Thank you SO much to Bamberlee for editing!

Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing. I hope your quarantine is going well!

The fear is burning hot.

It swells, threatening to swallow me whole, until I realize the person in our backyard is not anyone from Dauntless.

Or anyone to be afraid of.

Not entirely.

"What are you doing? Why are you out here?"

I ask Landon this less than nicely, and the look he throws me is equally unpleasant. Our tolerable relationship from a single day ago slowly dissolves with each second. Landon, always kind and unflappable, is obviously bothered by being caught red handed. He must not have wanted me to see him. That's why he's dressed in unusually dark clothing as he strolls through our backyard in the middle of the night.

"Why are you awake?" Landon steels his expression, carefully dismissing whatever was bugging him and smiling tightly at Zander. "Z, what are you doing, buddy? It's late."

He moves closer to us, stepping into dim lights that were long burned out and only halfway replaced, and I feel a flash of annoyance that my father's greenhouse job prevented him from taking care of the house.

"Everly? Holly? How many of you are up?"

Once in the dull light, Landon's face is illuminated. I'm familiar with how he looks, but in the dark and the weak light streaming from the wonky, off balanced sconce, he looks ghoulish. His cheekbones cut through tan skin, and his hair is a mess. It's no wonder Holly panicked, because he's almost unrecognizable.

"Holly saw you outside. She said you were with someone in uniform." I reach for Zander, pulling him away from Landon, and for once, he listens. Zander's tiny hand clings to mine, and his chant of outside comes to a screeching halt.

"Everly, inside. Inside. Inside," he whispers frantically, tugging on my hand as hard as he can.

"Is there someone else out here?" I turn, gently guiding Zander over to Holly, and I gesture for her to take him inside. "Hey, I'll be right in. Can you get him some water? And take him upstairs? Don't wake anyone else."

"Yes," Holly answers, her eyes wide. She holds my stare, and her trembling nod is confirmation Landon isn't alone. "Everly, are you sure? Maybe I should get dad?"

"No, it's fine. I need to talk to Landon. I should…" I pause, and I glance back to throw him one wide smile. "I didn't get to see him after lunch and we have a few things to catch up on. I'll be right back. Go inside."

Holly hesitates, and she only listens because I insist one more time. I wait until the door shuts, then I turn and take a very tentative step toward Landon.

"I'm sorry I didn't come back after lunch. I had to go back with the class. I thought you knew…"

He listens, and I hold my breath hoping this works.

"Are you okay, Landon?"

"It's fine. I know you have initiation. I wasn't mad, just…I was hoping to see you." He smiles back, and my stomach turns over unpleasantly.

Landon might not have been dangerous in the way most thought, but he was smart. There was a reason he was here, and I knew whatever he was about to say wouldn't be the truth.

"I wanted to tell you to be careful around the soldiers. They aren't here to help us. They're here to…to…" Landon pauses, and when he walks over to me, he looks normal. Gone is the harsh lighting and the weird sharpness, and back is Landon. Tall and gentle, unassuming as ever. "They're here looking for people so they can take them. I just found this out. I've been talking to some people who know more about why they're here. That's who I was with. We came by to see if Forrest was up."

"Forrest?" I blink up at him, and he nods.

"We need his help," Landon explains, a little too kindly.

I frown, unable to stop it. I hate that whatever he's planning is for someone stronger or bigger than me, but he would easily make the leap to thinking I couldn't help. "I'm pretty sure he's asleep. Who was with you?"

"It's okay. You should go inside and help Holly. Tell Zander sorry I scared him, and I'll be back this week," Landon is right in front of me, and I recoil when he raises his hand like he's about to touch my face. "I'm sorry I scared you, too. I was just…there's some stuff going on and I want to be on the right side. I want you to be on the right side, too. I mean, it's you and me, right?"

I stare up at him, and the same worry from before is back. It makes my stomach hurt, a sick dizzying feeling, and I wonder what he knows. I wonder if this person was telling him things that weren't true, or if I wound up afraid enough, I'd solidify a relationship with him.

"I'll tell Zander you'll see him soon. Do you promise me you'll go home?"

He doesn't answer. His silence is overwhelming, but the outside is not quiet. There's a rustle of leaves, a low howl from the trees, and someone whistling in the distance.

I take this as my cue to go back inside.

"Landon?"

"I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Everly."

