Rat (A Divergent Prequel and Eric Love Story)

Chapter 18- Damsel in Distress

Ah, a free day. Imagine facing your worst nightmare every day, and even dying occasionally, and then finally having a break. A glorious break where you can lay on your boyfriend's couch all day, re-reading your favorite book, while he showers you with bacon and eggs.

If only this was actually how my beloved free day happened. Eric did make me eggs and bacon for me, but it didn't hold well and it was thrown up into the kitchen sink, while Eric wasn't looking.

"What's wrong with you lately?" he finally asked.

I quickly thought of a lie, "I guess I'm just a little nervous about this third stage." I hated lying to Eric, but if I didn't a little stomach virus would be blown out of proportion and I'd end of in the infirmary with a nurse assuring Eric that I was okay, even though he was still insisting on a stomach pump.

"Don't be. You'll do great."

"What if I become factionless?" I asked, starting to be engulfed in my own lie. I was now actually worried about stage three.

"Then I supposed we'll be factionless." He answered with a sly smile.

"We?" I asked, eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"We." He assured. "But, I tell you what, I have a thing in..." he checked the small clock on the wall. "Now. Crap. But when I get back from this thing, I'll make you feel better with stage three."

He was now frantically going about the room, finding files and kissing me hurriedly on the cheek.

"What thing?"

"A thing. Meet me at the chasm in... an hour-ish."

And with that, he was gone. "See you in an hour-ish," I called out at the closed door.

I loved the sound of the waves colliding with the gentle cliffs. It almost made up for the fact that Eric was 45 minutes late. I suppose he was using the –ish factor to his advantage.

I laid my head against the unreliable metal bars and closed my eyes, savoring the sound of the underground river that raged on below.

"Hey, Rose." A voice said, as my face was poked. "Get up. I'm here now. I'm so sorry. Max was meeting with Jeanine and I wasn't even allowed back there, but for some fucking stupid reason, I had to stay."

I laughed, instantly forgiving Eric because he sounded so hilarious when he was angry. To think, when he had snapped at me on my first day of Dauntless, I was terrified beyond belief. But now, I was lucky if I could keep a straight face.

I rose up, wiping off the nonexistent dirt from my black tights.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Surprise." He had answered, although it wasn't a very cleverly hidden surprise, for I knew the way to the Fear Landscape room okay-ish by now.

Upon entering, Eric began to type away on a large computer and pulled out this weird mechanism that featured numerous suction cups.

"I'm going into your fears with you. Please don't let one of your fears be something like spending your life with me or me finding out that you've been leading me on." He laughed.

I teased, "No promises."

He injected me with a serum that looked like a thick, orange liquid, after placing numerous suction cups on both of our foreheads.

I drifted into the simulation quicker than usual. We were washed up by the roaring waters, slamming into hard rocks over and over. I opened my eyes, straining to find Eric in the complete and utter darkness.