Summary:
"Dauntless or Candor?" "Dauntless." "I dare you to play seven minutes in heaven with-" That was how something innocent turned into something much more than just a game.
Tobias and I have been arguing a lot recently. I understand that he doesn't want me to get into danger because he cares about me, but it's still annoying. Our whole relationship seems different- we lie on opposite sides of the bed, we hardly ever kiss and when we do, it doesn't feel the same. And. He's. ALWAYS. Lecturing. Me.
I woke up earlier than him this morning and I quickly got dressed and headed down to breakfast. There is hardly anyone there- only the people who have to start working very early. I grab a muffin and without thinking sit at the table I usually do- the one Zeke, Shauna, Uriah, Christina, Will, Marlene, Lynn, Tobias and I sit at- without realising that someone else is also sitting there- someone named Eric.
"Hi Tris!" He says, seeming a bit happy for Eric.
"Uh- hi Eric." I sigh. "I'm moving." I stand up to leave but Eric shakes his head.
"Stay, I wanted to talk to you." He tells me and although hesitant I sit back down.
"The muffins are good today, right?" He smirks at me and I lose my patience.
"Are you going to tell me something? I'm busy Eric."
"It's 5.30am."
"I'm still busy." I snap. He doesn't look convinced but he does tell me.
He explains that the leaders of the factions are having a meeting at two in the morning at an old fashioned hall near the end of the train track (Amity's direction) and they have asked me to attend as they think I'd be a great Dauntless leader and I can always swap jobs. He leaves immediately giving me no time to answer and I get the feeling that no isn't really an option. What harm can it do anyway? I'll just go and say "no thanks. I don't really like this" (because if Tobias was ever right about anything it was that if you're divergent you should really not go into leadership. They will easily figure out your secret.) Also, I'll get to see my father, and rumour has it that Jeanine Matthews has taken a liking to my brother Caleb so maybe she invited him along as Eric has invited me and I'll see him too! Yes, I've decided. I will go.
As I sit at the table thinking, I feel a tap on my shoulders and turn around to see Christina and Will at one and Uriah (with Marlene in view a few steps behind him) at the other.
Christina sits beside me giggling and rambling on about skorts, and flowers in the hair vs bows in the hair. Marlene sits on my other side and is quite quiet eating her muffin, only making the occasional comment, while Uriah sits opposite me and talks to Will who is so obviously not listening. He clearly only has eyes for Christina. I raise my eyebrows at Uriah, subtly jerking my head at Christina when she isn't looking and he bursts out laughing, making everyone look at him and he just continues laughing!
"Honestly Uriah. Stop being so immature!" I tease and he comes around to my side of the table and before I can protest he picks me up and hangs me upside down, clinging onto my feet. I am giggling hysterically when I see a figure approaching. Even upside down I can see that it's Tobias.
"Put me down Uriah!" I squeal then quieter- "Four's coming."
Uriah carefully puts me down, and both of us trying to stifle our laughter we return to our seats, Tobias sending Uriah a death glare. Seeing as Marlene is next to me and knowing him he won't want to sit alone on the girl's side he now has to sit next to Uriah so call me an Amity but I don't want to be here to see that!
"Bye guys, I've got to go... Work." I say. Marlene, Will and Christina say bye back but Tobias raises his eyebrows at me, he knows my shift doesn't start for another hour. As I stand up to go Uriah tells me to "hold up a second."
"If everyone else wants to do this too, I was talking to Zeke and Shauna, and they said they'd love for us all to hang out tonight. We can play Dauntless or Candor."
Everyone else replies with either a "hell, yeah", "sure", or "sounds good" so I nod although I have no idea what Dauntless or Candor is.
"Tonight at Zeke's, 8pm?" We all nod, then I say bye again quickly before I turn on my heel and walk out.
I don't want to go back to Tobias' and mine apartment because he can walk in and I kind of want time alone. I have my own apartment of course, that I got given when I passed initiation. I've kept the key for the apartment on my key chain ever since I got it, since I've always suspected that Tobias will realise how ugly I am and how much better off he'd be with someone else. Until now though I haven't been in my apartment because as soon as I passed initiation I moved in with Tobias.
I find that my feet have walked me there and I unlock the door. Apart from the fact that it is completely void of furniture, it is a mirrored version of Tobias' apartment. I suppose because we both came first in our initiate classes.
