An: Well, chapter three is up. As promised, more of Four's thoughts and motives. It was pointed out to me that the points of view could be a little confusing, and at first I wasn't quite sure why. I had some page breaks and transitions, but I didn't want to write "so-and-so's POV" to label the switching characters. Then, I decided to check out how it looked online and I realized my mistake. It has been so long since I have used fanfiction that I completely forgot how sometimes formatting can be lost in posting. Rather irritating, but an easy fix, so now there are proper page breaks for different points of view. Thank you to all reviewers, and especially those of you (that'd be you, Watching-Skies) who made me take a second look! I am very, very grateful for the wonderful feedback I've been getting on this story! And I hope you all continue to enjoy.

Chapter Three: Brother

Lilla was utterly confused. What did he want this time? He wasn't berating her in front of the others, which was possibly even more worrying than the humiliation of his taunting. She felt his large, warm, calloused hand on the back of her neck like a searing brand, guiding her forcefully along beside him until they were two halls away from the training pit. There, he released her suddenly and stood back, glaring down at her over his straight nose with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You going to tell me what the hell is wrong with you, Stiff," Eric demanded, "or are you going to make me drag you all the way to the infirmary?"

"What?" Lilla replied, startled by the question. It was certainly not what she was expecting to hear. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, girl. I don't care if you are injured, but your other instructor apparently does, and I don't want to listen to his whining. So I will drag you up there if I have to. Or you can tell me what stupid stunt you pulled, and I might let you get back to training. Believe me, weakling, you need it."

"I don't need the infirmary," Lilla told him quietly and Eric quickly became irritated with her refusal. What was she trying to prove anyway? That she was brave enough to deal with whatever it was herself? That was just stupid at this point. And he didn't have the time or patience for stupidity.

"Alright then," he sneered, "Let me see."

"I… Excuse me?!"

"If you aren't hiding an injury Stiff, show me," he challenged, gesturing to her concealing top, his dark, cold eyes not leaving hers. Lilla stared back in surprise, unsure how to handle this. He clearly didn't care, so why was he doing this? Looking for a weak spot to exploit? Curiosity? Pure, unadulterated cruelty? She wasn't sure she even wanted to know what his motives were. There were some things that it was more unsettling to know.

"N-no… No, I won't," she stated defiantly, crossing her own arms and ignoring the slight stammer in her voice. She knew she didn't cut nearly as impressive a figure in the pose as he did, but she imagined it was her father she was standing up to, rather than the intimidating leader in front of her, and it neatly stiffened her spine. "I don't have anything to hide, but I don't have anything to prove either. I just want to get back to work." Eric took a single step forward, looming over her. His hulking form was more frightening than it had any right to be, and Lilla had to bite back a small gasp.

"You want to repeat that, Initiate?" His voice was nothing but a low growl, almost animalistic, and very angry.

"You heard me just fine." She had to wonder as the reckless words left her mouth what idiotic spirit had possessed her tongue. She was alone in a side hallway with, arguably, the most dangerous man in Dauntless. And she was defying him. For a third time.

Eric reached out and grabbed the little chit by the neck, pressing one large thumb over her windpipe just enough to restrict her breathing a bit. He felt her pulse speed up under his hand, and tugged her closer, reveling in the feeling of power as she stumbled under his harsh grip.

"I've told you before, Stiff," he hissed, pressing just a hair harder with each following word, "Do. Not. Test. Me." He released her with a push and Lilla felt herself propelled back into the wall. She let out a hiss as she collided with the rough stone. "Get back to the Pit. You'll train for two hours longer than everyone else, to make up for your useless interruption now," Eric ordered.

With a stiff, almost shaky tilt of her head, Lilla turned and fled back the way they'd come. There was no use in arguing. She'd do the two hours extra, and then put this behind her. She couldn't help but rub her neck lightly as she jogged back. With an irritated huff, the instructor followed. By the time he stalked back in, glaring, the defiant chit was back at her punching bag as if nothing had happened. Four approached him almost immediately.