He smiles once more, less forced but still not genuine, and leans in to kiss the side of my head. He lingers there until I tense up, then he's gone. I watch him leave until I can't see him, but I can hear him. He walks along the side of our house, through a creaky gate, and there's a hushed conversation when he finally meets up with someone.

I can't see who.

I try, but all I catch is a blur of dark, and two heads disappearing onto the pathway.

It takes me a long time to fall back asleep.

I wind up lying there, with Zander's feet on my arm, staring into the darkness. Every so often, there's a groan as the house settles or Zander mumbles in his sleep, but otherwise, it's quiet.

It only intensifies my fear that not only was something going on –something that could put Landon in danger, but he was going to use it to work his way closer and closer.

I could tell him no, but there was no telling how long he'd listen.

"Six. Seven. Eight." Zander counts loudly, sloppily dropping the cookie dough onto the tray. "Nine!"

"Eleven, ninety-seven, two thousand."

Leif interrupts his counting. His arrival is brief, but annoying. He stays only to pop a chunk of raw cookie dough in his mouth, and he leaves snickering when Zander yells he's counting wrong.

"Later, Z. I'm going to read a book. And I'm right. Eleven comes after eight."

"Nine is next!" Zander shrieks, but Leif merely waves from the stairs. We hear him clomp up them, having come down here solely to annoy us, and then his bedroom door slams shut. "LEIF! EVERLY!"

"Who cares? You can count and he can't," I try to pacify the situation, but I'm mostly distracting myself. "Want to put them in the oven?"

"NO," Zander sulks, and our cooking lesson is officially over. "No, no, no."

I sigh heavily, because I share his annoyance.

It was the weather.

To add to the gloom and doom of whatever was occurring, it had been raining for days now. Everyone in Amity was a little less pleasant. I wouldn't say they were upset or angry, but their patience was understandably and reasonably stretched thin. Mable, unwavering in her dedication to raising Amity's youngest members, had to take an extra break or two when two of the kids got into the horse stalls and threw hay everywhere. Sophia and Courtney were struggling to remain happy; one of the transfers had already proposed, hoping to secure one of them as their future wife. Neither accepted, and once word got out, things became tense between the transfers and the Amity born, as they realized this wasn't going as smoothly as they thought it would.

My parents weren't very cheerful, either.

The rain flooded the fields, and the farmers were already struggling to keep up with the demands. The green houses flooded, one cracking when a large tree branch fell onto it, and this left my father extra pressed for time. His appearance at home was scarce, and when he did come home, he was tired. He had initiates training beneath him, Johanna asking when everything would be fixed, and Landon, erratically doing his best to fix everything and then some.

He was thriving.

Landon had shown up a day ago with breakfast from the kitchen. He made my mom tea and toast. He ate with his leg touching mine and his boots kicking my bare feet. Once done, he laughed and played with Zander, carrying him through the house on his shoulders. He tried to kiss me goodbye, but I turned my head at the last second, and he left looking disappointed as ever.

I didn't trust him.

I couldn't explain where it came from, but there it was. The thought settled uncomfortably in my mind, even though he was telling me otherwise. I assumed it was because he'd been in our backyard in the middle of the night, along with someone I still didn't know. The unease of what he told me wasn't going away, not even with his efforts. Today, he brought me flowers, upping his carefully crafted courtship, and my father was home for all of it.

I caught the look on his face, pleased and approving, and I knew my chances of getting away with not marrying Landon were dwindling.

"Do you want to bring these to dad when they're done baking?" I ask Zander, and even he knows I am desperate. I liked baking, but my dad was usually home when I did it. Today, I'd braved heating the oven myself, and I'd volunteered to watch Zander so he could help me. My mother looked relieved, but curious.

She should be.

I was about to launch my Don't Make Me Marry Landon Plan, and I needed them on low alert.

And in better moods.

"No."

"Okay, well then, you can go take a nap and I'll tell dad I made them all by myself," I retort, knowing there was no point in arguing with someone who couldn't tie his own shoes. "So there."

Zander stays silent, but he eyes me so darkly that I know he won't stay in Amity. While vast and spacious, there was not enough land or people to quench Zander's thirst for adventure.

Or his need for constant entertainment.

"Bad Everly."

I smile and roll my eyes, because I couldn't entirely disagree with his statement.

We show up right after lunch.

