"Can you hurry up? We haven't got all day." Eric's annoying voice cuts through the serenity at breakfast hour.

I bite into my toast as I stand up from the bench. "Are you coming or what?"

"You can sit –" I wave him away and keep walking. There is nothing more satisfying than leaving Eric hanging.

Fall is my favorite time of the year. Red and yellow leaves blow across the pavement while the wind kisses my face softly. The car ride is quiet with Eric occasionally glancing to both sides. It has been a few weeks since my last escape from Dauntless quarters. I had accompanied Harrison to the hearings and trials at Candor.

The sunrays faintly break from the collection of clouds until we arrive at a simple, dull looking compound. I recognize the gray buildings all too well –Abnegation.

Those gathering outside eye us with suspicion. I merely glance around, lingering at the sight of children helping their parents around the house. Such innocence.

"Good morning, Eric and –"

"Cora –leadership trainee, sir." I add as we come to face Marcus Eaton. His face attempts to show politeness, but the distaste is there.

"What can I do for you today?" the Abnegation council leader asks when he opens the door to his designated quarters. The room has a plain desk and a few chairs with the Abnegation symbol painted on the wall. "I trust Dauntless is recovering from their unfortunate circumstances."

Eric takes a seat while I linger in the back. "We wanted for you to organize a Faction summit."

"The purposes?"

Marcus casts his eyes down briefly, but Eric continues his neutral expression. "Due to past events, we think it would be beneficial for ambassadors to meet and discuss the future plans."

"Will Erudite have the privilege to attend such meeting?" Marcus turns sour, waiting for the obvious answer. "Because it is absurd that they retain certain freedoms, not to mention any other names as well.

"Sir, they are obligated to attend. However, the idea is to figure out efficient solutions to prevent any other attempts at controlling another faction." I pause, breathing lightly. "We are ashamed of despicable actions that some individuals committed in the name of justice."

His eyes lock on me, judgingly. "I see. Now, how can you assure that such acts do not occur again?"

"I have a proposal," I step forward behind Eric, fingers resting close to the back of his neck and he stiffens. "That I will present at the summit. I have been working towards a resolution for the past weeks."

Marcus's demeanor changes as expected. Eric glowers at me, but instead the Abnegation leader speaks first. "How does three days from now sound? Choosing day is about two weeks away and I'd like this to occur before."

"Deal."

Eric doesn't say anything to me for the whole car ride back to Dauntless. I hope a white-lie will not overly stress him. As I hop off, he grabs my arm and practically drags me into an empty storage room. "Cora, what the hell was that?"

"You got the summit, didn't you?" I scoff, pushing away from his grasp. "So, what if it was bluff? Marcus wasn't going to cooperate either way."

He sneers, pacing back and forth. "I was supposed to do the talking. You just had to help persuade if needed, not fire back some bullshit story."

I cross my arms and stare at him. He is fuming like a fire that is waiting to spread. It brings me back to the initiate days where Eric barked at anything and anyone. "You know what? Come, find me when you calm down and then maybe we can actually have an efficient conversation."

The Dauntless corridor is lone, save for the one guy that heard the entire argument and glances at me apologetically before scattering away. It is one o' clock, but we still have Erudite to visit. I hurry into my apartment and take a deep breath. I cannot let Eric's attitude invade me. Since lunch at Dauntless is almost finished, I decide to cook a meal -pasta enveloped in tomato sauce with veggies and chunks of sausage.

The aroma fills the apartment, so I leave the window slightly ajar. A knock at the door snaps me out of cooking daze. "Have you finally calmed down?" I scowl, wiping my hands on the table cloth I carry.

"Yes," Eric grumbles.

"Ok, then." I scoot away as he closes the door. I grab two plates and serve a luxurious amount to each. "Eric, come here."

He doesn't argue with me, but rather takes a seat at the small table. His legs invade my own space and I pretend to not notice. The light clacking of the utensils breaks the silence until Eric finishes, wiping his mouth with the napkin. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

"Oh Eric, I learned that nobody can think straight on an empty stomach." I snicker and go to grab a drink. His eyes study me intently as though a monologue is present in his mind. "What?"

"Harrison backed you up for the summit."

I nod, imagining an irritated Eric at Harrison's office. "Then it looks like I have my work cut out for this week."

"We better get to work." He doesn't smile, but stands up and collects the dishes. I hear the faucet turn on and I go my book shelf, hunting for specific titles. "Don't we still have an Erudite meeting today?"

"Tris is taking care of that." Eric scoots closer, his warm presence at my side. The night will certainly be long and treacherous.