I lock myself in and sit down on the floor, not doing much, just waiting. Suddenly and without warning my mind starts running through last Tuesday.
As usual these days Tobias was lecturing me and getting up to leave, I felt a burning on my cheek. He slapped me!
"Stay there!" He murmured and I backed down because he is really scary when he's quiet. "Don't you ever, ever dare to do that. Stop putting yourself in danger." I didn't even argue. I just clung to my aching cheek. I may be in Dauntless but slaps still hurt! We're not invincible.
I shut my eyes and clear my head. Focussing on nothing. It relaxes me for a while, until I open my eyes and look at my watch. I'm late for my shift. I practically run down to the tattoo parlour however when I arrive it's not even open yet. I guess Tori had a lie in. No. There's a note.
Tattoo Parlour closed for a week from 21st as Tori is away on business. See ya later suckers!
Well, that sounded like Tori. Very professional, Note the sarcasm!
What am I gonna do now? I can't very well spend all day hiding from Tobias. I sneakily head back down to breakfast and see that he's gone, as well as Uriah, and Lynn hasn't shown up but everyone else is there.
"Hey guys." I say, slipping into the seat next to Christina again.
"Thought you had work." Will says.
"The tattoo parlour's closed today."
"And you took an hour and a half to walk back here?" Zeke asks.
"Oh go away Zeke." I beg and swat at him.
"You want to go see Four?" He questions. "Although I suppose you were with him this whole time..."
"Uh, yeah." I say uncertainly. Christina looks at me like she's really worried about me and says,
"Let's have a girl day then! Shopping, makeovers and stuff until the game of Dauntless or Candor."
Girl day...makeovers...shopping. Those words don't sound great to me but Christina's already up and pulling me along behind her. I wave quickly at the others and then hurry along beside her. We spend the whole morning shopping in every shop imaginable. Clothes, shoes, make-up, bags and the most embarrassing- underwear!
At lunch we go to a restaurant and talk, but avoid the subject of Tobias since Christina seems to realise that I'm a bit upset.
"Hey, Christina?" I say in a whisper when the waitress disappears.
"Yeah Tris?" She responds as quietly, probably hoping I'm going to tell her a secret.
"What is Dauntless or Candor?" I ask and her reaction makes me want to burst out laughing! First she laughs, then when she realises I'm being serious her eyes widen in shock and her mouth gapes open.
"Really?" She questions even quieter than before. I nod.
"Seriously? Abnegation don't play that? I'm pretty sure all teens in every other faction- even Erudite - play it!"
"Playing games when you're a teenager is selfish. You're having fun when you could be helping others. Now just tell me!" I moan.
"Okay! Okay! So basically they say candor or dauntless and you pick one. If you say candor then they ask you a question and you have to answer honestly. If you say dauntless they give you a dare and you have to do it."
"What happens if you don't do it?" I ask, intrigued.
"You have to take off a piece of clothing."
I put my hand over my mouth in shock. "In front of everyone?" She nods. "Why did I say I would do this?" I cry out in despair.
"Oh come on Tris! It'll be fun!" She tells me but then the food arrives so we eat.
After we've eaten we head to Christina and Will's apartment and find him asleep on the couch. Christina wakes him up quite roughly then orders him out! I wouldn't dare do that with Tobias.
Once Will has left we sit on the couch and do the makeovers using Christina's FIVE full to the brim boxes of makeup PLUS all the makeup we bought today. I also get changed into one of the pairs of black short-shorts and a tight black shirt with a tiny bit of red on it. I flat out refuse to wear any of the sexy, black, lace underwear Christine bought me though. Next Christina straightens my hair and then we redo a bit of our makeup. By the time we're both done we still have a little time left until the game of Dauntless or Candor so we decide to start watching a movie.
"Are you and Tobias doing okay?" She asks.
"What? Of course we are. Why would you ask that?" I panic. Who told her?
"I hadn't heard anything. You just don't seem so close anymore." She says casually but I notice some suspicion in her voice.
"Well... Oh look! I love this bit!" I shout, trying to get the attention away from me. Christina frowns at me and rolls her eyes but focuses back on the TV.
"Hey ladies!" Uriah opens Zeke and Shauna's apartment door at ten to eight and invites us in. I spot Zeke and Shauna snuggled up together on a chair (of course!), Will, Marlene and Caleb are also in the apartment.