My father looks both surprised and strangely relieved at our arrival. Zander had come with me after some major bargaining on my part. I had never thought I'd be making a deal with someone so small, but there I was, agreeing to a drawn out playdate with our neighbors and a day at the lake, including letting Zander jump in no matter how cold it was. `

We'd brought the cookies with us, still warm and missing a few bites thanks to Zander, but we'd made it. My mother watched us leave, sinking onto the couch with a zoned out look on her face and I knew she'd had way more peace serum than normal. I promised her we'd be back soon, but I don't think she heard me. My guess was she'd fall asleep, and hopefully, Leif or Wesley wouldn't burn the house down.

"Are you two keeping busy? Don't you have class today?" He peers at us over a row of plants I can't identify, and Zander reaches for one before I pull his hand away.

"We don't have it today. It's our day off. We thought we'd bring you some cookies we made." I answer brightly, holding the cookies and trying to keep Zander from knocking down every single thing in here.

The green houses are large.

They rise up higher than one would imagine, and the glass panes are foggy now that the rain is letting up. It's warm in some spots; the air is humid and damp, but it's all to create the perfect ecosystem for the plants and crops growing. We have a variety of these, all built so we could feed the factions year-round, and all delicately balanced to create ideal environments.

Which means they are full of all kinds of things Zander could break.

"Zander helped me," I keep talking, hoping to use my little brother to soften things. He's currently dressed in the darkest clothes he owns, and his boots are larger than he is. "We just thought…"

"Come with me. We can sit in the office for a minute. These guys should be okay on their own," my father speaks to both Zander and me, but also the few initiates milling around, working with some of the plants. This section contains greenery I don't know, but the way the boy a few feet away carefully tends to it, tells me we shouldn't touch them. "Everyone, we'll meet up in fifteen minutes. Write down your observations so we can go over them."

I ignore the pinch of insult that my father has allotted Zander and me a whole fifteen minutes, but he is working, and the green house is an important part of the faction. Once the snow hits, the crops in the field will die, and the green houses will be our only source of food.

"Okay," I answer brightly, half dragging Zander along with one hand. He digs his heels into the ground to look at a snail crawling up the side of a wooden box, and I have to use all my strength to balance the plate of cookies and get him to come along. "Zander!"

I hiss his name, and he looks up sweetly. He smiles, smugly, knowing he can ruin all of this in a single moment.

"If you want to go swimming, you better hurry up."

To his credit, the little jerk listens.

He slips his hand back into mine, tighter, and leads me into our dad's office.

The photos that line the walls make my stomach hurt.

I look at them quickly, trying not to linger on them for too long. I don't want my perusal to be obvious, because I've seen them before, and they always evoke the same feeling.

They are printed out on a weird, plastic paper. The film is shiny where the photo part is, the color dulling slightly over time, but still bright enough to make out. There's plenty of Leif and Wesley. Paisley and Holly, playing in the woods and standing proudly next to a treehouse. There's one of Forrest from a few years ago, sitting by one of the bonfires drinking a beer. He's laughing, his face lit up by the flames and his eyes wide. I know it's old because his hair is so long it reaches his belt. There's a few of Zander, one recent where he's sitting with our dad, and one from when he's a baby.

There's a single one of me.

Taken when I could have been no older than two or three, crying as my father held me.

There are no current ones.

"What are you two doing? Giving your mother a break?"

His words bring me back to reality, and when I look at him, his smile is warm. Genuine. Happy to see us, despite my lack of presence in this part of his world.

"Kind of. She looked tired. We spent the morning baking, and then we thought we'd come see you," I answer him quickly, and I pull Zander onto the high chair next to me. The office is a mess, but it's organized chaos. There are books and prints and plans strewn all over the place, and an ancient computer used only to confirm or deny order requests. Next to the computer is a paper ledger, and the current initiation class is listed for him to score. "How are you doing? How's the class? Are they…doing well?"

My father looks at me, and he knows something is up.

Something else is up, as someone yells Mr. Carlen, and he struggles with not rushing back out there.

"They're great. I think we'll have a good group this year. Are you okay, Everly?" He takes the seat across from us, and smiles. "I know things have been strained lately. Landon told me he came by the other night and scared you. He was very upset you might be mad at him. So is Jerry."

"I'm alright. I just didn't know why he was there so late," I chew on my lip, feeling more stuck than ever.

Jerry was Landon's father. He was, hands down, the nicest man in Amity. He would do anything for anyone, which made this suck even more.

