Thank you SO much to Bamberlee for editing this chapter!
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"Did you think about it?"
Landon hovers near me, tucking his hair behind one ear and trying to appear casual. I haven't seen him since he took me to the factionless meeting, and this is fine by me. I didn't want to see him, nor did I have anything to say to him. In fact, I was still struggling to figure out how I could explain what I saw to someone who could help, without getting my brother and father in trouble.
But not Landon.
I'd decided if Landon wanted to mess around with the factionless, that was on him.
"Think about what? Come wash your hands, Holden." I pause corralling small children to the row of sinks, and I face Landon only because I have to. "Did I think about joining a factionless army? I did. I've decided to pass but thank you for the offer."
My sarcasm isn't lost on him.
He recoils, his annoyance as clear as day, to shake his head. "You're making a mistake, Everly."
"I'll do whatever I can to help anyone who needs it, but I'm not helping that…woman." I don't know what to call her. Saying her name made her real, and her being real was a threat to my family. "I want you to tell my dad and brother to stay away. Uninvite them to your…whatever it is."
"It's an opportunity," he informs me, and I step away, nearly knocking Holden over. "You can't even see what you're-"
"I can see that you believe whatever they're telling you. You and I both know it won't go anywhere. Dauntless has been looking for people, and my guess is once they catch wind of this, they're gonna be looking for her, too." I help Holden dry his hands, and I shake my head furiously, wondering if maybe, just maybe, I could tell Eric and he wouldn't go after my dad. "Leave me alone. Leave my family alone. And maybe leave Evelyn alone, too."
Landon's hands ball into fists, and he heads for me. His whole demeanor is threatening, and Sophia's words pop right back up.
I have the feeling he could hurt someone. He might even you.
"Everly, hey, are you okay?"
As if she can read my mind, she appears just as he's close enough to grab me. I silently thank her over and over, but she knows something is wrong. When I shake my head no, she juts her chin out and eyes Landon warily, and her dismissal is quick.
"Landon, aren't you supposed to be in the kitchens?" Sophia, the least brave person in this faction stares him down with all she has. She makes herself as tall as she can, then moves closer to me and instructs Holden to go join the class. "Mable said we're heading there soon. The kids are hungry, so I hope their lunch is ready."
She throws Landon a pointed glance, and I hope he leaves.
He doesn't.
"It's ready. And Everly is fine. She's just making another stupid decision in her quest to ruin her life." Landon has the audacity to smile meanly, knowing no one has heard him. "Ask her how she really feels about Amity. Or if she's enjoying her initiation. Maybe someone should tell Mable that Everly isn't really loving working with the kids or hanging out in the barn. She'd rather be drooling over-"
He doesn't finish.
I punch him in the face.
It comes out of nowhere, the urge so overwhelming I can't control it, and it hurts. There's a sharp snap as my knuckles hit his nose, and his howl is immediate.
"SHIT!"
He and I both swear, but I don't panic.
While I could have just landed myself in hot water, it was unlikely he'd run off to announce I'd attacked him.
Or why.
"Don't ever threaten me again," I announce, and next to me, Sophia stares with wide eyes. Her hand flies up to cover her mouth, but she doesn't leave my side. "Never again, Landon."
"You just made the biggest mistake, ever." Landon groans, wiping his face with the back of his hand. There's no blood, since I didn't hit him hard enough, but I know his pride is wounded. He glances over at Sophia to back him up, for violence was ten thousand percent forbidden here, but she makes no move to help him. "Both of you."
"Get out of here."
Sophia points at the doorway and waits for him to leave. He takes off, slowly, his stare on me and his gaze so sharp I can feel it on my skin, but he finally leaves. The door slams with a loud thud, and my heart sinks as Mable wanders by, cheerfully asking if we're okay.
I don't know if she saw anything, but her zoned out look tells me she didn't.
"Shit."
"Oh my gosh, Everly!" Sophia blinks and she glances around furiously. "Don't tell anyone. Just...we'll handle him next time."
"Okay," I agree, because while I might have finally gotten him to realize I didn't love him, I'd gotten myself into a world of trouble.
I'm right.
Landon corners me on the walk to lunch, sweetly telling Mable he needs to talk to me.
She believes him, having no real reason not to, and he smiles.
Darkly.
