I wake up in what I think is Eric's bed, all I know is that I'm drowning in his incredibly masculine and metallic scent. I look around and see Eric sitting by the bed on an armchair watching me intently. I take a slow breathe as my eyes meet his but flicker away at the intensity he holds in them. I notice the nauseous feeling I felt in my stomach was gone, and the throbbing in my head had disappeared as well.
"It's about time you get up princess," Eric sneers spitefully.
"How long have I been out?" I ask irritated but my voice comes out hoarse and weak.
"Four hours," he says while getting up and not making eye contact.
"While you were out the Erudite sent us some medicine for you and we think it'll work how are you feeling?" he asks but seems completely disinterested.
"Fine," I say seeing as he doesn't exactly care, "Tired," I quickly mumble under my breathe but he seems to catch it.
"Sleep," he orders while standing only an inch from the bed I rest on. He does something that surprises me next, he gently strokes my cheek and his blue eyes see straight through my soul. For a second I think I see emotion but it's quickly masked.
"I'll take the couch," he mutters and it seems like he almost reluctantly walks out of the room.
I fall asleep before his feet make it to the other side of the room.
Shuffling fills my ears pulling me out of my sleep and in and hear voices whispering lowly and sharply. I slowly get up rubbing the sleep from my tired eyes, still in the dauntless clothes I was given yesterday I slide my leg over the side and push myself up and towards the bedroom door. When I come closer I realize it's Max's voice along with Four's and Tris's.
"Then we got to get her home right away," Eric says in his usual bossy and commanding tone.
"She'll come with us," Max retorts irritated.
"Ok then we'll meet you there," Tris confirms sounding like it's obvious. Footsteps walk around and then I hear a door close while the only thing I can hear are Eric's deep breathes on the other side of the door and my raging heart beat.
I peak out the door just to have Eric standing a few inches from. He looks pissed, like the kind of pissed when someone takes the last cookie that you'd been saving all day kinda pissed. He doesn't even glance in my direction but instead grips my wrist tightly with his strong hand and drags me out of his large apartment.
"Where are we going?" I ask while trying to keep myself from loosing an arm due to his constant yanking.
"You're going home," his voice gruff and thick.
"What time is it?" I question while struggling against him.
"5:30, walk faster," he orders with a low growl.
Attempting to keep up I do a light jog next to him but he still refuses to let go of my wrist that is clenched way to tightly around his fingers. We get to the trains and Angus is there with some dauntless already on their motorcycles.
I recognize all the dauntless leaders along Four and Tris, the second we walk in all eyes are on us and I feel like I have blue skin or something the way their eyes rake me. Tris is riding with Four and Kate is riding with the leader with long brown hair known as Matt, obviously they're a couple as well.
"We don't know how we're going to bring your cow with unless it magically follows us," Eric sneers with an annoyed and angry expression still lacing his features as he walks towards what I'm assuming to be his motorcycle.
"I can ride him," I say stopping and crossing my arms stubbornly. I notice the way the other Dauntless glance at each other, as if I was insane. Little do they know I most certainly am.
He turns around and lifts an eyebrow in amusement.
"That thing can't keep up with a motorcycle," Eric says as if stating the obvious.
"He can, 55 tops," I argue and I can already feel the tension in the air. Eric rolls his eyes as if he doesn't believe me and he most likely doesn't.
"Sure," he mutters then gets on his motorcycle and the engine roars and soon all the others do the same.
I hop on Angus who is antsy about the noise and new environment, they all zoom out following the tracks of the train and I feel my excitement rise in my chest like a balloon.
"Come on boy lets show them what us Amity can do," I say and kick him hard causing him to rear letting out a whinny that echoes all the way through the tunnels and soon he's galloping out of dauntless and towards home.
They're about 20 feet in front of me and a wish I had my whip on me for an extra boost but I know I can make do. I kick him once more causing him to go faster and faster with more and more determination coursing through my veins and soon we catch up to the poster children for dare devils.
I feel Angus's legs hit the hard ground as he dodges obstacles the same way the Dauntless do, if not better. Then I see the Amity gates open which appears to be a pathway to heaven because Angus sees them too, soon he lets out a desperate cry and gallops as fast as he can to the gates that he knows so well. I pass all the dauntless feeling a smirk rise on my face as my horse passes up their bikes.
He gallops faster than he ever has at the sight of his home which he had been so deprived of the past two days. Soon we are galloping through the orchards and now I'm the one whose excited to be home and desperation surges through my body.
People in the orchards smile and wave when they see me but Angus's legs are moving so fast everything almost seems like a blur and I know if I let go I'm a goner. I touch the branches of every tree beside me while I hear the roaring motorcycles behind me like a pack of wild dogs.
I then see the Dome and watch as the people enter it for this morning's breakfast. It must be 6:00, the early breakfast which means my father is there. Angus lets out one more cry before going full speed to the dome with people running out of the way but right now I really don't care about being nice I just want to see my family and be home.
"DAD!" I yell as Angus storms into the Dome surprising people and I leap off of him before he fully stops making me fly towards my shocked father. My dad stands and stares while I practically fly into his arms hugging him and he hugs me back and I can tell he was close to crying. Something the Amity do all the time when they feel to much emotion.
