Finally! Life is slowing back down for me thankfully!
I should be back to weekly updates now. Thank you for your reviews each week, it's what keeps me going and wanting to keep writing. Love Ya'll!
It was Friday night in Dauntless. It had been a tense week for Tobias, as Max sent him on a scouting mission as the initiates got closer to their final days and practiced the fear landscape. Everyone had been looking forward to the weekend to let loose a bit and Zeke had given Tobias one of his latest moonshine creations that he was taking small sips of from a flask. Tobias nodded his head as Lauren was telling some story that he wasn't really paying attention to. She had grabbed him after dinner, clearly, she hadn't given up on her quest to show him she was interested in him even though he hadn't given her any indication he was interested. He sees Shauna sitting alone in the Pit, and he knows the look on her face as he follows her line of sight. Tori and Zeke were laughing as they passed a cup between each other as Zeke appeared to be telling a story. Zeke had sat down with them for dinner and a huge smile came across his face when Tori walked into the dining hall. He immediately hopped up and told Tobias and Shauna he would catch up with them later and went to join Tori in the dinner line. The pained look on Shauna's face was how he felt on the inside as he watched Tris and Lynn together in the cafeteria over dinner.
Lauren scowls when Tobias excuses himself to go to Shauna.
"Come on," Tobias says nodding his head toward the path that would lead them out of the Pit.
Shauna sighs but gets up and follows him down to the chasm to their quiet place. They sit on one of the large rocks looking at the river as it flowed as they pass the flask of moonshine back and forth. They sit in comfortable silence and Shauna lets a few tears fall.
"Why don't you just tell him how you feel?" Tobias asks, breaking the silence.
"Probably the same reason you won't tell Tris you are in love with her"
Tobias nods as he takes a swig after Shauna passes the flask back to him. They sit there for a while longer and then decide to call it a night.
As they get up Shauna pulls Tobias in for a hug. She was so grateful for him. He was quiet but he knew exactly what she needed.
Tobias is stiff at first. Tris had been the only other person he hugged before. He eventually relaxes and snakes his arms around Shuana's waist. Shauna's breath hitches. She hated feeling this way. She presses closer to Tobias, there was something genuine about how he was holding her close. She'd never thought of him like that before, but she knew exactly how handsome he was. At that moment with the alcohol following through her body, something stirred inside her.
"Make me forget Four, even if it's only for a little while," Shauna whispers when she pulls back, and her eyes move between his and his lips.
They were both slightly drunk, but even though things were a little fuzzy, Shauna knew exactly what she was doing and what she wanted. She wanted to block out Zeke, just for one night.
Tobias slowly lowers his lips to hers. Shauna was his friend, he had never looked at her like that before, but the truth was, he wanted to forget about Tris too, even if it was only for a little while.
Tobias was nervous, her lips were soft, and he could taste the alcohol they had been drinking as she pressed herself against him. This wasn't like the kiss he shared with Tris in Abnegation. This was pure fire and lust. As Shauna took control and moaned, he tightened his grip on her as his body reacted to Shauna's.
"Can we go to your apartment?" She asks after a few kisses.
He nods in response and grabs her hand. They quickly walk through the twists and turns of the paths to the Pire where the leader apartments were, giggling as they looked around corners to make sure no one saw them.
As soon as Tobias closes the door behind him, Shauna pulls him to her, and they share another steamy kiss. She pulls at his clothes, pulls off his jacket, and then tugs to lift his shirt over his head. She grins as she runs her hands over his abs, admiring his body.
Tobias is flustered, he'd kept his head down during initiation in the shared dorm, but this was the first time he'd actually seen a woman naked as Shauna shed her clothes and pushed him into his bedroom.
"Ummm Shauna, I…. Ummm" Tobias stammers as his knees hit the back of the bed.
Shauna smiles when she sees the slight look of panic in his eyes when she goes to unbuckle his belt.
"It's okay, Four, no one has to know" she reassures him.
