Chapter One
Eric sat in his office doing his end of the day paperwork. He dreaded it all day, having to write down every little thing that each initiate did. Their progress notes, Max had called them. Eric rolled his eyes.
It's not like they didn't have millions of cameras in this place, and dozens of men watching the footage live streaming in the control room. That wasn't good enough.
Eric didn't waste any time filling them out neatly and precisely. He never did anything half assed and people who did really got under his skin.
He paused when he got to her progress report.
He still didn't get. The way the thought of her always made him stop and daydream about her. The power the she seemed to have on him….
She doesn't know what she does to him. And he will be damned if it didn't stay that way too.
Trying to figure it out, his mind had conjured up every moment, every look, everything she had done since she'd arrived on initiation day.
He didn't notice her at first. He didn't really notice many people around him. Mostly because he was disinterested. He didn't have friends here in dauntless. He tended to avoid people more often than not. Lucky, being a leader of Dauntless isn't really about being great with people skills, or Eric would be screwed. Luckily, it was about teaching these morons to survive and protect their faction. That he could do, give them the knowledge at least. What they chose to do with it was their choice.
It was almost too embarrassing for him to even think about but her hair shinning in the sun is what caught his attention.
He'd seen hundreds of girls on initiation day, from every single faction, and never had he even given their appearances a second glance.
She made him do a double take.
Her auburn hair was long and full and shinny and it screamed "run your hands through me".
He looked at her face, keeping his expression the same as it was before he'd seen her, some sort of scowl he was sure.
Her face was pretty. He couldn't even believe he'd thought so. He wasn't gay, he just never stopped to notice any women. They had nothing for him.
She had a small body and she was short, coming up to roughly his chest area. Her skin was lightly tan yet still slightly pale and dusted with light freckles here and there. Mostly on her arms and face. She was wearing a tank top and a long dress. He could see that she had curves in all of the right places, though he never dropped his eyes from her face.
He quickly took in her clothes. Amity.
Then her eyes landed on his and he almost stopped breathing. Her gaze was just as cold as his. Yet, her eyes were big and warm. Inviting even. Expressive. He could see a million thoughts running through her mind.
She was observing him as well and he gave her a small, uncaring smirk before he tore his eyes away from hers. It shocked him how hard it was to stop looking into those eyes.
They held so much within them, but what struck him most was the icy glare she wore. Weren't Amity supposed to be nice? It made him wonder what had happened to her. He never wondered that about another person before and he wanted to throw up in his mouth.
Over the next few weeks he watched her often. He was sure to be subtle about it. He was sure no one had noticed.
His sudden interest disgusted him.
He watched her on the cameras when he was on duty in the control room. He thought he might find something about her that irritated him like everyone else.
If anything, it only made him more interested.
She acted much like he would. She stayed away from the others. Even the girls.
It always pissed him off how the initiates were so buddy buddy with each other when they were competing against each other.
She carried herself like she was in a competition.
Of course she was beautiful and all the guys tried to talk to her. She would smile at them sweetly, and politely humor them with a conversation then gracefully and tactfully wrap up the conversation. She would never initiate it. And then her face would go back to being cold and calculating.
He wished he could complain about her progress in fighting and training but there was nothing to complain about.
She was in good shape so she kept up easily. She had obviously been physically active at home.
She'd struggled with some things, like shooting. Amity wasn't big on guns. But she picked it up quick. She was intellegent.
She picked everything up quick. She never complained. She didn't talk back and she followed orders.
But she wasn't a push over, not by a long shot.
She held her own among the group. A few of the girls made nasty comments one day and she smiled at them.
Eric had to leave the room to contain his laughter when she beat all three of their asses in fighting the next day.
He'd never tell her but he'd paired her with them on purpose so that she could show those bitches not to mess with her, before he did.
He didn't want to have to do that, it could possibly blow his cover. He'd maintained his cold, rude, demeanor toward her, just like everyone else. But the urge to protect her was a nagging one that Eric kept angrily pushing from his mind.
She had no idea what she was doing to him.
He hated it.
Maybe it wasn't just one thing she did. Maybe it was everything.
He signed as he filled out her notes, showing no preference for her there either.
He had to stay away from this girl. She will be the end of him. He was sure of it.
She was smart, brave and kind.
He didn't miss the fact that she is probably Divergent. Like the many people he'd recently killed.
He didn't miss the fact that Four had caught that too.
He knew Four and Tris were helping her.
He smiled as he thought about how Four was viewing him as a threat. And he should be.
But what Four didn't know about Eric was that he would never hurt her.
And anyone who wanted to touch her would have to go through him.