Officially, I return to my routine as usual, resuming my day as a trainer of the Dauntless-born, and as expected, I now begin the second stage of training. An hour earlier, I had sat on the white monitor with the IVs and syringes in the bottom locker, a comfortable chair beside me, and the entire place painted white. It was a nightmare to be here, as if I were back in Erudite and Jeanine would enter at any moment. But no, Four was beside me, explaining in detail the steps to follow in the simulations.

"Change the needle for each initiate, at the end of the simulation comes the time and the number of fears, it saves automatically but at the end of the day it's necessary to upload it to the board, once registered it reflects the classification automatically." Four continued. "It's quite simple, just make sure to save the progress and that's it, the computer does all the work."

"What if they're divergent?" I murmured.

I fell silent and turned my gaze away from the screen towards him; he grimaced. "You tell me, and I'll take care of it." he replied simply.

I nodded, not entirely convinced. My mind was a whirlwind, different thoughts bombarding my head oppressively. I have to tell Four that his mother is still alive. I can't trust Four to handle the divergents since Eric managed to identify me for doing so. I also can't hide the divergents because Jeanine is watching me and expects at least one. But there's also the possibility that none of my initiates are divergent, and I could lay all my cards on the table and show him that they're all Dauntless.

"Grace, did you hear me?" Four asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"They didn't kidnap me for the supplies." I blurted out unconsciously, almost as soon as Four finished speaking.

"What are you talking about?" he asked seriously.

"The person who kidnapped me from the start created a plan to cover their tracks. Their purpose isn't the resources." I murmured, pressing my lips together as I searched for the right words to answer Four's question. "They want me to find someone and bring them to them."

"Who?" he asked, his expression turning intimidating.

"You." I replied. "They're looking for Tobias Eaton, but it's obvious they mean you. Being in Dauntless and calling yourself Four doesn't change the fact that you're still you, and they want to see you. But don't worry, well, don't be too calm either..."

"Grace, please." he interrupted, shifting his weight to the other leg and crossing his arms. "What I'm understanding is that you lied to us, and the person who kidnapped you is still alive, and they let you go to deliver me."

"No... Well, yes. But the handover will be peaceful, in fact, I could accompany you and wait outside, it serves me well to get revenge on that guy, Edgar." I shrugged.

"Peaceful?" he chuckled. "Does Eric know?" he asked, to which I shook my head with a grimace. "He's going to be angry. He's still searching for those who gave him the explosives, and after what they did to you, for the first time, I support Eric. You should tell him."

"No, I can't. You know why this involves you. In fact, I'm the one who should be upset because I was involved and disappeared for a week." I frowned.

"Who is it?" he asked seriously.

"Your mom." I responded instantly.

He frowned, tilted his head, and shook it repeatedly. "Impossible, she died when I was 6."

"I know, she told me. In fact, she told me how she faked her death because of your father, the creep." I snorted, letting out a nasal laugh.

"Grace, you don't understand. I went to her funeral, there must be a misunderstanding. They played you." he insisted.

"It's not a misunderstanding. Your mother is Evelyn, born in Erudite and transferred to Abnegation. She had to fake her death to save Marcus's reputation. She's brunette, fair-skinned, about my height, slender, with short, wavy hair, and a twisted mind when she sets her mind to it."I rolled my eyes.

My words still didn't fully convince him, he remained reluctant and lacking confidence, not believing my words and likely thinking it was all a trap. It was clear that his mind went beyond his mother, believing that everything was a setup.

"You have nothing to lose by trying and seeing her for yourself. If she doesn't see you or knows that you're not trying to be taken, she's capable of harming my father or anyone else I care about. She has access to practically everything." I continued. "Telling Eric would only provoke a war, he would be willing to kill everyone just for revenge."

He nodded. "I'll think about it. It's late, you have to start with the initiates." he spoke reluctantly, diverting from the real topic that mattered to us, avoiding eye contact, and turned away. "They must be outside by now, I'll call the first one."

