Tris POV
The days continue in the same pattern, but the progress is really slow due to nobody having driven this way before. Well, somebody drove here when they built that wall, but that was a rather long time ago and since then, nature was allowed to take over. We are now on day ten and only covered one hundred and ninety miles. It sounds like a lot, but we haven't even left Amity territory, although Eric thinks we are close to entering no man's land.
Our current path is leading us slightly away from the wall due to thick forrest. Up ahead we can see a small shack or barn which we are going to check out before hiking back to the wall.
Peter is driving today. Eric insisted on all of us learning how to drive the truck after realising that two days of driving were his limit. That took some extra time but we are doing not too badly.
"Yes! There is a fucking outhouse. Look at that!"
Never in my life had I thought I would see Peter getting excited about not having to take a shit out in the open.
The weirdest thing though is Eric and Tobias bumping fists at that sight. Yes, new developments all around. Their truce turned out to be one of quality and those two have been more than civil with one another.
Eric's whole demeanor has been one big surprise that I did not see coming. Johanna did and I am still wondering how she does it.
Eric is a rather good teacher and, just like I promised Johanna, I stuck with him like white on rice. Due to our tasks being so repetitive, Eric came up with a sleuth of topics that he can teach me orally and we have had some very interesting discussions about the Dauntless judicial system and penal code. A topic I am really looking forward to is initiation, for I have an abundance of ideas that could enhance the training experience.
"I call dips," Peter shouts at us while he is reversing the truck towards a sheltered spot under some trees. It has been raining for three days straight and we are all sick of it.
"I am pulling rank and there is nothing you can do about it," Eric puts his foot down, literally, and Peter moans in pain just as the truck violently jerks backwards. There is a loud crash that doesn't bode well.
"Shit," Eric exclaims and shoves us towards the door so we can examine the damage.
The truck bumped into a large tree, but the worst damage seems to be dented metal.
"Pull the truck slowly forward, Peter," Eric shouts and, inch by inch, the truck and tree separate. "Stop," Eric shouts when there is about a foot wide gap and he leans closer to inspect the damage to the tree and truck. "Okay, go ahead and park it properly. Seems we were lucky." He grins at us, then grabs his trusted toilet paper roll and runs off to the outhouse.
"Really?" I stare after Eric while Tobias is laughing. "Why are you all so fixated on when and where you shit?" My language went down the gutter being stuck with those three for so long. The potty mouth was inevitabl but, as Eric pointed out, I am not blushing as often as I used to. Who knew?
"You are lucky that all we do is take a dump. Now, back in Dauntless, that would be a different scenario..." Peter trails off dreamily and I have no idea what he is talking about. "Stiff, nude magazines... masturbation?" Peter shakes his head. "Wow, they really fucked up your education. I am surprised that not more of you transfer out."
"You can't miss what you don't know about," Tobias soothes my ruffled feathers. That brings my attention to him though and when Peter grabs his own toilet paper roll and walks in the direction of the outhouse I ask the question that is begging to come out.
"Do you," I whisper but Tobias stares at me with a blank look, not comprehending what I am asking. "Do you masturbate and look at those magazines?" I feel my cheeks heat up when I say those words.
He actually blushes and we are both silent until he finally nods his head.
"Really," I blurt out and he blushes an even deeper shade of red.
"What's going on here?" I squeal in surprise when Eric's voice comes from right behind us and Tobias rubs his hands over his face to hide it. "Wow, look at you two. Blushing like two virgins seeing a naked body for the first time," Eric comments offhandedly and I can feel my blush deepen. Double shit!
"Spill it, Stiff," Eric commands in his mean leader voice.
"No, we are good. Thank you, Eric." I don't even know where that came from but I am sticking with it.
"Stiff..." Eric trails off and it sounds like a warning.
"Leave her alone, Eric. It was personal," Tobias says, trying to help but it makes finding out what we talked about even more alluring for Eric.
"Come on. Help me check the cabin." Eric turns on his heels and walks ahead without waiting to see if I will follow. Tobias just shrugs his shoulders unhelpfully while looking relieved he gets to stay behind.
Taking a deep breath I follow Eric to the door. Once I am a step away he opens it and lets me pass right into the dusty chaos the inside represents. I sneeze and quickly pull my scarf up so I am able to breathe through it while Eric hurries to close the door. With the wind gone the dust settles slowly as we walk around.
