A/N: A little gift for you all, an early chapter. I'll be back on Tuesday or Wednesday this week as usual, but I thought it would be fun to surprise you with an early chapter, too. Hopefully this good karma will result in new chapters for the stories I'm following as well. A girl can dream... Have a good weekend!
XOXO,
Libby
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Autumn fades and the first icy threat of winter comes to Chicago. Inside the Dauntless compound things feel pretty much the same year-round, but that's thanks in no small part to our leadership and maintenance teams. Behind the scenes I'm learning about things like heat plant repairs, snow removal teams, and changes to the wall guarding schedule in cold weather.
It has been six months now since my friends and I chose Dauntless. Will suggests a happy hour night out to celebrate, and everyone from our initiate group comes out to drink, even Peter. We meet at the pit bar on the designated Saturday evening. After a few rounds of drinks, the mood turns somber.
"Do you ever think about Edward and Myra?" asks Christina. "I wonder if they stayed together and what they're doing with the factionless."
"I saw him once," says Marlene. "I was on patrol in near the factionless sector and saw him from a distance. I don't think he knew me at all, you guys were training separate from us until he left, but I recognized him right away. Even in factionless the eye patch stands out."
We're quiet for a minute, deep in thought as we sip our drinks.
"Drew and Molly are out there, too," says Will.
"And that kid who didn't get on the train," I add.
We all nod.
"Anyone ever regret their choice?" Peter slurs.
We're quiet for a minute, then Rita speaks up. "I don't, not really, I mean I was born here and this is all I know. But sometimes I wish Carla had chosen differently. We wouldn't be together, but it's better to imagine her working in the Amity fields or serving the factionless with Abnegation than to remember her broken body laying on the ground under the tracks."
She sniffles and Marlene and Uriah each wrap an arm around her.
"Were you and Carla twins?" I ask. "I had a brother who chose the same year we did, but we weren't twins. We're just 10 months apart, so we landed in the same choosing year."
"Yes," says Rita with a sad smile. "We weren't identical, but we were twins. It's weird going on without her. I've never known life without Carla. It was so hard losing her and having to go on with initiation. All of our friends, too. We just had to keep going like she never existed. So thank you for asking and for letting me talk about her."
"Of course," I say, patting her hand, "it's important to remember the ones we lost, too. They're part of us."
"Like Al," says Christina. Looking up at me sheepishly, she adds, "sorry."
I wave her off. "He was your friend, you're right to grieve and miss him."
"I have trouble balancing my memories of Al our friend with the Al that attacked you," she adds quietly.
All I can do is nod. I feel that way too.
Peter pipes up, unsteady and too loud. "Al was a pansy. He was too weak for Dauntless, and he killed himself over a little Stiff!"
In a flash Will is on his feet, ready to defend his dead friend.
"You asshole!" he yells, "Al is dead because you badgered him into hurting his friend. You cost him his friendships and nearly killed Tris. You're the most likely candidate for who stabbed Edward, too, yet you're still here and they're gone!"
I quickly wave for a couple security guards to come to our table, and they rush right over.
"Guys, Mr. Hayes here has had too much and is asking for a one-way ticket to the bottom of the chasm. Could you please escort him to the drunk tank for the night before one of us punches his ticket? Thank you."
The guards nod and grab Peter, locking his hands behind him in handcuffs.
"This is an abuse of power!" he screams, pulling away from the guards. "You're not even a full leader yet. You can't have me arrested for having a drink! We're at a bar, for god's sake! You bitch! You slept your way to the top and now you're abusing the power you stole from me!"
His enraged screams fade as the guards drag him to the detox cells. If there is no actual crime to charge him with, he will be free again tomorrow, once he has sobered up. I sure hope he doesn't remember tonight, or I'm going to have to watch my back.
Will returns to his seat and Christina puts an arm around his shoulders. I offer him a small smile of thanks.
"We came out tonight to celebrate," laments Lynn, "now look at us."
"Peter is an ass," says Uriah, "he ruins everything."
"As much as I hate Peter, I think this was inevitable. We came here to celebrate our choice and everything we overcame to get here, but we can't do that without thinking about what we lost along the way," I say. "When we get to the one year anniversary I think we should just go ziplining or something to remember why we chose Dauntless."
"And we shouldn't invite Peter," says Uriah.
