Venus Eaton is desperate to escape the abuse of her previous faction although she is unaware and unprepared of the ordeals of Dauntless initiation. She is a stranger to her own brother until he accuses her of murdering their mother, and finds out th...
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VENUS
I GET to the dormitories, my boots slipping on the floor. My muscles tighten around my heart, ignoring the pain. Shoving the door open, I get to my bunk and start grabbing my stuff. At first, all I'm thinking is... why am I grabbing my stuff? Am I gonna leave like a whiney Abnegation?
But last time, I wasn't gonna get killed. This time, I'm pretty certain I'm gonna get shot down the second I start running, the second I leave these dormitories.
I shove my old Abnegation clothes into the small backpack Four must've left when I was meant to pack at the end of Stage Two. Once I've got a couple items of clothes in there, I turn toward the door.
A gasp catches in my throat.
"Please!" I shriek, "Please, don't kill me!"
"Get here now, Venus." Eric snaps, and his voice is rushed. "Don't make me regret this."
"Just shoot me." I growl. "Stop dragging it on, just do it."
Eric clenches his jaw, then he shakes his head. "You think I'd do that to you?"
I swallow hard, clenching the handle of the bag around my fingers. "I'm scared."
"Well, I came here to kill you," He says. I grit my teeth together and step backward. "But I'm not going to."
"What?" My voice cracks.
"It's my job to kill Divergents. I've done it before hundreds of times without hesitation," He steps closer, and I can't move. Then, he reaches his hand out and tucks some hair behind my ear. I look at the ground, and maybe I trust him. "But with you, I can't do it. I can't imagine you dead."
I don't know what to say, so I just glance up at him. His eyes are no longer cruel and he doesn't look like he wants to break someone's neck. He is angry, but not with me. "So you're sparing me?" I whisper.
"Just get to my apartment. 606, sixth floor. End of the hallway, take those stairs." He says, and I quickly head toward to door.
Until I hear the clicking of a gun, and tension fills every inch of my body. I turn around and Eric is pointing a gun in my direction, a bullet skims just past my head and dents the metal door, clattering to the floor. Another ricochetes against the ground. I'm stiff with fear, but then Eric stops shooting. He glances up at me.
"They need a crime scene." He says.
"Pretty convincing without the blood."
"Not all crime scenes need blood to make it believable." He reasons, and a snarl curls his lip. His sister. My heart throbs. I nod quickly and open the door, checking to see if the coast is clear.
"I'll see you after this is over?" I say quietly, although I don't hear his answer because I'm already sprinting away. There was almost something I needed to do to seal my fate, a kiss, but a part of me feels like it would be a goodbye kiss, and I can't bear that.
***
ERIC
I head back to the room, where initiates are still getting tested. Emily sees my entrance and her face is full of anger, shooting me daggers with her eyes. I can't tell her that I've saved her life, not here, so I don't.
Max meets me near the initiates deliberately, just for them to hear me say what I've done. I want Emily to know that it isn't true, but I can't tell her, not here.
I hand Max the gun. "Venus is dead, like you asked." I say between gritted teeth.
"Good." Max says, and nods. "Another less Divergent to threaten our society. I'll dispose of her body before we gather them in the refectory."
Except there will be no body, at least no dead body, to find.
I nod and he heads away. I sense Four glaring me at the edge of the room, and he looks betrayed. I take a small second to marvel in the fact that he, Four the Number Boy, is on the edge of tears. Maybe that is too cruel of me so I glance across at the initiates, only to meet Emily's eyes. One hand clasped over her mouth, she scowls at me.
I discreetly shake my head, hoping she understands me. Venus is not dead. She will never be, not when I'm protecting her.
[this is a pretty tiny chapter, but it just sums things up lol. probably one of the shittiest chapters i've ever written, but i don't want to fall down the writers block hole again so this is fine for now. i'm thinking of a smut scene pretty soon, but i'm also thinking of being real cliche and cutting it off before all the details lol. what do you think? let me know!]
