Chapter 14
I am released, and Eric gently pulls me back to my sister. She wraps her arms around me and sobs into my hair. I clutch my stomach in pain.
"Escort this man off the premises" Eric orders the two security guards, and I watch as the man I used to call my Father being dragged away. Jas pulls me away from her chest.
"Are you OK?" she asks.
"Ye-" I'm cut off as I felt the stab of a bruise in my side. I am about to collapse to the floor, when I feel Eric's arm slip around my waist, and one over my shoulders to support me.
"I need to get back" my sister sighs "I can stay if you want me-"
"No, get back to Amity, I won't let him ruin things for us" I insist. She looks reluctant, but hugs me one last time before walking out of the door, with a timid wave goodbye. Part of me wants her to stay, but I know she has a busy life in Amity, I'd feel guilty keeping her from it.
Eric turns me around to face him, and he tilts my head with his thumb to check the damage.
"Let's get you fixed" he says softly, his voice kinder than I've ever heard it before. "Everyone, as you were" he announces to everyone else. I see Jen, Ethan, and Zack look on with concerned expressions as Eric helps me out of the room.
"Thank you" I say "For stopping him"
"He needed punching" he replies. I nod silently. He leads me to the door of the training room. "There's a medical kit in here" he says. He guides me over to a bench and eases me to a sitting position as I wince. He walks over to a locker and pulls out a green medical kit. It baffles me how nice he's being.
I find that when he walks back over I find it difficult to make eye contact with him. I don't want him to see how afraid of my Father I am, it doesn't seem very Dauntless. He pauses, standing in front of me.
"He's done that before hasn't he" he says softly. I stare at my feet. Seeing my resistance he crouches in front of me, tilting my face towards him with his finger. "Dani" he says, looking at me in the eye.
I nod, squeezing my eyes shut to stop the tears falling out of my eyes. He looks angry at my Father, but takes a deep breath and ignores it. He reaches into the medical kit and takes out an antiseptic wipe and pulls my bleeding hand towards him.
"This might sting a little" he warns, brushing the wipe across my fingers. I wince but say nothing, as my wound stings. He continues tending to my wounds for another half an hour or so. Not once does he say anything sarcastic, or snide. In fact, he seems to be quite concerned for my well being, which is certainly odd.
"What if he comes back?" I blurt, out of the blue. He tenses and looks at me.
"He won't" he says.
"You don't know that" I insist.
"I won't let him come back" he replies firmly. "I'll have the control room on the lookout. I'll protect you". I stop. He said he'll protect me. Why, I'm just an initiate?
"Thank you" I whisper. Suddenly the training room doors burst open, Jen, Ethan, and Zack run in.
"Four said you were here, are you okay?" Jen asks. She looks at Eric warily, but he is already packing up the medical kit. He doesn't look at me before he leaves, simply walks out of the door.
I turn my attention back to my friends, with today's events still lingering in my mind.