We can't be.

Two

I sat at the table in the corner, alone, eating my hamburger.

I threw away the remains of my food and head out to the pit to get a tattoo. What can I say? It's a dauntless tradition.

As I was walking down the dauntless halls, I heard a voice, one that was all to familiar.

"Hello Stephanie." He says, continuing to follow my tracks down the hallway.

"Eric." I reply, walking a bit faster hoping he'd get the hint that I wanted nothing to do with him.

Unfortunately, he didnt. And he caught up with me, too.

"What do you want?" I ask, stopping and turning to his direction. He chuckles.

"I just want to talk to you." He says, acting like nothing happened in our past in Erudite.

"Yea, nice try." I say, continuing to walk to my destination.

"You do realize I'm a dauntless leader, correct?" He asks. "And I can make your life miserable within just a couple of seconds. So watch your mouth, young lady." He adds, trying to scare me.

I scoff. "Young lady? What am I Eric? Five?"

"You act like it." He sneers. I sigh, shaking my head. I didn't want to deal with this right now. Or ever, actually.

"Leave me alone, will you?" I ask, but to no avail. He just cornered me, trying to be intimidating. I knew him way better than that.

"You think I'm intimidated, Eric? You're wrong. I've known you to long for that.." I trail off at the last part and rubbed my arm, my cheeks flushing at the memories of... us.

His expression goes blank for a moment, as if he was thinking of something. I push him away, and head to the dorm room. I hear his footsteps behind me, but they slow and get quiet, as I walk down the hallway.

I woke up in the same clothes as the day before, I didn't feel like changing.

My inner alarm clock woke me up before Four... was it? Was about to wake us up. I smiled at him. His lips twitched into a slight smile but it was gone sooner than it came.

He told me to head to the training room, and I did as I was told.

There was nobody there, so I helped myself to one of the punching bags. I wrapped my hands up the prevent them from bleeding, my Erudite showing in my action.

I inhaled slowly, and threw a punch at the bag, it being sent up in the air, landing on the floor with a thud.

"Must be the stress." I tell myself.

I pick up the bag with a grunt and put it back where it belongs, and throw a few more punches, trying not to repeat a few moments ago.

I hear footsteps as someone is entering the room, and they near. I can feel their presence, standing there watching me. But I say nothing. Neither do they.

"Feeling a bit angry today?" I had a feeling I knew who it was.

I stopped ebruptly and turned to face Eric, staring into his dull, grey eyes that used to hold so much color and brightness. The person I believe to have known before is no longer standing here before me.

"Do you need something?" I asked, turning back, continuing to practice.

"I'm here to spectate your training today." He says, gesturing to the initiates entering the room, their eyes darting around.

I huff, and go to join them.

I really hope he doesn't go out of his way to make my like miserable today...
Or worse
The next 10 weeks.

Four walked in, after everyone else had.

"We'll be starting your physical training today." Four said blantly. "You will train apart from the dauntless born, but you will be tanked together." He continued. "The ranks show what jobs you'll be taking at the end of training."

"They also determine who gets cut." Eric butted in.

"Cut?" Christina, I believe it is, questioned, a bit worried.

"The initiates ranked below the red line will be leaving us." He said smirking.

"To do what?" Will asked.

"Well there's no going back to your families so you'll live factionless." Eric said, straight faced as if it wasn't a big deal whatsoever.

Murmurs were shared throughout the room. I really couldn't care less of I lived factionless. It's better than being stuck in a faction with someone who abused you emotionally.

"Someone should've told us that." Christina said, a bit upset.

Eric looked her in the eyes. "Why?, Would you have chose differently? Out of fear? Because if that's the case you might as well leave now." Christina shut her mouth after that.

We started with throwing knives. I seemed to have already built up some skill I haven't even known about.

I twirled the knives in my fingers and threw them swiftly at the target, nailing it right smack dab in the center every time.

I could feel Eric's eyes on me. It threw me off and I hit outside of the circle.

I shook it off and continued throwing until my attention was drawn to Al, a boy I haven't talked to, but I knew his name.

His knife slipped and fell to the ground. I watched as Eric walked over to him and told him to pick the knife up. I couldn't hear what they were saying until Al walked up to the target as everyone stopped throwing their knives.

An the only transfer from a negation, Beatrice I believe her name was, until she changed it to Tris, spoke up before Four could throw.

"Making them stand in front of a target doesn't prove anything." She said, a bit of anger in her soft voice.

"Then you won't mind taking his place?" Eric said. "Same rules apply."

"She's right."

I mumble this, but loud enough for Eric to hear. I wanted him to hear it. I didn't fear him one bit.

"You wouldn't mind joining her then?" I smiled as he said this to me.

"Gladly." I walked up to the target and stood up straight in front of it, watching closely as Eric picked up four knives.

He threw one, it hitting above my head. I scoffed, it seeming to rile him up a bit.

Two, it hitting 1 inch away from my temple. I brushed it off, he was trying to scare me on purpose.

Three, it cutting my ear a bit, just like what Four did to Tris. Original.

Four. It hitting me straight in the shoulder. I didn't even flinch. I just let the blood trickle down my arm as I walked away from the target, pulling the knife out of my shoulder.

"Nice throw." I said, twirling the knife in my fingers carefully. He smirked, but his smirk soon faded as I threw the knife at his leg. It pierced his skin and he fell to the ground with a grunt. I kneeled in front of him.

"Doesn't feel nice does it?" I said coldly as I pulled the knife out of his leg and left the room, heading to the infirmary. I could hear the murmuring and feel the cold stares as I left the room.

I was heading out, with my shoulder wrapped as I hear the door to the infirmary slam open.

Eric stood in the doorway, his pants soaked in blood.

"Think you're funny, Stephanie?" He said, clear anger and frustration strained into his voice.

"As a matter of fact I do." I say, earning myself a glare.

"Keep up the act and you'll be out of here faster then you can blink." He said, looking me up and down, then making eye contact once again.

Putting my thoughts into words, I take a step towards him.
"I would rather be a helpless factionless, then be stuck on a faction with someone like you."

His anger subsides, and he gives me a look of.. hurt?

I push past him and go back to the training room.