Chapter Text
Just like with ‘Tie the Knot’, please pretend I started posting last weekend 🫣
This story was started when I happened to come across the phrase ’playing Santa and the North Pole’ in the run up to Christmas in 2020 (!). While, as an inspiration, the inspiration sounds quite naughty, I have to warn you – this story is anything but. I have been dragging my feet on it because I couldn’t stand the slow burn I subjected myself to. God’s honest truth, I started writing a sex scene for the end and then kept adding to the end (while neglecting the actual story) because I just couldn’t not write that stuff. Clearly I am not meant for family friendly holiday fun.
While starting to post now might seem early, December will be upon us before we know it and then, suddenly, it is Christmas and you guys will expect the story to be fully posted before you celebrate yourself. It’s like five weekends…
Tris POV
“Brr, it’s fucking cold outside,” I exclaim when I stomp back into the compound.
“You should have dressed up more,” Christina admonishes from beside me.
“I am not going to dress like deepest winter when it’s just the end of September,” I state loudly.
“It doesn’t matter what day or month it is. If it’s cold, you dress up warmly; if it’s hot, you wear barely anything,” Christina repeats her favorite mantra.
“Not in Abnegation,” I quip, and she glares at me like she saw something nasty.
“You are not in Abnegation anymore, time to dress like the rest of us,” she challenges.
“I’ll pass,” I state boldly.
“Your funeral,” Christina states in a sing-song kind of voice. It’s almost creepy. “Come on, let’s go for breakfast. I am starving,’ Christina proclaims, and hooks her elbow through mine.
“I think I am going to have a hot shower first,” I argue.
“Tris, you don’t have the time. Did you forget we have orientation for our new jobs in thirty minutes?”
I look at Christina incredulously. “We were supposed to be back by eight,” I state.
“And we would have been if we had started our run on time,” Christina reminds me.
“Whose fault was that,” I wonder out loud.
“Hey, I needed to dress warmly, that took some extra time,” Christina defends herself.
“Just get me something to eat quickly, some fruit will do,” I demand and try to run off, but Christina grabs my arm.
“Tris, calm down, you need to eat and drink something warm, that’s all. You really don’t want to risk being late and pissing Eric off before you even start your first day of work.” Christina knows she’s got me, the smirk says it all.
“Fine,” I grumble. “Can’t have a break, can I?” I am talking to myself, but of course Ms Candor has to answer me.
“You chose leadership, so deal with it. I would rather wear rags than be taught by Eric,” she states with a shudder, clearly remembering the day he hung her over the Chasm. I am not sure she has forgiven him yet, even when he took her aside and explained his reasons after initiation finished three days ago.
“Well, I want to make changes to Dauntless. How am I supposed to do that if I am not in a position of power?”
“I know, Tris, and I am fully supporting you,” Christina reminds me, and I am glad to have my friends in my corner. “It’s just that I personally prefer to stay away from Eric and all that he still stands for. If you manage to change him as well, the faction will be forever grateful, but for me it’s enough to have you trying to look out for us and all those who will follow.”
Christina’s little speech is rather pessimistic for a person who is always in high spirits, although not as much as Uriah. Nobody can beat that.
“Oh my god,” she suddenly gasps and looks at me strangely.
“What?!”
“I can’t tell you yet, I have to go talk to someone else first,’ she babbles and pulls me along to the cafeteria as fast as her legs will go.
“Christina, slow down,” I laugh while being dragged along.
“No time to waste,” she shouts back at me and increases her speed.
Well, at least I am getting warm again.
We grab our breakfast and Christina scans the tables.
“Over there”, she shouts, still excited, and points to where I can see Tobias and Zeke with Uriah, Marlene and Lynn.
Tobias looks up when he hears Christina and smiles at me in greeting. This is still something I have to get used to him doing in public. Now that initiation is over he won’t hide our friendship anymore and after three days, and a handful of nasty comments by some former Candor, nobody is mentioning it as more than it really is - an uncommon kinship.
