Disclaimer: The Divergent trilogy and all unoriginal characters belong to Veronica Roth

Chapter 2: No One's Here to Sleep

I walk back towards the apartment my dad and I share lost in thought. Eric knew my dad from the bar. That much was pretty obvious. I knew Eric was a bit rougher but I honestly hadn't expected that he spent a lot of time at the bar. Maybe he didn't and just had met my dad there once or twice. That would make more sense considering my dad was there every night just about.

I get to the apartment and let out a sigh. It's been an odd night and a stressful day. I'm ready to grab a snack from the kitchen and go to bed. Tomorrow is going to be even more stressful than today was. I'll have to break the news to Steve that I don't plan on going anywhere, that I'm staying in Dauntless. I'm sure that conversation isn't going to go too well for either of us.

I fish out my keys and unlock the door. The first thing that's strange is the living room lamp is on. I know for a fact I had turned it off. I step farther in and shut the door behind me. Next thing I notice is the stereo in my dad's room is on. Definitely out of the norm. I wrinkle my nose as I hear the familiar tune of a rather raunchy Nine Inch Nails song play through the walls. Ugh my dad must have decided to bring his lady friend back to the apartment for the night. I don't want anything to do with either of them so I quickly walk to the fridge and after a moment of debate decide on a cold slice of pizza. I honestly don't really like pizza and its even more disgusting cold but beggars can't be choosers. With my snack in hand I try to get back to my room as fast as possible but sadly it isn't quick enough.

"Give me a minute sweetheart, I've got a nice bottle of wine in the fridge that I've just been waiting for the right time to open." My dad says as he walks out of the room shutting the door behind him. He turns and see's me right as my hand grabs the doorknob. "Evee! Darling where have you been all evening?"

Of course, the one night I just want to and pass out he wants to have an actual conversation. Breath in, breath out, and I turn around to face him. "I just took a train ride for awhile after school."

"Sounds like a good time," he says swaying sloppily as he walked to the fridge and pulls out a bottle of wine. He pulls the cork out of the already half empty bottle and puts a finger up to his mouth in a shushing gesture grinning like a loon. "She thinks I'm opening a new bottle, but she's too drunk to realize it's already open." He then laughs like its some great joke as he begins to stumble back to his room.

"Yeah and too drunk to realize her mistake in men," I mutter quietly under my breath, but I've had an off day and it's not quiet enough.

"What was that?" he asks, all the mirth in his voice gone.

I just couldn't keep my mouth shut today. That line of bravery and stupidity I had been straddling all night was gone and I'd ended up on the side of stupidity. I turn around and face him. He's making his way towards me. He already knows what I said, no use trying to take it back now. Maybe I can apologize and get myself out of the yelling fit that's about to ensue.

"I'm so.." is all I get out before he back hands me. My chin jerks to the side with the impact and I feel the sting on my cheek from where his knuckles had hit my cheekbone right at the corner of my eye. I bring a hand to my face, extremely surprised. I was ready for him to yell, to grab me and shake me a little bit. That's usually as bad as it gets. Tonight is the first time he's actually hit me. I feel the tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I look up into his brown ones.

He stares at me for a moment, his eyes glazed with drunkenness and anger. Suddenly the glaze seems to shift a bit and I see remorse start to shine through. "Evee, I didn't mean to… I don't know what came over me. I…" he says but I don't let him finish. I turn and run back into my room as the tears begin to leak down my face.

I slam the door and lock it, breathing heavily. What the hell was that? My dad has gotten angry at me before, he's been mad about my comments about the women he's with but never like that. He's never been violent. I guess it was just a matter of time before he snapped. I wipe the tears from my face and walk towards my bathroom. I get half way there before remembering the pizza in my hand. After a moment of debate I toss it in the trash, my appetite lost for the evening. That taken care of I make my way to the bathroom and look in the mirror.

The spot where he hit is starting to bruise I notice and frown. I had really hoped he hadn't hit hard enough to leave a mark but the bruise was spreading around my eye. Great now I would have a black eye to find someway to explain to everyone. Though the Dauntless were a violent bunch by nature, hitting your child wasn't exactly normal or accepted. I think for a second about it as I turn the shower on. What'll my story be? I slip off my clothes and step in the shower. I misjudge how slippery the tile is going to be and have to catch myself before I slip. Man am I clumsy today. Wait! That'll work, I can just tell a slightly embarrassing story about how I slipped in the shower and hit my eye on the water knob. Its better than the truth for now at least.

