Chapter 2

Peter stood at attention beside Tris with Four flanking the both of them. They were in the Senior Leader's office, Max Cornell, but all of leadership was there.

Eric Coulter, the Second in Command, was the one that was addressing his two Initiates. Seeing the two of them together had piqued his interest. Then Peter had began telling him what he knew of the attack on their top rated initiate and he had all of their attentions.

He had could admit he thought it was Hayes. His attitude and demeanor suggested he could and would do just about anything to get number one. They couldn't prove it and without Edward being able to identify him or anyone. Without witnesses and proof there wasn't a damn thing that could be done. Did it piss him off? Sure it did. They were now out a hell of a soldier and left with a coward in his place.

He almost couldn't believe his story but for the presence of the Stiff. They were fucking smart for her to be here. But he had always had his suspicions about the Stiff. Not that it mattered or that Dauntless gave a shit, not in the way Erudite wanted others to. In fact the only reason Dauntless cared was because they tended to make great leaders. Eric repressed a self satisfied smirk at that thought.

Sighing he pushed away from the desk he was leaning on and uncrossed his arms.

"So you didn't see the attack and they didn't tell you directly that they were either doing it beforehand or that they had done it afterwards. Am I correct in all this?" Eric asked this but it wasn't really a question. Just speaking the facts out loud for everyone present and for it to be recorded while hating the hell out of what he knew was going to happen. Absolutely fucking nothing.

Peter and Tris stiffened, all of Leadership and Instructors did, but Peter nodded.

"Sir, yes Sir. That is correct. Before the attack they had pulled me aside and said that I wouldn't have to worry much longer but that was all they would say. I did try and tell them that I wanted to handle it my way. I meant for me to gain rank again or to keep trying but they just shook their heads and disappeared. Afterwards they wouldn't say what they did if anything but they made crude jokes. Not unusual for them or even me but it was a way for them to communicate things without saying it right out. It was something we had developed in Candor." Peter shrugged and scowled at himself and the past he was seeing was less than suited to who he should have and wanted to be.

Eric looked to Max for the final judgment with thinned lips. Max sighed and nodded. "Hayes, Prior; it took a tremendous act of bravery and strength to come before us to give us this information. The fact that two of the biggest rivals in our initiation joined together to come against this act of cowardice lets me know that our trainers are getting through to your group. I am pleased with them and you."

Max tried not to roll his eyes and smirk at the smug look that came over Eric and Four's faces. Each one most likely mentally taking all the credit for themselves for this compliment. If they could only see each other then that would wipe those smirks right off their faces. Those two boys were and would always be more alike than they knew.

Max frowned and went on to the more unpleasant business at hand. "I am afraid that even with this information we can't bring charges against them. We have no physical proof or witnesses. I don't want you two to get discouraged though because with your statements we can make a note and do more investigations. We can keep a closer eye on them and their activities. I am also going to need to ask something of you Peter."

Peter and Tris shared a look. She had told him that if they couldn't bring charges against him, they might ask him to play at being with his two former friends to see if he could get them to confess or just keep an eye on them. He smirked at her and shook his head that she was right.

"Well, you were right Stiff." Peter mumbled.

Tris bit her lip and shrugged. "It was a reasonable observation. They hadn't come and drug your ass away yet and you were the top suspect. That meant they needed proof or a witness. Just like he said. It just makes sense to keep your friends close and enemies closer too. Good tactics and good way to get Intel."

Max and Eric shared their own looks and Eric's lips twitched before his face went hard at a glare from Four to him. Like he had any interest in his fucking little Stiff. Gods he just wanted to punch the shit out of Four sometimes.

Time and place Coulter, he reminded himself.

Max nodded to the two initiates. "Yes, we would like you to stay close to them or pretend to be close to them. If you can get them to admit it to you in the actual words that they did it then do so. Otherwise just keep an eye on them and if they seem to be up to something in the future let one of us know. Until then you are both dismissed. You have training and I wouldn't want you to be late. I hear your instructors can be real asses about being late."

Max threw that little dig in with a smirk and both men bristled a little. More alike than either knew or would admit he thought again.

With the appropriate salutes, Tris and Peter left the office. Tris looked to Peter and sighed. "I know you wanted to make a clean break but this is better for us. Like I said friends close but enemies closer. That doesn't mean you need to just stick with them though. You got along fairly well with my friends this morning."

Peter frowns and shrugs. "That's because none of them were transfers like us Stiff. I'll try but I can't change overnight completely. Someone is bound to say something though." Peter looks worriedly over to Tris. "You know Chris is going to be pissed that you are even talking to me in a decent way. We have history and it isn't good."

Tris nods and shrugs with a frown. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy Peter. It isn't easy to do the right things but it doesn't mean we shouldn't try. If she is my friend then she will know this is just me and get over it. I don't think you two need to be best friends or anything but could you be civil to her?"

Peter shrugs as they make their way through the Pit. "I can try but I make no promises. She may have not called it bullying, Tris, but her bluntness and way of addressing things in Candor could be just as bad. I don't think she is a bad person but she isn't the nicest either."

Tris nods with a sigh and a small smile. "Yeah she can be a bit much at times. You know Peter, just like you have a story for why you are the way you are….she does too. Maybe you two should talk about that one day. Not my place to say what for either of you but it might be a good idea."

Tris hadn't been surprised when Chris had told her of her reasons for being in Dauntless and her life before in Candor. It seemed to her that Candor promoted brutality of not just honesty but spirit as well. Not intentionally but how things were for some dependents it was like the only way they developed to survive. She suspected that Peter had something similar happen to him.

The two made it to the training room in time and most of the others were already there. Chris was left scowling at Peter and sending worried looks to Tris when the two walked in together. Tris knew Peter was about to stop and move off to be by himself instead of going to the group of Tris' friends.

She solved this by grabbing the sleeve of his jacket and hauling him along with her. "Starting today remember. All in or nothing Peter." She mumbled as they walked up the group that were all now scowling at the two.

"Can't I just jump down the damn hole again? Much less fucking intimidating." Peter scowled as he muttered this.

His lips twitched at the laugh that Tris had at his words and dejected tone.

"We are Dauntless Hayes. Put some snap in your spine and raise your chin. We got this." Tris took on Eric's famous tone and ordered him in a mimicking way.

This really did cause Peter to laugh as he shook his head when they got closer. "Now let me see you be brave enough to do that in front of our fearless leader, Stiff."

The two came to stand before the group and Tris let go of his sleeve as she laughed. "I am Dauntless and I am crazy Hayes but even I am not that crazy."

"Wow Four. Looks like the Stiff does know when to hold that mouth shut. And here I thought we were going to have a repeat of the knife throwing incident." Eric smirks as he approaches the group. How he had beat the two he couldn't say other than they apparently still hadn't learned all the shortcuts. Not that they showed them to the initiates, on purpose. The thought caused him to smirk a little before he glared at his group.

"Well what are you waiting for? You know the drill. Start your laps." He barked at the group.

Tris' eyes had gone wide the moment that she heard Eric speaking and saw it mirrored in all the others faces too. Relieved that for some reason Eric was showing her mercy, she let herself be pulled along by Chris to start their day's worth of torture. They had visiting day tomorrow and then a few off days before they started the next stage.

They just needed to get through today. All of the initiates were using the day as a distraction, as the instructors arranged on purpose, from wondering who would be showing up tomorrow.

Peter just hoped his family decided against showing up. If his father showed up he wasn't sure he would be able to hold in his temper or thoughts. Tris was right, they were Dauntless now. He would stand before him with his spine straight and his chin high. He would let him see who he was now and who he wanted to be. Not who the man had tried to make him