Tris follows Eric into the gym and is relieved to find it empty. The last thing she needs right now is another encounter with her ex.
Looking around, she sees multiple targets already set up along the far side of the room.
"Tell me again what we are doing here?" she asks, catching up to Eric who is collecting a handful of knives from the table in front of him.
"I feel bad about the knife incident during initiation. So, we're here to make it even. I'm going to go stand in front of that target over there," he says pointing towards the closest target. "And you're going to take these three knives and throw them at me."
"You're insane. You saw me during initiation, I'm okay, but no way I'm good enough to avoid hitting you."
"What I saw was someone who understands the importance of precision when it comes to knife throwing," he replies simply. "I trust you."
"Trust isn't going to improve my aim and keep you alive."
Eric chuckles, passing three knives to Tris who reluctantly accepts them.
"Why don't you take a few throws to warm up."
Tris glares at him.
"Come on, humor me."
Shaking her head, she carefully aligns herself with the target and makes several small movements to perfect her stance. Once satisfied with her position, she turns one of the knives over in her hand breathing deeply as she assesses the weight of it.
Tris closes her eyes and when she opens them, she is focused and determined.
She raises her arm, pulling it back sharply and throwing the first knife with strength and precision. It hits the target but doesn't land quite where she was aiming. If she wasn't about to have a live target on her hands, she would be quite proud of that shot.
"I'm going to kill you," she says, glaring at Eric once more.
He smiles in return and Tris starts to wonder if he has a death wish.
"Throw the other two knives," he responds, nodding towards the target. "Finish practicing."
Tris turns her attention back to the target and methodically throws the other two knives. She manages to hit the target with both, but only one lands where she intended it to.
She watches Eric as he collects the knives from the target and makes his way back over to her. Suddenly, the doors to the gym swing open and a group of people file inside.
"Perfect timing," Eric says to her with a wink.
As he walks towards the group, Tris begins to panic. What in the world is going on?
"Eric," she mutters urgently under her breath, following him over to the initiates.
Ignoring her, Eric stands in front of the group with his hands clasped behind his back and his feet slightly apart. His face is hard as he looks slowly at each one of them with distain. The room turns silent, and Tris can almost feel the fear rolling off them.
She bites her tongue, holding back a grin, as memories of her own initiation flash through her mind.
The Eric she is getting to know now is vastly different from the one she went through initiation with, and she can't help but feel a little bit special that he's chosen her to share this part of him with.
Lauren, who is the last to enter the room, seems caught off guard by their presence. She takes her time looking Eric over, but only gives Tris a quick glace before addressing the leader.
"Eric," she greets apprehensively.
"Lauren," he responds promptly, before concentrating on the group. "Today, you'll be learning how to aim. Everyone pick up three knives and pay attention while Tris demonstrates the correct technique for throwing them."
Tris gawks at him. He can't be serious.
When none of the initiates move, Eric let's out an exasperated sigh.
"Now!" he barks.
The initiates scramble for the daggers before returning to their places in front of him. Once everyone is reassembled, Eric walks over to Tris.
"You can do this," he says quietly for only her to hear. "Show them how its done."
Eric makes his way over to the target in front of Tris, blocking it with his body as he turns to face her.
Tris can't believe he's making her do this. It was one thing when they were alone, but in front of Lauren and the initiates…part of her is terrified and the other part wants to stab him for putting her through this.
"You're really going to let some girl throw knives at you?" shouts a tall dark-haired boy standing at the front of the pack.
He reminds Tris of Peter, and she uses this moment to take a closer look at the initiates.
Transfers.
But why were they with Lauren? Tris wonders briefly.
"Have some respect," Eric roars darkly from his position in front of the target. "Tris isn't just some girl. Tris is an example of the best of us. Like you, Tris was a transfer, but unlike you, Tris understood the importance and the value of initiation. She worked her ass off and finished first in her class. So no, I wouldn't let some girl throw knives at me, but Tris? I trust Tris with me life."
The transfer who spoke looks down at the floor while many of the others stare at Tris in awe.
Between Eric's compliments and everyone staring at her, Tris is unable to stop the blush that creeps up her neck. Thankfully, she is far enough away that it's unlikely any of them will notice.
"Now shut the fuck up and pay attention."
Tris meets Lauren's gaze briefly and it's clear by the look on her face that Lauren doesn't have the same faith in her that Eric does.
She tries to ignore Lauren, instead turning her attention back to Eric who gives her a small nod.
She rolls her neck and breathes deeply before lifting her arm, pulling back, and releasing the first knife.