5 months ago…

"Congratulations, you all are now full Dauntless members. Make use of your teachings to act as brave warriors that will fight in the name of justice." The passion in Max's voice comes out evenly. "Remember to acknowledge the strength that comes from facing fear and carry Dauntless in the shade of glory and sacrifice. Do us proud."

The crowd erupts, cups clashing against one another, and the steady thundering of cheers. I smile at Darcy and Usha who embrace briefly until they grasp my hands and raise them up in the air. We made it together through blood and sweat.

"I heard that there's going to be a party tonight." Usha gushes, her black hair slightly frizzy. She turns to Jada, a Dauntless-born member, nodding her exciting as the girl giggles.

"Think of it as a celebration, guys. After all the hard work, you get to have some play time." Jada flashes us a smile. "I hope you saved your best clothes for tonight."

Jada and Usha spring away to get ready for their festivity while Darcy and I stay behind. We walk the busy corridors outside the Pit until we discover the staircase leading to the roof. The embrace of spring weather meets us, the breeze ruffing the loose baby hairs from my face.

"Are you happy, Darc?" I muse as we sit on the metal tube where one can see the Chicago skyline.

"It is a bittersweet feeling, but I am." He looks briefly at the sky. The memories of our initiation flood my mind: the pain, the frustration, the sweat and tears from pushing our psyche to the edge. "I still think about my family. Some nights are worse than others."

My eyes drift to him. "Remember the good memories you have of them. That is what I always do, you know."

He chuckles, his lips morphing into a smile. "I know. It doesn't help that Amity is close either, but I wouldn't trade this. I have family here too."

I squeeze his hand tightly and notice the numerous trucks approaching the Dauntless compound. I motion for Darcy to follow along as I crawl near the ledge, my eyes locking to the people on the ground. Erudite guards crawl out from the vehicle, carrying metal cases.

"What do you think those cases contain?" Darcy whispers, breathing heavily.

I frown. "I don't know, but this faction relationship seems off. There is too much dependence between both parties."

"Should we ask someone?"

I shake my head. "Not just anyone, Darc. Come on, let's go before they spot us."

That night, we attend the celebration at the Pit. I adjust the crimson dress after I braid my curly mane for hair. Usha had applied a light coat of make-up on me, ignoring my protests. A sea of Dauntless members floods the Pit, neon lights spin in different directions. Rowdy laughter and chatter are muted by the disco music that boomed at each corner.

Usha dances around with others, gleefully. If it wasn't for Erudite spotting, I would join the enjoyable venue with open arms. The aberrance encircling the Dauntless compound could not be subdued and I intend to find out caused the secrecy.

"I can't find a way through the storage corridors without seeming obvious." Darcy scoots into the opposite side of the booth. "I would have to go door by door and wish for luck."

I frown. "Is it crawling with guards though?"

"No, not at all."

Four is nowhere in sight and neither is Tris.

"I'll think of something."

The key figures of Dauntless are missing too.

"The cold one is here," Darcy stares towards the rounded bar area.

He approaches another Dauntless member at the bar, leaning down at ear level and begin to converse. His friend thrusts him a beer and Eric smiles, shaking his head.

The warrior leader gulps down the beer smoothly and pats his friend's back, exchanging some words.

Darcy glances at me and I saunter away, blending through the dancers, right as Eric hurries out of the Pit. The vibrations of the music hide my footsteps as the cold leader make his way to the storage facilitates. He ducks into a thin hallway, broken plastic hanging from the passageways. Conveniently, the Dauntless guards are concentrated in one area, so I slid between two aisles in the back.

"The serums work automatically. All they need is the signal and you got yourself an army." A dry voice emerges. "What you need to do now is inject them as soon a possible. We need this operation to move smoothly."

"I can pass them off as trackers." Another voice suggests. "Tomorrow morning, I will make the announcement."

"Good."

The shuffling of boxes close by snaps me out of the conversation. I hold my breath.

"I want to remind you that the serum does not affect Divergents and they will be fully aware. Do not hesitate to eliminate whomever."

A hand covers my mouth, roughly pulling me against a firm chest. Eric's lethal eyes cause me to stiffen immediately. "Be quiet," he murmurs, his lips in my ear as he leads me out of the storage room and into the main hallway. His eyes briefly glance at the ceiling and then push me into a dimly lit closed staircase.

"Eric," I breathe, faintly aware that I am crush between his figure and the wall.

Eric's grip doesn't loosen as he holds me in place. "You need to get out of here before I do something I'll regret."

"If you wanted me dead, you would've done it by now." I whisper harshly.

"No, you need to leave –"

"We believe in shouting for those who can only whisper." The line of the Dauntless manifesto leaves my lips. Eric softens before me, his fingers brushing my skin.

