"... I'd want you to feel cut off from everyone else. Because if it's just you alone you're not as much of a threat." - J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

"Such a gentleman," JoyAnna noted with a blush as Eric pulled out a chair for her.

Eric thought that today they could have a window seat in the study hall. He loved how the light would shine in through the window and around her head. He took a deep breath as she brushed past him and settled herself into the chair, her hair swinging from left to right with the sway of her body. The scent of her was intoxicating and for some reason his stomach had been leaping since that incident with the boy from Dauntless. He wasn't sure why he enjoyed that little fact - that she wasn't dating or courting as she labelled it. But it made him feel happier.

"I love the sun," her fingers reached out as if she could touch the rays of light coming through the window. "Do you know that in works of literature the sun is often used to describe light, positivity, inspiration, relaxation, romance," she said before her cheeks reddened and she looked away from him as he sat down.

The days had flown by with such ease since JoyAnna and Eric had discovered Eric's ability to talk. Of course, he could always talk. Motor and linguistics skills were not lost on someone who was Erudite-born. What had been lost on him was the social interaction with those whom he was attracted to. And there was no denying it now, not anymore. Eric Coulter was attracted to JoyAnna Summers.

Really attracted to her.

"So," he cleared his throat. "You wanted to study theoretical psychology?"

"I just wanted to ask you what you thought of the lecture in your Aunt's lesson today," JoyAnna replied. "She brought up..."

Their conversations consisted of a variety of topics and sometimes he would just stare at her when she would prattle about something. Prattle, he thought as he shook his head. JoyAnna had used that word on several occasions and he was picking up on her terminology.

"I'm sorry, I'm prattling, aren't I," she stopped and looked down.

"You're not."

"You can tell me," JoyAnna's eyes moved back to him. "I don't want to tire you out with my constant enthusiasm."

"I enjoy your enthusiasm. And you won't tire me out."

JoyAnna smiled shyly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, you don't look like you would tire out very easily."

Regardless of how she meant it or not, Eric couldn't help but imagine the two of them in a passionate embrace, ardently kissing one another until they were both left wanting - and he certainly would not be 'tired out' so they could continue all night. Eric shifted in his seat, unaccustomed to having Ana and him speak so much and so openly about matters - and possibly in horror that she might discover she thoughts just now of her skin against his, her whispers in his ear and her fingertips dancing on his...

"By the way, did you read the notes on the Lieutenant's lecture?"

Her voice quickly interrupted his fantasies and for that he was glad.

They were supposed to be studying. But ever since they had discovered his talent of conversing, their time spent together seemed more social than anything else. They were often lulled into a comfortable silence - not because they couldn't find things to say to one another. But they had been so used to it before, that he just enjoyed the fact that she was with him. Once, she placed her head on his shoulder for no apparent reason other than to just be near him - and he knows that because she had said so herself.

JoyAnna was smart and quick and well-read, and though she was an Amity-born, he wouldn't see that cheerful side of her too much. In fact, if it weren't for the pink and red clothes or the occasional orange and yellow, or the way her hair was loosely braid or fell around her face in long waves as it blew in the breeze - he would never had picked her out as an Amity.

And for some reason that would always remind him that she wasn't safe. Jeanine wanted to get her claws into his sweet JoyAnna.

No attachments, Jeanine had told him.

Despite his best efforts to not get attached, he was quickly becoming one of her best friends. And if he wasn't careful, something romantic between the two of them might happen and that might just put her in complete danger.

When he walked her home that afternoon, she put her hand on his arm to stop him and peered out at the sunset.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in all your life?"

Eric could have thought of a few things that could be considered 'beautiful'. But JoyAnna helped him to see that it wasn't just what his eyes could see that true beauty could be found. They stood there on the roadway, staring straight ahead at the colorful sky as the sun lowered on the horizon, bathing their surroundings in a haze of color. Eric looked at the scene before him, without speaking, without moving, totally transfixed by the pinks, blues and oranges that danced in the early-evening sky. It didn't occur to him to say anything about how dark it was getting when he felt her hand slip into his.

This moment in life - the timing and feeling of everything - was unimaginable beauty.

"Wasn't that something," she finally spoke up when they reached the border of Amity. "What a wonderful memory I should have," she turned to him with a smile. "And I shared it with you," JoyAnna finished as she leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek. "Goodbye Eric."

"Goodbye JoyAnna," he whispered as she released his hand and took off down the road.