"It must have been a lumberjack's cabin," I say while pointing to the tools in an open cabinet.
"Seasonal or fully abandoned," Eric asks, offering a challenge. I look around the cabin, carefull assessing my surroundings.
"Abandoned," I state. "There are no provisions, the windows are not boarded up and the whole appearance is one of neglect."
"Good, I agree. Now, mind telling me what that was with you and Four?" Eric is like a bloodhound, he won't let go. I should admire his tenacity, but when it is working against me I fail to see the goodness of this trait. "Tris!"
"It was personal," I quote Tobias, but Eric crosses his arms, showing me he is not letting it go. "Fine, do you have a stack of nude magazines in your bathroom and masturbate to them," I ask, hoping to turn this around on him and make him feel embarrassed. It backfires immensely for he laughs loudly.
"What brought that question on? Peter!" Eric answers his own question. "And yes, all men have nude magazines in their bathrooms. It's a tradition in Dauntless to distribute some to the males after they pass initiation."
I gape at him. "You are joking, right?"
"No, why would I? This year I distributed them myself and it was Max the years before. Did Four pretend he did not have any?" Eric chuckles and I glare.
"No, he admitted to using them." I slap my hand over my mouth so I won't spill anything else as Eric laughs a full belly laugh.
"Come on, Tris. All men do it. Don't tell me you've never gotten yourself off." Fucking blush! "So, just let it go."
"I was trying to but you insisted on knowing everything. Your Erudite is showing." I want to take the words back as soon as they leave my mouth. What is Eric going to do now?
"Maybe we both should acknowledge that our upbringing will always have an influence on our new lives." Eric sounds calm. Too calm, maybe. Is he setting me up?
"Maybe," I admit. "It still doesn't make it easy to fit into Dauntless. The teasing about blushing and my more modest clothes choices, sticking out like a sore thumb when everyone else knows what to do or what is expected of one at parties... and let's not forget the never ending teasing and disbelieving looks when I don't get sexual innuendos and my continued discomfort with all things intimate." I am on a roll now but it feels good to get it all off my chest.
"So tell Four to move at a faster pace than he is now. Tell him you want to be treated like a Dauntless girlfriend and not like you are still in Abnegation," Eric suggests, and I gape at him.
"We are not together... I couldn't possibly ask him for that," I splutter and Eric looks surprised at that admission.
"Okay, maybe we should just speak in plain words. Didn't you and Four flirt all through initiation?"
"You saw that?! Shit, that's not good. It will have looked really biased when I ranked first," I bemoan.
"Yes, I saw that. I also saw your fear landscape, Tris. The fear of intimacy using Four as your love interest," Eric reminds me and I can feel another blush creep up my face. I completely forgot about that. He only nods his head and goes on, ticking more points off with his fingers. "You two kissed when the ranks were displayed. He was pissed beyond reason when you chose leadership. He came to visit you in the office a few times a day during the first week. He went to Max requesting someone else to train you."
"He did what?!" I interrupt Eric right then and there.
"Did he not tell you?" Eric seems rather smug.
"No, we were too busy having arguments about me choosing leadership and where I was going in life. We decided to not advance our relationship after that first week," I admit rather calmly.
"Yet he still acts like you are his," Eric states.
"No, he doesn't. He is like an overprotective brother and we cleared the air on our second day on this road trip. We will always lean on each other and he is someone I can count on to have my back, but there will be no romance for us. We are... too similar in our upbringing. And I could never ask him to help me lose some of my inhibitions just for the sake of it. We are both too Abnegation for that," I admit and Eric looks rather surprised. "We both know who Four really is, Eric, so let's not talk around the bush," I admonish.
"Tobias Eaton," he states and I nod.
"And yes, Marcus is the reason why he is not in leadership. Don't ever mention his father again - it is cruel and unbecoming of a leader to remind him of his home before he transferred."
Eric looks contemplative and I really want to know what is going on in his head. "You will make a good leader when you are ready," Eric sounds unsurprised by this, but he is not done. "How about you work on my people skills with me and I will help you with your issues?" He looks at me expectantly.
"What issues," I ask out loud and groan when I remember the topics, I, myself listed. "I don't want to dress differently and my blushing is getting better, you said so yourself."
"You are forgetting party and dating etiquette and learning about all things sexual," Eric reminds me.
"I don't want to date - I don't have time for that anyway. And I can read up on sex, there are books on the topic. I just have to find them." I can hear how pathetic I suddenly sound.
