A/N: I know many of you have been waiting patiently for an update. I'm glad to say "here it is!"

I'm sorry about the delay. Life caught up to me, I got snagged by writer's block and then ended up writing more of an original novel I'm working on than this. Luckily, I am back on track, and with my beta's help...have we got things in store for you! I'm sorry to say that there's no Eric in this, but it's important. Trust me.

Thank you to all of my reviewers and those of you who favourite and follow this. The reviews inspire me! You guys inspire me! Thank you so much! Also, in case you don't know, I post update info, fanart that people are sending me (which I still can't believe) and more on my writing tumblr. Link is in the profile. Enjoy!


Chapter Ten

"And so, we welcome you as you pass from initiates to full members of Erudite. As you join us, working towards the betterment of our society, remember our manifesto. Remember intelligence is a gift, not a right. It must not be wielded not as a weapon but as a tool for the betterment of others(1)." Jeanine pauses and both the members and initiates of Erudite clap. She smiles at the large group. The Welcoming Ceremony is held in entrance hall to the building; it's the largest area that's available and most of Erudite is in attendance. The initiates are standing at the front of the crowd. Dante and Isabelle are missing. They were sent to the factionless sector last night, to be useful despite failing.

I'm standing off to the side, watching Jeanine interact with the crowd. They hang off every word, even the initiates. I watch as Vera, the suspected Divergent, looks proud. Proud at her achievement, for making it through the initiation. My stomach clenches. She should have run, but I could say the same for myself. I thought I was being smart when I made my choice, hiding in the lion's den, but I'm beginning to wonder what I'm giving up for my safety.

"I expect you will make us all proud." Jeanine finishes, and the crowd claps again. I missed the rest of her speech, but it doesn't matter. I helped write it. Jeanine walks over to me, standing straight as she watches the initiates—now members—get separated into the different departments of Erudite. The leaders of each section will take them and place them where they will be the most useful. The choice of the sectors was made by Jeanine herself after looking through the results. Vera gets placed in the science division because the observations and hypotheses she made about the serums has intrigued Jeanine, even if she might be Divergent.

"Amelia," Jeanine says quietly. Her eyes never leave the stage. "Explain to me why Eric was seen at your parent's home." Panic lodged a lump in my throat. Of course she would know. It wasn't often that a Dauntless roamed Erudite at night. I take a deep breath.

"He came to inform me that the construction is complete. They're ready for the next step," I say. She doesn't look at me. Oh god. I mentally check back over my tone. I didn't falter. She had to believe me.

"Our mission, Amelia, is of the utmost importance. It comes before any personal attachments, do you understand?" Her voice is stern, despite the smile on her face that I know is fake as she continues watching the end of the ceremony. I don't know why she's bring this up now, not when there are more private places to speak. Maybe she's expecting something, some reaction that I wasn't planning to give. The idea of a personal attachment to Eric makes me want to cringe, but her statement invokes fear in me. Personal attachments included my family.

"Yes, ma'am," I say softly. She turns and looks at me. Her eyes are hard as she analyses my face and it feels like forever before she nods.

"Good." She looks back at the crowd before turning away. The Ceremony is finished. "Come," she says before heading towards the elevators. I look back at the crowd. Only a few people have noticed Jeanine leaving. Riley is one of them. I've avoided his glances through the ceremony. He's still waiting for an answer, going so far as to send me a reminder that today is the last day of the initiations. I still need to find out who knew about the proposal. I turn away and quickly follow her.


Jeanine leads me to her office.

"Sit," she says, motioning me to the chair across from her desk. I do and wait. Once she's settled in her chair, she turns on her computer and looks at me. Her stare is piercing, and I stop myself from fidgeting under it. "I want you to watch this ...Vera carefully. Go to the gathering tonight and see what you can find out about her. Befriend her if you have to, understood?" Befriend her? It suddenly feels like too much. The girl is only a couple years younger than me. I don't want to be the cause of her death. I don't want to subject her to Jeanine. I nod anyways. "Good. Now that the room is ready, arrange for us to inspect it. I want to ensure it is up to our standards."

"Yes, ma'am," I say.

"Aside from the inspection, clear my schedule for the next two days. We are close, Amelia, to finishing the first serum for Divergents. It will be ready for trials soon." I can barely breathe.

"That's good," I remarkably manage to sound normal. "How will you be testing it?"

"We have volunteers," Jeanine says lightly, "both in Erudite and Dauntless. We'll start with them and move on to the Divergents we find. When you speak to Eric, remind him that I want a report on the suspected Divergent in his training."

I make a note of it in my tablet. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Inform me when the inspection is. For now, go to the gathering. I'll be in the lab." She waves at me to leave and I do so. Part of me wants to run, to see how fast I can get away from this place and Jeanine, but I can't. As soon as I'm gone, she'll suspect why. I can't leave my family, not to her, and I can't sign my own death warrant. I straighten my spine as I head towards the elevators and take a deep breath. I am more concerned about what I can do. I can befriend a new member of Erudite.


