"FUCK!"
Annabelle slammed through the doors leading into the Dauntless compound following her team's assignment in the city. To say she was unhappy with the outcome would be an understatement.
"How the fuck did she get away again?! We had her surrounded. She didn't even have her guards to back her up this time!"
"I know--"
"Where the hell were you Merkley?!"
"Commander, we were handling Evelyn's backup in the other alleys. We did everything according to plan. It's no one's fault. She's just...good."
"Get the hell out of my face Merkley. Report to medical for post-op inspection."
Anyone else might have been insulted by Annabelle's current attitude, but Merkley knew that she didn't mean anything by it. He'd been on enough missions with the commanding officer to know that she just needed some time after a failed op to blow off some steam. He gave an understanding pat on the back which anyone else would have been too terrified to attempt, then made his way to the medical wing as ordered.
Annabelle avoided all of the crowded areas of the Dauntless compound as she made her way to her apartment. Upon entering, Annabelle threw her bag onto the couch then headed straight to her bathroom to inspect the damage. For a while, Annabelle kept her head hung low, too ashamed to see the results of her fight for herself. She braced herself against the sink and stared into the empty basin.
'Whatever happens, we aren't going to cry. She doesn't get to break us.'
With that thought, Annabelle took one large steadying breath and lifted her head in order to meet her own gaze in the mirror. She immediately grimaced as she looked at the fresh bruises littering her face. Her right eye was already rimmed black, her cheekbone was swollen and protruding awkwardly from its usual position, and her lip was split in three different spots. Anna moved her gaze lower to find the large hand shaped bruises encasing her neck. She couldn't bring herself to look at those for more than a minute before lifting her shirt and seeing the real damage. Annabelle's abdomen was a conglomerate of black and purple that hurt if she so much as breathed. Nothing felt broken, which was a miracle, but she wouldn't be working out for the next few days either. Annabelle felt tears filling her eyes but forced them down. She wouldn't give Evelyn the satisfaction.
The sight of Eric suddenly behind her caused Annabelle to quickly lower her shirt once more and begin splashing her face with water to try and lessen the horror of her appearance. Eric didn't say anything. He didn't even move. He just waited for Annabelle to finish refreshing herself before she slowly made her way over to him. She kept a fair distance between them still, not in any mood to be touched right now, but the fact that she hadn't walked away completely told Eric he was okay to start speaking.
"What happened? We lost you on comms pretty quick there."
"We each made the drop on my mark. I knocked the detonator out of Evelyn's hand immediately then was fighting against her and the other guys in her alley. Knocked them out pretty quickly then chased after her. Turns out both of my parents have really good right hooks."
Eric sucked in a breath, clearly not appreciating Annabelle's dark sense of humor at this moment.
"Your stomach looks like it took more than just a right hook."
Now it was Annabelle's turn to tense up as she recalled her fight with Evelyn. She was glad Tobias wasn't there to see it. Or Eric. Neither of them would look at her the same. It's what she assumed anyways. She found herself looking down at her feet, unable to look Eric in the eyes when she told him how pathetic she was.
"I've never felt so helpless in my life. Not even when I was stuck with Marcus. I barely got any hits in. She had me on the ground so fast and she just kept punching and kicking. She wouldn't let up. I was curled in a ball like a child just waiting for it to stop. I'm pretty sure she'd have kept going if Merkley hadn't gotten to us."
Eric stayed quiet while thinking of the right thing to say. He could only imagine what Belle was feeling. Annabelle never took losses well, and while the overall goal of the mission had been achieved, the fact that Evelyn continued to evade her made it all the more shameful of a loss.
"You're mad."
Annabelle rolled her eyes at Eric's response.
"I'm always mad after a loss, Eric."
"You're not mad about the loss. You're mad about something else. Tell me."
Annabelle let out a tired sigh as she contemplated how to put her thoughts into words.
"I don't mind losing battles. It happens. Sometimes the enemy is just better. But I'm not used to losing fights. Hand to hand combat is my specialty. And yet the only two people who have ever beat me are my own parents. Isn't there something just so fucked about that?"