I sit on one side of Tobias while Christina squeezes herself in between Zeke and Uriah, and begins whispering to both of them.
Marlene and Lynn give her surprised looks before they pin their gazes on me for an answer.
I shrug my shoulders. “No idea what they are talking about. She was going on about how my new job will hopefully change the faction for the better and then she came up with something she did not want to share,” I explain quietly.
“Well, if she chose those two idiots to help her out it sounds more like a prank than anything the faction would benefit from,” Lynn states dryly and Marlene nods.
“They are pranksters and good for throwing parties or making you laugh when you need it, but anything serious like the fate of Dauntless you should stick with Four,” she elaborates and smiles at Four, batting her eyelashes excessively. We all get a snort in return and I really do have to laugh upon seeing his face.
“Excited for your first day at work,” he asks me, effectively changing the subject.
“Yes, I can’t wait to become a leader,” I state, smiling brightly.
“I wouldn’t want to work with Eric,” Marlene shudders at the thought.
“That’s what I said,” Christina throws in before continuing with Uriah and Zeke.
“You’ll be fine,” Lynn states with conviction. “He could have cut you so many times and he never did. You have balls and you don’t take his shit, he does respect that even if he won’t say it out loud and gives you hell for it in front of others.”
“Uh,” is all I get out.
“Lynn is right, Tris. If I thought you couldn’t do it I would have said so,” Tobias joins in. “You are needlessly starting to have doubts,” he offers and, with a look at his watch, he collects his tray and waves goodbye.
“Oh my god, I am going to be late,” Marlene screeches and rushes off after Tobias.
I look at my own watch, one I am finally allowed to wear again, and see we still have ten minutes to spare.
“She is going to change one more time,” Lynn supplies and then chuckles. “Thinks a fashionable first impression will get her promoted faster,” she elaborates and I gape at her. “I know, I did the same when she told me.”
“Just to be clear, Marlene is still going to train as a nurse, right,” I ask with an arched brow.
“Yes, and the hot doctor in charge will be getting an eye full of Marlene,” she explains.
“But her and Uriah,” I whisper.
“Are still only flirting and not telling each other shit,” she whispers back.
“Really?”
“Uh huh,” she grunts and shoves the last bit of breakfast into her mouth. I follow suit and we leave the cafeteria together, silent, but comfortable.
“Where do you need to go,” I ask when she seems to be copying my footsteps.
“Leadership office, Max is in charge of specialised forces,” she explains.
“Learned something new again,” I quip, and she bumps hips.
“You’ll get there quickly. Eric will ride a tight schedule and if he is really good he will aim to beat his own record.”
“What?!” I stop and Lynn does too after a few steps.
“Eric is the youngest leader in Dauntless history. He passed with flying colors in just nine months’ time.”
“I knew this,” I state, “but what do you mean he will try to break his record?”
“I mean that if he is the trainer he might not mind you beating his record if he can still take accolades for you doing so. It will be tough and probably borderline cruel, but in the end you will be better than you can imagine,” she gushes and I look at her in surprise.
“Do you ... like Eric,” I ask carefully.
“No,” she chuckles darkly. “He has the wrong equipment, but I do admire his skills and determination. He won’t hesitate to go the extra mile and he will drag you along, kicking, hissing and screaming.”
I think about this while we continue to walk to the leadership office and also about what she revealed about herself. I don’t have any problem with that, Abnegation moral is expecting you to be straight, but they also teach to love each other unconditionally. Basically you can be with whoever you want to be if you are not an Abnegation member, they won’t judge you on that, but on how you display your affection in public and how you conduct yourself. A bit weird and confusing, but that’s Abnegation in a nutshell.
“Good morning, ladies,” Veronica, the only female leader greets us when we are close to the office. “Are you ready for your first day,” she asks, barely holding off the smirk.
“Ready as can be,” I state and she smiles at me.
