Thank you so much to Bamberlee for editing this chapter!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I appreciate you all! This is a long one, so feel free to split it up. Next week's is super long and will be updated late late late on Sunday :)

I hope you all have a really great week!

The argument is as spectacular as the sight of my father looking like someone has pulled the rug out from beneath his feet.

Gone is the backing of every degree he's procured and every award he's ever been given. He doesn't have an entire staff waiting in the wings, nor is there the honor of his title, or the sharp white doctor's coat to make him stand out.

He's nothing more than a man staring at his brother, in pure horror as Ian launches a plate of spaghetti at his head.

"You asshole!"

"Ian!"

"Wait! Those aren't our dishes!" Everly's yelp comes right as the plate soars past Daniel's head and crashes behind him. The act –juvenile and inappropriate given where we are –makes me smirk.

Even though he's dressed nicely, has a house which rivals Daniel's, and a son who clearly adores him, Ian looks ready to fight. His actions are funny, but they are not without cause. He immediately reverts back to the eighteen-year-old version of himself, the one filled with rage and fury over being ignored, and who loathes his older brother for blaming him for their parents' deaths. Ian's fists clench and so does his jaw, and I wait for the knockdown, drag out fight to start. My bet is on Ian; Daniel has spent years hovering over an operating table or a computer, and Ian at least has been outside, breathing in fresh air.

The fight doesn't happen.

Ian snaps out of it when the second plate hits the wall and shatters. He looks at Everly, staring as borrowed dishes and her painstakingly cooked spaghetti slide down the wall, and his hand flies to his mouth. He then steps back, and his gaze swings to me, guilty as ever. The room is fraught with tension; years of pent up aggression and stifled hurt feelings, a lifelong brotherly rivalry, and puffed up egos fighting for a speck of attention.

"Uh, so yeah, Daniel is here for dinner." I needlessly inform him, and beside me, May's chortle at my casual announcement is disapproving.

"Thank you, Eric. That warning was very helpful."

The tension ends when they both look at each other, and Daniel holds up both hands in surrender. He takes a slow step toward his brother. It takes some time; everything slows down as they approach one another, both hesitant, and they are mirror images of each other when they both stop by the table.

Their apologies, paralleled and quick, are heartfelt and too personal.

As much as I'd love to stay and watch the show, Everly and I head outside, onto the porch with May.

"How was target practice?"

May outs where I was before I can stop her. Everly's stare is instant and rightfully accusatory, but it relaxes when May kicks her foot.

"Don't look so put out. Harrison has one rule, and that rule is don't involve you."

"I can fight," Everly's protest is also instantaneous, and determined. "I've proved it. And I knew you weren't out hunting. You would have told me about it."

"Really? You can fight? Who did you fight?" May quirks an eyebrow in her direction. "Zander? Jake? Judd after he goes off on a tangent about starting a space force?"

"No," Everly scowls. "Eric. I fought Eric the other night and I won."

"Oh, did you?" May does her best to keep a straight face, and I can feel her looking at me. I subtly shake my head, and Everly's protest is immediate.

"Nice try, Amity. And it was hunting. More or less. I didn't tell you because I got busy. You still can't join the army."

Everly tilts her head, remembering exactly what busy meant for us, and her glare is all for show. "Oh really? Because you didn't seem to be doing much fighting back."

"Glad you two are doing so well," May interrupts, and faint conversation from inside drifts onto the porch. It's nice outside; the air has turned sharply cool, and the wind scrapes by every so often. A few houses down, someone is baking an apple pie, and our neighbors are outside, sitting around an outdoor fire. They wave when I glance over, despite me never introducing myself, and in the distance, there's a group walking, eagerly pointing out the nocturnal animals hiding in trees.

"Why does Harrison really want an army here?" I toy with the sleeve of my shirt, leaning in toward Everly when she leans against me. She pulls her sweater closer, and I have the feeling she regrets not wearing shoes or anything remotely warm. "Are you sure there's not some ulterior motive?"

"Has Harrison ever given you any reason to think he'd disassemble what he's doing? He's very up front with his desire to protect the Amity faction." May answers, tilting her head when Ian counters whatever Daniel is saying by yelling Blythe's name. "He wants to keep Everly safe. He wants to keep Eden safe. Everyone thinks Amity is a bunch of hippies spending their days doing nothing. If we take a single day off, a faction doesn't eat. Do they ever think of that? No."

"Are we not safe?" Everly's fingers find mine. She slides them between my own, pressing her thumb to the middle of my hand. "Should we be worried?"

"No." May's answer is flat. "Because you have your father helping Eric lead an army. You'll be perfectly safe."

"Are you sure?"

"As long as Eric follows through, yes."

We lapse into silence.

It's not unpleasant. It's enjoyable, actually. I pull Everly closer, and her head rests against my shoulder. I hear Blythe's name again, spoken with distaste by both, and the low hum of Everly telling May she wishes Harrison would just move here already. May's explanation –his dedication to the Dauntless faction which would make his absence quite noticeable and a need to be in the know of what is going on to keep everyone alive– does little to pacify her.

Her fingers tighten, painfully, and I know she's afraid of losing him to such a dark, violent faction.

So afraid, she was once willing to go there.

"Maybe things will turn around soon," I offer, and Everly lifts up her head. "Maybe Rylan will take over and he can promote Jason. Maybe that'll take some of the pressure off him."

"Jason flooded the training room the other day and then at dinner, Rylan sent his mac and cheese back six times claiming it wasn't as good as Eden's. I don't think either have a future in leadership," May remarks dryly, but she's smiling. "Actually, Harrison seems to have developed some tolerance for them. He knows Rylan is being pressured by Jeanine, and Rylan is willing to help her in order to keep his friends safe."

"What does Jeanine want Rylan to do?" Everly asks, and her question is lost when Ian and Daniel come outside, both looking much happier than before. "Eric?"

"She's going to have him hunt Divergents." I guess quietly. "And who knows what else." I stop talking when Ian and Daniel end up in front of us, and they both grin matching, wide smiles.

"We made up!" Ian interrupts, and his eyes are wired with excitement. "We're not exactly friends again, but we'd like you all to know things are better."

"So much better. We cleared the air, and I'm coming back next weekend for dinner at Ian's." Daniel announces, and he's a little too pleased for my liking. The very Eric part of me had hopes of Ian not forgiving him, and it appears I'm not the only one.

"Really?" May asks, incredulous as ever. "You two went decades not speaking to one another and you cleared it up just like that? No hard feelings? Are you sure?"

"Well," Daniel clears his throat, stalling for time. "Once we talked, I realized how unfair it was to blame Ian, and he forgave me. I apologized for not sticking up for him, and he uh, well he apologized for throwing spaghetti at me."

"Sorry, Everly. I'll bring you more spaghetti. And some more plates," Ian looks at us, and his smile is much lighter. "We'd like to have you two for dinner next week as well. May, you should come, too."

"No thanks," May stands up, and she shakes her head. "Way too much family bonding for me. I have to get home. I promised the ducks I'd give them a bath tonight, anyway. You guys enjoy your evening. Eric, we'll be in contact."

"Sure." I stand up, too, and so does Everly. "See you around."

"Daniel and I are going to walk over and meet Elisa and Atlas. You guys want to come?" Ian offers, and Everly and I both take a cue from May and decline at the same time. He and Daniel look surprised, but they both shrug it off, still much happier over their reconciliation.

"Okay, well…next week. Dinner is on us!" Ian offers, and I stare at them. He looks utterly thrilled with his change of plans this evening. He goes on to describe the area he lives in and Daniel looks incredibly interested. He even asks him a few questions about this exclusive community in Amity, and his eyes widen when Ian says he hopes Atlas likes him.

I hope their reconciliation lasts.

It's a strange sight to see Daniel look happy, and an even stranger sight to see him relaxed.

They bid us a final good night. Daniel's eyes stay on me, desperate to keep the connection and I lowly agree to answer his phone call next time. He and Ian take off together, catching up rapidly as they walk, and I only hope for both their sake Ian most definitely does not bring up Elisa's aversion to modern medicine, or the fact that Atlas' only medical exam was done by Eden.

I think of this when Everly's fingers find mine, and she pulls me inside to finish cleaning up the kitchen.

By the time we're done, I've had my fill of visitors for the evening.

I pull Everly up the stairs, and we brush our teeth while silently hoping no one comes back. The goodbyes were fine. Before he left with Ian, Daniel awkwardly hugged Everly and attempted to hug me. It was odd and uncomfortable, unnecessary even, and made my skin itch. After years of being ignored in favor of his work, I didn't need him to try and be my father. I accepted him as Ian's brother, and figured that should be enough of an honor for him.

Everly liked him, though.

I could tell by the way she watched him leave.

Her dark eyes stayed on him, carefully walking down the porch steps into the dark, waving goodbye at both of us and promising to come back. His words held everything: hope, anticipation, gratitude, and the faintest bit of longing. Later tonight, he would leave Amity, a faction where families were created by any way -necessary or warranted, and return to Erudite, where the strict yet not at all legitimate social pressures would leave him tied to Blythe even if he walked away. If he ever got to that place, which he never would, he'd have to be smart about it. The two of them were well known enough that their reputations had already suffered one bruise; divorce, or separation, would be an even bigger, uglier one they couldn't hide so easily.

Everly had stood right by me, like it had always been her place, and in that second, I did believe that maybe Rylan was right. Maybe it was meant for me to have met Everly, or maybe I was being absolutely stupid because I was tired and cranky, and I'd rather go to bed than think about next weekend.

I have a headache at the thought of Daniel showing up again, to see both myself and Ian, but it was out of my hands.

I'd agreed to the dinner, and now I'd have to suffer.

"Are you okay? You're a million miles away."

