𝙸𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 | Divergent

Chapter 18

Eric and I were walking to the Pit where I would be choosing my job and apartment, he was close enough to feel his body heat in the cold tunnel, but I didn't dare close the gap.

We hadn't seen much of eachother since the celebration of the new members, he had taken me back to the apartment and disappeared; a note left on the kitchen counter had said he had gone to Erudite for interfaction relations. I spent the time packing, wondering if somehow this was him avoiding the situation at hand, so I was surprised when he silently joined me.

"What are you thinking of choosing?" Eric asked.

"I'm not sure yet, maybe a tattoo artist, I would love a chance to be creative." I replied. "Did you have a job in mind before you became a leader?"

"Originally, I was part to the squads." Eric explained, guiding me down a path to his right with a hand on the small of my back "I resigned once I had the leadership role."

The 'squads' were what Dauntless called their City Protection, groups which patrolled areas of Chicago, mainly to keep the Factionless from fighting between eachother. They had become more prominent in the last decade or so as the unrest between themselves and the Factions grew; I suppose desperation can lead people to extreme places

"Why did you choose that?" 

"I wanted something that wouldn't mean I was cooped up or stuck on the wall."

That seemed right for Eric, no matter how hard I tried I could never imagine him in an office, nor a meeting. Eric, like Tobias, seemed to belong in the training room.

We reached the entrance and Eric turned to me. "We'll talk later, I'll bring dinner." 

The canteen held all twelve new members and the leaders, I found Maddie slouched in a chair watching with a sly look on her face,  I raised an eyebrow in question.

"What was that?" She asked, sitting up straighter.

"A conversation?" I offered, taking the seat next to Maddie and stealing the apple she was playing with.

"That's not what I meant." She laughed "we'll talk later."

My tone was dry as I replied "yeah, there's a lot of that going around."

"All right, let's get this over with!" Max ordered, hushing the members. "Sasha." 

I stepped onto the stage and circled the tattoo designer role, which had a good pay, and seasonal initiation instructor, I really liked the idea, and I could spend time with Tobias.

I went to Eric and chose my apartment which was near his and Tobias's, it had an open plan space with a loft bedroom, and best of all, a balcony. 

I waited for Maddie to choose as she was coming to the infirmary, I watched Lynk and Maxine select their jobs, he decided on the control room whilst Maxine would be starting her medic training.

Finally, it was Maddie's turn, she stepped up and chose to be a hair stylist within the most popular salon business in Dauntless, Maddie walked over Eric and picked a place to live, as she left she said something to Eric which made his pierced eyebrow rise.

We watched Ash, who chose to be a cook, and then left for the infirmary.

.:.

I helped Maddie take the boxes to her apartment, a small corner was dedicated to a kitchenette and a double bed was shoved into the other. I placed the two boxes on the bare mattress and grabbed the fitted sheets.

Like me, Maddie was living alone, it was an odd concept to the Maxine, Lynk and Ash as they had always lived in the centre of an energetic community; living alone would be like hell to them.