Her Dauntless [2] //Divergent// Eric Coulter

Hennessy Hayes

THIRTEEN ✧

Knock. Knock. Knock

Uncurling myself from the chair, I opened the door; Harry stood with three take out cups of coffee and a box of doughnuts. Letting him in, he slid the box across the table before taking a seat.

"What's this even about?" I asked, massaging the side of my head.
Four rolled his eyes," When you were out getting a killer hangover, I did some more snooping."
Harry raised his eyebrow, his nose breathing in the roasted black coffee," What did you find out?"
"They have already started scouting for their next leadership candidate, they have two in mind," Four informed us," and those vials we have, still not a clue what they are supposed to do. But whatever is happening is quickening up now."
"I think it has something to do with an old Erudite project." I confessed, The convocation with Eric popping into my head," It was to do with controlling Divergent so the Faction system lives on."
Harry nodded, "This is starting to make a little sense, with Erudite rumoured to be hunting divergent and that lovely piece of intel. It's either a serum that controls people who are divergent to keep them in line –"
"Or it doesn't work on Divergents making them easier targets because they won't be getting the same information as the others." Four finished.

"How long do you suppose we have left?" I asked," before this happens?"
"Five weeks." Harry shrugged, "That way it puts in right after results day."
Four nodded," It's the most plausible timeline we have."

"What do we do then?" Harry asked generally," We don't have a lot of time and we have so much evidence with little idea how it all fits together to see the bigger picture."
I let out a breath, taking one of the raspberry doughnuts from the box," We continue to do nothing."
"What?" Harry exclaimed jam running down his chin," You are just going to let them get away with this?"
Giving Harry a pointed look, I set my coffee cup down." No, we wait till this faction is split so we know who we can trust; those who side with Max and Jeanine will want to make sure they are seen to be different than those who don't."
"So we let Erudite ruin this faction and then what?"
Four leaned back on his chair," We rebuild it, without the corruption but we have to be aware that the Erudites' inside the building might not have a clue what is being done here."
"Will said once that hunting Divergent is the number one priority at Erudite so whoever is in there may or may not be working under duress." I sighed.

Harry finished he last doughnut," This is a fucking mess isn't it."
"That's the simple way of saying we are fucked." Four sighed," I honestly want to know who they could be scouting, they normally leave it till at least halfway through stage two."
My shoulder's slumped, "I think I know."
"Who is it?"
"I don't want to say till I'm sure." I confessed," I might be reading into it too much."
"Since when did you ever do that?" Four rolled his eyes," Like the time you were convinced Clarise was having an affair with Thomas in HR."
"Oh shut up." I joked, with a slight smile," It's not my fault all the signs where there."
Harry snorted," So was the fact she was buying her husband an anniversary gift and didn't want him to know."
"Yeah but that's boring." I said as I put the cups into the dishwasher.

Ushering the boys out, I turned off all the lights and locked the door behind me. I jumped up on Harry's back, as the three of us went to the Canteen where the others were seated. Ronnie had her head rest on her hand, her eyes closed; on the table was her rose gold stethoscope; on her arm was a small cut from where a child probably scratched her by accident.
"How was the hospital?" I asked, kicking my leg over the bench.
I got a groan for a reply.
Angel smile, throwing grapes at Ronnie's forehead.
"Will you cut it out?" Ronnie mumbled.
Shauna put her arm around her," It's ok, it couldn't've been that bad."
"I had to fish toy soldiers out of Bobby Vincent's nose."
Zeke laughed into his cup, "Is that all?"
"Then Ellie Quinton stuffed marbles down her cast, when we took it off it looked like she had been attacked with bubbles."
Shauna bit back a smile," Could be worse."
"Oh yeah?"
Zeke nodded," Could've been an initiate dare."
Ronnie groaned slamming her head against the table.
Rubbing my hand on her back, we looked towards the leaders who were milling around; the eight of them sitting around a table with their plates discarded on another table as they sat hunched over a large piece of paper.

"Tomorrow starts the second stage of training." Max projected his voice as he stood up from the curved seat," Stage two is when you combat threats of the mind; if you are a coward if you don't belong here, we will find you out. In the Fear Landscapes, we will be watching – to see who you really are."

Max's eyes stopped on us then darted around to where the initiates had clumped together. Walking back to the table, he slapped Eric's back before pointing to something on the paper.

"Are they really watching the landscapes?" Angel asked, her eyes not leaving Max as he nodded at something that was said.
Four's looked at Tris from the edge of his cup," Yeah, they are looking for something."
"Or someone." Harry joked mysteriously; the hidden meaning not being lost on me.
From across the room, Eric gave me a sad smile as he shook his head, I made it clear I wasn't happy knowing what he meant. With nothing else to do, I made other plans that involved a large pot of coffee and the late-night horror channel.

Angel went home with Theo, the two of them might as well just move in with each other whilst they have the chance. From across the Canteen, Peter was smirking with Molly and Drew, his eyes meeting mine a few times and of those times his face pulled into a sneer.

A similar look he gave Tris during the fights.

Tori and Bud smiled at me as I left the Canteen, Ronnie was falling asleep on me as I guided her home; she stank of the hospital which was an achievement. Pushing her through the front door, she b-lined for the shower; leaving wet footprints through the kitchen her wet hair soaking the back of her pyjama top. She lifted her hand up lazily before falling face-first into her bed.
Switching the light off, I closed the door so the light from the main room wouldn't wake her up.

In the living room, I sat on the large sofa; the tv playing a selection of Cult films from the past; nothing new had been made because that kind of creativity is frowned upon. They normally played the same films around this time, IT, The Shinning and Annabelle then anything that followed those lines. It was dull because after the second or third time watching it, they no longer scare me so it was the same as watching Mary Poppins or Thor, an enjoyable watch but ulitmentaly not scary.

With a thick blanket over my shoulders, I tip-toed downstairs when several light knocks tapped on the door.
Opening the door a crack, Zeke stood with his arm around Shauna; the two of them looking tired as the other.
"What's up?"
Zeke looked down, "Just some brotherly advice?"
"Sure?"
"Peter is falling into a dark hole of his own self-preservation," Zeke stated," Let him fall because he clearly can't see passed his own ego."
Shauna smiled sadly," I know some part of you wants to be able to tolerate each other again but after this weekend, I don't think that is possible"
"You saw that, huh?"
Shauna smiled at me," Well, Mike saw it and then he told Zeke who told me, not sure who else Mike told but what Peter said about you ruining his life, it's not true. You and Eric and a strange pair but you guys work, and we thought someone should tell you that even thorough Peter is slowly ruining his own life, doesn't mean that you can live yours."
"Also be careful." Zeke spoke," Being at odds with family is dangerous as instinctively, you want to be there even when you know you need to leave it the hell along."
"Sorry if we over stepped –"
I smiled at the pair," You didn't and I don't think you could."
Shauna sighed sadly," See you tomorrow, ok?"
"Ok." I whispered," Have a good evening."

Shutting the door, I leaned against the front door, closing my eyes; flashes of a smiling Peter dressed in black and white filled my head. Even though we didn't always see eye to eye near the end of my time at Candor, I still had several good memories with Peter than sometimes, I forget about.
Family sucks.
From a distance – my brother has underestimated Max and their ideals and I don't know what I'll do if he comes crawling back because he made a huge fucking mistake.