Everly's words bring me back to Earth, back to the bed we're sharing, and back to her hand on my chest, digging into the soft fabric of a borrowed shirt. Everything in Amity was a contradiction: harsh, unending hard work, followed by soft, warm beds with a girl who wanted me to let her sleep on my chest. I think of Dauntless, and how it seemed like it was nothing but bleakness and a darkness that kept Harrison away, unparalleled violence, and endless dedication to a faction that would chew you up and spit you out. I think of Jason and Rylan, of the bruises and cracks, the bloody marks and their evident exhaustion.

Then, I try to picture Everly and I there.

I would have been different in Dauntless. Our relationship would have been different. My focus would not be so much on her, but on myself. On the plans laid out for me. On a destiny I never asked for.

I would have thrived under it.

I realize this while my fingers draw up her back, stopping at the nape of her neck. If I could blend into Amity, I could very well have made it in Dauntless. The allure of power is tempting; May had let it slip I'd be offered it here, and while it paled in comparison to Dauntless, it was something. I might not be dressed in black, but I'd have an army under my command, perhaps one better than Dauntless if Rylan kept up his antics.

"Have you ever visited Harrison in Dauntless?" I ask evenly. This question comes out of nowhere, and Everly shakes her head. "Never? What about…during the deliveries?"

"No, I've never been invited." Everly's answer is equally serious, and she lifts her head away to look at me.

The closeness of her still holds some lingering unease on my part. Everly had no issues curling herself against me and gently enticing her way into my life, and the feeling of her –while something I now appreciated –still felt like it was not for me. I gave her credit for not running, credit for being patient enough to let me adjust here, and all the accolades in the world for being brave enough not to give up. Her persistence was steadfast; she went after what she wanted, and she wasn't at all afraid to get it by any means.

She could have picked Dauntless.

She might have kicked someone's ass. If they had their eyes closed.

"Maybe if we went with Daryl, we would see him. I could tell Rylan we're coming by, and maybe we could visit Dauntless." I close my eyes for a second, the burn of exhaustion sparking behind them, and I open them to her smile. "What?"

"What if you like it better?" Her eyes are wide, framed by long black lashes that blink at me. "What if you go and you don't want to leave your friends?"

"What am I gonna do? Just wander into their initiation and announce I'm staying?" I stare up at her, and I reach up to pull on a stray piece of her hair. "Demand I be ranked high enough to stay and even higher so I can take over?"

"I could see that happening," Everly answers honestly, and her lips turn up. "I was just thinking how much taller you looked today. Way taller than the other day. Tall enough to go to Dauntless."

"Funny," I twist the dark hair around my finger, pausing when she leans in closer. "I just thought maybe you'd want to see Harrison. If he isn't here, maybe he's there."

"I don't actually know where he is," Everly confesses lowly. Her fingers creep up to my collarbone, and she slides her fingers across. "He can come and go as he pleases, but my mom says he's everywhere. Sometimes he's in Candor, and sometimes he's in Abnegation. He avoids Erudite if he can."

"Smart man. Why Abnegation?" I make a face, and she makes one back, laughing at my disgust. "What could he possibly want to do there?"

"I don't know. She said he was looking for someone or something or helping them. And he doesn't trust their leaders. Honestly, he only tells me bits and pieces. He says it's better if I only know a little about what he does." She pauses, and her smile is genuine, more relaxed and content than earlier. "Are you excited for tomorrow?"

"What's tomorrow?" I ask suspiciously, wondering how I'd missed any sort of announcement. So far, our initiation had some order, but it ebbed and flowed depending on what they needed done or who was available. There was no rigid pressure to complete everything. I had the feeling even after it was done, you could spend months learning about an area you wanted to work in without anyone batting an eye. "Wait, let me guess. We discover initiation is extended and Carole's now in charge?"

"You wish," Everly snickers. She reaches up, and her fingers press on my cheek, tracing up higher. "It's the day we all go to the market. Jerry takes everyone. It's total and utter chaos."

I stare at her green eyes, framed with long lashes, and her tanned skin desperate to hold onto summer, and I smirk back at her. My answer makes her grin, and she nods in understanding.

"What here isn't total chaos?"

"Okay, now scramble the eggs. Flip them over every couple minutes so they don't burn. Once they're almost done, we'll make toast."

I stand behind Everly, helping her cook breakfast. She didn't necessarily need my instruction; despite Forrest's claims she couldn't cook, she could.

Just not well.

There was a lack of confidence that stemmed from growing up with parents who made dinner every night and never really showed her how to make anything beyond toast. I have great appreciation for her against my chest, patiently listening to everything, and she's a pretty good student. I wasn't so much training her to make my breakfast but helping her branch out from eating toast and nothing else.

"Okay, what about the sausage?"

She's still no taller. Her head hits somewhere in the middle of my chest, and her feet are bare. She tilts her stare down at my arm, the sleeves rolled up on whatever shirt I'd grabbed and sort of angled around her, and her smile is secretive.

"Or should we make waffles? I can make those. My dad showed me how."

There are a few things she knows. While she cracked eggs into a large bowl, she explained Hank taught her to bake. I'd stared for a moment, her hair pulled up but not entirely, and my shirt slipping off her shoulder, and I blinked that she could bake but not cook. She claimed it was entirely different; Hank showed her how to make everything: cookies, brownies, cakes, pies, ice cream, scones, muffins, even things like fancy cakes with grossly inedible frosting. She excelled at all of this, but somehow, sauteing vegetables went over her head.

I ignored the eyeroll that followed when I asked what she ate for dinner if no one was home.

"Do you want waffles?" I pull her back to press my mouth to her neck, and the result is a dark red mark, and the faintest hint of where my teeth had been. She squirms against me, always moving closer, never away, and I'm pleased when she nods encouragingly. "You want waffles? Or you want me to –"

"I want –"

What I want, is to move.

To move far away, to the deepest and farthest part of Amity, where people did not know where we lived and could not knock on our door at all hours of the day.

There is something to be said about the community here. About living next door to neighbors who would bring you whatever you asked, or who would drop by with things like dinners, furniture, or sometimes, family members. I had the most minimal of all appreciation for May, who occasionally brought us things like a dark bottle of whiskey she'd gotten from Forrest and didn't like, or Jerry, bringing us the ribs he'd made for dinner but had overestimated how much two people could consume.

Even Hank, dropping off scones and syrup, mostly under the guise of checking on us.

But right now, I loathe them all.

I scowl into Everly's hair, hating that anyone even knew I was here, and had the audacity to dare come by unannounced.

"That's it. We're moving." I declare loudly, and Everly lets out of a huff of laughter when they knock a second time. "Where no one can find us."

"Let me know when you find out where that would be," she answers offhandedly, knowing full well that didn't exist here. "I'll willingly sign up to live there."

"I'll be right back." I sigh heavily, letting go of her with resigned hesitation. "Just…flip them over again in a minute."

"Okay," she looks back over her shoulder, smiling up at me. "Are you sure you don't want me to get it?"

"Nah."

I'm halfway to the door before she can finish her offer, and I open it to someone I don't know. It's a random member of Amity, dressed in reds and browns, with his arms full of flowers.

My stomach turns over sharply, and he struggles to speak around them.

"Eric Coulter? Are you Eric…Coulter?"

"Yes." I answer flatly, narrowing my eyes at the dark blue vase, and the darker flowers. I'm immediately suspicious, and he picks up on my defensive posture right away.

"Hi! Sorry to bother you. These came from Erudite. Well, they came from here but they were ordered in Erudite. I'm just dropping them off." The man explains in a rush, and he moves them toward me so I can take them from him. "Here you… go."

I don't take them.

They are plentiful; oversized, dark, and presumably poisonous.

"Um, Mr. Coulter?"

The man tries again, and this time, I yank the vase away from him. He nods in approval, tells me to have a great day, and heads down the steps and back to the main pathway. He's got a truck full of flowers, all bright colors and vibrant shades meant to survive in Fall, and he waves before he opens the door. I scowl around the flowers, and I fumble to pull out the card, one placed carefully between the stems.

The note makes me scowl even harder, and I have half a mind to throw the vase against the side of the house.

Congratulations on ranking so highly in your chosen faction. I would normally say I am proud of you and your quick rise through the ranks of the Amity faction, but I never expected anything less.

I look forward to seeing where you end up,

Jeanine

The market is crowded.

I find unexpected comfort in how noisy it is, along with the thrill of walking around without anyone caring why we are here.

Up ahead, Jerry leads the large group of Amity initiates with a joyful expression on his face, and he explains everything in a rapid manner. While here, we are able to shop for whatever we'd like. We'd all been given gold plastic cards with varying numbers of points, and he'd explained how to check the balance at each merchant. He further told us we could come here as merchants once we passed initiation. Some members sold things like artwork, flowers, baked goods, or clothing. Others offered woodworking, furniture, or masonry services.

The furthest and deepest section of the market was an area to arrange service and trade. Jerry proudly went on to say Amity was the sole source of builders and architects, and while Erudite tried, they failed to secure enough members who were willing to perform the actual physical work. It's hard to miss the pride in his voice, and I notice the line to arrange services with a member from Amity is long. Elisa is here, talking with someone who reminds me of Jeanine, and she shakes her head during what I assume is a negotiation for her services.

Up ahead, Jerry waves us on, announcing where a few more shops are, and where to meet him when we're done.

For a few minutes, I walk along in silence, enjoying the chaos around me.

Compared to Amity, the market is much louder and far more intense. There are rows of goods including bookshelves and sellers all vying for people to stop by. There are signs with prices, and the scavenged materials are going for much more than their reprinted versions. Up ahead, there's more clothing than I've ever seen, including a rack of dark clothes that catch my eye. I pause, causing Noelle to crash right into me, and her yelp is noticed only by Everly.

"What the hell?!"

