It required a supernatural effort, but after eating dinner and joining Eric in Ava's bedtime routine, Tris tore herself away and went home.
She called her mother when she got there, not that her parents expected it, but just because she wanted to be open with them. Tris wanted her actions to show that she was serious and mature about this relationship. Eric wasn't some creepy teacher taking advantage of a student, and Tris wasn't a kid besotted with an older man. They were two young adults who genuinely cared for one another and wanted the best for each other. They planned to build a serious relationship, and they didn't want it tainted before it even started.
On Saturday Tris ran some errands, and applied for a few jobs. Once school was out, Eric would no longer need Natalie and Tris to watch Ava. She wouldn't be in school or sports, either. Tris' employment history was pretty much just volunteer work and babysitting, but she found a few places to apply.
Sunday was Mother's Day, so Tris cleaned the house and made lunch in preparation for Natalie's return. A box had arrived from Caleb, so Tris put it on the dining room table with her own gift. Just before noon, the doorbell rang, and Tris opened it to find a delivery man with two large bouquets. Tris signed for the delivery and carried the bouquets into the dining room.
The first one she unwrapped contained red and white roses. Natalie's name was on the card, and Tris knew the flowers were from her dad. He liked to send his wife roses, sometimes for no reason at all.
The second bouquet was a cacophony of spring wildflowers. Tris assumed they were from Caleb until she saw the card. "To Natalie and Tris," it read. "Thank you for taking us in as your own. Happy Mother's Day. Love, Eric and Ava."
Tris texted Eric immediately.
T: The flowers are beautiful, thank you.
E: It was Ava's idea. I'll tell her you liked them.
T: Uh huh
E: We saw a commercial one day and she suggested that we should honor the mothers in our life, like the narrator said.
T: Infants are highly suggestible (eyeroll emoji)
E: So are men trying to make a good impression.
T: You don't even have to try. Wave that cute baby around and women will fall at your feet.
E: I only want one woman, and I want her by my side, not at my feet.
T: Lucky woman.
E: She doesn't need luck, she's a Duchess.
T: Sounds like what she needs is a handsome warrior and a sweet little princess.
E: Two weeks and five days, and we're all yours, Duchess.
.
The next week brought finals for Tris' college classes, then Caleb came home for the summer.
The Prior family was busy preparing for Tris' graduation. Carpets were deep cleaned, and mother and daughter put together photo boards and bought food and supplies for the party.
Andrew came home after an important vote on Tuesday the eighteenth, and his wife put him to work on party preparations, mostly cleaning out the garage, while Tris, Natalie, and Ava went shopping for new graduation dresses.
They found more than they bargained for. Tris got a black sundress for graduation, a capri-length jumpsuit for her open house, and cute black sandals that would match both. She also found a black dress with little red flowers for Ava, matching patent leather baby shoes, and a headband with a big red flower. Natalie also found a new dress, and they left the mall satisfied.
When they returned home, Eric was there helping Andrew clean out the garage.
"We just did this last year for Caleb's party," Andrew remarked. "How is there so much clutter already?"
"Life happens," Natalie told her husband. "I'm ordering pizzas. Eric, you're staying for dinner?"
"I don't want to be a bother," he said, taking his wiggly daughter from Tris.
"Nonsense," Natalie said. "If you don't have somewhere else to be, you're staying."
"You can't argue with that," Andrew said as his wife left to go inside.
Eric smiled and ran his hand down the length of Tris' braid. "How was shopping?" he asked.
"Great!" she replied. "I got a black dress for graduation, a jumpsuit for my open house, and a dress for Ava to wear to graduation."
"I've been meaning to talk to you about that," Eric said. "You're graduating, I'm part of the ceremony, and your parents are there to see you. I don't know what to do with Ava. I have a few friends I could ask, but Zeke's brother is graduating too, and I don't know if I trust any of the others with my daughter."
"You trust Zeke?" Tris asked.
"Well," Eric hedged, "I trust Shauna. But she's in a wheelchair. Zeke is a fireman EMT, and Shauna keeps him grounded. I trust them together. But like I said, they'll be at graduation for Uriah."
"Caleb is in charge of Ava during graduation," Tris said. "He'll be with Mom and Dad, but he's sitting on the end so he can take her out of the auditorium if she gets fussy."
"Are you sure that's okay?" Eric asked. "I don't want your brother to miss your graduation."
"You know how boring these things are," Tris said. "He'll probably pinch her so he can leave."
Andrew laughed. "What time do you need to be there?" He asked Eric.
"Six o'clock," Eric replied.
"Come over at five-thirty so we can take some pictures. Ava will probably be crabby by the time it's over since it will be past her bedtime," Andrew instructed.
