Eric and I were now in the Hall. I expected to see many people but hardly anyone was around.
We sat at a table, just us two. I sat opposite him, just like in the convening room.
I watched him chugging his beer and taking large bites from his sandwich, not very fond of my own food.
Maybe you should end it with him before things get too dangerous...
But maybe he will be on your side... Whether he finds out about you or not.
But I think I might love him. And what if he loves me... I can't leave him.
But what if he leaves me. He will surely find out about my divergence and either kill me or leave me.
I decide to ask him a rather important question. One that will show whether he cares or not.
"Hey Eric" I begin, feeling nervous for some reason.
He looks up, wiping away crumbs from the corners of his mouth.
"Will you side with me, no matter what?" I asked, hoping the answer would be positive. Because then that would drown my worries in the possibility that he may spare me.
I think he almost choked on his mouthful. "What kind of question is that?!" he responded, making me a little confused as to where he was going to go with this. "Of course I will side with you! You're my girl, so I plan on taking your side no matter what", he finished with a charming smile.
For the rest of the day Eric and I parted ways. He said he was going to take a nap in his apartment and asked me to join him but I declined. I had plans to meet up with Jem and go shopping. I didn't see him at all after shopping and I couldn't be bothered going all the way to his apartment. So I ended up sleeping in the dorm.
The next day, I woke up at eight, for the meeting was a nine. I washed my face and put my hair up in a messy bun. Then I threw on a black singlet, black jeans and my Dauntless long-sleeved jacket, along with a black pair of wedged heels. Lastly, I coated my eyelashes with mascara. I never left the dorm or Eric's apartment without it on.
I decided to leave the dorm at eight thirty and meet Eric at his apartment, for I was almost ninety percent sure he wouldn't of been awake yet. So... someone would need to wake him.
Just as I had predicted; he was still asleep. He was only wearing boxers and was lying on his belly. One arm splayed out above his head on the pillow and the other, hanging off of the bed, with his head facing to one side. He was snoring quite loudly, mouth hanging open. But still, I found him adorable. I couldn't help but smile and think about how great it was that I had him to myself. But then yet again, that one thought popped into my head. The thought that constantly told me, 'What if he finds out you are divergent and leaves you...'.
I shook my head, ridding my mind of the horrible thought.
Then I called out his name, attempting to wake him up. He was surprisingly a light sleeper. You didn't even have to make a noise sometimes and he would still wake up. So just as I raised my voice, saying his name, he woke up.
He pushed himself up with his muscly arms and then went into a push up position. He tended to do this. To show off? I had no idea. But then he flopped onto his back, rolling onto the other side of the bed. He groaned and wiped the sleep away from his eyes.
I stayed standing at the foot of the bed. Hand on my hip.
"What's the time?" he grumbled, his voice sexily raspy.
"Just about eighty forty now" I replied, smiling down at him.
"What is it?" he asked, noticing me smiling.
I giggled. "You're cute".
He playfully glared at me. "Call me anything but that".
Eventually he got ready and we were out of the apartment, heading for the secret, leaders only hallway. It would be about a five minute walk.
Before we began walking though Eric looked me up and down. "How you manage to look hot every day, I'll never know".
I blushed. Hoping he wouldn't see, because in his terms the comment was probably not a big deal at all.
As we neared the locked door that granted access to only leaders, I realised that Eric was still taller than me, even with me wearing heels. He had about six inches on me. Usually I was even shorter (obviously).
When we entered the convening room Jeanine and three other men were already there. Waiting with Titus and Ashley. They seemed to chat casually and breezily, so that calmed me down. I was nervous because I was going to be speaking up to Jeanine, letting her know I didn't like the idea of killing everyone in Abnegation. It was allowed but still, I fretted about what she would think of me afterwards.
I was greeted by everyone warmly and I found out that the three men with Jeanine were vice leaders of Erudite. While we waited for Zachariah I chatted humbly with Jeanine and the three men, with Eric by my side. They asked questions about how I was finding leadership and for some reason they already knew about my ambition as an initiate to become one.
Finally Zachariah arrived after about five more minutes.
We all took a seat at the big, glass table. Jeanine sat at one end of the table and Eric sat at the other. Zachariah, Titus, Ashley, the three men and I filled the spaces between.
"So, to start off. Eliza," Jeanine began, looking at me as she said my name. "have you been informed of our plans?".
"Yes, I have" I replied briefly, with a polite smile.
"Fantastic" Jeanine responded. "Do you have any statements? Anything you think needs to be changed or any certain ideas you like?"
Wow. I thought to myself. She wasn't just going to let me comment on the plan but she was also going to let me identify things that I thought needed to be changed.