Everly turns to look back curiously. Noelle's place in Amity wasn't entirely questionable; she'd proven herself to be fairly skilled with the children, and she was proficient at cooking. I'd heard a rumor Cece liked having her help in the kitchens, and Noelle liked feeling needed. She was still annoying, often staring me up and down with a glint in her eye or glaring at Everly as though she'd personally wronged her, but I'd deemed her mostly harmless.

Mostly.

I wasn't entirely convinced she had picked Amity for any reason other than she thought it would be easy, but I understood her struggle. I kept her on my radar purely to make sure she didn't fuck up anything for me personally, and to make sure she stayed clear of Everly.

Also, because I swore she always seemed to be a step behind me, as if she were keeping tabs on me.

"I'm going over there. Do you need anything?"

I stare down at Everly's dark hair, braided to one side and mostly undone, and she looks up at me. Since our night in the bathtub, I'd found myself somewhat impatient with her, but only because I wanted to devour her whole. The feeling rose up every time she was near me. It was a rush like no other, expected considering I'd touched her until she whimpered my name and her obvious attraction to me was appealing. However, all that aside, I'd discovered I genuinely liked her. I liked how brave she was, how smart she was, and how she fit against me, her fingers skimming across my stomach, down to my boxers, then moving away and torturing me because she knew better.

Our time in bed, and out of bed, was becoming all I could think about. I'd barely paid attention to Jerry's instructions on how long we had at the market, or what not to buy – mostly things that would go against Amity's way of life –in favor of listening to Everly talk to me about Forrest's wedding. It was coming up very soon, as in a few days away, and we were both not just invited, but expected to be there.

I had agreed to go, and I would keep my word.

"Actually, I want to see what books they have. May said there's a new one out I should look for, and if I found it, she'd pay me back."

Everly tightens her fingers on mine for a moment, and it's right as a group from Erudite rushes by. I recognize almost all of them from my classes, neat hair, neat clothes, useless glasses, bland stares, and she must be waiting for one to call out a hello.

They don't.

Only one boy pauses to look at me, and his double take reminds me I don't necessarily look like the same Eric who left Erudite.

I can't say I mind it.

He doesn't stop, though. Maybe he's too cowardly, or maybe it's the way I tower over him, and I'm nowhere near as lean as I once was. He throws me one more curious yet faintly jealous glance, then moves on with his mouth hanging open like he's seen a ghost. I can feel him glancing at my arms, and I know he's not spending his days building houses or fixing a barn.

If anything, he looks pale, like he's been poring over serums in a frantic attempt to prove he's smart.

"Okay, well, I'll meet you in twenty minutes? I want to go buy a shirt that isn't part of your brother's plaid color scheme." I point to the rack of clothes, and Everly's lips turn up. "Or pink."

"You look good in pink. But go ahead. I'll meet you in a bit. Have fun disappointing Forrest with your clothing choices. You know he'll be thinking his wardrobe just doubled," she laughs, but she lets go of my hand and takes off with the group of blue clad initiates. She cuts around them, reaching the bookshelves first, then disappears down a row marked Fiction.

I watch her until I can't see her, smirking when the lone merchant scowls at the group from Erudite, destroying his neat display as they frantically search for their required reading books. They aren't here for any fun reasons; more than likely, they've been assigned research books to read, or they need resource materials. They all looked stressed, and they grow loud when the merchant barks he only has so many copies of whatever medical journal they want and to check out other vendors.

I take off toward the rack of clothes, never in my life so thrilled to be purchasing something to wear, and I'm joined by Jake and Ryan. They're both quick and quiet; they walk along with me like it's their rightful place, and they perk up when they realize where I'm headed.

"We also need some new shirts." Ryan announces, and he elbows me. "I'm very sick of wearing red. My brother said it makes me look like a demon."

"I'm sick of wearing green. My sister said I look like a leprechaun," Jason laments, and they break away in search of clothes that don't make them look like mythical creatures. "Let me know if you need help, Eric! There's another guy who sells them, too. Sometimes on sale."

His offer is nice. I feel no jealousy that they've been here before, only guarded acceptance that they're looking out for me. I thank him as I turn down a row and they take the next one.

I'm immediately surrounded by darkness.

It's soothing.

My soul comes alive as I grab multiple dark black shirts, so dark it's like the color might come off on my fingers, then a few more. I grab other things as well, all items I think I'll need; dark pants, some black boots, and some dark boxers. I work quickly, not wanting to be seen shopping for such items by anyone I know, and I turn down a row of edgier clothing.

This row doesn't appeal to me.

I don't need a vest with dark studs, or pants with dozens of pockets. I walk past the rows of boots made more for show than work, and heeled boots with useless laces. I should be purchasing things more suited for the Amity faction, but I don't want to. Ian wore whatever he wanted, and it seemed like anything went. I grab a dark jacket when I reach the end, a dark hoodie, and when I turn to find the merchant, I run right into Rylan and Jason.

Arguing with Ryan and Jake.

"He was our friend first, you know. You can't just… you can't just buy black shirts and think you're us!" Rylan is defiant as ever, and he stands with his hands on his hips, and his pants rolled up to his ankles. Jake and Ryan are staring at him with great interest, the dark tattoo on his arm fresh and shiny, and his fitted shirt sleeves are rolled up like it's not cold in here. His hair is a mess, tangly and wild, and if anyone were to ask what someone from Dauntless looks like, it's him.

Raw jealousy rears its head, until he turns on his heel and his stare finds mine.

He looks awful.

Despite the more fit physique and the clear assimilation to his chosen faction, the exhaustion is hard to miss. The bruises on his face are varying shades of blues and black, some faded, some new, and his lip has been split open again. His hands are red, knuckles raw and cracked, and there's a gash on several. There's a larger gash above his eyebrow, and it cracks open when he hits his head against mine, having lunged for me the second he realized I was there.

"Fuck dude! I thought that was you! When I saw everyone from Amity, I knew you'd be here! Tell them I'm your best and most important friend and nothing will ever change that. Even if they try to impersonate me! Tell that guy to change his name!"

I manage to keep hold of everything, and I let him hug me hard enough to get blood on my forehead. There's nothing behind it except pure appreciation of seeing me alive, and a desperation for some familiarity. I feel the same way, and I surprise myself by hugging him back, only letting go when Jason steps up. He hugs me too, halfway, and he addresses Jake and Ryan warmly. There's a moment of pure excited conversation, and whatever Rylan was ranting about is long forgotten. He perks up and cheerfully informs Jake and Ryan he approves of their clothing choices, then yanks me aside.

"Is Courtney here?"

"Actually, she is." I grin at the look on his face, hopeful and eager, and it lessens when I tell him she didn't bring any ducks with her. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you. She's with Sophia. I don't know where they went."

"Is Everly here, too?" Rylan glances around frantically, and then he holds up his phone. "Here, lean in. I want a picture. I meant to take one in Amity and I forgot."

I force the barest hint of a smile, and he clicks the camera icon right as he tells me not to scowl. He takes a few more of the group, of Jake and Jason and Ryan, and then one of the more terribly designed pair of pants. He takes another one, this time closer, and sure enough, he grabs them down.

They are so tight I'm not sure how he plans on walking while wearing them, but he smiles at me, and the weariness in his grin is impossible to miss.

Rylan doesn't need a ton of sleep, but he looks like he's been awake since he picked Dauntless.

"Are you okay?" I stare at him, feeling a little nervous at how tired he looks. "You look like shit. Those are quite the bruises."

"I'm not okay, but I will be." Rylan stares, and he steps closer, ducking his head down. "I'm sure you've guessed, but initiation is the same. Harrison is still leading the class, Jeanine is in Dauntless all the time and Amar has not come back. Four is about to have a nervous breakdown. I don't know man, I agreed to take your spot, but it might not be worth it. I only said yes so she'd leave you alone. The other day, she gave me an ultimatum of helping her, or death. So…that's where I'm at in life."

"You should have told her to find someone else," I shake my head. "Rylan, she'll do the same shit to you that she had planned for me."

"I know. Harrison said I just have to get through initiation, do the job for a few months, then I can split. He doesn't think she'll really try to kill me. They're already working on getting some new leaders in. The main guy is Max and he's over all of it. He came downstairs the other day, looked around, and went right back upstairs."

"Harrison said Jason flooded the training room," I stare over at Jason, Jake, and Ryan, and they're all excitedly talking about something. "And you fell off a wall and asked to go to Amity?"

His laugh makes me grin.

"That should tell you how terrifying Arlene is." He grabs the clothes from my arms, the boots, and nods in approval. "I'll carry these. Jason and I are buying some new stuff, too. My shirts don't fit anymore." Rylan throws me a wink, and he encourages me to follow him. "Hey, when is your official wedding? Your dad sent me a message this morning saying he can't find any formal record of the marriage, but he's fully convinced you have a wife. I didn't have the heart to tell him the wedding is upcoming and his invitation will probably get lost on the way to Erudite. Or eaten by a horse."

"Hilarious," I roll my eyes at him, and we walk through the row of clothing together. "Harrison asked me about the wedding, too. He said he promised Everly he'd be there for it. I'm supposed to find some guy named Saul and talk to him. Harrison gave me a card to give him."

"Let me see." Rylan stops suddenly, and I pull out both cards. The gold one from Amity, and the black one from Harrison. "Shit! That's the card all the leaders have! It has his name on it."

"Where?" I squint at it, having given no real consideration to the card. I'd shoved it in my pocket, figuring I'd show it to Saul and get on with my life. "How do you know?"

"It says right there…it says...Harrison. That's it. Is that his first name or his last name?"

"Who knows?" I put it back in my pocket, and we resume walking. "Want to go find the guy with me? Think Jason is okay by himself?"

Honored by me requesting his presence, Rylan agrees immediately. He points out that Jason is just fine talking to Jake and Ryan, and the three of them are currently swapping clothing items and laughing at how they're the same size.

