Okay, this is my first Divergent one-shot so don't judge too hard, okay? Set somewhere during Tris' initiation. Enjoy!
To be woken up by something relatively hard hitting you is not the best way to start the day. Especially when your whole body throbs from training the previous day as much as mine does. I huff a little and lift myself from the mattress to see what is going on.
''Come on Stiff, pass it over!'' someone shouts but I'm too sleepy to put a face to the voice.
I look down at my legs and see a bundle of some black cloth secured in a ball with shoelaces. I blink dumbly a couple of times and look up again. What is going on?
''Pass it over Tris!'' Will calls from not far away.
Without thinking pick the hand-made ball and throw it towards him. He doesn't catch it. He dodges it with the back of his palm and it flies towards Christina. She has her eyes trained to the object and easily manages to direct it toward Edward. He sends it towards Molly and so on.
I follow the flight of the ball with puzzlement. Molly. Al. Peter. Will. Myra. Al again. Edward… I'm still feeling sleepy. What time is it anyway? Since the alarm haven't woken us up yet I guess it's earlier than usual. Than what are all of them doing up so early?
''What's happening?'' I turn to Christina, rubbing my eyes so I can stop them from shutting down.
She laughs, sending me a quick glance before her eyes return to the object flying around in the room.
''Boys.'' She just says like it's the most logical explanation. It doesn't work for me. At least not this early in the morning.
''What about them?'' I insist and she sighs dramatically. I can tell that she's not really annoyed with me. At least for now.
''Half an hour ago Edward and Will started arguing over who-knows-what, waking up half of the room actually. I shouted at them to shut up or start fighting because it was quieter and then Will threw his shirt at Edward. They soon discovered that apparently it flew better if it was made in a ball. One thing let to another and now it's a game.'' She explains but pauses to hit the ball it Drew's direction. ''Don't let the ball fall. Heads up!''
Her sudden shout makes me tense. I look around, trying to spot the threat but I'm not fast enough. The ball hits the side of my head and falls in my bed. I can hear Peter's sinister laugh from the other side of the room.
''Feeling a little stiff this morning, eh?'' he mocks and I grit my teeth. I don't want to react. I won't give him the satisfaction of knowing that he can annoy me so easily.
''Stop the bickering and play. The alarm can take off every second now.'' Edward grumbles and I quickly obey, sending him the ball of black fabric.
The game continues and since we're all up by now, the voices and laughter around me have grown. And strangely I don't feel sleepy anymore. I'm excited. For the first time we all act together, maybe not really as friends but at least not as rivals. It feels good and I find it unable to resist laughing along with the rest. I feel like I'm finally where I belong. I can do this!
I follow the black ball as it jumps from person to person and wait it to come towards me. I'm determined to not fail this time so when Molly shouts ''don't freeze Stiff'' I'm ready. I hit the ball with full force and it flies away towards Peter. He leans forward while sitting on his bed as it hits him in the abdomen.
A chorus of Oh-s sounds around the room. I raise my eyebrows in surprise. What is there in that ball besides Will's shirt? Surely being hit by a cloth can't hurt that much.
I don't have to ponder over that because Peter has already recovered from the impact. He straightens and sends a glare in my direction. I see his lips moving but I can't hear what he's saying. Probably nothing flattering toward me though. He aims at me and I brace myself for the impact. As soon as it comes close enough I manage to dodge the ball with my forearm. I can't control where it goes from now. All of the initiates turn to look where it will land.
Just as it's about to hit the exit door someone opens it and it hits him square in the face before it bounces and lands in his feet. I freeze. My face quickly heats and I put a hand on my mouth to stop the laugh from escaping.
Four stands at the entrance to the room, his eyes livid and his face blank. He has that unreadable expression on again after he got over the shock. No one speaks as he slowly picks up the made-up ball and turns it in his hands a few times. I think I see a ghost of a smile turning the corners of his lips up a little but it's gone as soon as it appears. Too fast for me to be sure that it was even there in the first place.
''Perhaps I should wake you up earlier tomorrow and put that early-morning energy into some use.'' He says coldly, emotionlessly. '' Meeting in the Pit after exactly two minutes. Don't be late.'' His recommend sounds more as a threat and it lingers even after he turns to walk away.
Our eyes lock for a brief moment just before he is hidden by the wall. I'm still trying not to laugh out loud but it's hard. The suspicious look he sends me doesn't help at all. I manage to stay quiet exactly three seconds after he is no longer in sight.
Everyone quickly gets ready and we all head to the Pit together, hurrying as to not be late. I'm sure that he won't let us go easily in his current mood if someone is late.
''That's what I call a good aim.'' Christina nudges me as we walk together. She's smiling like crazy. ''But I suggest you aim a little higher next time. So you don't get in trouble.''
We stay silent for a few seconds, just gazing at each other until I snap. We both laugh so hard that I'm sure Four could hear us from the Pit. Maybe I'll get in trouble for this one but I can't find it in myself to regret it. His expression was totally worth it!
Short, pointless but I couldn't hold it in me. The Dauntless initiation must have a funny side, right? Review please and let me know what you think! Thanks so much!