Holding On||Peter Hayes (Divergent)

Chapter 32

Eternity. That's what it felt like being stuck in the cell. An eternity. Huddled up in a ball against the wall, staring at a spot on the floor and wondering what's happening to Four and Tris. A second felt like an entire year. The other guard that had given me a large bruise on my back for kicking me so much went off to find my father; what was taking him so long? Maybe it was just a set up to get me into Erudite for testing. Maybe, somehow, he knows I'm Divergent. Maybe AJ was right all along. The thought makes my head ache, so I don't continue to dive deeper into the situation.

I can't get Peter out of my mind. Just when I'd forgotten about him I ended up finding him. The way he acted when he saw me, telling me he cares about my feelings more than his own... I'm so confused. I don't know if he was playing with me or genuinely meant it. Whatever it was, it hit something inside me. And that part of me is slowly replacing my hatred with something else. I can't easily forgive Peter and let him back in. He joined the Erudite and they killed Marlene. That is something I'll never forget. I can't wait for the factionless and Dauntless to attack, then the Erudite will get a taste of what it's like to be attacked.

The door of my cell then opens and in comes a man with shaggy blonde hair, light stubble around his face and blue eyes. AJ and I have our mother's looks. I was told by Tori I looked so much like my mother, except for the eyes. My eyes aren't even similar to my fathers, as AJ and I have lighter eyes than his, so I don't understand where it comes from. My father stood up straight, fixing his Dauntless jacket with the blue armband and Erudite symbol. He looked at me, fear lurking upon his face. "You came." He says quietly.

"Not for the reason you're thinking," I reply. The door shuts behind him. Dad walks into the room and leans against the wall opposite me. I tense up, flashbacks of his abusive nature circling my mind. They bring out my inner coward, making me shuffle further into the corner of the room. No more weakness, the voice in my head scolds me. I stand up and fold my arms, looking at my father expectantly.

"I've been working for Erudite for about a year," he begins. "Jeanine got in touch with me as we had some past history together. I was an Erudite, you see."

I snort with laughter. "You're a Nose? Wow, who knew they are so aggressive."

"Piper," my dad sighs. I roll my eyes and let him talk. "They've been planning this for a while, and quite a lot of the time I was over at Erudite where I'd sober up and meet with Jeanine. I just thought you better know this before I tell you anything else, later."

"And I need to tell you something too, but somewhere with no security." I whisper. He nods, then grabs my arm. "What are you doing? Get off me!"

"Jeanine wishes to see you," my father says. "Be careful, she was doing something to Four to get information out of him."

"I'm not afraid of her." I scoff. Dad and I walk out of my cell, my hands in his firm grip. We walk down various hallways until we reach a bland room. It's larger than my holding cell, but made with the same glowing panels. Standing next to a computer screen is a woman with blonde hair tightly pulled into a bun. Her watery grey eyes observe my every move. She folds her hands in front of her pudgy middle and addresses me. "Piper Jones of Dauntless, yes?" She asks. I don't reply. "Very well. We'll manage to get you talking now. I'm Jeanine Matthews, leader of -"

"I know who you are," I snarl. "You're probably going to run tests on me now, aren't you?"

"Yes," Jeanine says, "but I also have some information that I need to gather from you. As I've been told by my assistant, you arrived here with Tobias Eaton or 'Four', as you know him, and attacked my guards. I'm guessing Tobias was here to rescue Tris, but I don't understand why you happened to accompany him."