Moments later, Zeke and Shauna arrive on the ziplines, cheering and laughing. Four and I pull away from each other, unable to forget our Abnegation upbringings. Zeke and Shauna have no such inhibitions, and grab us both while they jump up and down. Zeke plants a kiss on my cheek and Shauna puts her arm around me.

"I thought you'd pansycake out up there, but you went for it!" She exclaims.

After we all calm down a bit, Zeke turns to me, rather sheepishly, "So I'm forgiven?"

"Of course you're forgiven, that was amazing!" I grin.

"But pull another stunt like that and…" begins Four.

"I know, I know." Zeke raises both hands in mock surrender. "You'll gut me."

"Exactly."

We almost don't hear the footsteps over the sound of our laughter, but I recognize the voice as it calls to us, even from a distance. It's Eric.

"Hey! Who's back here?"

We all freeze – we're cornered, with no place to run or hide.

I pull Four to me. "Kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me. Push me against the wall and hide my face."

Zeke catches on. "Quick, Four - do it! We'll get rid of Eric."

Just as Eric makes it around the corner, Four shoves me roughly against the wall, and puts his left forearm up to hide my face. I glance down and see his right hand moving toward his knife. "It's OK." He whispers. "We'll protect you."

I can't see what's going on, but I hear Zeke calling to Eric as he walks toward him. "Hey man, what's up?" He sounds as glib as ever.

I estimate that Eric is now only about ten meters away from where we are, hidden in a shadow in the corner of the alleyway. "I saw somebody go down the zipline. It's supposed to be closed tonight. High winds."

"Oh c'mon Eric, there's hardly any wind." Shauna answers.

"Do I have to explain to you two again why it's necessary to follow orders?"

"Hey, sorry man, I just wanted to show my girl a good time."

"But I saw three…."

He sees us now. My pulse quickens. I can feel Four doing the breathing exercises the Abnegation teach children to calm themselves, but I'm too frightened to attempt them, so I hold my breath, willing myself to be invisible.

"Wait, is that Four? He went down the zipline?"

"No, uh, he brought a friend."

I hear a low whistle, presumably Eric.

"The legendary Four - human after all." Four tenses, tightening his grip on his knife. "Who is she?"

"Now c'mon Eric, a gentleman doesn't ask a question like that."

Eric's voice is biting. "Since when do you give lectures on being a gentleman?"

Zeke giggles. "OK, you might have a point there, but Four…"

"Why won't you tell me who she is?"

"Listen Eric, you can wait around here until they come up for air, but it looks like it might take a while…" Interjects Shauna. She lowers her voice now. "But hey, if you want it to get around that you like to watch…"

"I never liked you." hisses Eric.

"What a coincidence." Shauna retorts.

"Get back to Dauntless. Now. Training is bright and early, 0600."

"Actually, Four is taking my shift."

"Really? Well, it looks like I'll have some fun tomorrow, then. Goodnight, lovebirds."

Only when his footsteps fade to silence does Four relax and pull me away from the wall.

Zeke exhales loudly. "Whoah, that was close."

"Eric won't let this go," worries Shauna.

"Let me worry about Eric. Go back to Dauntless. I'll take Tris home."

When we get to Erudite, Four reaches into his pocket and pulls out a data disk. "This is in case you need to get me a message. Put it in any Erudite computer and it will create a tunnel to the Dauntless control room."

"How?"

Four grins. "Let's just say the Erudite aren't the only ones who know how to use a computer. This code will piggyback any message from you on top of the transmissions they are using to hack our system. Don't use it too often, though – only if it's absolutely necessary."

I wonder how he learned to do this, but then I remember that Four's mother had been Erudite. "You never did tell me your tests results…", I probe shyly.

He smiles back. "No, I didn't. Goodnight, Tris."

It's not until I'm in the elevator on the way to Jeanine's that I realize I'm still wearing Shauna's Dauntless clothes. Outside, they had seemed so comfortable, but now they contrast starkly with my white and blue surroundings, and I feel more out of place than ever. Still, I'm not as nervous as I usually am when I enter her office. Tonight I know just what to tell her.

"Beatrice, what a pleasant surprise. You've seen Four?"

I nod yes.

"I knew you'd fix things." She pauses, looking me up and down. "Why are you wearing those clothes?"

I sit down. "Oh, they gave them to me."

"They?"

"Tonight when I met Four on the train, he had two friends with him."

"Who were they?"

"Their names were Zeke and Shauna."

Jeanine looks pensive. "I don't think it's a good idea for the other Dauntless to know about you." She smiles. "It could be dangerous for Four."

"I was surprised, too, but he seems to trust them."

"So what happened?"

"We had a picnic."

"That doesn't sound very Dauntless."

"And then we went down the zipline."

She seems genuinely curious. "What was it like, were you terrified?"

"A little bit at first, but it was so amazing, it felt like flying."

Ever the analyst, Jeanine finds the inconsistency. "Wait, isn't Four afraid of heights?"

"Yeah, he waited for us at the other end."

"I see. And then what?"

I know she's going to like this part. "He kissed me."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah."

Jeanine jumps up and rushes over, hugging me awkwardly. I try not to cringe.

"I knew you could do it. So, how was it?"

The question sounds oddly girlish, and I hadn't expected her to ask me this sort of thing. "Um… I don't know. Nice, I guess."

She smiles. "You like him. I can tell. Who knows, maybe when this is all over, we can organize some sort of transfer for him."

"What do you mean? When what is all over?"

Jeanine seems caught off guard, as if she's revealed more than she meant. "Oh, nothing for you to worry about. The main thing is to keep you and Four safe. You can help me do that."

I nod. "Sure, Jeanine."

"And be sure to tell me if you have contact with any other Dauntless members?"

"Yes Jeanine. – actually, there was one other person"

"Who?"

"He didn't see me, but he was very curious about what Four and the others were up to. His name is Eric."

Jeanine seems concerned now. "Listen, Eric is very dangerous, very violent – completely unpredictable. "Did you know he was Erudite-born? Frankly, I was relieved when he chose Dauntless."

"Arnold told me."

"What else did he tell you?"

"Not much, just that he would be the next leader."

"Yes, I fear he will incite them to violence. How did the others act around him?"

"They don't like him."

"Really? That's a surprise. I would think he'd be their hero."

I know it's because they don't trust him, and Dauntless has never glorified violence for its own sake, but I shrug, not knowing how to explain it to Jeanine, and not really caring to.

"Get some sleep."

"Yes, Jeanine."

A/N As always, I appreciate your suggestions and comments. Reviews are like crack to me, truly. The next chapter is going to be partly from Uriah Pedrad's perspective, and should be very interesting.

Standard Disclaimer: All rights to Divergent and its characters belong to Veronica Roth.