Eric's POV

Age: 19

"You wanted to speak me to sir?" I asked our faction leader, Max as I stood in front of his desk. He looked up from his profiles on the desk, having me wait for him to tell me what was going. I was pulled from my afternoon training with some of the other Dauntless in my age group, making me think we did something wrong. But how could I, since I was the top in my Dauntless Age group with Tobias right after me in second place. I was the bigger fighter, one of the best soldiers in the faction, although I only knew this from being told it so many times. And also, because of my new status and my new image, girls were flaunting to me left and right. But I had one girl on my mind.

"Yes." Max replied, closing the file in front of him and looking up at me, having me feel a sense of intimidation from my spot, "I called you in here to talk to you about your progress here in Dauntless."

"My progress sir?" I questioned him.

"Yes. You are one of the highest ranking transfers we have ever had in Dauntless in the past twenty years. The highest score within a low amount of time being here." He explained, pointing to the file on the desk with one finger, my profile to be precise.

"Thank you sir." I thanked, seeing him eye me still.

"It still baffles me, soldier, that you are a transfer from Erudite. That can probably explain how you handle the fights and situations that we give you in training." Max went on, getting up from his spot and walking away from me, facing the vast window bend him that looked into the fighting room where we had our training rings. I looked through as well, seeing the current initiate's training together in the ring, fighting each other ruthlessly.

"I have decided, along with a couple of the other leaders, to have you start your training in leadership." He explained to me, his back was still turned to me, and I was trying hide the fact that I wanted to smile in that moment.

"Thank you sir, I feel honored." I explained aloud, seeing him finally look back at me, eyeing me up and down and then walking over slowly with his hands behind his back.

"As you should, since we don't ask any of the Dauntless to start leading at such a long age." Max explained to me in his serious manner, "And we don't want to make a mistake on any individual who is under the belief that they can lead in their own manner. We take these leaders seriously here, and I don't want to look back in a couple of weeks and see that I made a mistake."

"Of course, sir. I won't let you down." I said back in return, Max nodding his head.

"We are also training Tobias to be a part of the leadership program as well, since he was also one the top Dauntless fighters here." I grimaced a bit from hearing the news, though I knew I had no say in who they would pick. Tobias and I were still not on the best of terms, something about him rubbed me the wrong way.

"You two will be training together, as well as getting a extra day off compared to the once a week we give to the others. You and Tobias will have a new schedule invoking leadership skills and training, and a new sleeping arrangement with other eldership hopefuls." Max explained to me some more, having me feel a burst of happiness in my chest. I get a extra day off? That's something I would be using heavily now on in Amity.

"Your training will begin tomorrow, and within a week I 'll take both you and Tobias with me to the neutral territory in the city where I will be conducting meetings, so you both can get a taste of the leadership day to day life, understand?" he asked me, having me nod my head in silence. He then sat back down at his desk, pausing before looking back at me. I stayed still, thinking there was more to this than I thought.

"The real reason why I am bringing you up from your previous position, is that we have a difficult situation involving disappearances of some of our own, and from other factions." Max explained to me in more of a softer voice, but I could still hear authority in his voice.

"Do we know who is behind this, sir?" I asked him in a curious manner.

"Not yet, but we are hoping to look for the aid of the other factions to find out who it is. You grew up in Erudite, which makes you a step ahead when it comes to strategy and numbers. You can help us find out who is behind this." Max said to me, having me realize that he needed my brain more than my brawn. Or perhaps both at the same time. He knew of my past and what was brought up on, and he wanted me to use it once more. It was a unique thing for him to ask for, since I was training my body more than my mind now.

"I'm willing to help in any way that I can, sir." I said to him in almost a vow, seeing him nod his head once.

"Very good, you are dismissed. Head back to training." He ordered having me then turn around and head out the door. My mind started to go into overdrive plenty. I knew that people were disappearing, rumors were being said all around that people were being snatched at night form their beds. But now it was getting more intense, since they needed my brains and intelligence to find out who it was, and which faction was involved. Max didn't say it, but I knew he was thinking of certain factions that could be involved.

Who was taking them?