"I'd like to talk to you about Saturday, too," Eric said. "Not about babysitting, I have that covered. It's about Tris.
"Should I leave?" Tris asked, reminding the men that she was still in the garage with them.
"I have nothing to hide from you," Eric said.
"Neither do I," Andrew said, "but I think it's better if you let us have a little guy talk, dad-to-dad."
Tris lifted her brows and took Ava out of Eric's arms. "That's our cue to leave, Sunshine," she said to the baby. "Don't shoot each other!"
Tris was nervous while she waited for Eric and her dad to come inside. She fed Ava her rice cereal and a bottle, changed the baby's diaper, and checked the time on her phone at least a dozen times.
Caleb returned home from his summer job at the golf course, bringing pizzas with him. They sent him to tell the other men that dinner was ready, and everyone gathered in the dining room once they were cleaned up.
"So, did you settle on a price?" Tris asked testily. "How many goats am I worth?"
Eric threw his head back and laughed as he put an arm around Tris' shoulder. "You, Duchess, are worth at least a camel. But we weren't negotiating. We talked for a couple minutes, then I was helping your dad with his car."
"So I was in here worrying about what kind of 'dad-to-dad guy time' conversation was taking so long, and you were talking about oil changes?" Tris asked.
"Spark plugs, actually," Andrew chimed in.
"And you're not worth a camel," Caleb added around a mouthful of pizza. "Two goats, tops."
"Oh please," Tris said, swatting at her brother. "You couldn't get a date with a goat."
"Probably not," Caleb said. "I've never heard of goats being attracted to humans. Not even handsome, intelligent future doctors like me."
Eric laughed at the sibling banter, making Ava giggle. Soon everyone was laughing.
"So Eric, is the duchess here your girlfriend now, or what?" Caleb asked.
Tris turned and glared at Eric. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't realize I said that in front of everyone."
Tris rolled her eyes.
"Not yet," Eric said. "But she has agreed to give me a shot as soon as she graduates. I asked her out for Saturday night, and she has agreed to a date and to start a relationship."
"It's about time," Caleb said. "The way you two were flirting at Christmas, I'm surprised it took this long."
"Right after Christmas Eric got hired full-time at Factions," Andrew said. "As long as she was enrolled there they had to keep it low-key and professional."
Dinner continued with more teasing and light-hearted banter. Eric didn't grow up with siblings, but he enjoyed watching Tris and Caleb interact.
When everyone was done eating, Tris stood up and said, "Who wants a turn holding the baby? I'm on dish duty tonight."
"Papa wants her," Andrew declared, holding up his hands.
"Papa?" Caleb asked. "I mean, eighteen is young, but I guess if he's offering a whole camel for Beatrice, you should take that deal while you can and get used to the idea of being a grandpa."
Tris gently slapped her brother on the back of his head after passing Ava to her dad.
"You need to hit him harder than that if you want him to learn," Natalie said.
"Nah," Tris replied. "I don't want to knock something loose and have 'Doctor Big Shot' here freeze up in the middle of an innocent patient's surgery some day."
Eric gathered the empty pizza boxes and carried them outside to the trash, then went to the kitchen to help Tris. When the kitchen was cleaned up, he took Ava home to put her to bed.
.
On Wednesday the nineteenth, Eric dropped Ava off at the Priors' home, or 'party central' as Andrew was calling it. Tris had a job interview that morning, and was hired at a cute little cafe and coffee shop in a neighborhood of quaint shops and boutiques. The area was between Eric's home and the Priors', close enough to walk in good weather.
In the afternoon, Tris went to Factions High to take her civics final, then ran some errands for her parents.
Eric picked up Ava but didn't stay for dinner that night. Before he left, he pulled Tris into his arms for a hug.
"Two days," he said.
.
On Thursday the twentieth, Tris was scheduled to take her Dauntless final. The faction finals were part of the determination of class rank, and the top student from each faction was honored by leadership at graduation.
Dauntless rank was determined by grades, participation in school sports and activities, exemplary activities and awards outside of school, and the final exam. The final tested physical fitness, weapons care, marksmanship, and bravery. Rumor had it that the test was different from year to year, so there was no way to really prepare other than to stay in good physical condition, and to eat and sleep well before the test.
Seniors were grouped by last name, and assigned a time to arrive. Showing up late was a huge point deduction. Students were forbidden from talking about the test, and people said there were even differences between the time slots in the same graduating class. The whole process was very secretive, and Tris knew that was part of the adrenaline-pumping experience.
Eric had said nothing to Tris about the test. All she knew was that his role in her cohort had been limited to protect the integrity of the test.