"I said etiquette and not that you need to date. Knowledge is power, Tris, and you will feel more confident if you know what they are talking about and can contribute if you want to."
Okay, he does have a point. "And when would you do all that? Four and Peter are always around." I offer up one last obstacle before I am willing to give in.
"You are my trainee, Peter is Four's. I can split us up when I deem it necessary. Like today, I could have sent Peter and Four around the trees with the truck while we hiked through them. It's actually not that hard to create some time alone. The question is if you are willing to be educated?" Eric looks at me with a challenge in his eyes. The asshole knows I don't like to back down and that looming defeat makes me more determined to prove myself.
"Okay, we have a deal for as long as we BOTH benefit from it," I relent unceremoniously.
"Deal," Eric grabs my hand and squeezes it before pulling me in for a quick hug.
Yep, blush coming up right ... now.
"Okaayyyy... more platonic touching to start with," Eric concludes and I nod.
"Let's go!" I move to the door and stop right in front of it. "No teasing Four about him using the magazines," I demand and walk out of the cabin, making sure Eric knows I am expecting his compliance.
Peter and Tobias are working around the truck and I can see they have pitched the tents right next to it and the table is set for lunch.
"Come on, we need to get going if we want to be back before it gets dark. This constant rain takes away a good chunk of daylight," Four shouts in order to get us to move a bit faster. "Anything useful in the cabin?"
I shake my head. "Plenty of dust and some abandoned tools."
I make a sandwich and lean against the side of the truck while I eat. We are all anxious to get going so we are quietly hurrying thought the meal.
"Fill your canteens and grab a snack," Eric orders and grabs the backpack with our first aid supplies and bathroom kit.
We are walking back the way we came and it takes longer than anticipated.
"Something has to be done about the ground," I grumble in annoyance when I almost step in another hole in the ground.
"What do you suggest," Eric asks me, but Peter answers instead.
"Some nice gravel roads would be great," he grunts while stepping over a bare root.
"Tris, what do you think?" Eric highlights my name to show Peter who he wants to answer.
"Gravel would be great but we do not have that much to spare. We need to find a balance between making it possible to travel but not make it easy for an enemy to just follow the road if any should breach the walls. Maybe we can clear the path, dig up the soil and mark the road by digging ditches for the water to run into. Add markers to guide us in bad weather like the fog we encounter every morning and the snow that's due soon." I offer my options based on what we saw on this trip and what I learned about roads when still in Abnegation.
"That could work, but who is going to be working out here," Eric muses.
"You can always employ more factionless. Pay them with food and warm clothing, throw in the offer that they are allowed to keep the sleeping bags and some other necessities," I suggest. "I know you want to keep them out, but we probably have to offer them some jobs out here permanently if we want to have guards along the wall."
"We don't employ factionless," Peter opens his mouth again and even Tobias snorts in derision.
"Who do you think cleans up the mess or drives the buses and trains," Tobias asks with a glint in his eyes.
"I don't know," Peter shrugs to show he doesn't care.
"We offer the factionless jobs that need to be done and no faction wants to do," I explain. "Whenever positions become available the council creates a list that is given to Abnegation. The next time they have a larger food and clothes offering within the factionless sector they post the positions and men and women can talk to some elders about the vacancies and find out how much jobs are paid. For example the bus drivers are paid three meals a day for working one shift. It is not enough to sustain a whole family, but it is a good way to add to what Abnegation offers," I explain and even Eric listens with interest.
We have finally reached the wall and the last marking we left. We decided to count our steps and mark the progress accordingly.
It is really slow going and Eric decides to let Tobias and Peter walk in front of us. True to his promise he keeps touching me at random intervals in places that have no sexual meaning. His hand is on my shoulder for a few minutes while we walk, next time he supports my elbow and that is followed by holding my hand. I do blush every single time and I am afraid it will take some time to get used to having Eric touch me like this. To be fair, those are spots that I have seen many Dauntless touch other members without being romantically involved, yet for me physical contact is still something powerful and I will have to find a balance between Abnegation values and Dauntless' freedoms.
After two hours we haven't seen the end of the forest and I am wondering out loud if we should keep going or head back.
"Let's keep going for another hour before we decide," Eric directs and we keep marching on.
We stopped talking a while ago as there is just so much that can be said if you are together every single day for the whole day. I am munching on some fruit leather while Eric holds my hand. It is getting easier as time passes and he does it more often, so I am a willing accomplice.
