I do not own Divergent or any of its characters.
Of course, it had to be Peter for her last fight in stage two. Even though Four had given her hints on how to beat him right before the fight, she had felt dizzy after he had hit her head. Despite her attempts to defend herself, she had been down on the mat faster than she could blink.
Her vision was still blurry when Eric appeared at the end of her infirmary bed. He took the flip chart and quickly flicked through the papers without much interest. Then he sauntered over to her side and looked down at her for a long moment. She bit her lip, there were others lying in the nearby beds, so she would not get the greeting she anticipated from him. He stared long at her until he pursed his lips and gently brushed her hair behind her ear.
"You feeling better?" his words were clipped despite his gentle touch and Tris could not help but flinch. She nodded, stunned at how distant he was when they were not alone.
She kept her voice low when she asked, "Why did you set me up against Peter?"
A smirk lifted one corner of his mouth but it did not reach his eyes, "It wasn't my decision," he leaned down to her and his mouth was right next to her ear when he murmured, "And even if it was, just because I fuck you, doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."
He straightened up again, without waiting for a reply from her and sighed, "Doctors say you'll stay here a little bit longer. I'll give you a day to get back on track. If you don't, you're out." Her eyes widened at his harsh words. He set his lips into a condescending pout, "Got it?"
She nodded sheepishly and he scoffed, "At least you made it through stage one alive. You'll have to do better in the fear sims now, though."
They stared at each other for a moment before Eric let out a deep sigh and turned to leave. Tris grabbed his wrist quickly before he could go and he turned back around, glaring at her, "Thanks for dropping by," she whispered.
He looked down at her hand on his, his face softening somewhat and for a moment, Tris thought she saw a genuine smile forming on his lips. However, he rolled his eyes, "Whatever."
The ghost of a smile that briefly flickered across his face and the fact that neither his face nor his voice reflected the harshness of that simple word, softened the blow somewhat. Yet he left her alone, wondering whether he actually cared for her well-being or did not give a shit at all.
Out of the corner of her eyes she saw one of the nurses watching her. When Tris looked at the woman with long auburn hair, her eyes flickered over to Eric who just turned his head. She frowned at the strange interaction and wondered just who the woman was.
Just when he was about to exit the infirmary, Christina and Will brushed past him. They eyed him curiously but Eric did not even acknowledge their presence. Christina shrugged and went over to Tris, sitting down on her bed, she smiled down at her friend.
"What did he want here?" she rolled her eyes in the direction of the exit and laid a hand on Tris' shoulder as she tried to sit up, "Lay down."
"Just checking on me, I guess," she mumbled, not able to squash the feeling that it had really not been more than that.
Christina sent her a wry smile, "So, you won't join us tonight for the capture the flag game?"
Tris' eyes lit up, "Capture the flag?"
"Yes!" Christina nodded eagerly, "Uriah told us about it. He said it's going to be so much fun. They play the war game every year during inititation with transfers and Dauntless born alike!"
Wringing her hands, Tris pouted and smiled weakly at her friend's excitement, "I guess, I'll have to rest first."
Her friend nudged her, "Maybe Four will visit you to make sure that you'll be better soon," she said and giggled, while Will rolled his eyes behind her back.
"Four?" she asked and blushed, not remembering why Four would want to come to see her.
Christina rolled her eyes and grinned in exasperation, "Because when you went down, he was the one to carry you to the infirmary." She scoffed, "After he had a glaring contest with the prick."
Tris could only guess that Christina meant Eric and her blush turned an even darker shade as she tried to remember what had happened, but still could not remember. She looked at her friends sheepishly, "Really?"
Her friend nodded eagerly but before she could say anything else, she turned to Will, who put his hand on her shoulder. She nodded and turned back to Tris, casting her a sympathetic smile, "We have to go. Hope to see you tomorrow!"
After her friends had left the infirmary, she looked around for the nurse she had seen earlier, but she could not find her. She sighed deeply and sat up, feeling a little rush to her head. She waited a moment until she grabbed her boots from under the bed and put them on. She knew, she was doing it on a whim, but she had to do this, she just had to - there was no way she would fail another time. She needed to catch a train and prove herself.
Tris still felt the rush of excitement for winning and was glad that she had run after the train after all. She was thankful that Four had helped her up on the moving train. And now that she looked up to the board where her name would soon be shown - whether above the line or below, was still a question - she was glad that Four had chosen her to be on his team.
She took a deep breath as the names started showing, the cheerings began and more and more names appeared on the board. It was her name that showed up as the second to last and relief flooded her body. She knew playing capture the flag would pay off.
Christina hugged her and over her friend's shoulder she saw Eric's eyes piercing hers. She felt a tingle up her spine when he watched her cheering with her friends. It had been a long day, but everyone seemed to be intent on joining the celebration at the pit. She decided to tag along with her friends but kept to herself, completely content with watching her friends celebrating that they made it past stage one.