"I have a message for you," he announces, taking hold of my arm and pulling me away from the class. There's a scuffle as I trip getting out of the line I'm in. Holden's head whips around to look for me, and his eyes are wide with worry.
"I'll be right back! Get an extra cookie for me, okay?" I try my best to distract him, and it works. Holden nods, then falls back in line with his friend Cody and they resume hopping down the dirt path. "What do you want Landon? I know you don't have a message for me."
I hope Mable overhears what I'm saying, but she's too far up ahead. She cheerfully instructs someone to hold the doors open and tells them they're a wonderful line leader of the day.
Landon is patient. He waits until the class is almost all inside before he shoves me forward, right toward the kitchen doors. They are shut; the lunch rush has already started, and the kids inside will keep the staff busy for the next hour, followed by the workers from the fields right after.
"Landon, what is wrong with you?"
I turn around to face him, and he takes hold of my arm again.
This time, the panic is immediate. He's much larger than I am, and I'm trapped between the wall and him, with nowhere to run. He's large enough that anyone walking by would think he's pinned me here to kiss me hello, and strong enough that I can't get away.
"Landon, you're scaring me. What is going on?"
"Why aren't you listening to me? Do you know what's going to happen when she takes over?" His face is inches from mine, and his grip on my wrist turns painful. I try to wiggle away, but he holds on tighter, twisting to keep me quiet. "She's going to help those who help her. You don't want to be on the wrong side of this. You already are. I know your family is falling apart. I saw your mom this morning. Right after you punched me in the face."
Shit.
Of course, he ran to her.
She oversaw a small infirmary, no larger than a few rooms really meant for women to give birth in, a tiny area for the treatment of minor injuries, and a smaller area set up with herbs and oils and all kinds of things one might need. She often brought Zander with her, but she preferred not to.
I hope he wasn't there today.
"I didn't tell her it was you," Landon talks quickly, and he's so close that he's almost touching me. "Look, Everly, I just need you to trust me. Come to the next meeting. Forrest will be there and I'll show you what Evelyn wants."
"No," I shake my head, and I manage to wrench my arm away from him. There's an imprint from his hand, the skin raw and red, and I wince when it stings. "I told you to leave me alone. Next time you come near me, I'll…I'll…"
"You'll what? You won't do anything. Because you're stuck here, and you know it. You picked Amity, and you only have so long to prove to everyone why you should be here. Don't think I can't fuck up your initiation if I need to. Then you'll really need me."
These words are hissed with an unparalleled hatred I don't ever remember him having. He moves away from me, and throws me one dark, threatening sneer.
"Pick your side, Everly. You don't have much longer."
I don't get the chance to say anything. Landon takes off around the Dome. He shoves his hands in his pockets, glances left and right, and is gone before anyone can notice what's happened.
I stand there frozen in place, my wrist aching with the ghost of his grip, and I realize I'm royally screwed in more ways than one.
"You're late."
He barks the words at me, looking entirely uncomfortable. It's an unusual look given who he is, but I understand why. We're in the middle of the woods, right off a clearing that led to a lake, and it was a little too open for him.
I could tell.
Eric kept looking around, like he expected someone to pop out of the bushes and catch him red handed. I was fairly certain he wasn't supposed to be here, even if he was working.
"Sorry, I couldn't leave on time. I had a small issue." I struggle to keep up with him, walking over to his truck. He's parked far enough away that he can leave if he needs to, and nowhere near the road. "I um, I had an altercation and…"
"An altercation in Amity? What did you do? Punch someone in the face?" He turns to look at me, and he yanks the basket out of my arms. It was heavy and awkward, but Sophia had packed it for me. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what Eric would eat. She helped me come up with a menu that sounded reasonable, and I went with it. "Well?"
"Actually, yes…" I trail off, catching his look of total surprise. It's gone as quickly as it's there, and he shakes his head, and points in the distance. I take it he wants me to follow him, so I do.
Eric is silent as he leads me to the truck, and in an odd act of faint chivalry, he opens the door. "Get in. We can't eat here. I can turn the cameras off around this area, but not for long. Someone will get suspicious. We're driving out to the border where there aren't any."
I look up at him, both surprised and unsurprised, that he's thought this through. This makes me smile, because it meant he'd considered coming, decided he was coming, then made a plan.
