Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.

I tried my hardest to spot Mai through the huge crowd of people in the Pit. It was near impossible to actually find her, because Mai was so small and everyone else seemed so tall. When I realised that there was no way that I was actually going to find her, I gave up and searched for the piercing store instead. If she was going to get a piercing like she said she was, then that was the obvious place to go. Well... it was really the only place to go.

I made my way through the suffocating throng of people - thank God I wasn't claustrophobic or anything - and found myself standing outside the piercing shop. I stepped inside and found myself surrounded by thousands of all different kinds of studs, rings and other things. Where they were placed was clearly labelled on top of the glass shelves and cases. You could get a piercing anywhere really, mouth, eyebrow, stomach, cheek, ear, private parts - anywhere. I thought that most of them very amazing, there was actually only one kind of piercing that I was intolerance of... a spreader. Those things were just... well, nauseating, but if that was your thing, who am I to judge?

I gazed around longingly at all the wonderful pieces of 'jewellery' and wondered which one I should get first. They were all so amazing.

"Which one are you thinking about getting?" I heard someone laugh behind me. It was a young woman that had her fair share of piercings. Her left ear was practically covered and many of the silver studs and gold rings decorated her face.

"I don't know," I smiled. "They all look so amazing."

"Initiate?" She asked, but she didn't really need an answer. "If it's your first, I'd suggest something small and easy. Also something easy to remove and out of the way since you are going to be fighting in training for a while." She grinned. "Do you need help?"

"Uh yeah, I think I do." I smiled back at her. What was it with me and smiling lately? I seemed to have a permanent grin on my face. This was so unusual for me. "What do you suggest?"

"Well... definitely a stud, rings are easily ripped out - trust me, I know from experience. If you were a girl, I'd probably suggest your belly button, but you're not a girl - unless there is something you're not telling me. I think an eyebrow piercing will do, and I bet it will suit you too." She answered, showing off her knowledge on the topic, intentionally or not.

"Okay cool." I replied.

"Great, I'll give you a minute to decide on which stud you want, umm... you know what, I never got your name." She laughed.

"Eric." I answered her. "And yours?"

"Isabelle." And with that she disappeared out the door on the other side of the room. Isabelle... she was friendly.

"Eric!" Someone gasped in surprise, that 'someone' happened to be the person that I had followed here. "I thought that you had gone for a tattoo with the guys or something." Mai had appeared through the door that Isabelle had disappeared through.

"No, piercings are more of my thing really." I answered shortly, not really sure what to say, still looking down at the studs and studying every single one, trying to decide which one I liked best.

"What are you getting?" I heard soft footsteps and her breathing got louder, she had walked nearer to me.

"Eyebrow." I answered, still trying to decide between all of the studs that were placed before me. All so unique and all that I wanted. "What did you get?"

"Belly button. I was going to get my eyebrow done like I told you but I didn't want anything that could be seen as a weakness when we start fighting each other." I looked up at her and smiled.

"Weakness?"

"You know, someone goes, 'she has a ring in her eyebrow, let's just yank it out.' My belly is hidden beneath clothes." She explained.

"Cool..." I was back to examining the many different things that I could place in my eyebrow. "Can you help me here? I really don't know what to pick!" I sighed, frustrated.

"Hard decision?" Mai asked. I nodded. "Hard decision for you, easy one for me." I was about to snap at her for rubbing it in my face that she could find one that stood out for her, when I realised that that wasn't what she had meant at all. She meant that she could easily find the right one for me. And she was pointing at something inside the glass case. "Number forty-three." She said.

Number forty-three was a outstanding dark blue eyebrow bar, and admittedly, I loved it at first sight.

"How did I miss that?" I asked.

"I don't know," Mai shrugged. "Clearly I have a better eye than you."

"No way, I just... skipped over it." I stuttered. Mai ha walked even neared now, she was touching me lightly and she was so close now, so, so close...

"Can I see your piercing!" I gasped, as if I were drowning. She stepped back and nodded.

"Yeah sure," she said, disappointment in her tone. Why would there be disappointment in her tone?

She tugged her tank top up and revealed her stomach and on her belly button was a black butterfly. I could guess what it was supposed to represent. Herself. An Amity turned Dauntless.

"That looks really good - it suits you." I smiled, still shaking from what had happened only seconds ago, Mai so close, close enough to hug, close enough to kiss... Stop it Eric, I mentally berated myself. Before I could start up a conversation with myself, Isabelle came through the door.

"Have you picked one out?" She asked.

"Umm... yeah, number forty-three." I answered, looking down at Mai, she smiled reassuringly.

"Really? Good choice, I can tell that it is going to look really great on you." She said cheerfully. I thought I saw Mai tense up.

"Come on then, and we'll get it over with." Isabelle continued. "It shouldn't take long."

"I'll wait here for you." Mai whispered.

"Sure, I'll see you in a minute." I answered, following Isabelle through the door.

Inside the door was a small room with a reclining chair sort of thing. I guessed that I lie on that.

"Lie down on that, don't worry, it's really comfortable." Isabelle motioned towards the chair.

"Okay." I answered, my palms beginning to sweat. It's okay Eric, you are only getting a piercing, it's not like you are zip lining off the Hancock building again.

"Did you to the zip lining thing last night?" Isabelle asked, swapping my eyebrow with cleaning alcohol.

"Uh yeah I did." I answered. "Did you?"

"Yes, I saw you there. You were so brave for a first timer, you seemed fearless. That poor girl, the one outside, was shaking like a leaf though - I thought she was going to faint." Isabelle laughed. My fists balled up once again, how dare she talk about Mai like that.

"It was the wind." I defended. "She's not used to wind like that."

Isabelle just gave me a grin, like she knew that I was lying.

"Okay, this is probably going to sting." I closed my eyes, I didn't want to see want she was going to do. Probably better that way.

I felt a sharp pain on my eyebrow that lasted a few seconds and then was replaced by a freezing cold cloth.

"Here. Keep this on for a few minutes - it helps with the sting." Isabelle informed me, taking off her disposable rubber gloves.

She cleaned away some bits and pieces and then put her hand on mine and removed it from the cloth on my eyebrow. She pushed me back down on the seat and straddled my lap. Then, before I knew what was happening, she was kissing me roughly.

And I was so filled with shock that I froze to the chair unable to think straight. And I was just about to push her off when the door swung open, and Mai stood at it. A question posed upon her lips, but it was never asked. Tears filled her eyes and she turned away in the precise moment that I managed to get Isabelle off me.

"Mai!" I called after her. "Mai!" And like that I was off the chair and running after her, leaving Isabelle confused on the floor.