When Victoria woke up next it was the middle of the night. The apartment was dark, aside from the soft greenish-blue glow of the city lights outside their skyrise apartment. The city was always awake even in the factions. Eric had come home already and was passed out beside her. She carefully turned onto her side, facing away from him and she felt his arm wrap around her waist. He firmly pulled her hips against his hips with her spine curved around his stomach and up to his chest. She snuggled down into his grip, his arms swallowing her tiny shoulders underneath. She let out a content sigh, absorbing his body heat. She felt Chicago rest his head back on her legs letting out a long breath. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and fell asleep.
When they next woke up, it was to the sound of the alarm blaring in their ears. Eric fumbled around with it under the pillow working to turn it off. Finally, he silenced it as he forcefully set it back down on the nightstand. Waking up at five in the morning had never bothered Victoria before, but today she was too tired to get up. She didn't want to, today. Eric rolled out of the bed, stretching his arms above his head before turning back around to her. She sleepily smiled up at him as he reached a hand out to her, urging her to get to her feet.
"Come on, doll. We need to get up." She nodded, taking his hand as he pulled her to her feet. It was her first day of training this season. Chicago's too. They shuffled into the bathroom as Eric started a hot shower for them both. Victoria stood examining her body in the mirror. She was looking to see if anyone would be able to tell. She could notice that her stomach bulged out slightly more than normal behind her rock-hard abs, but only if she looked hard. She stayed very lean, as the job required. If anything, it looked like she was bloated from eating too much. If anyone asked, that was her cover story.
"The shower is ready." Eric whispered behind her, moving her hair to the side and kissing her neck. She admired him in the mirror, his tattooed arms wrapped around her equally inked body. He ran his hand up to her neck, pushing her chin up and kissing her intricate neck tattoo. It's dark and grayish lines paired well with her almost black hair and pale skin. She didn't go out into the sunlight enough. She was more of a night creature.
He took her hand and they stepped into the steamy glass box. The rainfall showerhead fell on both of them as Eric handed her the removable showerhead to wash her long dark brown hair with. Her hair had gotten pretty long by now. Eric ran his finger through it kissing her wet face. She smiled up at him, massaging shampoo into her roots. She rinsed her hair clean and he placed both hands on her tiny waist.
"You know, I love You, right?"
"I know. I love you too."
"You've made me the happiest man in the world." She laughed reaching up on her tip toes to kiss him. He squeezed his arms around her and she fell limp to him. She felt like a Queen, held safely in her castle. She had a loyal guard dog and a loyal guard husband. She smiled at the thought. Now she had two little royal thrones on the way. Jeanine had treated Victoria like she was suddenly fine China. She wondered if that would remain true after the children were born. Would she try to take them away at a younger age? Would they just become Dauntless legacies? She snapped back to reality as he let her go, rinsed off the rest of the way and stepped out of the shower. She finished up behind him and wrapped into a towel, getting into her training uniform. She thought the uniforms were pretty comfortable once you broke them in. It required getting them filthy a couple times…
Eric was dressed before her and went out to the kitchen to make them something to eat. He knew it was important for her to get more calories now. He threw a couple frozen waffles in the toaster and whistled for Chicago. The dog came trotting out of the bedroom and right into Eric's arms. He slipped the dog's work harness on and clipped the leash to him. The dog then obediently sat by the door, waiting to go to work. Eric admired the dog and how well he behaved. He wondered if a working dog like him might go crazy if he wasn't working. They would find out soon enough.
As the waffles popped out of the toaster Victoria came out of the bedroom. She walked over to Eric who handed her a frozen waffle in a paper towel and they left. They made their way down the flights of stairs until reaching the bottom. They walked down to sidewalk, stopping in front of their car as Eric unlocked it. Vic threw open the back hatch and Chicago jumped in and shutting it back. As she stepped up into the car, she looked up at the rising sunlight peeking through the tall glass buildings. It made her feel at peace for a moment. She had this feeling that everything was going to be okay. She got into the car, closed the door and put on her seatbelt as Eric skirted away from the curb.
They sped through the city streets, running red lights and ignoring yield signs. Eric drove like an asshole, but only because he didn't care. Jeanine knew he drove like a moron but it was the least of her problems. He never put anyone's life at risk, he was just impatient. He could also be classified as 'law enforcement' and of fairly high ranking. No one could touch him out here.
