Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for moderate violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.

Chapter 5: Heat

On the subsequent days that followed the first round of fights, the initiates gradually improved and solidified their fighting techniques. Nina continued to train solo late at night, and her rank steadily improved. On the night before the final day of combat, her posted score, at 7, bypassed Clark's, who glared at her maliciously. Earlier in the day, he had conceded to Nina, who had locked him in a chokehold that he was unable to escape from despite his aggressive punches. She had bruises lining her ribcage to show for it, but she was pleased with her victory over the snotty boy.

Though she never again had to fight Q after the first day when he had absolutely wrecked her, Nina and the colossal young man had reached a truce of sorts. They mutually respected one another: Nina respected Q for having fought her fairly and without sympathetic restraint; and he in return respected her for having been a formidable opponent who refused to concede. Q had begun to sit with Nina, Maddie, and Amir during meals, although he still refused to speak.

During her late-night fugitive walks to the training room, Nina did not again encounter Max and Eric. However, she was unable to forget the words they had spoken, and her sleep was plagued with twisted nightmares. Each night she tossed and turned as her dreams were filled with appearances unknown enemies. Every morning she awoke aggravated and poorly rested, unable to decipher the mixed messages her brain was composing. Which faction was corrupt? Which faction could she trust?

Nina wasn't the only person haunted by her fears. Night after night, sobs and sniffles could be heard from Tae's bunk. The raven-haired girl had not improved at all, and less than three weeks remained until preliminary eliminations. Her late night crying was keeping everyone from achieving a full night's sleep, and Tae began to get the stink-eye from the Initiates.

The morning of the final round of fights, Nina awoke feeling quite exhausted due to a combination of late-night training, nightmares, and Tae's crying. She stepped into the shower, hoping a cold shower might wake her up and alleviate her headache. No sooner had she begun to enjoy her shower than she heard blubbering from the adjacent stall. She tried to ignore Tae's crying but it only got louder. Pain pulsed in her temple.

Nina thumped the stall wall. "Tae, please shut the fuck up for once!"

Tae immediately began to weep more loudly, wailing "I'm gonna -hic- get kicked out of -hic- Dauntless!"

Nina grumbled. 'I hope you do,' she thought cattily, annoyed at the girl. "You will with that attitude!"

The voices from the shower room began to attract the waking transfers, some of who peeked their heads into the lavatory to see what all the commotion was.

Nina furiously scrubbed shampoo into her scalp. "All you ever do is complain! How about instead of whining, you actually try to improve!"

Tae's only response was to let out a small, pathetic sob. Nina rolled her eyes and banged on the stall a bit more as she turned off the water and dried off with a towel. When she stepped out of the shower, she was greeted by applause from some of the initiates, all of whom were just as frustrated with Tae as she was. Nina jokingly bowed, and someone wolf-whistled. She winked in the direction of the whistle and entered the dormitory to change.

The dormitory was in its usual state of commotion, with transfers dashing in and out from the dining hall and rushing to change. Maddie and Amir waited restlessly for her to finish changing so that they could get breakfast together.

"Um, guys…" said Nina, who was crouched on the floor peeking under her bed. "I can't find my shoes anywhere." She reached blindly under the bed, running her hand across the dusty floor looking for her sneakers, which she always left in the same spot. Her hand brushed against a slip of paper.

When she finished reading the note, she threw her head back and groaned. Maddie immediately hunched down, an expression of sincere concern on her face. She took the note from Nina and read it as well, then turned to Amir. "It's her sneakers. Someone's left them on the roof."

Amir nodded sympathetically. "Whoever it is wants you to be late to training. You better go now, you might be able to make it back in time." He promised they'd bring her a muffin from breakfast.

Nina rushed out of the door barefoot and ran towards the pit, her steps muted on the cool cavern floor. As she raced around a corner, Nina smacked straight into someone's hard body.

