Star-gazing: Eric Coulter

Chapter 12

TW- swearing, mature content.

Song: Possibility
Artist: Lykke Li

Layla's pov:

"Eric's a dick." I mutter, sitting with a thick black blanket wrapped around my shoulders, whilst still seated on Fours' leather sofa.

"You can say that again." Four chuckles, emerging from his kitchen with two mugs of coffee. He remembers just how I like it. I smile up at him thankfully like a small child getting a gift.

"He's just—" I cut myself off not knowing how to explain myself, "He is literally just a dick. There's really no other way to describe him." I sigh, leaning back to make myself comfier. "I love him and I know that I'll just want to run back to him as soon as I see him again, but I know we both need some space after what's happened recently." I haven't told Four everything that's happened but I've told him little bits— he seems proud of me for opening up with him at all. We've bonded more now than ever, he's opened up about his time back in Abnegation.

Four sighs and takes a seat beside me, lifting my legs (that were previously spread out on the chair) and moving them so that they are draped over his. "I think you both just need a bit of space, after everything that's happened to the both of you this year. There's nothing wrong with taking a break from your relationship, Layla." He comforts, throwing his legs on top the coffee table. "And as much as I hate him, I know from the bottom of my heart that he loves you. As much as I hate that." He mumbles the last part, however I still hear him and playfully smack his shoulder as we turn the TV on.

Jeanine is holding a press conference about the recent Divergent outbreak. She is standing beside my father who is wearing his usual attire (white doctors coat and thin rimmed glasses) and holding my little sister in his arms. On the other side of the woman is a man called Neil, he's my age, I knew him from when I used to live in Erudite— we went to school together.

I groan in frustration upon seeing his face, it just frustrates me that they really don't trust Divergents this much. I am literally sat beside Four right now and he's not trying to kill me.

"Do you want to change the channel?" The man next to me asks, I shake my head.

"I want to hear what bullshit he has to say about his arrest and interrogation yesterday." I speak. Yesterday after the Leadership testing, Eric ordered a couple of Dauntless soldiers to arrest my father and take him for holding in the cells. Unfortunately the men and women didn't have the correct information and ended up letting him go after hours of questioning and getting the same dull answer of, 'no comment'. I didn't want to be involved in all of that to be honest so I stayed out of it all and let the course take its own turn.

My eyes stayed glued to the screen as Jeanine stumbles over her words and keeps exchanging weary glances towards my father. She's scared of him. Completely rattled. Something must have happened when he got back to the Erudite compound last night— threats must have been made as well as exchanged.

"She looks terrified." Four mutters, shaking his head at the scene in front of us, "I almost feel sorry for her, but then I remember how many of my people she's killed."

Interrupting my friend I say, "They believe they're doing the right thing, Four. Can you blame them? I'm not saying they're right for doing what they're doing but you've got to look at it from their perspective: humans that don't fit into a specific category, powerful individuals. They really don't think how harmless some of you are." I sigh, this makes me look incredibly guilty of picking the wrong side— I swear I'm not. "They are terrified of the civilisation ending. I mean come on, they're nothing else out there." I mention what's behind the wall— nothing but Amity crop fields and plains. Miles upon miles of plains.