A/N: I'm back! I apologize for the long gap between this update and the last - I mentioned this in my announcements, but I had a lot of work right up until the end of the school year and went on vacation immediately after. But I'm back now, and it's summer, which means I'm finally freeeeeeee! (Well, for the most part)
These interludes are a new thing I'm trying - there won't be too many, and they'll be interspersed throughout the normal chapters. While the normal chapters will be written in first-person, from Cammi's perspective, these interludes will be written in third-person limited, and feature no particular character. Their main goal is to track the progress of Erudite as they prepare for the attack on Abnegation, as well as dive a bit deeper on exactly why Jeanine pushed for such an attack.
I hope you enjoy!
Two and a half months later...
The trains should not be running.
After all, it is the dead of night. The city - Dauntless' portion of the city, at least - is quiet and still. Not a soul out of place.
Well, except for the single shadowy figure, waiting just outside the supply doors to the Dauntless compound.
Just as promised.
The woman smiles, her eyes never leaving the dark figure. As the train continues to slow, they step forward, ready to greet her.
She leaps off the train gracefully, not bothering to wait for it to come to a complete stop. She loves this; the feeling of wind whipping against her face, running its fingers through her hair, almost like a caress. The thrilling sensation of soaring through the air. In another life, she could have been Dauntless, able to savor such little freedoms every day.
In another life, her brother would have been waiting for her at the compound's entrance, with a brilliant grin and a bear hug reserved just for her.
But this isn't another life. In this life, she chose Erudite. In this life, her big brother is dead.
And in this life, she will make the Divergents who killed him pay.
As soon as her feet touch the ground, the person who had been waiting in the shadows finally steps out of them, allowing the moonlight to illuminate his features.
"Max." She greets, nodding at the man. It's an Erudite greeting, not a Dauntless one, but Erudite has never been the most considerate faction.
"Athene, right?" The leader of Dauntless holds out his hand for her to shake, and, after a moment of hesitation, she takes it, nodding her head again.
"Yes, that's correct."
"Great!" Max pulls his hand out of hers. "Jeanine said you were coming with the first shipment?"
"Yes, it's on the train." She gestures to the train, which, by this point, has stopped completely. "I assume nobody will be assisting us in unloading?"
Max shakes his head. "No. When I promised Jeanine that there would be no witnesses, I meant it. The only ones who know about this plan at all are the leaders."
She nods, satisfied with his answer. Jeanine hadn't put it past the Dauntless leaders to break their word - not necessarily out of malice, although that was a possibility, albeit a very unlikely one - but out of plain stupidity. The implications of too many Dauntless knowing about the plan too soon were massive, but the Dauntless leaders were likely blind to all the consequences it could bring about. Too greedy, too stupid, and too proud, Jeanine had said. And she couldn't bring herself to disagree, not with what she'd seen of the Dauntless leaders so far.
"Wonderful." She smiles, the picture of innocence, and something vindictive and merciless inside her roars with approval.
The Divergents had burned down her world. Now, she would do more than burn down theirs; she would make sure to raze it to the ground, until there was absolutely nothing left standing.
"Let us begin."
A/N: So, thoughts?
As I mentioned above, these interludes won't focus on a particular character. While I did give Athene a backstory and motivation to help Erudite, I won't be diving into it. She won't become a secondary protagonist or anything.
Speaking of Athene, her namesake, Athena, is the Greek goddess of wisdom and reason (very Erudite), but also the Greek goddess of war (some obvious foreshadowing right here). Funny, right?
Small footnote: The Erudite greeting of a head nod (which I completely made up, no greeting was really mentioned in the trilogy for Erudite) is NOT the same as the Abnegation greeting of bowing their head. They're two different gestures with visible differences.
I know this interlude was pretty short, and definitely doesn't make up for the two months gap between my last update and this one, but I promise the real first chapter will be going up soon. Like, there's actually nothing that can stop me from writing. I don't have school.
Bien, nos vemos, mis lectores!
YOU ARE READING
Once An Eaton, Always An Eaton
Fanfiction*Sequel to The Fourth Eaton --- Book 2 in the Eaton Tetralogy* Cammi has never been happier. In the year since she arrived at Dauntless, she's gained so much. A stronger, deeper relationship with her brother. Several loyal friends. And, somehow, eve...