Eric said nothing in response. How could he when he couldn't even begin to comprehend what Annabelle was feeling? She spent her entire life being hated by one parent and now was wanted dead by the other. How she managed to love anyone or anything at all was beyond Eric. Not wanting her to wallow in her self-pity any longer, Eric gently lifted her chin with the knuckle of his index finger, forcing her to look him in the eye for the first time thus far. Annabelle put on her best smile for Eric, trying to reassure him and herself that she was alright. Eric's hand traced along the side of Annabelle's face, following the curve of her black eye and hovering over the deep cuts on her lips. He hesitated before brushing his fingers lightly over the marks covering her neck. Annabelle watched as Eric's jaw and biceps clenched every now again when coming across new bruises and marks. When he finally couldn't look any longer, Eric moved his gaze above Annabelle's head and pulled her in close to his chest by her arm. Annabelle loosely wrapped her arms around Eric's torso while he held her as tightly against him as possible.
"She's never going to fucking touch you again, Belle."
"She might. I'll need to be close when I kill her."
Eric chuffed at the remark, feeling both a swell of pride and fear at Belle's words. He knew that she meant them now more than ever, but he also knew that Evelyn wouldn't hesitate to kill Belle either if given the chance again. The marks on Belle's neck proved it.
Eric placed a kiss atop Annabelle's head and held on a little tighter, hoping that Annabelle's next encounter with Evelyn might never come.
-----
About a week had passed when Annabelle finally returned to assist with training. She had refused to leave her dorm until all of her visible injuries had faded away, only seeing Eric and Tobias in the days that passed. While Eric helped console her from her tactical loss, Tobias had been her greatest source of comfort in her mother's latest show of hatred for her. After the first couple of days in the solitude of her dorm, Annabelle quickly cracked under the realization of her mother's recent murder attempt. As much as she tried to act as if she was unbothered by the fact, it soon became apparent that there was only so much family trauma she could shove deep into the depths of her soul. But her time spent with Tobias reminded Annabelle that not everything about her life had been bad, and she hadn't struggled through it all on her own. She returned to Dauntless life the following week feeling stronger and more sure of herself than ever.
Annabelle was currently evaluating more sparring matches while the rest of the class continued on with free training. She circled the sparring ring as Molly and Christina fought, internally cringing each time Molly landed a blow. Annabelle felt sympathy for Christina. She knew what it was like to feel helpless against an opponent larger than herself, but that only made her root for her more. It also made her all the more irritated by Christina's losing. Molly was beating down on her mercilessly when Christina called out to her opponent.
"Stop! Stop. I'm done. I'm done."
Eric moved forward to check on Christina but was stopped short by Annabelle's hand softly hitting his chest. Eric could immediately tell by the way Annabelle's jaw clenched and released repeatedly that nothing good was about to happen.
"Belle."
"I got this."
"Belle, she isn't you."
"But she has the potential to be."
Annabelle stepped onto the fighting mat, signaling to Molly that she was dismissed from the fight.
"You need a break, Chris?"
The initiate looked up at Anna with a look of pleading as she continued to try and catch her breath, giving a pathetic nod to indicate that she did indeed need a break.
"Okay. Let's take a break, yeah? Initiates! We're taking a break. Let's take a walk."
Annabelle walked with Christina through the halls of Dauntless, the rest of the initiates followed silently behind. She checked in, gave her a bottle of water, and went over some tips on how she could improve her fighting skills. From the very back of the group, Eric watched the way Annabelle slid her hand carefully down Christina's back. Eric looked over at Tobias to see if he was sensing what was about to happen the same way he was, but the man seemed as oblivious as the rest of the group. They made their way to the chasm and walked across halfway when Annabelle suddenly had Christina hanging on limply over the edge. Four immediately moved to stop the commotion, but Eric pulled him back instantly.
"Don't interfere with leadership."
"Did you know she was going to do this?!"
"I knew she was going to do something. Calm down, she knows what she's doing."
"You have three options. You can hold on for one minute and I'll attempt to forget your cowardice. You can fall and die. Or you can give up. But if you give up, you're out."
