Thank you for choosing to take a quick glance at my FF. It's my first shot at this kind of thing so bare with me. Everything belongs to Veronica Roth, I only typed this up as an outlet for my crazy imagination. Reviews are encouraged, please let me know what you like or don't like, if I've made any major mistakes and etc.
Edit: Characters take on the visuals from the movies, plus i kinda get the jeebies about Tris being 16 yrs old and Eric being 24 yrs old (even with the year and half fast fwd, she's still under 18) so let me take a little (bit more) creative license and say The Choosing Ceremony happens at 18 yrs old and Eric is still 24.
Please enjoy:)
Chapter 1
October
The shadows held her as she tried to fight. Unable to breathe. Unable to push them away, trying to yell out while fighting the invisible force that pressed her against the cold hard ground. Suddenly a soft light banished the darkness as a sensual voice whispered in her ear that she was safe. Strong hands gently caressed her cheek, even though she sensed how dangerous those hands could be, she didn't fear them. Then she was sitting up in her bed, breathing heavily, her clothes and sheets drenched in sweat.
Were the nightmares ever going to stop? The attack during initiation still haunted her dreams almost every night. The fear she felt resurfaced each time as her mind exaggerated and distorted the details leaving her in cold sweats and sometimes screaming.
She looked at the bedside clock. 351AM."This is bullshit!" she spat, throwing the heavy blankets onto the floor and climbing from the bed. The harsh florescent light broke the darkness and burned her eyes. Her tiny room was private at least, a single bed and desk were against one wall and a dresser and shower bathroom combo along the other wall. A small narrow window allowed the faint unnatural glow of the compound security lights to illuminate the room but it still felt more like a prison cell than actual accommodations for junior leadership. Groaning, she forced her eyes to stay open and looked at herself in the mirror. She expected to see the bruises and cuts from that night on her body but the only remaining evidence was a small scar splitting down through her eye brow. She cursed under her breath as she splashed cold water on her face and tried to force her mind back in reality.
She survived the attack, she made it through training, did her six month tasking's for street patrol, guarding the Amity farms and Med Bay nurse, she was now on month 2 of training to instruct the new initiates after the choosing ceremony in under six months' time. She cursed turning to slam her hand against the light switch. She wasn't going back to sleep, that was for sure, so she decided to get dressed and go for a run. She could get in a few hours of exercise before her shift.
Tris focused on the sound her running shoes made on the steel catwalks as they transitioned to concrete then gravel as she ran almost the entire length of the compound twice, barely anyone was awake yet except for the night guards monitoring the premises. The training room seemed empty as she first entered until she noticed one other person in the far corner practicing on the punching bags, but she didn't pay them any mind as she began her usual routine. First working on her strength with the weights and then running a few more laps before moving onto knife throwing. A few people trickled in here and there another hour after she arrived. That was her cue to run back to her apartment to get ready for her shift.
For the past few weeks she had been working under Zeke and Lauren learning how to instruct the initiates and what to look for when grading them. Max deemed that only the top 18 between both Dauntless born and transfers would be accepted into the faction. Since they had implemented the new scoring rule during her training year, and once the other factions found out, they had seen a drop in the number of initiates.
She walked into Zeke's office and was greeted with Tori sitting on his desk and giggling as Zeke ran her hands over her body. This was the 3rd time this week Tris had walked in on them heavily flirting with each other or making out with each other. She couldn't concentrate when they giggled or whispered and her headphones were starting to become useless in drowning them out. She turned in her chair to face them to say something but she noticed how they looked at each other and it reminded her of her parents, Natalie and Andrew Prior. Who was she to rain down on anyone's parade. She smiled and got up from her chair, engaged the lock on the door and winked at Tori as she closed it.
Sighing heavily, she wondered what to do now. There was important shit she needed to do and wanted to get it done asap. Tris looked towards Lauren's vacant office, but she was away this week meeting with Amity's leader, Johanna, and there was no way in hell Tris was going any where near Max. Which left – Eric. Cursing to herself she made her way to the end of the hall. He was not one of the people most volunteered to be around, let alone share an office with, including her, but desperate times called and they decided that he had the only spare computer. She quietly walked up to his open door and tapped against the frame.
His icy glare moved from the report he studied closely to land on her, freezing Tris in place where she stood. She watched closely as his eyes returned to the single paper held in one hand while he spun a pen around his fingertips on the other. He sat upright, his body as rigid as a statue from behind the darkened computer, his brow furrowed – whether from confusion or deep thought, she couldn't seem to decipher.
"What Prior?" He sighed. She watched closely as his jaw seemed to tighten and the muscles in his arms grew more tense. He had stopped reading and rose his arms above his head in a long stretch.
"Can I use your extra computer? The one in Zeke's office is acting up again" she lied wishing she didn't feel like all the oxygen was sucked out of the room. He finished his stretch as his blue eyes seemed to go straight through her like a hot knife through butter. A scowl deepened across his blond brows as he pushed the chair away from his desk and stood up.
"Then let me see if I can fix it" He spat. Oh no. He can't see what is actually going on in that office.