Rylan and I walk to the counter, where he slams down all the stuff, instructs the man to ring it up with his purchase, and then tosses him one very similar black card. The man eyes it suspiciously, but swipes it, then hands Rylan several large bags.

"It's Max's card. I found it in the hallway the other day. I figure he won't mind." Rylan snickers, and he hands me a bag. "Enjoy, compliments of the Dauntless faction."

"Thanks," I shake my head, and I wonder if Max knows what he's in for. "Is he gonna make you pay this back?"

"Nah," Rylan disagrees brightly. "He'll never even know it was me. If he asks, I'll tell him it was Four who did it. I bought one shirt in an extra small and some tiny pants so if I need to, I can prove it's for him."

"Smart."

The two of us laugh, ignoring the strange looks from the few Dauntless initiates rifling through the racks of clothes, and desperately trying to find something that shows who they are as a person. I stare at one with an eyebrow full of piercings and a large bat tattooed across his throat, and I smirk at the thought of him failing out of Dauntless looking like that.

I wouldn't have failed, but it appears unlike in Amity, there are no guarantees about life there whatsoever.

Saul is far sketchier than I would imagine for a friend of Harrison's. He eyes me up and down, crosses his arms, and demands to know who sent me. He looks left and right, perhaps expecting an ambush, then back at me.

Only when I tell him Harrison told me to ask for him, does he noticeably relax.

"Okay, okay, Harrison is a good pal of mine. I know exactly why you're here. Everly isn't with you, is she?" He glances left and right, then back at Rylan. "Who's this kid?"

"I'm Eric's best friend. Who are you?" Rylan eyes him back, and their standoff comes to an end when Saul vanishes into the back of his own set up and returns with a box. He hands it to me and instructs me to go through the contents carefully and pick out whatever I want. The charge, he explains, is minimal, given my position in the Amity faction.

I cock an eyebrow at him, and his only response is to stare back. He watches silently, and I have the strange feeling of being in over my head.

It goes away as quickly as it came when Rylan elbows me.

"Do you trust this guy? What if he's setting you up?" Rylan asks, despite Saul being on the other side of the table.

I glance up at him, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Everly a few feet away, looking around. She pauses near the end of a row of formal dresses, the fabrics all sorts of bright colors but mostly white. She glances around once, and when she's satisfied no one is looking, she reaches out to touch one. She jumps when a man appears out of nowhere, small and slight, with long spiky hair and oversized glasses, and he offers to help her. He's thrilled to have a potential customer and now enthused as ever, he asks a few questions. I see her shake her head no, and there's a look of longing when he encourages her to look at a few of the ones hidden in between the others. He helps pull out a pale pink dress, and Everly slowly steps away, forcing a polite smile and thanking the man.

He's crushed.

He crosses his arms over his chest, and his shiny black shoes kick at the ground in defeat. A second later, he rushes after her, yelling out that he has a business card for her, and he can make dresses for all occasions, any time, any place. He runs horribly, insisting he's very quick at sewing, and he nearly takes her down when he yelps that his name is Christian and he'd love to dress her in something that actually fits.

His insult is enough to make her stop, and she whirls around, her black hair bold against the white bunches of fabric as she protests her dress fits just fine.

"Yeah, yeah I do. If Harrison trusts him, then I'm not worried." I answer quickly, and across the table, Saul throws Rylan a tight, unimpressed smile.

"You need one, kid? I'm assuming you're single. Given your…charming personality and unwashed hair."

"I'll have you know, I have a fiancée. I could have two fiancées if I wanted. But I don't. I only need one. So thanks but no thanks," Rylan rolls his eyes, and he hits my arm. "She's over there, actually. I'll meet you in a second. Don't rush. I'll keep Courtney and Everly busy."

"Sure, thanks. Wait…did you propose? How the fuck are you going to marry a girl in Amity?"

He's gone before I can get an answer.

Saul stares after him, also waiting to hear Rylan's answer, and I shrug when neither of us get an explanation. I return Saul's merchandise to him, and it seems to take ages before I figure out why Harrison sent me to see him. He might not live in Amity, but he was making sure she was taken care of, no matter what the cost.

"You sure?" Saul eyes me critically, and there is no haggling. He agrees with whatever Harrison and he have worked out, and he has me sign a single sheet of paper. "Good man. She'll like it."

Ten minutes later, I join Rylan, Courtney, Sophia and Everly, with the purchase placed in the bag with the dark clothes. I take hold of Everly's hand, following along carefully as we work our way through this side of the market, right up until we find the cart selling coffee. Rylan finds a table, and we sit down with our friends, like this is routine.

"Did you buy anything that isn't black?" Everly eyes the bag curiously, and I kick it out of the way, under the table.

I shake my head no, and her smile is immediate.

She smiles wider when I buy her hot chocolate, and the two of us sit back down with Sophia. She explains Rylan and Courtney have run off, and she's guessing they went somewhere with more privacy. She shakes her head, and her own eyes light up when Jason arrives, with Jake and Ryan. He makes a beeline to her, and their reunion is quick.

He lunges for her, like he's desperate for someone who doesn't want to punch him in the face, and she lunges for him like she's had her fill of boys from Amity talking about who has the bigger tractor.

The rest of our time at the market is spent with them.

It's slow and easy, full of insults that aren't really insults, Jason and Sophia frantically trying to make plans to meet back up, and laughter. Everly stays leaning against me, and I can feel her disappointment when Jerry wanders by, telling us we're leaving soon.

My own disappointment is just as sharp, and just as surprising.

On the walk out, I realize I didn't tell Rylan about Daniel showing up.

I glance around quickly, trying to see if I can spot him anywhere, but he and Courtney have yet to return, and there's only a hint of concern from the others. Everyone is very confident they'll both reappear just in time, and I give up when Jerry cheerfully counts heads, moving down the line quickly to make sure he has everyone.

He doesn't.

His smile is knowing, and when he turns to yell for Courtney to hurry up unless she wants to walk back to Amity, I catch sight of a dark blue coat, and brown hair. It's enough to make my stomach tense, and there's a visceral reaction to seeing her here.

Luckily, the woman doesn't turn around.

She slips down a row of books marked for medical reference only, so fast that had I blinked, I would have missed her completely.

Zander's birthday is an extravaganza I'm not ready for.

A few days after our visit to the market, I stand beside Everly holding a bag filled with whatever she'd bought for him, and I stare at her parents' house in pure horror.

Growing up in Erudite, birthdays were celebrated in the most boring way possible. Depending on your family's social status, you got a dinner out, or perhaps a formal party at home with a dinner of your choice cooked by the staff. A cake, some cards, whatever gift your parents deemed appropriate. It was always quiet, or boastful in a tasteful way. By the time I left Erudite, my birthday was so often overlooked I forgot it existed. I grew to loathe the date, knowing the only people who would remember were Rylan's family.

In Amity, it was the first time I'd ever been given a few hours of recognition with someone who wasn't pushing me off or celebrating because she had to. Everly had given me my first real birthday party in years. Waffles and an evening of quiet wasn't the highest choice of celebration for most, but I would choose that ten thousand times over what's before me.

Children.

Everywhere.

Running and screaming in every direction, tearing through the sprawling garden behind Eden's house with wild abandon. There's an inflatable bounce house and slide being monitored by Forrest. He's a daring choice of chaperon given the beer in his hand, the bottle by his foot, and Hank dropping off a third round of drinks. Forrest holds the net open for more kids to climb in, until there are so many it must be a safety hazard, and he encourages them to jump as high as they can while talking with Judd.

There are pony rides, led by May, also drinking a beer.

Face painting, done by Carole, who is not drinking but probably would be more tolerable if she did.

A petting zoo, with goats, bunnies, chickens, a few llamas, a cranky looking donkey and an even crankier looking family of ducks, and what appears to be a skunk. This is manned by Jerry, and every so often, he runs after one of Zander's friends, sweating as they pick up an animal that doesn't want to be picked up.

The rest is a blur.

Everly's brothers and sisters are running around with no shoes on, shrieking as someone starts a fire to roast marshmallows. There is a shriek as someone drops their shoe into the fire, and a second shriek when someone's hair starts to burn.

No one appears to be panicked.

Only me.

Eden is busy passing out left over candy, some to the kids, more to the parents, and she pauses when Harrison strolls up, his arms full of presents wrapped in black paper. He's dressed formally, like he's come straight from a meeting deep within Dauntless, and his expression is weary, but happy to be here. He greets May with a nod, then turns his full attention to Eden, frozen right as she was handing him a pumpkin shaped chocolate.

I wait for Everly to rush over to talk to Harrison, but she stops to talk to Sophia and Courtney –the word engagement floats up, along with both Jason and Rylan's names and a slew of shrieks of a different kind – and I'm the only one watching. It's hard to look away. The change in Eden is instant. She stands up straighter, clutches the candy to her chest, and tilts her head up to look at Harrison.

He looks down at her, angling his body to face her, and it's obvious there's still a connection.

As far as I knew, Eden and Hank had a happy marriage. I knew Everly and Forrest were Harrison's, and I'd been toying with the idea that Zander is his, too. The kid looks like him, has the same level of tolerance for everyone, and is obsessed with the Dauntless faction. The idea was strange to me, making me question what happened here, or if something had happened, but it didn't seem to be scandalous.

The best I could come up with, and the only theory which made sense, was Hank and Eden had, at some point, split up temporarily. I couldn't think of anything else. Hank was the kindest, most gentle person I knew. He hadn't even raised his voice when Noelle cheated on her worksheet, or when his daughter was more interested in me than a career in botany. He was patient, but maybe he was too involved in his work, or training the newest members of Amity.

Because when Harrison smiles, his hair neatly combed this time and his Dauntless uniform sticking out like a sore thumb amongst a sea of bright colors, Eden looks alive.

