Rediscovered Love

Chapter 9

Jeanine's POV

When she asked me whether I was cheating on her or not, something in me burned. I could never tell her about Elizabeth and I. How would she take that? The woman she adores having a relationship with the woman she hates. Even if it was only once, it only takes one of anything to make everything fall apart. Likewise, that is why every divergent needs to be controlled. I have Karen under my heel, but only due to our relationship. That reminds me of the boy.

I start towards his cell. White walls surround me, but they can't envelop my blue. The room is only five away from Karen's, so it's a quick trip to his window. The boy inside wears an Erudite jacket over an Amity shirt. He also wears Candor pants and Dauntless boots. Long brown locks toil down his head and sway past his shoulders. We haven't paid much attention to him since the escape. I prepare my nose before lifting the doorknob and strutting in. A musky stench, along with that of unwashed clothing fills the air like poison. His head, though low and impartial, snaps to attention before I can even get through the doorway. I was mistaken in calling him a boy. Small hairs dot his chin. He might be a few years younger than Karen.

"What do you want?" He drawls. I recompose myself before giving any sign that he takes me aback.

"What is your name? Or should I give you one?" I say.

"Jake."

I input the name into our records, not that I or the rest of my team will need it when formulating our conclusions. However, it is custom for us to gather as much information about a particular subject as our faction can. "Come," I say, opening the door again. I expect him to follow. He doesn't even budge. "We have ways of making you move." That makes him rise to his feet. He's considerably taller than I am; maybe six-foot-two. However, he's not well built. His arms are lanky and stick-like without any muscle on them. I'm sure if I lifted his shirt, ribs would protrude like dents in scrap metal. That may or may not be a characteristic solely attributed to being factionless.

His footsteps are soft compared to mine, which echo throughout the building in synchronization with the guard's. Within a few turns I make without much thought, we arrive at two doors. My fingers glide across the keyboard in inputting the password before the doors unlock. The guard steps in front of me and swings one open with ease. I glance back at Jake. If it weren't for being factionless, I'm sure his eyes would not be a dull, swamp green. I'm positive that if he made whatever faction he chose, he might have had brighter eyes.

I motion for him to sit in the sim chair. He does as I say. It was a last-minute decision of mine to plan this, so this test will be private. The results of course, will not. I strap him into the sim chair before turning to gather the serum and wires. I can't be too close to him without my eyes watering. When I do turn to him, he looks back with wide eyes. They don't convey any emotion, but appear to just be another defining feature.

"What did you do with Jordan?" He asks. I furrow my brows. Who is Jordan? Never, have I worked on a Jordan before.

"Who is 'Jordan'?" He looks at me like I'm crazy. Then it dawns on me. He must be talking about Karen. "Are you perhaps mistaking this, 'Jordan' for a 'Karen'?"

"'Karen'?" He shakes his head. "Like, Karen Matthews? She was made factionless a few years ago, right?" He looks at me hard. After a few seconds, he says, "No way! I would never go near that monster... 'cause she worked with you!" His voice is as hard as his glare. I smile. It always pleases me when my test subjects have a burning hatred they cannot act on.

Apart from that it seems as if Karen hasn't learned her lesson after all, with lying to the factionless. I wonder what else she told them. "What's that face for?" Jake asks as I turn away to prepare the syringe.

"Nothing that should concern you," I tell him while pushing the needle into his arm. His eyes roll back and I turn to the screen in front of me.

~~~~~

He passes the simulation with an aptitude for Dauntless and Amity, which is more common than one would think. He doesn't have as big of a month after the simulation, keeping it closed when I don't ask a question and only giving short, honest answers. But much to his hidden dislike, which I can still see as he hides—I have questions for him. I show him a picture of Elizabeth.

"Do you know who this is?"

"Yes."

I want to test his knowledge, to see if he knows her beyond what Erudite newspapers provide. "Who are they?"

"Ms. Redd is your current assistant. She replaced Karen Matthews."

His words burn, but I don't let him see it. This is an interrogation. "Did you know Ms. Redd personally?"

His hand twitches. Unlike my Karen, Elizabeth transferred from Candor. He might have known her. "Yes."

"And what was your relation?"

He fidgets, and his response comes slower this time. He's conjuring a lie, because he can't accept the truth. I need to push him into giving me information. "If you do not provide, I will ask Ms. Redd and I assure you, she will tell me the truth." Ironically, it happens to be a lie itself. If whatever the truth happens to be is bothering my test subject, then it must be of value to Elizabeth, prompting her to hide it also. Then again, Subject 007 does not have an aptitude for Erudite or Candor. He most likely does not have the ability to see past my lie. However, in my research on his background, I've found that he came from Amity. And they are known to lie for peace, making them disagreeable with Candor.

"We had a relationship together. It was a secret. That's why Elizabeth joined Erudite. She knew that if she stayed in Candor, they'd find out." Everything comes out in a whirl and when it's done, he presses his lips together with questioning eyes asking me to let him go. I lean back in my chair. That was it; what Elizabeth was hiding. It explained her sudden interest in him. "One more question. When did your relationship end?"

He fidgets more before answering, "When I didn't pass." It's a vague four-word answer, but it doesn't take a genius to figure what he means. Tears form in his eyes. Becoming Factionless is worse than death. But he won't be alive for long.

I sigh, pulling his chart up on my tablet and beginning to fill it out. "Are you gonna just ignore me now?" He asks, reminding me I'm not alone. I look up from my tablet and give him a sharp glare. He rolls his eyes and grunts but doesn't press on. It could be the Amity in him, but he is a quick learner.

After filling in everything about this session, I unstrap him. How he hasn't beaten me unconscious?—I really do not know. It would be something to explore. I can imagine a fit of anger burning inside him. Once we reach his cell, I hand him to the guard to babysit. I need consult Karen. I can only keep her chart empty for so long.