"Well?" he demanded shortly.

"Your little idiot refused. You deal with her," Eric growled, leaving Four to make of that what he would. With a small, frustrated sigh, Lilla's brother went back to watching her surreptitiously as he trained the others. She, like the other Abnegation girl, had almost no muscle tone, and it showed when she struck the bag.

The rest of the training session was fairly uneventful, although everyone was well aware that the larger of their instructors was in an even fouler mood than normal. He barked and slapped the trainees' heads when they didn't execute a move to perfection. He taunted, and mocked, and berated the students into submission, making everyone even more wary of his wrath. The one person he ignored completely was Lilla. He was sorely tempted to beat her into the ground at the moment, and that wouldn't get him anywhere. He just had to be patient, he knew, and figure out what he could use to break her completely. Once he had that, he would snap the Stiff like a twig.

Four, for his part, focused on curbing his unwilling partner's cruelty and making sure the Initiates actually learned something other than how to duck and cower. It wasn't an easy task. Once they'd been put through their paces, the exhausted Initiates filed out of the pit to shower, change, and get some food. They had free time in the evening. Lilla, however, didn't follow.

"Get out of here, Lilla," Four called across the room. She answered with a shake of her head and went back to her bag. "Now, Initiate!" he barked at her next. He just wanted his stubborn little sister to get out of here, get herself fixed up, and stop causing trouble! He was beginning to think she had absolutely no sense of self-preservation. Baiting Eric, of all people, so continuously. He'd heard about her little stunt on the roof at the Pit jump, and then later talking back to him again. Not once, but multiple times. What the hell was wrong with her?

"I can't," Lilla said between strikes. "I have two hours extra."

"Explain."

"Eric's orders, for the earlier interruption. Thank you for that, by the way. I know he didn't pull me out on his own." And now she was going to get snippy with the other instructor? Brother or not, she had to stop before she got herself in real trouble.

"Knock it off, Lily," he snapped tiredly, using her nickname without even meaning to. "You're gonna get yourself hurt if you keep up this stupid act. Wise up, shut up, and try to survive Initiation." He took a deep breath, and said on a sigh, "You never should have come here." Without another word, he left her to her extra practice. He couldn't stand there and watch her work herself into the dirt.

Leaving his sister in the Pit, he went straight for his friend's apartment. Zeke answered the door quickly, giving Four a dry look.

"Zeke," he greeted, moving past his friend into the cool, dark room.

"Four," his friend returned. He could see something was wrong with the other man, and he suspected it had something to do with at least one of the Abnegation transfers. His brother and he had had a conversation shortly before Four came knocking.

"So, Uriah," he'd asked, "Is that girl who I think she is?" It hadn't registered while she was still sitting in his apartment with him and his brother, but once given a few minutes to think about it, he knew exactly where he'd seen those eyes. The cool grey tone was lighter, but the shape... the look... They were the same as his best friend's eyes. There was almost nothing else about the two that looked alike, but those eyes. They were nearly identical.

"If you're thinking she's your friend's little sister," Uriah replied a bit sharply, "then yeah, she's who you think she is. No one else knows though, so keep it shut."

"And what's wrong with her?"

"What do you mean?" Uriah wasn't a fool. He'd noticed the same quirks about Lilla as his brother had, but he wasn't at all sure what they added up to.

"She's awful quiet, man. I would say timid, but everyone's heard of the Abnegation transfer who pokes at the not-so-sleeping bear in its den. One Abnegation the first jumper, and the other out to motivate Eric to murder in the first week. Not that that would be hard to do. What an interesting year you've got there."

"Nah, she's not timid. She's scary quiet most of the time, sure, but I think she's stronger than she looks too. What I want to know, is what's wrong with her idiot brother?"

"Four didn't want his sister to follow him, Uriah. It's complicated," Zeke had explained seriously, shaking his head.

