Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'm glad so many people are enjoying the story. Thanks to Bamberlee for editing!
Have a great week!đź’•
In her sleep, she's far taller.
There are no limits when you're unconscious, and despite the crown of her head landing somewhere near the middle of my chest, in the latest part of the night, she takes up half the bed. I wake up to Everly's arm over my face, and her leg thrown over my leg. I push her away with a grunt, cold limbs clearly seeking out warmth, and I remember her promising she'd stay on her own side of the bed.
It's not a terrible scenario to wake up to.
There's a thrill to being in bed with someone else, especially a pretty girl whose nightgown is tangled through both our legs, and the knowledge that Blythe would have never allowed anyone like Everly to spend the night. Ashley tried. For a few minutes, on a rainy night, she hinted the storm was too intense to walk home. She hinted further she could stay, we could finish our homework, and walk to school in the morning.
Daniel drove her home immediately after dinner, and had he not, Blythe probably would have killed her in her sleep. Even though she liked her, and even though Ashley was just as manipulative as Blythe, we all knew Ashley's intentions weren't to do any homework.
There were rules, and aside from Rylan, no one ever really saw the Coulters at home.
In their large house, massive and elegant and empty, Blythe and Daniel were free to wander around and check on the skeletons they kept tucked away. Blythe could be short and sharp with whichever one of us crossed her path, and Daniel could lock himself in his office. He was safe when he was surrounded by the heavy books and medical journals. He used his knowledge like a shield, and his work like a sword.
He kept both of us away, not wanting to admit things weren't always good, nor had they ever been, and we all knew they were only in this because it looked impressive.
I sometimes wondered if anyone saw through their bullshit. For the most part, Blythe busied herself with her own work. Her patients always seemed to need her after office hours, and Jeanine needed her 'round the clock. This left little time for her family and she preferred it that way.
Every so often, usually when she'd had an extra glass of wine or started to feel pressured under the weight of her own, barely existent conscious, she looked at me and frowned. It wasn't mean and impatient, furious over misplaced paperwork or shoes left in the hallway.
It was aware.
Like she knew the damage had been done, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to change anything.
She didn't really want to.
She could fake being nice, pretend to appreciate the staff of talented nurses who idolized Daniel, and invite the neighbors over for a dinner she didn't make, but it was much easier to keep herself safe. There was some nobility in this, because she protected all of us. She could keep all our secrets hidden in the elegantly papered walls, and no one would be any the wiser.
The result is I don't trust many people.
Including the one trying to sleep close to me, clearly unable to be alone, even in sleep.
"Everly!" I growl her name, doing my best to move her away from me. I stop when she opens her eyes, and blinks. It takes her a second to realize what's going on, and she shoves the hair out of her eyes and mumbles an apology.
"Sorry."
She does move over. She winds up back on her own side of the bed, taking half the sheets and the entire blanket, and I'm left in the cold.
Literally and figuratively.
Everly falls right back to sleep, but I do not.
I glance over at her a few times, pretending I'm not looking at her in the dark, and I hate that I regret making her move away.
I don't fall asleep for a long time, and when I do, it's worse than if I had stayed awake.
My desire for organization comes true within a few days.
After another day of naming animals and checking them off a list, our real schedule arrives. It's still far less rigid than I would have thought considering the Amity faction is a huge undertaking, but it's enough to put some order back in my life.
On Thursday, we're split into two groups. Mine consists of several of the transfers, including Noelle and Trevor and Trent, and half of the Amity born. Everly is in our group, though she's immediately whisked away by her friends. I don't mind. There is no reason for her to stay glued to my side. We're assigned to work in the greenhouses for two weeks, and we fan out to sit wherever we can. The first five days are learning about the plants and their ecosystems, and the next five will be learning how the greenhouses work.
Everly's father, standing at the front of the room and leading the class, moves quickly. He explains why knowing the structure of the plants is important, and how this affects their life cycle. I flash back to Honors Biology, and I zone out when someone asks a question. Hank is incredibly, and I suppose impressively, knowledgeable about his field, but this means he can talk forever. He reminds me of Daniel when he speaks, but he sits down beside the person who asked the question and gives them his full attention.
Daniel would never.
"Are you already done? Let me copy yours." Noelle tries to grab my paper, and I shove her away from me. The quiet shuffle makes a few people turn around, and I rip my paper from her fingers as she tries to yank it back.
"Yes, some of us aren't total idiots."
She throws me a dirty look, but I don't care. I lean back against the table, and my shitty mood isn't just because Noelle wants to copy my answers or has been hovering around like she wants something. I shouldn't even care if she copies my work, though this goes against everything enforced in Erudite, because I'm more annoyed at Everly. Two minutes after we arrived, Landon showed up. He made a beeline for her, and I watched him reach out and move her hair off her face as he asked her to come with him.
The gesture was pretty telling.
He's comfortable with her, isn't afraid of getting close, and is confident she won't push him away.
I had pushed her away.
Twice.
To be fair, I don't really know her. I only met her a few days ago, and our bond goes as far as both of us feeling pressured to pick a faction we didn't want to. This connection is all we have, aside from living together and having silently eaten toast this morning, but she is determined to hold on to it.
