[ 002 ] smoke and mirrors

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    A GOOD WAY TO stop thinking about everything was getting punched in the face. A lot. Davina couldn't hide how shaken she was when she and Edward met up after school, and she had taken more blows than she had given in the hour they had been training, her head pounding and lip bleeding steadily.

Edward, as always, was unfazed and consistent, a far cry from Davina's experimental and aggressive attacks. The pair were mostly left alone, no one their age wanting to stick around after the Aptitude Test, and even fewer staying at school longer than necessary. Except Erudite kids, of course, but they were reduced to the labs and library where they were considered useful, not in the gym exchanging punches.

Davina hit the ground, the wind leaving her from the impact as Edward pinned her, arms twisted as she looked up at him through narrowed eyes. "Give up," he sighed, a bead of sweat on his forehead.

Davina lazily slapped his hands, scowling. "Get off," she hissed.

Her friend released her as she pushed into a sitting position, arm slung over her knee and head looking at the floor. Edward's eyes softened. "What's going on?" he asked her directly.

He must have gotten Amity, with his default kindness and warmth to everyone around him, the ability to see when someone was struggling. But then he also thirst for knowledge, she had seen him over the years, she knew that about him. Was he also Divergent? Just how rare was it?

Davina was so busy being paranoid it took her a few moments to actually respond. "Yeah, yeah," she said, nonchalantly. Edward clearly didn't believe her as he gazed down at her, dark eyes narrowing.

"That's not what I asked," he told her. Davina only scoffed and pressed her cold water bottle to her lip. Edward sat opposite her on the gym floor, legs crossed. "Was your result... not what you expected?" he asked, slowly. It was common knowledge people weren't supposed to share their results with anyone before the Choosing, but Edward was trying to find a way around it.

"One way of putting it," she replied, briefly, not wanting to dwell on the test or their results or anything to do with that day. She had mulled over everything so much already, and she had wanted the punches to knock them away, but if anything it had only been made worse. "Where's Myra?" she swerved the conversation around.

Edward looked confused by the sudden topic change, given that Davina didn't really care much for Myra, but he relented. "Study group."

Davina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Naturally."

"Where's Viviane?" Edward countered.

"Who knows?" Davina replied. "And Nic's at a friend's," she added before Edward could ask.

Her friend nodded, bracing his hands against his knees as he got to his feet. "C'mon. I'll walk you home."

Davina blinked up at him. "Ed, that'll take forever," she pointed out.

GILDED LILY, divergent / peter hayesWhere stories live. Discover now