Initiate [ERIC/JAI]

27

"Jeanine is here to see you." Max tells me when he first glances at me. I nodded. He looked weary of me now, like he knew something was up.

Quickly, I walked away from him and away from Eric too. Jeanine was in the same room but with a bunch of Erudites in one corner. I made my way over but Four stopped me on my way.

"Why the hell are you back?" He asked, gripping onto my arm tight. I looked up at him, fluttering my eyelashes.

"Why am I back? Well, I don't know...because somebody told Eric where I was." I pushed him off me then and carried on walking to Jeanine.

When I finally arrived where she was standing I came right out with it. If they weren't going to suspect divergence, I had to do it.

"I'll join the divergent program thing." I announced and she looked straight at my eyes. I didn't show any signs of worry, no fear.

"Wonderful. Say Cassia, where have you been this last week?" One of her sidekicks spoke for her.

"Clearing my head. Making big life changing decisions." I answered and Jeanine nodded slightly. Shit.

The tracker.

She knows I was at factionless. I gulped hard but shook it off, maybe she didn't look. Maybe.

"We're hoping to test out the serum this afternoon, say, would you mind lining the members up later for their serum injections?" Another of her sidekicks spoke. Had she lost her voice or something.

"Sure." I hastily agreed.

×××××

"Right, Dauntless members, we need you to line up for us. You're all getting a tracking device." I called out on a small raised box in front of everyone. "We'll see everywhere you go from now on." I added, it was scripted, all of it.

It wasn't a tracking device.

At the moment, I feared for Four. He was divergent. I couldn't see him and hoped for the best. I really didn't want anything bad to happen to him. He was a good guy.

While people lined up and were getting injected, I went to Eric and wrapped my arms around his waist. I didn't want to let go. The thing that ran through my mind was if he knew or not, if he knew about my divergence.

"Cassia, I love you, no matter what." He whispered down to me. I looked up at him but his eyes said it all.

"You know." I broke off him and shook my head. "Four is dead to me." I growled.

"It wasn't Four who told me." I furrowed my eyebrows at him then. Then who? "Jack."

I shook my head. He would never. He was like a father to me. He would let me tell him.

"Cassia, it's fine. It's only a little bump in the road, we can get round it." He whispered now.

"No, Eric no. It's not a little bump in the road. It's who I am." I told him, he shrugged his shoulders like it was no biggy. "What the hell has happened to you?!" I stop myself from shouting it out and bite my lip to not tear up. Didn't work well.

"Divergents threaten the system, Cassia." He whispered under his own breath. "I'm willing to keep you alive,  because I love you." He added and I laughed sarcastically.

"I'm don't know if I want to be alive in a world like this, Eric." I told him and he looked utterly sorry. I shook my head, I didn't want his excuses.

It would be difficult but I knew I had to walk away sooner rather than later.