It was only later, at home, did he realize that everything else was just supercilious nonsense. Of course, the more he listened to his mother and his aunt speak about matters, how they are moving according to plan - it brought him to the conclusion that they were being ridiculous.

"Why do you both prattle on about such nonsense," he questioned, which made both of them drop their utensils to stare at him in shock and horror.

He had spoken out against them and had did so using elementary vocabulary, he noticed. Eric simply withdrew from the table before either of them could question what was happening to him. That night his brother did come home for dinner - or rather, was permitted to attend dinner. His brother promptly departed from the table also in the hopes of speaking with him.

Edward quickly pressed the keypad to close Eric's door.

"Mother doesn't appreciate it when I lock her out."

Edward rolled his eyes, which caught Eric's attention. Edward rarely showed displays of disobedience.

"Besides, I don't have time to discuss..."

"Prattle," Edward questioned, looking at Eric intently. "That's something an Amity would say. And word at the lab is that you've been associating with an Amity."

"Myra Valdez," Eric commented.

"What about her?"

"Word around the dinner table is that you've been associating with her."

"Better her than an Amity," Edward responded. "Besides, we're um," his brother shifted uncomfortably before glancing back at the door. "We're dating."

"Really? I had no idea," Eric teased.

"And the Amity?"

"What about her," he posed the same question that his brother had asked him earlier.

"Are the two of you dating?"

"Honestly," Eric began as Edward nodded. "I wish we were. But she's been hurt before. And I think that right now all she wants is a friend."

Edward nodded thoughtfully again.

"Why do you ask? Is there something on your mind?"

His brother shrugged. "I guess I'm wondering because, well, because you are older than me and this is your last year in school," Edward inched closer. "And I thought that perhaps, maybe you have already," he shook his head. This was one of the first times he had also seen his brother so unsure of himself.

Edward was more confident than Eric had ever been. Eric supposed it was because he was younger. Mother often said that Eric reminded her so much of his father. Of course, she always said it with a sad, but happy expression on her face - and those moments were rare. It would change at the drop of a dime to the same mask he saw Jeanine wear.

And because of the resemblance he bore, Eric was drilled and constantly schooled, as if he was being groomed to not behave as his father - but how his mother wanted him to be. Edward was placed in the care of sitters, tutors and other Erudite families. She rarely saw him, and something told Eric that it was because Edward may have reminded his mother of something horrible because she hardly ever wanted him around. Because of that, Edward had more social skills, created friendships. And those friendships often gave him an air of self-confidence.

But here was his brother, looking uncertain and stumbling over his words.

Edward sighed before blurting out his question. "Have you engaged in physical intercourse, yet?"

Eric thought for a moment on how to answer. His brother didn't appear as though he had done so and was looking to compare notes. Something about the look on his brother was simple curiosity. Edward just wanted to know, he didn't want to brag that he had accomplished something. Or perhaps he wanted to know because he wanted advice on how to proceed with Myra Valdez.

"No, I have not," Eric replied. "Remember Aunt Jeanine said no attachments."

"Hardly an attachment if the girl is in another faction," Edward shrugged, "like your Amity. Chances of you seeing her after your choosing are slim. Jeanine wants us to go to Dauntless. And I highly doubt the girl would transfer to Dauntless."

"She may come here. Jeanine has asked her for assistance."

All humor from Edward's face had drained and was replaced with apprehension and fear. He glanced back at the door for a second time before looking at Eric for confirmation.

Eric gave him a nod. "Her scores are off the charts. Intellectually she is surpassing many of the young women our age who we've grown up with. She shows a thirst to learn more also. Enjoys reading literature, studying mythology, and is fascinated with numbers," Eric smiled before turning serious. "However, like you said she is an Amity. She displays Amity-like tendencies, a need for approval, acceptance, compassion and dare I say it - peace."

"Do you think she is..."

"Hush," Eric scolded Edward. "Even if she was..."

"That could be why Jeanine is so interested in her, have you thought of that?"

"She found the anomaly," Eric interrupted.

Edward's eyes widened.

"Jeanine posed the divergent aptitude test in front of the class as homework," Eric explained. "Five different cases. Everyone in class, even Hera Fitzgerald and Cara Turner were unable to identify it. She did. Stood up in class and showed Jeanine the math."

"Did you..."

"I didn't do the work. But I asked Jeanine to see JoyAnna's work under the pretense of validating her answers and it everything was correct." Edward shook his head at what Eric was telling him. "I told mother to ask Jeanine to have her come to Dauntless with me."