“Keep that attitude up and you will be just fine, Tris,” she encourages.
“Did everyone read the same book on what to tell Tris today,” I mumble, but of course they hear and laugh out loud.
“Get used to it, Tris. When it comes to Eric there are a handful of very predictable moods and once you know his triggers and tells, you will maneuver around him with ease. Just observe without talking back too much, at least in the first few weeks. Once you are done with the physical aspect of training you can start giving him hell when he goes too far.”
Okay, that makes sense. I have never seen him fight, but I heard enough to know I don’t want to be on the receiving end if he is angry with me.
And just like that we reach the office and Veronica let’s us in without having to use the buzzer.
“Adam, these are Tris and Lynn, they are here to see Max and Eric,” she tells the man manning the front desk in passing.
He doesn’t even bother to nod he understands, no, his eyes never leave us and a sleazy smile starts to form on his face.
“Pretty ladies, way too pretty to be here to see old Max and grumpy Eric. Why don’t you have a seat right here,” he pats the free space on his desk, “while I let Max and Eric know they have visitors.”
Yuck! Slimy fucker...
“Thanks, but Tris and I are just fine by ourselves,” Lynn quips, takes my hand and pulls me close to her side.
Oh, good thinking. “Yes, thanks, but no. I’d like to spend a few more minutes with Lynn,” I declare and give her a kiss on the cheek. “God knows when I will see you again,” I tell her earnestly.
“Well, I am sure there will be a Pedrad Party this weekend,” Lynn tells me while staring into my eyes.
“Oh good, everyone will be together again,” I add with real enthusiasm.
“Yes, and you can bet your cute ass that there will be a game of Candor or Dauntless. Don’t forget to wear layers unless you intend to strip for me,” Lynn adds and I can feel the blush creep up my neck and heat my cheeks.
“Adam, why was I not informed that Lynn and Tris are here,” Max growls, and we both turn around to see Adam staring at us with his mouth slightly open.
“He was too busy trying to score pussy,” Eric says loudly from behind Max. “Adam, word of advice.” Eric waits patiently for Adam to turn his way. “Lynn starts special forces training today and come next year, Tris will be a leader. Treat them with respect or get your balls handed to you.” He growls the last part loudly and I suddenly feel like thanking Eric.
Adam swallows hard and nods.
“Tris, this way,” Eric commands and I walk past a grinning Max.
“Good luck Tris,” he tells me in passing and I hear Eric snort.
I follow him into his office. Looking around, the first thing I notice is how tidy and organized everything seems.
“Sit down,” Eric demands and points to a visitor chair in front of his desk.
I do as requested and he takes a seat himself.
“I plan on having you a full leader by May next year. I expect you in the office six days a week, seven if needed. We will start our days at five am with a morning run, followed by an hour in the gym. You get an hour break for breakfast, and whatever you want, and then we will meet in the office. Depending on your performance we will add an afternoon gym session. I will decide next week which way we will go. Any projects I work on you will be automatically assigned to. There will be night shifts, the days are yet to be confirmed. You will mostly shadow me, but sometimes other leaders when it comes to their specialties. Any questions,” he asks, pausing briefly.
“Not at the moment,” I reply.
“Good, you can ask questions, but if they are dumb I will choose not to answer. You did well throughout initiation, you proved to have a sense for strategies and you are brave. You will need to work on building muscle mass and muscle memory. I can teach you everything you need to know but I expect you to follow my orders without dispute. Can you do that this time,’ he asks me with an arched brow.
“Yes,” I state.
“Good,” he nods once, “then we will begin by you reading through the preliminary schedule for the next six months while I answer some emails. Then I will show you around the faction, and I mean really show you all the departments and how to get where you need to go the fastest."
With that he pulls out a rather large folder and hands it to me.
"That's yours, schedule is at the front, there are details in the back. You can take that home with you," Eric explains and starts typing away, effectively dismissing me.
