Chapter Text
At dinner, which was held in a large hall with columns of marble, tables topped with slabs of granite, and iron chairs, you sat with Willie and Kira; you didn't even attempt to sit by Eric, who was at a table with Jack Kang. You suspected he sat there specifically to discourage you from seeking him out. Thankfully, Willie and Kira were too busy filling you in on their ideas for a fashion line to ask or tease you about Eric. And, truth be told, they had some good ideas. While most of their ideas were centered around what they would like to wear around Candor, they did have some ideas for Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite Clothing.
"Nothing for Abnegation?" you asked, half joking.
"I wouldn't even know where to start," Kira admitted with a sigh. "I worry even suggesting that someone add a belt to their baggy dress would be too much for them! Besides, we also want to do a lingerie collection, and there is no way they would be interested in that."
"How long have the two of you been thinking about this clothing collection?"
Willie chimed in to answer you. "Well, we've had the idea for about two years, but it was only about eight months ago that we did mock-ups of most of the pieces, and last week we started putting together the first two items!" Your eyes widened slightly, impressed. "Do you want to see?" he continued enthusiastically. Kira nodded alongside him, practically begging with her eyes.
"Fuck it, I want to see," you smiled, and they quickly led you out of the room.
--
The two of them led you to a large work room of sorts that they'd converted into a craft room. Sketches and fabric samples lined the walls, and tables were filled with measurements and spools of thread. Two sewing machines, one older looking and one still shiny and new, sat side by side on one of the tables. In the center of it all were three model mannequins, two of which had partial pieces dangling off of them.
"Wow," you muttered softly, taking it all in.
"Come over here, this is where we have the Dauntless designs!" Willie said excitedly, dragging you to the left corner of the back wall. What jumped out at you first was the line of different black fabrics--denim and leather and linen all side by side, occasionally revealing deep red or orange stitching in one of the corners. Then there were the pages of designs sketched out, sometimes in messy charcoal, sometimes in fine pen: First there were things like tight bodycon minidresses that one would expect to see at a Dauntless party, but those concepts soon gave way to new, creative ideas. Tops with new, metallic fiber around the lungs and heart but not exposed to the outside, making it ideal for protection while minimizing the risk of electrocution that metal would otherwise present. A pleated skort that initially seemed Erudite in nature but upon further examination revealed that the pleats--no, the whole front "skirt" section--was a detachable tarp-like piece that could be used to take cover from rain, smoke, or light debris. Your mouth hung slightly open, and your new friends beamed at you.
"These are amazing," you said, and you meant every word.
"We know," Willie winked. "But thank you. Okay, now we should get back before your scary companion hunts us down." You smiled, sad to go, but followed them back to the hall, where Eric was just getting up from his seat.
--
By the time the sun had set and you were escorted to your room for the night, Eric still hadn't spoken to you. In fact, he'd made himself either scarce, busy, or both, minimizing any chance that you had to speak to him. Mr. Kang left once he'd told you who to ask should you need any help and what time breakfast was the next day. With that, he spun on a polished heel and walked away, deeper into the overly-formal passages of Candor.
You knew Eric was in the room right next to yours, and you were fairly certain you could hear him pacing. But maybe you were imagining it; these rooms were eerily quiet compared to the Dauntless dormitory and Amity farmhouse. Too quiet. All that was left to do was to sleep, but as you got into bed, your mind was racing with thoughts of Eric, just on the other side of the wall. It felt foolish, but you knocked on the wall twice, wondering if he'd answer. Silence, then one singular tap from the other side. You had no illusions that things would go back to normal - after all, how could they? - but in that small knock there was some reassurance. Just enough to release a bit of the tension in your shoulders as you got settled and turned out the bedside light.
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed in this half-asleep state you were in. It felt like hours, but maybe it was just one. You wanted to check the clock, but you wanted to stop that loud noise that pulled you from relaxation even more. You became fully alert as you realized the sound was someone knocking on your door. Your heart rate jumped as you considered why you might be needed. Was it a security concern, was it related to your earlier confession under the serum? As you pulled the door open, expecting a high-ranking member of the Candor faction, anger and calm settled over you at the sight of Eric.
"Took you long enough," he grumbled, pushing past you into the room and closing the door behind him.
"I was asleep!" you whisper-shouted, only now taking in that he was still in his clothes. That gave him pause, but he shrugged it off. "What are you doing here?" you asked, despite not being in the mood to deal with whatever he was going to throw your way. You were hoping to get whatever this was over with so he would leave you alone for the rest of the night.
"We need to talk about Jeanine," he answered, taking a seat on the foot of your bed.
"Get your street clothes off of my bed," you scowled, heart sinking. "And I don't even know what to say; there was this girl Betty, and something wasn't right about her-"
"I think you're right," he interrupted. "When I dealt with those faction less earlier, when you were in the car, the orders were different than they usually are. Some of them were rounded up and...collected. I think they went to Erudite. But I don't know what she wants them for."
You shifted gears mentally because apparently now was the time to discuss all of this--on your bed, with you in your pyjamas--in Eric's mind. Because that totally made sense.
"This might sound like a bit of a leap,' you began. He turned, listening. "But I think they want to make..not soldiers, not even just servants or something, but mindless bodies--I don't even know if they'd really be people at the end of it all--for something. Betty, she wasn't all there. There is a weird amount of loyalty there, considering the history between Erudite and Factionless. And she's young, she can be shaped into anything. A solider, a spy, a servant, a body to experiment on. Anything. And she would be too braindead to even know she's being violated." Eric looked like he was going to speak up but you continued. "I know that sound crazy, but think about it; you know how Jeanine thinks, we both came from Erudite. And even if the st--even if the test shows you how you think and act and where you belong, it doesn't erase your memories. Even if you never agreed with her, you saw her behavior with your own eyes, and you can't deny it!"
"I wasn't going to," he admitted. "I...think you're on to something." He exhaled heavily and locked eyes with you. "I know you cling to Erudite more than you should," he started, and you froze. "Don't say anything. Every year, there are a couple who can't quite...let go. And there are a couple Divergent--don't act like you don't know what that is, I know you do--and it isn't always easy to know which is which." He shifted slightly and gripped your shoulders. "But don't say anything. Because you are not Divergent, you hear me? You're not. You aren't allowed to be. His eyes were practically shooting lasers at you, and all you could do was nod. There were a million possibilities as to why he was saying this, but right now, you focused on his hands touching your shoulders and the eye contact and the strategizing. To do anything different would be too much.