Maybe not after last night.
Landon inches closer, smiling as he bends down to whisper something to her, and I see a vibrant shade of red.
I narrow my eyes at all of this, imagining going up and grasping him by the throat for no reason other than I woke up with Everly inches away from me, but I refrain. I stand there scrawling the rest of the answers I need for the other side of the page and busy myself listening to the people around me struggle to label each box.
Landon leaves after Everly shakes her head. Her hair is long and loose, pulled back on the sides, and it brushes the table when she crosses her arms over her chest. She watches him leave with a look of annoyance, and her blonde friend from the Dome comes over. They talk quietly, both glancing in the direction Landon left, and they only stop when Hank's assistant comes by to check on them.
Class picks up again, then comes to a grinding halt.
The pace would be infuriating, but I have no choice other than to accept it.
Ten minutes later, Hank's lecture pauses for a third time so he can pass out more worksheets. These corollate to each greenhouse, and he gently explains these might be a little more difficult and we need to hold on to them. I was stunned to learn how many greenhouses there are. I'd never once thought about where any of our food came from. We always had more than enough, often thrown out at the end of the night or taken home by whoever had cooked, and I never once considered someone had cultivated it until it was ready to be harvested.
There are six in total. Two are nothing but plants and three are vegetables that cannot be grown in cold weather. There is one for herbs, this one smelling overwhelming and damp, and we will spend a few days working in that specific area. It was hinted the herbs are important, and only a few would wind up going on to study them.
While I've been learning life in Amity is far different than I'd originally thought, I'm also made aware they have some questionable qualities to their faction.
The first is the lack of actual medicine.
While eating dinner with Everly and the entire population of Amity, I found out her mother runs their infirmary. They have one, a lone clinic where she treats everyone and everything, and they are extremely reluctant to involve outside help. Every illness is treated with teas, oils, herbs, and in the rarest of all cases - a band aid. In the off chance she can't help you, it is up to you to pursue further treatment. Everly's friend Sophia, the same size as her, but taller, cheerfully told me she'd been to Erudite once. She'd cracked her head open on the playground, and they took her to the Erudite emergency room.
Shortly after that incident, Everly's mother learned how to stitch someone up.
I had swallowed down a bite of the sandwich I was eating, wondering if this was one of the animals I'd met earlier, and I tried to think of how one lone woman helped an entire faction. Or took it upon herself to learn the art of suturing in her free time.
"Hey, did you finish your paper?"
I glance down at Everly to see her holding her own completed page. Another advantage to being from here is being related to the instructor. She holds up a page covered in loopy handwriting, and her answers are the same as mine.
My speck of satisfaction wavers, and I wonder if I should really be proud of acing a test in Amity.
"Do you want to go get a drink? He's going to talk forever if someone needs his help," Everly moves closer, the sleeves on her dress slipping. It's a pale shade of blue, an odd choice considering everyone here seems to pick brighter colors, and it makes her look different than I remember.
Which is funny considering I've lived with her for a few days now and I'm pretty familiar with how she looks.
"Sure. He won't care?" I eye Hank quickly, and he bends over to help Trent with something. He encourages him to change a few answers, and Trent's stress is immediate.
Failing Amity is impossible but figuring out this world feels strange. There is some worry given this seems like stuff we should know, but Hank reassures him he's doing just fine.
"No, he won't mind." Everly pauses, and her stare finds Noelle, clearly waiting to be invited. "I want to show you something anyway."
In an act of rare un-Amityness, Everly doesn't ask Noelle to come with us. We both turn our papers in to her father, and he cheerfully tells us we have thirty minutes before we're moving to the next one. He's even more cheerful when she says we'll be right back, and his smile is genuine as he tells us to have fun.
The lack of authoritative enforcement is strange, though oddly freeing.
"Where are we going?" I follow her outside, and the cool air is welcome after being inside the greenhouse. She points past a large building to the side of the greenhouses, and I hope she's not dragging me to see how the plumbing works or bringing me to the playground.
Despite my relief that Amity does have running water, I'm not hoping to find out how it works.
"I'll show you."
"How are you liking Amity?"
Everly's mother hands me a glass of lemonade, then sits down beside me at her kitchen table.
Their house is exactly what I would have pictured if someone had me guess what a home in Amity is like. While drastically different from my former home in Erudite, there's an odd comfort to it. It's large. It spreads out from room to room, each one lofty and decorated with dozens of plants. There's a bookshelf filled with books –a total surprise to me –but also pictures, rocks, candles, more plants, some toys, and flowers. They have nice looking couches, oversized and worn but comfortable, end tables that I'm sure someone made, large windows to reveal the outside, and a fireplace Blythe might have approved of. If the home were located in Erudite, it would have been one Blythe might have considered, if only for the amount of space it came with.
The rest of it –the wood walls, the children's artwork everywhere, shoes by the door, and the low-end appliances –would have made her shake her head and ask what else was available.
"It's…it's been interesting."
I sneak a peek over at Everly, happily sipping her own lemonade while her little brother shows her some rocks he found at the lake, and I have the feeling my answer is important.