"Where the hell are you going?" Eric glared, "and why are you barefoot?"

Nina hesitated. 'Oh, you know, someone hates me and thinks I don't belong in Dauntless and wants me to fail and now they're intentionally screwing me over…' It sounded weak and pathetic to her, so she chose to lie instead. "I'm just … going to breakfast. Sorry for running into you. Gotta go!" Nina breezed past Eric, whose expression made it clear that he hadn't believed a single word she'd said.

She took the stairs two at a time with ease, thankful for having spent her childhood days running about barefoot. She briefly reflected on her physical improvements; a week ago, running up these steps wouldn't have been as easy. She threw the door open and ran onto the roof, letting the door slam shut behind her. Her eyes skimmed the roof, but her sneakers were nowhere in sight.

"Come on, come on," Nina muttered as she jogged across the roof, her eyes sweeping the ground. The roof was bare except for stray bottle caps and cigarette butts. Her shoes weren't here.

Nina pulled at her hair in frustration as she made her way back to the door. She lightly tugged at the door handle, but it wouldn't budge. She stared at the door in disbelief and yanked once more on the handle. It was locked. 'I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot.' She slammed her fists and kicked against the door, but she knew no one would hear her. The staircase that led to the Dauntless roof was infrequently used.

Nina bit her nails and looked around her. Adjacent to this roof was another, smaller roof, next to the train track. She recognized the opening she'd jumped through on the day she'd arrived at Dauntless. Very near to the hole was another door that she hoped was unlocked.

She approached the edge of the roof and looked down at the next one. The roof was located a few feet away and several feet below from this one. To make the jump, she'd need to have a running start. As she backed away, she tried to remember if she'd been taught anything about properly landing a jump. 'Fuck it, I'll wing it.' She raced to the edge of the roof and launched herself towards the next roof. She landed in a heap, dirt flying into her eyes. Her bare legs and feet were scraped and a small trickle of blood was running through the toes on her left foot. 'Eh. Could be worse.'

Nina quickly scanned this roof for her shoes but found that they were not there. She crossed her fingers as she made her way to the door of the roof. 'Please, oh please, oh please, oh-' She pulled on the door but it wouldn't budge. She rested her head against the steel door in defeat and drummed her nails against the doorframe, thinking about what to do.

Nina turned and looked at the formidable hole in the roof. She slowly approached the edge of the opening and looked down. The drop was far and Nina could see only black. She wondered if they kept the net at the bottom year 'round, or if it was only placed there for the Choosing Ceremony. She nervously bit her bottom lip and appraised the darkness below. She scanned the roof in search of a beer bottle she could toss down to hear if it crashed, but the concrete was bare. Nina couldn't make out what lay at the end of the fall. 'I mean… they wouldn't just remove the net, right?'

Across from her, on the other side of the hole, Nina spotted a utility ladder that lead down. She cheerfully pumped her arm in the air and ran over to the ladder. She quickly scampered down the steps but found that the ladder only descended a few yards. From her position she squinted down, hoping to see the bottom from her new vantage point, but she still had no luck. She scampered back up the rungs of the ladder, nearly slipping once due to her sweaty palms.

When Nina returned to the top, she anxiously paced the edge of the hole. The gravel dug into her bare soles, and she left small droplets of blood from the wounds she'd acquired from her jump. 'Fuck this. Fuck it all. Fuck, I have the worst luck ever.' Nina stepped up to the mouth of the hole, looking down in hesitantly. She took a deep breath as she contemplated what to do.

"Nina, stop!"

The loud voice startled her. Nina lost balance and swayed forward towards the opening of the hole. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist and threw her body away from the opening of the hole. Nina flew onto her back, using her left hand to brace the fall, and heard a muffled crack. She flipped over and saw Eric. Their legs were tangled together, bits of gravel and dirt coating Eric's dark pants and Nina's bare legs. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest and her breaths were uneven.