"He's working on a few projects. Nothing important, but he didn't know what time it was."

"He didn't?" This was news to me. Landon had apologized for coming by so late, but he must have told my father something else. "He told me…"

"Don't worry about him, Everly. He wasn't doing anything wrong." My father emphasizes my name, and I nod.

That was my cue to stop talking.

He believed whatever Landon told him, and whatever I said wasn't going to make a difference.

There went my Don't Make Me Marry him plan.

"I just… I don't want to marry Landon. Ever. Please don't ask me to. I know you're going to at some point, but I can't. I won't." I blurt this out to the surprise of all of us. My father's eyes widen, and Zander busies himself by eating another cookie and trying to tip his chair over.

"Everly…where is this coming from? Did he ask you to marry him?" My father looks at me in elation, and it's dulled when someone pokes their head in to ask if he's almost done.

"I'll be right there. See if you can help Damien for a minute." When he turns back to me, he looks oddly happy. "Should we be celebrating? When did he ask you?"

"No, he didn't, but…he's going to," I point out, and his face tightens. "Forget about Landon. I can deal with him myself. Dad, why are the soldiers from Dauntless here? Who are they looking for? Landon said they aren't good news and one said they were looking for you."

His expression tightens even more.

"They aren't good news," my father sighs, and the happiness is sucked right out of the room. "They came looking for me because they're searching for people who don't belong in the factions and sometimes the factionless show up here. But they don't want them. They want the people who are going against their system. I think it's a bunch of baloney, but they must have reason to be worried." He stops, and his eyes fall to Zander, then over to me. "Do me a favor. Things are strange right now. But reconsider how you're thinking and feeling in a few days. Landon is a good man. Once you're done with initiation, you'll be expected to fall in line. You'll pick somewhere to work, somewhere to live-"

"Everly!"

The voice comes from outside the office, this time frantic. I peek around Zander to see who's calling me, but I can't tell. There's a swarm of initiates milling around, and a few workers from Amity cataloging how well the plants are growing. I give up, and I turn back to my father, now standing with his arms crossed, deep in thought.

"Sorry, I thought someone was calling my name."

"It's alright. Look, I've been thinking. I've been a little hard on you. I'm working to catch up here, and your mother hasn't been…feeling well, and you've gotten the short end of the stick. There's a bonfire once it gets dark. Take the night off. I'll put Zander to bed, and you go have fun. I'm sure Sophia and Courtney are going." My dad smiles, and for a second, things feel much better. I can even pretend he's not suggesting I go because Landon might be there.

"Are you sure? Zander takes forever to go to sleep," I hesitate, only because there is a chance I could return from the bonfire to Zander still awake.

"You deserve it. We're proud of you for how hard you've been working. I was worried you'd pick-"

He gets cut off.

There's a loud crash, a bang, then the lights flicker. They try to stay on, but they eventually dim before going out completely, and someone from the outside yelps that the water has turned off.

My father glances at us, me waiting patiently and Zander covered in chocolate, and he sighs. "You two wait here. I'm sorry. Someone must have tripped the breaker."

"It's okay. We'll leave the cookies. We can go over and visit the horses so we aren't in the way." I stand up, not entirely thrilled our time was cut short. After weeks of being on his last nerve, it was unfair this happened right now. He was offering to let us stay, but the look on his face told me he felt otherwise. "We'll see you later?"

My father nods. He reaches toward me, grasping me tightly and hugging me against his chest, and I close my eyes.

He smells like home, like the forest air and the cold, twisting plants he grew, and I regret having little patience for him.

Even if he was hell bent on me marrying Landon.

The bonfire roars to life as soon as the sky darkens.

I sit crammed in between Sophia and Courtney, and the three of us have cups of overly sweet hot chocolate in our hands. We'd shown up not too long ago and found the deafening party already happening. After days of nonstop rain, the good vibes were contagious. We had been greeted by none other than Forrest, squeezing us tightly then shoving us into the crowd, and what appeared to be half of Amity. Everyone is happy, loopy as the week comes to an end, and the weekend looms with the promise of nothing.

While some would be working, most were off.

The faction liked to slow down on the days when things weren't pressingly urgent. I was looking forward to some time at home, and even more time with my dad. He'd promised we'd make something together, a sticky cake with drizzly frosting, and I readily agreed. I made a vow to be more tolerant and helpful, even as my heart sank when Zander shrieked at the top of his lungs that only I could put him to bed.

