Stronger Than She Looks (Divergent Eric)

{6} Lies

I open my eyes to blinding light. It's painful to keep them open it's so intense. Squinting as hard as I can, I look around.

Where the fuck am I?

I sit up suddenly. Shit! I was with Eric when I passed out. I look around in a blind panic and it's apparent I'm in some sort of medical facility. Eric is no where to be seen.

Just as I swing my legs over the side of the bed, intent on getting out of here as fast as I can a nurse comes rushing into the room.

"So you're awake," She mutters, grabbing a chart from the end of the bed. "And trying to escape already!"

"What happened?" I stutter, panic creeping in. I've no idea how long I've been here.

"Eric brought you himself a couple of hours ago. He was pretty flustered if you ask me," She looks at me curiously. "Strange, I don't think I've ever seen him loose his cool. Said you'd have a bad reaction to the antidote we give for the Peace Serum."

"Can I go?" I plead. I'm anxious to get back to the other Initiates. I've no idea what they've been doing or if I've missed anything.

"Soon!" She chuckles.

Clipping the board back on to the bed and walking round to stand next to me. She takes a thermometer out of her pocket and inserts it into my ear, at the same time as taking a hold of my wrist to check my pulse. When she seems happy with both, she pulls a small box like device out of pocket and with no warning at all she pricks the end of my finger.

"Bloods," She states simply by way of an explanation. She presses a few buttons on the box, and she must be happy with the result as she gives a satisfied nod before returning it to her pocket. "Looks like it's completely out of your system, so you're almost free to go!"

"Almost?" I query. Surely if everything is fine I can go now.

"Eric requested that I tell him when you woke up. He wants to speak to you."

"Did he say what about?"

"No," She shakes her head as she jots a few things down on my notes. "But I'll let him know straight away. Shouldn't be too long."

She leaves the room quickly, closing the door behind her and leaving me alone. I'm grateful to see there's a bathroom and I slip off the bed and walk over to it.

Standing in front of the mirror I realise I look like hell. My braids have half fallen out and I'm ghostly pale.

There's no shower or bath in here, just a sink and a toilet, so I make do with a quick wash. It's not great but I feel 100 times better than before.

I pull my braids out and after unsuccessfully looking for a brush or comb, I give up and just run my fingers through my hair to get the worst of the knots out. I've not got the energy to rebraid it right now so I leave it loose, falling in soft waves around my shoulders.

"Star?"

He's here.

I step back into the room, closing the bathroom door behind me. He's stood in the centre of the room, arms folded, looking at me with a blank expression. Shit. Leader Eric is back.

"What happened?" I whisper.

"You reacted badly to the antidote," He tilts his head to one side and stares at me with such intensity that I have to look away. "What were your Aptitude test results?"

"W-What?!" I stammered. What the hell did he want to know that for?

"What Faction did you get?" He takes a step toward me. "Erudite have never heard of a reaction like this, but it's not exactly a commonly used serum. They asked what your Aptitude is."

He's looking at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. Tori's warning to tell no one is still fresh in my mind; I know I have to lie.

"Dauntless." I reply, with as much conviction as I can manage.

He stares at me, and for a moment I'm sure he knows I'm lying.

"Okay." He says simply, before turning back to the door. He pauses with his hand on the door handle. "I brought your boots for you, they're under the bed."

"Thank you," I'm genuinely touched at his thoughtfulness. "Eric I-"

"That's all Initiate." He interrupts, turning his head to look straight at me. There's no emotion in his eyes. The facade he builds around himself is back up.

I nod my head once in acknowledgement and he seems satisfied with that. Without another word he pushes the door open and walks out. Inside I feel crushed. I'm not sure what else I expected, but I had hoped at least in private he might be a little different with me.

***

Eric's POV

Fuck, Fuck, FUCK! I want to punch the wall but I know the cameras are watching me here and I've got to remain cool and detached.

I might not be Candor but I could tell she's lying. Why didn't she want to tell me her real result? And what the hell was she about to say to me? There was no way I could let her bring up what we did, not in front of the cameras.

It's not far to Max's office from here, just at the end of the corridor from my own. I knock sharply three times and wait for a response.

"Come in!"

I push the heavy door open and it closes automatically as I step inside. Max's office is like a bigger, better equipped, nicer version of my own.

"Sit down." He indicates the chair by the side of his desk, and as I sit my eyes flicker to the CCTV footage he's been watching.

Her hospital room.

Of course he's been watching.

The nurse is in with her right now, and although the sound is switched off it's clear she's giving the go ahead to leave.

"Well?"

"She said she's Dauntless." I try and look disinterested. The last thing I need is for Max to know that for some inexplicable reason I like this Initiate. Even I don't know why I do. Hell I don't like anyone so I've no idea what makes her so special.

"Hhhmmmm." He's staring absent mindedly at the screen, flipping a pen over and over in the fingers of his right hand "Erudite said they couldn't be sure she's a Divergent. They've never heard of a reaction like this. And you said it did work on her initially?"

"Yes Sir. She was clearly responding well to the serum, but the effects continued to increase and increase until she passed out." I lean back in my chair and out of the corner of my eye I see on the monitor that she's leaving the room. I have an irrational urge to go follow and find out where she's going. I need to get a grip.

"And what do you think?" He's looking at me with narrowed eyes.

"About what?"

"Is she Divergent?"

"I don't think so. She sounded pretty convincing when she said she got Dauntless," I don't know why I'm lying for her, but the lies come easily once I start. "I guess maybe I gave her too much and she just couldn't handle it."

I know I didn't. I triple checked the instructions and was meticulously accurate when I measured it out.

Max doesn't reply, and for a heart stopping moment I think he knows I'm lying.

"I think you're right."

Relief floods my body and it's all I can do to maintain my composure.

"Is there anything else I can do for you Sir?" I stand, waiting to be dismissed.

"Keep an eye on her," He instructs as he flicks the CCTV image back to the Pit. "If she is Divergent, she'll show herself in the second stage."

He starts looking through the papers stacked on his desk, and I know I'm being dismissed.