Four snatched the knife out of the air.
"That all you got?" he said, half-teasingly half-"I am enjoying dominating this woman way more than I should -ily"
"Just wait," said Tris, "I'm just getting started." And then she began to climb. Up the black corridors and toward the wall with its weaponry dangling in all its Dauntless glory.
Is she going to use the wall as a springboard? Four wondered too late as one of the weapons from the wall flew towards him with all the velocity of a bullet.
When his mind regained the ability to think his jet-black shirt lost the ability to not have a hole over his chest. "Th-The hell?" he said, lowly.
She could have killed him, but more than that her expression was peaceful almost serene all the while. He might have thought she had woken up from a pleasant nap if he could stay alive for long enough to notice.
"Guess you shouldn't have underestimated me," said Tris, slapping a sweat towel over her bare shoulder. The sound made his stomach growl.
"I guess I shouldn't have," he repeated, almost mockingly. "Congratulations, you pass".
"What? You think I want some kind of medal for playing your dumb game? Get over yourself," said Tris.
"Don't get the wrong idea," he said, turning his palms upward at his sides, "You're going."
Tris raised an eyebrow.
XXX
"Yeah, and now he wants me to go to some kind of weird meeting with the Dauntless leaders," said Tris, glaring at her muffin.
"Don't feel bad," said Christina, "I think he likes you," she said.
"I thought it was impossible for people from Candor to lie," said Tris. And then with a hint of satisfaction she whispered, "Maybe you're divergent too," before taking a bite.
"Get upstairs," said Four, with his presence suddenly weighing on her shoulders.
"After I finish eating," said Tris, a little softer than she wanted to.
For a moment the group thought he was going to smash her muffin under his heel, but instead he waited for her to get uncomfortable enough to make an excuse and remove herself.
XXX
"So, what exactly is this about?" said Tris, trying not to sound too interested.
The halls of the spire were glassy, almost too nice to have roots in a Dauntless cave. She thought she might slip and fall if she did not check her feet every few seconds; a fact that Four found amusing.
"We're about to find out," said Four. He wanted to tell her that it might have had something to do with Eric's sudden disappearance, but she was still a stranger. Information like that belonged to him, just like the items that he used to keep in the storage chest under his bed.
As they opened the double-doors it seemed like time itself froze.
"You guys made it," said Max, with a voice that caused the entire building to tremor.
Suddenly, Tris's body tensed, but then relaxed "Why did you bring us here?"
Four looked like a bouncer in the background, a bouncer that Max shot a scowl for not keeping the tenants in check.
"That is what we are here to discuss," he said, bringing his hands together. "Now, please take a seat."
Tris took the seat across from Max, despite her wide eyes and pursed lips.
"I'm sure you are all aware of the five factions by now," said Max, "but you may not be aware of the other ten."
As the two struggled to comprehend what was just said, Max could not help but smile.
"You see, we faction leaders are the only ones that know about the other ten factions," said Max, "and we work very hard to keep it that way, however…"
"Wait, are you talking about the world beyond the wall?" interjected Tris.
"… That's right," said Max, "as I was saying, we are only in the lowermost ring of factions. There are three rings, each with progressively greater talent and resources."
The constant struggle for food. The half-destroyed buildings. It explained a lot, but was it true?
"The fact that you are here, means that your instructor has acknowledged your set of talents," Max said, before pausing.
Four had something on his face close to a grimace – he had already figured out what was coming next.
"In the past, we nominated one faction transfer and one transfer born to be sent to next ring of factions, but every time we did that…"
Max pushed his thumb on the table and the two could almost see blood gushing out.
"So, we are going to try something a little different this year"
Four could not even hear the next sentence. He didn't need to.
Two weeks of babysitting her. Of listening to her whine and think she could do so just because she had those baby eyes.
"Do you agree, Four?" finished Max.
"Yes," said Four.
"Get some sleep," he told Tris. "We go to Intrepid in the morning."