I wake up pissed off.
The morning sun is glaring through the huge expanse of glass next to my bed, and as soon as I open my eyes it blinds me. Swearing, I cram my pillow down over my eyes, trying to stop the jarring light from torturing my retinas. For as upset as I was last night, I am annoyed today. Who is Eric to think he can just brush me off after not seeing me for 7 years?
Suddenly, I realize that someone has been pounding at my door, which is the reason I jolted awake in the first place. Grumbling, I swing my legs out of bed and pad across the floor, scrunching my toes in displeasure once I step on the cold hardwood in the living room. I unbolt the door and swing it open, only to find a delivery man. A way-too-chipper delivery man.
"Hi ma'am! You must be…" he trails off as he looks at his clipboard, "Miss Bousquet?"
"That's me," I say, rubbing my eyes. He steps aside to reveal a few large boxes.
"I have your things here, delivered from Erudite, overnight as requested!"
Forcing my eyes open, I peer at his handlebar mustache and thick-framed glasses.
"Great, thanks," I mumble, opening the door wider and motioning for him to proceed in.
He quickly deposits the boxes in a pyramid-shaped stack on the floor, then tips his hat at me in farewell as he leaves. I take my time getting dressed and braiding my hair, relishing the weekend days I get to wear leggings and cozy, oversized sweaters. Clutching a cup of hot tea, I settle down, cross-legged, to sort through the boxes on the floor.
As I am placing the heavy medical textbooks and various knick-knacks on the shelves in the living room, I hear voices and footsteps in the hall, followed by another knock at the door.
"It's open!" I holler, and I hear the door swing open. A small group of people trickles in. There's a tall guy with a shaved head save for a man bun, and a slightly shorter guy with close-cropped dark hair and kind brown eyes. There is a tall girl with dark hair, Asian features, and tattoos. And then-
"Holy shit, Emilie?"
The tall blonde girl in front of me grins wickedly.
"The one and only!"
I feel a surge of happiness as I jump up, dusting my hands off on my leggings. She meets me halfway, and we embrace excitedly.
Emilie was in my training class as initiates, a true Dauntless-born. We were inseparable, always sparring and training together. We used to stay up late sneaking sips of alcohol, and suffering through hungover runs at the crack of dawn. We confided in each other about our fear landscapes, and shared every detail of our lives down to the boys in Dauntless we thought were cute, who we wanted to kiss, and who we actually did. She was always bold and brash where I was quieter and more pensive. She was tall, blonde, and a total badass. Her hair now is partially shaved, cascading in a waterfall of blonde waves on the other side. She has quite a few more tattoos, and a piercing just over the center of her upper lip. She is even more beautiful than I remember.
Pulling back, I survey the other members that are there as well.
"Hi guys, I'm Addy," I say, uncertainty bubbling up inside of me.
"Jason," volunteers the guy with the man bun, holding out his hand. I shake it, and he grasps my hand in both hands, surveying me carefully.
"I'm Four," says the guy with kind eyes, softly. I smile at him, and his earnest face relaxes a little as he offers a smile back.
"Tori," says the tough-looking Asian girl, "resident tattoo artist. If you need ink, you know who to go to!"
I smile.
"I may have to take you up on that," I say, thinking about my unfinished half-sleeve. I had started it during Dauntless initiation, when the old tattoo artist, Ray, had run the shop. Progress was halted, obviously, when I was whisked off to Erudite.
"So, bigshot, I hear you're our new doctor," Emilie croons, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"You're a doctor?!" Jason yelps, giving me another once-over, "What are you, 18?"
Four rolls his eyes at Jason's remark as he meets my gaze. "So does that mean you're from Erudite?" I nod. "Oh, then you must know Eric."
Jason's face lights up, and he excitedly screeches, "Oh, you're THAT Ad-" until Tori elbows him, hard.
Has Eric talked about me before? I feel my cheeks flush, hard.
"Yeah, I know Eric," I say as nonchalantly as possible, trying to quell the suddenly shaky feeling in my stomach. I glance down at my hands, which are toying with the hem of my shirt.
"Well, now that Jason has made this entirely awkward," Emilie begins, shooting a pointed glance at Jason, "we were wondering if you wanted to meet us for drinks tonight. We can show our smart-ass friend off to the rest of Dauntless."
I feel my face break into a genuine smile.
"I would love that," I say.