A/N: Thank you all so much for your support. The reviews, favourites and follows are incredibly encouraging. Thank you to Sarah for being a wonderful beta. The demands were made and so, I bring you another chapter. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!


Chapter Seven

It's been over a week since I got the list. It had everything I requested on it: all the materials they need and an explanation for each amount with the dimensions and requirements of the room. I wonder if Eric made sure it would meet my approval before I scowl at the thought of him. He is a problem I don't need. I am under enough pressure remaining the perfect Erudite while working under Jeanine's nose. I don't need another set of eyes constantly watching me. I don't want his interest. After the last time, I needed to be more careful. I can't let him get to me again.

The truck that is used to transport the materials doesn't ride as smoothly as the solar powered cars do. I feel every bump in the road and it does nothing to sooth my anxiety about our destination. There's a loading dock at Dauntless, hidden away from the main entrances. It's perfect. While some of the Dauntless are aware that the control room is being expanded, we don't want all of them asking questions. The less people know, the better.

Eric is waiting at the loading dock with other Dauntless members. I recognize Cam and the one with the green hair who was in the control room when I was last there. I assume they were chosen because they know about, or in Cam's case they're doing, the construction. The other two, I don't know. They're both men. One of them has tattoos that crawl up his neck and onto his skull. I don't stare like I used to, but I can't help but wonder if it hurt. The skull is a sensitive area. The other one has no visible tattoos on his dark skin, only piercings on his eyebrows and lips. I feel inadequately plain in my appearance compared to them. They all watch silently as we arrive.

I have to wait until the truck is backed up against the dock before I can get out. The driver is supposed to come around and help me down from the cab. I'm not that short, but jumping down isn't something I want to attempt in heels, even if they are low ones. The door opens and I turn, holding my tablet in one hand and reaching for the driver's hand with another. The large, tight grasp on my hand doesn't belong to the driver. I look up and Eric is standing outside the door. My jaw clenches.

"Eric," I greet.

He tugs on my hand, pulling me closer to the door before letting go. I should have known he wasn't going to help. I shift forwards, ready to get out on my own, when hands grip my waist, pulling me out of the cab. I gasp. One of my arms wraps around his neck tightly, holding on as my feet are in the air. My other hand is clutching my tablet to my chest like a lifeline. The panic I feel has nothing to do with him touching me, but everything to do with the fact that I can't do anything about it. Then, after what feels like minutes instead of seconds, I'm lightly set down.

"Amelia," he says, sounding far too amused for my liking.

I look up at him, pulling my arm down from his neck. His eyes are a dark blue. He looks amused but there's something else there. It's that same dark look when I last left him at the Dauntless entrance. I still can't place it and it makes me uneasy. I step to the right, out of his hands that nearly encompass my waist. It makes me feel small, almost fragile, and I hate it. I am not weak. I can't be. I move towards the truck.

"Everything is here," I say to Eric, taking a deep breath. I feel like my voice is shaking. I look at the driver, who is glancing at each of the Dauntless. He looks nervous. He opens the back of the truck quickly. Once Eric motions his men forward, the driver scrambles away from them. Some of the men chuckle. I watch as one of them pretend to leap at the driver. They laugh harder when he jumps away. I should help him, make them stop, but I can't bring myself to do so. He should be smart enough to figure a way out himself.

"Twitchy, isn't he?" I glance at Eric. He's watching the men unload the truck with a smirk. I'm grateful that for once, it's not aimed at me.

"Most people are with Dauntless," I reply.

"You aren't." I turn towards him. I'm not afraid because, according to the research, there's something wrong with me. I don't fit. He's watching me closely though and I can't say that I don't believe in being afraid of people just because they're different.

"Jeanine scares me more," I say wryly. It's the truth, one that he can't use against me, and it makes him laugh. This is the most civilized conversation we've ever had. Is it the presence of the others? That didn't stop him from nearly throwing me over the ledge though. Suddenly uncomfortable, I turn away. Only the driver is left out of the others. "Once everything is moved inside," I say, "I want to go over and make sure you have everything."

