Chapter 9

Hey, don't own divergent and thanks to all of my viewers, it makes me almost giddy everytime the number gets bigger! to the story

Tris' PoV

"Today, we will practice knife throwing!" I shout. Everyone in the infirmary yesterday has mostly recovered. I demonstrate the technique and let them throw. On her first go, Kay hits the center ring but it bounces off.

"Pick up the pace! A stiff got it her first try!" Eric yells, taunting her in particular."and she is a stupid! scrawny! weak! little! wimp!" Kay throws another and the tip sticks in the center this time.

"SHUT UP, ERIC!" Kay screams. He marches up to her.

"You! Don't Tell Me What To Do! Go stand in front of the target!" She glares at him before going quietly. "Tris," his voice a deadly whisper.

"Really Eric? It's bad enough you had Four throw knives at my head last year. Do you really want me to..." before I can finnish my thought he interrupts.

"Not you me. Hand me your knives." I can't find a reasonable excuse not to. I do so, then walk to Preston who seems relatively fast.

I whisper in his ear, "Go find Four. Ask him how good Eric's accuracy is in knife throwing." I watch him nod and then sprint out of the room.

Kay's POV

I walk up to the target. He says something to Tris and I'm not afraid of her throwing knives at me. I know she wouldn't hurt me if avoidable. Then I hear Eric say he was going to do it himself. Crap! I watch Tris hand Eric her knives and Preston bolt out the door.

"Don't flinch or you hang from the chasm," he threatens. He remembers my fears. I watch as the first knife comes and nicks my shoulder. I see blood.

"Eric, you're not supposed to hurt her!"

"Four got you last year!" Tris had knives thrown at her head by her boyfriend?

"Yes, but he hit me once in the ear where there is easy healing cadtilage."

"Well, I have the authority and I will punish her as I see fit!" The next one actually cuts a couple locks of hair. I watch as it falls to the ground.

"Eric," Tris threatens. He throws the third knife and I can see it coming. I turn to my left to dodge it and scrapes my side, the hilt sticks out where my stomach was only moments before.

"YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!?" I yell astounded. I'm not surprised he tried, it wouldn't be a first. It was the fact that he did it so publicly that shocked me.

"You flinched," he says,"you are a coward."

"That wasn't flinching. That was a calculated movement to avoid death! I am not a coward, I'm smart! There is a fine line between bravery and idiocy, isn't that what the chasm represents?" Eric marches out and I watch him. I notice Preston has returned with Four.

"Everyone is dismissed until after lunch," Tris announces,"after we will continue practice." Everyone leaves but Preston, Four, and Tris.

"Are you alright?" Preston asks.

"I'm fine, it only glazed me," I reply.

"I'm glad you stayed," says Tris.

"Kay, we need to know what is between you and Eric so we can help you," Four stipulates. Preston looks at me suggesting it might be a good idea to tell them, I stare back letting him know he may be right but I'm not ready for the truth to come out yet. I mean, there is a reason I'm not in Candor, after all.

"I will tell you only what you have to know. Eric has never liked me since I was born, he's jealous of me, and wants me to suffer endlessly, like he claims to have," I answer. Four and Tris look at each other as if they understand me. Tris walks up to me.

"Let me see it," I lift up my shirt and then blush, realizing the guys are still here. Tris smiles and blocks their view of my. The cut is red, but as I said before it only glazed me, so no blood is coming out. I hope she doesn't notice my other scars on my stomach and back. If she does she doesn't comment. "It's only a scratch, it'll heal quickly, probably don't even need a bandage but your shoulder might," I had forgotten about my shoulder, remembering brought the pain back slowly, as if I were pressing my hands onto a bed of nails. "and part your hair on the side that was cut it will appear like you got bangs." She puts one finger slightly to the side of my head and lifts the hair on top and flips it. "There you wouldn't even notice it was an 'accident'."

"Thank you," I respond. She smiles. She and Four walk out. Preston walks up to me and gives me a hug, this is abnormal but not uncomfortable. I slip my arms around him and squeeze him tighter.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs into my hair.

"For what? You didn't do this and you couldn't have stopped it. I knew this would happen at some point and I don't want your pity," I say.

"That doesn't mean you don't need comfort sometimes." We stand just hugging for a while before we release, but we continue holding hands and walk towards the cafeteria.

Tris' PoV

Toby and I leave and head to his apartment. Once inside, he and I sit on the couch.

"So that was interesting, how did it start?" he asks. He seems unusually intrigued. He's normally curious but not to this extent.

"Well he was calling her names to taunt the other initiates for her doing well. She got mad and yelled at her I thought he would make me do to her what he made you do to me, but he said he would do it himself and I sent Preston to get you, I noticed she had several scars all along her torso though."

"What? Do you think Eric might'v caused those?"

"Possibly, but they seemed old, they actually looked a lot like yours," I see him flinch."Sorry, shouldn't have mentioned it."

"No, it's okay but that means they are three years old, they would have been caused back when she was in Abnegation."

"Should we go ask Eric?"

"No she doesn't want to tell us like I don't want anyone but you to know. Besides asking Eric would be like asking Marcus. They are a lot alike in a lot of ways," he grits his teeth as he speaks. I kiss him to calm him down. We stay there for a while before he says he has to go check on his initiates, he did leave them alone. I just sit there alone to think.