CHAPTER NINE

Blair and Eric danced around each other on the sparring mat. They were training a lot together as it was the only way they could be alone without drawing attention and making people suspicious of how close they were getting.

Blair lunged forward knocking Eric to the ground and she quickly straddled him laughing. Eric flipped his heaps rolling them both so he was on top and pinned her wrists down above her head.

"You ain't that good doll," he murmured leaning down and kissing her.

"Shut up," she smiled, "I let you win," Blair smiled taking Eric's hand as he pulled her up back onto her feet.

Eric shook his head at her, smile plastered on his face, "I expect you'll be going to the party in the pit tonight?"

"Yeah there was talk of going," Blair nodded. "Jess and Madi won't stop talking about it, makes them feel Dauntless to be allowed to go to a Dauntless party or something."

Eric just gave her a weird look.

"What?" Blair asked noticing his glance.

"You talk about them like they're your friends, but you don't act like it."

"I'm not good at having friends," Blair shrugged. "I dunno dad was kinda weird about it, said to never get close to anyone because it makes you weak and breaks your focus."

"He's right," Eric nodded, "but its human nature to get close to people."

"Need to choose wisely then."

Eric smiled at her, "well I'll see you tonight," He said kissing her gently before turning to leave.

"See you," Blair smiled back.

She quickly packed her stuff and grabbed her water bottle before heading back to the dorms for a shower.


She took her time in the shower taking advantage of the rare moment when no one was in the dorm because they were all at dinner. Enjoying the hot water she let the bathroom fill with steam, she eventually dragged herself out to get dressed, and just in time too. Turning off the taps she heard voices of people returning from dinner to get ready for the party.

"Oh there you are!" Madi called spotting Blair exiting the bathroom wrapped in a towel.

"We couldn't find you to come shopping with us, but we got you a new dress anyway," Jess added as they both skipped over excitedly.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that for me," Blair gushed genuinely surprised.

"It was nothing," Madi smiled, "we thought it would look perfect on you."

Madi was right, her and Jess did a good job picking a dress for her. Usually Blair wasn't really in to wearing dresses – she never had an occasion for them anyway. But this dress was stunning. It was a black singlet dress that was skin tight and ended upper mid-thigh with a lace overlay and a circular cut out on each side of her waist, which showed off her tattoo on her ribs.

She left her hair down in loose curls, and Jess insisted on doing her make-up. It was more over the top than what she'd usually go for, but she could tell she held back and just did a simple smokey eye and nude lip.

"Wow, you're actually going to wear heels?" Madi gasped seeing Blair pull on simple suede black pumps.

"I'm not a complete tragic," Blair laughed. "I do know how to look nice, just never had a reason too."

"And you want to impress Eric," Jess laughed.

"Uhm what?" Blair asked too quickly.

"Oh please, your extra training? I know it's an excuse to spend more time with him. I get it, he's hot! But don't get your hopes up the Dauntless born says he's never going to date an initiate and he's way to career focused," Jess shrugged. "But hey nothing wrong with dressing up and looking hot."

Blair just smiled awkwardly, even if she was wrong about Eric she was right in saying there was nothing wrong with looking good for you.

"Here we started at dinner but you weren't there," Madi said handing Blair a bottle of vodka.

"Didn't peg you as the drinking type," Blair grinned taking a long drink.

The offensive liquid burned her throat but she tried to ignore it and keep and face neutral.

Madi urged Blair to finish the bottle so that they could head off to the party. Blair quickly drained the bottle, nearly regretting doing it so quickly but once that harsh taste wore off she was good to go.


The three of them left the dorm and ran into Adam, Will and a few other transfers as well as Dauntless born initiates on their way to the pit.

"You look drunk already," Adam laughed looping his arm around Jess' waist.

"That's because I am," She smiled coyly taking the cigarette that was tucked behind Adams ear and tried to light it.

"Ease up newbie," Blair scoffed retrieving the cigarette and lighter from Jess embarrassed by her struggle to light it.

She placed it between her teeth and lit it easily taking a long drag and exhaling the smoke out her nose.

"You smoke?" she asked astonished.

"I was from Amity," Blair lied, "we grow tobacco."

"Duh," Madi chimed in taking the smoke from Blair and taking a drag herself.

She did surprise Blair and didn't choke on it at all.

"What? Just because I was Erudite doesn't mean I've never tried it," She shrugged at Blair's astonished look.

"Fair enough," Blair muttered and they kept going on their way to the pit.


The music was loud, but the roar of people talking and laughing and shouting over the top of each other was nearly louder. It was unlike any party Blair had ever been too. The pit usually looked so large and spacious now seemed small and claustrophobic with the number of people in there. Nearly everyone was dancing. There were Kegs placed all around the room against the walls as well as eskies filled with spirits. Adam disappeared to get them all drinks while they made their way to table in one of the corners that seemed to be where all the initiates –transfers and Dauntless born - were sitting.

"Well look who it is," a boy called out as Blair took a seat on the edge of the table lighting up another cigarette.

"Parker," Blair nodded at him, "no hard feelings alright, I do not want any drama tonight."

"Well, why don't we start over then?" Parker asked, clearly drunk but seemingly agreeable to putting everything in the past. "Hey, I'm Parker," He flashed a goofy grin.

"Blair," she replied with a cautious smile. She was not drunk enough for this.