Wendy's POV

Age: 19

"I have saddening news, brothers and sisters." Our leader called out to us, having us all come go ether in the dining room tree, seeing her stand up on one of the tables and facing us with her hands folded in front of her. It was early morning as we were about to go out into the fields and get ready to work for that day, but we were stopped by her. Since we never saw our faction needing a real leader, we still had someone represent us when it came to politics and order in Chicago. Ours was named Johanna, and she had a sweet face and soul about her. As we were watching for the news, I saw the Dauntless soldiers coming over to stand around us, to keep us in one place. It made me look in worry and in fear, thinking that Eric was here and thinking the same thing as I was. But he wasn't there, it must of been his day off today..

"I have received word that early this morning, while we were asleep, two more of our own were taken by unknown parties." She informed us, having me hear murmurs and whispers amongst the group.

"Who was taken?" One of us asked in fear, someone from in the front of the mob of Amity.

"Sophie and Annie, from Cabin twelve." She replied to us, having me hear more gasps in the crowd. Now this concerned me, since those two were the youngest and the most recent transfers to our faction, Sophie from Candor and Annie from Abnegation. They were still sixteen, having me firmly believe that something was wrong.

"Because of recent events, I have asked Dauntless to double their usual watch over us in the fields and have patrol in the night, one soldier outside every cabin and two outside near the fields. We will make sure no other Amity members will be taken from us and risk our peace." Johanna reassured us, having me see people nod in agreement and take sighs of relief. It still made me wonder if Eric know about this, and if he too was scared and worried about what was going to happen next. So this is why he was worried about me going out into the city with my new job: he thought I too was going to be taken. But there would be no real reason to take me, I had nothing that whomever needed that was doing this.

"Now let's head back to work and keep our kindred spirits in positivity, no more dwelling on the pain and fear of what is ahead, but on the joy and peace or the present." Johanna reminded us, having me hear a cheer from the crowd and then we are all moving once more to our jobs for the day. I moved as well, grabbing my backset in front of me and was about to walk on to the field when I felt a hand on my shoulder, having me turn and see Ava, one leader with a smile on her face.

"Don't you remember, child?" She asked me, having me look at her in confusion.

"Remember?" I asked her aloud in curiosity.

"Today you have counseling training with me." She said to me, having me then nod my head.

"Right, sorry. I course I remembered." I said to her, seeing her wrap her arm in mine as we both walked over to one of the job cabins that was located on the other side of the faction area.

"Ever since these disappearances have been happening, we've been needing more and more counselors on our font and in other factions." Ava reminded me in her sweet tone, having me hum in agreement and show that I was listening. Whether I liked it or not, I was going to be placed out of my comfort zone and into a zone of uncertainty and danger. Eric was not going to like this.

Not one bit.

"Who do you think is behind all of this?" Eric asked me as we both were back in the sycamore tree again, the next night after the news of Sophie and Annie. It was around 11:00 that night, and the rest of the faction was fast asleep in their beds, where I was still staying up with Eric and talking to him about all that happened. Dauntless was going through the same as me, hearing rumors and gossip about who in his faction was being taken and who was being targeted.

"Most of the rumors are pointing to Erudite." He replied back to me, his back was against the trunk of the tree and my back was against his chest, his hands out in front of the both of us intertwined with my own and his head was against my own.

"Erudite? Why would Erudite do that to young kids?" I asked aloud in wonder as I looked out in front of us and saw the night in front of us, among with the leaves of the trees and the lights as well.

"Who knows, we don't have anything concrete against them with their leader Jeanine Matthews." Eric informed me, having me think to myself about it. I remembered her growing up, how she too was intelligent and mastered the keen sense of knowledge. It was the main reason why she was elected to be our leader in the first place. She was smart, too smart for her own good.

"I don't think we have to worry about it too much, Eric." I said to him, patting his hands that were closed over mine, but I felt him shake his head in defiance with me.

"It still doesn't sit right. We don't know who's a target." Eric reminded me, but I brought our joined hands to my lips, kissing his hand.

"But we should not worry about it all the time, it would consume us before we know it." I explained to him, having me feel my Amity side come through before I knew it. It was something we both needed to remind ourselves of, that we could only worry for so long before it could take over our lives. Positivity was what we needed, now more than ever. I felt him move away one of his hands out of my sight.

