8.

The morning started with knives throwing, Tris and Myra were happily training while Eric was sitting and working. This part of the training didn't require him to be much involved, both girls had learned the art of knives very well.

Tris heard a commotion behind, and turned just in time to see Four's group running the perimeter. She met Four's gaze, and he smiled at her. Then he left the group, and walked to where she was. Her view of him was blocked by Eric's back, who had put himself between her and Four.

"What do you want?" Eric asked the other trainer.

"Nothing to do with you, I was going to greet Tris." Four replied politely.

"You don't have any business with my initiate, and I believe she already told you she's not interested." Eric growled. "Get lost Four, and don't bother her anymore."

"Calm down Eric. Tris can tell me herself if she isn't interested. Are you worried that she might say yes to me?" Four said snidely.

Eric moved enough so that Four could see Tris, he turned and raised his pierced eyebrow. Tris bit her lip, she didn't like to be placed at the centre of a dispute that was probably there before she arrived. However, she knew that she wasn't interested in Four. "Hi, I'm really not interested in you, Four. Yesterday I tried to tell you, but you didn't read between the lines." She whispered.

Four looked at her with disappointment. "No problem, I'll just wait when you finish initiation to ask you out again, I'm sure you can't go against Eric's wishes right now."

Eric growled, and attacked Four. And before anyone could do anything, the two instructors were fighting like two angry dogs. Their fight had attracted a big group of people, and everyone was cheering for one or the other.

Tris shook her head, Myra got next to her. "Well, two hot guys after you, Tris. I'm impressed." She said jokingly.

"Oh Myra, I don't know what happened. I'm really not interested in Four, but he wasn't taking no as an answer. He thought Eric told me to say no." Tris whispered.

The fight broke down when Max and Rin, two other leaders arrived and divided the two angry fighters. Four was sent out, and Eric had to follow his fellow leaders. He threw a glance at his girls, and said. "Keep training with knives, I'll see you at lunch."

When it was time to go to lunch, Tris and Myra were walking towards the dining hall. Myra smiled

at Tris. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Tris smiled back. "I was just wondering why Four likes me. Do you think it's because I come from Abnegation? Perhaps he thinks that I'm serious or something like that."

Myra shook her head. "I think that it is because you come from his own former faction, but it's more about the fact that perhaps you could understand each other better."

Tris was shocked, she didn't know that he came from Abnegation too. "How do you know about his origins?"

Myra blushed. "While I was looking around for news of Edward, I met this Dauntless boy, and we got talking. Uria is nice and at the same time handsome, very different from Ed. He's a flirt, but I think he genuinely likes me."

"Wow, I'm happy for you Myra. You're moving on with your life, and you're doing it in the right way." Tris replied.

They entered the dining hall, and they went to queue for lunch. When they had their tray they went to their usual table, and Eric was already there. He nodded at both, and they sat next to him and started eating in silence. Tris turned to look at him. "What.." she tried to say, but he placed his finger on her lips.

"Not here. We'll talk later." Eric said, the rest of the meal was spent in silence.

At the end of the meal, Eric told Myra to go resting at home, then he motioned for Tris to follow him. They arrived at what she thought was his office, and when she entered he closed the door behind her. He sat on a sofa, and patted the place next to him.

"I'm sorry for what you witnessed today, I just can't stand him, and when I saw the way he was looking at you... well, I just lost it. I took you here because there aren't cameras or people listening in on our conversation." He said nervously, passing a hand through his hair.

She smiled at him, and then placed a hand on his knee. "You don't have to apologise, the way he staged the confrontation, it looked like he did it on purpose. Why don't you like him? Beside the fact that he must be deaf or blind not to see that I don't like him?"

He smiled, and placed his hand on hers. "We go way back to initiation, he ended up being first. And I was second, and so there's a lot of bad blood between us. I'm sure he ended up first because he's divergent, but I don't have any evidence."

Tris was surprised by his words. And she dared to ask. "And are you?" She didn't dare add the d- word.

"No, I'm not. Someone close to me was, and when I lost her, let's say I changed sides." He said seriously. "Jeanine used her like a lab rat, I'll never forgive her and she will pay for the death of someone I sincerely loved. My aunt Rose, she was my mother's sister, and basically single- handedly brought me. When they found out that she was different, her life ended, and she was taken away for experiments. I still remember the last time she hugged me."

Tris felt his heartbreak. It was obvious now why he helped people like her. His revelation made her trust him even more.

Without thinking she threw herself into his arms. When she looked up, she saw his dark eyes looking intently at her, and in an instant his lips were on hers. It was her first kiss, and she didn't

know what to do, but she closed her eyes and trusted him.

He moved away suddenly. "I'm sorry, I told you that we would wait until after the end of the first stage, but I cannot control myself when I'm with you. I don't want to control myself."

She blushed at the intensity of his gaze, and bit her lip. She was feeling shy near him. "I didn't mind, I'm just not experienced in these things, and maybe you should be with someone with more experience."

He took her face in his hands, and softly whispered to her. "I don't want anyone else, I only want you. I don't care about your experience or lack of it. We'll take things slow, at your pace, I'm not in a hurry. Now that I found you, I'm not going anywhere. Four will have to walk on my dead body before he gets a chance to be with you."

Tris was happy about his words. He pulled her into his arms, and they stayed on his sofa until break was over. Then Eric took Tris to his apartment to retrieve Myra and the three of them spent the afternoon going through mock-fights.