He left the room, leaving me with a lump in my throat. Impotence quickly eats away at me in the position Evelyn left me in, the need to forcibly bring Four wasn't a bad idea even though his life was in danger.

The door was opened seconds later, Uriah entered quickly, closing the door behind him and searching for me with his gaze. He smiled the moment I stood up from my bench, and I returned the smile. I put aside the issue of Four and welcomed Uriah's embrace, who held me firmly.

"I know I shouldn't be doing this, but I missed you." he whispered in my ear. "I'm glad you're alive."

I let out a nasal laugh. "Yeah, I promise not to spread it."

I hugged him, but it was a hug where I felt glad for his presence as a friend, a companion, someone for whom I was willing to do anything for his well-being. "I missed you guys too."

I shouldn't have accepted his hug, the title of trainer and initiate is a concept I must uphold and not let it be overstepped. But I couldn't help it, I missed him, his welcome had been the best part of my morning.

He pulled away without losing his smile, and I half-closed my eyes, studying his face. Unable to resist, my fingers went straight to his left cheek where he had a slight bruise.

"I leave for a week, and you already get into trouble?" I asked teasingly, mixed with a hint of annoyance.

He let out a nasal laugh, looking away. "It's nothing."

"What happened?" I asked, a hint of demand in my tone. "Tell me it wasn't that guy Peter because this time I'll kill him."

"No, it wasn't him."

"Then?" I raised my eyebrows.

"It was Eric." he said, shrugging. "I approached him, trying to find out your whereabouts. I wanted to volunteer for your search, but I think he took it badly and hit me. That's all." Uriah explained.

"Eric.." I repeated, nodding with a look full of annoyance. I swore I'd pay him back. "Alright, sit down."

"I don't want to make the problem bigger, it's over." Uriah insisted.

"You won't, just sit down." I said, moving to the monitor and taking out the box with the syringes and the blue serum. "Four should have already explained to you what this does, right?"

He nodded without speaking, sitting in the white chair patiently.

I loaded the syringe and approached Uriah to inject his neck. "Don't tell Eric anything, I don't want to seem weak." he whispered as I let the serum enter.

"I won't tell him, I promise." I grimaced. "Now be brave, Uriah." I initiated the simulation, and he simply closed his eyes after giving me a smile.

I watched the screen with excitement, being the first one excited me. The feeling of finally being on the other side and recording his progress as a trainer was exhilarating. Seeing everything through his eyes was interesting, and although I firmly believe it's an invasion of his privacy, I have to do it.

Uriah's first fear is the unknown, but it seems to go beyond suspense, it becomes a fear for him when the unknown turns out to be danger. So seeing him walk towards that old, rusty ship doesn't surprise me as a Dauntless, but it became a problem when the ground opened up, and the ship he was on started to fall, as if the earth was gradually replaced by water.

I could see his vital signs, his heart rate increased, and from here, I could tell he was breathing heavily.

"'This isn't real.'"

It was a surprise to me, I didn't know you could hear what was happening in the simulation from the computer. However, that was the least of my problems when Uriah jumped from the ship into the sea, and the image started to distort.

"Oh no."

Uriah came out of the simulation, agitated, breathing heavily, while I couldn't help but turn to look at him with surprise, a knot of uncertainty settling in my chest. I couldn't even think, I was angry and scared enough that I shook him roughly.

"How the hell did you come up with continuing in this faction?" I raised my voice as I continued to hit his arms and chest, not even sure what I was saying. "How could you? Damn it! You have no idea what danger you've put yourself in, you fool." I growled.

"Grace, wait, stop." he tried to stop me, grabbing my arms to prevent me from continuing to hit him, but it was useless, at least for him, as he couldn't dodge any of them.

I grabbed him by his shirt, making a fist in it and pulling him close to me. He was taller, but it didn't stop me from disconnecting from the situation.