We all raise our glasses and toast in agreement.
.
xxxx
.
Thankfully I have the next day off from training, because when I finally wake up I have a terrible hangover. It takes me a few minutes to realize that the pounding I hear isn't just my head. Someone is banging on my apartment door. I make my way, slowly and painfully, to the entrance to my apartment. Standing on my toes, I peek through the peephole and see a tense-looking Eric behind the door.
"I have today off," I grumble as I open the door.
Eric chuckles darkly, looking me over like an Erudite examining a specimen. He lets himself in my apartment then digs around in my kitchen, then hands me a bottle of water and two pain relievers.
"I hear you had Hayes arrested," he says.
I roll my eyes. "Not arrested. He had too much to drink and got mouthy. I thought Will was going to start throwing punches, so I had security take him to the drunk tank for the night."
"Tris, this morning we were notified that Peter has been arrested and charged with assault and attempted murder. Since you're listed as one of the victims, I came right over here to find out what happened."
I'm baffled. "I don't know. I mean last night he was drunk and he was slurring and saying crap about Al and everything, so the guards took him away. Did he hurt one of them?"
"No," Eric replies, "the charges say assault and attempted murder against you, and a second assault charge against an unnamed victim. Are you sure nothing happened last night?"
"No," I insist, "nothing. I was drinking, but I haven't forgotten anything. At least I don't think I have. Besides, there isn't a scratch on me. The only thing wrong with me is this headache and someone beating down my door early in the morning."
"Well hurry up and get dressed; we'll figure out what's going on."
I nod and rush back to my bedroom. In the bathroom I splash cold water on my face and drag a comb through my wild hair, wrestling it into a messy bun. I throw on the first clean clothes I can find and hurry back out to the living room.
Eric practically drags me back to the leadership offices where Max is pacing the hallway.
"I thought you had the weekend off," I say in greeting.
His head snaps up at the sound of my voice, and he hurries over and grabs my shoulders, looking at me carefully.
"Well, when I'm notified that one of my fellow leaders has been assaulted and nearly killed, it kind of messes up my schedule. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I insist. "In fact, I don't even know what this is about. Peter got drunk last night and I had him put in the detox holding area for the night. Next thing I know Eric is banging down my door and telling me that I'm supposed to be the victim of an assault and attempted murder."
"You weren't attacked?" he asks.
"No," I say, "I don't even know what this is about."
"You said you had him locked up for the night because he was being drunk and belligerent," says Eric. "Let's start with a trip to the security office. Maybe they can straighten this out."
I nod in agreement and the three of us make our way through the compound to the security center. As we enter the lobby, officers at the desk jump to their feet and salute us. I resist the urge to giggle, and Max returns the salute.
"I understand you brought in Peter Hayes last night," he says to the men at the desk. One of them is a short and middle-aged, and the other has a baby face that makes him look too young for initiation, much less a security officer job.
"Yes sir," says the older man. He grabs a file off the desk and hands it to Max who reads through it quickly.
"It says here that he was brought in for drunken disorderly conduct and was placed in one of the detox cells for his own safety. Why was I notified this morning that he was arrested for assault and attempted murder?"
The younger officer points to a second paper in the folder. "Right there, sir," he says. "Once Hayes was locked up he started ranting, and ended up confessing to attacking a former initiate as well as Miss Prior. It wasn't completely clear what he was yelling about, but there were some clear threats against Miss Prior, so we booked him on charges and sent him to jail in Candor where they can try him under truth serum. After he sobers up, of course."
"Tris, I'm going to need more than 'I don't know' out of you," says Max. "What is Peter talking about, attacking you and another initiate."
"The other initiate was Edward, I guess. He was attacked in his sleep after he ranked first during the fighting phase of initiation."
"The one who got a butter knife in the eye?" asks Max.
"Yes," I confirm. "There was no evidence, but everyone suspected Peter. Now that he's been arrested they can put him under truth serum and find out for sure. Edward ended up factionless and missing an eye because of that attack. If Peter did it he needs to be punished to the fullest extent of the law."
"Tris," says Eric in a low but firm voice, "what about his claim that he attacked you and tried to kill you?"
I sigh. I knew they would come back to that.
"When I ranked number one after the fear sims, Peter and a couple of his cronies dangled me over the chasm," I mumble.