"That's too dangerous. I'm already going with you when my time comes."

"If she doesn't come with me, then they'll encourage her to come here to Erudite. And I can't have here where I can't make sure that she's staying out of trouble. You'll be here, yes. But as it stands, I'm sure that during her initiation time, she won't be able to see you or anyone else for that matter. And in two years' time, you'll be assigned to Dauntless," Eric sighed. "She won't be safe here, not by herself."

"You care about her, don't you?"

There was no hesitation on Eric's part. "I do." And that was probably what he feared the most, was how much this Amity had come to mean to him.

Her lessons weren't going exactly how she expected them to be. JoyAnna had been having a bad day since the sun had risen in the sky. Even when the first rays of light had touched her window, she knew that today would be less exciting as it normally was. She had been distracted - utterly and completely distracted. And she couldn't tell what it was that her mind had decided to focus all of its attention on that she would miss the fact that her plant was dying in her parent's yard, or that her brother had gotten sick, or that her father needed all of them to help in the fields, or that the border guards needed tending.

As much as the idea of defecting to Erudite appealed to her, she wasn't one to compete. And she noticed how competitive Hera and Cara were, especially whenever she came into class. They would attempt to outdo her, outshine her, even out-flirt her. Not that she was attempting to flirt with Eric. No, they were just friends. At least that's what she told herself after he would walk her to Amity's borders, or he'd invite her to his table to study. No one ever sat at Eric's table, she noticed.

Ever since she discovered - or more like he had admitted - that he was Miss Matthews' nephew, she could see the 'status' or 'superiority' of Eric Coulter among his peers. Every one of them tried to get a piece of Eric, in the hopes of appeasing Miss Matthews. And yet, he wouldn't give any of them the time of day - except JoyAnna Summers. She caught the jealous stares and confused glances whenever she sat next to him.

In fact, right now, she was about to catch more of them.

JoyAnna walked into the study hall and quickly walked over to where Eric sat.

He didn't look up at her but the smile on his face betrayed him. He knew she was there - could sense it somehow. And that gave her a thrill as she set her books down.

"Fitzgerald's work about the feminine mind being smaller in size but fully functioning does not make sense," JoyAnna stated.

"Melinda Fitzgerald is one of the founding members of Erudite society," Eric replied without looking up. "Her studies on the mind and its ability to hold and retain information had surpassed her superiors, which happened to be men and the foremost reason why my Aunt covered her findings in our class this morning."

"But it isn't a competition," she shook her head as she slid into the seat opposite of him.

"You still don't grasp the concept of her theory."

JoyAnna sighed and slouched in her chair. She turned to look off at the window - the same window that she always seemed to stare out of. "I've been having a bad day, which is odd because usually I'm not so pessimistic." He finally looked up and gave her a conspiring glance that made her smile. "Okay, so I have my moments where I'm a little less of an Amity. But today is different and I don't know why. I feel like I'm distracted."

"Distracted how," he questions.

"Don't do that," JoyAnna shakes her head, noticing the gleam in his eye, the Erudite thirst for study and observation.

"Don't do what?"

"That," she points her finger at him. "You're analyzing me."

"You posed a situation, a possible topic of study."

"Yeah, but it's me, myself," she gestured, moving her hands to point at her. "I don't like being the center of some sort of discussion or topic of study, like 'how in the world did that Amity outscore us, Tara'," JoyAnna mimicked Serenity Fields, instead of that Erudite she has in her class and made a show of flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"It's Cara," Eric clarified as she rolled her eyes. "Hera and Cara," he pointed his pen left and then right to indicate the two girls who were a few tables away. "And they don't talk like that all the time," he sighed before leaning forward. "And I'm sorry for making you feel as though I'm studying you. In all honesty, I just want to know if you're okay. You said you're distracted."

JoyAnna softened at the tone in Eric's voice. It did convey that he was worried about her. Because in truth, she wasn't like this. She wasn't preoccupied or distracted that she'd drift off in class - like mindlessly just stare at the teacher or out a window. But there were times where she couldn't focus and couldn't concentrate. And she didn't know why.

"My family needed me yesterday," she began. "My youngest brother fell ill. Nothing serious," she added as Eric looked worried. "But my father was out in the fields. My mother was tending to the wounded Dauntless at the border. Normally I volunteer for all of that."

"What are you, a Stiff?"