I open the file and see a three page long summary of what each month will bring.
Eric has me on physical training only for the first two months, after that it is just our morning run.
October sees me shadowing Max two days a week when he has to travel to Amity for planting and harvest planning as well as winter preparedness and added protection talks.
There is also something called Halloween on the list. I will have to ask Tobias about it later.
November, I see, includes preparations for the winter holidays, this time Eric is the one in charge and when I get to December there is a whole block in the afternoon set aside for Christmas support, but no explanation of what this means.
January is full of meetings with the council and different faction heads and I will shadow all the leaders and ambassadors for all of those.
February, I am working more closely with Veronica and there is a lot of time set aside from February seventh to fifteenth. After this I am back with Eric until April when I am assigned to help Felix with Easter preparations including a party and some hunting activities for different age groups.
May is labeled as ‘Final Review’ with Eric and Max.
I continue to thumb through the extra pages in the back and I am relieved to see that Halloween is explained as well as the information that Veronica is in charge of Valentines Day and Felix does elaborate Easter egg hunts. The only thing I can’t find much out about is what we will be doing in December.
“Eric,” I ask softly.
“Speak up,” he says instead of an answer, but stops typing and turns to me.
“What are those blocks of time in December? All the other holiday activities for Halloween, Valentines Day and Easter are explained in the back, but those are missing,” I state with a normal tone of voice.
“Well,” Eric staples his fingers, “ that’s because I learned over the last years that all Christmas activities need to be kept as secret as possible, so you will never ever find anything written about it. From the beginning of November you will be invited to a plethora of parties, it’s your choice to play Candor or Dauntless, but under no circumstances are you allowed to spill the beans,” Eric growls the last part. “Pedrads are the worst, you have been warned.”
With that Eric turns back to typing his email while I keep staring at him, thinking about what he just said.
Wasn’t I already invited to a party this weekend involving truth or dare? Layers my ass, I will look like the weird one out with all the layers I’ll need to survive if they ever find out what I am tasked with.
“I can see the cogs clicking into place, Tris.”
Eric’s voice brings me back to reality and I shrug. “Just planning my time until Christmas is over,” I state lamely.
Eric chuckles. “You have been invited to a Pedrad party already,” he guesses and I can feel the blood rushing into my cheeks. “Just remember what I said. If I find out you spilled anything, and I will find out, you will wish you were factionless,” he threatens, and I swallow hard but don’t avoid eye contact when I nod.
“Okay, let’s get you familiarised with the faction,” Eric states and stands up. I follow his lead, and that’s all I do until Saturday evening comes around and Christina drags me out of my apartment when all I want is sleep.
…
“Tris, you are alive!” Zeke greets me with a hug and pushes me towards the kitchen to grab a drink.
I grab a cup of water and head into the living room. Lynn waves me over as soon as she spots me and I gladly oblige.
With a deep sigh I sink down onto the overstuffed cushions and she snorts.
“Hard week,” she asks.
“You have no idea,” I groan.
“Oh, believe me, I do. I think Eric wrote that training program Max uses on me. We go for runs in the morning, we spar and then he teaches me a new technique I have to perfect that same day,” she laments and I chuckle darkly.
“Max and Eric definitely use the same copy,” I admit and take a big gulp of my drink.
Lynn leans closer and sniffs. “Water,” she asks quietly.
I simply nod and she raises her own cup to bump with mine.
“Here is to never having a day off,” she states and I nod.
“We really are in the same boat, it seems.”
Feeling emboldened by our shared misery I ask a question that has been on my mind since day one.
“Lynn,” I whisper.
She leans closer so I can whisper into her ear, already anticipating that the next is something I don’t want broadcast.
“Is the knowledge of what happens at Christmas really that dangerous?”
Her head swivels to look at me, her eyes widen and then she looks around. Satisfied with what she sees she drags me up with her and pulls me over to the bathroom. She locks the door and pushes me towards the far end.