"I have something for you, almost forgot to give it to you." Eric said in a lighter tone as I felt him shift in his spot behind me. I giggled, knowing that he was about to go soft on me for a second since we were alone. I then felt him take my hand, opening it palm up and then placing two small items in it. They had a bit of weight to it, having me look in my palm and seeing something shimmering in the light. It was beyond words.

He got me earrings.

"A friend of mine made me these in the tattoo parlor, about a month ago really. I didn't have time to give them to you." He explained to me as I held up one of the earrings, seeing a small jewel on the top of the earring. But the earring was unique, not like any other earring I have seen before.

"Bullets." I said in a gasp, smiling in glee. They were bullet earrings, .38 bullets to be exact as I saw it writing on the front indented in the bullet itself. And the jewel was on top, giving it a sense of feminine beauty.

"They're popular back in Dauntless, a lot of the women wear them there to show bravery." He explained to me, his arms leaving me as I sat up and got the earrings on. I felt as though we made a huge step in our relationship then, him giving me such a beauty gift that had his own personal touch in it. Who knew that bullets could be seen as jewelry? Only in Dauntless I suppose. I turned around, facing Eric and see him look at my ears now with a small sincere smile on his face.

"Beautiful." He murmured aloud in his grin, having me blush in front of him as I faced him completely once again, running my fingers in my hair and feeling the earrings against my fingers.

"Never took you as someone who gives trinkets in order to win affection." I joked with him, seeing him roll his eyes at me and grab my hips, pulling me towards him in a squeak and then kiss me sweetly. I kissed him back, feeling the shaved side of his head and then the hair on the top of his head that was held down by gel. Our kisses were getting bolder and more intense, as the months went by and the more we got involved with one another. We were each other anchors, each others peace and content, and each other's personal drug.

"You take my breath away." He whispered against my lips as I kissed him once more, hearing a low groan from him.

"Don't think that I can have all the credit, since you have a way of enchanting me." I said back in a coy tone, seeing him touch the ends of my hair with his large fingertips and having me see how eyes glow from the light in the trees.

"I call it a gift really." He said in his joking manner, having me giggle and give him another kiss on the lips, a lighter kiss than before. It was soothing to know that there was a sense of peace between the both of us, nothing really to fear when we had each other there in the moment. I only wished that it would last for a good long awhile, that we didn't have to face reality at all. Just to be, to be one with each other. But something on his face caught my eyes, something dark and it didn't look pleasant. I saw it, on his head near his hairline and it was hidden skillfully with his hair. Reaching up I touched the surface of his head, hearing him hiss and giving him a worried stare.

"What happened?" I asked him, seeing him reach up to take my hand away from the area gently, giving me a soft look.

"It's nothing." He said to me, trying to push away the conversation but I wouldn't let it happen.

"It doesn't look like nothing to me, Eric." I said back to him in a bolder tone.

"I only got that from the training I've been going through for leadership. It was a kick to head, nothing major I swear to you." he promised me, having me look a him in disbelief.

"What if the next time it's your nose, or your neck that gets bloody." I said to him in a low tone, wanting to dig my heals in with the whole notion of him getting hurt. But Eric shook his head and gave me a serious look.

"Wendy, I am one of the toughest and best fighters in my faction. No one can really make me bleed or get me hurt. This merely happened because I was in a new training process." He said to me in a softer tone, pointing to the bruise on his head. I watched his eyes carefully, seeing that he was telling the truth. Eric could take care of himself, he's done it plenty a time before. And they even saw him as a leader, going up in the ranks of Dauntless. However, I was still worried for him, wishing that he would never get hurt.

"As long as you can take care of yourself." I said to him, seeing him nod his head in agreement and give me a kiss on my hands that he was holding.

"That I am, and you need to watch out for yourself as well." He explained to me.

"And how am I going to do that?" I asked with him a raised eyebrow. Eric merely smirked at me, having me watch him carefully as he touched my earrings with his fingers lightly, giving me a chill.

"You were brought up as a Erudite, you can figure it out."