It's also a nice distraction from Landon's threat.
"Okay, that's fine, I just have to-"
He picks me up before I can finish telling him I have to be back by two. Mable had excused me for a few hours. I told her I had been asked to bring some of the soldiers lunch, not a total lie, and she immediately agreed. She told me not to worry about missing the hour after lunch, that they were painting flowers on the side of the barn and she had enough hands to oversee the class. I was grateful, but now I'm thrown off as he practically shoves me into the truck.
"Get in. I don't have much time."
Eric takes a single second to make sure I'm sitting down before he slams the door shut. He storms around the front of the truck, looking left and right, and climbs in. He pushes the basket over to me, and I place it on my lap while he takes off.
Sitting in the truck with him the first time had been an experience but driving in it is something else entirely. He drives faster than I'd expect, and the truck moves violently. It crushes over everything in its path, and the view is much higher than our work trucks. I try to take it all in, but I watch Eric, too. He drives back onto the main road, paying little attention to the scenery flying by, and less attention to the alerts coming.
There are plenty.
His phone rings several times. When he doesn't answer, it vibrates. I catch a few names as they desperately try to contact him, refusing to give up when he doesn't answer. Jason. Someone who is not Jason. Max, calling three times. Jeremy. Lauren. And finally, Ashley. Her name pops up twice, and the hint of a message appears on the screen. I catch the words where the fuck are you before he powers it off completely. He's silent, but his fingers tighten on the steering wheel.
My chest tightens, too, wondering if Ashley was someone who knew him way better than I did.
Still, he'd come to lunch, and that spoke volumes considering he clearly wasn't supposed to be here.
"How's your day going?" I figure I might as well talk to him, and I shift in the seat to look at him.
He glances at me out of the corner of his eye, then moves his stare back to the road and exhales sharply.
"It's going great." His answer is thick with sarcasm, and he shrugs. "I blew off a meeting with Erudite to come here. I'm supposed to be explaining why we have a record low number of Divergents to test and I don't have any answers for that. I'll have to think of something on the drive back."
"Why do you test them?" I'm mildly afraid of his answer, because I know little about Divergents or the testing. "Where do they test them?"
"In Erudite," he answers distractedly, and he doesn't look at me for another few minutes. "We'll eat here. This should be far enough."
He pulls the truck over, veering sharply to the side and I'm nearly thrown off the seat when he turns into an area not meant to park in. He surveys the surroundings quickly, and once he's satisfied, he looks back at me, staring at him.
"What'd you make Amity? Is it safe? Or am I going to wind up higher than a kite?"
I smile brightly, because really, he could use some peace serum. He probably wouldn't like it, but he might relax a little.
"I just brought salads. I wasn't sure what you liked to eat so…I thought this would be okay." I hope he doesn't ask how I came up with this, because I wouldn't be able to explain anything past the lettuce and the chicken. Sophia swore there was nothing crazy in it. They were still rationing the peace serum for at home use, or in the drinks, so there was nothing in the salad. I'd brought waters, and Sophia must have been really looking out for me, because she shoved some cookies on the side.
I make a mental note to thank her.
"That's fine," he looks at me, skeptical as ever, but he accepts the salad. He stares at it for a good minute, like perhaps he can see the peace serum in the dressing or maybe I'll stop him from eating and admit it's laced with something, but he eventually reaches for a fork and takes a single bite. He chews it, swallows dramatically, and smiles snarkily. "Do you trust me now?"
"No," I answer brightly, because he looks determined to get some answers out of me. It's oddly appealing, because he's working hard to make sure I'm not afraid of him, even though I'm currently on the outskirts of Amity, in his truck. "You could still kill me out here and no one would ever know."
"You're not wrong. No one would ever know," he answers seriously, and he reaches for the water. "There are no cameras in this section. Jason calls it the dead zone."
"Jason is…the one with red hair?"
"That's him. He likes you. He asked if I had seen you lately," Eric says this with a healthy dose of amusement, but he's facing me. "He wanted to know about your not boyfriend."
"Landon?" I say his name with horror, and I shake my head. "He's why I'm late. He's the one I punched in the face and now I'm probably going to get in trouble when I go back."
Eric takes this in stoically, but there's faint interest on his face.
