Chapter 34: Tris

Tris enters Jeanine Matthews’s pristine white office and immediately notices a heavily pierced Dauntless boy—Eric—leaving, raising questions about Dauntless–Erudite dealings. Jeanine studies a projected diagram labeled “portable signal repeater,” signaling active Erudite research.

Seated across from Tris, Jeanine recalls seeing her at the makeup Choosing and mentions Caleb’s concern, establishing that Tris is on Erudite’s radar. Jeanine then zeroes in on anomalies: Tris’s failed Abnegation initiation and an aptitude test that was logged manually.

Fearing exposure, Tris first deflects with illness during the test, then pivots to a calculated lie Jeanine might accept: she claims a Dauntless result, begged the administrator to hide it to avoid Abnegation repercussions, and references the Penalty of Silence. Jeanine notes Tris’s healthy state for someone factionless and probes her support, prompting Tris to credit her mother.

After a long pause, Jeanine ends the interview. She orders an escort, bars Tris from returning, and adds she will “keep an eye out,” which Tris interprets as a threat. Tris leaves having protected her Divergence with a plausible story while confirming Erudite’s secretive projects and an apparent alliance with Eric.