A/N: Thank you all so much. Your excitement for this means the world to me. I appreciate your patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Huge thank you to Elliesmeow for helping me with this.

Chapter 2: A Rescue

He chooses to focus on chemistry and research and sails through his internships with high marks from those who assess such things. He has the best grades of the initiates and yet somehow...he has no apprenticeship. The master he initially selected had pulled out, giving some half-hearted excuse. It takes everything in Eric to not lash out. He knows what's happened. Jeanine has sunk her claws into his choices. He has a day to find someone who is a leader in their field who will take him on before it will be determined that he was unable to find one and will be disqualified from the faction.

Eric paces. He is running out of time. The few who are not already spoken for in either of his chosen fields refuse to work with him. They all state some excuse, some justification that rings hollow in his ears. He doesn't know how to fix this. This isn't something that he can manipulate to work for him, no system he can cheat or peer he can intimidate. He doesn't know how to fight this but he refuses to give her the satisfaction. He just has to think.

"Are you alright?"

Eric looks up at the voice. There's a man standing in the doorway. He's shorter than Eric already is but he looks friendly enough. Clean cut and harmless. There's nothing that stands out about him.

"I'm fine," Eric says, despite the opposite being true.

The man watches him for a moment before nodding. "If you're not busy, would you give me a hand?" The man is wearing an old jumpsuit that looks frayed and worn down. Eric shouldn't waste his time, not when he needs to find someone to take him on. Still, he nods. Perhaps he'll come up with something if he stops focusing on it.

"Follow me."

Eric follows the man through the halls. He had come to the engineering section simply because the noise would help hide him from speculation. After all, Jeanine's so-called favoured not having an apprenticeship is bound to be gossip fodder.

They come to a room that is filled with some machine that Eric does not recognize. The man gives Eric instructions and watches to ensure he follows them faithfully before focusing on his own task.

"If you're ever unsure, ask," the man tells him as they work quietly. "If you don't ask, you'll never find an answer."

"What is this supposed to do?" Eric finally asks after they've been working silently for some time. Even though he's supposed to be trying to find a master for his apprenticeship, he's enjoying himself. The man is diligent in his work.

"It's one of the fear simulators," the man says. "I've improved the design. It just needs a few adjustments before it is ready to be sent to Dauntless."

Few things surprise Eric. This does. He is not expecting to work on something so important that would be sent to the faction he very nearly chose. He wonders if this is a sign, that in some way he was always going to be involved with Dauntless. Even in something small like this.

Eric excels in engineering. He did not expect that if he's honest with himself. It is a physical task but one that engages the mind. He needs to know how things work and the best choices to achieve the result he desires. It is far more enjoyable than his work in research was.

"Why were you pacing?" the man asks. "In the room where I found you."

Eric has been waiting for this. "I am an initiate. My master for my chemistry apprenticeship...declined last minute despite previously accepting me. I haven't been able to find another."

The man looks up at him and adjusts the glasses on his face. "You chose chemistry?"

"And research," Eric says. "I checked with them too. The only ones who don't already have initiates refuse to accept me. I need to find someone before tomorrow."

The man is silent for a moment. "That's a big decision for someone."

"I know." He does not elaborate. There is no point. It does not change what he needs to do.

They work quietly for some time before the man finally speaks again.

"Do you enjoy what you're doing right now?"

Eric thinks about it for a moment. "I do," he finally answers. "It is more engaging than I initially knew."

The man nods. "What's your name?"

"Eric."

"Nice to meet you, Eric. I'm Stanley." He stands up and brushes off his jumpsuit. "We're done for now. Thank you for the help."

"You're welcome," Eric says. He pauses for a moment before finally continuing. "Thank you for teaching me. It was interesting."

The man gives him a smile and nods. Eric leaves, trying to think of his next steps while also kind of wishing he was still back in that room. At least those problems had simple solutions.


He still does not have an apprenticeship.

Everything he has worked for is gone. All because he refused to follow Jeanine's plans instead of his own. It makes him want to burn the place to the ground. Instead, he stands with the other initiates while they read out the apprenticeships. Thankfully, Jeanine isn't there so he won't have to see her face as she wins. He suspects she'll make some contrived response that he must not have applied himself, choosing instead to trade on the implication of her favor to explain his failure to advance.

He clenches his teeth as they read his name, anticipating the following words that condemn him.

"Engineering with Stanley Elswood."