She doesn't look like the woman who is being pulled in every direction by her children, or the one who's on the backburner of her husband's work schedule. I knew Hank worked hard, sometimes too hard, and even Eden wasn't immune to being put second. She swallows when Harrison drops his head to whisper something to her, and both of their corresponding smiles turn tense.

They're filled with a hopelessness I don't understand, but it's so sharply tangible that I hope I never will.

"Do you want to go to the petting zoo first? Or do you want Carole to paint your face like a tiger?"

I look down at Everly, grinning at me like she knows I'm about to turn around and go home, and I shake my head.

She'd written both our names on the card, told Zander we loved him despite my protest that I most certainly did not, and wished him the best birthday ever. Her words were sweet, even if Zander wouldn't appreciate them, and they felt telling about where things were going.

I still didn't doubt we'd wind up together, in every aspect. I had no lingering concerns that something would come between us, nor did I foresee any major obstacles. Even Jeanine's warning of crappy flowers, dropped off at Carole's house now with a note wishing her well, from Don, didn't freak me out. I was confident I'd be fine. If I had an army behind me, there was no way Jeanine would get me out of here. She knew the relationship with my family is weak, and she can't use them against me.

I arrogantly consider how she doesn't scare me and she never will.

But this, a whole forest full of screaming, out of control, banshee like children spilling out of every single inch of Amity does.

"We are never having any children. Ever."

I blurt this out right as Wesley nears us, and his eyes grow wide. When he catches my stare, he grins, and his nod is reassuring. "Smart move, man."

He yells this out as he runs past, chased by Leif, and the two of them are busy trying to outrun a pig with a large pink bow around her neck.

Everly throws me a knowing look, and she lowly promises me we don't have to stay for very long.

This time, he does stay.

Everly asks him while we say goodbye. Eden has given us cake to take home –something dark and sweet and rumored to be the same one the Dauntless faction obsessed over. I stand to the side while they talk, side eyeing Zander, sound asleep in the middle of the kitchen, having crashed once his sugar rush wore off. He's a mess, his hair in his eyes and one hand clutching the toy gun Harrison has brought him, and he's missing a shoe.

The rest of the house is quiet. Everyone is still outside, still celebrating, and the party will likely go on all night. I have a feeling Zander always got a large party, and everyone was more than happy to help him celebrate. Every so often, one of his siblings comes by. Paisley does her best not to look at me when she tip toes past, and she nudges Zander with her foot to see if he'll wake up. He barely moves past growling no, and then he resumes sleeping. Holly joins her, and the two of them attempt to pick him up, struggling not to laugh as they try to carry him upstairs.

They fail miserably.

There are a lot of uncontrollable giggles as they smack his head into the wall, and he wakes up enough to be mad at them for moving him.

"Eric, can you help me with something?"

I turn to find Hank standing beside me, and I nod without any hesitation.

No matter how good things were with this situation, it had to be weird to watch his daughter asking her other father to stay, while his wife looked on with hope all over her face. I take off with Hank, feeling the faint stirring of unease, and I know I'm about to find out everything I've ever wondered about Eden and Harrison.

"Is that…weird?"

Hank and I walk through the darker part of the pathway. It's a section by the groves, where the tree branches overlap to create a canopy, and the shadows are taller than we are. I wouldn't go as far as saying it's frightening out here, but it's got a different feeling. More honest, like words are safe beneath the trees, because they can't get out, and definitely less welcoming. Every few steps crunch, and there's a rustle in the distance. If I let my imagination wander, I'd say we were being followed.

"Is what weird, Eric?" Hank looks at me, patient as ever, and his shrug is telling.

"Everly asking Harrison to stay? Him…. having once been with Eden? Or still trying to be with her?"

Honesty is not easy for me. I grew up in a house of lies, plentiful and quick, but always accepted. The truth was too much for my parents. It admitted their faults, made them human, and would have destroyed them. It only came out sometimes, when they'd had their fill of being polite, and their egos needed to be reminded they were in control.

Here, the truth is prevalent, even if it hurts.

It may sometimes be posed to makes things more amicable, and it isn't always demanded. This isn't Candor, or even Dauntless –where the truth would be ripped out of your throat. It is simply encouraged from the relationships which are built and in turn, it comes naturally.

Just like my question to Hank, even though it's the least appropriate thing I could have asked him.

"I knew who he was when I met Eden," Hanks answers, frank and careful. "I won't deny that Harrison is a good man who made a lot of mistakes. He left her to fend for herself because he couldn't get out of his duty to the Dauntless faction. He explained several times to me that if he held a lower ranking job, he would have been able to vanish. But…as one of their leaders, they'd come looking for him."

"Yeah but…you're good with him just showing up?"

I stare at Hank as we keep walking, trying to put myself in his shoes.

He has years on me. Years of wisdom and experience, years of patience. I try to imagine Everly being connected to someone else, so strongly that she'd never be rid of him, knowing he'd return from time to time. I try to imagine her loving someone in a way that transcends factions, in such a way that everyone around her would accept it. I stop when the thought makes my fists clench, and it's a neat reminder that this isn't the faction meant for me, because there is no way I could tolerate it.

Not even the idea.

"It's taken me a long time to be good with it." Hank's response is terse, and it's the first I've heard him sound like life isn't rainbows and unicorns and gardens full of bounce houses and children in sugared frenzies. "When I met her, she was struggling. I found her ambitious and kind, and she had a patience I had never seen before. I'd never met anyone who was willing to give someone years to follow through with their plans. It took me months to get Eden to even have tea with me, and it took Everly until she was almost four to let me hold her. She was always looking for him. Always waiting for her father to come home."

My lips part, but I have no response.

"You probably won't understand, or maybe you do, maybe you've thought about having your own family, but the day Everly called me Dad was a day I'll never forget. I raised her for years before he came back. I spent every day with her, read her stories, brushed her hair so it wasn't a mess, walked her to school. It was good, and then he'd show up and she'd realize he'd been gone. It took until she was almost eight before she understood he couldn't stay, and he'd come back when he could."

"And Forrest?" I blink as we round a dark corner, and the only light we have is what streams down from the moon. "What about him?"

"He loves everyone," Hank grins, shrugging as something howls in the distance. "Forrest doesn't care who anyone is. He accepts everyone. He was thrilled to have two dads, and he still is. He's very close with Harrison, and I would be a pretty crappy person to ask otherwise of him."

"Everly's not as close to him. But she wants to be." I point this out carefully, not sure of my place to talk about any of this. I only know what Everly has told me, and what I've assumed on my own. "He doesn't visit as often as she wants him to, does he?"

"They have a tense relationship these days. He's been busy, and he hasn't been able to visit as much as he once did. Harrison tries to keep Eden and I updated on what he's doing, but it's a jumble of words which make no sense. Security meetings, briefings, connections in Candor, visits to Abnegation. She started to notice he couldn't always make it when he said he could, and she toyed with the idea of picking Dauntless to live near him. I think she thought he'd have to show up if she was there."

"She would have gotten hurt," I blurt out, and Hank's agreement is quick. "Jason and Rylan, they're all beat up and Rylan said it's very physical. They rank them based off how well they fight and –"

"I told her if she stayed, I'd make it right. We'd find something for her to do here, and I'd get Harrison to visit more often. He agreed, saying he didn't really want her there. He said it was dangerous. No one would care if a girl from Amity showed up. He said most initiates are male, large and have been preparing their whole life. He tries very hard to visit Everly, but she wants him to live here, and he can't give her that."

"And Eden? What about him and Eden?" I try to think of a non-offensive way to ask about Zander, but there is none. "Zander?"

"We spent some time apart for a while. I dated a woman here, and Eden…obviously still had feelings for Harrison. Zander is his. It doesn't make much of a difference to me. We got back together after he was born, and Harrison was still stuck in Dauntless. I've raised Zander along with my own, and when he's old enough, we'll tell him. Though he's very attached to Harrison. I'm sure you can tell."

"You're okay with all this?" I stop in my tracks, shaking my head. "You're just…"

"You can't imagine it, can you? Loving someone and knowing…knowing they still love someone else. I knew it from the get-go. Eden was very clear if Harrison came back, she wanted to be with him. I went along with this, selfishly thinking he'd never return. I thought, how stupid is he to think he can just come live here when he leads another faction. It wasn't very kind of me, but I'm sure you can understand." Hank also stops, and his stare finds mine. "Enough about me. I wanted to talk to you without Everly around. There's a house that just went empty in a newer section of the faction. It's nice, just built, sort of near your uncle but not really. Normally, it would sit vacant until we figure out who needs the house most. New families are always moved up to the top of the list. Single individuals may apply, but they're encouraged to share a house until they're married."

"Why are you telling me this?" I stare until his face becomes unfocused and he's a blur of worn, button-down denim and dark brown boots. I want him to keep talking about how he's handling the whole Eden and Harrison situation, but it's clear he's done. "You want Everly and me to move there?"

"The look on your face tells me you have no intention of ever letting anyone come between you and Everly. I know this has been quick. I know the initiation is meant to show you the main parts of Amity, but also introduce you to someone you can spend your life with. You're expected to be an active member here, to work and live and populate our faction like everyone else." He smiles, and his eyes are hopeful. "I'm hoping by the end of it, you want to marry her. You don't need me to tell you this because I think you were going to do it anyway, but I know you can keep her from getting hurt. Not just by Landon or some factionless. I think you make her happy."

I don't know what to say.

Hank seems to understand. He's ever patient, and he reaches out to pat my arm.

"Harrison and I both came to an agreement that we'd keep them safe. All of them. Forrest, Everly, Paisley, Holly, Leif, Wesley, Zander. No matter what it takes. I know you can keep her safe. So now, I'm asking you to keep her safe."

"Are you worried she's not?" I parrot Everly's words from days ago, when she'd asked May if we were safe. I think of how I'm the last person she's safe with, especially given how I ended up here. "You think she's safe with me?"