She almost felt a pang of guilt when she thought back to how Four had held onto her hips the moment she had slipped when they were climbing up to the top of the Ferris Wheel. His hand had slipped below her shirt and squeezed her hip. Looking over her shoulder, she saw him watching her reaction. And when she did not move away but smiled down at him, he smiled back the same way, she had seen a couple of times before. She had noticed him watching her several times, but he looked away most of the times. The times he did not look away, he held her gaze and bit his lip, trying not to openly grin at her. She had felt the chemistry between them, so when Four had held onto her, it had felt so totally different from how Eric touched her; with Four it was the first time that she had felt desired in an innocent way.
Despite the intimate moment, Four had insisted that she was still looking awful and that she should go see a doctor. She remembered how concerned he had sounded and how much he had seemed to care, unlike Eric, who had seemed to be more concerned about losing his bedtime companion.
She shook her head, wondering just how fast she had ended up in the middle of these two totally different men. She was sure that she had feelings for Eric, and now Four had also crept into her mind.
Looking up, she startled when she saw Eric making his way over to her. Quickly she sought out where Four was and saw him watching Eric advancing towards her. Eric's eyes flicked briefly to Four and as soon as he caught her eyes again, he smirked.
Her breath hitched when Eric came to a stop right in front of her. She would have never imagined that he would approach her in front of everyone. It seemed he did not care much though, since no one really paid any attention to them except for Four.
His head dipped low, his face mere inches away from hers, an amused grin playing on his lips at her obvious discomfort. "You look happy you made it to the next stage," he mumbled, his hands balling up and he shoved them in his pockets.
She smiled proudly but with a hint of uncertainty, "I am."
"You did well at the war game," he smirked, "Next time I'll get you on my team." He bit his lip to suppress the grin that threatened to break out on his face before he added, "This way you can have some real fun. In an abandoned building. Or atop the Ferris Wheel."
Blushing, she grinned at him but it vanished quickly when he leaned forward. His mouth was close to her ear as he whispered, "Were you having fun with number boy?"
Frowing, she leaned back to look at him and gaped at him, rushing to say, "You mean Four? Nothing really happened."
He nodded absent-mindedly, "Okay," he clicked his tongue, "I'll let that slip then. Let's get out of here," he grinned seductively, "Come to my place."
When she did not answer, he leaned back to look her over and hummed in amusement. She tried to avoid his eyes but he tipped her head up to look at him. Her eyes flickered back and forth between his piercing ones, "I'm not sure whether we should keep it up."
"Why?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows, but the amused smirk did not leave his face.
"Because," she hesitated and gulped, seeing his smirk growing even wider at her hesitation, "I think, we're not quite on the same page on what we want from each other."
He pouted mockingly, "Stiff having second thoughts?"
He took one of his hands out of his pockets and placed it next to her head on the wall. In a low whisper he said, "Come on, I need you."
Watching him through hooded eyes, she felt his breath on her lips already, "Why?"
She saw his pupils dilate as his eyes travelled hungrily down her body, making her squirm underneath his gaze.
He pouted mockingly when he noticed that she had not really thought this through and murmured, "Come on, don't pretend you don't want me."
Contradicting to what she had said, she wanted this, wanted him. She felt her body react to the prospect of his hands on her already. If they were alone, they would be already all over each other. She hated herself for being so weak in his presence.
"I need to focus on initiation," she whispered meekly.
He scoffed and gripped her arm suddenly, dragging her around the corner. She felt his fingers entwine with hers and he held onto her hand as he went down further into the dark tunnel until they came to an indentation where they were hidden from curious eyes.
As soon as he pushed her up against the wall, his lips were on her throat and she gasped as his hand gripped her hip roughly, grinding against her. The way he handled her, made her want him more than she liked to admit. Still she tried to fight him, fight her own instinct.
"Eric," she whispered breathlessly. Her hands wandered up to the collar of his jacket and grabbing the rough material, she pulled him up to face her, "Eric, I'm serious."
Not paying attention to her pitiful attempt, he captured her lips, kissing her sloppily. She passionately kissed him back and moaned as one of his hands moved to the back of her head, entangling in her hair. In the dim light she caught the smirk on his lips when he broke away. Her eyes were glued to his lips as he murmured, "I can see just how serious you are."
He admired her flushed lips for a moment before he cradled her face in his large hand and kissed her again. This time his lips moved against hers more slowly and he groaned throatily as if they had not kissed for far longer than last night. She felt him chuckle before he broke away again, his breath brushing over her lips as he whispered, "But so am I."
Her breathing increased as she felt his hands move down her body, sneaking underneath her shirt. His hands squeezed her waist, the rough material of his fingerless gloves scraping against her skin. His lips found hers again and pushed his body against hers.