Scheduled for two o'clock, Tris arrived fifteen minutes early and made her way to the designated training room to stretch. Will was already there. Uriah and Lynn walked in a minute later. Rita Smith joined them a few minutes before two o'clock, completing the group.
Coach Lauren walked in promptly at two o'clock. The five seniors jumped to attention, ready for whatever came next.
"Pedrad, Prior, Rodriguez, Smith, and Turner," she greeted them in a firm drill instructor cadence. "Welcome to the Dauntless final exam. Follow me."
Lauren turned on her heel and took off at a jog. The students followed as she led them up and down staircases, then out the back door of the school. They jogged for roughly two miles, twisting and turning, sometimes even backtracking through the neighborhood near the school, then entered a fenced area containing a concrete structure that was nothing but stairs. Lauren led them to the top, about five stories above the ground, where Max met them.
"Welcome," he said, checking the time. "The next part of the test is seven stories below us. Who's first?" He pointed off the side of the tower where they saw nothing but air and a dark hole in the ground.
The students looked at one another, and Tris shrugged. "Me," she said.
"Very good!" Max said with a smile that made Tris feel he had been hoping she would volunteer.
Tris stepped toward the ledge, trying not to look down.
"Not so fast," Lauren interrupted as she pulled a vest-like harness out of a cabinet.
Tris gave a nervous laugh and gratefully stepped into the harness. Lauren pulled the straps and clipped her to a pole protruding from the tower.
"Go ahead," Max said, and Tris jumped.
For one glorious moment Tris felt nothing at all, then the strap spooling out from the back of her vest began to slow her descent, and she landed comfortably in a net with just the slightest bounce.
One side of the net dipped down, and Tris crawled quickly in that direction. Eric smiled at Tris as he quickly undid the straps so she could get out of the harness.
"First jumper, Duchess Beatrice Prior!" he yelled as he tugged on the rope.
The harness and rope quickly began lifting back through the hole.
"I'm glad you jumped first," Eric said. "First jumper gets a water bottle and a rest."
Tris grabbed the water eagerly. She nearly choked on her first gulp as Uriah fell through the hole flailing and screaming.
"Second jumper," Eric called, "the court jester, Uriah Pedrad."
Uri raised his hands in celebration like Rocky as the harness and rope went back up.
"Second jumper gets a smaller water bottle and a shorter break, but it's still something," Eric said.
Once Lynn, Will, and then Rita made the jump, Eric took off running down a dark underground tunnel. The students followed, and a few twists and turns later they came across Tori. She gave them each ear protection and night-vision goggles, donning a pair for herself at the same time. She opened a heavy iron door, and the students followed her into a pitch black room.
Tris flipped the switch on her night vision goggles and saw the others doing the same.
"Raise your right hand if you can hear me," Tori said, her voice coming through the speakers inside the headphones. The students all did as instructed.
"Raise your left hand if you can see me," Tori said. Everyone raised their hand except Rita, so Tori reminded her how to turn on her goggles.
Once they were geared up properly, Tori led them to a table with five stations, each containing a gun. She ordered the students to disassemble and reassemble their weapons.
It was a tricky task. The room was cold, so everyone's hands were stiff and shaky. The night vision goggles helped, but it was still harder to see than normal conditions like the classroom where they had learned.
Lynn finished first, and Tris and Uriah tied for second. Will was right behind them, and Rita was a few seconds behind him.
"Night vision goggles off," Tori ordered, and Tris clamped her eyes shut before fumbling for the switch. She had learned the hard way how painful it was to be wearing them when the lights came on.
Removing the goggles, Tris blinked in the sudden brightness as Tori handed them each a pair of plain eye protection and a clip of ammunition.
"To the firing line," she ordered, and the students each took their gun to a station.
"You have twelve bullets," Tori said, "and two minutes to shoot them. Score as many points as you can. Time begins now."
Two minutes was more than enough time to take twelve shots, so Tris gave her eyes a few more seconds to adjust. She aimed her weapon at the target, lined up her sights, and let her finger slip down to the trigger.
Inhale, aim, exhale, shoot.
Evaluate, adjust, repeat.
Tris went through the process until her gun was empty, then flipped the safety and set the weapon down with the barrel pointing down range.
When everyone was done, Tori removed her eye and ear protection and turned to run. The students did the same, and followed her through more twisting underground tunnels. After taking a sharp right, they came to a hallway with heavy black doors down each side.
"Pedrad!" Tori barked, pointing at the first door as she continued jogging. "Prior!" she yelled as she pointed to the second. Tris grabbed the indicated door and stepped inside.