The next hour is up and we still haven't reached the other side so Eric pulls the plug and orders us to head back the way we came from. Shit!
"Tomorrow you two," Eric points at Tobias and Peter "will drop us off at the wall starting point with some camping gear and then you drive around until you find the wall again. Grab a kit and head our way while marking the progress. Remember: every five hundred feet you spray a star on the wall. Tris and I will continue with black, you will use blue so we don't get confused afterwards. Keep an eye out for natural structures that will be of help to us and note anything that stands out to you."
Those are the last spoken words for a while. It is getting dark and we have to use the precious batteries in our flashlights to be able to see the path we came from. Eric and Peter are cursing loudly and Tobias and I just walk quietly.
"Motherfucking hell. God damn it. Shit, shit, shit!" Eric suddenly exclaims and his arm accidentally jerks me into him hard. I am about to curse myself when I see it, the tree Peter backed into has come down and it took down some friends... right on top of our tents and the truck.
"My bed," Peter wails and I look at him in astonishment. He sounds like a girl.
"Let's see what we can salvage," Tobias, the freshly minted optimist says and walks ahead of us towards the mess of broken branches and fabric. I can hear his boots squish in the soggy ground even over the pouring rain and I just know that whatever survived inside the tents will be soaked in muddy puddle water.
When Eric and Tobias are done lifting some big branches off the first tent we can all see the condition of our equipment. Nonetheless we grab the sopping wet sleeping bags and our backpacks and head to the cabin. I warn everyone just in time to pull their scarves over their faces before we enter. Dust goes flying in every direction when we stomp inside. The guys drop the bags right by the entrance and head out again to salvage more.
Looking around, I am not sure where to start.
I decide to check the area by the sink for something the clear the dust and get lucky. The pump by the sink is an old fashioned hand pump and to my delight it is still working. I am pumping away until the satisfying splash of water hitting stone can be heard, then I wet the rag I found and start wiping the dust off the counters and furniture. By the time the men are back with a second load I am already mopping the floor.
"Ah, the good Abnegation wife getting the house ready," Peter teases and yells in pain when he gets hit on the arm by both Eric and Tobias.
"Do you want to sleep with the scarf in front of your face so you don't suffocate during the night," I ask rather sweetly and Peter blushes.
"Sorry," he tells me and moves over to grab the discarded rag and wipes down the windows and sills without another word.
Tobias moves to the fireplace and checks it over. "I think it will work but we have to be on guard for the night. Carbon monoxide poisoning is not off the table." He grabs some logs that were stacked by the side and looks around for something to use as a fire starter.
Eric walks over, pulls out his knife and silently starts shaving pieces of wood off the bigger blocks. I know this won't be enough to start the fire, so I mop my way towards the backpacks and dig inside mine for the fire starter kit I stashed there.
"Here," I throw the small tin box to Tobias who catches it with one hand.
"What the fuck is this?" I can hear him exclaim and turn around. He is staring at the selection of tampons and Eric smirks at me. "Wrong box, Tris."
"Wow, that must be embarrassing," Peter opens his mouth and I just silently walk past the three of them, grabbing the box as I pass and start on my task. I carefully take the tampon out of the wrapper and pull it apart. Then I place some shavings and smaller chunks from the log around it and grab my lighter from the side pocket of my pants.
The fire catches immediately and I carefully layer some more wood until I am able to add a large log. Closing the door I watch as everything comes together and the large log catches fire.
"Sorry," Tobias mumbles and Eric squeezes my shoulder without a word. Peter is silently staring at the fire that is growing bigger. When the heat reaches me I stand back up and finish my cleaning by the light of the fireplace.
It is like the fire put all men in a trance. I leave them be, I work better without those stupid comments.
Once done with the floor I clean one of our cooking pots, fill it with water and place it on top of the wood burner. Then I add another log and once more dig into a side pocket of my pants, this time for a rope I stashed there. Thanks to Amity being built to old fashioned standards I can simply attach it to the hooks to each side of the fireplace. I am lucky and I have enough rope to go back and forth twice.
Now, to the really tedious task... I move back to the pile of stuff the men dragged in and sort them into piles. Next I pull the large tub from beside the sink all the way to the door and proceed to fill it to a third with water.
Eric joins me when I start washing the first sleeping bag. The amount of mud coming out of it is immense and I have to change the water three times before I am satisfied with the cleanliness. Eric takes it out of my hands, steps into the open door and squeezes as much water as he can out of it.