"I think you'd never hurt her, and you'd hurt anyone who tried to hurt her, so yes." Hank answers solemnly. "Look, I won't be here forever. Neither will Harrison. If he never comes back, or if I keel over working one day, I want to know someone is looking out for her. I don't mean, keep her locked in the house or demand she never wander out of your sight. I mean someone who appreciates her and wants her to be happy."

"Yeah, yeah…" I agree, and the words sound stupid in my head. "But, I don't even have a job here. I don't even know what I'm doing. I picked Amity because it was the last place my family thought I'd come. This isn't…who I am. I don't actually belong here."

Hank shakes his head. His reaction is unexpected, and I find myself pissed off at both his logic, and how right he is.

"You belong wherever you are. That's what Everly likes about you. You have a presence. A confidence that others are lacking. You've knocked down everything that's been thrown at you; initiation, cliff jumping, rifle training, beers at the bar, living with Everly, fending off girls who want you to cheat on their work for them." He grins, and I let out of a huff of exasperation. "Hey, you made it through the treasure hunt, the Fall Festival, Zander's birthday. You're doing just fine. In a few days, you're going to be asked to meet with Johanna. Help her run things. Take some pressure off her. If you agree, we'll make a name for you here, one that your father will be proud of."

I start to protest, but Hank isn't having it.

"Everly told me about him. You don't have to work in a lab to prove how smart you are. Help run this faction. I'll make sure you have a nice place to live, and Everly will make sure you're happy. Because you are happy with her, and it's impossible to prove otherwise. I've seen the way you look at her."

"Like what?" I answer hotly, feeling mortified that he knows his daughter makes me happy, or he'd come to the conclusion things aren't so innocent between us. I'm more stuck on him thinking I'm happy. It's embarrassing. The thought is ridiculous; I'd never needed anyone, and maybe it's time I get back to that.

"Like you're afraid if you look away, she'll be gone. She won't, though. Everly is nothing if not loyal." Hank rocks back on his heels, and I hate how he can see right through me. "Obviously, the decision is yours. You don't have to marry her. But if you don't, someone else will. She doesn't want to be alone and neither do you."

"I'm fine," I answer sharply, and this becomes too personal. I feel myself shutting down, my fight or flight kicking in at the mere thought of someone noticing I care about Everly. I try to think rationally, reminding myself this is normal here. Affection is not frowned upon or mocked. There is no shame in having feelings for her, and absolutely no objection to acting on them. "It's all very fast. Are you sure you really want me to marry her?"

Hank stares, kind blue eyes blinking, until he nods. It's slow and sure, every bit as logical as the decision to love his wife even though she's always loved someone else. "I know why you picked here and let me tell you. Living well is the best revenge. You want to really piss off your aunt? Find what makes you happy and don't let go. Marry Everly. Move by your uncle. Lead the faction. It's a life here, maybe not the one you originally pictured, but close, maybe even better."

My throat tightens, trying to stop myself from blurting out something stupid, because he's not wrong.

Living a life with Everly, one filled with a happiness that came organically, would make Jeanine furious. It would make her blood boil to realize I'd made a rash decision to spite her, and it had worked in my favor. There would be hell to pay at some point; I was more and more sure she was waiting for just the right moment to show up, but it was time I stopped waiting around for her and instead chose to be proactive.

If I had a wife, a home here, a position that held weight, true happiness, and an army behind me, Jeanine wouldn't stand a chance.

The idea is intoxicating, stronger than any drink Forrest had made us, or any serum Jeanine could create.

It's why I shake Hank's hand, making an agreement beneath a full moon, while the howling echoes in the distance, vanishing into bright, other worldly moonlight.

Daniel calls on the walk home.

He has especially shitty timing given it's just Everly and me, and she's talking about how excited Forrest is that I agreed to be in both his bachelor party and his wedding. I throw her one dark look, imagining a wild and rather loud party run by squirrels, but I answer the phone quickly, and Daniel's voice is chipper.

It's drowned out by the background noise of the Erudite hospital. There's an alert called out, someone loudly demanding Daniel come look at something, and beeping as someone goes too close to a door they aren't supposed to be by. His floor seems unusually busy, but it's not. He dealt with a slew of patients and disorders, and as the head surgeon, he was often there all day and most of the night.

"I'm calling to see how you are! It was so good to see you! I wanted to let you know I met Atlas and Elisa. I can't think of anyone else nicer in my life, except for Everly. She was very nice. Ian feels terrible about the plate he broke. I said I could get a set and send them to you." He pauses his rush of words, cheerfully calling out goodnight, and I scowl at how happy he sounds. "Everly is very young, right? Or is she your age?"

"She's eighteen," I grit out, and she looks up at me. Her stare is curious, and the single year between us seems like it might as well be six. "Why?"

"I'm just curious. I like her. I thought she was very smart and funny, and you seem to like her. Is she eating enough? I was surprised to see she's so…short."

"She eats just fine," I bark at him, and I wonder if he's lost his mind. "Are you really calling to talk about how tall Everly is?"

Her eyes find mine, and there's a flash of mild, amused insult. She leans in, and whispers to tell him she's five-seven.

"No one would ever believe that," I swat her away, but there's no malice behind it. I grab her hand tightly, and she slips her fingers between mine. "Daniel, what do you want? Aren't you coming back next week? Can't we just talk then?"

My annoyance, sheerly out of pure, left over animosity, doesn't bother him. He calls out goodnight to someone else, then returns his attention to me.

"I am. I would love to bring dessert or maybe drinks. Does she like wine? I bought a great bottle for Camille and myself the other day to celebrate a particularly difficult surgery and—"

"Camille?"

I stop in my tracks.

Everly stops, too, and my grip tightens on her tiny hand, until she shakes it loose and moves to stand in front of me.

"How is…Camille?" I ask flatly, and like I've summoned her out of nowhere, I hear her voice.

Friendly and excited, announcing to my father he's been nominated for another honor, one dripping with pretentious prestige. She says his name brightly, failing to call him Sir, or Dr. Coulter, like any true assistant would, and it dawns on me she's standing close to him. Very close. Too close.

"Is she there?"

I had long thought there was something going on between them. Not in the scandalous, salacious way of my father screwing his assistant in his office because his wife loathed the very sight of him. But worse. Deeper. A connection made over hours of long work, challenging surgeries, and difficult medical mysteries.

I was fourteen the first time I wondered about this.

She was in his office when I was dragged there for ditching a class I had no interest in attending. When I flung the door open, I walked in on her fixing his tie. It wasn't at all romantic or flirty, or even remotely seductive. She looked exhausted, her hair was a mess, and she quickly explained the clothes he'd brought for his lecture had been sent out to be pressed and had not arrived back in time. So Camille had gone to purchase new ones. There was something telling about her knowing his size, what he normally wore, and him trusting her that threw me off. He didn't look any different or worse in these clothes; Camille didn't have any better taste than Blythe, and Daniel's only image requirement was stuffy surgeon, so it was fine.

But it wasn't.

I stood there feeling like I'd walked in on something I shouldn't be seeing, even though both of them were fully dressed, clearly in the middle of leaving for the lecture, looking more like husband and wife than he and Blythe ever did.

The disconnect between him and Blythe only furthered when nothing did happen. Daniel never left her, he tried to make things work, and because of who they were, he was tied to her. He stayed by her side faithfully, or as faithfully as I assumed.

Now, hearing her voice congratulating him on being nominated and asking if he's hungry, makes me think otherwise.

"She's fine. She's right here. She'd love to say hello to you!" Daniel seems oblivious to my tone, but I know he's not. Camille is a sore subject for us. I'd asked him once, and only once, what was going on. I was sixteen, and she stopped by to drop off paperwork for him. He invited her to stay through the most awkward dessert and drinks ever, Blythe accidentally threw her wine glass into the wall, and I was sent upstairs.

When he came to say goodnight to me, his answer –absolutely nothing was going on –was so heavy and disheartening that I almost wished something was.

At the very least, Camille was nicer than Blythe. I wasn't particularly friendly to her, and she'd never once taken it personally.

"Oh, I'd love to," I answer sarcastically, and Everly watches with rapt fascination. "Hi Camille. How are you? Still alive? Great. Have a nice night."

"Hi Eric," Camille answers, and she sounds like she's stifling down an amused, not at all attractive snort. "Your father told me he had dinner with you. You and your wife. It sounds like you're really enjoying your time in Amity."

"He did. It was great. Ian threw a plate of spaghetti at his head," I retort, and Everly struggles not to laugh. She says my name lowly, followed by something that sounds like be nice, and I glare at her. "Hey, speaking of Ian, did you know he had a brother? Because I sure didn't."

"I did not. I guess you and I have that in common." She answers so smoothly that I hate her. It's not her, though. I'm smart enough to know my relationship with her is only because of Daniel, but she is light years closer to him than I am, and I'm being petty over him because he exists. "Daniel says Everly is very sweet. And your house is lovely."

"Yeah, you know what? You should come with him for dinner," I snicker, and I enjoy being mean. Camille isn't my mother, but if she's gunning for the role, I'm not open to her trying to be involved in my life, either. "Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Are you inviting me to dinner, Eric? Really? I'm flattered." Camille serves my own attitude right back, and I crack the wriest, most appreciative smile she can't even see. "I was hoping you were doing well. I'm glad to hear it. I was worried about you."

"I'm sure you were, Camille." I roll my eyes, and Everly pulls on my hand to start walking again. "I have to go. Can you tell Daniel sure, I'll see him whenever he shows up."

"I think he's thinking next Tuesday?" Camille suggests, and there's a quiet shuffle as Daniel answers something I can't hear. "Friday? Wait, I think Friday."

Everly shakes her head. Her grip tightens until I look down at her. "Eric, that's Forrest's wedding. His party is Wednesday."