She was aiming for the space next to Eric's check, but the knife lands further away than she intends. It's still a solid shot, but Tris isn't satisfied.
She goes through the motions again. This time, the knife lands just above his head and she's feeling more confident.
She takes a moment to shake out her wrist as she contemplates her last shot. Pulling her arm back, she lets the knife fly. It goes straight towards Eric, spinning, blade over handle. The blade hits the board next to his ear and she knows she hit her target perfectly when a tiny bit of blood drips down. Maybe not the best choice given she's meant to be putting on a demonstration for the initiates, but the whole point of this exercise was for Eric to make up for what he did during initiation and now they are even.
Eric gives Tris a subtle nod before making his way back over to the initiates.
"Put in the effort, and you might be half as good as she is."
"I'm pretty sure I could do better. I mean, come on man, she cut you," the initiate from earlier says arrogantly.
"She hit her targets perfectly. I know her well enough to know that she did that on purpose," Eric responds, looking towards Tris who smirks at him.
Tris ignores another look from Lauren as Eric addresses the initiates once more.
"Line up!" He orders and they rush to line themselves up with a target each.
When the initiates are all deep in practice, Eric salutes Lauren with two fingers and then motions for Tris to follow him out of the gym.
"Asshole," Tris yells once they are through the doors. "Why would you do that to me?"
Eric laughs and starts walking quickly down the hall.
"So many reasons."
"Care to enlighten me?" she says, jogging to catch up to him.
"Like I said, I felt bad about initiation and wanted us to be even. But if I'm being honest, I really thought we had more time before they showed up. While I enjoyed that little performance we put on, if it had been my plan from the beginning, I would not have chosen this outfit."
Tris looks Eric up and down and accepts that he's telling the truth. Never once during the entirety of her initiation had she seen him look anything other than meticulously groomed and well put together. Maybe that's why Lauren seemed so put off by his presence.
"Them showing up however, created the perfect opportunity for me to show them that you don't have to be big, or male or Dauntless born to kick ass and finish with a high ranking. On top of that, if you're going to be a member of the leadership team people here need to respect you and ensuring that the new class understand how good you are will help with that."
"So you decided getting stabbed was worth proving that?"
"I had 100% faith that you wouldn't stab me. You need to have more confidence in your skills."
"And how exactly is your faith in my knife skills that high when you haven't seen them since initiation?"
Eric stops walking and looks at her.
"We've worked out in the same gym for months now. You may not have noticed me, but I certainly noticed you and I know that you are one of the only initiates who has taken my advice when it comes to keeping up with your training. Aside from the ones who are mandated by their jobs."
Tris' eyebrows furrow.
"Are you serious?"
Eric nods.
"Of course I'm serious. Don't worry, I'm only a little bit offended that you never noticed me. The way you train is like nothing I've ever seen before. It's like the whole world falls away and all that's left is you and your purpose."
"I…I don't know what to say."
Eric shrugs and starts walking again.
"You don't have to say anything. But I have noticed one thing I'm curious about."
"What's that?" Tris asks nervously.
"You never get in the ring and spar with anyone. It's an important part of training and you know that. So why don't you?"
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"How do you always manage to ask me questions that require me to tell you things I've never said out loud before?"
Eric gives her a small smile.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but if you join leadership you will have to spar. You won't have a choice but to get in the ring."
"I'm scared," Tris says quietly as she matches Eric's stride.
"Of what?" he asks, slowing down a bit.
"The last time I fought was against Molly during initiation. You were there for that; you saw what I did. I turned into someone I didn't recognize during that fight. She was down, I had won. I should have stopped, but I couldn't. I wanted to keep hurting her, needed to keep hurting her. I didn't know that side of me existed until that fight, and I'm terrified it's going to come out again."
Eric reaches out and threads his fingers through hers.
"You can't worry about that. The fight with Molly isn't comparable to a well natured sparing match in the members gym. It was initiation, and every one of you was exhausted by that point. We had been working you to the bone and you were fighting for your life here in Dauntless. Plus, Molly didn't help herself by being a bully."
"But what if you're wrong. What if I get in the ring again and I can't control myself?"
Eric shakes his head.
"I don't think I'm wrong, but if you're worried, I'd be happy to spar with you. We can start out slow, even go during off hours so it's just the two of us. We'll work our way up to full on sparring and we'll only go flat out once you're comfortable."
"I'll think about it," Tris replies.
"Good."
"It was weird seeing you with the initiates," she says, changing the subject.
"Was it?"
