Ordinary Acts of Bravery [A Divergent Fanfic]

Chapter 18 - Georgiana's legacy

Eric's hands had both wrapped around my wrists and his knees rest on either side of my hips. "What the fuck are you doing, he deserves it. He doesn't deserve your kindness. Let me teach him this lesson so he won't dare put a finger on you again." Eric screamed back at me as the crowd suddenly dispersed. I buckled against him but he didn't release me, not until I managed to lift my knee up between his legs.

"Let me go, or I will do it." I said warningly as my knee rested against his crotch. Eric narrowed his eyes at me but doesn't release me, challenging my threat as Valentine and Abby emerged from the depth of the crowd. Abby was at Eric's side almost instantly, and Valentine knelt beside Gabriel, making sure he was still breathing.

"Eric, what the hell is going through your mind?" Abby hissed before she turned to the people still gathered. "I will reprimand each and every one of you who lingers, now scram!" Abby snapped at the crowd who doesn't hesitate to disperse. "Eric—let her go." Abby's voice is much kinder as she grab Eric's shoulder a bit tighter. He winced but moved off of me, but kept his hands around my wrists until I'm in an upright seated position.

"Eric?" I try carefully, stretching my hand out to touch his arm. His entire body tenses, a barely perceivable action rolling from his arm through his entire body. But I had noticed. Not even the slight throbbing in the back of my head could tear my eyes away from Eric's trembling silhouette.

I had apparently managed to hit my head on the stone floor when Eric flipped me around. "Why would you do this?" I asked in a low whisper while following his gaze. Eric had been looking at Gabriel, whose lifeless silhouette still laid on the ground, and whom Valentine was still tending to, making sure he continued breathing.

Eric twitched, a muscle in his jaw feathering and when he shifted forwards onto his knees, I noticed the silver chain dangling from his right hand. He had taken back the necklace from Gabriel. My hand instinctively wrapped around the one holding the necklace. "I did it because he deserved it." Eric said through clenched teeth as I rose up to my own knees. My arms then wrapped around his neck. I embraced him without thinking of the consequences because I felt he needed the reassurance. "He's a coward." Eric growls as he force me to let go of him again. "Octavia, this is not—" But Eric never get to finish his sentence.

A furious Max was storming directly toward us, Eric in particular, who barely made it to his feet before Max had grabbed him in an iron grasp. Eric was pushed backwards toward the edge of the pit. He got pushed up against the wall, but does nothing to fight off Max as he receives an earful. Eric knows what he did was wrong, and this was the consequences.

I had shifted forwards when it happened, but Abby placed a hand on my shoulder, keeping me back while Max continued to yell at Eric. The small shake of her head made me understand this was not my battle. Once Max is finished, Abby released my shoulder and I was allowed to get up onto my feet. But the second he released Eric, he had already dashed towards the nearest hallway, disappearing into its darkness and running away from us.

Abby sighed and I brushed a few specks of dirt of my pants. I turned to her with a small smile. "I'll get him." I said determined to Abby. She returned my smile and nodded, looking just a tiny bit grateful. With one last glance at Gabriel, I make sure his chest is still rising before I jump into a run, or more a sprint, blindly following Eric.

When I make it to the training room, I was for a moment sure I had lost him but the open door in the end of the room made me realize where exactly he was going. Setting a more appropriate pace I headed directly towards the only place I could think off, the building I had shown him a few days ago.

It was already pitch dark outside, but my feet knew exactly where to place themselves, even when I reached the building I had sought after, I knew what to do in the dark. But I was still moving a little slower, carefully scaling the building, only having the moonlight and faint lights of the city center to guide me as I climbed.