Never in my life would I picture myself working for Jeanine, it never crossed my mind when I chose Erudite at the choosing ceremony just a few months ago. Although Erudite wasn't my chosen faction through my aptitude test, I didn't know where else to go because my test was inconclusive. But a woman littered with piercings and long dark hair told me if asked, I got abnegation. I wasn't stupid, I knew what being Divergent meant. I had heard the rumors about Jeanine's fascination with them and her need to weed them out of the factions. I was part of that population that she wanted to rid the world of. But coming from Abnegation and choosing it as the rest of my life was never going to be an option, I couldn't handle the stale grey colors, the life of being so selfless and putting everyone else before myself. It might sound selfish but for once in my life, I wanted to put myself first, ridding myself from monsters of my past. Including my family, or lack thereof. My mom died not long after I was born, or so I've been told. I was left with my older brother and father to care for me. I didn't think anything was wrong with my family until I was old enough to realize that my father was never around, and it was always my brother who looked after me, it was my brother who helped brush my hair before bed. But when our father was around, the atmosphere grew cold, and the night turned dark. I never saw it, but it wasn't hard to miss the bruises on my brother's body and the cuts along his spine. Our father never dared touch me, when he did try, my brother distracted him enough to change his focus.
That all changed when my brother chose Dauntless, I remember the day of his choosing ceremony. You chose when you turned 18, he never hinted that he was going to leave or that his aptitude test read differently than Abnegation. I knew deep down he wouldn't stay, and I didn't blame him that he wanted to leave. I was hurt and fearful when I saw him drip his blood over the hot coals for Dauntless. My bones turned to ice, and when he turned to head towards his new faction sitting amongst the crowd. We locked eyes, mine welled with sadness as a small unheard 'no' escaped me and his steely gaze resembled what looked a little like guilt and then relief that he was leaving a life of misery and pain and that hurt more than anything. It didn't take long for our father to turn his violent nature towards me, in fact as soon as we got inside our dull grey home, he took my wrist between his sharp cold fingers. It took me by surprise having never been on the receiving end of his violence, he blamed me for Tobias leaving and cursed me when I told him that I had no idea that he got Dauntless on his test. That night as I lay crying in our room that we once shared, him leaving hurt more than the stinging on my spine and I vouched that once I turned 18. Regardless of my test results, I would never choose Abnegation, but I would never choose Dauntless either.
It's been 3 months since I've been in Erudite and in that time, I've managed to secure my role as Jeanine's assistant in training in a tall building, smacked right in the middle of the city. When I first received my apartment in a building full of other transfers and Erudite born initiates, it was like a huge weight had lifted off of my shoulders but at the same time, I couldn't help but think how dangerous it was being so close to someone who thought my existence was a fault in the system. But in theory, I was to be in plain sight and hopefully slide straight under her radar. It seemed to have worked because she never questioned my existence, especially when I was plucked from all the initiates and was placed right at the front desk just outside her office. Although I never partake in any of Jeanine's work behind her closed door, I was always filling paperwork, sending emails, replying to messages that Jeanine had no time for, scheduling meetings, taking note at meetings and literally being her lap dog for anything she wanted. It wasn't overly enjoyable, but it was better than being back in Abnegation with bruises littering every square inch of my body. I had made a friend in Jeanine's office, an older woman by the Claire. She was short with grey hair neatly cut just below her ears that had a tinge of yellow to it and I often wonder if she smokes, she often disappeared but she always smelt fresh and minty when she returned. She showed me the ropes around the office, showed me how to use the programming on the computer which I still have issues with, we never had anything remotely the same in abnegation. It was probably considered too selfish to use.