"It's different than I thought. There's a lot more to it." I lie carefully, and Everly looks up at me.
We both know I hadn't planned on coming here. I hadn't thought about Amity at all. I'd picked it to get away from Jeanine, and now I am here, trying to figure out how to adjust. There was a lot behind my decision if I really thought about it, but I was choosing not to.
"It seems like a lot of work for the faction to keep going. I heard not a lot of people picked Amity this year?" I lean back in the chair, towering over both of them, and I shrug when she smiles. "Why?"
Everly's mother nods. When I got here, she told me her name is Eden, and warmly offered to get me a drink. I had no clue we were coming back to Everly's house, or former house, but it was a nice break from labeling the parts of a plant. I sat down at their kitchen table, the same size as my old one, except this one is clearly used. There are plenty of chairs, a bench if you want to sit closely with someone, and enough space for extra guests.
I have the feeling it's normal for people to just drop by and stay for dinner.
"No, we haven't had very many. The Amity faction…a lot of people assume everyone here is just staring at the clouds all day. The few who might consider choosing it don't want to be made fun of. We understand," her mother smiles, taking a second to sip her tea. "Most of the children from Amity stay here. Hank said we had ten transfer here, and that's better than last year."
She sounds strange. Sort of hopeful, a little down. I nod, feeling uncomfortable. I don't know why, but I think it has to do with the realization that Amity's reputation isn't entirely true.
So far, no one had been sitting around in a daze.
"What about the singing and the music? In Erudite, we were told there's almost no education here and everyone's main job is to just keep the peace. Or sing and–"
Eden frowns.
Her long hair is braided to the side, and her dress is similar to Everly's. She fidgets with her drink, then shakes her head.
"We have schooling here. Everyone attends a normal school just like in Erudite. The main difference is our teachers are from here, and the curriculum is based around keeping our members in Amity. Sometimes they hold classes outside, and sometimes they can choose how fast or how slow they need to teach. There's a lot of flexibility. Erudite is very strict, I take it?" Eden rises up, and for an odd second, I think I've insulted her.
I haven't.
She goes to grab Zander a cookie, then hands one to Everly and me.
"There is some singing, but no one is forced to sing. Some people shouldn't be singing," Eden smiles again, and Everly does her best not to laugh. She doesn't eat her cookie, and when he realizes this, Zander takes it, then slides underneath the table so his mother can't see him. "Are your parents happy you picked Amity? Will they come to see you on Visitor's Day?"
For a second, the horror is real.
I toy with my cookie, something she's made and smells far better than the ones our housekeeper purchased, and I try to imagine Daniel or Blythe walking through here. They'd both look incredibly out of place, and there would be no telling what sort of insults would come out of Blythe's mouth.
It would be very likely they would refuse to leave unless I came with them.
"You know, my guess would be no. They both work a lot. I doubt they'd have time to come visit."
"Oh, well…that's alright. I'm sure they're proud of you."
Eden looks only at me, and I can feel Everly looking at me, too. I dislike the hint of sympathy in their stares, and I dislike it even more when Zander crawls over to me and tries to climb up. He's quick- before I can wonder if Eden knows it's highly unlikely my parents would be proud I transferred to Amity, especially when I'm supposed to be in Dauntless.
Before I can say anything, Zander whispers my name. He climbs up without a single hint of hesitation, and plops himself right down on my lap, triumphant as ever.
He turns to look at me, his dark hair a mess and his face sticky, and the little fucker steals the cookie right out of my hand when I lowly tell him no.
I call Rylan again.
I lag behind the class, watching Everly's head knock into her friends as they giggle, jumping around the chickens crossing the pathway. They wave over at Jerry, watching from his porch, and his eyes widen when he realizes not only has his prized poultry escaped, but they're now following the class to the fields.
I shut my eyes tightly when I get Rylan's voicemail, and I consider throwing the phone in the lake. I've only brought it along in hopes he might call. I don't know why. Hearing about Dauntless won't do me any good. I'm not there, nor do I plan on being there, but I guess I just wanted a little reminder that I'm not going insane by choosing Amity.
I shove the phone back in my pocket, ignoring the beep informing me the phone doesn't have much longer before it dies.
By three in the afternoon, I regret all my decisions.
I'm sweaty, burning hot after hours in the sun, and annoyed. Rather than going to the greenhouse, we were introduced to Howard. Howard is Carole's husband, and he is in charge of crop management. The job sounded easy, but I soon learned the man works all day, sometimes into the night, and he is the one who makes sure the crops are harvested efficiently.
He walked quickly, his thin frame and wiry hair mocking the hard work we were about to do, and he spoke slowly. He pointed out the rows of apple trees, hinting we'd spend some time there as well, and the orange groves. I was hoping we'd start there since it was shady, but instead, we went into bright sunlight, and deep into the field.
Howard took us on a more in-depth tour than Forrest had. The first field was lettuce. Carrots. Cucumbers. All sorts of vegetables, neatly lined up, currently being tended to by a large group of farmers. The second field was corn, and we were led through the maze like set up as if we knew where we were going.
