Venus Eaton is desperate to escape the abuse of her previous faction although she is unaware and unprepared of the ordeals of Dauntless initiation. She is a stranger to her own brother until he accuses her of murdering their mother, and finds out th...
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VENUS
WORRY. WORRY picks up in my chest as Venus's small hand no longer grips mine, loosening so abruptly my eyes shoot up to her face. She is no longer squinting in pain, her features are relaxed and her lips set in a comfortable line.
I lift her arm and place it beside her body, my thumb stroking her smooth skin. Rage impends in the pit of my stomach, just looking down at her like this - purple wilts across her angelic face, her arms red and scattered with worsening bruises and grazes and scrapes. The grey shirt I provided her isn't dark enough to hide the blood seeping through it, from the deep gash of a blade.
I'm gripping the plastic armrests of the chair so hard my knuckles are turning white.
"You care about her?" A voice says from the end of the hospital bed. I look up, my face turning into a harsh scowl.
"What's it to you?" I snap, rising from the chair.
The nurse shrugs, then gestures for me to leave. I can't bear look at Venus for a moment longer, so I walk out without a second thought.
Emily immediately stands at my return.
"What did the nurse say?"
"She basically told me to get out."
"I don't blame her," Emily grumbles as I lean against the wall. She looks up at me after a while in... disbelief? "You're gonna stay?"
"Yeah?" I reply, dumbfounded. She scoffs, and I shake my head. "You aren't the only one to care about her."
"Hm," Emily replies, shrugging further into her seat. "I'm not sure she's aware of that herself. You sure don't seem to show it."
I don't say anything. I don't want to be stuck here, arguing with the Amity hippy, but I want to hear if Venus will be okay or not. And then, I'll track down those fuckers that hurt her. It'll prove to Emily, and anyone else, how much I actually care about Venus.
Although she won't appreciate me hurting them for her.
"She's been through alot." Emily says again, and I grunt under my breath.
"I don't need a lecture about how much pain Venus is always in," My fists clench at my sides. "I'm well aware of that twat back in Abnegation."
"Speaking of Abnegation," Emily sighs. "I wonder if her brother knows."
Shit. Number boy. "If he cared enough, he would be here."
"Venus actually loves her brother, you know." Emily snaps defensively. "And unlike you, Four is a good person-"
"Looks like you've developed feelings for-"
"What? You're the one that's fallen for my best friend!" She cuts me off sharply, and I shrug, watching the time tick by. It seems like forever until the nurse pulls the curtain open an inch and walks through, pulling it shut behind her.
Emily is on her feet that second, but I am already at the nurse's side.
"Will she be alright?" I ask, my eyes scanning her face. The nurse lets out a sigh, and I beg that she says she'll be fine, but instead she shakes her head.
"She has been through more than I've let on..." She has the clipboard in her hands, writing down notes. "A broken rib, concussion and intercostal muscle strain, including the cut across her torso..."
I'm silent for a second. It feels like every breath has left my body, and Rhett and Peter and Marcus and everyone else that hurt her is going to pay for this.
But I'm one of them.
"But she'll be okay?" I say.
"In the long run, yes... But not in Dauntless. She won't have the stamina to finish the rest of training, and possibly not the mindset for the rest of Dauntless life-"
What are you saying?" I snap, my voice getting louder, I clench my jaw. "I have to kick her out?"
I try to block out Emily's sobbing and the beeping of machines around me. My heartbeat is loud in my ears. Venus was nearly kicked out once, she can't go through that again. Especially now she's on good terms with her brother, especially now I desperately want to change myself for her.
"It was an easily made decision with Edward, Mr. Coulter." The nurse challenges. "Why isn't it this easy with the girl? Do I need Max to do it for you, remind you how to-"
"Don't start with me," I say through ground teeth. "Venus is staying, so fix her injuries-"
I'm already walking away mid-sentence, but the nurse somehow catches up to me, grabbing my arm. There is a hesitant look to her eyes and then she says: "You love the girl, don't you?"
I don't know what to say. I don't want my feelings exposed: not now, not yet. I don't want anyone to know this extraordinary feeling I get whenever I see her: her smile, the strong Dauntless she is becoming.
The nurse understands immediately. She dips her head. "I can heal her, but some wounds... they can't be fixed."
I furrow my brows, unable to reply yet again.
The nurse stutters, before saying. "She says she was... raped."
