Author's note:
Hi guys, I hope this chapter brings some joy into our everyday lives.
I was pretty inspired to write things like these recently.
I hope you like it!
Living in a fantasy world was not Ellis's style, but she gave in for the last two days.
She has been watching Eric coming, going, and battling with himself over everything he felt, and that last part she, admittingly, discreetly enjoyed.
Eric was ultimately trying to open up, but no matter how hard it was, he didn't give in.
He still had that reluctant need to rationalize his emotions and to find a logical reason why he had them; he was endlessly in the argument with himself after every time he found that impossible to happen.
He asked her just yesterday:
"Why was I so anxious until I came home today?", and she ended up explaining to him that sometimes it happens when you care for someone and are worried and that she felt like that couple of times so far because of him.
His eyes were dilated in shock and he worriedly asked:
"How did you survive that?"
And she couldn't pull it any further and ended up bursting into laughter because it was very amusing to instruct someone adult how to cope with his own heart.
At first, he got indignant.
But when he came to his senses, they spoke and everything was okay.
It was a lanky road to take, she knew it, particularly for him. But she wanted to support him all the way.
It only cost her her life and what was left of her dignity when she spilled "I love you" over him accidentally, but she considered it worth it now.
Because she'd do it all over again. And she would do even more if that meant Eric will stay with her forever.
And ...
suddenly, her phone rang.
"Yes?", she responded.
"El, are you there?", the voice from the other side spoke and she was alleviated. It was Peter.
"What happened to your phone number?"
"You know, Ellie, when you are being kidnapped, it usually means that they get rid of your phone.", she noted the sarcasm. "Can you come to the Intelligence?"
"It depends. Will anyone try to kill me again?"
"Stop being paranoid. You're Eric's girl. Come over here, it is important."
"Peter, that's not a title, for heaven's sake. I am coming."
***
"You see this?", he was showing her the bits and pieces of the device later." I disabled this memory card and we might need to get it back where it belongs, but as long as no information was carried, you should be safe.", he clarified.
"The information from the memory card can be brought back and you know that. Is there any way to plant another card in there?", she inquired.
"For that, we need to find a memory card with the same transmitting chip on this side.", he flipped the card, showing the miniature metal chip barely shining in there.
"Those can only be found in Erudite, my parents used to utilize them all the time.", she said. "That would be a mission impossible."
"Or, if Eric can cover that up, we can throw this shit into a can and never look back.", Peter said. "It is much easier and safer than getting it back on track."
Ellie agreed.
"It is not inconceivable.," Ellie said. "They have been dealing these devices all over the faction. Eric would need to permit me to write a report where we explain under what circumstances was device " ruined and lost".", she said. "We're in the middle of civil war and she asks for birocracy. This is insane."
"You need to watch your back, El.", Peter said. "It won't be long before she wants us all tested."
"Eric promised me he will figure something out.", Eleanor said.
"I know he did, but that doesn't mean anyone in this faction is safe."
"No one is safe, Peter.", she said. "I just hope this Wild Hunt will end soon."
But, Peter didn't seem to pay attention anymore, as he was at were lost in the cameras on the monitors depicting public passages in all factions.
Dauntless tried to put them everywhere with the help of Erudite, but the other factions rebelled against it as they could disclose many confidences that every faction wanted to keep to themselves.
Luckily, Jeanne could do nothing but agree.
"Peter?", she glanced at the monitors, only to see Tris and Four all over the screen.
In Candor.
Out in the open.
"Shit."
"Are they serious?", Peter asked. "Tris and brains never met, but what the Hell is wrong with Four?"
"I don't know what kind of game are they trying to play.", Ellie crossed her arms in the fuss, staring at them wandering around.
"It's where the rebels are."
"You mean, Will and Christina?"
"Everybody.", Peter said and both their mobile phones started beeping.
@all troops deployed: please report to your Leader in the next 10:00 minutes.
And there was this little countdown already ticking.
Which meant it was an urgent mission and Ellie had no time to wait for Eric to make her imperceptible again.
No matter how much did she want to, no matter what she knew about this, she couldn't avoid it and Eric couldn't stopvent it this time.
Peter and Eleanor both knew that this was a rebel-hunting mission and how hazardous it might get.
But... Peter was a soldier.
A dog with a bone.
He had no issues after everything the rebels did to him.
Ellie was the one with the problems.
She didn't want to go and shoot at, what she believed, were still her friends.
"I don't have a good feeling about this, Peter."
Her stomach mashed as the tension started pushing in. Suddenly, she felt so off.
"You don't need to be clairvoyant to know how bad is this gonna be.", Peter said. "Go back to the apartment. I will find Eric."
"No.", she inflated deeply. "There is no time. They will be looking for me, I'm still in the Leadership support."
"El, are you sure?", Peter glimpsed at her considerably, still wishing to help her find the solution.
"Sure as ever.", she looked away. "I can't put Eric in danger now. This is worse than Amity. He needs to pull this off and stay alive."
"Let's go then.", Peter barked, already loading his gun. "But, when we enter Candor, find me and stay with me."
"I promise."
* * *
When they entered the Pit, an army was already assembling.
What she saw was a new ton of weapons harvested in the middle, for everybody to take a piece.
Ellie once again put her mask of lethargy on. And even though her heart was bombing inside, she knew just how good she was at keeping it all to herself and looking casually.
She had a great teacher.
Peter and her separated their ways soon after; he went for Lauren, she needed to catch up with Eric.
An abrupt sensation of anxiety arm dread wavered through her lungs when she wasn't able to find him at first.
"No.", she muttered to herself, while scooping the crowd. "You have to be here.", she strolled aimlessly, investigating every face along the way.
