I totter as steadily as possible toward the bar entrance, gripping Emilie's hand. These heels are killing me already, and the alcohol pregame that she forced on me as we were getting ready really isn't helping anything. She had sweet-talked me into wearing a short black dress and towering heels, and my hair fell in loose waves around my shoulders. My eyes were brushed with gunmetal shadow and kohl liner.

"It brings out your eyes," she had said, as she attacked my eyelids. Great.

The bar is dark, with shadows of light here and there dotting the chipped wood counter. A murmur of voices fills the place, low rumbles and high-pitched laughs mingling.

Emilie and I perch ourselves at the bar where Jason and Four are already seated. They nod at our arrival, and Jason gives me a lingering look.

"Damnnnn, doc!" he slurs, raising his beer to me, as he walks past to go talk to a group of ladies that just walked in. I flash him a smile as Four rolls his eyes.

The bartender saunters over, a bald, pierced guy in his late 40's. He's wiping his hands on a towel as he approaches.

"What'll it be, ladies?" he asks, eyeing Emilie and I.

"Cosmo for me" Emilie drawls, grinning at him.

"Whiskey, on the rocks," I say. Some of the guys at the bar nod their approval. I feel like I just passed some unspoken test.

"Gotcha," the bartender says, winking at Emilie as he disappears behind the counter.

"So is tomorrow your first day?" Four asks me, looking genuinely interested. I nod.

"I'm a little nervous," I say. "All this training and I feel like I'm not ready. Dauntless is…different."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Four says, swirling his drink around. "I've heard really good things about you. Max couldn't shut up about how talented you were once you got here."

I smile, taking a sip of the drink that's just been set in front of me.

"That's nice to hear."

Four excuses himself after a few minutes of small talk, to talk to Jason and the girls that are now perched on either side of him. Idly,I look around, taking in all of the girls with smokey eyes and glittery crop-tops, and the muscular guys covered in tattoos. You would think I would remember some of these people, but most of the faces I can see look completely foreign to me. Suddenly, my eyes land on a familiar head of blond hair and the large frame attached to it. Eric is heading toward the door, flanked by Jason (sans ladies), Four, and a few guys I haven't met yet. Emilie must see my gaze linger, because she nudges me.

"Wanna come sit outside while I smoke?" I nod, grateful that the bartender has already applied my points to my drink purchase. We stand and she grabs my arm and links it with mine, just like old times.

The fresh air outside is welcome, as my lungs burn from the cigarettes and stale beer inside the bar. We sit on a bench near the railing, and Emilie turns to me.

"So, what is up with you and Eric?"

My breath catches. I forgot how straightforward she could be.

"I dunno," I mumble, suddenly transfixed by the hem of my dress, "we were best friends growing up in Erudite, and now he's basically ignoring me. I was excited to see him again after so much time, you know?"

Emilie nods, taking a drag of her cigarette. We're silent for a moment, and a serious look falls across her face.

"Addy," she begins, "Eric has changed a lot from when you knew him. His year of deployment completely transformed him. He and Four used to be closer, and Four always told me about how funny and outgoing Eric used to be. When he came back, he was…different."

She paused, tapping ash off the end of her cigarette.

"He was held hostage at one point. Captured…tortured…we don't really know to what extent, but he's quiet now, withdrawn. He can be downright cruel at times, especially to initiates. He's killed a lot of people, Ad. Not for no good reason, but killed them nonetheless."

I feel my heart sinking as she relays all of this to me. Eric, killing people? The idea seems foreign to me.

We are interrupted by a loud group of guys walking past, back toward the bar, and I realize that Jason, Eric, and Four are among them. I sit, frozen in place and obstructed from their view by the dark, decorative plants next to the bench that we sit on. As they approach the bar, Jason motions for them to stop so that he can smoke before going in. A few others light up as well, and they all stand casually, talking about the latest initiate class.

Suddenly, I hear my name.

"Dude…the new doctor, Addy?" Jason says, and I see Eric's head snap up to stare at him.

"She's fucking gorgeous, man," remarks one of the others casually, stomping out his cigarette on the pavement.

"Oh yeah," Jason says animatedly, "Her body is incredible. That ass…"

"Jason…" Four says in a warning tone.

"What? Nothing wrong with looking," Jason replies, "although she can check me for testicular cancer anyti-"

"JASON." Four cuts him off in a much louder voice.

Eric is glaring at Jason with such fervor, it terrifies me, and I'm 10 yards away.

"Don't talk about her like that," he says, in a low voice with a menacing tone. Jason's eyes widen, and he feigns innocence.

"Do you own her, Eric? Because last I heard, she was available."

In one swift motion, Eric grabs Jason by the collar of his shirt and slams him against the brick wall. Jason looks amused, albeit a little taken aback.

"If I hear you so much as BREATHE another uncouth word about her, you're dead. Got it?"

Jason nods, swallowing. Eric lets him go, and turns on his heel, stalking off.

I turn to Emilie, eyes wide, and she is smirking.

"Looks like he isn't as indifferent as you thought."

Interesting…