"Well, actually... yes" I replied a little hesitantly.
She nodded at me, prodding me along to speaking.
"Well, if I am going to be honest... I think it is way too over the top to kill a whole, entire faction" I started.
She nodded again, seriously. As if to tell me to go on and back up my comment.
"First off, by killing off everyone in Abnegation, that could turn Candor and Amity against us. Which I don't think any of us want. And secondly; wouldn't it just be easier to get all of the power without having to kill so many people?" I stated knowledgeably.
"And how do you suppose we get all of the power then... Without killing people..." Jeanine questioned, in a way in which she must've thought I wouldn't be able to come up with an answer.
"Well, in my point of view. If we as so little just hold Marcus at gun point and asked him for the power, he would undoubtedly give it to us" I stated, eyeing Jeanine.
I could tell she was thinking. Maybe she thought this could work.
"I mean, Erudite and Dauntless are hands down the most powerful factions. Everybody knows it" I continued on confidently. Earning a few smirks from everyone in the room. Even the three Erudite men.
"We don't have to go threw the hassle of wiping out an entire faction when we can easily get what we want" I finished up. Letting someone else talk.
Jeanine continued thinking, one, polished finger tapping the side of her jaw.
"She does make a very good point" Titus agreed. I was so thankful.
Jeanine continued to think, looking down at the table now.
"Yeah, what's the harm anyway? If that plan doesn't work then we can move onto killing everyone" Zachariah commented. Seriously, Titus and Zachariah were my favourite people right now.
Everyone looked to Jeanine. Then she looked up and looked directly at Eric.
He gave her a look. A look that said 'why not try it'.
"You know what. I've changed my mind. It's brilliant Eliza. You have thought very efficiently" she stood and spoke up, causing everyone's eyes to widen. She then looked at everyone in the room, "We will be following through with this plan. For now, cancel everything on Plan Exterminate. We are changing it to Plan Negotiate" she announced with a big smile.
Everyone turned to me and congratulated me for my 'great thinking'. But I couldn't help but think how stupid these guys were for not coming up with something like that before... It was the most simple plan and it had only come into play when I arrived.
"But Eliza, you do agree with everything else right?" Jeanine questioned.
"Oh yes, of course. The other parts of this strategy are great" I replied. Even though I did not agree one bit with the divergent killing.
The meeting was quite relaxed and friendly. Everything was said to be running smoothly. Jeanine and her crew of men showed us how the divergent detecting device was coming along, which involved me trying not to be sick with distress and summaries were made with what was to be happening.
Jeanine had asked us to assemble our best fighters in the case of the suspected rebellion. And our 'best fighters' happened to be almost the entire faction, so that was easy. Eric and the others didn't seem to mind at all with putting almost every Dauntless member in danger for Jeanine's expense.
At the end of the meeting Jeanine approached me again and told me how proud she was. She said she had known ever since my initiation that I would be an important asset to this community. This made me happy. I hadn't upset her or angered her. She really seemed to like me.
"You did so well girl!" Ashley commented on our way out of the room.
"You really think so?" I replied, "You don't reckon I offended her?" I continued.
"Na, she is used to that from us Dauntless, so yeah, you did really well" she summed up before leaving.
I stood in the hallway waiting for Eric.
"Well done in there" he said when he left the room and joined me.
"Thanks" I responded.
"Jeanine said she can already tell that it was one of the best decisions making you apart of the leadership team" he continued, seeming surprised himself.
We chatted for a little longer until he announced something that really surprised me...
"I've got a job for you" he said, making me excited at first.
"Ooooh yay" I replied as I watched him rummage through some papers he held. "This is so exciting".
He pulled a few papers out of the pile he was holding and handed them to me.
I rushingly looked at each of them, noticing they were profiles of new initiates.
"What are these for?" I questioned, maybe thinking I would get to help train them... But I was wrong.
"Your job is to suss these three initiates out. There have been suspicions that they may be divergent" he explained as he began to walk away, I followed after him in a daze. Still shocked as to what he wanted me to do.
"Obviously I know we don't have those magic devices from Jeanine yet. But for now just use your judgement. Look for the signs and report back to me" he explained further, as we walked out of the large doors at the end of the 'secret' hallway.
I knew what I had to do and it was a pretty simple job. But not for me! Maybe for someone who wasn't divergent, but for me... I couldn't do it. I mean, I was divergent as well. I may as well hand myself in if I hand any of these initiates in. Obviously I would do it. I was leader now and I had to fill my duties as leader. But I would need to come up with a plan if one of these initiates did turn out to be just like me...
A threat.