"That is a degrading and demeaning term, Eric Coulter," she chastised him as he nodded, letting her continue. "My family needed me, and I wasn't fast enough. Like I didn't react right away. And then this morning when I woke, I felt confused and almost bitter. Those are emotions that no Amity should have." She leaned forward and so did Eric. "I even ate a second slice of bread this morning at the table," she confessed as Eric chuckled. "Don't laugh. I'm being serious, Eric. Something is wrong with me."

"I don't think anything is wrong with you," Eric replied. "We all have days where we don't compete at our best."

"That's one reason why I can't go to Erudite."

Eric narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean?"

"Erudite is tough," JoyAnna shook her head. "And everything is a competition in Erudite. There is always a desire to be the next greatest thing, to discover something, theorize something, to place oneself above another. As an example, let's look back at Hilly and Carol."

"Hera and Cara," Eric corrected with a smile on his face.

Perhaps she was being a little jealous of them, the same way they were of her. But in their case, she couldn't understand for what they were jealous about. It wasn't her fault that Eric preferred her friendship over theirs.

"Okay, Hannah and Christine," JoyAnna sighed, this time purposefully getting their names wrong, despite Eric correcting her once. "They are in this race to become the greatest they can be. And they shouldn't be faulted for that. Everyone should give everything that they do their one hundred percent, they should accomplish their task to their full potential. But those two," she gestured towards them. "They compete to cause harm to the other person not for their own benefit."

"How did you come up with that conclusion?"

"For one, Hailey will manipulate those around her - physically and mentally. That leads to emotional damage to a person's psyche, something in their mind shuts down when they are used or taken advantage of. And her manipulation - like mentioned whether it be physical or mental - is only to see that other people fail. She's not attempting to win the race by her own merit, by showcasing her talent. She's tripping everyone else up and no one seems to bat an eye at her for it. And Cathy," JoyAnna shook her head, "deceivingly sabotages our fellow student's work. If they can only perform at level two, they'll take everyone in level three and disturb their work, causing them to fall back down a level."

"You make us sound like barbarians."

"Not all of you. You asked me for an example, and I gave it to you."

"And the reason for you not wanting to compete for this so-called coveted spot?"

"It is coveted, and you know it," she pointed at him. "And the reason why is because I'm not like that. I don't want to manipulate or sabotage other people. That is deceitful and unkind."

"Your Amity is showing."

"That's because I am an Amity. An Amity can't compete against Erudite, not like that. It would be in a fair and honest race. But if I was to go to Erudite," she shook her head again. "For all I know, I could crash and burn under the workload, or the pressure to achieve greatness. I rather not..."

"You rather not put yourself into the race at all."

"It's a fixed race," she argued.

"I don't understand what that even means."

"Fixed, meaning that there is already an outcome. And everything else will be designed so that outcome takes place and that I will not get there."

Eric is quiet for the longest time. It's sort of is unnerving whenever he did look intensely at her as he was doing now. She realized that they could talk about anything, she was so comfortable with him that she brought up her distressing situation about being distracted yesterday and today. And she had not thought to speak of it to her parents, not even to Shauna. And JoyAnna had an open relationship with her parents, they were loving and considerate. Shauna was becoming one of her best friends also. There wasn't a day that went by that she wasn't speaking to Shauna about something. But she didn't disclose to them her feelings of 'distraction'. It was only with Eric. She wasn't sure what she'd do when they couldn't speak with each other anymore in the future.

"You're scared."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Eric..."

"No, wait," Eric stopped her. "Listen to me, JoyAnna. You're a brilliant person. There's nothing to worry about, whether Hera or Cara are going to get the upper hand on any subject or test that you folks are presented with, because I believe - one hundred percent - that you can achieve anything you set your mind to. You shouldn't let failure - or the fear of it - get in the way of you becoming something great, achieving something great. You haven't even gone to Erudite yet and you're already talking yourself out of it."

"What if I fail the aptitude test," she questioned.

Eric laughed, truly laughed. She narrowed her eyes at him in frustration as he shook his head at her statement. "JoyAnna, no one can fail an aptitude test. That's not what the test is designed to do."

"What if I," JoyAnna paused and then shook her head. "Never mind, you've given me much to think about. Thank you, Eric."

She grabbed her bags and went to leave. She couldn't even say it out loud. Ever since Eric had disclosed with her, her chances of going to Erudite, she had begun analyzing and deciphering every little piece of information about the girls from Erudite, the women - like Jeanine Matthews - who were full members. Could she be like them? No, she couldn't.