“Don’t ever say anything about you working on Christmas around the faction. If we play Candor or Dauntless, avoid it. Shit, Tris, never ever pick Candor because if you take the punishment they will know that you know... Christmas is like the ultimate challenge in Dauntless. Forget about catching Santa coming down the chimney. Until this day nobody ever figured out who played Santa the last five years. When one Santa is exposed, a new one is chosen. The one who finds out wins a hefty prize and only every couple of years do they have to pay out. The money carries over to the next year so by now you could almost retire from active duty if you win.”
Lynn pauses and looks at me.
“Any knowledge about what happens from the first of December onward can mean attacks on your well-being or sanity. And I mean it in the nicest way possible, Tris. Men will flirt with you, people will try to buy you drinks and you will be invited to every single party there is. Why don’t you simply lie and state that they don’t trust you with Christmas just yet as you are only a leader in training,” Lynn suggests.
“But that would be lying during a game of truth,” I whisper.
“No, before it even gets to this, Tris. Just wait, Zeke and Uriah will ask soon enough,” she whispers and then flushes the toilet and washes her hands before unlocking the door.
We get some weird glances from Uriah and Marlene, who are standing right outside the bathroom, but neither comments when Lynn grabs my hand, winks at them and drags me away.
When we get back to the couch she pulls me in close. “If you want to fake date me to throw them off your scent, be my guest,” she whispers and I nod.
“Thanks, Lynn, for everything,” I tell her honestly.
“I don’t know you long, but you remind me of Four and I think we can become great friends,” she admits and I smile at her in thanks.
Zeke and Shauna come over, both with beer bottles in their hands. Zeke sits in the armchair and Shauna perches on top of Zeke.
“It feels like I haven’t seen either of you all week,” Shauna starts, and Lynn and I both look at each other and shrug.
“We are kept quite busy and that workout is nothing to scoff at,” Lynn answers while I nod in agreement.
“What do you have to do,” Zeke asks, intrigued.
“Run with our instructor, spar, learn new techniques that we are expected to perfect within a day,” Lynn lists off.
“And then,” he asks.
“Learning about the different weapons in Dauntless,” Lynn supplies.
Shauna and Zeke both turn to me.
“I had to learn my way around Dauntless first,” I admit.
“And what will you be doing over the next months,” Zeke asks with a glint in his eye.
“I am helping Max with Amity in October and he is in charge of Halloween, then I am with Eric until Veronica has me helping her with Valentine’s Day. Uh, Easter with Felix in April and Eric thinks I will be done by May. I am rostered for seven days a week most weeks and I will have to do night duty, but don’t know about those yet. Sounded last minute to me,” I admit.
Shauna eyes me. “You did not mention Christmas.”
“That’s because I have no clue what they will be doing. Apparently I have to prove to them I am trustworthy enough to keep my mouth shut,” I rephrase what Eric told me.
“What?!” Zeke splutters. “But that’s not fair. As a leader in training you should be involved with that too,” he exclaims rather loudly.
“What’s wrong,” I hear Tobias ask from the doorway.
“They are not going to involve Tris with Christmas prep, she is not trustworthy yet,” he exclaims and Tobias shrugs.
“They know she is friends with you, I don’t blame them,” he states and gets a pillow to the face in thanks.
“Sorry, why is that such a big deal,” Christina asks from the other side of the room where she was glued to Will’s face and is only now coming up for air.
“Because Zeke thought he finally had an insider who could give him tips so he can cheat,” Tobias chuckles darkly.
“Hey, there is a really big pot to win if I expose Santa,” Zeke exclaims. “And then there are the twenty-four presents that are hidden throughout the faction from the first of December onward. There are some really good prices in those boxes,” he continues.
“Like what,” I ask, intrigued.
“Some had really cool vouchers, like giving you the choice to pick your shifts for a week or two slices of chocolate cake for the remaining time until Christmas,” Shauna explains.
