I stood in front of the white door that led to Eric's office with the log in my left hand. As always I just said that there was only slow progress, and that there was nothing I could do about speeding it up. Reason is because Eric for the past few days has been bugging me about speeding up progress. However, it wasn't possible.
I knocked on the door hard, not meaning to be disruptive in any way. Right now I just wanted to get this done and over with so I can go back to my apartment and sleep. Tomorrow I was to help with simulations, and I didn't want to be drowsy while doing so.
"Come in," a voice sounded from the other side, sounding gruff.
I opened the door to see a focused, yet stressed Eric. His hair was fluffed up, probably from stroking it with his fingers. He was focused on whatever paperwork he was doing, since he didn't look up when I came into the office. I could tell that he was focused by the way he held the pen. Although it looked to be that his hand was holding it in a daint matter, he put much more force when pressing it into the paper to create his response. The poor paper was probably screaming silently for mercy.
I strolled up to his desk and took a seat in one of the chairs that was placed in front of his desk. I held the log in the middle of my lap, waiting for him to acknowledge me.
"Give me the log," he said bluntly, still focused on what he was writing.
I complied and set it on his desk. His hand met with mine, lightly stroking the backs of my fingers before gripping the paper between two fingers. I felt a spark travel from the tips of my fingers to the pit of my stomach.
He set down the pen and brought the log into his view, scanning it quickly. He didn't show any emotion as he opened a drawer and shoved it in it, closing it abruptly before forcing his blue eyes to meet my brown ones.
"So Four has hinted toward Tris being Divergent?"
I nodded, "He told me that her time and the way that she gets through her fears have the ability to show the possibility, but it isn't fully capable of supporting the idea yet."
"And what of Four?"
I sighed, "Progress is coming little by little each day. However, today when I started talking about Tris, he became somewhat tense."
"In what way?"
"Like his body language became tense at the idea, as if he didn't want to talk about it."
"Did you have to pry at him to tell you information about her?"
"It took a little while, but I eventually got some information out of him."
"The suspected Divergence of Tris?"
I nodded.
Both of us became silent. I gave him the opportunity to soak up all of the information I told him.
"Do you think that he is trying to help Tris cover her 'Divergence'?"
I shrugged, "It's a possibility."
"Is there anything else?"
I nodded, "He said that there was something that he wanted to tell me."
Eric's eyebrow quirked, "What exactly?"
"I don't know. He said he would tell me when time allows."
"That's it?"
I nodded, "That's it."
Eric and I stayed silent for a good ten minutes, just staring at each other. He looked at me as if he was trying to pry my brain, looking for a loophole in what I was saying.
Just like we rehearsed Adelaide. Stay with the plan.
He nodded quickly before standing up and walking around the desk, stopping in front of me. His reached to grip the armrests of the chair I was sitting in, while his elbows bent so his face could be level with mine.
"I hope you took my message seriously," he whispered.
I breathed in deeply, "I did."
"And?"
"I've decided to go through with it. However, it doesn't mean I am going to agree with all of the terms."
Eric sighed, "We'll convince you. Adelaide, I wasn't bullshitting what I said to you back there. Everything that I said was true, and will happen if anything goes wrong on your account."
"So you would kill the one you possibly love over a conquest for power?"
"I hope that I don't have to."
The next thing I knew, I felt Eric's lips lightly kiss my forehead before he broke the closeness and made his way back around to his desk.
"Before you leave, there is something I would like you to keep in mind."
"And what is that?" I asked.
"From the beginning of initiation," Eric started, "Four and Tris have had what seemed to be a secret connection. Some sort of connection clicked with them, and ever since he was paid extra attention to her discreetly. He helped her through the second part of initiation by manually entering her times and progressions."
"Where are you going with this?"
Eric smiled before speaking, "Didn't it ever cross your mind that he might be the one playing you? That he probably wanted to get in a relationship with you because he wanted to know if what we were doing was true? Do you honestly think he likes you the way that I do?"
I was stone-faced. No, Four couldn't do that. He wouldn't. If he were to play me, I would know.
"Just something to think about. In the room that you will be testing, there is a second screen that will show up on the monitor. When you hear Tris's name called out by Four, if it happens to be, click on that second monitor and watch how he interacts with her. That should give you some light on what they've been doing.You may leave."
I gave him one last glance before getting up and exiting out of his office. His questions bit at my brain, constantly pestering me into thinking of possibilities for Four's caring nature.
I personally didn't think that Four had the ability to be that kind of person to manipulate someone. However, looks can be deceiving.
"Four to Adelaide, do you copy?"
I unclicked the walkie talkie from my weapons belt.
I clicked on the button on the side, "Yes."
"Is everything alright?"
I sighed, "Nothing terrible happened."
"It didn't seem like it in the footage. You looked tense."
"Don't worry about it."
"Fine, but this conversation isn't over."
I sighed and clicked the walkie talkie back into my belt.
My feet led me aimlessly around the compound until they finally stopped at the Chasm. The sound of water rushing below filled the room. My boots clanged against the metal as I walked to the middle of the bridge, turning my body toward the bar and grabbing a hold of it.
For a moment, my mind cleared of everything that was happening now and what was to come in the future. It was almost relaxing. Which was kind of weird, since the Chasm was a pathway to death. I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh, yet oddly iron-tinted stench that rose from the bottom of the Chasm.
"Weird finding you here."
I turned my head right to see Max standing at the end of the bridge, staring at me with intense eyes.
"Everyone needs relaxation."
He stiffly nodded before walking towards me, settling to stand on my right.
"How's progress?"
"It's getting there. I think it's going to get tougher, since everyone is stressing out about the final stage."
"Well, you just have to keep a level head."
I nodded before looking into a black pit of darkness.
"You know, Eric really does like you."
I chuckled, "Does he really? Or is he just lying to me?"
Max sighed before settling his left hand on my right shoulder, "Before you came here, Eric was known as one of the most driven, brutal initiates that we have had enter Dauntless. He was always cold, closed off, and cruel to everyone here. However, he could only be cruel to you for a couple days. The little things that you did, like save the cut initiates from being Factionless and hanging alongside Christina, broke him down somehow. I don't know how you did it, but you're affecting him personally. And I can tell you feel the same for him, right?"
I sighed, "I don't know. I thought I did. But now that I am with Four, it's like I'm being drawn to Four like a dog to a bone."
Max nodded, "Well, your guys's relationship may be ending."
I furrowed my eyebrows, "What do you-"
"Don't worry about it now. I suggest you get some rest. Goodnight, Adelaide."
Max briskly walked past me, leaving me to ponder my own thoughts as I stared deeply into the Chasm.
What the hell is going on?
~*Eric's Office*~
Max walked up to the door to Eric's office and entered silently, looking upon a tired, calm Eric. Eric looked up abruptly when he heard the door slam, seeing the seriousness on Max's face.
"Evening, Max."
"Evening. Is she on board?"
"Not fully. She is reconsidering, but in the end she still hesitant about it."
Max sighed, "I'm here to let you know that she is torn."
Eric raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"I mean that she likes you, but is now being drawn in by Four."
Eric's jaw clenched. It was another episode of Four getting what he
wants. First it was his ranking, and now it was his girl.