He came to a halt and announced our task for the day was to spend a few hours helping the farmers pick some of the corn. I never in my life considered any of the food was processed like this, but here I am, hours later, wiping my forehead and ripping away corn husks as the day drags on.
It's not terrible work.
After years of schooling in Erudite, sitting at a desk and typing away for hours, doing something physical feels good. My legs feel a warm ache from squatting down to reach the lower stalks, and my arms begin to burn from repetition. I ditch the long-sleeved shirt, roll up the sleeves of my t shirt, and those around me do the same.
The girls are fine.
Most are laughing, skipping in between the rows with practiced ease, and much faster. They aren't at all bothered to be out, and a few of the Amity born spend more time flirting with the farmers than doing any actual work.
I stop to watch Everly and her friends, noticing they're having more fun than actually working.
"This is not what I expected. At all." Trent walks over to me to hand me a bottle of water, and at the end of the row, May nods her approval. She loudly tells Sophia to get back to work, and Sophia immediately tells her she will. There are plenty of people out here, all working hard, and not a single one is complaining. Everly and her friends move a row over, and their shrieks of seeing a mouse are loud. "What about you? Wouldn't you rather be…I don't know, reading a book?"
I look at him carefully, his black hair drenched with sweat and his face red, and it dawns on me I have to change my reputation quick. Coming from Erudite has made everyone think I want to sit at home and research things. They'd missed the part where I am strong, and the physical aspect of living here has some appeal.
It's minimal, but it's something.
"I don't mind it. It feels good to be moving. And no, I don't want to sit at home and read."
I shove past him, carrying the heavy basket with ease, and I make it to May before anyone else. She looks at me with the smallest speck of pride, and waves to Jerry, walking our way.
"Nice work. Thanks for not messing around."
"No problem." I wipe the sweat off my forehead again, and she marks something down on a notepad.
"Should I go back out there?"
May pauses to tilt her head. "Actually, can you go and help Jerry for a minute? We have a small issue in one of the barns and we need as many hands as we can get. I told him I'd wrangle up a few men. You're the only one who's completed their initiation task so far."
"Sure."
There's no hesitation on my part because there can't be. I need to be smart about all this and helping Jerry will only put me in a better light.
And it'll be a break from picking crops.
"Thanks. I already scored you, so you're good to go. You don't have to come back when you're done." May squints at Trent, still standing there not doing much, and she glances back at me. "You okay? I know it's hot. It takes some time to get used to. I'll have someone bring you more water."
"No, I'm fine. I, uh, was just thinking there's a lot of work to do. And you guys do this every day?"
May smiles. She has a funny feel to her, like she's not actually from Amity nor does she really live here. She seems tough, less romanced over the idea of living on a farm and more practical, and she confirms this by nodding sharply.
"Every day. Just wait till you learn how they manage the livestock. With any luck, you won't end up in charge of the petting zoo."
Her words sound ominous, and I have a feeling she knows more than I imagine.
I add her name to my list of people to get on their good side, and I head over to Jerry, happily waiting for me to join him.
My first mistake is having ever believed anyone who made fun of the Amity faction.
The sun started setting a half hour ago, and I'm still working. The issue with the barn isn't even remotely small, nor is it something that'll be fixed today. I walked along the path with Jerry while he explained what happened, and I did my best to pretend he was joking.
He wasn't.
The livestock had gotten restless and caused some damage. Because the barns are old, and in the process of being rebuilt, they'd knocked down half a wall. The roof now sags ominously in its absence, threatening to cave in completely. The decision was made to tear it down altogether, but the manpower needed exceeded who was available today.
Which is how I wound up beside Jerry, ripping down rotted wood and spitting hay out of my mouth.
"You uh, you enjoying your time here?"
Jerry is nice. Of course, he's nice. I haven't met anyone here who is not nice, and everyone seems very concerned if I like being in Amity. The confusing part is I don't have a choice if I like it. If I told them no, snapping that now my arms are really sore, or my head hurts, or I hadn't eaten lunch because once we got the wall down, a hundred chickens poured out, rushing past us like they'd been held captive, it wouldn't do me any good.
My only options are to suck it up or leave.
Become factionless.
A fate even worse than choosing Amity, though I suppose I could call Jeanine and beg for her to take me away.
The real issue isn't that the work here is hard, or that I hate it. Surprisingly, I'm not entirely opposed to what's going on. It feels good to be productive, and there's a level of appreciation I've never felt before. I might not be in Dauntless, on my way to becoming a leader, but at least people here seem to genuinely welcome my existence.
"Yeah, it's uh, it's a lot harder than I expected. But it's not terrible. I could think of worse ways to spend my day."
I figure there's no use lying to him, and I hope I can trust him. I'm leery of anyone in a position of perceived authority here, let alone someone my parents' age. I'd never really trusted them, and I have no reason to believe Jerry gives a shit about me.
"You having fun with Everly? I heard she changed her mind and you guys got the last house." Jerry grunts as he knocks down a section of rain damaged wood, and he stops to admire his work. There are a dozen other men helping, all looking equally tired, but no one is stopping. "She gives Hank a run for his points. He's always nervous she's gonna wander off into the woods and get in trouble."
