Emergent

Chapter 3

Hey guys! I know its been a while since I've uploaded, but, here I am!

New chapter, here you go!

Disclaimer: None of this is mine. All credits to Veronica Roth. You should know that by now ;)

The door of the cafeteria opens. Its as if a heavy blanket has been placed over everyone; a hush falls over. I turn to the door, and lo and behold, standing there was Eric. He looked exactly like he did on that first day in Dauntless, except for the piercings. I remember his stone cold eyes glaring at me from so many instances; they are as frozen now as they were then.

'Who's that?', whispers Christina. 'His name is Eric. He is a Dauntless leader', I say, hearing the sharpness of my voice. A position I should have had.

'Seriously? But he's so young!', exclaims Christina. You don't know anything Candor, I think. I can feel my face turn grave; I reply, 'Age doesn't matter here.'

I can almost see the question in Tris' and Christina's eyes; Then what does matter?

I don't have an answer to that question, but Eric saves me from answering to the unspoken question.

Eric's cruel eyes stop scanning the room and he moves towards our table. He sits down next to me, and he offers no greeting. Neither do we.

'Well, aren't you going to introduce me?', Eric asks me, nodding towards Tris and Christina. 'This is Tris and Christina.' I say. 'Oooh, a Stiff. We'll see how long you last', he smirks at Tris, and I see his piercing holes spread wider; this makes Tris wince.

Tris looks like she wants to say something, but after a while, she gives up. Eric taps his finger on the table. I recognize the tune; its one of the Dauntless songs. His knuckles are scabbed over, which make me feel a little happy, until I stare down at my own hands and see the scabs. I guess every Dauntless in the room would have scabs on their knuckles; obviously.

'What have you been doing lately, Four?', Eric asks me, his eyebrows lifting when he says my nickname. He was one of the first, and only one in Dauntless to know my real name; Tobias. How I longed for someone to call me using that name; Anyone but my mother. That reminds me, I have a meeting with her tonight. I always thought up until last year that my mother was dead; I remember her funeral crystal clear. But then, one day, a note from her showed up in my room. It infuriates me to this day, how she just left me. Left me alone with that monster of a father. I don't even want to think his name.

I shrug, and reply to Eric's question, 'Nothing, really.'

I see Tris' eyes flickering between me and Eric. Obviously evaluating whether we are friends. No. Of course not. I can feel myself sitting tense as a stretched wire, and my stiff posture. We are quite the opposite of friends. Deadly enemies, more like.

'Max tells me he keeps trying to meet with you, but that you never show up', says Eric. 'He requested that I find out what's going on with you.'

I vaguely remember Max asking me over and over if wanted a better position, that I deserved better. No, I didn't. Well, maybe I did, but I didn't want it. I don't ever want to see the monster ever again, which I most definitely will if I was a leader.

I stare at Eric's face, surprised he even asked me the question in the first place. He was the one who was absolutely ecstatic when he heard the news; I didn't want the leader position. That meant he was the next contender.

'Tell him that I am satisfied with the position I currently hold', I say to Eric, keeping all emotion out of my voice. I sound like a robot.

'So he wants to give you a job', Eric hisses at me. It isn't a question. He knows the answer. Yes. Max wanted me to take over Eric's job.

'So it would seem', I say.

'And you aren't interested.'

'I haven't been interested for two years', I say, to which he replies, 'Well, lets's hope he gets the point then.'

He claps my shoulder, hard, a reminder of all those sinister slaps and pinches from that initiation stage. As he walks away, Tris slouches.

'Are you two….', Tris hesitates, unable to find the right word. 'Friends?'

'We were in the same initiate class. He transferred fro Erudite', I say, hiding the real answer; NO. We are rivals.

'Were you a transfer too?', asks Tris. I feel the chillness creep into my tone, as I reply, 'I thought I would only have trouble with the Candor asking too many questions. Now I've got Stiffs too?'

'It must be because you are so approachable', Tris says flatly. 'You know, like a bed of nails.'

I stare at her. Part of me wants to laugh, while the other half wants to shout at her. She maintains her stare at my eyes. She doesn't look away. She seems to notice my anger. She blushes, a deep contrast to her pale skin. Woah, what am I doing thinking about her skin?

I wipe my face clean of all emotion and I simply say, 'Careful, Tris.'

I hear Shauna call my name. I leave the table, leaving behind a stunned Tris. She was obviously expecting me to snap.

I had the evening off after dinner, so I decided to go to my mother's meeting. I mean, what do I have to lose?

I jump onto the train, into the 7th compartment. That's what the coded message she sent read; Meet me in the 7th compartment. For a moment, everything is dark, until Edgar turns on a torch. In the dark, I look around the compartment, searching for my mother, and finding nobody. Edgar says, 'Evelyn will meet you in the next stop.'

I sit down on one of the sacks of whatever, waiting, and feel myself get soothed by the continuous rattle of the train. I looked out of the door, to see a group of people waiting at a distance for the train. Evelyn.