Sort of. She passes him by quickly, making her way to the door.

"Of course. I knew you'd say that." he looks at her. He just knew that this wouldn't be easy. As easy as he wished it to be. He comes closer once again, standing right in front of her. He is taller than Four, just a few centimetres. But that's definitely not the thing that makes her almost regret her desicion. It didn't stop her from opening the door and turning his back on him. The only thing that stopped her from moving is Four, who is standing just a few metres away from them. His face tells how surprised he is, seeing Tris coming out of the office with Eric standing right behind her.

"What did he want from you, Tris?" he asks, coming closer while having his eyes fixed on Eric, who is closing the door with a tiny laugh escaping his lips. Her eyes remain on the door as if she could see right through it, seeing Eric and how he laughed all for himself, being satisfied with the situation he just created. Satisfied with the distrust he just caused between the two of them.

"Let's just go." she says, taking his hand as she leads him to the stairs.


AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for reading this fanfiction. Leave a review if you liked it and tell me whether I should keep working on this or not. It will help me a lot! Also, be aware that english isn't my native language. I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. I try my best to avoid them. Have a nice day!