She also showed me how to unjam the printer when paper caught in the back, which is what I was currently trying to do. Claire had left 10 minutes ago to fetch us some coffees for Jeanine's meeting which was soon, I had it pinned on my calendar beside my desk. Claire told me it would be easier if I just used the tablet, it would make my job simpler according to her. But I never did quite figure out how to use it, no matter how many times Claire showed me. I let out a gruff of exasperation as the back of the printer wouldn't budge, I had slipped off my shoes and used my chair to slip up onto the high cabinet with my navy-blue pencil skirt pulled up to my thighs to make the climb easier. I heard the ding from the elevator as I was trying to pull the back cover open and a sigh of relief washed through me, Max was here for his meeting, 10 minutes earlier than scheduled. "Max... thank god you're here, can you help me? It stuck again and I can't get it to open."
I hear him before I see him, he stands behind me for a moment like he's assessing the situation before coming to my side with a huff of exasperation, like I've wronged him by asking him for help. I could smell the strong scent of his aftershave as a tattooed arm reaches between me and the printer pulling open the hatch with ease and I instantly realize that he is not Max. My breath dies in my throat as I'm kneeling on top of the counter, I turn my head and lock onto his steely grey eyes. His lips press into a thin line as I watch him step away and back around my desk to head straight into Jeanine's office without knocking. I roll my eyes and quickly work at unsticking the paper and once it done, I close up the back of it and return the paper to its tray as the elevator dings again and in walks Max with Claire by his side both of them holding coffees.
"Hi Max" I smile politely, Max is dressed in his usual dauntless getup of black pants and black shirt and vest with even blacker boots, it makes me wonder if anyone ever wears anything in Dauntless that isn't the same dark colors.
"Hey Allie" He walks over to the front of my desk and drops down my hot chocolate that's in a paper cup, ever since I started working here, he learnt pretty quickly that I definitely do not like coffee. A couple times of him bringing up coffees and the disgusted look on my face as I pleasantly tried sipping it so I wouldn't offend him, he started bringing me hot chocolate instead and I have to say that it's much better than anything I'd ever tasted in Abnegation. "Is Eric already in with the Dragon Lady?".
I try hold back my snicker as I nod my head, juggling my cup and the tablet as I walk behind Max to follow him into the office. I always struggled when I came in her office, from floor to ceiling everything was white. Even the large obnoxious desk she had. Why one woman needed a desk that large, was beyond me.
Max took a seat next to Eric in front of her desk while I awkwardly stood to the side, still juggling my cup and tablet. Jeanine flashed me one of her award-winning tight smiles before her eyes drifted down my body, like a snake assessing its next meal before her eyes land on my feet. I follow her gaze and realize I've left my shoes over by the printer. "Allie... darling, where are your shoes?".
I cringe on the inside at the horrible nickname she persists on using for me, chewing the inside of my cheek as the heat rises to my face and I smile the best I can especially when both Max and Eric look down to my feet. I can see Max is trying to hold back a laugh while Eric just looks irritated. "I'm sorry sir... ma'am, I can go grab them. I had to take them off when I.."
"I don't have time, let's just begin." She cuts me off, I fight the urge to scowl but I hold back and smile politely. My whole body is on fire by this point as Max turns his attention back to Jeanine. "So, I wanted to touch base on where we are with the factionless and what security measures we have in place around the city, they're appearing in much higher numbers than usual and I don't want any more disruptions to my people. They're causing a nuisance and I want to be reassured that our alliance with Dauntless is well known and any violence from them will not be tolerated. I want assurance that Erudite remains safe as well as the other factions."
Eric speaks first before Max even has a chance to move his mouth, "We've begun new patrols from sections four through eight and we are currently working on new surveillance cameras in the area. We have the new initiates training now on the new curriculum we went through which is being overseen by Lauren and Four. I have no doubt once Initiation is complete and we finish up the fear landscapes, that we will have nothing but the best soldiers."
I look up from my tablet as Eric finishes speaking to look at Jeanine, the factionless has been a main focus of Jeanine's since the moment I started working for her, but it wasn't hard to miss even for me when I would look outside my window from my apartment and see just beyond the outskirts of the city, the small fires they would make to try and keep warm through the night. Especially now as the season begins to change and the nights started to grow colder. But coming from Abnegation, where we always dealt with the factionless. Giving them blankets and food, we'd never actually seen any violence from them. But Jeanine was convinced that they were starting an uprising and needed to be 'dealt with'.
