I wake up to Eric's arms tightening around me and his breaths getting heavier. My head lays on his chest as I hear his heart beat quicken with each breath. Only half awake, I look up at his face to see cold sweat run down his face. His eyebrows pull together and his arms tighten even more around me.
He makes a whimpering sound, and his body slightly flails before he wakes up abruptly. He sits up, and his entire body goes rigid as he tries to slow his breathing. Once as his breathing goes to normal, he snaps his head towards me and his body relaxes a little.
"Are the nightmares back?" I ask sitting up with him.
Eric went through a phase of repeatedly having nightmares about masked men taking his little sister and mother. They eventually got so bad that Eric and I went to visit them every other day. Eric set up an alarm system he was so paranoid. They wore off after a while, but it seems they might be back.
"Nope, this one was different." He says turning his bare back towards me.
"Want to talk about it?" I ask.
"Some Erudites started dragging you away from, chanting that you were divergent. I tried running towards you, but I couldn't move. They pointed a gun at you, pulled the trigger and I woke up." He says with a shaky voice. I stay silent, what does someone say after hearing that?
"Promise me that no matter what happens," He turns to give me a pleading look. "You don't get hurt in this."
"I'm sorry, but I can't promise anything like that." I whisper. The look he gives makes my heart drop and I automatically know I've said the wrong thing.
He gets up, puts on a shirt and some pants and heads towards the door.
"Where are you going?" My voice cracks.
"A walk." He says slamming the door behind him.
~*~
I wake up alone, and get dressed and ready by myself. I head straight to the transfer's training room. I walk into to see Eric writing down names on a chalkboard. The door opens so quietly, I am able to sneak up behind him and wrap my arms around his torso.
"Is it too late now to say sorry?" I ask as he finishes writing names for the fights down. He sets the chalk down and turns to face me.
"There's no need for you to apologize, you didn't do anything. I was just so stressed out by... everything that has been happening lately. I'm sorry I took it out on you. You're right, there's no real way you could keep a promise like that." I could tell that he was starting to feel uncomfortable so I change the subject.
"So... the Stiff's not fighting today I see." I stare at the blank box next to her name. Tris not Kris.
"Yep, there's an odd number of initiates so someone was going to get off the hook today. Four chose Stiff." I smirk at this a little.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Don't you think Four's developing feelings for that girl? He looks at her the way you used to look at me." I say wrapping my arms around his neck, and resting my forehead against his.
"I've looked at you the same since I met you." He says looking into my violet eyes.
"Bullshit. You used to look at me like you wanted to kill me."
"No I didn't."
"You threw a knife at my head."
"It was a sign of affection." He states jokingly. "There are some things that never change though, I still have this never ending impulse to kiss you."
"If you want to kiss me, go ahead." He glances down at my lips, the door, then back at my lips.
"Can't, the initiates are probably going to walk in on us making out and I've got bad guy reputation to keep up."
"Well, bad boys kiss bad girls." I say, then press my lips onto his. He gets lost in the kiss and forgets what he had recently claimed. His hands grip my waist and he starts to lift me up when we hear a voice.
"Ahem." I turn to see Four awkwardly standing with transfers behind him. Eric awkwardly sets me down and I slowly wave at them.
"Hey, my name's Vana and I'm one of your dauntless leaders. Here are some quick tips,eat as much cake as you can, try and not let Eric kill you, try not to kill each other, and never eat the yellow snow. Wish I could talk more but, oh my look at the time! I have initiates to train. Goodbye children and may the force be with you." I say with an awkward tone as I slowly walk out of the room. I was trying to make them forget the fact that they saw Eric and I make out but it didn't seem to work. They probably think I'm weird and awkward.
Such an intimidating dauntless leader Vana.
~*~
I walk into the tattoo parlor glancing around for Peyton. Pheonix, Shauna, Zeke, Four, Peyton, and I were going out for drinking tonight but Peyton was no where to be found. I walk towards Tori and ask her where goofball the was.
"He's finishing a full arm tattoo on some guy." She answers, cleaning the front desk.
"Hurry up Peyton!" I yell loud enough to hear me.
"I'm almost done, calm your tits!" He yells back. I feel eyes staring at me, and turn around to see the Stiff staring at me. SHe quickly looks away when she sees me and acts like she's looking at the tattoos.
"You two! Stop that damn screaming in my parlor!" Bud screams at the both of us from another room.
"Sorry Bud!" Almost as if we can read minds, we yell it at the same time. I turn around again to catch the Stiff staring at me again, this time with a friend next to her.
"What's up with the Stiff?" I ask Tori. She looks up and sees her staring at me.
"Why don't you ask her? Tris and friend, come here." Tori says waving them over. They come over ."Vana wants to know why you are staring at her."
"Um, we were just wondering how your eyes are violet. Are they contacts?" Tris's friend asks resting her chin on her hand.
"Nope, they're my real eyes. What's your name?"
"Christina."
"Well Christina, why do I feel like that's not what you wanted to ask me?"
"Are you dating Eric?" Tris says bluntly. Christina's eyes widen at the confidence of her friend.
"Oooh straight to the point, I like you Stiff. Yeah, I am dating Eric."
"How does that work." Christina says giving me a confused look.
"I love him, he loves me. I thought it was pretty simple."
"I didn't know that man was capable of falling in love. He hung me over the chasm this morning."
"Sounds like him. C'mon dick head we're late!" I yell at Peyton as he exits the back room, peeling purple gloves off his hands.
"If that guy comes in tomorrow asking for a refund because I was rushing you're paying for it!"