"Didn't you do your job?" he taunts. I take a deep breath and exhale slowly, trying to remain calm. I promised myself I wouldn't let him get to me.

"Of course I did," I reply, looking over my shoulder at him. My tone is more snappish than I mean for it to be and I try to reign it back. "I want everything to be perfect. The sooner we can get it set up, the better."

"Of course," his voice is deep and I ignore how amused he sounds. "Can't let Jeanine get angry." I look over at him and he raises his eyebrows quickly at me. I shouldn't have said anything. The Dauntless men return and carry more stuff out of the truck. This is going to take awhile. I shift, stepping lightly to the side, and consider how bad it would look if I leaned against the truck. While my heels are comfortable, there's only so long that will last. I don't do it though. Surrounded by Dauntless, giving in to my body's limitations feels like weakness.

Eric moves and leans against the wall of the compound, facing me. I look down at my tablet, opening the agenda. Jeanine is currently in the laboratory according to the schedule and tomorrow is filled with meetings with the communication department. I know all of this already, having entered it myself, but I need something to do. I feel my skin prickle with awareness and I look up. He's staring again.

"What?" I ask, closing the agenda and pulling the tablet to my chest. It's illogical to feel more secure holding a piece of technological equipment, but I do. It's like a safety net of Jeanine's influence.

Eric tilts his head and crosses his arms. His lips quirk up slightly. "What, what?" he asks. I should have known it wouldn't be easy.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"I need a reason?" His eyebrows raise and I suddenly feel like I'm missing something. I watch him carefully. One foot is propped up against the wall behind him and he looks like a cat ready to pounce. I think of every possible reason he keeps staring and none of it is good. I want to run away from his analyzing eyes.

"Most people do," I say, proud that my voice is calm.

He tilts his head but his eyes never leave mine. "Hmm." There is a lot of meaning that could go into that sound. My eyes narrow, wondering what he sees. I'm wearing dark blue pants and a light blue blouse. There's not much to 'hmm' about.

He pushes off the wall and strides towards me. I maintain my ground and when he stops in front of me, my head actually reaches a little above his shoulder. It's not much, but its enough that I don't have to strain my neck to look up at him. I can't help but notice that he has a long, straight nose and a strong jaw as he speaks. "How's your brother?" My blood goes ice cold.

"How do you know I have a brother?" I whisper. He shouldn't know about him. He smirks down at me.

"He's younger, isn't he?"

The fear burns into anger in my chest. It is one thing to pretend to push me over a cliff or into a wall, but my family is off limits. I step forward with a glare and poke him in the chest. It hurts my finger more than I suspect it hurts him. "How do you know about him?" I demand. His smirk widens, like he's enjoying my reaction. It fuels my anger and I have to stop myself from pushing him. "Tell me!" Eric leans down, his face next to mine. I can almost feel his lips on my ear. I jerk back but his hand clamps down on my arm, stopping me from going further.

"How do you think?" he asks quietly. He's testing me. My jaw clenches and I can tell by the heat that my face is flushed with anger. Jeanine herself chose me and he's testing me?

He pulls back suddenly and I look to see the men have returned for the last batch of supplies. "Come on," Eric says, beckoning me to follow as he goes after the men. I have no choice. I need to know more.


I figure it out by the time we get to the control room. The time and space away from him clears my head. Eric used to be Erudite. Either he still has connections, or he watched me enough when I was still in school with my brother that he saw us together. It's the most logical answer. His memory is impressive, I'll give him that, but I'm still angry. Unfortunately, I can't decide whether it's with him or myself. Am I putting my family in more danger by trying to hold on to them? My doubts pull at me. I have to protect them. I have to protect myself.

Max is waiting in the control room when we arrive.

"Go," Max says, motioning to the unnamed men to leave. "Hatch, watch the monitors." The man who doesn't have tattoos on his dark skin nods, throwing a smile towards me before sitting down in front of the screens. The green haired man and the one with tattoos on his scalp leave and don't look back. Max ushers us into the other room. "Everything went well?" he asks and I nod even though Eric answers.