"Nothing's so complicated that you abandon family like that!" his younger brother spat, temper flaring. His brother wasn't surprised, really. He cared about Lilla, and Uriah was protective of those he cared for. "If you treated me the way he's treating her, I'd pound you stupid."

"You'd try," the older brother snorted, before sobering. "Look man, I don't know what's going on in his head, or hers for that matter, but I'll talk to him. Alright?"

"If you don't, I will. It hurts her when he ignores her like that, and I don't let my friends get hurt, even by other friends."

"Sure, bro," Zeke had agreed before shooing the younger man from the room to get a shower and something to eat.

And now, before he'd even had much of a chance to process that conversation, here was his best friend in front of him.

"Problem?" Zeke asked, moving a pile of clothes off a chair for Tobias to sit.

"Yeah, I need a favor, man."

"Alright, shoot."

Four sat, head in his hands for a minute. Quiet, utterly still like his sister. Zeke gave him the time to collect his thoughts, but he wouldn't let him stew in it for too long.

"My sister's here," the other man finally said.

"I know. I met her earlier. She's friends with my kid brother."

"Yeah, I'd noticed that." Four paused thoughtfully; he wasn't sure just what to ask for. To keep an eye on his sister where he couldn't? To drag her butt to the infirmary, kicking and screaming if necessary, or get his younger brother to do it? Or nothing? Should he step back, let Lily handle herself? Could he bring himself to do that? He didn't think he could, not and still face her every day. He knew why she was moving the way she was in training. Marcus had done the same thing to him the day before the Choosing; a thrashing to remind him to make the 'right' choice. A harsh one, even by their standards.

"She's hurt, Zeke," he sighed, "and I can't do a damn thing about it. I tried to get Eric to take her to the infirmary, so that someone would figure it out. I thought if anyone could pick up on it, it would be him. I may hate the guy, but he was Erudite-born. She refused, and pissed him off more. So now she's got two hours extra practice today, and she's made herself a bright, glaring target for him." His cool eyes met Zeke's warm, sympathetic brown ones. "What do I do man?"

"How bad is it, do you think?" his friend wanted to know.

"Bad enough I could tell in training. If it's anything like what he did to me the day before I left… It's bad."

"Alright. You've got a few options then. First, go to Eric and tell him the truth. Like you said, he's smart. It might aggravate him and he'll be an ass about it, but he knows better than to let a seriously wounded Initiate train without any medical attention. He's mean, but he's not stupid, and he's in leadership. He can order her to get it checked out, although it might cause more trouble for her in the long run." He paused here, and seeing the hard look in Four's eyes, continued, "Or not. Okay, option two then. Talk to her, man. She's your sister. I know you didn't want her here, and I know you don't want to see her hurt, but she's here now and you might be the only one who can convince her to get it checked out."

"I can't. I have enemies, Zeke, you know that. She can't be connected to me, not until she's a member."

"Okay, final option then, far as I can tell," Zeke replied. "Let me handle it."

"How?" It was a marker of just how worried for Lilla Four really was that he didn't dismiss this option out of hand.

"My brother brought her here this morning. I know him, he'll bring her back. He's worried about her too, so it shouldn't be hard to get his cooperation if we need it. Tell me what to look for, and I'll confront her when I have proof. If you're right about the severity, she needs medicine before she gets infected. Our training isn't good for an injured trainee, and it will only get worse. I still remember your stupidity when you got here."

"Yeah."

"If Eric hadn't found you that night, you could have passed out and fell into the Chasm, man. You were damn near delirious. You can't let her get that bad."

"Don't remind me," Four growled at the memory of his biggest rival dragging his ass to the infirmary and dumping him in a bed; of him learning his darkest secret. Zeke was right, he couldn't run the risk of letting Lilla deal on her own, of her letting her injuries fester and endangering her life before someone discovered it. It had been kept mostly quiet when Four's trainers had discovered his own wounds. Although it had gotten out that Marcus was being accused of cruelty, no one connected the quiet, serious Transfer who was first in his class with the image of a beaten boy under the Abnegation leader's lash.

