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Chapter 16

We entered Amity, passing through the wooden wall, and a shiver ran down my spine. I forgot to breathe for several seconds as I bit my thumb. The conversation with Eric died as soon as I mentioned my father. We advanced a couple of kilometers and entered the place—a place I swore I'd never return to.

I admit it, my legs tremble at the mere thought of seeing him, even from a distance, and I didn't want that. I was grateful that Eric wouldn't be one to linger, he was just going for a signature.

Although I could find something good in this—I'd see Joanna. I missed her so much, missed her chamomile tea and her hugs.

He parked the truck outside the stables, where Joanna's office was located above.

He turned off the engine, leaving the keys in the ignition. We both turned to look at each other.

"I'll talk to Joanna, get her signature, and we'll leave. You can come out if you want, but don't wander off and don't take too long. You're supposed to be in punishment." Eric's demanding voice made my heart pound so deeply that my skin prickled.

"What punishment would you have given me in Dauntless ?" I asked with intrigue.

He grinned maliciously, cruelty flashing in his eyes. "I could have hung you over the abyss, but it would have been more fun to torment you until you fell in on your own."

I let out an "oh" of surprise and terror. He proceeded to get out of the truck with a satisfied smile, having accomplished his goal: to unsettle me.

I got out of the vehicle and walked toward Eric, as Joanna was approaching him. She looked up and smiled politely at him, then glanced quickly behind him at me. I offered a nervous smile as she gasped in astonishment.

"Grace, you're here." she exclaimed, walking toward me and completely ignoring the leader, who looked bewildered and surprised.

We joined in a tight, warm hug, closing my eyes and enjoying the warmth of her touch.

"I missed you, Joanna." I whispered in the embrace, my voice choked with emotion.

We pulled apart, and she stroked my cheek tenderly. "Darling, I missed you too. But look at you." she said, taking my arms to examine me. "You've changed so much, you're a true member of Dauntless now. You make me proud."

My chest swelled as I nodded, tears threatening to spill. I hugged her again, not caring that Eric was watching.

*********************

As I wandered through the stables, Eric had gone up to the office with Joanna, and their conversation was strictly confidential. As an initiate, I wasn't allowed to eavesdrop, so I was practically hiding out in the stables. I didn't want Norman to know I was here, although I wasn't sure if he still had power over me. I didn't want to find out.

I walked aimlessly, observing the horses. There was a long row of them, but I was searching for one in particular. A white mare named Grace, a gift from Joanna when I turned 11. It was a gift only the two of us knew about; if my father had found out, I would have been in big trouble. I had made a pact with my former leader that she would take care of Grace, and I could come to get her whenever I wanted. She was very gentle, a very good horse with a big heart. I had given her mine, and she had given me hers. And I had abandoned her to go to Dauntless.

"Grace?" Edgar's voice behind me made me jump. Edgar was the voice of the faction; if he knew something, the whole faction would know. I was definitely in trouble. I could knock him out and get back to the truck, or even plead with him never to have seen me.

"What a surprise." he said as he approached me, holding a basket of pears and apples. He set it down to give me a hug. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you again."

I laughed. "I'm glad to see you too, Edgar. I missed you guys."

We pulled apart, still holding onto each other's arms with a smile.

"Yeah, I admit, I missed you too. I missed being in the dining hall and having you bring us news from your faction. And even though you never realized Norman and I didn't have a normal father-daughter relationship, you knew a lot."

"You're a different person now, Grace. The change suits you."

"Thanks." I said with a smile.

"But what are you doing here?"

"I'm accompanying the leader of my faction. He's talking to Joanna." I replied.

"Be very happy, Grace. Promise me?" Edgar took me by the shoulders, his gaze unwavering.

"I promise, Edgar. You be happy too." I replied.

"I have to get back to work, but here, have a pear. I hope they're still your favorite." he said, handing me the delicious, juicy fruit.

"They definitely are still my favorite. Thanks," I said, taking the freshly cut fruit with a smile.

"Take care, Grace." he said, smiling as he took the basket. "By the way, Little Grace is in stable 6. Sam is taking care of her." he informed, pointing to the far end of the stables. I nodded in acknowledgment.

"Thanks, I'm actually looking for her." I laughed.

He walked out of the stable with a sense of tranquility, a walk that showed contentment in his work. I took a bite of the fruit as I made my way to stable 6, where indeed, Little Grace was waiting. I smiled.

"Hello, Grace." I approached her cautiously. "Do you want some?" I asked, offering her the fruit.

She neighed and took a big bite, finishing it in no time. "You're lucky I missed you so much, because there are no pears in Dauntless." I smiled.

Once she allowed it, I stroked her, hugging her gladly. It was truly worth being dragged by Eric after the incident with Jade just to see Joanna and Grace again.

Footsteps echoed on the wooden floor, the sound of leather boots. I turned to see the source: Eric was walking towards me, his face serious and indifferent, holding the screen in his left hand. He arrived by my side, looking at the horse.

"Hello." he greeted the horse, raising his hand to try to stroke her.

I stroked the mare to give Eric a chance to pet her. "Her name is Grace." I smiled at the majestic creature.

He raised an eyebrow with amusement. "Why?" he asked.