I saw my night out vanishing right before my eyes.

Luckily, my father whisked him away, throwing him over his shoulder and cheerfully announcing he would tell him his bedtime story. I'd already given him a bath, making him a beard out of bubbles and a slicked back hairdo. He liked it, announcing he was dangerous this way, and I'd even put on the darkest pajamas I could find.

He didn't take our separation well.

His tiny fists slammed into our dad's back, but his wailing finally stopped once I was dressed and ready to leave.

I was super happy I had.

All around me are people my own age.

There are plenty from Amity, knee deep in our own initiation, having a slight advantage over those who chose to come here. The initiates are a little more hesitant, sticking with their own groups and watching with wide eyes. I try to remember where each one is from. We'd learned this on the first day, but the numbers were too large to memorize everyone. I remembered a bunch came from Abnegation, and next was Candor. There are a few from Erudite who had immediately chosen to work with my father, and they delved headfirst into learning how the greenhouses worked.

There is no one from Dauntless.

I watch a few from Abnegation slowly accept drinks from the girl passing them out, and someone tends to the fire in front of them.

"We need more firewood!"

"Are you having fun? We thought for sure you'd get stuck with Zander again," Courtney elbows me, but she's watching Forrest greet more people. "He's glued to your side these days."

"He didn't take it very well when I left tonight," I answer, sighing in left over annoyance. I loved Zander, but I was longing for the day he chose someone else to be his favorite. "I don't mind him, but the minute my mother is busy, he looks for me. He wants to sleep in my bed. Have me read him his bedtime story. He wants my full attention the second he's bored. I just…I don't want to come home to being a babysitter when I am one all day."

Courtney nods sympathetically. "No one can blame you. Why isn't your mom or dad keeping him busy?"

"My dad's working. My mom is…" I pause, forcing myself to swallow down the drink. "She's being weird."

"Weirder than usual?" Sophia jokes, but it's good natured. "I'm kidding. I saw her the other day and she was pretty out of it. We came by to help her with the yard. She was telling my mom your dad has been too busy."

"I think she's been taking too much peace serum. Sometimes I think she does it so she doesn't have to listen to everyone yelling all day. Leif and Wesley and Paisley and Holly all had the last few days off because it was raining, so they were all home." I answer her, but something else has my attention. "I don't blame her. But how on Earth do you sleep through six kids being home?"

"I could," Sophia laughs, and then points into the distance. "Do either of you know who's over there? Or why they aren't joining the party?"

Courtney follows my stare to the edge of the woods, right where the soldier is standing. I can't make out who it is, but when he steps closer, I recognize the red hair.

"I'll be right back. You guys stay here."

"Everly!"

They both gasp my name, having a clear idea of where I was going, but they don't move.

They shouldn't.

Johanna had been personally visiting the homes to remind everyone to stay away from the members of Dauntless. It was unlike her to go against those meant to guard our faction, but she firmly insisted to tell them nothing, and continue on with our days.

I was doing the exact opposite.

"Hey! Jason!"

I call out his name, and he waves.

Enthusiastically.

He wasn't so scary.

He could be. I bet in certain situations he was scary, but right now, he's leaning against a tree, watching the party with great interest.

"Hey…. you. Girl from Amity," Jason answers, but he's smiling. His grin is bright, despite having been forced out into the woods to oversee a party he's not attending. "What's up?"

"What are you doing here?" I stop in front of him, noticing he's taller than I remember. His uniform is the same as the day before, but his top button is undone, and his hair is trying to escape from the ponytail it's in. "Why are you watching the bonfire?"

"We're assigned it. We came this way to check on some factionless, and they called it in. It's not a big deal, but sometimes the fires draw out the weirdos." Jason stops, then smiles even wider. "Eric's in the truck, just in case you were wondering."

"Where?" I try to downplay my interest, but I am curious where they parked. Or how no one from Amity saw them arrive. "He's here?"

"He is. And I bet he'd love to see you," Jason looks at me, and his eyes widen. "Actually, can you come with me for a minute? Maybe you can help us with something. Everyone we've seen is a little…hesitant to answer our questions. It's almost like someone told them not to."

"Johanna," I answer, laughing at the look on his face. "She said to just…go about our day and to keep to ourselves. We're not supposed to answer anything."

"Very helpful," he retorts, but he shrugs. "It won't take long, I promise. You did say you wanted to help."