Victoria blissfully ate her waffle and quietly hummed along to the song playing on the car's stereo. A prehistoric group called the Gorillaz, they were popular before civilization fell apart. When the walls went up music and movies went away. The only things they had access was to things people had saved through and handed down through generations. Even their literature was limited. There were of course many new things to watch, read and listen to to that had been created to inside the walls. Paying attention to things like that made both Eric and Victoria feel like they were watching some Soviet Communist war propaganda from way-back-when. So, they avoided it.
A few music artists existed in the underground of the factions, but accessing their music had to be done on a computer and discretely. Instead, they listened to old CDs they had converted onto their phones.
They rolled into the parking lot, and saw most of their coworkers already there. Tobias' car was parked there too. That made them officially late, according to Jeanine's standards. Never mind that they were held to different standards than the rest of the group.
Eric knew they weren't late Tobias was just early. He was antsy last night when his sister didn't show up to the first night. When they got out of the car, they saw Jeanine standing in the doorway, waiting for them. Victoria felt her throat thicken and Eric could sense her anxiety levels rise.
"Keep your cool. We aren't late. Tobias is just early. Besides, she's just waiting to see how you look coming inside. You're fine." Vic nodded, looking straight ahead at the cruel woman. She was wearing another bright blue pantsuit again today. Victoria and Eric walked up to her, stopping a foot from her.
"Good morning, Victoria. You look much better today."
"Thank you, Ma'am."
"Go inside to the foot court. It will be your jobs to rattle the new officers as they make their way through the breakfast line. Good luck."
"Yes, Ma'am" Eric replied as they headed inside to the food court. They both thought back to their first morning in Dauntless quarters. It was hard. The older, bigger officers harassing you as you went through the breakfast cafeteria line. You were tired, emotionally fragile and starving. Some of the fresh-picks would cry, some would try to fight you back, some would scream at you but most of them did nothing.
Victoria thought about her first morning. The female officers were cruel to her, but Eric was easy on her. Eric was the one that helped her get through her first week with minimal bull shit. It helped that she was at the top of her class on most things. She could even keep up with the most senior officers.
Victoria took her place in the line and saw Beatrice Prior standing there. She looked tired and she looked like she might have been crying. Victoria could have cared less. She came up to the young girl and pounded her fist on the rack Tris had her tray set on. She pounded her fist several times, forcing her breakfast tray to jump up and down on the rack. Food splattered the girl's new uniform and onto the rack around the tray. Beatrice looked at her shocked.
"Clean yourself up, solider! Your uniform is to stay clean at all times! You disgust me!" Eric watched as his wife screamed at the abnegation girl. The girl scrambled to wipe her uniform dry with a paper napkin. She was on the verge of tears as Victoria and her dog both barked at her. Literally.
"What's your name, soldier?"
"Tris Prior, Ma'am!"
"Tris, go eat your fuckin' breakfast! Keep your damn uniform clean!"
"Yes, Ma'am." Eric smiled, walking away from the line and watching most of them take their seats. Eric watched as Tris rushed out of the cafeteria line and went to go find a seat in the corner of the room. He also watched Four sit next to her. He didn't like it. He then let out a long whistle and jumped on top of a table. Everyone went quiet and looked at him. The last few made it through the line and Victoria came out too. They were all watching him.
"Welcome to Dauntless, shitheads! This morning is just a taste of what you will all be experiencing the next couple months! You will experience pain like never before you and will overcome that pain! You are here to become warriors! You are here to protect your city! You are here to become the protectors of this city!" Applause broke through the room and some of the older officers let out extra 'whoops' and cheers. "You are all expected in the archery hall in twenty minutes!" Eric jumped off the table and the chatter in the room grew louder. He looked and saw his wife bumbling through the rows of tables.
Victoria walked through the mess hall, noticing her brother and Tris sitting together. She had gone to find her husband, but instead she was pulled towards the couple. Victoria suddenly flashed back to her life with Tobias. The memory was when she was five or six. She was running through the dirt streets between the small white houses. Playing with some of the other children that lived around them. The sun was setting and Victoria knew it was time to come home. The houses all looked the same, yet each child knew which house was theirs. She approached the small home and opened the door onto an awful scene. She stared in horror through the open crack at her father and brother. Her father had his son by the collar of his shirt. Tobias' legs were dangling in the air before her father dropped him to ground.