"Autumn," he grips me so tight that I almost can't breathe.
"Jack," I hear Max say and my dad releases me and nods at my Max, his face solemn and serious while sends shivers down my spine.
"I think we should get this over with now," Max says with the dauntless behind him standing tall and grim.
"Autumn!" I here Ally shout and I'm knocked out of my trans, she runs and jumps on me and soon Ky joins us in the hug.
"I missed you so much!" she squeals.
"Um I've only been gone for two days," I say laughing a little while glancing back at the Dauntless leaders.
"Well with the poisonous gas and you getting sick from it I didn't know when you'd come home."
"Wait," I say,"How did you know about that?"
"Everyone knows, and Autumn," she whispers and looks around taking my arm and dragging next to an empty table.
"I overheard some of the Representatives talking about a Compromise," she whispers. I look around cautiously only to meet a pair of eyes and my eyes widen as Max stares me down. Swallowing I turn back to my friends who are trying to follow my gaze but fail.
"Do you know anything about this?" she whispers lowly, "I'm scared it's going to be something horrible, especially if it's the Dauntless calling the shots."
I sigh and duck my head while answering.
"I heard that they're trying to find some sort of treaty to end our 'almost war'," I whisper, "They want something from us and I don't know why."
"Wouldn't the people get a say in it?" she asks while Ky wraps an arm around her tightly, "I mean what if they ask for something big, like monumental to our survival?"
"No not when open war is on the line, then it's the representatives decision, and only there's. But it's not like they get a say in this anyway, whatever the dauntless says goes, we're practically their slaves," I say even quieter than a whisper.
"And everyone had to be at the dome at 7:00 today do you think it's the announcement?" she questions.
"That's probably why the leaders are here," I glance back one more time.
"Do you know anything else?" I ask feeling bile rise in my chest at the cruel thoughts the Dauntless could come up with.
She shakes her head no and stands a little taller glancing around, as if she was making sure no one heard in on our conversation.
"I heard you tamed the mustang before you got taken," she says talking a little louder to get the suspicion of our previous conversation down.
"I wasn't exactly taken," I mumble as memories flash in my head,"More like rescued, but yeah I did," I chirp and she squeals, any trace of fear out the window.
"People were saying he could never be tamed, you really showed them up," she smirks. I just smile,"Was Nate one of them?"
"Yup!" she says making me laugh at the thought of my ex being proved wrong. Four years and he doesn't even fight for me, I guess it really is the end of our relationship.
"You're becoming quiet the Amity you know," she says sarcastically and I mentally wince as she knows nothing of my true test results.
"Yeah so are you," I retort and she playfully shoves me with a smile on her face as we walk out to the pastures where Spirit should be.
When he sees me he gallops toward me and I hop over the fence with ease. I climb on his back with little trouble and slowly make him walk, I feel his stomach heave up and down as he breathes deeply and I get lost in thought as he walks around the pasture at my command.
"Autumn!" I hear Ally shout from the other side of the pasture and attempt at turning Spirit around to head in her direction.
"It's 6:50, we gotta go!" she yells waving her arms up. I hop off Spirit and before I can jump over the fence Ally hands me a floral dress.
"You're still in dauntless clothes," she says with a look of disgust on her face which seems to surprise me.
"Oh yeah," I say, "I guess I forgot." I quickly strip glancing around for any peeping toms and throw on the all to familiar dress. We sprint over to the dome to see hundreds of people. Seas of black clothes and seas of red and yellow all seem to blur together and I feel an anxious feeling from the very pit of my stomach grow and blossom.
"Oh my gosh," I hear Ally mumble next to me. I turn to her and our facial expression says it all, something big is coming. I nudge my way through people, the Amity move with smiles and apologies while the dauntless only glower and even shove us out of their way. I never felt so weak in that moment, or even vulnerable as they all stared down at me, their muscles ripping through their shirts and their tattoos turning each and every one of them into a corrupted piece of art.
"Where are we going?" I hear Ally ask from behind me whose gripping my arm tightly.
"We're finding our parents," I say as we squeeze through a pack of dauntless. I soon find my entire family along with her's and Ky's. I watch as she runs up to her father and holds onto him tightly and Ky holds onto his mother as they all appear scared out of their minds.
Glancing over at my father I lock eyes with him and his tear stained face.
"Dad what's going on?" I ask starring up at him with pleading eyes but instead of responding he just wraps me up in his arms.
"I'm sorry Autumn," he whispers sounding broken and defeated, "I promise you I tried everything, I fought with everything in me." With that he pulls away and without a second glance leaves towards the stage where the rest of the leaders and Representatives are.
"Mom?" I turn around to see my mother's eyes glued to my father. She grips my hand, her eyes never leaving him, "Mom what's going on?"
"Shhh I'm just going to need you to be quiet for a moment," she says quietly and my eyes meet Ryley's who's just as confused as I am.
I watch as Max and Johanna, our main representative, go to stand in front of the crowd and like the flip of a switch everything is quiet.
"We are gathered here today, because we have made an agreement," Max's voice booms and the tension in the room rises like the sun in the morning.
"Each year, anyone from the ages of 17-20 who is the oldest child in a family of four or more, will be sent to dauntless, to be trained as a dauntless soldier and transitioned from an Amity to a dauntless, for life."