Eric was similarly out of breath. He looked at Nina with an expression of irritation. "The room at the bottom of the hole is being used for storage; the net isn't there."

Nina felt like her head was underwater. Eric's voice seemed distant. Her pulse drummed in her ears. The image of falling inwards towards the abyss was imprinted in her mind. Nina placed her trembling fingertips to the sides of her temples and closed her eyes, concentrating on taking slow, even breaths. 'I almost just died. I almost just died. I almost just died.' Her breaths came out ragged and her heart palpitated painfully in her chest.

She felt Eric's hand close around her right wrist. "Nina, look at me." His low voice pulled Nina from her thoughts. She opened her eyes and looked into his. Eric's eyes were the color of cold steel. "Take deep breaths," he instructed her. Eric took slow, exaggerated breaths, which Nina copied, her eyes never leaving his. Her breathing gradually normalized and her heart rate returned to baseline.

As the shock wore off, she began to feel an intense pain in her left thumb. She withdrew her hand from Eric's and observed her thumb. She gently tried to move it and felt an acute pain. "Ah, dammit. I think I've broken my thumb."

Eric snorted. "Idiot."

Nina immediately flared up. "Hey, you're the reason I broke my thumb anyways!"

"I'm the reason you're alive, you ungrateful -"

Nina blanched and quietly cut him off. "I know. Thank you." Eric didn't respond. He stood up and brushed off his pants, then offered her a hand. Nina stood with his help and followed him to the doorway that led down into Dauntless.

Eric sat down against the wall in the shade. Nina remained standing and cocked her eyebrow. "Um, it's great out here and all, but aren't we gonna go inside?" Eric gave her a look that told her to shut up. 'Wonderful,' she thought. 'My knight in shining armor doesn't even have the key to the lock.'

Nina slid down the wall beside Eric and looked out to the forlorn city. She wrapped her arms around her legs. "So, I guess Maddie told what happened."

Eric nodded and looked down at her cut-up bare feet. "I suppose you didn't find your shoes?" She nodded her head no. Eric pulled Nina's feet into his lap and inspected them. "Why did you lie to me earlier, when I asked you where you were going?" He forcefully tugged out a small shard of glass that Nina hadn't realized had been lodged in her foot.

"Geez, a warning would be nice next time," Nina huffed. Her facial expression softened as she appraised Eric, wondering if his question sincere. They argued so often, and it was rare to hear Eric say something that wasn't sarcastic or rude. Watching as he gingerly tended to her feet, she decided he was being genuine. "I don't know… I guess it felt kinda pathetic to admit that someone doesn't want me here - that someone thinks I'm too weak to belong in Dauntless."

"You're not weak," responded Eric. Nina's heart swelled with gratitude and she mouthed a thank-you. He didn't say anything after that. As time passed, the sun shifted in the sky, casting Eric's lap out of the shadows. The sunlight on her legs felt so nice, and the breeze was lovely. She looked out to the horizon, hoping to see Amity from here, but she couldn't. She closed her eyes and wondered what her parents were up to right now. Nostalgia welled up in her chest. She began to lightly hum the tune to her favorite song as she dozed off.

Eric's husky voice pulled her away from her thoughts. "What's that song?" His hands was resting on her calves in his lap, and his thumb began to subconsciously rub a small circle in Nina's skin.

Nina kept her eyes closed, enjoying the fleeting warmth; the temperature was perpetually cool in the Dauntless Headquarters. "It's a traditional lullaby in Amity, about a phoenix. My mother used to sing it to me every night when I was a child." She smiled sweetly at the memory. "Maybe one day I'll sing you the words." She opened her eyes nervously; she hadn't meant to say that. Eric had an indecipherable gleam in his eyes.

Just then, the door burst open. Nina immediately withdrew her feet from Eric's lap, a flush darkening her cheeks. Four raised his eyebrows at them, and held the door open to let Nina pass by. Four walked behind her, letting the heavy metal door swing nearly shut behind him and forcing Eric to shoot out his arm and catch the frame before it closed.