"No!" She said a little too forcefully trying to stop him from going any further. "I promise you won't notice I'm here. Zeke just needed the office to himself for a bit" She quickly added trying to relax her nerves. But Eric moved even closer to her and leaned down until their eyes were level. She had tried to keep her eyes on his cold stare but the motion of his jaw growing tighter made her eyes travel to his lips. She felt her pulse skip a beat and all the oxygen left the room again.
"What is going on Stiff?" He asked angrily
There it was. The hurtful nickname given to members of her birth faction that he and Peter always called her by. She felt the heat of her anger start to rise. She was not a Stiff anymore. She was Dauntless. She had worked hard through her training and made it to the junior leadership position because of her efforts.
"Do not call me that. I am not Abnegation anymore. I'll be gone before you know it" She spat walking passed him towards the small work station in the far corner of his office.
"Like hell" He growled "Not going to hap..."
"Fine. Go but don't say I didn't warn you" She interrupted him as she placed her headphones into her ears and started up the dusty computer.
He had spent the entire morning trying to work off his frustration from his restless sleep, he had jolted awake sometime before 3 covered in sweat and with a raging hard on. Flashes of his dreams replaying through his mind. Soft sounds of pleasure. Gentle caresses and cries of release. His mind trying to clear the fog that covered her face and concentrate on the voice that seemed so familiar to him, whispering his name and begging him to stay with her and not wake up.
The cold shower he took hadn't helped curb the desire so he thought a long run could banish the visions of his dreams from his mind, It helped – for a few minutes until he noticed someone else doing the same as him this morning. The lone figure running just ahead of him. Long blonde hair swayed with each step of her lean legs. Tris. He felt his adrenaline kick into high gear as his memories of her flooded into his vision all at once. He cursed and decided to continue on to the training room, but she soon came in as he was ending his hand to hand and about to move onto the weights. But she got there first.
That's when he decided to leave and just head to the office early. After returning to his quarters and getting cleaned up he was beginning to feel like himself again. Making sure the scowl he had always wore was a little extra menacing so anyone that had run into him would not approach and he could get to work a little quicker. She had returned to Dauntless just over a month ago after almost a year of being shipped from outpost to outpost and rotated through the field hospitals. Now here she was, back in his life on a consistent daily basis. First it was running into her during breakfast a few times a week, now its every few hours she walks past his door or they are training in the gym at the same time.
Not a chance in hell he thought as he felt his pulse kick from the ghostly sighs of pleasure that filled the back of his mind.
As he rounded the corner to the dining hall he noticed the meek mouse of a girl that had somehow passed 2 years before getting the food line ready for breakfast.
"I'm sorry Eric. But we're not open yet" Callie said looking intimidated to hell by him. She was a tiny red head who had originated from the Amity farms and was clearly not cut out for Dauntless, but she was lucky to be one of the last classes where the only way to be not deemed Dauntess was to quit. Her choice had been the kitchen from the minute the jobs were posted. Her Amity was still prominent, but it was either scrubbing dished or become factionless. She would not have survived the streets.
"Eric" A male voice called out behind her.
"Axel. How goes the battle?" Eric greeted as the other male wiped his hands on his apron and reached out for Erics extended hand.
"Never ending" The older man replied with a grin. His wrinkles ever more prevalent when he smiled. "Cal, give Eric something. He wants to start his day a little earlier than usual" The older man chuckled. As the little red head nodded.
After he arrived in his office he was glad to see all the emails and messages from the night guard about the patrols and a handful of tasks from Max about the upcoming initiates class. He dove in as he scoffed down the fruit muffin and coffee he had grabbed from the kitchen. Then a knock sounded and there she stood. Tris.
'Computer acting up my ass' He growled to himself as he marched down the hall towards Zeke's office. Just as he was about to bang on the door he heard something fall to the floor and a woman's giggle. Zeke. Seriously? He sighed and realized what was going on. He backed away and made his way back to his own office where Tris sat engulfed in her own work and didn't acknowledge him. Served him right. He thought as he sat back down and got back to work. This was not going to be a good day.
A few hours later he heard another knock on his door and looked up to see Zeke looking like cupid had run him over with a train then tossed him off a cliff. Damn. This boy was falling hard. He wondered if it was Tori that was driving him on the crazy train to love town.
"So that's where she went" Zeke laughed glancing at Tris, who still had her headphones in and was bobbing her head to some type of music. "Tori and me we thinking about going for drinks later with a few people. Did you want to come out?" Zeke asked
"I can see you finally decided to get some work done" Eric replied sarcastically
"Come out for drinks. Get to know her" Zeke snapped before they both started to laugh. Eric nodded as Zeke walked out to hall. Just then he noticed Tris get up and shut down the computer before following Zeke out and down the hall.
"Your welcome" He whispered under his breathe as he started replying back to an email from Max.
"Eric" a soft voice called out making all the air leave his lungs as he looked up to see Tris leaning against his door and a sweet smile across her lips. "I know it might not mean much but thanks." She said as she left him again.
His mind blanked for a second. Did she just – smile – at him. Maybe he did need a night out he thought as he tried to get his pulse to stop skipping.
Whew - first chapter done and uploaded. Chapter two coming soon:) Cheers!