And then she realized that she didn't necessarily belong in Amity, either. And she wasn't sure what pained her more - the fact that she didn't belong with her family or the fact that she couldn't go anywhere else. Then, she thought that she would have to go over the test subject that Miss Matthews had given them for their lesson. And that's when she concluded that she was similar to this person - this mistake, this inconclusive result. This person didn't belong anywhere. And neither did JoyAnna Summers.

Eric was wrong.

She could fail the aptitude test.

And when she did fail it, she would be factionless.

JoyAnna paused on the steps because now she knew why she had been so distracted, why her mind had begun to wander off into emptiness. Because she couldn't tell anyone, not even Eric, but JoyAnna Summers didn't belong anywhere. She would never fit in - not in Amity with people like Serenity Fields and certainly not in Erudite with girls like Hera Fitzgerald.

"JoyAnna?"

She whirled around to see Shauna looking confused at her.

"Hey girl, you okay?"

"Yeah," JoyAnna nodded and looked down, brushing her skirt with her hand, trying to calm her nerves. "I mean yes," she corrected her grammar. "I am perfectly well. A little flushed perhaps from the heat. It is getting warmer," she turned to look at the afternoon sun.

"It is," Shauna agreed, her tone still suspicious.

"Weren't our lessons thrilling today?"

"I suppose they were," Shauna eyed her out before shaking her head. "I saw you in study hall with Eric. Is everything okay with the two of you," she glanced at the building.

"Perhaps we had a small disagreement, but it wasn't anything serious," JoyAnna admitted.

"What happened," she asked.

"I'm ashamed to admit it but I don't like his friends," was the reply, "the two girls in our lesson who constantly seem to fawn over him."

"That is jealousy, my friend," Shauna nudged her playfully. "You like Eric. I think you always have, especially since the start of the year. But the two of you were too afraid to do or say anything about it. And now that the year is coming to an end and our choosing to close by, you hate that he gets attention from other girls."

"Hate is a strong word."

Shauna shook a finger at JoyAnna and the expression on her face changed. "You see, that right there," she began, "you saying that 'hate' is a strong word."

"It is a strong word. You shouldn't hate people. Hate breaths anger and dissention which is the opposite of peace and..."

"Ever since you've started dating Cain, I've noticed it," Shauna's eyes narrowed. "You're not really an Amity, JoyAnna. I think you're just pretending to be one."

JoyAnna's eyes widened and before she or Shauna could say anything, she took off down the path - away from the building and towards Amity. Her friend's voice could still be heard calling her. In that moment though, fear gripped onto JoyAnna. She held the strap of her bag closely and her hair whipped around her face, her feet pushing her faster away from Shauna and Eric - away from the realization that she was just pretending to fit in.

Eric tapped his pen against his desk before glancing out the floor to ceiling glass wall of his room. Then again, every room in Erudite had glass walls. There were very few buildings were the rooms were enclosed.

JoyAnna had taken off so quickly that he couldn't catch up with her. By the time he got to the steps outside, she had already said her 'goodbyes' to Shauna and was on her way back home.

He wished he could talk to her, apologize for whatever it was that he said. With a sigh he dropped the pen and ran his hands over his face. Things were better before - when he didn't talk. Because now that he did, now that he could say what he was thinking or feeling, he would upset her. And he didn't like upsetting her.

"Detecting a visitor at the front door," the computerized voice stated.

Eric sighed again and pushed himself out of the chair and away from his desk before walking out of his room. He went through the hall of his mother's apartment and towards the front door. Glancing quickly at her door, he noticed that she was not home - yet again. She had been staying - or working, depending on which way you would look at it - at Jeanine's lab recently.

Nights like this he felt truly alone with no one to support him, turn to or confide in. And he hated it. Eric wondered what other young men were doing on nights like this. Perhaps they had girlfriends, the same way Edward had Myra. Perhaps they had friends, like how the Dauntless hung out with one another, pushing and wrestling, laughing and teasing. There was truly nothing to do, but whatever his mother and Aunt wanted him to do.

He pressed the code as the door slid open.

His heart skipped a beat - not in excitement, but out of fear - at seeing the person there. "What are you doing here?"

"I came in behalf of a friend," she sucked in a breath and turned to look down the hallway before pushing her way into the apartment. She looked about the area, the small living space as Eric pressed the code to slide the door shut. "Are your parents home or..."

"It's only me and my mother," Eric answered.

Shauna turned and nodded. "You need to go and see JoyAnna."

"Did she send you?"

"No, not exactly," Shauna shook her head and looked down.

"How did you even get here?"

