Dauntless Desires

11

Murmurs filled the room, I looked around. Shit. What did I just do?
Jeanine starred at me, I glanced to Caleb his eyes were still down. Eric what breathing heavily next to me, he was pissed.

"I'm sorry, what did you say," Jeanine asked me, she seemed cool and collected.

"I-," I looked at Eric, he had a 'don't you dare' look in his eye, I stood up, "I said Andrew Prior is not abusive."

"I'm sorry, and who are you," the man with glasses asked me, obviously annoyed.

I took a deep breath in, "I'm his daughter," murmurs filled the room again, then I pointed to Caleb, "and that's his son."

His head snapped up then, and he stood slowly, looking at me, "Tris..." His tone was more of a warning not to be saying anything.

"Miss Prior," Jeanine started, "I suppose we can trust you, that your father is in fact well qualified to become Abnegation's next leader...but it still seems odd to me that he would be protecting Marcus, who abused his son."

"My father doesn't know the truth," I replied holding my head higher.

Jeanine halfway smiled, almost a cocky smile. Eric tugged on my hand trying to sit me down, "then you wouldn't object to your father undergoing a truth serum in Candor then?"

I swallowed hard, my dad didn't know about Marcus I was sure of it..."if it seemed fit for him to under go a truth serum in order to keep peace in Abnegation, I'm sure he would oblige."

Shit Tris, shut up I thought to myself. Caleb closed his eyes and sat down. What did he know that I didn't?

When the meeting came to a close, I left the room quickly. Eric following suite. I could hear his heavy footsteps falling faster behind me trying to catch up. I didn't bother waiting for the elevator. I decided to take the stairs, as soon as the door to the stairs behind me was closed I started taking them two at a time. Eric hadn't followed.

I stopped at the first landing, "what in the hell are you doing, Tris," I scolded myself. Resting my head on my arm leaning on the railing. I breathed in deep, my dad would have said something if he knew about Marcus. It would have been considered selfish if he had kept his secret.

I shook my head and kept running up the stairs, taking off my shoes in the process, stupid idea to do this in a damn dress.

When I finally made it to the top my heart stopped, Eric was waiting at my door, arms folded over his chest glaring at me as I slowly moved toward him.

Before he opened his mouth, I cut in, "I know, I know, 'how could you be so stupid', 'who said you could talk out of terms' 'blah blah blah'."

His glared softened a bit at the tone I used mocking his voice. "Tris, you had just as much right as I do to talk, you're a leader too...but that's not what I wanted to talk about right now."

I felt my shoulders relax, he was right I was a leader for Dauntless too, I had every right to say what I did.

"Talk to me, Tris," he pleaded, "Don't pretend what we did never happened."

Tris felt heat creeping onto her face at the memory she tried pushing out of her head earlier, "What do you want then, Eric? A pound of flesh?"

He actually smiled, the most genuine smile she'd ever seen him have. "You know I'd never settle for so little. I want it all." He lifted a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. When she turned away with a heavy sigh, he took her chin gently in his thumb and index finger, tilting her face to his, "I want you, Tris."

"Please, look at me."

She lifted her eyes and met those grey orbs. "Don't run from this. I know it's all really hard to understand right now. But just...trust me."

Her stare was intense, even accusing. "I can't trust you. Why should I? Give me one reason why."

When his eyes narrowed and he made to speak, she cut him off with her next words. "Okay, answer me this. Did you know they were going to put my father on blast, is that why I was dragged here?"

He didn't blink. "There's a lot I need to explain, but not out here with us putting on a show for everyone to see.

True looked at the empty corridor and gave him a disgusted look. "You didn't answer my question," she said angrily, and turned away.

Eric grabbed her arm firm but gently and made her face him again. He let out a short sigh and then began in a low quiet voice. "Several weeks ago, someone in Erudite came forward, with information that Andrew Prior was unfit to be next leader of Abnegation. They claimed that he was abusive just as Marcus was to his son."

Tris shook her head in disbelief, "who would have said anything like that about my dad?"

"I don't know," Eric continued again in a hushed voice, "I'm not saying it's true, and I hope it's not because Jeanine will throw him to the wolves if his trial at Candor goes wrong."

Her eyes widened, she trusted that her dad hadn't had anything to do with the abuse of anyone.

"Tris, if he is guilty of knowing anything about Marcus abusing his kid, or had ever touched you or Caleb in an abusive way, Jeanine is going to appoint someone to lead the faction...and she will try to control it through whoever she appoints..."

"Why would she want to be in control of them?"

"Because word is, they have something there, hidden, and whatever it is. She wants it. Do you see now why it was necessary to make you work late, to make you come along?"

Tris blinked a few times.

"It wasn't just because of Four cheating, or me wanting you, I brought you along because you are going to help me stop her before she tries to take over all of the factions, Dauntless too."