"Victoria, go!" Tobias turned back to her as she stepped into the house and shut the door. Her drunk father looked in her eyes and she gasped, botling up the stairs. Her father turned back to his son and began to remove his belt with an evil grin on his face. He doubled the leather belt up before slashing it across Tobias' face. The memory of her slamming her bedroom door shut and locking woke her up from her trance. She made it to the table and calmly took a seat, shaking the bad memory from her mind. She wondered if Tobias was taking in this girl to fill the hole Victoria had left behind. She didn't like the idea of it. Tris looked at her, not saying a word and looking down at her food. Victoria ate her breakfast and when she was finished she folded her hands on top of the table, looking at her brother.
"What, Vic?"
"Oh nothin'. Just thinkin'."
"About?" Victoria shrugged her shoulders, looking at the two of them sitting side-by-side. Tobias sighed and picked up his tray, getting up from the table and throwing it away. Tris quietly followed behind him and Victoria watched them both leave the mess hall. Eric came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She spun around to look at him, standing up.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just want to know why my brother is hanging around that Tris Prior girl."
"You probably don't want to know." Eric took her tray and threw it away from her as they made their way out of the hall. He knew something she didn't. They walked outside of the building and found themselves alone for a moment.
"What do you know?" Victoria asked, covering her mouth by pretending to itch her nose. Eric looked around casually before looking down at his feet, pretending to adjust something on his uniform.
"There is a rumor she is Divergent." They walked into the indoor gym and said nothing else about it. Victoria believed that was possible. She knew her brother was Divergent, and she had kept his secret all her life. Plus, she didn't have to worry about him. He knew how to play the tests and how to get the desired results.
"I am going to the k-9 annex to get ready. See you later." Victoria kissed her husband on the cheek before walking out of the building with her dog. Once outside she and Chicago bolted to the annex. She felt free when it was just her and the dog, running to nowhere. She dreamed for a day where she and the dog could just roam around a mountain range for no reason. Maybe hike through a hilly forest…
When she got in the annex, she met with her already trained team and met with each dog chosen for today's class. She took Chicago out into a play yard and ran with him until he seemed a little tired. They walked into the training arena and waited for their ten new recruits.
Finally, ten new people walked into the building. They all smiled and cooed at Chicago who obediently sat at her feet. Chicago laid down, showing no interest in the girl who were smiling and waving at him. He had done this for a couple years now.
"Good morning, my name is Victoria. I will be teaching you how to handle dogs, like Chicago. I trained for a year before proving I was responsible of having my own dog. I chose Chicago as a puppy and began training the day that I got him. There are two rules to handling these dogs. They are not toys. They are working dogs and you will treat them as such. In the beginning you will be handling other officer's dogs and you will be held liable to what happens to that dog. Second rule, you never hit these dogs. Hitting these dogs will trigger them and it won't end well for you." They listened closely, also looking to Chicago who was now sitting at my feet staring up at me like an obsessive stalker. He was watching my every move. "I assume you were all debriefed last night, and did your readings?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" They all barked in unison. She was impressed. This seemed like a pretty easy group. Thank God. Her pregnant ass wasn't going to have the energy for a lot of assholes. Of course, there was always one.
"The first thing we will do is pair you with a dog. You will then command your dog to sit, lay down, speak, and stay. When you command stay you will take thirty paces from the dog and then recall them back to you. Only some of you will achieve this, but it's okay. Just because you don't pass now, doesn't mean you won't later. You were all chosen to be here for a reason. Go!" Victoria sat with her dog, watching the team each take a dog and start asking them to perform the very easy commands.
After five minutes four officers had successfully completed the commands with their dog. Victoria then asked the others to put their dogs away in the correct runs and come back into the annex. While they are doing that Victoria congratulates the four handlers and asks them to take their dogs to the play yards. These will be the dogs they will work with this week.
The remaining six officers come back into the arena and Victoria establishes their new roles. One young man, who had failed the first command with his dog, was dubbed a caretaker and it pissed him off. She found her asshole.
"That's bullshit!"
"Shut up! What's your name?"
"Brookes."
"Well, Brookes! How about you give me ten laps around the annex? Now!" She screamed in his face while the others watched. This punk was no match for her. The young man mumbled to himself as he sprinted out and around the building for his ten laps. "The rest of you, spend time with the dogs. We will start the next lesson when Brookes is done."