"It's not that it's Ummm I've never done this before" He stammers out looking at the floor and feeling his cheeks flush. Shauna grins. She knew her friend and how awkward he was around most girls even though women were constantly throwing themselves at him.
"Don't worry about that, I'll show you what to do"
Tobias swallows thickly, nervous energy flowing through him as he nods his head. Shauna starts to kiss him again.
"Well, this is a nice surprise," she says admiring his manhood as she pushed down his pants and underwear. Tobias was so flushed, and he bit his lip as she stared at the most intimate part of him.
She pushed him back on the bed and then hovers over him, tossing her hair over to one shoulder so she could kiss him.
"You can touch me," she tells him as he tentatively puts his hands on her hips. At her encouragement, he lets them roam and starts to feel more confident as she moans.
Shauna grinds against him and Tobias finds himself running his thumbs over her nipples. Desperately trying to recall all the talk he'd heard from Zeke and Uriah on nights they were in the Pit or the parties in the abandoned training room.
Shauna was done being teased and she raised herself up on her knees, grabbing Tobias by his manhood and stroking. She grinned as his mouth went slack at the sensation.
"Don't worry, I'm covered" she whispers as she slides herself down on him, both of them groaning.
"Holy shit" Tobias threw his head back on the pillow at the feeling of her hot and warm around him.
Shauna places her hands on his chest and stills for a minute while she gets used to him but smiles at his reaction.
"How does it feel?" She asked him as she started to move slowly.
"I don't think I've ever felt anything like this," Tobias whispers, with his eyes still closed.
"Open your eyes" she demands after a few minutes of riding him, her voice heavy and panting.
Tobias does as she asks and groans again as he starts to watch her. Everything felt so damn good, he felt like he was going to explode as their bodies moved against each other. Knowing he wouldn't last long his first time, Shauna places one hand on her breast and the other rubs her clits as she rode him. Tobias watches her mesmerized.
"Oh Fuck" Shauna cries out as she throws her head back. Tobias grips her hips surging up into her. He felt his balls tighten as she tightened around him, and he cried out as they both orgasmed. He tried to catch his breath as she stilled on top of him.
"Wow, for your first time, that was fucking amazing" She giggles catching her breath.
"I don't think I had a lot to do with it" Tobias admits as she crawls off of him. It was true, she had taken control and shown him what to do until his natural instincts took over.
"Are we cool?" he asked hesitantly as she put her clothes back on and he got up to find his boxers.
"Yeah, It's just sex Four,"
"Yeah, Dauntless is different from where I came from," he tells her picking at the blanket on this bed.
"Thank you for being there and distracting me," Shauna says with a soft smile.
"Back at you"
After she leaves, takes a shower, and then he lies in bed looking at the ceiling. He wanted Tris, just like Shauna wanted Zeke but maybe since they couldn't be with the one they wanted, this could be a way to pass the time. As he drifts off to sleep, he thinks of Tris, just like he does most nights.
Hana pinches her nose with her fingers. She had done everything she could to try and save Edward. She knew his eye was gone and nothing could be done about it but when he started having seizures, Hana knew that the knife had gone deeper than she originally thought and damaged his brain.
Tris, Uriah, Christina, and Will had all come to visit him. She made him as comfortable as possible but there was no brain activity now, three weeks after the initial stabbing, she had to make the decision to pull him off life support. As a transfer he didn't have family in Dauntless, so the decision was left solely up to the medical team.
"You ready to do this?" Amar asks, walking into Edward's room.
Hana nods. "Thank you for coming, it didn't seem right for him to be alone"
Amar had come to visit as often as he could, he was the transfer instructor, and he felt responsible for all of them. It hurt him when someone didn't make the cut, so young and forced to live out their life factionless. He'd had one young man die after missing the jump from the train and another after a bad fight. This, though he'd never had anything like what transpired between Edward and Myra.
"Did he ever wake up again? After the first few days?" Amar asks as he moved to sit in the chair next to Edward's bedside.