“Those boxes were only for the members, dependents get other stuff,” Lynn explains.
“Twelve days of Christmas,” Uriah exclaims, returning with Marlene.
All of us newly transferred look at him questioningly.
“Twelve days of Christmas, no homework passes from the parents,” he states and the others nod with big smiles on their faces.
“We still got small treats for the twenty four days leading up to Christmas, but that was something small and done at home,” Marlene admits.
“Leadership always has different activities for members and dependents. We go on scavenger hunts, there are outings to Amity for ice skating and snowball fights,” Lynn lists off and Zeke and Tobias exclaim with glee.
“Winner,” they shout and bump fists.
Shauna huffs in annoyance. “I think this year there needs to be a change to the group selection and a set of rules that are not allowed to be broken.”
“What happened,” Christina asks, fascinated as I am by the whole thing.
“Some people snuck out and prepared the battle field to their advantage and as Max was on their team he let them do everything they wanted, just to be able to brag about the win,” Shauna explains.
“So Christmas is a big deal here, “ I state and they all stare at me. “Abnegation, remember,” I ask, but there is no reaction. “We go to church and we give gifts to the Factionless before reflecting on our good deeds in the quiet of our own home,” I explain and their eyes widen and mouths drop slightly
I chuckle when I see Uriah pinching himself.
“Good thing you transferred,” Lynn breaks the spell and pulls me in close. “Stick to me and you will learn everything there is to know,” she boasts while Shauna and Marlene offer their assistance also.
“I am sorry I won’t be able to help you cheat, Zeke,” I say, but he waves me off.
“It was a nice dream,” he simply states and then claps his hands.
“Candor or Dauntless,” he exclaims and the girls all groan.
“I have never played,” I admit.
“Perfect! Tris, we will start with something easy to demonstrate,” Zeke begins. “Uri, Candor or Dauntless?”
“Dauntless, I ain’t no pansycake,” Uriah exclaims and bangs his chest.
“I dare you to drink a shot glass full of hot sauce,” Zeke says.
Well shit, if that’s the easy way I am so screwed.
Uriah does as requested and drinks a glass of milk immediately afterwards and then nibbles on some bread. To soak up a bit more oil, Lynn explains.
“Christina, Candor or Dauntless,” Uriah takes his turn.
“Candor! Watch and learn, Tris,” Christina smiles at me.
“How do you feel about Four now that initiation is over,” Uriah asks and I have to admit that’s a good question.
“He is more humane now that he is allowed to be friendly and I appreciate him being friends with Tris,” Christina answers.
“Tris, Candor or Dauntless,” Christina asks me.
“Candor,” I ask and they all laugh.
“Is that a question or your answer,” Christina follows up.
“My answer is Candor,” I state with conviction.
“Good, remember to tell the truth. I will know if you lie,” she advises and I nod. “Very well. Tris, what is working with Eric really like? Is he a good teacher?”
“Those are two questions,” I protest but the others all insist it is just one elaborate questions,
“Fine,” I give in. “He has his moods, alright, but he does try to make me stronger and a better fighter. He is not patient, but he is surprisingly fair in his judgement, brutally honest, to be exact. I actually like working out with him. He doesn’t hold back and makes me really work for everything,” I admit and there is utter silence.
“Wow, I did not see this coming.” Christina speaks for all of them, it seems.
After this we really get into it and I end up admitting that I never had an orgasm to Lynn and that I never masturbated in a follow up question by Marlene during her turn. Now I am invited to girl talk at Marlene’s on my next free evening. They all continue along the sex pathway when someone picks Candor.
We are playing the last round and I am feeling brave when my name is called once more by Christina.
“Dauntless,” I state and Will chuckles.
“It was rather obvious you would chose Dauntless over Candor this time,” Will supplies.
“Thank you, Tris. I dare you to create a version of twenty-four days until Christmas for Eric, gifting him something nice every day,” Christina challenges and I can feel my mouth drop open.