Annabelle took Christina's failure to answer as answer enough and called out to Eric while not removing her gaze from Christina.
"Start the clock."
The entire group was eerily silent as they all experienced the longest minute of their lives. The dripping that came from the ceiling of the chasm sprinkled down on Christina's fingers, causing her to slip a couple of times, but she always gripped the bar again to keep from falling.
"Time!"
Everyone breathed in relief at Eric's call and Tris ran forward to help Christina back onto the ledge along with Will. The two held a crying Christina while Annabelle turned to face the rest of the group.
"Dauntless do not quit! If you cannot endure difficulty, then you do not belong here. This is your only warning. The next person I hear say "I quit" or "I give up" or "I can't" will instantly be Factionless. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"You're all dismissed."
The initiates all filed out of the hall as fast as possible. Tobias and Annabelle shared a looking saying that they would discuss this incident later, but then he too proceeded out of the space. Annabelle turned to look behind her as Tris and Will helped Christina to her feet but stopped them short as she took Christina out of their hold.
"You two get some rest. I'll take her to the infirmary."
The pair hesitated to leave their friend for obvious reasons, but one more look from Anna sent them on their way just like everyone else. Christina hung loosely in Annabelle's hold as the stronger of the two girls slowly began walking them down to the infirmary. Annabelle and Eric shared a silent conversation as she passed him by, telling him everything would be fine, and she'd fill him in later. She knew any conversation in front of Christina would ruin both of their reputations. Christina slowly began to regain her strength as they walked through the compound, eventually not needing to lean on Annabelle for support. Annabelle got Christina checked into the infirmary but pulled her aside for a moment before letting her be led further into the med wing.
"Listen. You don't have to like me right now, but I wasn't going to hide my frustration with you either. You have potential, Christina. You've been safely in the middle of the group this whole time, but you can get further ahead. I know you can. I've seen it in your eyes. You have no intention of becoming Factionless at the end of this and I wouldn't want you to. But that fire is fading and if you keep letting it fade, you'll fall short."
"So what? You made an example of me because you like me?"
"I made an example of you because I expect more of you. Look, quitting in sparring matches is one thing, but you don't get that option in the real world. In a real fight, you either fight back or you die. Some of us had to learn that the hard way even before coming to Dauntless."
Christina finally turned her gaze towards Annabelle as she looked into her eyes for any indication of a lie. Her tense demeanor dropped a little when she found none.
"People like us are immediately underestimated for our size. It means we have to work twice as hard to earn our place here. And it is possible. I know it is because I did it. That's why I'm so hard on you and some of the others. Because you're choosing to give up when I know it can be done. So, keep fighting. Don't make me look bad."
Christina seemed to ponder Annabelle's words for a moment before finally nodding her head in agreement, a hint of a smile gracing her face.
"You're right. And I won't. I promise. But next time, maybe start with a talk before nearly throwing someone to their death."
"Sorry Chris. I've got a reputation to maintain. Speaking of which, let's keep this convo mostly between us, yeah?"
"Sure. No problem."
Annabelle gave Christina a small jab to the arm before signaling for her to continue on into the infirmary. Annabelle had been on her way back to Eric's dorm when she instead found Tobias waiting for her outside of her own. Neither said anything as Anna unlocked her door and led Tobias into the dorm and to her couch at the center of the room. Tobias sat beside her with a heavy sigh, looking over at his sister with an exasperated expression.
"Was that really necessary?"
"Maybe not. But after my run in with Evelyn, I snapped. These kids have no idea who or what will be coming for them once they are Dauntless. I can't have newbies joining the patrol teams or joining my attack teams if they aren't going to make it. I'm not going to have their blood on my hands."
"Why do you make it sound like it will be so dramatic? People get hurt in our line of work, it's part of the job."
"But getting killed isn't."
Tobias studied Annabelle's face for a moment and recognized something rare to find in her: fear.
"What do you know, Anna? What's got you so afraid?"