"Harrison?" Tris said, surprised to find the retired Dauntless leader in her room. She stepped forward and held out her hand to greet him. "How are you?" she asked.
"Very good," the former instructor said. "I'll be handling your individual assessment, Miss Prior."
Tris followed Harrison to a table on the far side of the room. There a technician was seated next to a lie detector machine.
"A little something we borrowed from Candor," Harrison said. Tris followed the technician's instructions as he hooked her up to various electrodes and cuffs.
Harrison asked Tris some basic questions, including her full name, which middle school she attended, and which faction she chose. He asked her to answer a question dishonestly, and when she did, the needles on the machine went wild.
"Very good," Harrison said. "It looks like the machine is all set. The real questions begin now, so please answer honestly."
He started with easy questions:
What was Tris' favorite activity in Dauntless? (Knife throwing)
What was her least favorite class in high school? (Geometry)
What would she add or change about Dauntless to improve it? (More academic study about nutrition and body mechanics)
Then the questions got more personal:
Was she in a dating relationship with Eric Coulter? (Not currently, though she had agreed to attempt one after graduation)
Had Eric ever offered Tris any special treatment? (No)
Had Eric ever threatened her? (No!)
Did Eric reveal anything to Tris about the final exam? (No)
Had Eric and Tris engaged in a sexual relationship? (No)
Had Eric and Tris kissed? (Not on the mouth)
Tris was asked to elaborate, and she explained that she had kissed Eric on the cheek once or twice, and he had kissed her on the head, the same way her father or brother would.
Had she ever spent the night with Eric or slept in the same bed? (No)
Had she and Eric ever hugged? (Yes)
In Tris' opinion, had Eric Coulter's relationship with her, a student at the school where he taught, crossed a line and become inappropriate? (No)
Were her parents aware of her budding relationship with Eric? (Yes)
Had her parents expressed any concern about her relationship with Eric? (No, though they agreed with the need to keep things professional until after graduation)
After additional questions about her feelings for Eric, the rescue of baby Ava, and her months spent caring for the infant, Harrison finally ended the interrogation with one last question.
"Miss Prior, how are you feeling?"
"Tired," Tris said. "I am physically and emotionally exhausted. I am also somewhat embarrassed and angry about having to discuss such personal things in such a clinical way with strange men. I'm worried that Eric and I worked so hard and denied ourselves and each other the comfort we needed during a stressful time just to have you could say it wasn't enough and we're in trouble anyway. I'm just… tired."
Harrison instructed the technician to remove the machinery. Once free, Tris stood to her feet, and Harrison put his arm around her as he walked her to the door.
"I'm sorry we put you through that," he said. "That was above and beyond the usual individual assessment. But as you know, Eric's career was hanging in the balance, as was your ranking. Max was terrified that his first year as leader would be marred by scandal.
"Your answers were big, Tris. But the fact that you never tried to lie was even bigger. You are an asset to Dauntless, and we're proud of you."
Harrison opened the door to reveal Max standing in the hallway with a guilty look on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Tris nodded and shook hands with Harrison before following Max to a service elevator. They rode the lift up several floors, and when the doors opened, they were back in the school. Max walked Tris to the main lobby, and she saw a clock which showed that it was after six in the evening. Tris' test had taken more than four hours.
"Your relationship with Eric scared me," Max confessed. "That one of our best students and the bright new trainer could blow everything up and I might fail in my first year - it was almost too much for me. I'm sorry about the interrogation. If it helps, you've cleared both of your names. You've confirmed the rank you earned, and we'll be renewing Eric's contract if he wants that."
"Did he know about this?" Tris asked. Max shook his head. "Then don't offer him the job until he's had a chance to cool off, because he might be kind of pissed."
Max chuckled and nodded, then suddenly pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Speak of the devil," he said, swiping the screen. "You need to get home, Tris, your family is looking for you."
Tris nodded and shook hands with Max before stepping outside. Two vehicles were in the parking lot, her car and Eric's truck. Eric was leaning on her car, his face puckered with worry as he typed and swiped at his phone.
Tris jogged toward him, and he looked up at the sound. Myriad emotions played out in Eric's grey eyes. Tris saw fear, anger, relief, and longing. The intensity of his feelings and her day overwhelmed her, and tears sprang to her eyes.
"Where were you?" he asked in a voice thick with emotion. "We were frantic. Andrew and Caleb are out looking for you, and Natalie called all your friends. No one has seen you since you went in for your assessment."
Tris wrapped her arms around Eric's middle and pressed her face into his shoulder, inhaling his familiar, masculine scent.
"We did it, Warrior. Let's go home and I'll tell you all about it."