Chapter 7
Four pov
Max looks completely floored when I say this. I'm sure that after all of the times I've turned down his job offers, he'd never once thought that I'd come in and ask him for a leadership job. That, though, is exactly what I'm doing because I want Dauntless to be safer. Wanting it to be completely safe is just too tall of an order, but I can at least do my part by getting rid of a violent and psychotic leader.
Not ot knowing what to say, Max stammers for a second before asking, "Why are you interested all of a sudden, Four?"
I sigh and rub a hand over my chin. "You know the Abnegation transfer?"
"Yes..." Max replies.
"Eric was beating on him and I'm sure he would have done much worse if I hadn't intervened. I'm positive that Rob would be dead right now if I hadn't stepped in."
Max gives me a look of almost indifference, "They knew that this would be dangerous when they signed up. And how do you know what Eric was going to do? You can't read his mind," he argues.
I start to yell, "He had the same look when he kil-" but then I stop myself midway because even though I hate Eric, incriminating him to death tugs at my remaining strands of Abnegation as does what the end of that sentence would do to Max who I greatly respect and wouldn't want to intentionally wound.
Max's expression clouds over as he asks, "Killed who?"
I say nothing.
"Who did Eric kill, Four?" Max prods, starting to yell.
Sighing once more, I concede and confess, "He killed your daughter. He and Jen got into a fight one night and he started to beat her up," I sigh again, "he didn't know what he had done until he stopped and realized she wasn't breathing. Eric dumped her body in the chasm and just reported her as missing the next morning."
Max is so shocked and angry that he can't even speak. "I only saw the footage when I was looking through some of the old surveillance videos a short while ago. It's been so long, though, and I didn't want to dredge up the past."
Standing up, Max needs his desk for balance but, when he composes himself to a suppressed rage he continues, "Thank you for telling me, Four. The job is yours if you tell me where Eric is right now."
I knew new that Max would respond like this and we're in Dauntless so he will not stop until he feels he has had his revenge. I'm not going to stop him. "He left the fight and it looked like he was headed back to his apartment."
Striding from the room, Max simply says, "Report here at seven o'clock tomorrow for your first day as a leader," he then leaves me alone in his office.
I can't help but feel a little guilty that I'm getting the job of a dead man. Wether he dies now at the hands of Max or later at the hands of the judicial system, I'll know that I'm responsible. Killing someone has always been in my fear landscape and I know that by telling Max about what Eric did makes me responsible for him inevitable death. He may have been a terrible person who did horrific things but, the guilt is still there. Dauntless will be a bit safer now for everyone...for Tris...but I still feel the weight of the blood that now stains my hands. Hopefully the loss of one life will save many more.
Tris pov
For the second time today, I sit beside Rob as he lays unconscious in an infirmary bed. I can't help but think-once again-that Rob is a little too big hearted for Dauntless. He's too kind, too sweet, too...Amity. In all the years I've known Rob, I kind of always felt he'd transfer but, not to Dauntless. On the day we chose, I was shocked that he came here with me. Through this whole process, though, I'm glad to have had a friend.
My thoughts are interrupted by footsteps coming down the hall. Initially I think that it must be a nurse or maybe Christina or Will but then I realize that the footsteps are heavier louder. Finally, my curiosity is satisfied when Four walks through the door. He looks like he was completely expecting me to be here and gives me a small, tight, almost abnegation-like smile which then falters slightly when he glances at my hand that is intertwined with Robert's.
"I...ugh...I'm sorry to intrude," Four stammers.
I give him a reassuring smile, saying, "Don't worry, it's not like you're interrupting any sparkling conversation here."
Four chuckles slightly and smirks at my joke. "I just thought you might like to know that you don't have to worry about Eric anymore."
My eyes widen and my mouth opens slightly in shock, "Really?"
Nodding, Four answers, "Yeah, I have his job now and he won't be bothering anyone else in Dauntless ever again."
"Wow. Well, congratulations on your new job I guess," I say but then something dawns on me. "What does that mean for our training, though?"
"I'll just continue to train everyone on my own. Eric didn't do any of the simulations for stages two or three and the rest of this stage doesn't require two trainers so I'm alright on my own." Four is silent for a moment and then starts to back out of the room, saying, "Anyway, I'm just letting everyone know that Eric's gone and it's just me now."
I nod and Four is about to leave when I call out and say, "Four, I know that you're going to make a great leader."
Four smiles back at me but I see it falter slightly when he looks over to Rob who's completely still in his bed.
"Bye Tris."
Four pov
On my way out of the infirmary, I can't help but feel like I left a small piece of myself back there with Tris. She doesn't love Rob, not yet anyway, but I think she will one day. Rob came here not with Tris, but for Tris. I'm not so selfish to take away someone who's clearly so important to a guy who has sacrificed enough. All that aside, though, I'm a leader now. Pursuing a relationship with an initiate when I was just a trainer was bad enough, but now I'm a leader to. That would completely destroy Tris' reputation and I can't do that to her. From now on, I'm going to keep my distance and let go of Tris.
She was never really mine in the first place.
A/N: Sorry I've been on hiatus. I'm going to try and binge update all of my stories. I have a bajillion excuses that pretty much boil down to, my life is crazy right now and I have a novel I need to finish writing. I'll probably update my other fics throughout the next couple days.
-cmatty