"Thanks, just hang it carefully over the rope by the fire," I instruct while washing the next one.
We keep this up and with the second sleeping bag the water on the wood burner is boiling.
"Uh, Tris, what did you want to use the water for?" Tobias asks and I smile at him, thankful to have one more helper ready.
"We can drink some coffee and then use the rest on some of the dehydrated meals. We just need to clean a serving bowl or similar. Look in the cabinet," I instruct and he gets to work.
By the time all the sleeping bags are cleaned and hung up to dry our dinner is ready. I drank the coffee as soon as it was cold enough. Fatigue has started to set in and we are not halfway done.
"Let's eat, Tris, and then we can take care of the rest." Eric closes the front door and it feels rather dark. My eyes take a few minutes to adjust, but the spoon finds my mouth without problems when I sit down in front of the fireplace to eat.
"What are we going to do about tonight," Peter asks and I look at him. He hasn't said much since we came in here. Some people don't do well when they are out of their comfort zone and apparently Peter needs to have his modern gadgets to function in society.
"I think it's safest if we stay inside tonight. We need daylight to assess the damage outside and fix whatever can be repaired. We just have to rough it for a few hours," Eric explains calmly. He seems to sense Peter's mindset too.
"But what about sleep?" Oh, Peter!
"We can fix up the bed as best as we can. Someone has to stay up and keep an eye on the fire anyway, so it's just three of us that need to fit," I suggest and Tobias as well as Eric stare at me. "What?"
"I don't think we can use that bed. It's covered in a huge layer of dust!" Eric voices his concerns.
"And you would have to share a bed with us," Tobias points at the three of them in turn.
I shrug my shoulders. "Is that all?"
"There is no way you can fix this bed," Peter challenges and I smirk.
"Wanna bet? If I can fix the bed up so we can use it I don't have to watch the fire tonight!" Peter looks at the bed, then at our wet sleeping bags and shakes my hand.
"Deal!"
"Thank you," I sing and stand up to rinse my bowl. Has Peter not realized yet that I came on this trip prepared? Bud and Johanna are fantastic advisors and I am planning of finding something to thank them properly when we return.
I pull my backpack closer to the fireplace and start digging down to the bottom. Finally I feel what I have been looking for and pull it out. There is some mud on the tarpauline, but that is easy to wipe off with the cloth I used earlier. I slowly walk over to the side of the room where the bed is located. Checking it up and down for anything that could crawl out on me in the middle of the night I call out to Tobias for help. As soon as he sees what I have in mind he steps back and spreads his arms wide. Once we have the tarpaulin securely in our grasps we carefully move to the bed and place it on top of all the bedding and tuck the edges in like we were taught. I double check to make sure nothing will come loose in the middle of the night and add some duct tape in strategic places to make it a sure fire thing.
I carefully sit down and test the mattress. It is firm enough to be able to sleep on, yet the pillows come through as softer bumps that we can use for exactly that purpose.
Going back past a smirking Tobias and a slack-jawed Peter I empty my backpack.
Eric whistles when he looks at the things I am pulling out. "Whoever advised you on how to pack deserves a medal."
"Then you all better be real nice to Bud," I wink at Eric and he laughs, grabbing one of my many sealed bags and throws it gently back at me.
Once I am satisfied that everything I brought is just fine I put the backpack aside to wash and dry in the morning.
I grab another backpack and open it. "Hey, that's my stuff," Peter shouts when he sees me pulling out some white underpants. Well, they once were white, now they are partially colored in brown.
"Apparently, and we need to sort through them now so we can see what we can still use and what needs to be washed in the morning," I start to lecture Peter and, as if on command, Eric and Tobias move to grab a hold of their own backpacks.
"I don't want you to touch my underwear," Peter whines and I just look at him in disbelief.
"Are you for real? Then come and unpack everything yourself!" I gesture to the bag in front of me.
Reluctantly Peter comes to take a seat in front of his open bag.
"Can you give me some privacy?"
"No," I state and stare him in the eye, "now get going. I want to go to bed sometime soon." I am starting to get cranky which is a sure sign that I am getting tired.
"Throw all the dirty clothes on one pile, soiled towels on another and then the rest that's not clean on the side. Whatever is clean and dry can go on my pile," I order and, to my surprise, they make fast work of it.