He's not wrong. I glance back at Sophia and Courtney, and I hope they know I'm okay, so they won't come over here.

They do.

Neither are even looking at me. Courtney is talking to a boy named Lee and Sophia is talking to Forrest.

I turn back to Jason, and I nod my head.

"Lead the way."

He's impressive as ever, but he's unimpressed with me.

Eric throws Jason one hell of a dark look as Jason opens the truck door and cheerfully tells me to climb in. I hesitate only because I'm not sure how, and Jason politely shows me where to step. It takes some coordination to climb into the monstrous vehicle, and for one death defying moment, I wobble on the ledge as my shoe slips.

"Why is she here?"

Eric's voice is dark and flat, brimming with irritation. Our run ins from earlier are not forgotten as he narrows his eyes to sneer at my dress.

I'm not entirely insulted. The skirt is long and full, and it takes some effort to pull my feet up onto the seat and arrange the dress around me. There's a striking contrast between his uniform and my dress, and it doesn't go unnoticed.

"Hi, Eric."

"Hello." His answer is slick, warm and low.

"Jason said you had some questions I could answer," I inform him, waiting for him to smile or look a little happier to see me, but he doesn't blink.

He stares at me like he's not sure I'm real, then looks over me to Jason, balancing on the same ledge as he waves goodbye. "Out of everyone in Amity, you brought her to talk?"

"She said she'll help. Enjoy your time together!" Jason slams the truck door shut, and Eric sighs.

"Fucker." His fingers touch the steering wheel, tracing a pattern I can't see. "Why are you out in the woods?"

"I was at the bonfire," I respond, and I stare at the dashboard in front of me. "Is this your truck?"

I've never seen anything like it before. The truck is enormous. Much larger than I would have thought, and much more high tech. In front of me is a screen with a full panel of controls beneath it. Next to Eric is a tablet, still lit up from whatever he was working on, and his phone on top of it. It's warm in here, but not terribly so.

I'd been in a few of the work trucks before, but they were nothing like this.

"It belongs to the Dauntless faction," Eric grits the words out, like it's painful for him to answer such a question, and he shrugs. "Why? You want one?"

"Were you at your…initiation?" I ask him carefully, reaching out to touch one of the buttons. Eric's eyes follow my fingers, and I wonder when on Earth I became brave enough to even climb in this truck, let alone touch things I know nothing about. "Do you…work it?"

He laughs.

It's dry and dark, like my question is the dumbest thing ever.

"Hardly."

I look up at him, and his appearance is harsher than before. There's a piece of metal shoved through his eyebrow, violent and thick, and large black circles in his ears. They make his ear lobes stretched out, and above the very collar of his jacket, on his neck, are dark blocks in neat columns.

He eyes me back.

There is nothing violent about my dress. It slips to the side of my shoulder, and the sleeves are too thin for how cold it is. I like how it's fitted at the waist, but I disliked having to stand there while my mother measured everything out.

"You're really in this initiation class?" His tone is slightly less dark now, but very curious. "You're really eighteen?"

"I'll be nineteen…eventually," I meet his stare, and he smirks. "Do you drive this truck every day?"

"Sometimes. Occasionally, Jason drives." He looks away from me when his phone rings. It's loud, flashing as the name Jeanine appears.

His fingers touch the screen only to decline the call.

"Why are you guys here again?" I find a little more bravery, somewhere, and I scoot closer to him. My fingers push a button on the panel, and there's a ringing sound as it connects. Eric watches it light up, but before he can stop it, the screen comes alive with the man's face from a few days ago.

Harrison.

He glares, his stare full of rage and annoyance, and then scowls when Eric doesn't say hello.

"What the fuck are you calling me for?" He barks at Eric, clearly not in his uniform but in what must be his office, and he freezes when he sees me. He's seated at a desk, strewn with books and papers and a few sculptures, and behind him is a cork board with maps and notes. To the side, at the very top, are a few of the same type of photos, like in my dad's office. "Why the hell is she in your truck? Eric, you better have a great reason for -"

Eric pushes something, and it turns the screen off.

"Don't touch anything else, Amity. He's already in a shitty mood. I don't need to hear about it when I get back."

"Who are you looking for?" I'm closer to him now, so close I can feel how warm he is. He glances at me out of the corner of his eye, declining Harrison's phone call to his cell, and I can see him debating if he's going to answer me.