"I'm Dauntless," she replied as though that were the answer for everything. Eric blinked at her as she rolled her eyes and walked towards his kitchen. Opening his mother's refrigerator, she reached in and grabbed the nearest bottle of liquid to drink before immediately spitting it back out. "You're kidding me! This is actually that fizzy nonsense that you Noses rave about?"

Eric huffed, narrowing his eyes at her and folding his arms over his chest.

Shauna - being the outspoken Dauntless and possible friend of his - simply rolled her eyes. Rolled her eyes, he shouted in his head.

"She looked distraught when we last spoke."

"Look at you, using big words," Eric leaned against the wall.

"Shut up," Shauna pointed her finger at Eric as she walked past him with a bottle of water this time in her hand. She sat down on his mother's couch and crossed one leg over the other, leaning back as she took a sip and letting out a sigh of relief. "Now that is good water!"

"Dauntless," Eric reminded her.

She sat up and turned to look at him. "I just took a train to get here, okay? Had to hide from a few guards. They don't let dependents out late at night since that incident at the wall."

"As well they shouldn't. It's dangerous out there. And..."

"It's also 'hella' fun."

Hella, Eric thought. First, he was using speech from an Amity, now he was going to pick up Dauntless terminology. What would his mother and his Aunt think of him then?

"Anyways," Shauna continued. "It was quite the adventure to get here, so forgive me if I'm a little parched of thirst." She lifted the bottle to her mouth, pointing at him the entire time. "And don't say a damn thing about my choice of words that time, Nose." Eric couldn't help but chuckle. "JoyAnna," Shauna repeated. "She was upset today."

"I know she was. She said that she's been distracted lately."

"Maybe you should ask her what that is about," she suggested.

"Don't you think I've tried that?"

Eric sighed and went to sit down by Shauna, looking defeated and forlorn. He had just started speaking to the girl, he wasn't so certain that he had the right words to say to her now. What could he say to her? The first couple days it was great, fantastic. They could converse about anything and everything. But now, it seemed like their conversations were cautious and forced. At least today seemed that way when he brought up Erudite.

"Sometimes girls don't want to talk it out, they just want a shoulder to cry on. I think something happened. Ever since she started dating Cain, things have been..."

"Don't say his name."

Shauna snapped her fingers. "See that," she pointed at him. "The two of you like each other. I know you do. But something is on her mind, weighing her down. And there's something that you're not being honest with her about either. And I truly think that that is what is affecting her and you."

"What are you some Amity counselor, now?"

"Who knows, maybe I was an Amity in a former life," she joked.

"A former life?"

"Yeah, weren't we just reading that in a book from Doctor Manzini," Shauna made a face as she said the Erudite Doctor's name. "I remember those classes because we talked about religion and beliefs. And there were people who believed that if you were good in this life then your next life would be hella great."

"Okay, stop saying 'hella'," Eric shook his head. "That's not even a real word. And I remember that class, so you don't need to explain it."

"But you asked."

"I did not ask."

"Yes, you did."

"I did not," he paused and bit his lip. It was useless arguing with Shauna. Half the time, she only did it because she enjoyed getting a reaction out of him. To her, he was just some nerd with his nose stuck in a book. That's why she pushed and prodded until he couldn't take it and they were arguing about something. Some friend, he snorted. "You're right," he held up a finger telling her to wait until he was finished. "I do like JoyAnna. And yes, there are things that I haven't told her, yet. And most of it is because I don't know how to say it and the rest of it is because I don't want to lose her."

"Then why don't you go and tell her that. I think you two need to talk it out or sex it out," she shrugged with one shoulder before drinking the entire bottle.

Eric didn't want to think about that. He had just started talking to her. Then again, he wasn't sure how the sex would work if she wasn't in the same faction as him. He wasn't sure how any relationship could work if they weren't in the same place. Silly Dauntless girl for coming over here and putting the idea in his head.

"Thanks for the water, by the way."

"I didn't offer you any," Eric chuckled.

"Is that the thanks I get for coming all the way over here in the middle of the night," Shauna stood with a smile. "I almost got caught. I could have gotten exiled beyond the wall."

"There's no such punishment."

"In Dauntless there might be."

"I highly doubt that," Eric stood up, still shaking his head at his friend.

"Go and talk to her, Eric. Right now, in fact. That's why I came," she jabbed a finger at his chest. "To kidnap you and take you to Amity."

Eric sighed and thought to himself, there was no use in prolonging it. "Let's go to Amity then."