Victoria stood out in the entrance of the open annex door, waiting for Brookes to finish his first lap. He was hardly running, still looking pissed off. As he passed by Chicago barked at him. She amused the idea of letting her dog run, but only in her head. As he finished his last lap, he was still pissed at her. Before he had even finished, he started yelling at her.
"I'm better than a care taker, you know? I am capable of kicking anyone's ass! I wasn't brought here to pick up animal shit!" He screamed at Victoria, pointing his finger in her face as she stood there unamused. Chicago snarled at the boy, holding back for Victoria's release command. Just then Eric walked around the corner of the building, watching the young man scream at his wife. He lost it. Victoria looked over and saw her husband charging towards the boy, ready to slam his body in a ditch. Before he made it to anyone, Vic pulled her gun and cocked it in Brooke's face. The kid went silent and Eric froze.
"How about you shut your mouth, and give me twenty more laps. This time I'll have Chicago keep your pace." He looked at her confused. "Run! Now!" He was startled she had pulled her gun out. He quickly started running. As soon as he did, she unclipped the dog's leash and they took off like a bullet. Eric and Victoria watched the young man complete his laps in no time at all. Victoria called off her dog as Chicago dropped at her feet, panting.
"You going to disrespect her again?" Eric snapped and the kid who silently shook his head 'no.' "Good. Now take your ass inside, grab the poop scoop and clean the yards! I'm not leaving until it's all clean!" Eric ordered him inside following behind as they went out to the yards. Eric banged the trashcan with a stick, yelling at the kid who hustled to pick up poop.
Victoria smiled at her husband, thinking about how they were both nuts in this job. She wished there was a place they didn't have to be like this. She walked inside and called her class back into formation. They spent the afternoon demonstrating a few useful commands with Chicago, playing in the bite suit and understanding how to work with the dogs in all aspects. They finish the afternoon with feeding and she dismisses them. Just as she does Brookes comes in from cleaning poop.
He was still pissed but he was silent about it. He knew Eric would kick his ass everyday if he stood up again to him or Victoria again. It was also time for dinner when they finished. Eric and Victoria walked to the cafeteria together as Victoria's stomach growled. She was starving today. They walked through the line together and going to find a place to sit. Victoria immediately saw her brother and Tris in the same spot. She charged towards them. She didn't like her brother being around that girl, especially if she really was a Divergent. Victoria never had to worry about her brother, but she couldn't predict what this new-girl would do. She worried if she would be able to keep her cool.
Tobias was also pissed to see his sister. He knew what was up with her from yesterday and she still hadn't told him about it. She sat down in front of the strange new couple and stared at Tobias, while Tobias stared back at her. They didn't say anything at first before Vic turned to look at Tris.
"You seem to have taken a liking to my brother."
'You could say that."
"Why?"
"I, uh- He's kind to me." Victoria glared back at her brother. She could tell they were either fucking or they wanted to. She worried her brother was being careless but she wouldn't tell him that. Not right now.
"How have you been, Sis?" His tone was obviously irritated with her, but he was keeping a straight face as was she. She said nothing to him at first. She knew what he was digging at and she was suspicious he knew. "You were out yesterday. I heard it was stomach troubles…"
"Lay off, Four." Eric snarled at him under his breath. Both men tried hard to be civil with one another, but it was hard. They hated each other so much. Eric had told Victoria's brother in confidence, but her brother was having a hard time holding back. He knew his sister was scared, but he didn't understand why she still hadn't told him.
"No, tell me Vic. What's wrong with you?"
"You told him." She looked at Eric pissed, slamming her fork down and standing up. "I can't believe you. Either of you." She glared at both men, while Tris watched the whole thing absolutely lost. Even though her brother let on that he knew, he still hadn't told anyone else. It wasn't their business and he had only known Tris a few days.
She hardly knew about his sister, which was how he wanted it. In case she got caught it wouldn't tie back to Victoria. However, if Victoria kept being a pushy asshole she was going to get herself in trouble.
"Vic, wait!" Eric stood up, looking at her before she pulled her hand away and calmly stormed out of the mess hall. Eric sat back down groaning, knowing exactly where she was going. Anytime she was angry on the clock she went to the track, even if it was snowing and frozen outside. It was either that or run on a treadmill for four hours.
Just as Eric predicted, she made her way to the track. She took her uniform off standing in only her short-shorts and her sports bra. She took off down the track without a care in the world. She was so angry at her husband and brother.