"What's in the woods?" I ask curiously, and he freezes.
"What?"
"What's in the woods? Why can you not go in them?" I help tear down another section, and this time, my body screams its exhaustion. I should have eaten the cookie Eden made, but Zander had run off with it and I'd let him. "You said she'd get in trouble."
"Oh, no, there's nothing out there," Jerry explains, and he throws someone a thumbs up when they announce they're almost done. "It's easy to get turned around. You could go in and never find your way out."
"You would eventually though, right? Wouldn't you hit…" I pause, trying to think of where we are. "Erudite? Or Candor? I don't know which faction borders here."
I should.
This bothers me a great deal.
In school, we'd learned about factional boundaries and how far each one went. I'm turned around now, and I try to remember the map I'd studied.
Erudite is the most north. It sits at the top of the map, large and threatening.
"Dauntless is the closest neighbor, but they're far. Candor is the other way." Jerry doesn't clarify past this. "Hey, you know what? Let's stop for today. I know you have class tomorrow and I don't want to keep you late. Thanks for your help. I appreciate it."
"No problem," I agree immediately, and I pause only to ask if he needs help tomorrow.
"You know, if I do, I'll come grab you. Hank said you aced the greenhouse stuff. He was impressed, but hey, coming from Erudite, you probably know more than us." Jerry grins widely, clearly happy with how today has turned out. "Thanks again, Eric. I'll tell Hank you were a big help."
"Thanks. Appreciate it. I guess I'll see you later."
I leave quickly, slipping out of the doorless and empty barn without saying anything to anyone else. A few nod goodbye, and most take my departure as their cue to stop. I reach the main pathway quickly, and I come to a halt when I realize I know exactly where I'm going. This bothers me, and I know it's because my time here has been short, but I already know my way around. I know the left of the fork leads to Everly's parents' house, and the right leads to the lake.
The house I'm staying in is to the left.
I take the right.
I give myself a few minutes of absolute silence. Everly is hardly annoying or in my face, but the alone time feels glorious. My nerves are soothed as I walk, the further I go, the more the anxiety of my situation lessens.
I am struggling here, and I willingly admit it.
But I'm not struggling to fit in or get through the initiation. I have a feeling if I keep doing what I'm asked and stay out of trouble, I'll be just fine. My struggle is the discovery that I could fit in here. That I would be fine and this would work out in a way I never imagined.
That I, Eric Coulter, once the promised leader of Dauntless, could exist in Amity and possibly be content. That is a big leap, but I find some accomplishment in how it feels to be productive, and I feel strong. Powerful. Like I could ace this initiation and come out on top, and I could take over. I could make some small changes to start, showing the other factions Amity has more potential than their courts or their stupid labs, and I could make this place somewhere people want to be.
I come to a dead stop as I nearly vomit at my own thinking.
Their brainwashing really works. I've only been here a few days, and I'm already thinking about my future here.
Right as I decide I have to change my logic, I notice I'm past the edge of the lake, and at the border of the woods. I decide to go further, seeing if Everly really did have a chance of getting lost out here, or if Jerry and Hank are just paranoid.
Ten minutes later, I realize they aren't.
I reach a point in the woods where the ground slopes drastically and the trees thicken. It's dark now, so dark I hope I can find my way back, and I only keep going because there's a strange crackle up ahead. I walk until I realize my mistake, and I nearly fall to my death.
I manage to stop myself, but there's a ravine spanning large and wide, half hidden beneath worn away earth, and the cliff provides shelter below.
A good twenty feet beneath me, grouped together in large swarms, milling around without a care in the world as they cook dinner over numerous small fires, is an entire factionless camp.
"What's a charger?"
Judd, the lone soul working in the general store, is confused. His blond hair is a mess. It hangs in his eyes, unkempt and in desperate need of a cut, and his plaid shirt is unbuttoned. The apron he has on is brown, and the logo reads Amity General Store, Manager.
There are pictures on the wall behind him, strange photos printed on a paper I've never once touched, announcing him as Employee of the Month.
Every month.
For the past year.
"Does anyone else work here?" I ignore his question as I point to the wall, and he grins.
"Just me. I took over for Colton's dad when he retired. We shortened the hours a while back and it's enough for me to handle. He said I had to keep up the tradition since it's good for employee morale. But I'm the only employee and the manager so…." Judd trails off and he rifles through the drawer in front of him. "You said you needed a charger? What are you charging?"
"A phone," I exhale sharply, and this is a risk.
Living in Amity is a risk, but so is trying to charge my phone. It rang while I was looking down at the factionless. They looked up, and I nearly lost my footing trying to scramble away. The phone rang loudly, again and again, and when I finally was far enough away to answer it, it fucking died.
Right in my hands, right as Rylan's name flashed across the screen.
I managed to get out of the woods, and I walked to the general store as fast as I could. It was a long shot, but hopefully they had something that would work. The house has outlets, and I couldn't be the first person to have a phone in Amity. My other option was to try and find a way to the market. I'd never been before, but I'd overheard Daniel talking about them once, saying they sold anything and everything.