"You're divergent." I grunted.

"Yeah." he admitted in a whisper. "I'm sorry, Grace... Please, don't say anything." he pleaded.

I threw him with annoyance, and he landed on the chair while I started pacing around the room with a headache settling in my temples.

Uriah is a divergent. Precisely my favorite initiate is one of those I have to hand over to Jeanine to be killed.

"Zeke and Four promised to help me through this stage." Uriah continued speaking. "They say I can pass unnoticed among everyone. They say the records are hardly ever checked and could be altered."

"You don't understand." I denied, letting out a bitter laugh. "I'm being watched. I have to hand over the divergents, and even if I lie, it's useless if there are some useless records that no one knows how to fake." I explained, exalted. I rubbed my face with both hands, letting out a groan.

"Grace, please." he whispered.

I have to do something.

Fuck, I can't let him die. No one knows how to fake these records, but I'm not no one, I'm capable of teaching myself in a day so he can pass unnoticed.

This compromises me, not only me but also Eric and anyone trying to help me. But I can't do nothing, just imagining him as a guinea pig, tortured, or having his neck broken by Eric is something I need to avoid.

"Fine, in three days, you'll do this again. I want it to be the last time this happens. I want to see an excellent performance as a Dauntless, not a divergent. Now, get out, I have to move on to Lynn." I ordered.

Uriah stood up with surprise, standing in front of me with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"Are you serious?" he murmured.

"Yes, now get out before I change my mind. My life is at stake, so learn to think like a Dauntless, it's not that hard." I spat.

"Everyone says that, but learning it is the hard part. It's not easy, Grace." Uriah sighed from a meter away from the door.

"Yes, it is. You just have to control your mind and adapt." I shrugged, walking towards the counter to keep his record in drafts.

"Why are you so sure?" he asked, with a certain demand, as if he were upset because for him, this is impossible.

"Because I'm also divergent, and I'm the first in my class. So, Uriah, impossible isn't it." I said.

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

It's not just Uriah, it's also Oliver. There's a reason Oliver ended up in third place, bumping Peter down. What I hate is that they both saw me as stray puppies begging for help, saving their lives because I'm a different kind of leader. Oliver is willing to leave the faction if things get worse, join the Factionless, and at this rate, I'll end up asking him to go with Evelyn. The problem is Uriah, who doesn't want to leave the faction, doesn't want to leave Zeke and his family because he bought into Four's story that they can make it.

And me? Well, I had no choice but to drown myself in papers that I dedicated myself to printing. On that computer, I got the records of Four's, Lynn's, Oliver's, Uriah's, and mine simulations. Every activity I did on the computer was reflected in the history, so I practically ran to one of the old storage rooms where they had a printer and took out the whole pack of papers. I grabbed a pen and started reading in a language I didn't know.

This was disgusting, it was like reading a different language, one that mixed technology with Spanish and English. I've been here for two hours comparing the simulations, trying to see something different in them. The computer handles a clean and complex language with Lynn, it throws something dignified that doesn't make you doubt for a moment that she's Dauntless. However, when someone tries to modify it, the configuration changes completely. Four's and my records are altered, a complete mess where it's evident that Eric will find out.

Now I understand why Four and Zeke filled Uriah with fantasies, leaders don't look at the records unless they see something unusual in the initiate. That's why Eric saw mine, I spent too much time with him, causing him uncertainty.

Saving Oliver was almost impossible, even if I managed to understand the computer's language. Everyone will see that from being the weakest, he ended up being one of the best.

My phone rang, I picked up my electronic device and answered without even realizing who it was.

"Hello ?" I asked, still in my trance trying to decipher Lynn's papers and her fear of her mother throwing knives at her from the shooting range, just like I did with Tris.

"Busy?" Eric's voice sounded from the other end of the line.

His melodious deep voice managed to pull me out of my trance, returning my composure and eliciting a smile as I lowered the sheet.

