Eric and the other Dauntless walk quickly down the corridor and I slowly trail behind them. There's a bounce to his step. Besides watching people in pain, the only other time I see him this happy is when he's drunk. He looks almost like a little school girl skipping down the sidewalk and I want to laugh. Right before the laugh escapes my lips, I remember the cruel, evil creature that the body belongs to and it catches in my throat. Suddenly, the air turns cold around me and I shiver. A loud roaring sound of rushing water fills the air as we pass the chasm. Someone lets out an excited whoop and it echoes down the cavern. I shake my head and a smile tugs on the corner of my mouth.
The group of Dauntless in front of me starts running down the hall, laughing and screaming like wild animals and I start running, too. Tonight is capture the flag. It's a Dauntless tradition, the only one that they seem to actually practice these days. Not that I'm complaining. Capture the Flag is great tradition. I'm almost as excited as Eric. Almost. He's just so happy because he thinks he's going to win again this year, but he's definitely wrong. First of all, I have a plan. A great plan, and, of course, it involves Tris. She's probably the smartest initiate that we have, nevertheless one of the smartest people in the Dauntless compound. Erudite would have welcomed her with open arms, well, besides the fact that she's Abnegation.
No, Divergent, like me.
Ever since Amar died-was murdered- I have been even more wary of my status as Divergent. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one of my kind in the compound now. If it's considered a kind. Anyways, though we've only had two days of training, I can already tell that Tris isn't just a plain Abnegation girl. There is something, something different, refreshing and, well, sort of beautiful about her. Then again, maybe she isn't Divergent. Maybe I'm just deluding myself. Maybe I just really like her.
Yeah right.
The only reason I decided to stay Dauntless is because of her. I had it all planned out; I was going to wake up early in the morning, before anyone up, and leave the compound. I was going to become factionless. Obviously, that idea went down the drain. From the moment I saw her, held her hand, I knew that there was absolutely no possibility that I was going to leave. At least without trying, trying to gain her affection.
I shake my head as I listen to my own thoughts. Gain her affection? Come on, Four. It's game time. You can worry about your love life after you win Capture the Flag. Sure, Eric thinks he's got in the bag, but he doesn't know what's coming. I can already guess his plan. He's going for brute strength; all brawn and no brains. Classic Eric way. I'm not Eric though. I like to play the game a little differently. How much can strength do if you have no strategy? Albeit, for the past three years he's won (mostly on pure luck and cruel violence), but not this year. While Eric will be picking the giants, I'm going for the leaner kids. The faster ones. And, the smarter ones, like Tris. I have this strange feeling that if I can get Tris, and maybe a few of her friends, it will just all work out. But I'm probably deluding myself again. Man, I'm like a love sick puppy. Hopeless.
Suddenly everything is silent and the Dauntless around me start to slow down. Naturally, I follow suit in pace. We're at the initiates' quarters which mean only one thing: Tris. My heartbeat rises and my mind is becoming blank. I desperately try to hold onto my ideas for our strategy, or any logical thought really, but they slip away. Quietly, we enter into the compound. The only noise is a loud snore coming from one of the initiates.
"Aww, look at those little initiates. Aren't they just so adorable?" whispers someone besides me, which is followed by a breathy chuckle. Automatically, my eyes go straight to Tris's sleeping body. Yep. Adorable. The moment is ruined when Eric pushes through the crowd and starts yelling at the initiates to wake up. Everything around me quickly turns to chaos as Eric continues to yell at the kids who start scrambling, still in a sleepy daze and confused about what's going on. My eyes stay on Tris. She pulls herself into an upright sitting position. Her eyes flick over to mine and stay there, searching my face with an unreadable look.
"Did you go deaf, stiff?" Eric roars, breaking our connection. She immediately rips her eyes from mine and grabs her shoes. Well, that was something. Just one step at a time, Tobias, I tell myself. Good things take time.
"You have five minutes to get dressed and meet us by the track. We're going on another field trip." Eric roars again. Eric turns towards me to tell me some type of threat. I hardly hear what he says with the noise of the Dauntless and the sound of my beating heart. When I don't react, he shakes his head and runs out the door.
I only wait a few moments before I turn around and start running out the entrance towards the tracks. Soon enough, I hear the loud pats of feet hitting stone and shouts echoes through the cavern. I smile to myself. I would have definitely missed that if I had decided to become factionless. I smile to myself and let out a wild shout of excitement.
Slowly, Dauntless group around me. With each step, the opening of the cavern gets closer and bigger. It's the sweet sense of freedom that rushes through my core and I can't help but let out another whoop. Others echo with their own yelps. In between the outburst, I can hear the constant pats of feet on the ground and for a moment, we are one. But we run through the opening and the group around me immediately disburses, abandoning the unity. Silence is replaced with loud, obnoxious voices and it makes me sad. Dauntless is not what it used to be. Its flimsy, its fake, and it's not brave. It's the cowards excuse for what it means to be brave. Amar. The words he spoke to me only days before he was killed echo in my ears. How true it is.
"Everyone, grab a gun," Eric yells once all the initiates are outside the entrance. My eyes go to Tris. Her eyes are so intensely blue that I can hardly breathe and she looks so alive. Excited. Ready. And not noticing me at all.
Eric suddenly looks at me and says, "Time estimate?" I rip my gaze off Tris and look up at the sky.
"Any minute now," I say. My eyes glimpse back down at Eric. "How long is it going to take for you to memorize the train schedule?"
With a smug grin, he punches me in the shoulder. "Why should I, when I have you to remind me of it?" He runs off and I have an urge to break his nose.
The sound of the train running on the tracks takes me out of my thoughts.