"Oh yeah, tell him I can't. I'm in a wedding." I inform her, and I end up laughing when there's silence. Camille doesn't seem to know what to say. She repeats the word wedding, and I imagine her trying to conjure up an image of my life here. "Okay, it's been wonderful talking to you. Bye. Enjoy…. staring at Daniel all day."

I hang up before she can respond, and Everly stays silent for a minute.

She looks up again, and her arm bumps mine. When she does speak, it's soft and knowing.

"Is she close to your father? Or closer than she should be?"

We walk along in silence for a few minutes, beneath a dark sky and heavy stars, and this time, I'm the one to tighten my fingers through hers.

I nod, but I can't bring myself to tell her yes.

The rankings are hand delivered.

They're printed on plain paper, beneath the Amity logo, and they mean absolutely nothing.

Sure, the names are listed.

Sure, my name is written first, right above Everly's.

And sure, if you were smart, you'd figure out there is a loose order, and everyone's actions haven't gone unnoticed. My name is at the top, and so is Everly's, Jakes, Ryan's, and a dozen others I haven't bothered to get to know. Tris' name is printed in the middle, bland and unassuming, and pretty unnoticeable.

Noelle's is at the bottom.

Ultimately, the words on the paper are congratulatory. Johanna has written a kind message saying she's proud of everyone, and this year's class is the strongest they've had in a while. I read it twice, trying to figure out the hidden meaning carefully slipped in between her words, but there is none.

Only flowery, sweet encouragement to finish initiation strong, and make sure to fill out our official paperwork at our earliest convenience.

"Are you asleep?"

I ignore the tiny voice in favor of keeping my eyes shut. I'd flopped down onto the bed on my stomach and slammed my face into the pillow. Someone, not me or Everly, has been in here. There are clean, stark white sheets on the bed, and an arrangement of not blue, non-Erudite themed flowers on the dresser. My guess is Eden had come by and took it upon herself to make the bed, and I feel a fleeting speck of guilt that I'd yanked off my shirt and pants, thrown them, and fell right into the bed.

I'm not exhausted or mentally worn out. I'm lost in my own thoughts, thinking of the mounting pressure of living here and the irony of how one could be stressed out here. I'd brushed my teeth while Everly was downstairs, and I went back and forth over her father's words and the thought of marrying her, really marrying her, in front of the faction. I thought of the Amity army, now a tangible, breathing entity, and I thought of Landon, skipping into the woods to talk to the ones Jeanine had banished. I thought of Hank and Eden, of Blythe and Daniel, even Ian and Elisa. I tried to think of all their expectations for me, and whether any of them even matter anymore.

The shock of the century is Amity's not that terrible of a place to live.

All the pros of living here had begun to outweigh the cons.

When I really look at it, I have a lot going for me. I have a girl who is willing to stick her hand down my boxers, who wants to keep this going after initiation, and is willing to put up with my less than friendly demeanor toward everyone but her. I have a family here, one who would and had willingly accepted me, a man who views himself as my brother –if I want one, and plenty of people who want to be friends. I have a future, the promise of a position with Johanna, and acceptance. It is a far cry from Erudite, where my sneer kept everyone away, and the only one daring enough to come close was Rylan.

Every so often, I thought of him and what he was doing. A flash of Dauntless would burst into my mind. It wasn't as frequent or as demanding, but it popped up when I least expected it. I was still awaiting my aunt's arrival in Amity, and Harrison's words made me think she was coming for me. She wouldn't be pacified by Rylan's lukewarm commitment to her, nor would she appreciate his lackluster interest in helping her.

She would, in fact, be furious.

Furious enough to try and get me to help her.

"Did you really fall asleep? Do you have narcolepsy? It's not even that late!" Everly asks again, incredulously.

"Yes."

I ignore the bed dipping near me, and I lift up my head when Everly settles beside me, and her fingers touch my back. The feeling makes me turn and look at her, more defensively than I'd like, but I relax when she leans closer. She presses her fingers up my spine, and I lay my head back down when she touches my shoulder blade.

"Did you not have fun at the party?" Everly asks with a faint hint of seriousness, and her legs touch my side. "Did Zander wear you out?"

"Obviously." I snort, but I'm distracted. Everly is cold against me, but her hands are warm. She trails them up higher, and I close my eyes when they touch the nape of my neck. She scratches there experimentally, and my exhale is nothing but pure, and complete appreciation for her.

"Did my dad talk to you?" Everly shifts, leaning more over me, and I grunt in sheer annoyance when she moves her hand from my hair. She returns to my back, tracing the outline of now defined muscle, pressing harder every now and then. The feeling is pleasant; it hurts when she touches a particularly sore spot, but in a good way. "You guys left for a while. I thought maybe he talked to you about your dad. He was worried about him showing up."

"Why?" I mutter, telepathically insisting she return to the same spot was just in. She must be able to read minds because she does. "He just…told me about Harrison and said there are some houses available by Ian."

"He thought maybe Daniel was here to ask you to go back to Erudite. The houses by Ian…do you want to live over there?" Everly is quiet, and I wonder if she'd prefer to live elsewhere. With my luck, she'll want to move by her parents, or next door to Forrest. "That area is…it's a lot of people who transferred here. They all work really important jobs. They're a little less…over this way."

I can feel her hesitation, and I lift my head to look at her. I glance back, and she's frowning.

"You don't want to live there?"

Her lips part, but she stays silent until I sit up. "You could live there. My mom said they're going to ask you to help Johanna lead the faction once she can meet with you. They're trying to mess with Jeanine, but they think you'd be really good at it. So, you can live wherever you want."

Her eyes –dark, green, and sort of despondent –fall to the comforter.

I stare back at her, and I know what she means. The area Ian lives in is different. The homes are large and nice, but more upscale. Less cabin like, less room after room for large families who work in the fields, and more designed to someone's specifications. Everyone around Ian came from another faction; each home held hints of their former faction, and each person was responsible for certain positions in Amity which weren't herding sheep. There was an unspoken superiority to this area, like the most important people resided over there, and an exclusivity to it all.

Considering Everly hadn't announced loving any of what we'd gone over in initiation, it's clear she's thinking she doesn't belong there.

"Well," I cock my head at her, and the vulnerability in her eyes is something I struggle with. Other than a few brief moments with Atlas, I've never been responsible for anyone. "Then I guess you'll just have to come with me. If I wind up working alongside Johanna, then I'll live wherever I please and so will you. Unless you're about to tell me I was right about Judd."

"No!" Her expression changes to fake horror, but she looks much happier than she did a second ago. "I just…I don't know what I'm going to do. I saw the list and then I started thinking about you talking to my dad. I don't know. I just wondered…"

"Wondered what?" I lean closer as she trails off, and her head automatically tilts up to look at me. "Wondered how Howard is still alive? Yeah, me too."

"Well, we all know she's just keeping him around until she has enough points to start her own chicken empire." Her hands reach to touch my face, and her lips turn up when her eyes land on my mouth. She leans closer, and her nose brushes mine. "Do you think –"

We both turn when the phone rings.

Given our close proximity and the subject matter, it's disconcerting. I glare at it, and in return, the phone threatens to vibrate right off the dresser.

"Hold on." I break away from Everly only because I catch sight of the name. I catch the phone right as it slides off, and I answer it with one hand. "It's Rylan. You want to say hello?"

"Yes!"

She forgets about living over by Ian, and I have to wonder if she'd ever thought about such a thing before. Before I can figure out if she's nervous about living so far away from her parents or the thought of choosing a job after initiation, Rylan's face pops onto the screen. He looks rough, but his eyes light up in pure, horrifically enthused delight.

"Eric Rylan Coulter, why is your shirt off? What did I just interrupt?"

"Funny, but my middle name isn't Rylan," I glare at him, but he's not far off with his question. Everly moves closer so she can see the phone. Her nightgown and my chest are the first thing he's noticed, and second, is that Everly leans against me, nudging me until I pull her closer so she can see better. "How are you? Staying alive?"

"Barely," Rylan cracks a grin. He shrugs off his own answer, and his pause is longer than I would expect from him. "You know, same shit, different day. People melting down. Someone screaming because they had a nightmare. A serious lack of culinary talent in the mess hall. Jason and I being the only sane ones here. The usual."

"What happened to…" I hesitate to say the name, and I'm distracted when Everly leans back. She smells good, and I like how she looks against me. "Four."

"Ah yes, Four. He's…here. We got our rankings and uh, he didn't take them so well." Rylan waits until our eyes meet, and I know he's been waiting for this moment. "He ranked fourth. We all feel it's appropriate."

"How fitting," I answer dryly, and even Everly loses her fight not to giggle at the look on my face. "What are you and Jason ranked?"

"We are ranked first and second," he beams, not at all smug, though I still have some mild empathy for Harrison trying to rein him in. "Four slipped to fourth a few days ago. He's sunk into a deep depression and was mumbling about leaving. I'm not sure where he'd go, though I hear Amity is nice this time of year."

"Please," I roll my eyes. "I'd love to see him show up here. He'd fit in so well." My mockery dies when Everly's stare finds mine in our reflection on the phone, and there's a wave of horror that he will show up here. "What? Do you know something I don't?"

"No!" Her protest is immediate, and honest. "But if he did come here, it wouldn't be that bad. He could hang out with Tris. We could invite them over for dinner."

"What a lovely turn of events that would be," I hiss. "Rylan, please tell me he's staying there. Go cheer him up with your friendship or something. He'll think it's an honor."

"Sadly, he's not in the mood for my companionship," Rylan laughs. "Or Jason's. He told us to leave him alone and not come back. That was this morning. I think he'll snap out of it in a few days. Tomorrow is Donut Tuesday, so there's that."

"Sounds promising," I find myself unable to think of donuts in Dauntless, especially when Everly turns her attention to me. Her fingers touch my legs, one placed on each side of her, and she runs her finger up and down, until she reaches my thigh. It sends a jolt of excitement through me, and I wind up swatting her before I have to explain to Rylan what she's doing. "Are you sure you're okay?