"You punched him? Isn't that…against your rules?" He leans closer, inspecting my face and neck, and his eyes flash when he doesn't find a mark. "Did he hit you?"
"No, I punched him first. He just…kept saying stuff and insulting me, and I wanted him to leave me alone. He grabbed me by the Dome and told me to listen to him," I confess, and his gaze drops to my hand. The left one is unscathed, but the right one is sore. It's sort of red and dark around my knuckles and my guess was it would bruise. Above it, is the telling mark from where he grabbed me. "I don't want to get kicked out, but he's been driving me nuts. My dad wants me to marry him."
"Are you going to?"
This time, his question is as sharp as he is.
He puts his salad down and reaches for my hand. There's nothing romantic about the gesture, but he inspects my fingers then my wrist, and he frowns when I wince at the touch.
"That's going to bruise. You need to put ice on it." He declares, and I figure he's punched more people than I have. "He grabbed you?"
He doesn't let it go. He keeps looking at me, his stare burning with anger, but it's not at me.
"By the Dome. He wants…" I stop midsentence, because I'm about to admit he wants me to join his factionless army. The only issue with this, is once I say it, Eric will surely lose his mind. He won't just let it go and have someone else investigate. He'll go find Landon himself, which will reveal my father and brother's supposed involvement. "He wants me to agree to marry him and to be on his side."
"His side?" Eric's fingers stay on the mark, pressing in an oddly gentle manner. "What do you mean, his side?"
I stay silent, and he knows something is up.
"I told you… you can trust me."
His touch stays there, curling around my wrist and sliding over the bone.
"You also told me you could kill me out here and no one would know," I remind him, but I'm not afraid. Last night was the first time I'd ever noticed how large he was. Landon was tall, but Eric was tall and strong. He clearly had to be physically fit to protect the faction, and it wasn't just his personality that was overpowering. "He's never been like this before. I don't why he's so worked up."
"Don't defend him," Eric snaps, and he chews on his cheek. It must be raw, because he seems irritated more often than not. "He hurt you because he didn't get what he wanted."
I nod, because not only do I agree, but I've sort of inched closer to him. My salad is long forgotten and he keeps my hand in his, tightening his grip.
It's entirely different.
His fingers curl into my skin, slowly skimming over the bruised area.
"I can show you how to really punch him. So the next time he thinks he's gonna attack you, he'll know who's side you're really on." He smiles, with just a hint of dark satisfaction. "Which is mine."
"Do you know him?" My knee hits his salad, and he moves it to the dashboard without looking. "Do you know who Landon is?"
"I'm aware of a few in Amity. The ones who interest me, at least." His confession is unprompted, and I wonder if he's talking about me. "It's my job. If I didn't know what was going on, the factions would be at risk for shit like Divergents hiding out. Taking over. Starting a war."
His eyes meet mine, and in that second, I know Eric is well aware of what's going on.
"A war?"
He doesn't move his gaze from mine; he sort of smiles, knowingly.
"I would be careful who you go around punching. But if he comes after you again, don't hold back." Eric drops my hand, and he leans back. "Eat your lunch, Amity. I'll show you what to do after."
He reaches for his salad, glancing at his phone quickly, still powered off and still silent, and I reach for mine.
"You promise?"
He nods, picking up his fork and he glances back over at me.
We eat the rest of our lunch quietly, but I have to say, it's one of the best lunches I've ever had.
"Keep your weight in your back foot. Pull back, and when you're ready, aim for where it hurts. The bridge of the nose. His throat. Solar plexus. His eyes, if you can reach them."
Eric says the last part with a hint of both malice and humor. "Stand as tall as you can. If you back down at all, he'll know you won't really hurt him."
He says this part lowly, by my ear, as I lean back against him. His chest is solid behind me. The jacket he has on is thick and rough, and his arms encircle me, bent slightly to accommodate mine. There was probably an easier way to show me how to punch someone, but Eric had picked this method.
The one where I was trapped against his chest, my feet between his, and his head bent down toward mine.
I wasn't stupid. I'd fallen into him numerous times, tripping over my own feet or falling out of a tree right onto him, and now it was his turn. We'd finished lunch, finished our water, and he'd told me to get out of the truck. Seconds later, he yanked me against him and showed me the proper position to hit someone.