She had run seven laps when Eric came out. The new recruits were prepping for the last class of the evening in the archery hall. She is covered in a thick layer of slimy sweat. Her hair frizzed out of her tight bun and sweat dripped off her arms and face. At least her emotions were back in check.
"I'm sorry, doll."
"It doesn't matter."
"It does." He handed her a towel from the locker room as she wiped her body dry and put her uniform back on over her training bra and shorts. "I wanted him to know. I didn't know when you would tell him."
"It wasn't yours to tell, Eric!"
"Bull-shit, Victoria! Those are my children too!" She buried her face in the towel before looking up at him. She let her hair out and calmly re-wound the sweaty hair into a tight bun.
"I didn't mean it like that."
"I know you're scared… Me too. But… I have a plan and I need you to play your part. For the next month you have to act like everything is absolutely fine. I will tell you more later." Victoria stared at him, put the rest of her uniform back together and walked past him. He tried grabbing her hand, but she slipped away from him. She picked up into a sprint and beat him back to the building. She was a quicker runner than he was. She was also built like a gazelle and he was built like a silverback gorilla in comparison. She wondered what he was talking about but it made her anxious.
She calmly walked inside the main building, and into the shooting hall where everyone stood. She picked up an automatic cross bow at the front of the room. She adjusted it in her hand and without saying anything she shot three bullseyes, hitting targets on the furthest back wall. Everyone stood there shocked, even Tobias. He didn't know she could do that. Since being with Eric she had learned a lot about shooting.
Her face was still somewhat glossy with sweat as she put down the crossbow and picked up a sniper with a big silencer on the end and shot three more targets until they had large, perfect circular shaped holes through them. She quietly set down the gun, staring at the bullet holes in the back of the concrete wall. She looked back to the class and saw Eric standing to the side. She shook the thoughts from her head and focused.
"If you shitheads want to go to bed, you will each make a bullseye with a regular crossbow and arrow." She demonstrated with her own, landing a bullseye across the room again. She set down the weapon and the class began. She goes to get a bottle of water from her locker, sitting down and fanning herself. She knew it hadn't been a smart move to complete that track so many times. Her lower back hurt, and she felt bruised in her arms and chest. She took a deep breath and stood back up, heading back into the room like nothing was wrong. Just then the first bullseye was made and the young woman happily went to bed. More followed until a quarter of the class was left.
Another hour later and the last one was done. Instead of going to bed defeated, Eric made him run a lap around the whole building before going to bed. They all waited for the kid to come back and it made Eric think of the first time he met Victoria. He had been a dauntless officer for two years by then and Jeanine was already promoting him to higher positions. Like Eric, Victoria had a natural transition into the Dauntless faction. She was the only one who could keep up with him in almost everything. He could out-lift her and she could out-run him.
He thought to the few times when she was brand new that he had given her shit. Once they had an archery competition and she had lost to him. The bet being that the loser had to make a lap around the building. The next time they held that bet again, she won. He wondered if she did it on purpose, letting him win or lose. Later in the night, both of them sneaking out to see the other in some dark corner where no one would see. They were stealthy about it the whole time she and her brother lived in Dauntless living-quarters. He thought how Four and Tris were not being discrete at all and he didn't like it.
Eric and Four talked almost every night now, on top of the rooftop of Eric's high rise building. Not many people could climb that high and not that many people were scaling their building at two in the morning. He planned to say something to Four, because they could not mess this up. They had one chance to get out of here and he already started setting dates with people in the underground. Tobias had already been in contact with his Mom for a month now.
The kid returned from his incredibly long lap and they shut down for the evening. They turned off the lights and they all left. Eric held the door open as his wife stepped out into the dark cold and headed to the car. Victoria loved how dark it was in the winter months. She felt most comfortable in the dark, because it was easy not to be seen. Eric had already loaded Chicago up and so they climbed in. Eric turned on the car and they peeled out of the parking lot, not saying a word to each other. Eric swerved through traffic getting them home quicker. Eventually, they sat in the middle of a traffic cluster waiting at a light and he hated it.
"What did you mean about what you said earlier?"
"I will tell you later. Not here." They were quiet the rest of the drive home and Victoria wondered if he was planning their escape. They had always daydreamed of a life outside of here, but she didn't think it was possible. Jeanine would kill them. Still, he managed to amaze her always.