"What kind of phone?" Judd peers over the counter, and I shake my head.
"I don't know…just a phone. I had it in Erudite and I brought it with me. I'm trying to call…." I pause, thinking of who on Earth he'd find acceptable to call, and the best I can come up with is a family member. "My brother. I need to make sure he's alive."
"You have a brother? I heard you're an only child," Judd rummages through the drawer, and he holds up a cord. "Would this work? May traded it for some rubber band guns. Said she wanted them for the kids. I have no use for it but –"
"Yes!" I can't believe he has the cord I need, and I hope he has the base for it. "I just need the base. There should be–"
"Here. She said it needs this to work," Judd hands me the second part, and he looks impressed with himself. "Glad I could help. So, I don't have a price for those and I don't think any of you have gotten your cards yet, right?"
Fuck.
He looks at me knowing I have no way to pay for this.
"No, we haven't. I um…" For half a second, I contemplate telling him I'll go get Everly. If anyone in Amity had credit or could convince him to just let me take the charging cord, it would be her. "I can…"
"I'll tell you what. You come to my birthday party this weekend, and you can take them. It's at Forrest's bar. Everyone is showing up around eight."
I stare at him.
I could run.
I could make it to the path before he realized I was gone, but more than likely, he'd come find me. I have no option but to agree or find Everly and have her pay for me.
Both options make me want to punch someone.
"Sure. Saturday?" I exhale heavily, and his eyes light up.
"Yep! You can bring Everly, too. I know you…live with her."
Judd slams the desk drawer shut, and he's so delighted I don't even know how to answer him. I finally nod, more out of relief that I can charge my phone than anything else.
"I'll uh, see you then."
I leave before he can announce we're friends, and I don't greet a single person on my walk back to the house. I'm hoping to make it there in time to charge the phone before Rylan goes to bed. I don't know why, but I have the intense, panicked feeling if I don't talk to him, something bad will happen.
I walk faster, only to slow down when I see Landon, lit up by the moonlight, lazily strolling into the woods.
I take the longest, hottest shower I possibly can.
Everly was home when I got back and had just finished making…something questionable for dinner. I sat down at the table with her, ate the entire thing in three minutes, drank my water, and told her I was going to take a shower. She sat there in confusion, having taken a single bite of her food, and wordlessly watched me take the stairs two at a time. I plugged in the phone, crowing triumphantly when it displayed the charging icon, and I felt a little more like myself.
The small connection to the old Eric was what I needed. Once I was satisfied it would charge, I went to take a shower, and I nearly died of happiness when my muscles relaxed under the spray.
Life in Amity is nothing like I assumed. I had spent most of my day outside, doing shit I never dreamed of. I never in my life wanted to pick crops or tear down a barn, and the thought of bartering my presence for a charging cord made my head spin. If I broke things down logically, Amity operated on its own, weird system.
Rather than points, people pay with favors. Friendship and families are the ultimate highest priority. The kindness here is real, and not just forced down everyone's throats. It's easy to see concern trumps whatever someone is doing. I could easily be pulled out of initiation to go have lemonade and not get in trouble for it, and if I help corral farm animals for an hour, I'm a hero.
It makes no sense.
After years of living in Erudite, where things ran in an intensely organized manner, where power and points and high-ranking jobs were a top priority, this could not be real. Even the thought of going to Dauntless, joining an army who would take care of the factions and being in a position of extreme authority had changed my thinking. I was prepared to join them, even though I didn't really want to, and I knew the work it would take.
Here, I need to be strong, just a different kind of strong.
I wash my hair while I debate this, and it hits me I haven't seen a single Dauntless soldier at all. I wonder if they can come through here, or if Johanna keeps them at bay. I'm hopeful maybe I'll see Rylan, or at least get some insider info from him.
I rinse my hair quickly despite knowing Everly had already taken a shower and there is no need for me to rush, and I turn off the water. I try to figure out if perhaps the soldiers can't patrol through here, or maybe they stick to the border. I'm missing something, how they know what goes on in the factions, and this thought nags at me. I brush my teeth while thinking maybe Rylan knows, and I head into the room to call him.
I nearly take out Everly in the process.
"Sorry, I didn't see you! I just came to tell you your phone is ringing."
I catch her before she trips, and she looks up at me slowly. Her eyes move from my face, to my neck, then my collarbone. I'd wrapped the towel around my waist, noticing the barest hint of a tan to my skin, and I couldn't decide if I approved of this slow transformation or not. I skipped shaving in favor of trying to call Rylan, and I figured I'd catch up tomorrow.
Everly stares at me, the water dripping from my wet hair as I stand there, and she doesn't move. I smirk at how she appears transfixed, and it drops away when she looks back up at my eyes.
Her eyes are darker now. Her lips part slightly, and it's hard to miss how pretty she is.
It's also hard to miss the jarring sound of the phone ringing, and the impatient beep as Rylan keeps trying to get a hold of me."
"Shit!"
I let go of her, taking off to grab the phone, and I miss his call completely. Everly disappears into the bathroom to brush her teeth and I grab the first pair of boxers I can find. I cringe even though I know everything has been washed and is clean or new, and I long for my own dresser filled with my own clothes.