It felt very wrong, in the best way possible.
It was hard to miss how close he was, how he smelled way better than anyone else I knew, or how large he was. His hands covered mine completely, my head only came up to the middle of his chest, and despite hearing about how terrifying he was, I felt oddly safe. It was like no one could get me if I was with him.
Especially Landon.
The next time he came to threaten me, it would hurt a little more.
"You're not bad. You're not good, but you're not terrible," Eric informs me, his hands on mine. He stills, keeping me against his chest, and I feel him exhale. "This should keep him at bay until…"
"Until what?" I look back and up at him, and he looks down at me.
"Punch again. I have to get back, so we're done for the day."
"Okay," I steady myself, and I rear my arm back. The action isn't as natural as punching Landon had been, but it's far smoother than the first few times. "Do you train the initiates in Dauntless?"
"No," Eric lets out a scornful laugh, but he seems pleased with my punching. "I have nothing to do with them past making sure the curriculum is the best to prepare them as soldiers. We have two trainers. One for transfers, one for Dauntless born. I find both of them to be idiots."
"That's a surprise," I don't mean to say this, but I catch the look on his face. He's amused, but only for a second. "Thank you for showing me how to punch the right way."
His hands leave mine, and he steps away, like he's been jarred back to reality. His whole posture changes: he pulls himself to his full height and his mouth is tense. "If someone in Amity is acting out, perhaps you should report this to your leader. Before it goes any further."
The moment is gone.
He looks like he's just realized what he's doing; training someone in Amity to punch someone, after getting zero answers but sort of an answer at the same time.
"Yeah, yeah I will."
Our lesson ends right then and there. Eric clenches his jaw down, and roughly tells me to get back in the truck. I listen, because it's this or walk back to the faction. Our drive home is silent, tenser than ever, and I try to figure out where it went wrong.
I can't.
"Thank you for lunch."
I look up from the basket to his stare, and I realize we're back at the clearing. I didn't even notice him driving back through the faction, but I do notice the weird look on his face, and the odd tone to his voice.
It's almost nice.
Every time I've seen him speak –in person or virtually –he's been short. His tone is always pointed and rude, like whatever he's been assigned to say is beneath him or he couldn't care less about social niceties. But now, in the warm truck with just the two of us, he sounds normal.
A little strained, like maybe being nice wasn't his thing, but honest.
"You're welcome."
My voice wavers, and I know it's because I'm afraid I've screwed this up. Out of everything in my life, Eric was the only thing I'd looked forward to. I couldn't get away from my family, from Zander desperately wanting someone to pay attention to him, from my brother somehow involving himself in a war over his secret girlfriend, from my mother and father struggling with some not so secret argument. I couldn't escape the children I was assigned to watch, or Landon, looming in the distance like an oncoming nightmare.
These few encounters with Eric had been a lovely distraction, but it was clear they were coming to an end.
"Thank you, again. I'll talk to Johanna if…" I stop because he's out of the truck. He's walking around to my side, and he throws the door open. He stares up at me, his blonde hair severely parted and his expression just as intense, and I realize he's waiting for me to move. I slide over the seat, and when I fail to find the step to stand on, he reaches for me.
He helps me down, hands grasping my waist, warm and strong, and he doesn't let go once I'm on the ground.
"You need to be very careful. Do you understand? If you come across anyone in Amity acting odd, you let me know. Johanna won't do shit."
"When will you be back?" I look up at him, but he doesn't answer. "Eric?"
"In a week. Can you stay alive for a week?" His question is serious, but coming from him, it sounds downright romantic. "Everly?"
He says my name lowly, warm and quiet and I wonder what it would sound like if he said it in other ways.
"I can." I promise him, fully aware he's unconsciously closed the distance between us until I'm back against his chest. "So you're saying…I'll see you in a week?"
My question is hopeful, because he'd come to lunch. He ate what I brought, and while he was questioning me in a slick attempt to get information, it had been enjoyable. He drank the water, and he kept the cookies, which he thought I didn't notice, but I did, and he'd shown me how to defend myself.
This had to mean he liked me a little.
Enough to ask me not to die.
Eric smiles, and his fingers curl into my back, steady and unyielding, and he tilts his head.
He nods, making sure I'm looking at him, and then he finally answers.
"Yes."