"Yeah, it brought me right back to my days as an initiate. Except this time, I didn't find your barking scary. I actually thought it was kind of…" Tris starts, trailing off.
"Kind of what?" Eric asks curiously.
"Hot," she finishes, her cheeks heating up.
"Oh yeah?" he says with raised eyebrows and a hint of a smirk on his lips. "Well lets just hope you're the only one. I don't need any of these initiates trying to hit on me," he jokes. "And for the record, watching you throw knives at me was pretty hot too."
Tris' cheeks turn a deep shade of crimson as they continue walking.
"Where are we going?" She asks as they reach a set of doors that leads them outside.
"To my favourite place in all of Chicago."
"Which is where?"
"Haven't you realized by now that I'm not going to answer that?" he says, letting go of her hand and jogging backwards. "Now come on, we don't have all day."
Aside from a short conversation where Tris asks Eric if they are allowed to leave the compound without a reasonable purpose and without filing an official 'travel' declaration, to which Eric responds that leadership has its privileges, the pair jog to their destination in near silence.
"What is this place?" Tris asks in awe looking up at the palatial building before them.
"This," Eric says, turning to face her, arms outstretched, "is the Harold Washington Library Center."
"You're telling me the purpose of this enormous building is solely to house physical books?"
"Think about how many books you had access to as a dependant on your school datapad. Those books were specific only to what you were learning about. Now think about how many other digital books are available to you as a member. How do you do any of that research before datapads were created? You come to the library where all that information can be found in the printed and bound physical books that line the walls of this building."
Tris blinks rapidly.
"I can't imagine having to make my way here every time I want to look something up."
"I mean, it's been a long while since datapads were created. They had them before the wars, but I think they called them tablets back then. You would have to have been born centuries ago to only have access to books through a library."
"And you mean to tell me that this building has been sat here filled with physical books for centuries and no one cared to…I don't know, take them?"
Eric turns and motions for Tris to follow him to the door.
"Filled is a bit of an overstatement. At one time I'm sure it was filled with books, but like you said, it's been sitting here for centuries. I'm not the only one who has stumbled upon it."
"So those books that you have back in your apartment," Tris starts, following Eric, "you stole them from here?"
"Is it really stealing when no one has a claim over them?" he counters, reaching for the door handle.
Tris contemplates his response for a second.
"I guess you have a point. Are we allowed to be here?"
Eric shrugs and motions for her to move passed him and into the building.
"I mean…there's no rule that says we can't specifically enter this building, but I think we both know exploring the city outside of faction limits isn't exactly encouraged."
"What if someone finds out?"
"I've been here more times than I can count over the last eight years and the only person who ever found out was my mom and that was only because she found the stack of books I had hidden in my room when I was fourteen."
"Eight years?"
"When I was twelve, I ran away from home for like a day. I managed to wander out of the grounds of Erudite and I just kept wandering. After about forty-five minutes, I ended up here and spent the rest of the day exploring. When I got home, I realized no one even noticed I had been gone. For my next four years in Erudite anytime I needed an escape I would come here. It took me a couple of years to have the balls to take any of the books home with me, but there were just too many that interested me and having to sneak here only to read a few chapters wasn't sustainable. When my mom found the books, I expected her to be angry, but she just praised me for my thirst for knowledge, told me I was a true Erudite and asked me to be careful."
Tris tilts her head and regards him curiously.
"Coming here consistently for four years while you were still a dependant sounds more Dauntless to me than Erudite. But being that interested in books does seem very Erudite. Do you think your parents knew you were different? Do you think they ever suspected you're Divergent?"
Eric shrugs.
"They may have had their suspicions, but I think parents often turn a blind eye to behaviour that goes against our birth factions. They're so terrified that we'll leave them one day that they don't want to let any doubt in that our aptitudes don't match our home. What about you? Do you think your parents knew?"
"I think my mom knew. At the very least, she knew I wasn't meant to be in Abnegation."
Eric nods his head in understanding.
"Okay, enough about our aptitudes. Take a look around."
Tris takes her eyes off Eric and finds herself in the most expansive lobby she has ever seen. She stretches her neck upwards and slowly spins as her eyes follow a railed walkway belonging to the level above. She looks back down and sees a circular rail in the centre of the room. Eric follows her as she moves towards it. Tris leans forward and looks down passed the railing at the level below.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Eric says.
Tris nods her head in response.
"Where do you want to go first?" he asks.
"What are my options?"