He's stunned. It's the only word for it. Elswood. He is motioned to follow the man he met yesterday who is unobtrusively standing to the side, wearing a jumpsuit that is just as worn down as the one before. This is her father. Her father just saved him from becoming factionless.

Eric strides up to him, not bothering to hide the surprise on his face. The man nods as he gets close.

"I did not expect this," Eric says. "At all. Thank you." He does not hide the gratitude he feels. Not for this.

"I don't typically take apprentices," Stanley says. "My work is complex and generally beyond what most initiates are capable of." He claps a hand down on Eric's shoulder and smiles. "It's going to be hard work. Be prepared for that."

"Of course," Eric says. "I'll do my best."

"I know you will. I could tell yesterday. It's only a chance, mind you. You need to prove that you'll use it wisely."

"I will."

"Come on, then. Let's get to work."


Stanley did not lie. Eric barely sleeps as he attempts to learn everything he can about the field. Stanley gives him books to study while also guiding him through hands-on work. The project he chooses to focus on has to do with adapting one of the machines that is used to purify the water. Stanley approves the project, reminding him to ask questions before leaving him to it. Between the project and the assignments that Stanley gives him, Eric has little time for anything else. Not that he has anything else to fill his time.

His apprenticeship keeps him away from the other initiates. He does not know how they fare and does not care. It is of no consequence to him. What he does care about is that despite the insane workload Stanley gives him, Eric finds himself liking the man. It's not even just because he's the father of the girl Eric knows he will marry, but Stanley is quiet with his intelligence. He does not push, brag or gossip. And he never once asks about Jeanine. The man works quietly, only speaking up to answer Eric's questions or to ask his own in an effort to prompt Eric in the right direction. He expects him to do well but does not try to carry him through it. Eric gets by on his own merits which is exactly how he likes it.

It doesn't hurt that there are no other initiates in Engineering. There is little competition in the field, only the work that needs to be done. It is oddly peaceful if he ignores the stress of the demands currently placed on him.

"What do you do in your spare time?" Stanley asks him while they are in the middle of repairing a generator.

Eric looks up at him from his place on the floor. "What spare time?" He asks, trying to sound more amused than anything.

"You weren't always an initiate with no free time," Stanley says. "And when this is over, you will have it back. So what are your hobbies?"

Eric pauses, trying to think. He's never really had hobbies. Unless tormenting other kids counted. He certainly can't say that his latest hobby was watching the man's daughter, trying to find out more about her because she fascinated him. "I don't have any," he finally answers.

Stanley stares at him for a moment.

"What?"

"You're young," the man finally says. "Find some. Take the time you have to try new things. If you fail, then you have the opportunity to learn. You need to be able to take time for yourself to ensure you do not burn out." Stanley turns back to his work. "If you do not, how will you ensure you have time for your family in the future?"

Eric pauses. The question seems surreal coming from him. "I will keep that in mind," he says. It interests him though and he cannot help but ask, "I thought Erudite did not put much stock into their families, outside of having them for the betterment of society."

Stanley looks back up at that, frowning slightly. The way he looks at Eric, as if he suddenly sees more of him than he'd like, unnerves him. "I'm sure some feel that way," Stanley says slowly. "But a family can be a great joy, provided you find someone who cares for you in the same way that you care for them. Children are not an obligation, they are a gift. My children are my greatest creation and it is my job to nurture them, and help them grow into people I can be proud of. They are not easy, but I would not change it for the world. Those who only have them for the duty to their faction should not have them at all."

Maybe it's an Elswood family trait to leave Eric stunned. He doesn't know what it is about them, but both of the members he's met so far have surprised him. He doesn't know if it is just their family or if it's something that his family has lacked. Either way, he thinks he understands Amelia just a little more from knowing her father. She is lucky to have him. Eric is just lucky that he keeps running into them.

Finding a hobby feels like another assignment. So much so that Eric puts it off until he makes it through the final week. It is somehow both harder and easier than the previous week. Stanley lets him work by himself, only checking afterwards to ensure everything is done properly. The project is completed and, while not perfect, is sufficient enough that Stanley believes he has the grounds to improve the systems with a few adjustments to his current plan.

All in all, after the final test, Eric passes. He is Erudite.

It is a relief but it is only when he sees Jeanine's face as she welcomes him fully into Erudite that he feels like he can breathe. Her expression is trying hard not to be pinched especially when he says loudly that it is all because of her and that he hopes he can continue to make her proud. Her grip tightens almost painfully at that, but everyone is watching and all she can do is smile. He can't push her too hard. Even if he wants to...right off of a cliff.

[tbc]