"Only once that first night, what he said didn't make much sense. Something like they want all of them… I kept him sedated because of the pain after that."
Amar nods, and looks over at Edward, bandaging over his right eye, he looked asleep and peaceful.
Edward and Myra had been so in love it annoyed everyone. Amar felt like he was in a daze when he rushed to the pit to see the aftermath of their lovers' quarrel. Myra was lucky to have made it as far as she did, and Amar knew there was no way she was going to make it through. Something still didn't sit right with him, there was something else that was going on between them, he was sure of it but now, with both dead, their secrets died with them.
Hana flips a switch on the machine and Edward's chest stops rising. The steading beeping sound turned into a flat tone. She unplugged the wires and signaled Helena the nurse that she was done.
They are silent as they exit the room. Hana had lost patients before, but it was always hard when they were this young.
"You know you haven't had the easiest year Amar and I know what it's like. If you ever want to talk." Hana offers.
Amar sighs. He didn't talk about George with anyone but Tori. His heart ached; some days he thought the grief would swallow him whole.
"Thanks, Hana, it's hard to believe it's been a year, I still miss him," Amar says softly and Hana places a hand on his arm in comfort.
"I know you it might not seem like it, but it does get easier. The pain and missing them doesn't go away but you learn how to move and breathe a little more every day."
Tori hears a knock at her door, and she hops up from the couch. She was glad Bud said he could handle closing the tattoo parlor. Amar said he would grab dinner from the dining hall for them. It had been a busy week, but Tori was happy for the company.
"Please tell me you brought me two slices of chocolate cake" Tori whines as she takes a whiff of the food and helps Amar unpack the bags.
"Come on, who do you think you're talking to…of course, I got us each two slices" Amar chuckles.
Tori unpacks the ribs and mashed potatoes and while Amar grabs two beers out of the fridge, they settle at the table.
"Do you ever miss Erudite?" Amar asks as they eat. They did this most nights at dinner, asking each other random questions, they used to do this with George, it made both of them feel like he was there.
"Ummmm not really, When George left is when I really knew I wanted to leave. It just didn't feel right without him."
Amar knew George and Tori's story well. Their parents died in a lab explosion when George was fifteen and Tori was ten. They lived with their grandmother until George went to Dauntless on his Choosing Day. Tori was devastated, angry with George, and refused to speak to him when he showed up every Visiting Day after his initiation. Their grandmother died a few months before Tori's Choosing Day.
George had fallen out of his chair when his sister marched into the dining hall with the new initiates that Choosing Day. Standing beside her was Amar, a Dauntless born who bonded with her on the train ride from the Hub.
"Out of beer?" Amar asks as he looks back in the fridge while Tori packs up the trash after they eat.
"Yeah, haven't had time to go to the commissary but… Zeke did give me a batch of his latest moonshine. Look in the cabinet next to the fridge"
Amar finds two glasses and opens the jar and pours before heading to join Tori on the couch.
"So, Zeke…. you two seem to have been spending a lot of time together lately" Amar probes after taking a sip from his glass. He'd noticed Zeke hanging out at the tattoo parlor, at first it was because Tori was working on his new sleeve tattoo and then when it was finished, he was still coming back, waiting until Tori was closed for the night, bringing her dinner when it was busy, and she didn't have time to leave.
"He's what 10 years younger than me? It's ridiculous" Tori stammers but feeling her cheeks flush.
"I think he's only 8 years younger than us" Amar points out with a chuckle.
"He's a kid…" Tori counters.
"And yet it's not a big deal that George was five years older than me? And we started dating not even a year after you and I finished initiation?"
"Ughhh, it's not the same thing…5 years… is… well…"
"It's not that different and you know it" Amar chuckles.
Tori groans and goes back to her cup of moonshine. She smiled into the cup, she had to give it to Zeke, he had talent. She thinks back to Friday night when she happened upon him in the dining hall. Bud had told her to go relax and hang out for a bit before the evening rush. She stayed in the Pit much later than she intended listening to Zeke telling a story. Not only was he handsome and charismatic, but he was also funny and gentle at times too.