"Yeah, great."

His lack of enthusiasm is evident. He scrunches up his face, and in turn, Everly sits up straighter to look at him.

"Rylan, do you want to lead Dauntless? You don't look very happy." She asks softly, and he hesitates for only a second.

His answer, quick and rough, is exactly what I expect.

He shakes his head, and with a wide, bright grin, informs her no, he's simply biding his time until he and Courtney can have a duck farm with twenty-six and a half cows and more chickens than Carole. He hangs up a few minutes later, telling us to have a good night and he misses both of us terribly, and Everly is quiet as we say goodbye.

She's quiet as we go to bed, her small self-curled into me, and her fingers slid between mine.

She says my softly, right before she falls asleep, and it sounds just as desperate as Rylan did when he said Courtney's name.

"Okay, but you do think she's pretty. Don't you?" Ryan leans in, brave after several bottles of beers Forrest has passed out, and he grins cockily. "You can tell us."

I look up from the bottle in my hands, and he's staring so intently I steel myself so I don't lose it. I've been here for an hour now, not in Forrest's bar, but in his home, sitting in his living room. His house is far more spacious than I'd imagined, and dark. It's decorated much like his bar; everything appears to be from somewhere other than Amity, but it's welcoming. The couches are worn and overstuffed, there's a roaring fire going, plenty of weird animals mounted to the walls, pictures he must have bought at the market, and several plants I'm assuming Hank gave him. It's impressively clean, and the atmosphere is fairly enjoyable.

His bachelor party, the one I agreed to attend, is nothing like I thought it would be.

It has fire. Beers. Plenty of his friends, and even a few from my own initiation, and it was off to a great start. I was pleased to see Jason and Ryan, and even Judd was pleasant and not fixated on whether or not Jeanine was conspiring to take over his brain via mind control. Charlie and Lacey are here, and so are Matt, Tony, and Echo. The conversation was easy; it started with discussing how happy they were for Forrest and how lovely Willow is, and then it took a sharp turn when someone brought up Everly as the next member of the Carlen family to be married.

Turns out, almost every single one of Forrest's friends like her.

Really like her.

Matt kept looking at me, picking the label off his bottle every time someone said her name. Tony looked jealous. He was nice about it, sort of good natured about the whole thing, but clearly disappointed she was getting married. Echo, tall and thin and exactly what I imagined someone in Amity looked like, sighed heavily when Forrest mentioned Hank was excited for Everly to not only have stayed in Amity, but to have found someone who made her happy. No one seemed to care that I had certainly not proposed to her, nor did they care that they each looked disappointed she wasn't marrying them.

Even Jake looks a little red as he waits for my answer, and I try to remember they've all grown up with her. Matt had joked how she was Forrest's annoying little sister, until she wasn't. He went on to say Everly tolerated all of them, but it was clear she thought of them as nothing but her brother's friends and her interest level in them was zero.

I'm sure it was a harmless crush on their part, but they're all incredibly curious, especially given how little they actually know about our relationship. Which is why Ryan's question of did I think she was pretty –stupid, given I was supposed to marry her –felt like some juicy gossip they were dying to hear.

Even if they didn't really want to know.

"You can tell us. It's not like we're going to run down the path screaming your secrets. It's not even a secret," Jake contributes, and I regret ever being nice to him. "You can't think she's hideous."

I don't. Not by a long shot. I hesitate for a moment, not sure why. Confessing Everly is pretty isn't horrifically awful. There has to be some assumption that I like her, but admitting it out loud feels too personal, even though they're all very supportive. I finally meet his pleading stare, and he waits patiently.

"Yeah." I pause, stretching my neck to the side until my spine cracks in relief. "She's pretty."

I say it with great hesitation, as though Everly is here, and she'll skip over and mock my admission to my face. Which is a ridiculous idea. Everly wanted nothing more than someone to like her and only her, and I'm sure she knew I thought she was pretty. I'd never said it to her, nor had I ever thought I needed to tell her, because I clearly wasn't shoving her away from me anymore.

"Yes!" Jake crows, leaning back in triumph. "We've been waiting for you to admit this!"

"Why?" I look at him in both confusion and annoyance, and he grins even wider. "Really? You've all been waiting around for me to say Everly is pretty? Come on. I'm sure there are more exciting things going on around here."

"Not me. I've been waiting since the day I assigned her to live with you," Forrest laughs, and I stare back in a flash of horror. I'd almost forgotten he was sitting there. His hair is down, nearly as long as his sister's, and his plaid shirt looks pretty close to the one I have on. I've come to respect him for who he is: kind, generous, and very easy going, but also very, very blunt with whatever he was thinking. "She told me she met you at the Choosing Ceremony. I knew when she said she wanted to stay with the initiates she meant you."

"You did not," I shake my head, and he laughs again. "She just doesn't want to watch Zander."

"To be fair," Forrest swallows down a large drink of beer and makes a face. "The kid is a handful. God love him, but he gets away with actual murder. He gets bored and into everything, and he's cute, so no one tells him no. Plus, he sort of gets left out. All the other kids are older, and he just wants to be included."

"Oh, is that it? He dragged me into a lake," I retort, and I take my own generous sip of beer.

It's not bad.

It burns; the flavor is dark and bitter, and it feels like something one would drink while sitting in a cabin, deep in the woods, confessing you found the girl you'd been told you should marry attractive.

"He spit his gum in my hair. Oh, and he nearly destroyed my house. I had to have May help wash him off."

"Sounds like a normal day," Forrest snickers, and his face lights up. "He adores you. Almost as much as Harrison."

"Is he coming to your wedding?" Matt asks, and across from me, Jake and Ryan gesture for me to lean in.

I faintly hear Forrest answer maybe. It's different than the definitive yes I'd heard before, but maybe something was going on and Harrison wasn't sure he'd make it. Forrest keeps talking, confirming my theory by saying Harrison is in Candor for the next few weeks, and I tune him out in favor of Jake half whispering that Landon is furious over hearing Hank wanted me to marry her.

"Good." I smirk, and I down the rest of my beer. "He should be. She definitely doesn't want to marry him."

"He was supposed to be here tonight." Ryan looks around like Landon is hiding in the corner. "He and Forrest were good friends. But Landon's a dick to Everly so, Forrest told him off. He said you're much nicer to her."

"Why was he a dick to her?"

I peer around the room, reassuring myself he's not here. I don't care if he is. I'll just have to be ready to not punch him in the face.

"He wanted to marry her and tried to get her to do all sorts of stuff. She wasn't into him at all and kept telling him no and he didn't like that. He even went to Hank and said she'd be a terrible wife because she doesn't listen." Ryan spills this insider information with great joy. "He also tried to sabotage anyone who went near her. There's a guy named Chad who asked her to dinner once. Landon told him all sorts of lies about her, and Chad canceled at the last minute. She was really upset. When Hank found out, he was really upset."

"How does Landon get to live here again?" I reach for the next drink, one poured by Lacey. She passes them out to everyone, and I drink it in a single swallow. This one burns. It's stronger than before, and she grins when Ryan chokes on his. "Everly doesn't deserve that."

"No," Jake shakes his head. He then shuts his eyes tightly, and shudders as the burn passes. "She doesn't. He gets to live here because he works, and we need the help. I don't know past that. Jerry is nice, though. It's weird his dad is so nice but he's not."

"No shit." I glance around for some water, but instead, another beer is put in my hand, and Forrest is right beside me. "Hey do you have –"

"You know Everly is my favorite sister, right? Paisley and Holly are cool, but Everly is the best. She's the shortest, too." He laughs, falling over and crashing into me as though he's so funny he can't sit up straight. I'd normally shove him the fuck away, not wanting his now intoxicated self near me, or touching me.

But tonight, after more than a few beers, a few shots of something Lacey brought, and a dinner eaten hours ago, I find myself snickering right along with him. It's so out of character for myself that I laugh even harder, remembering back to a few weeks ago when Everly stood on her tip toes to put the glasses back on one of the higher shelves until I went over to help her. She'd scowled, but it was a pretty scowl, and I cheerfully informed her we'd move them to a lower shelf.

It was sort of funny at the time, but now, it feels hilarious.

"No shit." I shake my head, and the room grows warm and slow. It takes me a second of fumbling with the beer bottle to realize I should drink some water, because I'm more than buzzed. "She's really small. She's like, barely up to here."

I gesture nowhere. I try to show Forrest where her head reaches on me, but I wind up smacking him in the face, and I laugh even harder when he shakes off my apology.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. But hey, you should marry her. It would make her really happy. Plus, it looks funny because you're not small." Forrest adds, and he looks thoughtful. "Your kids will either be really short or huge. There is no in-between."

My snort is immediate, but I can't tell if it's of approval or disapproval. I pretend to consider this, toying with the idea of having a child with her, one who either never got any taller than her, or was the same size as me and dwarfed her once he reached the age of ten, and the idea makes me grin.

Stupidly.

Because I'm drunk.

Really drunk.

I down the beer in my hand, a different bottle, a different color, a different bitter burn, and I lowly tell Forrest he'll make a good uncle. I have no clue where that comes from, or why I've said it, but I do.

It's the right thing to say.

His face lights up, like he's never even considered the idea, and Ryan hisses that if Forrest gets to be the uncle, then he gets to be the godfather. He stands up, drunk off his ass, and he takes Jake right down with him when they trip over their boots to get to me first. Echo howls with laughter when Ryan hits his head on the table, and Matt spills his beer when Jake lowly utters one single, muffled, defeated ow from beneath the table.

They stop laughing when the heavy thudding is no longer from Ryan and Jake, but from Landon, standing there with one furious glare aimed right at me. He tilts his head, and the glint in his eye is dark.

A second later, he lunges for me, his hands aimed right for my throat.