Jeanine seemed pleased with Eric's words because she nods her head with the barest hint of a smile, "Very well. I want a progress report on the new initiates and the patrols weekly. Max, I don't want to be kept in the dark."
The rest of the meeting goes on with the same authoritative tone from Jeanine, her demanding and her Dauntless counterparts agreeing.
I'm dismissed before Eric and Max, she always likes to end her meetings in private. I gather my things quickly and hightail it out of there only glancing back once to Eric starring after me, hands clasped together in his lap. Very militant. A sudden chill races up my spine as I quickly head out the door to Claire holding up my shoes with a knowing smirk.
"Shit..." I curse under my breath, "I thought she was going to leap across her desk and strangle me." I take the shoes from her and quickly slip them back onto my feet.
Claire just laughs with the shake of her head, "I'm surprised she didn't."
Not even five minutes goes by before the door to Jeanine's office swings open with force, startling me from my spot behind the computer before Eric storms out with his hands balled into fists by his side as he practically punches the button for the elevator to be brought back up. Max saunters out after him a lot more casual looking and throws both Claire and I a polite smile, "Allie, Claire." Is his form of goodbye. I watch on curiously as the doors open and they both step inside, neither of them look this way before the doors close.
I wonder what mundane task Jeanine has set out for him to piss him off this time before Jeanine appears in her doorway, "Allie, darling. In my office." I don't think about it for too long as I stride into her office after her, closing the door behind me.
"WHAT?" Angel's shrill voice breaks through the silence filling my apartment.
Angel lives in the apartment across the hall from mine, we had become friends not long after we moved in here. She transferred straight from Amity, it would be hard to pick because she was made for Erudite. Very smart and bubbly, with bouncy locks of blonde hair and bright green eyes which were currently trained on me as wide as saucers. After I'd finished work and come home, she was at my door in a matter of minutes with two take away bowls of noodles which she must have gotten from downstairs. I will never get over how much nicer the food tastes here, it's like the main staple ingredient in Abnegation was just salt and even then, that was considered a selfish act.
Angel is still staring at me, with her mouth agape. I'd just broken the news to her about my conversation I had with Jeanine inside her office after Max and Eric's departure this afternoon. After much protest from my behalf, she informed me that in two days time I will be heading to Dauntless. For two weeks. She wants inside eyes and ears in Dauntless to oversee the progress of their surveillance and patrols, with reports written to her daily. I asked why she couldn't send Claire or Mark from the control room downstairs, she never gave me a reason just that she needed me to go. Just that I was going and any other protest I had was squashed down immediately, I didn't have a choice.
"What about your brother?" Her voice brakes me from my thoughts, my body slinking further back on the couch with my bowl between my legs.
"I don't know, I haven't seen or heard from him since he went there. Chances are I might not even see him." I had filled her in on some minor details, not everything but enough for her to know my concern with seeing him again.
"So, you're leaving in 2 days to Dauntless for 2 whole weeks, being Jeanine's spy all while trying to avoid your brother? I don't envy you at all!"
"Thanks Angel, for pointing that out. Are you sure you aren't from Candor?" I tease with a small laugh, causing her to roll her eyes before she snickers at me.
"Well, my dad was Candor. I guess I get it from him." She makes me laugh again, she is a good friend. Ever since I'd come to Erudite, I struggled to fit in but I found she was the only one I could really confide in and she demanded we be friends right from the very beginning, I was persuaded easily.
The next two days go by in a blur, she had been prepping me for what to expect while there and I'd been given a list of things she wanted me to get through and timelines from my reports that are to come back to her. Claire had the pleasure of teaching me how to use a cell phone, I'd never seen one before in my life, but I was reassured that it wasn't very different from the tablet I would be taking. But I barely knew how to use that, let alone a phone. I'd seen people use them around Erudite, so I knew what they were but coming from Abnegation, no one had one. Some people there still relied on paper mail to get in touch, which was a long slow process.