I wash off quickly and spend a few extra minutes just standing there. I let the hot water rain down on my back and soothe me. Once I turn off the water and step out I shiver a bit at the change in temperature before drying off and wrapping the towel around me. I stand in front of the now fogged up mirror, not sure if I should wipe it and look at my face or not. I was in the shower for a good thirty minutes and I'm sure the bruise has developed further. I finally decide to wipe away the fog. I at least need my reflection to brush my hair before turning in for the night. One swipe of my hand and I look at my fathers handy work. The bruise has spread into a nice looking shiner. Its lighter than I expected but that's good, hopefully it will heal quicker.

I quickly brush out my hair and then walk out of the bathroom. I change into my pajamas, a pair of short black shorts and a soft black camisole. I hop into bed and after picking out a soothing playlist on the small music player I own, hook it up to my stereo and turn off the bedside lamp. I fall asleep quickly, thoroughly exhausted from the day and by some miracle I don't dream.

pagebreak

I wake up to the smell of bacon. I immediately pinch myself. This can't be real. I haven't woken up to a hot and ready breakfast since my mother was around. That was years ago. I head to the bathroom, brushing my teeth before quickly picking out a pair of black jeans and a black tank top. I lace up my boots and cautiously open my bedroom door. I walk out slowly to see my dad at the kitchen counter, his back turned to me as he dumps scrambled eggs onto a plate that already has bacon on it. I just stand there and stare. I must still be sleeping. I pinched myself but there's no other explanation.

My dad turns around and pauses, his eyes meet mine and then shift to look at the left side of my face. A pained expression crosses his features before he sets the plate down on the counter.

"I made this for you," he says awkwardly and rubs the back of his neck nervously. "I mean you should have breakfast, it's a big day for you."

"You know what today is?" I say not quite believing any of it and not moving from my spot by my bedroom door.

He nods and then says, "Good luck today, whatever you get is what's meant to be." He walks around the counter, grabs his jacket from the couch and then leaves without another word, headed to the control room for work.

I stare at the eggs and bacon before deciding that it's probably best that I eat. I skipped dinner last night for one and for two the bacon smelled really good. I eat my food quickly before heading out to meet with the other Dauntless at the tracks. I'm so absorbed in my thoughts that I don't notice someone else walking down the hallway before I run right into them. I stumble back and chastise myself for being so clumsy lately before looking up to see who I hit.

"Hey sorry, wasn't watching where I was going," I apologize and then feel my stomach drop as I stare up at Eric.

"Obviously not," he says an eyebrow raised before his eye flick over to the dark spot on my cheek and eye.

I look down quickly trying to let my hair fall over the left side of my face and cover the bruise. "Well sorry, I should be going, don't want to miss the train on testing day," I say quickly before darting off down the hall.

I pay more attention to where I'm going now so that I don't run into anyone else and make it to the tracks without incident. I stand waiting for the train and feel a nudge on my shoulder. I glance over to see Nic standing beside me smiling. His smile falters immediately when he sees my face though. I quickly turn my head away but he grabs my chin and makes me look at him, examining the bruise.

"What happened?" he asked, concern clear in his eyes.

"I was just clumsy and slipped in the shower. Hit my eye on the damn handle," I say hoping that I was convincing enough.

Nic is about to respond but the train rounds the corner and we are forced to start running to catch it. I grab on to the handle and haul myself up, Nic not far behind me. We get ourselves settled, sitting down against the back wall.

"You remember what I said about you not being good for Candor?" he asks after a moment.

I just nod and he shakes his head slightly, accepting that I'm not going to tell him the truth. I can tell he's not happy about it though. I decide that I'll tell him later tonight after the test. He at least deserves the truth. We ride the rest of the way in silence. I stand up, ready to jump and feel Nic lock his elbows with me. I look at him slightly surprised and he smiles back, letting me know there are no hard feelings. We jump and role, laughing. It's a ritual we've done for years and only didn't when we were mad at each other.

I stand and turn to see Steve standing towards the back of the line with the other Erudites taking the test today. As Nic and I make our way over to the Dauntless line. I catch Steve's eye and smile and wave. He waves back smiling but as soon as he see's my eye his brow furrows a bit and he looks at me questioningly. I just smile and shake my head, letting him know its nothing. He smiles again before turning back to talk to his Erudite friends.