After the Welcoming Ceremony, there is a gathering arranged in one of the lobbies. It provides a less formal setting where those in the faction welcome new members. There have been arguments in the past over whether or not it is necessary, after all, a gathering takes time away from work. However, the sociologists have made it clear that in order to have a successful faction, there needs to be a healthy foundation for all members. By introducing the newest members to those already well founded in the faction, it creates a comfort level in the new members. This ensures that the members start work comfortably and with a lack of fear or hesitance towards their superiors and companions.

The lobby is quiet, filled with low murmurs as small groups of people talk to each other. The groupings are fairly obvious. Many Erudites stay within their own research area, presumably to talk about more research. I catch sight of Vera standing to the side, talking to one of the scientists. I can't remember his name. I walk up to them and the conversation stops at the sight of me. It doesn't phase me. It happens often, particularly with those who have high ambitions, those who want to be on Jeanine's good side. The scientist smiles widely.

"Ms. Elswood!" he says, offering his hand to shake. I take it and offer a small smile of my own. "It's wonderful to see you again." He glances at Vera who's looking at him in surprise. "This is Amelia Elswood, Jeanine's personal assistant. She was chosen by Jeanine herself." I try not to sigh. He sounds like he's proud of me, but considering I don't know who he is, there's only one reason why. "How is Jeanine?" the scientist asks. "I hear she's working a new serum. I'm sure it's fantastic, surely going to do wonders for our society like she already has. I've been working on something myself," I have to cut him off.

"I'm sure it's as astounding as you say," I tell him quickly. "However, I need to speak with Ms. Rayne, if you don't mind."

"Of course not!" His eyes widen and he smiles at Vera. "If Amelia wishes to speak to you, you can't let her wait." I push down the annoyance at the familiarity he shows and watch as he looks back at me. "It was lovely to see you again, perhaps you could—"

"Excuse me," I say, cutting him off. I grab Vera's arm and move her away from the scientist. Once we're far enough away, I let go of her. "I'm sorry about that," I say, "but it I let him continue we'd never get free." She looks like she's trying not to laugh. "As you've undoubtedly heard, I am Amelia Elswood," I hold out my hand to her.

"Vera Rayne," her voice is soft, but her handshake is strong. "Is there a reason you've sought me out?" I look at her closely. Her blond hair is pulled back in a typical Erudite bun. She's strong, years from working on Amity fields have toned her muscles, but small. She's my height.

"Yes," I admit. "It's not often we get Amity transfers. I'm curious." If she is Divergent, my questions should make her nervous. I want her to run before they decide what to do with her. She doesn't falter under my stare though.

"So was I. I wanted to know everything," she says softly. She's watching me carefully though, as if expecting me to jump out at her. I was tempted to do it, just to see how'd she'd react. Was this how I looked to Eric? I forced the thought away.

"Such as?" I prompt her. She smiles then, relaxing slightly.

"How the water pumps worked, and how the rain was caught in order to be used again. If the field were arranged a certain way for a reason and why some plants grew faster than others. I did my independent project on the advancements of the serums through the years and the effects we could enhance." I know that already. Her assignment has gone through me to get to Jeanine. She has some good ideas, but I don't know if they'll be enough to save her.

I smile at her. "So the tests showed Erudite and...did it all of a sudden make sense?" She looks a little confused and I see her shift her stance. She looks nervous, but I can't tell if it's because of her possible Divergence or if she's ashamed at choosing a new faction. Some transfers are. "I ask because I've always been Erudite. The idea of changing factions is foreign to me."

"I think," she says slowly, "that I always knew I didn't belong. When the results came, I just knew I couldn't stay there anymore." I nod slowly and smile.

"Well, we are glad to have you," I tell her. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it and will work hard." She nods enthusiastically.

"Oh, I will! I can't wait to start learning from the scientists here." She's almost a little too enthusiastic, but I let it slide.

"Good," I say. "Welcome to Erudite, Vera. If you need anything, let me know." I smile again before I turn away. It's a good first step. I don't want to push too hard. It will either cause her to retreat from me or make her suspicious of me. I can't have that.

I'm halfway out of the lobby when I see Riley. I change direction, heading right to him and when he sees me, he pulls away from the people he's talking to and greets me with a smile.

"Amelia! Have you considered my offer?"

"Not yet," I say and watch as the smile slides from his face. "I did have a question though." There's a pause before he nods. There's no easy way to phrase it. "Who did you tell you were proposing?"

He blinks in shock before his eyes narrow. I seem to have caught him off guard. "Why?" he demands. I shouldn't have to explain myself to him, but I do.

"My father asked me about it that very night." It's a lucky truth. Riley fixes his glasses, biding his time before he answers. He doesn't stumble over his words.

"You have to understand, Amelia." I can already tell that I will not be impressed by his answer. "I assumed that you would say yes, there is no reason you shouldn't," he looks at me over his glasses. I stare back. My face is blank, hiding the annoyance that is building with each word. "We are well matched."

"Who did you tell?" I ask again. My patience is running thin and he can hear it in my voice.

"My colleagues," he says. I clench my jaw. He's one of the top educators. His colleagues were more numerous than I had hoped for. If I asked too many of them, their curiosity would spark. I can barely quell the frustration I feel.

"Thank you," I grind out. I turn away from him and head towards the exit.

"Amelia!" He calls out to me, and when I look back, he continues. "I thought you had an answer."

"Initiations have only just ended, Riley." I leave then and don't look back.

[tbc]