Eric is dead.

It is not Eric. It is somebody else.

I don't know him, but he looks like someone I did.

I quickly turn away, but he hands me a folded paper before I leave.

I was not going to open it. Not now, not later.

I quickly ran to back to Uriah.

When he saw me, he moved from where he was standing (next to Lynn and Tris; they were finished with the bathroom) to walk up to me.

"Are you alright, dude?"

He had seen my pale expression. I don't respond. I wasn't okay. I just saw someone who I thought was dead, but wasn't.

Did that make sense?

No. It did not. Eric is dead.

Gosh, I didn't even start the simulations again, and my brain has returned to it's crazed pattern.

Simulations.

I shivered at the thought.

I licked my dry lips, and swallowed.

Should I tell him?

No. No I should not. I clutch the paper in my hands. It was for me. Only me. I shouldn't tell anybody.

I look up at him. "Yeah, I'm fine." I say, attempting to hide my expression with a light grin.

He squints at me, but nods anyway. I hoped that he wouldn't bring the topic up later. "We're about to head to dinner." He says, grinning.

I nod and looked at Uriah's watch. Dinner had already started.

"You guys can go ahead." I say, looking back up at him. "I'll meet you there, I have to stop at the dorm."

He gives me another look of suspicion and nods once again. "M'kay."

Would he ask about this later?

Certainly.

Without another thought, I push past him and race to the dorms, the paper in my hands.

When I arrive there, I close the door with my foot and sigh. Nobody is in the dorm.

I walk to Tris and I's bed and sit on the edge of it.

My heart rate speeds up after I read the paper. It was a note.

On the track. 2:00. Come alone.

I didn't know him. He only looked familiar. But he knew me. And he wanted me to meet with him. Alone.

But that wasn't what bothered me the most.

What did he want? Why?

I sighed. I would know soon. Because I would go.

I quickly fold the note back into a half and slide it under the pillow, and hoped that Tris wouldn't see it.

I headed to dinner.

On the way to the cafeteria, I couldn't help but feel as if I was doing something wrong.

He said 'come alone'.

Did that mean that he wanted to hurt me?

No. It did not.

Maybe he wants to tell me something. Something only meant for my ears.

I nod. I was sure that was it.

"Peter!" Somebody called my name. I turn in the direction it was coming from.

Dinazed.

She runs into me, pulling my waist to her cheek into a hug.

I hug her back with a smile. I forgot what I was thinking about before.

Wait what was I thinking about before I hugged Dinazed?

It didn't matter.

She pulled away with a smile. "Alzas says she misses you." She pauses, hesitating. "Oh and your girlfriend."

I smiled, but Dinazed kept a serious face. "You have a new girlfriend?" She asks, biting her lip.

I nod, my smile fading.

She thought I was still with her sister, Winter. Nobody told her that Winter had cheated on me. I bit my lip. Of course Winter wouldn't tell her sister that she was the one to end the relationship.

"Winter and I were done a long time ago." I say, looking down at her.

She nodded as she processed the information.

"Okay." She said, scratching her hair.

I nod and place my hand on her shoulder. "I gotta go." I say, looking at the cafeteria.

She nods and let's me go.

When I am at the cafe, I spot Lynn, Uriah, Shauna, Hector, and Tris sitting together. Lately I've been seeing Lynn and Uriah a together a lot, maybe because Marlene is gone and they need each other.

Shauna waves me over with a smile. I am surprised that she is not mad at us. We earned a strike for the entire Dauntless. I grab a plate and fill it with pasta and other random contents, then head to their table. When I sit down, I am think about what what will happen at 2:00 AM.


I look at the clock in the main room.

1: 57.

I stayed up all night, watching the Erudite study and run experiments. I had to be just in time for the meeting.

It was stupid. Beyond stupid. If I were to get caught, I would get a strike two, and the rest of the Dauntless would be one step closer to losing a place to stay at.

1:58.

I had to think of a way to escape Erudite without getting caught.

Maybe I could slip out again, like I did when I left for Dauntless.

I walked to the entrance, and walked right out, with no problem.

Really, this place needed more security.

As soon as I saw the train track, I run towards it, breathing heavily. When I reach the track, I almost slip off of it; it is still slippery from the rain. I look around. Nobody was there but me. Suddenly, I feel something on my shoulder, and I turn around.

It is the man.

I gasp. He looks so much like Eric that it is shocking to see him here, alive.

"Let's walk down the track, shall we?" He says in a smooth voice. His voice is calming, patient. Nothing like Eric's.

I don't know what to say, so I nod and walk with him.

As we walk, he begins to speak. "You're probably wondering why I asked you to come here, out of the random."

I nod again, and continue to walk with him.

He clears his throat and his expression becomes serious. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I've been watching you."

I stop walking.

What?

Did I hear this guy correctly?

He has been watching me.

He sees my expression and pushes my back. "Walk and talk, walk and talk."

I nod once again, and walk with him.

"My brother Eric was a transfer from Erudite." He starts, looking ahead. "It's why his death was so..." He pauses, and rubs his nose onto the blue fabric of his sleeve. He gags. "Sudden."

I felt bad for him. And guilty.

His face becomes hard. "I'm sorry," He said, his expression not changing. "I was upset at the time." He said. "I lost it."

I was confused.

What exactly was he talking about?

Nothing that I heard of.

He doesn't speak for a while, but we continue to walk.

In a rush, it all comes to me, and I stop walking.

He has been watching me.

Me.

He saw me kill Eric.

I feel my eyes go wide. He saw his brother get murdered. It's why he knew to ask me to meet with him.

He stops too, and our eyes meet.

I gulped slowly. "Did you tell anybody?"

He shakes his head.

I bit my lip. "Why not?"

He takes a step closer to me and speaks in a low voice when he responds. "Because I don't want you tell on me."

I am shocked when it all registers.

He apologized to me in the conversation.

Because he tried to kill me. Out of anger, a need for revenge.

He was the one to set the compound on fire.