“What,” I squeak. “No, he will get the wrong idea! Either he thinks I am into him or he assumes I am trying to suck up to him as my trainer.”
Lynn puts her hand on my arm to silence me so she can speak. “You are all aware that this means the we can not play again until Tris is done,” Lynn asks and I can see some surprised faces.
“Yes,” Christina answers, “we are aware of the implications. We won’t play again until Tris is done or failed,” she declares and Lynn squeezes my arm ever so slightly. I turn to her and she barely nods her head as if to say ‘go ahead and do it’.
“Okay, I accept, but if he catches me I will tell him it’s for a dare,” I declare and they all nod their consent.
“How will we know if she really does it,” Will asks and I feel like slapping him.
“I am around the office a lot, I can vouch for her,” Lynn pipes up.
“You could take a picture of what you are leaving him, just ensure it is time stamped,” Zeke offers.
“I don’t have a camera.”
“Did you get a tablet issued yet,” Tobias asks and I nod. “I’ll check if you have the application downloaded. If not I’ll get it sorted for you,” he offers.
“Thanks, anything else?” I look at everyone and when they all decline I stand up. “It was great fun, thanks for inviting me, but I have to work tomorrow and my run starts at five am.” They all groan in sympathy.
“I’ll head out too, my run is not until six but I’d like to catch some sleep before it is all said and done,” Lynn tells everyone while standing up. “Come on, Tris, there is strength in numbers. Anybody else heading home?”
Tobias joins us and together we make our way over to the single’s accommodation.
“Thanks for taking that dare,” Tobias sighs with relief and both Lynn and I look at him in surprise. “You were not there those past years but there are certain questions that keep coming up repeatedly and it gives me a bit of a reprieve. I can socialise without looking weird for wearing layers,” he admits and Lynn’s eyes bug out while I laugh.
“Join the club. Lynn, why did you make me take that dare? Now I have to find twenty four things to give to Eric without being caught,” I lament.
“You won’t be asked to play Candor or Dauntless until AFTER Christmas,” Lynn states and Tobias stops in his tracks.
“Shit, you lied? You better hope they never find out or you need to find a good hiding spot next year. And why don’t you leave a note with the first present that you were dared to give him one each day and simply hope you get them right,” Tobias suggests.
“No,” Lynn shakes her head and motions for us to keep going. Her apartment comes up first and she opens the door, waving us inside.
We all take a seat around her coffee table before she comes back to her concerns.
“I think you should let Eric know you are doing this, but you better not say you are hoping you’ll get them right. He will know immediately it’s you, it’s way too polite. Why don’t you set it up like a treasure hunt. Map it all out and leave him a clue where he can find his treat. Eric likes a good challenge and I think you can actually do something nice for him by making it difficult. As a leader he can’t participate in any of the Christmas activities because he knows everything that is going on. Why don’t you give him the gift of having his own personal Christmas challenges.”
“Do it, Tris. Lynn is right, Eric will appreciate having the chance to use his skills. Try to outsmart him, he will hate you in the beginning but love it in the end,” Tobias agrees.
“I have never done anything like it, what will I do for twenty four challenges,” I ask both of them.
“You need to check his schedule to see how much free time he actually has,” Lynn starts.
“He gives me an hour long break before we start office work. I use it to shower and eat breakfast...” I trail off, an idea popping into my head. “I need to find out how to make faction specific treats, Erudite and Dauntless. Will,” I answer my own question. “Lynn, I need to pick your brain on your winter favorites.”
And thus we spend another hour brainstorming and putting together a plan that seems to tick all our boxes. Does it seem fair I’ve got help? Well, there were no stipulations, so all I have to do is give Eric twenty-four gifts in twenty-four days and I’ll have fulfilled my dare.
When I go to bed that night, it is with a new mindset and an unknown resolve to win this fucking dare and maybe make Eric less grumpy for a few weeks.