"She's mine." I smiled. "Well, she was mine. Joanna gave her to me."

He smiled as he stroked her, admiring the horse. "Shall we go?" he turned to me, gesturing towards the exit.

I nodded, leaning my head against the horse's head to bid her farewell. "I hope to see you again, Grace," I whispered.

I moved away from her, and like Eric, we began to walk towards the exit, hoping Joanna would be there so I could hug her again.

"Grace?" Sam's voice behind me made me stop. Why am I suddenly the surprise for those who see me in Amity?

Eric also stopped, turning to see who had spoken to me. I did the same, spinning on my own axis with a smile. Sam was the old, cheerful man of the faction, the one who always tried to make Norman smile, and as far as I knew, he never succeeded.

"Sam, hi."I smiled as he approached to hug me. "How are you?" I asked.

"Excellent, now that I see you." he smiled warmly. "You look amazing," he stroked my cheek. "But hey, your father has to know you're here. Since you left, he's been sadder than usual." he took me by the shoulders. "Has he seen you yet? I'm sure you'll brighten his day."

It felt like a bucket of cold water being poured over me. Only Joanna knew the situation I had with my dad, while to the rest of the faction, nobody realized the cruelty of Norman's upbringing. They only knew he was always serious and seldom spoke.

"I didn't have the chance, but we're leaving now. I think it'll have to wait for another occasion," I faked a smile.

"I can go quickly, it won't take me long," he insisted with a smile that didn't show his teeth. I sighed internally; he was so kind.

"We can wait a couple of minutes, just don't take too long." Eric's voice sent shivers down my spine. I quickly turned to him, trying to plead with my eyes.

"Norman will be happy. He didn't take long," I felt the excitement in his voice hitting the back of my neck as he emerged from the stable.

"It's a bad idea, please. Let's go," I turned around completely, making motions with my fingers at my temples.

The blonde raised an eyebrow, trying to decipher my state and my refusal to see my father.

"We can wait a couple of minutes, Grace. Sort out your differences," he shrugged casually, as if those couple of minutes would fix everything.

I lowered my hands, looking at him in disbelief. Since when did he care about others' feelings? I shook my head, biting my lower lip as my knees started to tremble.

"Eric, please. This won't fix anything, let's just go," I pleaded, clasping my hands together.

"Don't be ungrateful. Not everyone gets the chance to see their parents after the Choosing." his displeasure was evident, his brow furrowing as he shifted his weight to one leg.

"He's not like the others, I can't see him, and he can't see me."

"Grace." His voice...

It was a hoarse voice as if he had just woken up, that thick and rough voice with fatigue in between. I froze, widened my eyes, and without blinking, I looked at Eric's face, who showed no emotion whatsoever.

With courage, I rotated my ankles, making a 180° turn.

He was here, unchanged, showing an aspect that scared me and made me run, cry behind Eric, and beg him to take me back to Dauntless.

"Father."I whispered.

I didn't lower my gaze, I kept it straight, looking at him, and I regretted it completely because I could see his expression falling and hardening with anger, that anger he showed when I had done something wrong and he would punish me with a metal rod.

My spine trembled, and adrenaline surged considerably. For the first time, we managed to connect our gazes for a long time, so much so that I could notice the identical color of eyes we shared. He was three meters away, Sam wasn't there, apparently wanting to give us "privacy."

His face turned disapprovingly from side to side, his hands clenched into fists, containing the force within them, and he began to advance towards me. Excellent, I'm dead.

Instinctively, I stepped back, for every step he took forward, I took one back.

"You." he growled.

He wasn't happy, definitely very upset, so upset that he must have been blinded, and he didn't care much about hitting me right now.
And before I could anticipate it, Eric's figure stood between my father and me, showing authority. I couldn't see Eric's face, but I could see my father's, a face that was definitely not pleased to see my leader with anger, while my leader, like a log, didn't lift a finger.

"You have no jurisdiction here." my father snapped at Eric, their jaws tense.

"Want to talk about jurisdiction?" Irony dripped from every word Eric spoke.

He took a step forward, chin raised, displaying leadership.

My leader, the man defending me, handed me the screen, reaching out swiftly. I instinctively took it, sensing its importance.

Norman placed his right hand on Eric's right shoulder, attempting to push him aside, and it was all a matter of seconds, with increased force. However, Eric, who was more skilled, pushed his arms downward and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, his fists clenched, pulling him closer with force.

Eric looked threatening as he approached him. I moved closer, trying to intervene, but Eric's gaze was more terrifying than my father's. Both of them the same height, with similar characters.

"What's going on here?" Joanna's shout echoed throughout the stable.

With hurried steps, followed by Gillian, Joanna approached. Eric released Norman's shirt roughly, pushing him aside.

"Your faction wants to overstep a power it doesn't have over a Dauntless. Better control it, or Dauntless will." Eric spoke, pointing at my father.

Once again asserting authority, he grabbed the collar of Norman's jacket to straighten it.
Joanna glanced at Norman with annoyance, at Eric with suspicion, and finally at me, raising her eyebrows slightly in question, to which I nodded, confirming what Eric had said.

The leader of Amity nodded.
"We apologize. It won't happen again."

"Let's hope so," Eric said, turning towards Norman.

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