Everly's are folded beside mine. My fingers skim frilly, soft clothes, even softer underwear, and a few tank tops. I slam the drawer shut, pull on the boxers, and sit down on the bed.
I press Rylan's name and to my horror, it goes to voicemail.
"FUCK."
There is no emergency or crazy reason that I need to talk to him. It's for my own selfish reasons, and mostly because I want to hear how Dauntless is. I'd watched him walk away with a group of people I would have been with, and there's some morbid curiosity over this.
Before I can try again, the phone rings, and I hit accept. Rylan's face bursts onto the screen, and I'm rewarded with a wide grin. He looks exactly the same as he did when I last saw him –wild and enthused- and behind him, is darkness.
"Whoa! You're alive! I thought maybe you'd been killed by a wild animal!" Rylan stares at me, and he glances around my face trying to see the room. "Oh man, you fucking dick! Why did you pick Amity?! You promised me you'd pick Dauntless! I had to jump off a roof by myself!"
He speaks quickly, still happy and energetic, and I wonder if he really leapt off a roof or he's joking.
"I know, I know," I exhale heavily, feeling oddly homesick for his friendship. Seeing him is good and knowing he's alive is even better. In a strange way, Rylan is the only friend I've ever really had, and the only person I'd care if something happened to. "I tried to call you a few days ago. My phone died and I had to find a charger. They don't exactly have a store here. Why are you calling with the video call?"
"I wanted to see your handsome face," Rylan snickers, and he waves someone over. "Hey, come here. This is my best friend in the whole world. I thought he'd gotten eaten by a bear. Say hi, Jason!"
"Hey!"
The guy crammed next to Rylan grins at me. He's got red hair, just as long as Rylan's and just as much of a mess, and a black eye. He looks tired, but happy, and they seem to be close friends already.
I ignore the insult of this, because I'm not there.
"You live in Amity? Why didn't you come here? Rylan told me about you!"
Jason, who I don't even know, stares at me through the phone. I notice he's got a scrape on his cheek and upon further inspection, so does Rylan. His lip is cracked, and he yells at someone behind him to be quiet.
"It's a long story," I answer heavily. "What happened to you two? Why are you all bruised?"
"Oh, because as part of our initiation, we have to beat the shit out of each other. We're ranked on how well we can fight. And since none of us knew how to fight before coming here, it's been…fun. Rylan got punched in the head by Frank and had to go see the nurse. I had to go sign him out."
"She hates me. Her name is Arlene and she's a witch in her free time," Rylan announces brightly. He returns to the screen with someone else, and he shoves the kid from Abnegation into view. "This is Frank. He's not our friend but he's trying to be."
Frank, or Not Frank, glares at me. I'm not sure if he remembers seeing me at the ceremony, but he looks a little better than Rylan and Jason. He doesn't have a black eye, but he has a red mark on his cheek and a look of defeat to him.
"For the millionth time, my name is not Frank."
"Right, right. It's Tony. Toby. Talon. Timmy?" Rylan looks up at him, and despite his joking tone, Frank glares even harder.
"Why are you calling this guy? Why do you even have a phone down here? Amar said he'd be back in a few minutes and –"
"Whoa, Frank relax. I have a phone because Eric and I had them in Erudite. I brought it with me so I could call him and figure out when he's coming here. We all know he can't seriously be enjoying Amity. Oh, and by the way, your dad is about to lose his mind. He was here the second day of initiation. He looks miserable." Rylan offers this information up willingly, and he pushes Frank away from him. "Hey, go see if anyone is coming. I'll share my dessert with you. I stole it from the mess hall."
"Fine." Frank snaps, and he disappears from the camera.
Jason laughs, watching him stalk away, and Frank throws him a dirty look. "He's uh, do you know him? He's an odd one. He was covered in bruises before we even started."
"I don't," I shake my head, and Rylan returns his attention to me. "Why was Daniel there?"
"Oh, everyone was here. Jeanine was here, too. Storming around like she lost her broomstick. The guy from Candor, someone from Abnegation. It was weird." Rylan stops talking, and his eyes move to the side of me. "Who is that? Do you have a wife already?"
I turn to see Everly sitting beside me, and I somehow missed her climbing onto the bed. She's changed into a different nightgown, and this one fits her.
"What, no! What are you doing?" I hiss. "Why are you over here?"
"Who are you talking to? How can you see them?" Everly, rather than taking the hint and leaving, moves closer. She's so close she touches my shoulder, and she peers down at the phone with wide eyes. Our reflection in the tiny box is comical; she's much smaller, and her hair falls everywhere as she looks down. "Who is that?"
"I'm Rylan. This is Jason. Who are you? Why are you and Eric not dressed?"
"I was getting dressed and you called," I retort, and Everly inches closer. She reaches out to touch the screen, and Rylan watches her without blinking. "She's not…she's…"
"I'm Everly," she introduces herself, and her smile is wide. "Are you guys in Dauntless?"
"Oh shit, does she know what Dauntless is? Does she know you're supposed to be here?" Rylan stares back, and Jason nods.