I had my bag packed sitting by my apartment door, I was being picked up from my building and escorted back to Dauntless in one of their trucks. I'd never been in a vehicle before and the thought alone was nerve wrecking but also a little exciting, something I never thought I'd experience when I had taken the job as Jeanine's assistant. Sure, I could have gotten a different job around the faction, or maybe even joined Angel where she was working as an intern at the hospital. But something told me that Jeanine couldn't keep an assistant for very long, she wasn't exactly approachable in the slightest, but anything was better than staying in Abnegation.
It's exactly 8:59am when a knock sounded at my door, signaling that my ride was here. I picked up my bag, throwing it over my shoulder before answering the door. I did a double take of my small apartment, it wasn't much. It had a standard kitchenette with a small dining area, a small couch pushed to the side of the wall and on the other was a single door which led to a somewhat surprisingly spacious bedroom with a bathroom attached. Although not much, it had been home to me more than anywhere before and the peace and quiet was comforting.
I straightened out my navy-blue skirt and my white long-sleeved blouse and opened my door to be greeted by two dauntless soldiers, the girl didn't look that much older than me. With short brown hair cut just below her jaw, she looked to be just a centimeter or two shorter than me. The guy standing next to her was well over six foot his head nearly touching the door frame as he stepped forward extending his hand towards me, "I'm Kyle, this is Christina. You must be the assistant?".
"Allie" I nod, taking his hand in mine.
"Well Allie, pleasure to meet you but we mustn't keep our fearless leader waiting." Kyle takes my bag from my shoulder before I can protest that I'd be fine carrying it. Kyle walks ahead of me while Christina walks behind as we make our trek downstairs to an awaiting Dauntless truck parked out front.
It's impressive in size. I'd seen them coming and going from a distance, but I'd never been this close to one before.
"You are up front." Kyle informs me just as I'm about to reach for the handle to get into the back seat.
"Hey! I called shotgun!" Christina bellows out from somewhere behind us.
"You rode shotgun on the way here, now get in before he throws a fit. We're already behind schedule." Kyle just laughs and I have the sudden urge to laugh as well but I settle for biting sucking my bottom lip into my mouth with a small snicker.
He opens the front passenger door for me and holds out his hand to help me climb up. I take it gratefully as the step up is much higher than anticipated. I use his hand to pull myself up and use the large handle on the door frame to pull myself into the vehicle. There sitting in the front seat, is none other than Eric Coulter himself. His hair neatly gelled in place on top of his head, his black gauges in his ears standing out against the freshly shaved sides of his head. His posture tight and rigid, militant looking as one hand is rested on the steering wheel, but his icy grey eyes are trained on me as I slide into the seat beside him. He does not look all that happy about my presence, with his lips held together in a fine line and his eyebrows are knitted together on his forehead.
"Good morning, Eric" I say politely but he doesn't respond, he continues staring me down till everyone is in the truck and he throws it into gear and takes off down the road to head out of Erudite and towards where I'm assuming is Dauntless.
It takes a couple minutes of him driving and going through a certain number of check points before he breaks the awkward silence filling the truck. "When we get to Dauntless, I have a few rules you'll need to follow, you'll do best to remember them because I won't be repeating them again".
"Rules? What rules?" I ask nervously as I grip the handle on the door as he takes a sharp corner and drives over a couple bumps in the road, swallowing down the lump that's formed in my throat.
"Dauntless is a maze, if you aren't from there it's easy to get turned around and you'll get lost and I won't be running around the faction trying to find you."
Kyle leans forward to speak directly to me, humor over the memory crossing his mind. "I got lost for three days during my initiation, nearly became factionless because of it."
"You'd get lost in the bathroom," Christina throws back at him before elbowing him in the side, making him retreat to the back seat.