"You think she'll respond to me?" Zeke questioned seriously. He didn't want to bring Lilla's secrets to Uriah's attention if he didn't have to, but with the way she seemed not to truly connect even with her peers, he thought he might have to.

"Honestly, man?" Four sighed, "I've got no clue. She's not the same girl she was when I left. She's always been a quiet kid for the most part, but now… now she's harder, sharper. And from what I can tell, she's all but mute. She won't talk to you unless she's manipulated into it. I can guess at least that much."

"Okay, fair enough. What do you think I will need to treat her? It won't do anyone any good if she refuses to go to the infirmary and I can't help her here. I need to be ready for it."

"Antibacterial cream, a topical coagulant, and a good number of bandages at least. She always bled more than me, so I doubt that's changed. If she's been hiding it for more than a few days, she might need some antibiotics." He paused for a moment. "Something for the pain if you can get your hands on it."

"Shit, man," Zeke sighed, rubbing one hand tiredly over his eyes, "You think it's that bad?"

"It's a guess, but yeah probably. You doing this yourself or with Uriah's help?"

"I don't think she'll let me near her without his help," his friend replied carefully, unsure of Four's reaction to that. He knew how the other man felt about anyone knowing about his past, and figured the same applied to his sister. But the he only nodded, seemingly resigned. "If it helps," Zeke continued, "he already knows you're her brother. She told him herself."

"Alright." Four was quiet for a long, drawn out minute. "Thanks man. I… I know I haven't done right by her, and this isn't really right either… I just don't… anyway, thanks."

"Sure thing. I hope she'll let me help. She's a tough kid, Four; she'll come through this stronger, just like you did."

With those comforting words, the two settled in to chill for a bit before going to grab dinner.

During the conversation between Four and Zeke, their younger siblings managed to find each other too. Or, more accurately, Uriah managed to find Lilla, still punching away at the training bag in the Pit. She was nearly done with the two hours, and more than ready to collapse into bed after a meal and a shower.

"You can't go a single hour without getting your ass in trouble, can you Mouse?" he asked dryly after watching in silence for a minute. "What'd you do to get yourself landed with extra training on the first day?"

"Pissed off the instructor," she replied succinctly. Uriah rolled his eyes with a frustrated huff.

"Seriously? Your jackass brother punished you on the first day?"

"Not him. Eric."

This time, instead of an eye roll, this drew a huffed breath of frustration. Did this girl seriously have a death wish? They'd joked about it being an Abnegation trait earlier with Tris, but he was beginning to genuinely wonder if she had any care for life at all. And she didn't seem to get it when they told her Eric practically had a giant sign flashing DANGER over his head for a reason.

"And all you got was some extra training? Did you conk him on the head hard enough to scramble his brains or something?" he demanded sharply.

"No."

"Oh for the love of… More than one word please!" he cried, grabbing her arm at the elbow before she could swing again, pulling her around to face him.

Lilla didn't give him even one word this time. Instead, she pulled down the very edge of her turtleneck to expose the dark bruises she'd felt form under Eric's strong grip. She hadn't seen them, but she knew they were there. Uriah's dark eyes widened at the sight.

"That bastard choked you!?" he snapped, reaching forward automatically to pull the fabric down further and get a better look. Lilla stepped back and readjusted the shirt immediately.

"Not exactly," she disagreed, "He grabbed my neck and it left bruises, but he never fully cut off my breathing or anything."

"I told you, the dude's dangerous, Mouse! You've got to stop poking at him!"

"I didn't do anything this time!" Lilla snapped right back, tired of hearing the same thing over and over for the last two days. "Four," she sneered the name, "thought I was hurt or something, and harassed Eric into taking me to the infirmary. I said no, and asked to return to training. I'm not trying to piss him off, Uriah, it's just that everything I do does!" It was possibly the longest speech Uriah had heard from her yet, and left him a little speechless. With a glance at the clock, Lilla sighed and continued, "Come on, I'm done. Let's go eat."