The amount of dirty clothes is astonishing, did none of them think to seal them in order to protect them from the elements?
There not much landing on my pile. Eric had the good sense to cover his toiletries and so did Tobias, Peter wasn't so lucky.
Tobias is suddenly chuckling and I am trying to see what he is looking at. Eric growls, clearly offended by it so I look at what he is holding in his hand. I can't suppress the chuckle myself.
"Why did you put only the used clothes into the plastic bag," I ask outright and Eric sighs.
"Because I didn't want the clean stuff to smell like I had worn it already."
"But you could have achieved the same thing by having your clean clothes in the bag," I am still stunned by this.
"Just... leave it," Eric is getting more annoyed and I really try to not let my amusement show.
"I am just glad you were at least thinking about separating them," I gently admit and then stand up with the pile of muddy towels.
I rinse them in the sink and wring them only slightly before I fold them up into small rectangles. Next I clean a griddle that I had overlooked before, placing it on the wood burner and then layer the wet towels on top.
"What are you doing, Tris?" Eric looks on with curiosity when I carefully empty three of my large zip log bags.
When the towels are steaming I carefully add them to the bags, sealing them in tightly and place them on the foot end of the bed before covering them with the thermal blankets I took out of my backpack and from the first aid kit.
"Voila, the bed is ready." I state and then look at the guys.
"You win," Peter states and I grin at him.
"Thank you. Now, whoever wants to use the bed has to lose any wet or dirty layer," I declare and they all groan. "What? You can't all be soaked through, you are wearing different layers, that is simply not possible," I state and narrow my eyes at them.
"It's going to be freezing, Tris, we need to share body warmth if we are going to strip and use those foil blankets." Tobias speaks up.
"I am aware of that," I state. "Do you think I have a problem with that? I rather sleep in comfort and be warm, so don't mind me."
I close my rain jacket and pull the hood over my head. "I will be back in a few minutes," I state and grab my flashlight and the toilet paper.
When I return they are all lined up by the door, ready to go to the outhouse. Good thing I went first, the smell was disgusting but bearable thanks to the big bucket of wood shavings that was still in there.
Eric leaves as soon as I enter and without a second thought I start getting ready for bed. Pulling my jacket off I hang it on a hook by the door and then my pants on a free hook by the fireplace after I empty the pockets. I carefully check the sleeping bags, but because of their thickness and the inner material having soaked up a lot of water they are not dry yet. Pity, it would have been nice to cover up properly.
My pants were outdoor pants that I bought just for this trip, but they were worth every point I spent on them. The waterproof layer worked like a charm and my leggings are nice and dry. The same with my rain jacket. I bought a new one that doubled as winter jacket and my T-shirt and pullover are still good.
"Come on, Tris, strip another layer for me. Let's see if you grew into that body of yours," Peter teases but it was the wrong thing to say for Tobias grabs him by the throat and pushes him up against the wall.
I am just making my way over to intervene when Eric returns and drags Tobias forcefully backwards.
"What the fuck are you doing," Eric shouts, but I am there now and push his hands off Tobias, yet they immediately return.
"Let go, Eric. He was just trying to teach Peter that some things will never be forgotten." And with that I turn around and punch Peter square in the face. I think I heard his nose crack, but I am not one hundred percent sure as Peter immediately wails like a banshee.
"What the fuck is wrong with you? I leave you alone with Peter for a few minutes and all hell breaks loose. Someone better explain what is going on right now," Eric roars and I suddenly see the mean asshole he was during my initiation.
I am silent and so is Tobias who Eric finally lets go. Peter is busy staunching the blood flow from his nose with his scarf and I honestly can't find enough compassion to care.
"I want answers right the fuck NOW," Eric screams as us again and yet we stay silent.
"Just a misunderstanding," Peter finally says through a blocked nose.
Eric raises his eyebrows and stares us down.
"I am good, no foul blood," Peter grimaces and then turns to the door and leaves.
"The truth," Eric steps right in front of us and focuses on me. "I want to know the truth. And you better give it to me because I need to know about important things that can change a group dynamic like it just happened. Just because you have issues with Peter doesn't give either of you the right to become violent. I will have to discipline you if I am not given a valid reason why this was a justified action."
I sigh and then nod at Tobias to show it is okay to talk. He is still reluctant when he starts. "Peter and two other initiates attacked Tris during initiation and when I found them she was just being pushed over the railing of the Chasm."
