Eric's POV:
Me and the little stiff girl just sat down at the big conference table. She hates the nickname but i didnt really care that much. Evelyn was already there and Max was just talking with her about our initiates. She had sent Four to find Grace so we could start talking about a plan to free the factions from Jeanine. A few years ago i would follow her blindly into death but now? Now, i would just like to break every single bone in her body. I smirk. That would be a nice sight.
About 20 minutes later Four enters the conference room followed by Grace. She had dark circles under her eyes and she was still wearing the same things she was wearing yesterday. They both take a seat across from us and we begin.
*After 30 minutes*
"If you're right Max then Jeanine is in advantage.... What kind of army does she exactly have?", Evelyn asks looking at Max intensly.
"I dont now for sure", he slowly answers,"she just informed us that she has an army which obeys her every command without flinching, but neither me nor Eric know where exactly they are located nor what they are capable of."
Evelyn sighs out of frustration.
"So that basically means eventhough we are training a whole army by ourselves there wont be a chance we are going to defeat her?", Tris asks and i roll my eyes at her stupid question.
"Yes Tris there wont be a chance", Evelyn pauses,"we're just going to create another useless war."
There is a long silence.
"She injected them with a serum.", Grace suddenly says, her voice barely audible.
"What serum? What are you talking about, Grace?", Max asks, the confusion clearly on his face.
She just ignores his question and shifts in her chair lazily.
"Its a similar serum to what your dauntless members got injected with... She can control them whenever she wants, but... Thats not the only thing", she pauses and looks at her hands.
"The people arent Dauntless, well, at least not all of them", she looks at Evelyn before she continues," my mother abducted several people from other factions and made them her little warriors by injecting them with the serum. They didn't even need any training they just suddenly knew how to properly shoot and throw a knive. She created killing machines and managed to keep her little army a secret for a very long time."
"What did she exactly do with them?", Four asks and leans closer to her.
"She kept them locked away in the basement which was guarded by some people until she needed or will need them. For example, she killed over a 1000 registered divergent by assassinating them with her little puppets.", she pauses again furrowing her eyebrows," they are stronger than an average dauntless member but they are not impossible to beat. If we keep training our intiates just a little bit harder, then we will be able to defeat them for good and put my mother down."
Silence again.
"Why didnt you tell us earlier?", i ask in an annoyed tone.
Her head turns into my direction and she glares at me. "You know i would've actually if i wasnt under supervision the whole time.", she hisses back.
I just snort in response.
Why the fuck did i just do that? The possibility that she'll ever forgive me just shrunk to a minimum. If that was even possible. I facepalm myself in my head for my stupidity.
"Well then, if that is so, we're just going to start training harder so there shouldn't be any problems, right?", Tris asks to break the tension.
Grace stops glaring at me to look at Tris. Her expression softens and she gives her a weak smile followed by a small nod.
"Then when are we going to attack?", Four asks looking at Evelyn who's been silent for a very long time.
"You shouldn't take very long to specify the initiates abilities so they're a match to Jeanines army, right? Well, i would suggest that we attack in a month from now.", she then says.
"Sounds about right, i also suggest that we attack at night since they'll not expect us then and also surround the city and attack from every direction.", Max adds.
I smirk. Finally im gonna get a chance to beat up this Erudite bitch and wipe off that self confident smile of hers.
"Good. Then its setteled.", Evelyn says and without another word we leave the conference room, anxious about the upcoming battle.
We all walk through the long corridor in silence. I glance at Grace besides me.
Shes still furrowing her eyebrows looking at her hands, fiddling with eachother. She then looks back at me and i quickly look infront of me letting no emotion slip through my expression.
Eventhough i would rather die than loose her, i will not give her the satisfaction of her knowing that i miss her. And so i turn left after a few seconds following the corridors to my apartment and away from her.
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When i enter and close the door behind me i look around.
Fucking hell what did i do?
I turn around and shout, punching the wall infront of me. Parts of the paint on the wall loosen and fall onto the ground. My knuckles are split and bleeding. I should feel at least a small stinging like i did in the past when my knuckles were split by punching the punching bag too often and to hard. But at the moment, i didn't feel a thing. I sink down onto the ground and lean onto the wall.
This night im kept awake by my thought racing through my mind,by memories of Grace and by one question.
How is she ever going to forgive me?