"Cronies?" asks Max. "Do we need to make any more arrests?"
"No," I say. "He was aided by his friend Drew, who failed initiation and ended up factionless, and by my supposed friend, Al."
"The kid who jumped?" asks Eric, his eyes big with shock.
I nod, and answer in a small voice. "I refused to forgive him after he helped Peter attack me. That's why he jumped."
"Why wasn't this reported?" asks Max, his voice angry and raising in volume.
I stare at the floor. "I didn't want to," I mumble. I wish I could shrink until I become invisible.
"What is with you and not wanting to report attacks?" Max practically roars. "I need you to sit down right now and make a full report about the incident!"
The room takes on a surreal quality as the edges of my vision go dark. I can't get a full breath, and I feel like I'm going to be sick.
"Tris!" yells Eric as my knees start to buckle beneath me. "Damn it Max, don't yell at the victim. I think she's having a panic attack!"
Max instantly looks contrite and reaches for me as the guards jump up from their desk and approach me as well. Everyone come toward me, reaching for me is the last thing I remember.
When I wake up I'm in the infirmary. There's a steady beeping that must be a heart monitor, and I see that I'm hooked up to an IV. I look around the semi-dark room and see the large form of Eric slumped in a chair, his head in his hands.
"Eric," I mumble, causing his head to pop up quickly, "what happened?"
"You passed out," he says as he hurries to my side. "You had a panic attack and fainted. The doctor said you were also dehydrated, so they gave you the IV for fluids." His hand reaches out as if to stroke my face, but he hesitates, then pats my hand instead.
"How long have I been here?"
"About an hour," he says with a sad smile. "They thought you could use some rest so they gave you a mild sedative before you came around. Will has been here working, and Christina, Uriah, and Four are in the waiting room."
I groan. I really don't want to see my friends right now. I don't want to rehash what happened with Peter, Drew, and Al, and I'm ashamed that I panicked and fainted over it. I feel weak and embarrassed.
"Can- can you have Four come in here for a minute?" I ask.
Eric nods and leaves the room, returning a minute later with a worried-looking Four.
"Tris!" he says as he rushes to the bed.
"I'm fine," I insist, raising my hands to keep him at bay. "I just fainted. Peter confessed to attacking me during initiation. Apparently he was trying to kill me. I don't want to see anyone right now. Can you tell them I'm okay but that I need a day or so to rest?"
"Of course," Tobias assures me. I knew he was the right one to talk to. Our common Abnegation background helps him understand my aversion to all the fuss and attention.
Tobias pats my hand before leaving the room.
"Do you want me to go too?" Eric asks.
"Actually," I say sheepishly, "I was kind of counting on you to help me get out of here."
Once the doctor examines me again, she declares me fit to go home, but insists that I rest for a day before filing my report about the attack or doing anything strenuous. A nurse removes the IV needle from my arm, and I'm allowed to put my own clothes on again. The IV fluids were room temperature, so I'm chilled when I leave the warm bed. Eric comes back into my room and immediately notices me shivering. He removes his hooded sweatshirt and wraps it around me. It's warm from his body heat and smells masculine. I pull the hood over my head and cautiously take the hand that Eric offers.
Eric is a soldier on a mission as he takes me back to my apartment. He checks every doorway and hallway before he leads me through them, and his glare scares away any curious or well-wishing Dauntless that we come across.
We make it back to my apartment without incident, and he leads me straight to my bed. I take off my shoes and climb under my soft covers fully dressed. In spite of the nap I took in the infirmary, I am exhausted. The doctor warned us that I probably would be. Panic attacks take a lot out of you, and even mild sedatives take a while to completely wear off.
Eric tucks me in and turns to leave.
"Wait," I call to him.
He turns back. "Yes?" he asks.
I really want to ask him to stay with me, but I'm embarrassed, and I don't want to be a burden.
"Never mind," I mumble. "It's just, um, if you want you could come back later. There's an extra key hanging by the door. You can take that so you don't have to worry about waking me up. You can just come in, you know, whenever."
Eric nods, and I see a ghost of a smile pass across his face. "I'll do that," he says. "You get some rest and I'll bring you lunch in a little bit."
I'm not hungry, but the truth is that I don't want to be alone. If lunch gets Eric to come back, I'll force myself to eat.