A hot rush went to her stomach and she pushed at his chest in an urgent frenzy. He refused to acknowledge the panic in her movements at first and she caught a glimpse of him glaring at her as they broke apart. So she pushed again more forcefully to get out of his embrace, "No Eric, you don't get it. I'm sick!"
"Why, thanks," he remarked sarcastically and she rolled her eyes, pushing him again. A pathetic noise left her throat when she coughed and finally, he stepped back quickly as she doubled over to the side and heaved. Nothing came out, except for a sour fluid at the back of her throat. Breathing heavily, she came back up to see him frown at her.
He looked at her in silence as she tried to regain her composure. When she was sure that nothing else would come out, she brushed the sleeve of her jacket over her mouth. She smiled at him in embarrassment.
"Tris," he said her name in hesitation and scratched the back of his head, "You really are on the shot, right?"
The smile dropped quickly from her face at the seriousness of his voice. She breathed out of her nose and gulped when he took a quick step towards her, shoving his hands in his pockets. Glaring down at her, he waited for her answer, impatiently grinding his teeth.
"Yes," she breathed out finally and Eric sighed in relief.
He brushed his hand over his face slowly and grinned weakly at her, "You had me worried a bit for second there."
She was at a loss of words, suddenly well aware of what he implied by this question, the same question he had asked when she had followed him to his office the first time. She was so irritated about the whole situation that she was unable to say anything when Eric turned away.
"Just check with a doctor tomorrow whether you still have some after-effects of your fight today," he called over his shoulder as he left her standing in the hallway.
She nodded into the darkness, even though he was already gone. She could not help but notice how he had avoided her question why he wanted her. Taking a moment to compose herself, she went over the events today - she needed to get a grip, she decided.
When her mind stopped reeling, she decided to head back to the dorm. She would visit the infirmary tomorrow, but now she needed sleep more than anything. The exhaustion of the whole day burned through her body.
She made her way through the crowd and gasped as a strong hand on her arm held her back suddenly. Four glared down at her, his eyes furious, although he tried to smile, "Hey, how are you doing?"
Tris shrugged his hand off and smiled wryly, "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine," he murmured and she had trouble hearing him over the noise of the pit, "You still look awfully pale."
She rolled her eyes at him and just wanted to thank him for his concern and move away, when he grabbed her arm again. Hastily he pushed a small object into her hand and shoved her hand towards her own body. She saw the urgency to hide it quickly on his face and shoved it into the pocket of her jacket.
The frown on his face seemed to deepen even further when he saw her confusion. She felt the slender object in her hand and tried to figure out what it was.
Four smiled at her, but she could see that it was forced when he said, "Use it if you think it is necessary."
She gaped at him as he turned around without another word and moved back to the group of his friends. Dumbfounded, she stood there for a moment until she remembered that she wanted to go back to the dorm.
All the way back to the dorm, she tried to think of what Four could have given her. It was so lightweight and small that it definitely was not a knife or something like that. So as soon as she sat down on her cot, she took out the object and looked down at it.
Her shoulders sagged as she saw the writing on the small carton box. She sighed shakily and opened the small package, quickly reading through the instructions. Brushing her hand through her hair, she thought about using it now or later. But then she decided that she could no longer wait and wanted to know as well. She did not believe it but with a sigh she pushed the tiny needle down on her index finger and then put down the pregnancy test next to her.
Eric's question whether she was on the shot came back to her, haunting her as she waited for the device to announce whether she was in fact pregnant or not. Impatiently, she stood up and paced in front of her cot, looking down at the device nervously every time she passed it. She had to wait for a minute and it seemed to never end.
She had not even thought about the possibility of getting pregnant because she was on the pregnancy prevention shot. Not feeling well, she had blamed it on the vigorous training she was undergoing at the moment and not being used to the whole physical part.
Shaking her head, she put a hand over her mouth - it could still be possible that she was not pregnant, she told herself.
The flashing of the tiny screen caught her eye and Tris stopped pacing. She took in a deep breath and let it out while she kneeled down in front of her bed. Closing her eyes, she sent a last prayer that this would not be true. It could not be true.
Opening her eyes, she squinted at the screen, which showed a number she could not comprehend at first. The number blurred for a moment, so she hastily brushed the sleeve of her shirt over her eyes. She blew out a heavy breath before looking down at it again - it said eighty percent. Not hundred, not zero, but eighty percent. She tried to comprehend what the number meant. Never had she had so much trouble understanding a simple number so much.
Her whole body slumped together and she sank to the ground. Taking the test into her hands, she brushed her hand through her hair and read it again - eighty percent.
Chapter two, right on time, who would have thought? Thanks so for much for giuli miadi black and mona-rose for beta-reading! Go on and head on over to them to read their gorgeous stories, but before please, tell me what you think of chapter 2! Again, this is my writing challenge for 2017 to post a chapter each month. So, hopefully I'll see you next month ;)