"You want to help," he pulls out a tiny disk from his pocket, grabs my hand, and drops it there. "Take that to Four. He is in his apartment, room E13. He will know what to do."

I take off, legs heavy as I run. I knock on the door hastily until the quiet trainer appears.

Present

"You still got it," Darcy whistles lowly once the bullet hits the dummy dead and center. "Patrolling the fence did you good, eh?"

I snort and take another shot. "Yes, because in two weeks you can become a gunslinger."

"I was surprised you called me up. I thought you were occupied with leadership." Darcy muses while firing his gun.

I sigh. "Trust me, I am. The summit is coming up and there's lots of pressure about it. I spent almost the entire day with moody Eric."

Darcy lets out a single laugh. "How is that going?"

"Swell," I sit down on the pavement. "He is still petulant, but he is not that bad like he was during initiation. I think it's due to the fallen from glory status, you know. People still think of him as a traitor."

"It's complicated, I get it." Darcy shoots another round and later, walks over to me. "Didn't you have a crush on him?"

"What? No." I scoff.

"Darling, you aren't a good liar, remember?" Darcy smirks only to back away suddenly. "Hey, hey, don't try to smack me. I was just curious. You used to fight harder if he was there than when he was not."

"I'd call it more admiration than anything." I mutter, brushing my bottom as I stand up. Whenever Eric oversaw our training, fervor and zeal took over. I wanted to prove myself in his eyes, yet stand a safe distance away. "He's too temperamental for my taste."

The door creaks open and Four strolls through, grinning. "I thought I heard shooting up here."

"Spying on us?" I tease.

"Cute."

"Eric was asking for you." As he says that, I glance at Darcy who snickers. "And you, Darc, who's covering your shift?"

"Relax, I'm on break." Darcy waves him off.

I leave Darcy and Four, skipping to the apartment complex until I reach his door – the one right besides my place. I knock hastily until Eric appears leaning against the door frame. "Trainee."

"Hi, Eric." I enter the apartment and shrug my jacket off, sitting on his couch. "You rang for me?"

"Who told you that?" he says sullenly. He dresses for comfort today with fitting pants and a simple dark shirt.

"Number boy," I hear a light chuckle erupt. This apartment is slightly bare compared to mine's. It only packs the essentials and a few books scattered around, not homey at all. "I left target practice for you, so tell me the necessary."

"I spoke with Harrison about the idea of proposing an accountability measure for all the factions."

I stare at him as he takes a seat on the opposite side. "You mean like an amendment of faction law?"

"Something like that," Eric ponders like he's trying to find key words. "The idea is to have a group that oversees faction operations."

"Eric, you know how these people see us, right? The last thing they would agree is on a rule that infringes on their liberties as a faction." I turn myself towards him, one arm stretched out on top of the couch. Eric remains silent, his eyes watching me.

"What type of books do you read?" I blurt out.

"How is that relevant to this?"

"Just answer the question," I cut him off.

"Mostly nonfiction," his tone is cold, "reports, topics that had to do with the world before the war, and so forth."

"Now we found some common ground. Back when the factions were nonexistent, the universe was built on a concept known as sovereignty –governments' rule of law. When these entities did not abide by this law, war could occur." I looked him as I continued, surprised that Eric was not interrupting. "To prevent this type of chain reaction, they created something close to a world government where these regions could bring forth their disputes in an arbitrator setting."

"You want to create a world government?" he scoffs, gazing at me as if I officially lost my sanity. "What fairy tale have you been living?"

"No," I retort and stand up abruptly. "That was just part of the explanation. I was envisioning more of a world court. Representatives from each faction chosen to hear and resolve disputes between factions in an impartial manner. We don't have anything close to that."

Eric shuffles, straightening his back. "When did you turn into a Nose?"

I let out a laugh. "It's the basis of combining several elements into one concept, sir."

"And you got this from reading?" Eric goes to fetch water. He hands me a glass. "Do you expect me to believe that?"

"Eric, I know you read my file when I first arrived. Candor is not just values honesty, but law and order." I gulp the water, feeling refreshed. "I got lucky that my father kept his former Erudite habit." He smirks, scrutinizing me like I am test sample. "What are you thinking?"

"It's worth a shot, trainee." Eric shakes his head, baffled. "You aren't the same girl that first arrived, are you?"

A smile surfaces and the room feels warmer than before. He leans on the kitchen counter and crosses his firm arms. "Another question…how will you ensure that cases will be handled impartially? If you elect representatives from your own faction, then they will always place their faction above all else."

"Simple," I meet his probing gaze. "We integrate Divergents."

Author's note: I find it fascinating to explore an alternate solution with Divergents instead of them being hunted or considered alien. Let me know what you guys think.