"There's not much to see downstairs. I'm sure when it was actually open it was different, but right now it's really just some empty rooms and an auditorium. If we stay on this level, the general library is over there and then on that side there's a media space with a bunch of old equipment. Other floors include: the children's library, more media and equipment, business, science and technology, government publications, maps and an old resource centre, history texts, literature, some more rooms that seem to be for music, and the last two floors are just rooms and offices."
Tris tilts her head back and forth, weighing her options.
"General library?" she finally chooses.
"This way," Eric says, waving her towards him as he starts to move.
They make their way across the lobby to the east side of the building. When they stop, Eric makes a show of opening a set of double doors and through it, Tris is met with the overwhelming sight of rows and rows of floor to ceiling bookshelves lined with hundreds upon hundreds of books. For the amount of time that the library has been abandoned, Tris expected the shelves to be quite bare, but despite the obvious gaps, there is still an abundance of books.
"Wow," Tris breathes.
Slowly, she starts to make her way through the rows, taking everything in.
After the awesomeness of the sheer volume of books had warn off slightly, Tris had begun looking more closely at the selection. It took ages for her to muster up the courage to start taking books off the shelves and really looking at them. There was just something about being here that made her feel like she'd gone back in time and was trespassing in a world that was not her own. She had finally chosen one that looked interesting and was now sat reading it on the floor.
"Tris," Eric says softly from his position next to her.
"Hmmmm?" she asks not looking up from her book.
"We have to get going."
His words don't register as she continues reading.
"Tris," he says again.
"Hmmmm?" she repeats.
Eric laughs.
"Look at me, please."
She does as requested and turns her head to face him.
"What's up?"
"We need to get going."
"Already?" she asks, disappointed.
"Already? We've been gone for over four hours. If we don't leave now, we'll miss dinner."
"It has not been four hours."
Eric pulls out his com and shows her the time, her eyes grow wide.
"It's already 5:50pm?" she asks in disbelief, scrambling to get on her feet. "We have to go, or we'll miss dinner."
"Come on," he replies chuckling while heading towards the exit.
Tris stays where she is, looking down at her book. She had managed to make it about a third of the way through and she wanted more than anything to finish.
"Take it with you," Eric says from a few feet away.
"I can't do that."
"Sure you can. Trust me, no one is going to miss it."
"It's okay, I'll just leave it here," she says putting it down on the shelf next to her.
"Tris…"
"It's fine, let's just go."
The pair run flat out back to Dauntless to make it home in time for dinner. By the time they get back it's a quarter passed six.
"I don't really want to go to dinner all sweaty," Tris says through staggered breaths as they make their way back into the building.
"We could split up, shower and change and then head down."
Tris grimaces.
"All the good food will be taken by then."
"Well, I could call down and have them pack up dinner for us and then when I'm ready I'll go grab it and we can eat in my apartment?"
"Since when does the kitchen do that?"
"Like I said earlier, leadership has it's privileges."
"Really?" Tris asks.
"It's gives us the chance to eat when we're stuck in meetings all day, or when we know we'll be back late after dealing with business outside of the faction. But we all use it for our personal benefit from time to time and they don't mind."
"Are you sure it's okay? I wouldn't want to get you in trouble."
Eric smiles.
"More than okay."
"I think I'd like that then."
Eric pulls out his com device and quickly calls the kitchen as Tris places both hands on the wall and stretches out her upper back.
"Burger and fries, white chicken chili and chips or spaghetti and meatballs with garlic toast?" he asks, covering the phones speaker.
"Um, burger and fries…and chips?" Tris answers hopefully.
"Two orders of burgers and fries and a side of chips for Eric," he says into the phone.
"Would they let me pick it up?" Tris whispers urgently.
"One second," Eric says to the person on the phone. "What?"
"Would they let me pick up the food?"
"I mean, yeah, but you don't have to do that. I can get it."
"You've done so much today already. Let me pick up the food."
"Are you sure?"
Tris nods in response.
"Hi, sorry about that," Eric says into the speaker. "Tris Prior will be picking up the order. Okay. Sounds good."
Eric hangs up, looking towards Tris as he puts his com in his pocket.
"It'll be ready around seven. Is that okay?"
"Perfect."
"Alright, let's get you back to your apartment."
Well, there we go! It took me a bit longer to get this one finished than I hoped. I had some trouble writing the library bit and almost scrapped it but its kind of required for a later chapter, so I made my way through it. I know it's a lot of just hanging out, but that's usually the best way to get to know someone anyways.
I have outlines for the majority of the rest of the story and am anticipating it being around 12 chapters. That being said, who knows when I actually start fully writing what will happen.
As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!