I turn back to Nic and listen in on the conversation about how the majority of the Dauntless born hope they get Dauntless. Though this is true I do know of a few people who want to transfer. The line continues to move forward at a constant pace until we are all inside seated and waiting for our names to be called. Nic is called before me, giving me a reassuring smile before he walks into the testing room. I sit alone tapping my foot impatiently. A man in Abnegation gray walks out of the room in front of me and calls my name. I stand, wiping my palms on my jeans to try and get some of the sweat off them before walking into the room. I look around at the mirrors before taking a seat and trying to steady my breathing.

"Relax," the man says with a slight chuckle. "You have nothing to worry about." He gives me a smiling before handing me a small glass with blue liquid in it. "Drink up."

I look at the glass a moment, wanting to ask what its for but shrug and shoot it back. It doesn't taste very good but it's not terrible. Not thirty seconds later I feel myself slipping out of consciousness.

I wake in a field with tall grass. There are two pedestals on either side of me, one with a hunk of cheese and the other with a large dagger. Suddenly a voice booms "Choose."

I look between the two objects, heavily debating which I should choose. The voice commands again. "Give me a minute," I snap still not sure which I want to pick.

"Choose now." The voice commands yet again. I'm fed up with its impatience and just look up at the sky, arms crossed over my chest. The pedestals disappear and I hear a voice calling for help. I turn to see a man limping towards me, his leg obviously wounded. Behind him a dog sprints, ready to attack. I instantly run towards the man. "Get down!" I shout waving my arms wildly. The man listens and drops to the ground. I run to his side just as the dog makes it to him.

I put my hands up and drop to the dog's eye level. "Easy, easy there." I try to say soothingly. At first it seems to be working then the dogs posture immediately shifts and it jumps at my throat. I dodge out of the way and wrap my arms around its neck, holding on tightly and squeezing its throat. I wait till it stops struggling and hangs limply in my arms dead. I didn't want to kill the dog but it left me no choice. I drop the dog and immediately move to the man.

"Let me see your wound," I say looking at his leg. Rolling up the pants leg I can see where the dog had bite him. I tear off the bottom of my tank top and wrap it tightly on his wound. "You should be okay as long as we get it cleaned up soon." I say with a smile.

"Thank you," the man says, his steel blue gaze meeting mine, our eyes catching before I jolt back awake.

The Abnegation man is intensely looking at the computer, typing away. "What were my results?" I ask a bit desperately.

"Dauntless," he says without turning away from the computer screen. I let out a small sigh of relief before he turns around, "and Erudite."

"What? That's not possible." I say. Two aptitudes? That only happens to people who were divergent. I most certainly was not divergent… I couldn't be, could I?

"Possible just unusual, especially from a Dauntless born," he says with a sigh. "I've entered you in the computer manually as Dauntless. I would suggest you choose either Amity or Abnegation though. Dauntless isn't a safe place for those with your results."

"I don't want to leave," I say, still shocked by my results.

"It's ultimately up to you, just be careful, whatever you choose." He says giving me a small smile before shooing me out of the room.

I walk out of the room and make my way back to the front of the Hub. I absolutely cannot believe I am Divergent. It doesn't change my decision but growing up in Dauntless I know how dangerous it is. I know I can hide it. I'll be fine. I continue walking, headed toward the tracks, lost in thought. I'm stopped by someone calling my name. I turn to see Steve running toward me, a happy smile on his face. I force a smile and wave to him.

"Hey!" he says smiling as he comes up beside me. "How'd it go for you?"

"It went well," I say returning his smile and turn as I see the train approaching. "Ride with me for a bit?" I ask, he nods and together we run towards the tracks and alongside the train. I hop on easily and help him up. We sit down and watch the city roll by.

"So what were your results?" He asks after a few moments. I chew my bottom lip nervously. Not sure how to respond. Seeing my discomfort he grabs my hand and holds it in his. "It's okay, the results are really just a suggestion anyways."

I nod lamely. He brushes my bangs aside and lightly touches my bruised cheek, raising an eyebrow. I laugh lightly. "I slipped in the shower and hit my eye on the handle. I was so tired yesterday night, just sorta got clumsy," I said smiling a bit to make the lie more convincing.

"Oh yeah use how tired you were as an excuse for being clumsy," He says giving me a joking grin. I punch him lightly in the arm grinning back.

"I got Erudite," he says after a few minutes of silence. I feel my heart skip a beat. Here's where he asks me to leave for him. "You got Dauntless didn't you?" he asks.

"Yeah, I did," I say turning towards him.

"You don't have to stay you know," he says looking down.

There it was. I knew it was coming "Steve I.."