Nina had missed an entire morning of training. When she went back to the dormitory after getting her fractured thumb wrapped up at the clinic, her shoes had reappeared in the spot under her bed where she always left them.

"Our first week of training – finally over!" exclaimed Amir happily as he threw his arms around Maddie and Nina after dinner. The three friends looked forward to their one-day off tomorrow.

Maddie smiled smugly, looking quite content under Amir's arm. "I think a celebration is in order."

The three friends walked into the tattoo parlour, discussing what tattoos they would like and what else they'd like to do with their day off. Sonya greeted the trio at the entrance; Amir and Nina introduced her to Maddie.

Maddie already knew what she wanted. She asked Sonya to tattoo a fire-breathing dragon on her back. Sonya had Maddie remove her top, unclasp her bra, and lay stomach-down on her padded table. Nina sat in a nearby stool and watched as Sonya prepared the needles and ink. Sonya delicately washed Maddie's back with a sterile wipe, then began the tattoo.

The tattoo was rather sizeable, and the whole process took a couple of hours. Nina was enthralled the entire time, unable to look away. As Sonya drew elegant curves and lines in ink, a dragon blossomed under the needle. The green reptile came to life on Maddie's skin, flames scorching across her upper back.

"You've been rather quiet, kitty cat," commented Sonya to Nina as she worked on the finishing touches of Maddie's tattoo.

Nina drummed her fingers on her leg. "I was just wondering, Sonya… Could you teach me how to tattoo?"

Sonya appraised Nina. "Maybe," she winked. "I have to see if you have what it takes." She paused as a thought crossed her mind, and smiled slyly. "Meet me tonight with some drawings. If you're good enough, I'll teach you all I know tomorrow."

Nina grinned and shot out of the parlour, eager to get started right away. She slowed as she jogged through the wing that led to the dormitory, realizing that she had neither a pen nor paper. Up ahead to her right, she saw Eric unlocking a door. Nervousness fluttered in the pit of her stomach and she cursed herself internally. 'This is ridiculous. Just go ask him.'

"Eric?" He turned to look at Nina as she approached. "Can I borrow a pencil, and some paper?"

He nodded and opened the door. "Come in."

Nina followed Eric into his studio apartment. It was a large space, but it was extremely cluttered. The coffee table was covered with books and papers; piles of clothing were strewn on the floor near Eric's bed; the kitchen sink was piled high with dirty dishes. Nina grimaced. "Christ, Eric. You're a mess. It looks like you let off a bomb in here."

Eric smirked. "Sucks for you. This is what you get to clean today, in regards to our deal."

"What?! No way!" Nina whined, "It's my first night off! Can't I just do this some other time?"

"I mean, I could just remove those points from your score if you prefer…" Eric stated coolly.

Nina groaned. "Fine. Whatever. But I still want a pencil and paper when I'm done." She bent down to pick up clothing from the floor. "Is this even clean?" Eric shrugged. She threw the clothing into a hamper. "You're kind of nasty, Eric."

"Watch your mouth, kitty cat." Eric's voice was husky and his eyes darkened. He sprawled on the couch and kicked his combat boots off.

"Excuse me! Where did you hear that nickname?" Nina felt lust warm her cheeks. The nickname sounded much, much dirtier coming from Eric's mouth.

The corner of Eric's mouth twitched up in a smile. "Sonya."

Nina narrowed her eyes at him. "I didn't realize you had friends," she snapped. She pulled Eric's sheet up onto the bed and tucked the corners in.

Eric chuckled darkly. "You have a serious attitude problem. Now shut up and let me sleep."

Nina stuck her tongue out at Eric but his eyes were already closed. She finished making the bed and headed to the kitchen. She cleaned the dishes as quietly as she could, muttering angrily under her breath the whole time. 'This is bullshit! He enjoys pissing me off.' She took her anger out on the kitchen, leaving the counter tops spotless. She just barely managed to avoid moving her injured thumb too much.