"We are! Are you from Amity?"
"Yes! I thought about picking Dauntless," Everly offers, and they both look stunned. "But I had to stay here. It's okay, though. It's…fine."
"How old are you? You look very short," Rylan stares at Everly more intensely, and she cracks up at the look on his face. "Can you stand up for me?"
"I saw you at the choosing ceremony," she moves closer, practically on my lap now, and I try to scowl around her. She ignores my low demand to move, and she further ignores me when I tell her I'm trying to talk to Rylan. "Do you like Dauntless? Do you really have to fight each other?"
"We do," Jason answers, and his smile slips. "It's brutal. Frank over there is wild. Some of the initiates are horrible but some are really good. It doesn't make sense why we're fighting each other, but they rank us based off who wins. We have initiation all day long. It's intense."
"Really?" Everly shakes her head, and she looks up at me.
She's so close I could pick her up and toss her off the bed, but she smells really nice. Her hair is slightly damp, and I know this because it's hitting my chest. I let her stay because she's not really doing anything, and she's asked some good questions.
"What happens if you get really hurt?" She leans back when Rylan laughs, and he tells Jason to hurry up.
"You get kicked out if you can't continue. New rules or some shit. No one told us before we came here," Jason answers, and he shakes his head. "It was nice to meet you both. Maybe…maybe someday we'll meet in person. Rylan said you're the best friend he's ever had."
Everly glances up out of the corner of her eye and I pretend I can't see her.
"Hey, we gotta hurry. They're coming back to turn off the lights. Sorry to cut this short, Eric and Everly. It sucks here so bad. We have to sleep in bunk beds, in this shitty dorm thing. Frank cries all night long," Rylan pauses so we can hear the faint yell of shut up, and he shakes his head. "And no one here has been offered a wife yet. Explain that. I'm sleeping a foot away from Jason, and you're in Amity, shirtless, with a wife sitting in your lap."
"She's not my –"
"We're roommates," Everly corrects him, and he likes this even better. "We got the last house and I got assigned to live with Eric since everywhere else is full. There's only one bed, though."
I close my eyes.
The look on Rylan's face is pure delight. She's just told him everything he needs to know, and if I never see him again, I know I'll never hear the end of this.
"Oh, oh I see. They're roommates," he yells back to Frank, and Frank lowly answers back great. "Roommates, with one bed. Sounds a lot like you're married. You didn't even tell me this when you left a message."
"Wait, does that mean you and Frank are married? Aren't you sharing a bunk bed?" Everly asks, and I snort when Rylan throws her a condescending grin.
"Oh yeah, we are. Unofficial rules. You caught us. Frank, did you hear that? You can stop worrying about dying alone now!"
His words are dry, and Everly laughs. Her face lights up as Rylan spins the camera to show the room, and we're both silent as it comes into focus. Everly leans back further, now officially resting against my chest, and Rylan pans over to show us the initiates milling around.
Dauntless is dark.
The room is grey and bleak, and the rows of bunk beds are numerous. They flank an open area with showers, right at the end and slightly off to the side, and a second later, Rylan's face returns as a girl walks behind him, groaning that her head hurts.
"This is it. While you two are living it up in your house, alone and half naked, I am here. Slowly dying on the inside."
"Did Jeanine talk to you?" I lean around Everly, and it's not hard. She's small enough that it works, and the weight of her is sort of nice. Rylan watches with a smirk on his face, and it lessens when Everly looks up at me. "Did she say anything about…"
"Oh yeah, she said a lot. She offered me your job. Once I complete initiation, I'm supposed to fill your shoes. The leaders here have it rough. They're short two or three of them, there's a million soldiers and patrol squads and the one, Max, said they need help. So uh, yeah…she said she'd be back to talk to me soon." Rylan frowns further, and his eyes are heavy. "You guys are staying safe, right? You're okay? You and…Everly? I got the impression if Jeanine comes to find you, she'll kill you for making her look stupid."
"We're fine," I answer tightly, but it's hard to breathe. My chest is tight now, and my words stick in my throat at the thought of Jeanine going after Rylan. She'd managed to find the one person I was friends with and I would bet everything I own, which isn't much right now, that she'll try to use us against each other. "Are you going to do it? Rylan, you know if you do she'll…she'll –"
"I don't know. Shit, I gotta go. Can I call you tomorrow? Or Friday? I think we have the weekend off. Same time?" Rylan isn't panicking, but he's distracted as someone yells for everyone to go to bed. I hear the heavy footsteps, and the lights flicker off and on. "I'll call you then. I love you both. Best wishes on your new life together and congrats on the marriage."
The phone goes black before either of us can answer.
We both sit in silence, and Everly doesn't move.
"We can't call him back, can we?"
Her voice is quiet, smaller now that she's seen Dauntless and I have to admit, there's a certain relief at being here with her. It's an odd feeling, a conflicted thought, because I know I would have been fine in Dauntless. I know I'd have no issue fighting my way through initiation or ranking high enough to be a leader.
But for now, in this very moment, I'm very relieved to be where I am.
I shake my head no, and neither of us move, until she very softly suggests we go to bed.