"You don't." he interrupts firmly. "You're smart, you'd do really well in Erudite. I love you Evee, we can't be together if you're in a different faction!" he says, his voice rising a bit.

"Well I don't want to leave Steve!" I say, feeling myself getting angry. I stand up at this point, no longer feeling like sitting down. "I think its time we went our separate ways. We both want different lives Steve. Like you said we can't be together if we're not in the same faction." I say calmly my back turned towards him. I see the Dauntless Compound, the train beginning to slow down.

"Evee," his voice pleads behind me. "Please don't do this."

I swallow the lump in my throat and turn to look at him for a brief moment. There are tears in his eyes, threatening to spill over. "I'm so sorry Steve," I say before turning around and jumping.

I land the most gracefully I have in awhile and turn to see Steve holding the handle of the train, hanging outside watching me as he gets farther and farther away. I feel tears prick at the corners of my eyes. I wipe them furiously before I turn to head back into the compound.

"You're landing was better this time," Eric's voice calls out behind me.

I jump and turn to see him standing at the edge of the tracks, arms crossed over his chest. "Were… were you on the train?" I ask, afraid of his answer.

He doesn't answer right away, staring at me before nodding. "Next car over."

"What did you hear?" I ask mortified at the possibility of him hearing any of it.

"Tuned it out after the first couple minutes," he says looking bored.

I nod; his indifference feels like a punch in the gut. It's almost worse than him hearing it all. I turn and race through the Compound, trying to make it back to my room without interruption.

"Eveline, wait." A voice calls out behind me. This just hasn't been my week, I think to myself as I stop and turn around surprised when I see an unfamiliar face walking towards me up the steps of the pit.

"I'm sorry, do I know you," I ask him as he comes to stop in front of me. He's tall and lean with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes.

"Well, we've never officially met but I've seen around the Compound. My name's Four," he says and offers his hand. I shake it after a moment, still confused. "I work in the control room with your father." He says after a moment longer.

"Oh," I say dumbly, still not quite sure why he stopped me.

"He sent me to tell you that he won't be able to get out of the control room for tomorrow." He says. I'm not surprised. Didn't expect him to come anyways.

"Oh, thank you Four," I say and turn to leave.

"So you're choosing tomorrow?" He says as he falls into step beside me.

I'm a bit confused as to why he's here talking to me and walking beside me but decide friendly conversation couldn't hurt. "Yeah," I say and smile at him. "Shouldn't be too hard a choice. I mean who would want to leave this beautiful place," I say gesturing to the dark wet corridors in front of us.

"Yeah home sweet home," he says with a laugh, throwing a small grin my way. He then glances at my eye as everyone does eventually. "Quite a shiner you got there, how's the other guy look?"

"Well considering it's the shower handle…" I say trailing off with a laugh. He chuckles a bit at that.

"You plan on getting even tonight?" He grins and I nod smiling. "You're a brave soldier," he says smiling at me. "You know they have some cream in the infirmary that'll make that bruise go away a lot faster."

"Really?" I say, I'd been to the infirmary a few times as most Dauntless children had but I'd never heard of a bruise cream.

"Yeah, Erudite sent it over a couple months ago. Getting us prepared and stocked up for initiation," he says with a nod. We've made it to the door to my apartment at this point.

"Well this is my stop," I say smiling at him. "I'll have to check out that cream at some point though."

"Sounds like a plan. I've gotta get back to the control room, who knows what'll happen if I let my eyes off that screen for more than five minutes," he jokes, before turning to head down the hall towards the control room. He then pauses and turns back around. "Tell you what," he calls back, "if you end up staying tomorrow I'll bring you some of that cream. Deal?"

"Deal," I say smiling before heading back into the apartment. Four seemed like a genuinely nice guy. It had been nice to have a normal conversation after the hell the past few days had been. I grabbed a slice of cold pizza, eating it as I headed back to my room. I took a quick shower, smiling a little at Four's comment about a rematch. After brushing my teeth and throwing my pajamas on I hop into bed and set an alarm. I stare up at the ceiling, focusing on my breathing to relax before I drift off.

A/N

Hey! The reviews, followers and favorites inspired me to go ahead and post my next chapter. Let me know what you think! The next chapter will open from Eric's POV but switch back to Evee's pretty quickly. Want to get some small view from Eric's side. Hope you guys liked the Chapter! Oh and song names are the chapter titles. Just songs I listened to while writing them. This one is No One's Here to Sleep by Bastille.