"You like him, don't you?" Amar says after watching her for a minute.
"I do not…I'm just well, I don't know. He's been a nice distraction" Tori says stumbling over her words.
"Tori you haven't dated anyone since well you know... You have to start living a little. No one says you have to marry him. Have fun, get laid, take the edge off"
Tori groans, sets her cup down and laughs, and leans over looping her arm with Amar's.
"I miss him" she whispers leaning her head on his shoulder. "And I know he would tell me the same thing"
Amar gives her a kiss on the forehead. When he and George got together, Tori became the sister he never had.
"I miss him too" Amar admits "And for what it's worth… I think you should give Zeke a chance"
"Jeanine is not happy right now," Cara says stiffly looking Eric up and down as they stood in their usual meet-up spot where Eric would pass off information to her when he couldn't make it to Erudite.
"I know but I have a better approach, we need to get some of the Dauntless already here on our side."
"And how do you propose to do that without being in Leadership"
"Never underestimate people who just need something to believe in, we'll have additional eyes in Dauntless soon" Eric promises. "Here's what I need you to do on your end. We also need to rattle the cages a bit and get Max's attention. I know Jeanine isn't opposed to drastic measures, but she needs to get Abnegation and Dauntless in line before going after Candor and Amity"
Cara listens carefully to what Eric was proposing, this was going to set Jeanine's timeline back and potentially cause a panic, but it was necessary. Part of Eric's plan she understood, the second part she thought was a bit risky, but he had been living in Dauntless for the past year and a half, and he was starting to think like them more and more. The city was going to be engulfed in flames soon and she hoped she was on the right side.
"Have you found anything on Eric?" Max asks Tobias as he looks at the board in his apartment that now had pictures of Eric, Myra, and Edward under a picture of Jeanine. He felt like they weren't any closer to figuring out anything. He just had to hold out a few more weeks until initiation was over, then he would have more hands at his disposal. He wasn't ready to clue anyone else in yet. Knowing that there were plants inside this initiation class had him more concerned about who was watching them inside Dauntless.
"No, but Zeke and I have been scrubbing footage from the surveillance cameras, we know he's leaving the compound, but he jumps the train and goes into an area that isn't populated so there are no cameras. He's smart, definitely knows what he's doing"
Max picks up Eric's member file and reads over the details again.
"He ranked sixth in your class; how did he not end up a fence guard?" Max asks.
"He talked his way into a position with maintenance because Chavis was shorthanded"
"Which would give him access to multiple areas of the compound" Max puts his hands on his hips.
Tobias realizes that Max was right in only having these conversations in his apartment.
"Do we confront him?"
Max shakes his head.
"No, we don't want to tip our hand too soon, but keep we keep an eye on him. He has to change his tactics now that Edward and Myra are dead. I can bet he was counting on Edward ranking first to give him access to leadership areas. He'll seek out new allies and we need to find out who."
"Someone Erudite born?"
"Not necessarily"
Tobias blows out a frustrated breath.
"Being patient has to be a part of your strategy, Four. Most Dauntless think that it's going in guns blazing that gets results and will win a battle, it's not"
Tobias nods, he understands. Max was becoming a mentor and father figure that he never had.
"Thanks for always taking the time to explain things to me, I didn't have that growing up," Four tells Max honestly as his mind drifts to how Marcus would use his belt to teach lessons.
"I see great potential in you, Four, you might not know it, but you are what Dauntless needs, and not just because you only have four fears and are one of the most-skilled fighters I've ever seen. You look at all the angles and ask questions, this faction needs that"
Tobias feels a bit emotional, unable to speak for a minute.
"Thank you, sir, I ummm, just thank you"
Max gives him a pat on the shoulder. He had no idea how he was going to save the city right now, but he was glad Four was on his team.
