Jeanine Matthews- An Unlikely Love Story

Ch 20- The Promise

*Excuse the length of this chapter- I wanted to end it here*

Jeanine leads me out of the room with an air of superiority. She has won- she knows of my divergence and that's that. I just wish she would get everything over with now rather than stall for her own amusement, or maybe it'll be some sort of test, so in that case, her undying thirst for knowledge.

I frown as we walk undoubtedly towards her office. My stomach is in knots and my heart pounds, but I'm not exactly fearful of what lies ahead. I am nervous, sure, but I'm more aggravated than anything. Events with Winter were real, but she seems to be more on Jeanine's side than mine. She seemed to have cared just then, but there is something that doesn't seem to sit right with me...

We make it to Jeanine's office where she puts in a series of codes before the door actually opens. I follow warily behind and am stunned by the interior design; unlike nearly all of Erudite, her off- wait, no- it has to be her apartment- is a dusky brown. There is no brilliantly blinding white or really any blue. The room is complimented by chocolate colored furniture including a coffee table, a couch, and two chairs in the middle of the room. I raise an eyebrow at the sight in front of me, but quickly put on a neutral expression once Jeanine turns to me.

"Of all the places you could be right now, you are here, in a strange apartment. What are your thoughts on this?" She asks in a peculiar way. I open my mouth to respond with something sarcastic, maybe, but my mind blanks and I only manage to get out a small noise. She looks disappointed, but it's gone as soon as it came.

"I wish to converse with you for a few minutes before we travel elsewhere. As promised, it will not be long, and you will meet with Winter once again. For the time being, bear with me."

Jeanine motions for me to sit on the couch and I do as she says. She then claims she will be back in a moment as she disappears into another room. I wait anxiously, looking at my nails and occasionally my surroundings as I wait for her to return. When she does come back, she holds two stemmed glasses upside down and a bottle of what can only be some sort of wine. I shift slightly on the couch as I remember Winter's crippling addiction from the sim. It's not real, as far as I know, but I am fairly confident in that regard...

I almost smile at this whole situation- we make our way into her apartment, and the first thing she does is get the alcohol. I should be flattered, I think, but it's just so incredibly weird I don't know what to think about it other than the slight amusement in it all. Jeanine, on the other hand, does not look seem to be in the best of moods. I thought she would be grinning at her feat, but instead, her mouth remains in a flat line and slightly turned down at the corners, almost as if she is frowning to herself. Maybe something in this whole little trick didn't go quite according to plan. But what do I know? I was hallucinating for most of my time here...

"Do you think drinking will help you find out even more information?" I ask bitterly. I know that I will die, or at the very least, be experimented on, so nothing I do truly matters anymore.

Jeanine had begun to pour the dark liquid into the two glasses, but stopped, a little abruptly, at my comment. She looks at me with tired and aggravated eyes.

"Do you think this is just some pointless act I have put together just so I can hear you complain about how I already know everything about your miserable little life?" She shoots back with clear annoyance. She sighs then continues, "This is not your fantasy anymore. Your sim is over, and real life is nothing like what you imagined. I know you are Divergent, and so does Winter. This conversation is not aimed at you exposing yourself as one- I do not care about that. I brought you here in order to share a drink with me."