Next, she worked on returning all the books on Eric's coffee table to his massive bookshelf. Nina took a moment to glance through his collection; she hadn't taken him for a reader. She nibbled her bottom lip as she perused his books, pulling one out here or there to read the title. She found a blank notebook and ripped a few pages out if it, then grabbed a pencil from his coffee table.

She grabbed a pillow that was near his feet and placed it on the floor so she could sit up against the edge of the coffee table. She chewed on the eraser a bit as she thought about what she wanted to draw for Sonya. She began by sketching a basic tribal tattoo and skull-and-bones, designs she knew were popular in Dauntless. Then she worked on the Dauntless symbol, which was pretty straightforward. On a whim, she also sketched the symbols for each of the other factions from memory. The words of her favorite Amity song came to mind, and she drew a phoenix in flight, flames cascading from its feathers. Pain pulsed in her broken left thumb, and she was grateful for being right-handed.

Eric suddenly moaned deeply in his sleep - which affected Nina entirely too much - and turned over on the couch so that his face was now facing her. She impulsively sketched his figure, her pencil tracing the hard lines of his jaw and shoulders. She softly etched the curves of his lips, and wondered what it would be like to -

Eric's eyes snapped open. He looked down suspiciously at Nina. "What are you doing?"

"None of your business," she snapped, folding the papers to hide her drawings. "Can I go now?"

Eric stretched as he looked around his apartment, seeming pleased with the outcome. He snatched the papers out of Nina's hands. "Hey!" she exclaimed as she tried to grab the papers back. Eric merely stood and walked away as he flipped through the images. She crossed her arms impatiently. "What are these for?" asked Eric with his brow quirked up.

"Sonya. She's gonna teach me how to tattoo." Nina looked at him pointedly. "Can I get them back now?"

"You're pretty good. For a beginner. Maybe I'll let you tattoo me one day," he smirked.

Nina cocked her head. "What tattoos do you have?" She eyed the tattoos on his neck and an image of her lips on his neck flashed through her head. She blinked her eyes, forcing the image away.

Eric pulled his shirt off. His skin was covered in ink. Nina admired his tattoos and longed to tattoo the area on his chest that was still blank. On his back was a large tattoo of a chain and flames. The flames were so realistic that they seemed to sizzle and dance on his back. Without thinking, she lightly traced the edge of one of the flames, appreciating the intricate details of the inkwork. Eric shivered and pulled away. His eyes burned on her skin and he glanced down covertly at Nina's lips. He slipped his shirt back on and turned away.

Nina took her cue to leave. She quietly closed the door behind her and contemplated Eric's hot-and-cold words and actions as she headed to the tattoo parlour. 'Why am I always attracted to bad boys? Get your shit together. He is off limits.'

Sonya was with a client when Nina arrived. She spontaneously decided to get a nose ring while she waited. Her left eye watered momentarily in response to the pain of the needle piercing through her left nostril.

"Nice piercing," said Sonya with a warm smile when Nina approached her after her client had left. "Did you bring me some drawings?"

Nina nodded and nervously handed them over. Sonya slowly flipped through the pages and then put them away in a drawer. She scooped her dark dreads away from her face, clipping them up in a thick coil. "Not bad. Come by tomorrow, kitty cat. We'll go through the basics."

"Thanks," Nina grinned and gave Sonya a quick hug. She turned to leave, but hesitated and looked back. "By the way… why did you tell Eric about your nickname for me?"

Sonya flashed a knowing smile. "Because he asked about you."

Pleasure and confusion simultaneously flooded Nina's emotions. 'That is bad, bad news. Right?'

If there's something you loved or hated about this chapter, please don't hesitate to let me know; I always take your feedback into consideration to improve my writing.