But, Eric was nowhere to be found. How was that possible? He was the freakin' Leader.
It gradually drove her insane.
"Eleanor!", she has heard Max calling amongst the different voices surrounding her and she froze.
This can't be, she thought.
"We need to go under the different two battalions for this mission.", his strong voice asserted. "We think, though, you should lead the people going in Candor on foot."
"Me? Huh, um, okay?", she was confused, very well knowing that Eric wouldn't agree to that, even for the love of God. Something was off. "I have never been to Candor before, I don't think I will be able to show people where to go."
"Cabbano!", he exclaimed. "Don't test my patience!", his barking proceeded. "You will have this.", he roughly pushed the GPS navigation in her small hands. "Everything will be shown in there.", he narrowed his eyebrows at her without a single ounce of forbearance and she trembled.
Whatever bad feeling she had before, now it exacerbated.
"Max, I will lead the way.", Eric came forcefully in between them out of nowhere. "She may as well lead them to Amity, for as far as I know. Leave it."
She should have known.
Wherever she was, he found her.
Always.
Why did she doubt him this time?
"We talked over this.", Max glared at him, ready to insist. "We need every person from the Leadership on foot tonight."
"And I said that we will be both on foot tonight.", he glanced at him with a gaze of a ferocious wolf. "She will have her unit, I will have mine, what' the problem? I need to tell her where to take people. Do you want for 200 people to be late?!", Eric implored rudely. "This is not a bar party!"
"I want for 200 people to be there on time and I expect her to go on her own finally.", Max still contended.
"No.", Eric disowned him. "I want her with the shooting unit and that's the final. She is the only shooter I can count on to the job correctly and you and I both know it."
"Yeah, we do. That's why Honis isn't with us anymore.", Max looked angrily at Ellie and stepped away without a word.
She exhaled deeply.
"I could hug you right now.", she mumbled, turning on the navigation so that everything may seem normal.
"This was the best I could do.", he said, looking at the navigation lagging. Because Ellie missed the passcode two times in a row while stressing out.
"You have to stop saving me.", Ellie said. "I... I signed up for this a long time ago. Everything will be okay. I promise."
He looked at her, giving her back the navigation.
"I will tell you the plan when we pack.", he said, nodding his head. "Okay, everyone, listen up!", he exclaimed after that and left Elle standing in the place.
"The instructions will be on your pagers. Any other tablets, cellphones, watches, or whatever idiocy you have with yourself, you are leaving it here.", he declared.
The crowd started lowering down their voices to listen to the Leader. Many of them already prepared their mobile phones for disposal.
It was impossible how they still listened to every word that he said, no matter what.
Ellie has lost that feeling a long time ago because it was different for her now.
People feared him, she didn't.
Not anymore.
"Unfortunately, we won't be killing anyone today, but we have sniper rifles with bullet transmitters. Whoever you shoot, will pass out.", he proceeded. "Whoever doesn't pass out, is Divergent. Catch them and keep them alive until Jeanine takes them. That's the order, understood?!"
Ellie shivered.
What happens if someone again decides to test her? And that as well may be Max, as he was furious about Honis's death.
She was sure that people questioned Eric's moves lately.
She has heard whimpers.
Apart from the real thing, that one stating that he was insane and more was yet to come, there were whispers that he didn't judge things right.
That he started losing his touch with reality.
She might have been accountable for that.
Ellie was pushing him too hard when the only thing she was supposed to do was let him go.
Now none of them were safe now.
Not because Eric lost his credibility, on contrary; it was because he was the first to start the killing rampage whenever he wanted to.
And that was because he had issues coming from the inside.
Issues she may have been guilty of.
"Eleanor, are you coming? The mission is not gonna wait for us.", he said, throwing her a sniper. She was snapped out of her thoughts. Ellie completely forgot where she was.
Maybe she was out of the game for too long.
"And that cellphone.", he appointed at her the cellphone peaking from her pocket. "Leave it."
"Oh, I am sorry.", she caught the sniper and turned off the cellphone, leaving it on the pile with the others.
Luckily, it unlocked on her face only.
***
They were on the train, as they couldn't just get in all the cars and trucks Dauntless had and stay disclosed
.
The second part of the faction went on buildings to come in from the air and Max lead them.
Candor won't stand a chance tonight, nor will the rebels.
They both knew it.
Their numbers were still high.
And besides the uncertainty for her own life, her heart bled out, silently saddened.
Her friends will be there.
Will, Christina, Uriah. Even Tris.
And she was supposed to shoot them with the transmitter.
Luckily, it was only the transmitter. Not the real thing.
It was something she could live with.
She wasn't in peace with it either, but it was better than killing anybody.
As always when she had interior issues coming to the surface, she glanced at what was left of this city, trying to calm the floating river in her mind.
"At some point, we need to separate.", Eric stood next to her, still keeping his distance.
Curious eyes never stopped looking for any sign of weakness.
"I gathered as much.", she said.
"I will take the main entrance.", he said. "They have the security trained to shoot, the same as we did back in Erudite.", he said and Ellie looked at him.
This was the first time he has ever spoken of Erudite or to his life before Dauntless.
This even evoked a slight smile on her face; that he, in the end, referred to it as "we".
"Okay.", she conceded. "Where am I going?"
"Second corridor.", Eric said. The Navi will peep when we enter. It will show you the way.", he elucidated. After that, whatever you do", he lessened his voice. "be careful until I find you."
"You always find me, don't you?"
"You know I do.", he muttered.
Eleanor barely heard him, but she quietly smirked and looked again at the city of Chicago.
For the first time today, she had a feeling that everything will be alright.