"And why wasn't I informed about this," Eric growls.
"Because I didn't want him to," I finally speak up and Eric's head whips back to me.
"Why would you insist on that?" He sounds like a mix between baffled and severely annoyed.
"What would it have changed? Edward lost an eye and became factionless. Another attack would have been handled with the same 'I don't care' attitude," I state matter of factly and am surprised to see Eric cringe.
"I see," is all he is saying and it does ring some alarm bells.
"Why did Edward's attack go unpunished?" I am asking the question that has been burning inside me since that fateful day.
"Max decided that we had no evidence and that it was just hazing gone wrong," Eric doesn't sound happy about it either. "So, what triggered the attack on Peter? Clearly something did happen to cause both of you to lash out." Eric doesn't sound angry at all and I am suddenly okay with telling him all that happened. "He groped me before they pushed me over the railing, stating something along the lines of still having to fill out." I pause, vividly recalling the moment it happened. "And just now he asked me to strip another layer when I hung up my wet outer layer to dry. He wanted to see for himself if I grew into my body," I trail off and nothing else needs to be said.
"Okay," Eric simply states, just like when I came to play capture the flag. "I will take care of her," Eric addresses Tobias directly and he nods in mutual understanding.
Eric follows my example and hangs his jacket by the door to dry and motions for me to follow him to the fire where he takes his pants off as well. Contrary to me he doesn't wear another layer and although I want to avert my eyes he doesn't let me. His hand captures my chin and he tilts my head until I look him in the eyes.
"I will not let anything happen to you, Tris. I promise to keep Peter away from you for the remainder of the trip. Can you convince Four to separate and tutor Peter without killing him?"
"Yes," I whisper and Eric nods again.
"Good girl," he praises and I feel my cheeks heat slightly. Eric nods his head Tobias' way and I walk over, quickly explaining what Eric just said. Tobias is not happy but sees reason in that it has to be him that sticks with Peter and not Eric.
Too soon Peter returns and Tobias leaves for the outhouse after one last nasty look Peter's way.
Peter is silent when he hangs up his jacket and then walks over to the sink to rinse out his bloody scarf. Seems the blood stopped flowing and his nose is not broken.
In an attempt to ignore Peter I focus on Eric and see he hung up his wet scarf and sweater. He is only wearing a t-shirt and a pair boxers.
I walk over to my bagged belongings and retrieve a towel. "Here, this will help keep you warm for a little while. Why don't you go ahead and lie in bed," I suggest but Eric shakes his head.
"Someone has to take first watch and my pullover is only damp. It will be dry enough to wear again soon."
I look at the bed and back to Peter. When I see him walk our way I move to Eric's other side and he steps closer until his arm touches mine.
Peter ignores this and and hangs up his clothes. He clearly was not well prepared. He has to put his boots in front of the fire, followed by his socks on the laundry line and his scarf, pants and sweater on the line and hooks. I am just glad that whoever built this cabin had enough foresight to add a ton of hooks to the walls. They are coming in real handy now.
Before Peter can say anything Tobias returns and to my relief he ignores Peter when he hangs up his jacket and pants. Just like me the rest of his clothing is fine, but like Eric he doesn't wear a second layer. Seems I will be the only one with dry pants.
"I would offer you dry clothes, but I am afraid they wouldn't fit," I state matter of factly although I feel like giggling. Gosh, I really have to sleep.
"Bedtime, Tris. Come on," Tobias grabs my hand and leads me over to the bed before he looks back to Eric. "You taking first watch?"
Eric grunts in affirmative and Tobias pushes me down onto the bed and motions for me to move all the way over to the wall. He follows and pulls the emergency blankets over us.
"Oh wow, the hot towels actually worked," he sounds so surprised, I am a bit offended, but pride wins out.
"Thank you, for this one you can actually thank Johanna," I state and then put my feet right on top of my towel bag and sigh in in pleasure. "Oh, this is good. I was hoping it would work. I can't sleep with cold feet," I state and Tobias shushes me before putting his arm around me and pulling me in closer so we can share body heat.
I do hear Peter getting into bed and I can feel Tobias elbow him when he comes too close to us, but it is just like a fleeting thought while my body settles down and I am falling asleep safe and secure in Tobias' arms.
This chapter was supposed to post last night. I fell asleep halfway through one last look at the chapter so you'll be getting two today. Chapter 4 will post sometime over the next twelve hours and then I am back on track.✌️