"I already did," he replied, "but I think your Transfer friends are in there. I'll catch up with you later, alright?" With a nod and a wave, they parted, going in separate directions.

Lilla made her way to the mess hall, Uriah toward the same abandoned walkway he'd pulled her to on the first night to talk. He didn't know what to do to make her see that she was flirting with death by challenging Eric. Whether she meant it as a challenge or not, the irascible young leader would take any hint of defiance as just that, every single time.

"Hey Uriah," he heard someone say as he passed, "Your bro's lookin' for ya."

"Thanks," he replied, not even bothering to see who it was who'd passed on the message. With a few turns, he headed toward his brother's apartment instead of his hiding place.

He didn't bother to knock on the door when he got there, only to find Zeke out at the moment. He settled in with one of his brother's books to wait, and sure enough the older of the two returned shortly. Surprisingly, Four was with him rather than in the mess hall. Unsurprisingly, he was met with a dirty look from the young Initiate.

"Heard you were looking for me," he greeted Zeke, ignoring the other man completely.

"Uriah," Four greeted. Then, giving a nod to both brothers, he said, "Later, Zeke. Thanks again," and left.

"You can't start a vendetta against your instructor simply because you don't like something he did."

"He's a jerk. At least Eric doesn't pretend he's anything better than what he is." The look in Lilla's eyes every time she called her brother 'Four' was haunting him. It was desolate. Zeke sighed. He had a feeling that knowing the whole situation wouldn't improve Uriah's new-found opinion of his friend, but he didn't have a choice.

"You got a bit, man? This could take a while," he said.

"Sure, what's on your mind?" Uriah asked his brother, abandoning the book and flopping across the springy bed carelessly.

"I have a project, and I need your help, but you're not gonna like it," Zeke replied, stalling. How to approach this?

"Shoot."

"Your friend, Lilla. How much do you know about her?" The older of the brothers sunk down onto the low chair near his bed, settling in for a stressful conversation. He had some explaining to do before they could even begin to form a plan.

"Where've you been!?" Tris greeted Lilla, who just collapsed into the seat beside her friends among the Transfers and rested her head on the table. She was exhausted, in pain, and way beyond frustrated. And in no mood to talk, apparently.

"Pit."

"But why? Did Eric do something to you earlier?" Al asked worriedly.

"Why'd he pull you out?" Will wanted to know. Chris sort of babbled in and around all of the others until someone chose to bring the chaos to a halt.

"Guys!" Tris snapped a bit, resting what was meant to be a comforting hand on Lilla's shoulder. "Give her some air, for goodness sake. Are you alright Lilla?"

"Yeah," the other girl replied, pulling away from the weight of Tris' hand on her heated skin. "Thanks. Just beat."

"Anyone would be if Eric had made them his personal target," Christina said sympathetically. The others murmured their agreement, but soon enough lost interest in the girl who was unwilling to talk, and returned to their previous conversations. For her part, Lilla was just glad to be surrounded by friendly faces, and ate her dinner in a silent almost-trance while the comforting chatter of her friends washed around her.

After leaving Zeke and Uriah in Zeke's apartment, Four tramped down to the firing range. There was nothing like taking out his stress and frustration on a dummy with a gun or flying knives. And he had plenty of frustration to take out.

Why did she have to be so difficult? Why did she have to continually draw Eric's attention and offer defiance at every turn? Had she learned nothing, dealing with Marcus' temper, about when to keep your head down and mouth shut? It was tearing away at him, one piece at a time, every time the other instructor picked on his sister and he couldn't stand up for her. But it was safer for her, he knew, if no one knew of their connection until she was a member. And that brought up another worry. What if she didn't make it? She was strong mentally – she always had been – but she was small and physically weak. He knew she hadn't been eating well enough, probably not in her entire life, but would she be able to build up enough muscle in time to place in the top ten and make it into Dauntless? And if she was cut… would he follow her to the Factionless? That, at least had a simple answer.

In a heartbeat.