Enigmatic - Divergent/Eric Fanfiction

Chapter Thirty-Three

The five Dauntless Leaders were led into the building and into the room that I recognised as the dining hall. It was fairly large, and had small tables with white cloths covering them dotted around the room, and a large one had been formed in the middle. The floor was a soft wood, and the walls had been painted a pristine white. I looked up at the ceiling, remembering what had been there before, to find the large glass ceiling that allowed us to see the stars in the sky.

The room was full of people, preparing the tables, serving glasses of sparkling water and wine, and just in front of us in the centre of the doorway was Jeanine. She was stood, in her usual blue blazer and skirt, with her hands clasped together in front of her. She had a tight smile on her lips, and it appeared genuine, though it made me want to wince.

"Dauntless. How fantastic to see you again." She held her hand out to Harrison, who was stood at the front of the group. "Thank you for attending."

"Thank you for the invitation." Harrison replied and firmly shook her hand.

She bowed her head slightly, then turned to the next person.

"Pleasant to see you, Max."

They shook hands, then he and Sienna stepped out of the way.

"Stephen." She nodded her head once and shook his hand.

She then stepped towards Angelina and spoke her name through gritted teeth, really falsifying her smile. Did she not like her? Angelina smiled, narrowing her eyes a little, as she shook the Erudite leaders hand.

Jeanine pulled her hand out of Angelina's quicker than she had with everyone else. "Thrilled to see you again, Angelina."

Angelina smirked. "I'm sure you are."

Jeanine pursed her lips, then took a step closer to Eric and I. She smiled at Eric and held her hand out to him.

He shook it. "Jeanine." He spoke, nodding his head a little.

"Eric. Fantastic to have you here." She slowly pulled her hand away from his and clasped them in front of her again. Her eyes moved down from him and settled on me. "I recognise you... You're a Caliente, aren't you?"

I nodded. "Yes, Ian and Sandra's daughter."

Her eyes explored my face, before her eyes find mine. "Ah, yes, of course. Your Father speaks very highly of you. May I ask who you are attending with?"

I was stood between Stephen and Eric, and Elise was hidden behind us, I could understand why she was unsure.

"Me." Eric answered, and placed a hand on my lower back.

"I see." She narrowed her eyes. "Are they training you for leadership? I'm always interested to see how Erudite transfers turn out."

I shook my head. "No, I turned down the offer. I'm here for social purposes."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, and why is that?"

I shuffled from one foot to the other. She was making me feel uncomfortable, like she was interrogating me. "I'm quite content with working in the control room and library."

"Perhaps we should allow Jeanine to greet other guests now." Max spoke up and I glanced over my shoulder to see two Amity women entering from behind us.

"Of course," Jeanine nodded and stepped away from me. "we shall converse later..."

"Jac."

She hesitated for a moment, then continued. "Jac. I'm interested about your development from Erudite to Dauntless."