"A little, why?"

"What are you doing? I've been waiting for hours." he asked with a grunt.

Lying to you, going against what I promised you, and letting Jeanine find out so she can cut my head off, stick it on a stake, and leave it in the center for everyone to see the betrayal I made.

I sighed. "Sorting out a fight. Lynn wants to kick Peter's ass even though he's already in fourth place." I scoffed.

And it's not entirely a lie. Lynn showed me the interest in settling the fight with Peter, although I don't see it necessary since there's no reason, but I'll try, or well, that's what I was going to do after changing this paperwork.

"Leave that and come, the lasagna is getting cold." he requested from the other end of the line.

I laughed, biting my lip. "Mr. Coulter, I remind you that I haven't even uploaded the simulation list yet. They could fire me if I pause my work." I commented indignantly.

"And as your boss, I give you permission to drop everything, you'll do it tomorrow, so come here, please." he hung up before I could respond.

I smiled triumphantly. I got one more day, and in the meantime, I'll enjoy tonight with lasagna and Eric Coulter as dessert.

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

"I definitely prefer the dessert." I murmured ecstatically, leaning back on his arm, feeling the carpet against our backs.

Eric knows how to distract me, we quickly went from lasagna to dessert, and the desire to have each other again, the need to come together and prove how much we missed each other, was a good way to end the day.

We didn't care about finding the perfect spot, we went from the kitchen to the couch and ended up on the table over the carpet. He tried, in his own way, to seek my forgiveness, and he succeeded with that agile and wonderful tongue of his.

"Yeah, but this isn't over yet. I'm letting you rest."Eric chuckled, stroking my arm.

I got up, leaned on my forearm, looking at him with a smile. "Pff, I'm the one letting you rest."

Eric did the same, leaning on his forearm and getting closer to me. He took my cheek and caressed it with a sly smile.

"A whole week, Grace. They're piling up." he kissed me on the lips, a short one that promised more, then lay back on the carpet, taking out a cigarette from his pack.

Watching him light a cigarette, completely naked, with a smile exhaling smoke, was a very sexy sight to behold. I couldn't help it and bit my lip, climbing on top of him, placing each knee on either side of his waist. It was minutes where we dedicated ourselves to looking at each other, his delicious blue eyes satisfied from the sex and eager for more, scrutinizing me as he caressed my hip.

"Did you manage to find a divergent?" he murmured before placing the cigarette butt on his lips and inhaling the nicotine.

He'll know you're lying. He's not just any Dauntless, he's Eric Coulter, a former Erudite who's very intelligent and can figure out your lies.

It seemed like my response had taken long enough for him to sit up even though I was still on top of him. He placed his cigarette on his lips and took hold of my hips to pull me closer to him enough to feel that already erect member that makes me very happy.

He took his cigarette again between his fingers to bring his lips closer to mine.

"I'm not going to fight, not today. I'll delay the delivery of the records, but in the next simulation, I want to see it, okay?" he whispered against my lips. "I lost you for a damn week, and I'm not going to lose you over this." he finished with a small kiss on the lips and lay back down.

I nodded in surrender, stroking his defined abdomen, thinking, Who is more valuable to me? Uriah or Oliver? Although I don't need to hand over any of my initiates, there's also the possibility of handing over Four's initiates. I could find out if one of his initiates is divergent and thus be able to save my group.

I sighed. "Jeanine says that divergents are a threat." I grimaced.

"Well, what a sexy threat I have over me." he traced the corner of his lips, finishing his cigarette, dropping the butt, and gripping my hips to bring me to the tip of his member.

"Eric, what if we really are something bad? What if I deserve... to die?" I moaned as Eric entered me completely.

He tightened his fingers on my skin as he thrust deeper while sitting up.

"You're not bad, Grace. I told you once, and I'll tell you again, you're all the good there is in this damn world. Even if they see you as a threat, you're mine, and that's enough to ensure nothing happens to you."