And right on time Adam returned with an esky which he placed in the middle of the table after fishing out three drinks and handed one to each of the girls. Blair twisted the cap off her stubby and took a long drink. Tonight was about having fun, and lately she had been in the mood to let loose and have relax a little. She had been wound so tight about blending in and not being found out and worrying about the Government. But getting close to Eric had calmed her nerves some.

"Shots!" a girl shouted as she started lining shot glasses up along the table and a guy followed her filling them up before handing them around to all the initiates. They all threw them back almost immediately after having them shoved into their hands and held them back out for a refill. Blair was laughing at something someone had said when out of the corner of her eye she spotted Eric. She turned her head to look at him and flashed him a dazzling smile before turning back to the group she was sitting with.

"Wow, you have so much game," Madi gushed drunkenly, "the whole make eye contact once and look away to reel them in without a word! Ugh you have to teach me your ways!"

"That's not what I was doing," Blair laughed. "We made eye contact would have been awkward to do nothing."

"Oh whatever, that was totally flirty."

"I knew it!" Parker slurred out putting his arm around Jess and Madi to steady himself, "I knew you and Eric were having a thing, you know he totally beat the crap out of me for trying to flirt with little miss Blair?" He said to Jess and Madi.

"What? You didn't tell us this," Jess shouted.

"It didn't happen like that," Blair glared at Parker. "You pinned me against a wall and forced yourself on me! Eric fought you off; he would have done the same for any female here at Dauntless – especially the initiates because we're his responsibility."

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say there darl," Parker shrugged, "you can live in your deluded little world but he has a thing for you whether you accept that or not."

"Whatever," Blair glared at him taking a long draw from her almost forgotten cigarette.

"Well he hasn't taken his eyes off you the whole time we've been here," Adam chipped in.

"Ok guys, I don't really want to discuss my love life – or lack thereof right now. He's my superior so nothing is going to happen," Blair snapped.

"Ok geez, we were just trying to help," Jess put her hands up in a defensive manner.

"Can we just have fun, and not discuss delusional relationships?"

"Ok deal," Madi smiled shoving another drink into her hand before grabbing one for herself.

"Oh my god! That guy right there is gorgeous," Jess gasped pointing out a Dauntless member in the crowd.

"What Dean?" Blair chocked on her drink.

"You know him?"

"Yeah, he works on the fence when we went out there a few weeks ago during training he was the guard that showed Anna, Ben and I his section. And he's in the bar all the time" Blair responded leaving out her familial connection.

"Oh you have to introduce me then, this is perfect that you're friends with him," Jess grinned.

"I wouldn't say friends, he just did his job and gave me a tour," Blair back pedalled quickly.

"Please Blair, please! I'll never bug you about Eric again," Jess pleaded.

Blair rolled her eyes but nodded, Dean could palm her off for himself instead of her trying to do it.

"Oi, Dean over here," She called out to him and he looked up in confusion but smiled when he saw it was her calling to him.

"Smoking is a bad habit don't you know," Dean smiled at her taking the cigarette off her and putting it between his teeth.

"So is stealing," Blair threw back at him with a playful grin.

It had been years since she'd been to a party with her brother; they used to have a lot of fun together.

"This is my friend Jess," Blair gestured to the giddy girl standing beside her. "Jess this is Dean, a brave guard on the fence," she continued to tease her brother.

"Hey, gorgeous dress," Dean smiled his eyes wandering the girl's body.

Blair raised her eyebrow at him, flirting, really? Of course he would, typical male at a party with alcohol in his system.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to it," she muttered turning back to the group of initiates and leaving Jess to flirt away to her hearts content.


The party was starting to wind down, people had started slipping away. Some were dragged out by friends semi-conscious or vomiting, others disappeared in couples and it was obvious what they were off to do.

There was still a fair amount of people though it just wasn't as packed. Jess and Dean had disappeared a while ago and Madi had helped Will drag a vomiting Adam back to the dorm. Blair was still with a few other initiates. They had been talking about how Dauntless was different to the old factions and quizzing the Dauntless born on life at Dauntless after initiation was over, which inevitably led to discussion on the rankings and fear sims.

"God guys, this conversation is such a downer," a dauntless born girl called out.

"Talk about a mood kill," Blair laughed in agreeance.

The girl looked over at Blair smiling, "come on let's dance, if any of you want to have fun come join us, but leave this downer buzz at the table."

Blair quickly finished her drink and grabbed a new one from the esky before following the girl and a few other initiates to the middle of the crowd in the pit and danced with them. It was a lot of fun and getting up and moving around Blair realised how drunk she really was, luckily she wasn't sloppy drunk level. But she was drunker than she thought and all her inhibitions went out the window so she did enjoy the dancing rather than being cautious and sitting back.

"I missed you," a voice murmured in her ear, but she knew it was Eric as he came up behind her, his arms looping around her waist. He gently kissed the top of her head. Even in her heels he was still substantially taller than she was.

Blair spun in his arms to face him, "I thought people couldn't see us together?"

"I don't care anymore," he muttered down to her. He looked sad though, his smile never reached his eyes. He had never been like this before.

"What's wrong?" she asked, immediately worried.

"Not here," he shook his head, "not now, just enjoy tonight."

Easier said than done now, but she nodded anyway and forced a smile.