Danger is Near

Chapter 27

After breakfast, around eleven o'clock, Matisse, Amy and I went to the tattoo parlour. 

We all planned on getting more tattoos and we had a free day today so, why not? 

We entered the parlour and the girls knew exactly what they wanted. Amy was getting her star sign tattooed on the outer side of her left pointer finger and Matisse was getting the quote 'Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?' on her right shoulder blade. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted. But then I noticed the piercing section of the shop. 

"You guys go. I might get a piercing instead" I said to them as I began to walk around the other side of the shop. 

They both nodded at me and said goodbye. 

"Meet us back here, k?" Matisse questioned in a demanding tone. She tended to be like that. Very straight forward and intimidating. 

"Haha, alright, alright" I said back to her with a little bit of sass. 

I walked around the corner and I saw someone I didn't necessarily expect to see. It was Eric. 

He was talking to a Dauntless lady who was behind a counter. They seemed to be really good friends. And I didn't just mean 'great pals'. I meant really, really good friends...

I stood a few metres behind them not knowing what to do. I didn't want to interrupt their 'conversation'. So I just stood there looking at all the piercing styles and designs. I already knew what I wanted though, so what I was doing was kind of pointless. Eventually my eyes flitted to Eric. He was leaning with one arm on the counter top. The lady was standing their counting money from the cash tray. They seemed to be flirting, majorly. I couldn't make out what they were saying but I could tell from their body language. The lady kept blushing and Eric was biting his lip, a lot. He kept deviously smirking and laughing. You could tell they had known each other long. Maybe they went through initiation together. I thought to myself. Could she be Eric's girlfriend? 

"Can I help you?" the lady said in a straining tone. As if she hated me for having to be there when she was talking with Eric. 

Both of them were now looking at me. Although, she looked at me rudely. Whereas Eric looked at me in interest. In wonder. 

"Oh, sorry. But I was just wondering if I could get a few more ear piercings..." I answered curiously. 

"Yep sure" she said blankly. "Come along". 

I followed her into a small room, where there was a black bed against a wall and a desk with one of those swivel chairs. 

As we walked in she went straight to the desk. I begun to close the door but I bumped into a strong, tall figure in the doorway. It was him. He had come to join us. What the hell?! Can he even be in here? He isn't the one getting the piercings!  

I turned to the lady in question. 

"Ok, stand in the middle, there" she casually says while pointing to a spot on the floor, in front of a mirror. She is obviously fine with Eric being here. Great. I think to myself. This will surely be awkward.

"Ok. So I'm guessing you want your seconds?" the lady then questioned. 

"Yep" I replied. "And also maybe piercings around here and here" I continued while pointing to two places on my ear. On my cartilage. 

"Ok then, so that would be your orbital and auricle" she said smartly. 

I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded. 

"You know, you should really know the technical names for certain parts of your body, especially for when you come here" she stated. Thinking highly of herself for knowing two 'technical names' of places on an ear. Pfft. This lady is strange. 

"Well I'm sorry. I didn't know I transferred to Erudite" I sarcastically replied. 

For Dauntless people weren't known to be smart. A lot of people think of the Dauntless people as brave, strong and what not. But not smart. 

Eric laughed at my commented. He didn't just give a little snicker but he actually laughed pretty hard. This made me chuckle a little. Not because I admired what I had said but mostly because I had seemed to have made a Dauntless leader laugh. Wow, go Eliza! I cheered myself on. 

She was staring at me viciously. As if to say 'How dare you make me look like a fool in front of him!'.

I looked at her awkwardly. I didn't do anything else, because I didn't want her stuffing up these piercings on purpose or even worse, ripping bits of my ear off. 

She then got a marker out and dotted points on my ears. So she would know where to pierce. 

Eric began talking to her again. About something a guy named 'Mark' did. And how it was so stupid but hilarious at the same time. 

They laughed around together as she did my seconds. It didn't hurt at all. I looked in the mirror and I loved what I saw. The studs I chose to have put in were diamond studs. 

She then began to do the cartilage piercings. I held my breath as she put the first one in. I winced in pain. It didn't hurt too bad, but it was more painful than getting normal ear piercings. 

"Hurt?" Eric simply questioned out of the blue. He had completely stopped talking to the lady and he was looking straight into my eyes. 

"A little..." I answered, "But it's nothing I can't handle" I then confidently finished. 

He then continued to look at me, as if trying to figure me out. I looked back at him, staring into his cold, blue eyes. 

"We'll see how tough you are after the rest of your training" he smirked. 

"Yeah, I guess we will see" I say back, 

mimicking his smirk.