Annabelle took in a shaky breath and looked towards her front door before she spoke. Tobias, noticing this, moved to lock her door before returning to her side and placing a comforting hand on her arm, giving Anna the motivation she needed to speak aloud.
"I've been looking into Max and Eric's visits to the city. I found a log of names in the database that match up with the dates. People who after those dates have been declared either missing or dead. You and Evelyn were right. Members of Dauntless are hunting divergents, killing them. And it's becoming more and more frequent. I've heard rumors that Max is already looking at initiates he thinks might be good to head up new task forces for the job."
"Who are you hearing this from?"
"Walt. He's been on tactical teams since he started in Dauntless. He's one of Max's go to guys for termination missions."
"Why would he be telling you this?"
Annabelle shrugged.
"I don't know. Out of respect maybe? We were just talking about potential promotions in his line of work and he brought it up. But that's not what has me worried."
"What does then?"
"Task forces like these fall under my command. My jurisdiction. But Max has yet to say a word to me about it. It makes me think he's suspicious of me. Like he can't trust me with the information because I might be one of them."
"No. You've been a model Dauntless since you initiated. No way he suspects you. It's probably just because he thinks you have your hands full with Evelyn and her Factionless."
"Maybe. But if they are seeking out divergents more frequently, who's to say they won't catch on eventually?"
"You're not going to get caught, Anna. And even if you do, I'm not going to let them hurt you."
"I'm not afraid of getting hurt."
Tobias let out a tired sigh as he ran in circles with Annabelle, trying to decipher what she could mean. When he looked at her again and saw the tremble in her chin, he realized what her biggest concern was.
"Eric."
"I don't know what to expect from him. I know that he would never hurt me, let alone kill me. But I still worry what would happen to us if he found out I'm Divergent."
"Anna. You're worrying about things that aren't even on the horizon yet. Eric may never find out. And if things start to look a little scarier or uncertain, we can revisit the topic then. But freaking yourself out over it now isn't going to do you any good. Just keep a look out and tread lightly, okay? And let me know if you find anything else suspicious."
"Okay."
Tobias looked over his sister once more as she tried to compose herself. She had changed so much in her year at Dauntless. Tobias couldn't help but pity her. She had to grow up too fast as a child in Abnegation and then was given an excess of responsibility during her time at Dauntless. He couldn't remember the last time he saw his sister smile just because or go out to do something fun and not work related. He couldn't help himself when he pulled her into a bone crushing hug, shocking Annabelle initially, but she quickly gave in and let herself collapse in his embrace. The two sat like that for a long time until they were interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Both already knowing who it was, the two pulled apart and each checked that the other was okay before Tobias stood to answer the door. The two men greeted each other civilly enough before Eric entered the apartment clearly noticing that an emotional conversation had just taken place. Annabelle quickly stood and gave him a quick peck before moving over to Tobias, giving him one more long hug, then walking him out of the apartment. She walked back over to Eric who protectively wrapped an arm around her waist as he pushed some stray hairs away from her face.
"You okay? The air feels a little tense in here."
Annabelle chuckled as she played with the collar of Eric's vest, her fingertips just barely grazing over his neck which sent shivers down Eric's spine.
"Yeah, we're good. It wasn't a bad talk, just a serious one. It's nice though. I feel like I'm finally getting my brother back."
"Good. As long as that makes you happy, then I'm happy for you."
Annabelle smiled wide at Eric's thoughtful confession and raised herself onto the tips of her toes so she could reach him for a kiss. Eric pulled her in tighter by her waist as he welcomed the kiss, his other hand coming up to grip the side of her face and the back of her neck. By the time they pulled apart for air, Annabelle was completely flush and pink from head to toe. Eric smirked down at her mischievously as she continued to play with the collar of his vest.
"I'm assuming you want to talk about my behavior at the chasm?"
"Yes. But that conversation could wait until later if needed."
"Are you mad or proud?"
"Proud. Definitely proud."
"Then yes, it can definitely wait until later."
Needing no further explanation, Annabelle leapt into Eric's arms as he carried her further into the dorm and back into her bedroom where they both planned to stay for the rest of the day.