"Yeah," he says. "She wants do inventory though." Eric nods in my direction. Max looks at me.

"As I told Eric," I say, "I want to make sure you have everything." I open the tablet and find the right file. "Let's get this over with. I need someone to assist me."

"Eric will," Max says. His tone is light but I can see sternness in his eyes. Eric raises his eyebrows at Max before turning towards me. It's an interesting exchange and it's enough to explain the slight tension in the room. Max is exuding his authority. Even though the leadership is supposedly equal in Dauntless, did experience rank the leaders against one another? Cam leans against one of the walls, watching us all. Despite the fact that Max and Eric brought him on, he's an unknown variable. I don't like it. There are too many unknown variables surrounding me.

"Well?" I look up at the sound of Eric's deep voice. He sounds annoyed and I have to stop my own smirk. He's not infallible.

"I'm going to read out what you should have, and you tell me if it's there," I say.

"Okay."


It doesn't take long before all the supplies are counted for. Surprisingly, Eric was on his best behaviour during the process. It seemed that having other people around tempered his actions towards me. If I could only remain surrounded by people, this might go smoothly.

"Alright," I say, closing the tablet. I look towards Cam and he stops his discussion with Max. "How long will it take before it's ready?"

Cam shrugs. "About two weeks, but longer if something comes up."

"Make sure it doesn't," I say, channeling my inner Jeanine. It's alarming how easily it comes to me. "I want to be informed immediately once it's finished, understood?"

Cam nods.

"Good."

I turn towards Max. "I need to get back to Erudite." I'm hoping he'll lead me out himself, or send Cam, but it doesn't happen. Max's eyes look past me and Eric steps forward, away from the boxes.

"Follow me," Eric says, opening the door and motioning me out. I leave with him behind me.


"What's so important at Erudite?" Eric asks and I look back at him in confusion. He waves his fingers in my direction. "You're racing."

"I'm not racing," I say. "I want to get back before my driver has a heart attack." I continue forwards in the direction he gave me when I hear his pace quicken behind me. My body tenses. I'm pulled to a stop as his arm goes around my waist and pulls me back into his chest. I'm still facing forwards but I can feel his chest move against my back with every breath. If I lean back, my head will rest on his shoulder. What is he doing? My brain runs through all logical explanations and nothing makes sense.

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" his voice is in my ear, quiet in the empty corridor. I can't help the shiver that runs down my spine. His voice sounds promising, like he knows something that I don't, but he'll tell me. My heart pounds.

"That, and I have a large amount of work waiting for me." His grip is tight but he lets me push his hand away. I move away from him, suddenly desperate for space. He's too close and I can't think. "The sooner this is done, the less I have to be here."

"Don't like us?" he asks. That dark, amused look is in his eyes again but the shadows of the corridor make it look fiercer.

"I'm Erudite," I say slowly. I don't know what he wants. "Of course I don't like you. You're insane." He laughs that low chuckle again before walking past me, brushing my shoulder with his arm. Irritation flares up in me. Why must he keep touching me?

"Of course we are," he says. "We're Dauntless."

My driver is waiting inside the truck. He looks relieved to see me when I open the door, but I ignore him. I have more pressing matters to deal with and if he can't deal with being left alone for an hour, that's not my problem. I turn towards Eric.

"Be sure to inform me as soon as the room is ready. I want to get everything prepared as soon as possible." I wait for him to nod before I continue. "I also want the status update on those security cameras. We'll be linking the feeds to Erudite."

"I'll inform you immediately," he says with a smirk. I don't like the way he says it, like there's some connotation that I'm missing.

"Good," I say. I turn to the truck, grasping the rail to try and pull myself up into the cab. I feel the weight of his hands on my waist before he lifts me high enough that I can easily climb in. My throat tightens and I look out at him. "Thank you."

He nods. "I'll see you soon," he says. I hope not. I reach for the door but he grabs it and slams it shut for me. My eyes narrow as I watch him through the window. He's a contradiction, an enigma. He's confusing me and I don't like it.

I look at the driver. "Let's go." The sooner I'm away from this place, the better.

[tbc]