He does.

Eventually.

"Divergents."

"What are…" I watch his eyes flash, but I only kind of know who they are. "Divergents? Do you mean factionless?"

"No," he looks annoyed now, and I know he doesn't want to talk about this. "Do you remember taking an aptitude test?"

"Yeah?"

"What faction did you get?" He turns to face me, angling his body slightly.

"I got Amity," I shrug as I face him, moving my skirt and my feet closer to me. "Which one did you get?"

He shakes his head, unwilling to answer me. "No."

"Okay, well, um what do Divergents get? Do they get a different answer?"

"Nothing. They go with whatever they're told, but new tests are proving they aren't completely loyal to their chosen factions. The tests measure any discrepancies in the aptitude testing. We look into the higher percentages of those individuals."

"Why?"

I'm so close I'm nearly touching him, and he looks down at me.

His profile is severe, but his eyes lessen their annoyance.

"Do a lot of people come through Amity? Do you ever see people who you know don't belong here?"

"Sometimes," my knee hits his tablet, and I glance down. His phone rings again, this time flashing a woman's name, and I read it upside down. "Is…um, is that your wife?"

"No." He quickly declines Ashley's phone call and tilts his head at me. "Far from it."

"Your girlfriend?" I watch his face tighten, and I make the decision he's not into labels. From what I knew about him, these minute interactions combined with seeing him on the projected announcements, he wasn't into talking, either. "I'm sorry, that's not really my business."

"She's not anyone. She works in Erudite," he answers tightly, somehow justifying explaining this to me, and he looks out the front windshield. "Where do the people go once they come to Amity and get what they want?"

"I don't know," I answer honestly, and I hope he knows I'm not lying. "I could try and see. We help anyone who needs help. If they want dinner or drinks or need to get out of the cold for a while…" I trail off when he looks bored. "They mostly stick by the Dome. That's where all the food is. Rarely do they come to my area."

"Which is?"

He turns, his jacket as stiff as his shoulders, and I chew on my lip as I try to think of a way to make myself sound cooler.

Announcing I worked in the daycare wasn't going to win him over, not that I should be trying.

"I um, I work with a high risk group in Amity," I declare this slickly, and he struggles not to smile. I can see him working to keep a straight face, knowing damn well there was nothing of the sort. "Okay, so for now, I work with the little kids. But it's not forever. Once I'm done with initiation, I'll…"

I stop, because I have no clue what I'll do.

"I don't know. Something better than that."

"Is he your boyfriend?" Eric looks at me, again, clearly struggling with his decision to talk to me. It's not that he can't, but like it's painful for him to express interest in another human being. If it's actual interest. He could just be casing me to make sure I'm not divergent. "That guy from the kitchen?"

"Landon?" I ask in surprise, and his eyes narrow as he catalogs the name in his brain. "No, but he'd like to be."

He snorts. He toys with his phone, and his fingers graze my knee.

I wait until he looks right at me, and I smile. "Can I ask you something?"

"No."

He answers sharply, but only because his phone rings, something is beeping in the car, and Jason appears in front of the truck, waving his arms wildly. I try to make out what he's saying, but it looks like he's yelling the word fuck over and over.

"Shit. Get out. We have to go."

Eric barks these words at me, and he throws his door open and jumps out of the truck. I freeze in place, not even knowing how to open the passenger door. He must realize this, because a second later, the door opens, and he reaches for me.

I yelp as he grabs me, right as the screen lights up and the man from before yells what sounds like gibberish. Eric grabs me by my waist, pulls me out of the truck, and I panic at the sensation of falling. Except he has me, and he sets me down in front of him, his hands firmly on my back as I find my balance.

For the third time, he looms over me, tall and handsome and slightly terrifying.

In a good way.

"Go back to the bonfire. Don't tell anyone we're here. Don't say anything. It'll cause more harm than good." He stares at me until I nod, but he doesn't let go. "Do you promise me?"

I suddenly understand why everyone said not to trust them.

"Everly?" Eric's gaze is solely on me, and the appeal of him isn't just that he's good looking.

It's that I have his undivided attention, the first person to ignore everyone else for me, and it's like he knows it. His fingers curl into my back, drawing me toward him, and in the distance, someone yells for help.

"I promise."

"It was really good to see you again," he practically hisses the words at me while he lets go, slowly, and when his fingers leave my back, the disappointment is burning hot.