Eric just glares at the two of them from the rear-view mirror before focusing on the road ahead which has now turned to gravel. "There are maps plastered around the faction to help out initiates, but it's easy to get turned around. Rule two, when you are there, you report to Max and me only. No one else. Rule three, you'll also be sitting in on some of the initiate training schedules which start at 5am sharp so be prepared. Rule four, don't go into the pit. Unless you want to take on someone that's double your size, then by all means, have at it. The room you'll be staying in is on the leader's floor, it was a previous leaders quatres, but Max insisted you stay close. We can't watch you 24 hours a day so if you need to go anywhere, someone will escort you. Keep in mind, we aren't there to babysit you."
"Is that all?" I stare at him wide eyed, trying to take in everything he's said so far.
"Don't go near the waterfall" Christina blurts out from behind me, "Near the chasm is a bit slippery, people drown there all the time. There's no way of rescuing you so if you fall, you're just gone."
I watch as Eric side eyes me as I'm suddenly tense, I'm starting to think that Jeanine doesn't like me very much. There is the barest hint of a smirk playing at the corner of Eric's mouth before his eyes dart back to the road ahead and I'm suddenly hit with the realisation that I should probably never stepped foot in Erudite.
Another twenty minutes go by the time I see the entrance to Dauntless, carved into the side of a mountain with train tracks leading through to a building that's off to the side. I stare in awe at the sheer amazement of it all. It's bigger than I expected, I lean forward in my seat as Eric gets waved through by yet another check point before heading to a set of large doors that open upon our arrival. There are numerous trucks in here, all ranging in size and there are soldiers littered all around. Some working on the cars, some carrying guns and what I'm assuming is inventorying. I don't even realise the truck had come to stop as I sit and survey everything happening around the room.
Suddenly my door is open and Eric is standing there expectantly before he takes hold of my elbow to guide me out of the truck, he doesn't let go till my feet are safely planted on the ground.
"Thanks" I say softly before he steps away gesturing me to follow. I do.
Christina comes up beside me while Kyle lingers back, still holding my bag over his shoulder. A few soldiers stop and stare after me with weary glances, a few scowl in my direction and others haven't even acknowledged I'm here.
"What's their problem?" I ask Christina.
She just gives me a curt shrug. "Some people are on board with Erudite's presence in Dauntless, others are not as pleased. Don't take it personally. A lot of people aren't big supporters of Jeanine and her need to have her hands in everything".
"So I'm not allowed to go anywhere, I could get lost, I could fall to my death. Now I have to worry about whether or not I run into the wrong person. That's great." My sarcasm is thick but Christina just snickers at my words.
"Don't worry shorty, we'll look out for you." Kyle steps up beside me with a goofy smile.
"This way!" Eric's voice cuts through the dark hallways as we head to an elevator, we all step inside with Christina and Kyle behind Eric and I and I take note of the button he pushes on the panel.
When the elevator stops and we step out, I can hear the echo of numerous people cheering and laughing bouncing off the cavernous walls as we walk through. We come to a higher up section overlooking a massing room with rock covered walled and a windowed ceiling. The place is huge.
Eric turns to face me, gesturing over to the fence that overlooks what I'm assuming is the pit. There are hundreds of people down there, people are fighting while other cheer them on. There are barrels of fire littered around the room with people trying to catch what little warmth they're giving. There are people getting pushed and shoved while a couple younger kids, play off to the side, climbing around boulders and hiking up narrow rocky walls.
I come to fully stand next to Eric now, taking in everything around me. He nudges my elbow with his, causing an electric shock to run up my spine. "Welcome to Dauntless".
A/N- Hello everyone and thank you for giving this story a go. I've been running with this idea for a while now as my other story has been halted because I just couldn't get into it. This is in no way a retelling of the original Divergent, it will have canon aspects and some of our beloved and not so beloved characters will be present. But I only claim Allie and any other OC I throw your way. I understand Eric is not that loveable in the movies and he's a bit of a dick at the moment but I promise to make it worth your while. I am looking for a beta so if you know anyone or are one, I'd love your help.
Also don't forget reviews would be fantastic! I will try and keep a regular updating schedule but please bare with me as I have a small child at home and I work 5 days a week. But I'll do my best. Much love, SJ xo