"Wait, Caleb?" I shout out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
He comes over to me and says quietly "I have a meeting later on. When your friends spotted me they dragged me here!" We stand still for a moment. We've hardly ever hugged. Abnegation just don't do it. But we're not Abnegation anymore. I give him a hug and he returns it. Before he heads back over to sit down he whispers in my ear "what are you wearing?" And I respond "my best friend Christina gave me a makeover." As way of explanation. He smiles at me a little and then heads back over to sit down. A moment later Lynn bursts into the apartment, then at exactly eight o'clock Tobias enters. He comes over to sit next to me.
We all sit in a circle: Tobias on one side of me, Christina on the other, Will next to Christina, Caleb next to Will, Uriah next to Caleb, then Zeke, then Shauna, then Lynn, then Marlene, then back to Tobias, but they leave a little gap.
The door opens a last time and in walks...Peter?
"What is he doing here?" I ask. I mean sure, Peter's got a little better however I will never forgive him for trying to throw me off the chasm and murder me!
"He's gonna play. He asked." Uriah explains. Peter sits down in the gap between Tobias and Marlene. The silence is starting to grow extremely awkward when Zeke says "since this is my apartment I'll ask first."
"Four, Dauntless or Candor?"
Tobias thinks for a moment then says Candor.
"Baby!" Zeke says but he's clearly joking. "Okay, what's your real name?"
Four shakes his head and pulls off his shirt- but I don't even stare at his body in admiration as I used to do.
"Uriah, Dauntless or Candor?" Tobias asks as he wraps his arm around me.
"Dauntless! I'm no pansycake!" Uriah declares and sticks his tongue out at my boyfriend.
Tobias says that Uriah has to change into his onesie, borrow Christina's extensions, put his hair up into pigtails and then run down to the pit yelling "I look bootylicius!" and then start singing the lyrics to some song from the early 21st century called "bootylicious"!
Uriah gives Tobias a weird look (well, we all do. I mean, my macho boyfriend knows the lyrics to a 21st century song- called bootylicious?!) Tobias just shrugs and puts the song on so we can all listen.
When the song's over everyone just stares at him and then we all burst out laughing but Uriah runs off to his room and when he returns it is wearing a Bratz onesie and with his hair in pigtails. By this point we're all rolling around on the floor laughing and Caleb states "you Dauntless really do get up to some weird things!" before laughing like an Amity too.
As Uriah heads down to the pit (with Will and Marlene accompanying him to check that he doesn't chicken out), the rest of us decide to continue the game.
"I'll take Uriah's turn." Lynn declares. Zeke looks like he's about to protest but closes his mouth abruptly when Lynn glares at him. "Shauna, Dauntless or Candor?"
Shauna scoffs before answering "Dauntless…duh, pig-brain..." Lynn ignores the insult and instead asks,
"Tell us four of your worst fears, Shauna."
Shauna's face goes a slightly lighter shade but she answers, "Fire, getting old or injured so being factionless, being kidnapped and…" She whispers the last one, "Zeke asking another girl out." Zeke punches her (lightly) and tells her to quit being stupid, and then the two of them start to make out.
"Seriously? This again?" Christina groans and turns to Will to start kissing him, only to realise that he's with Uriah.
Thankfully, at that moment Uriah, Will and Marlene run back into the room but the three of them are covered in Dauntless cake, which Uriah is licking off his face.
"Uriah got….verse into….song…they…threw….cake!" Will says as way of explanation, but he can hardly talk- he's choking with laughter. Of course… this sort of spoils the romantic atmosphere, so we go back to playing the game.
I honestly thought that this game would get boring pretty quickly, but it's been almost an hour and a half, and we're still playing. I've been asked twice. The first time I said Candor and I had to give them a review on the pros and cons of making out with Tobias… no need to add that it was Uriah's question. I just got asked again but thankfully it was only Christina and she gave me a pretty tame dare of standing on my head for the duration of the next person's go. I choose Peter and he says dauntless.
I smile playfully as I try to think, which becomes a much more difficult task when you're upside down, by the way. "I dare you to say five nice things about me." Peter growls, but he can't exactly say no, he's only wearing shoes, socks and his boxers.
"Fine," He groans. "You were good at the second stage of training, you were good at the last stage of training-"
"Those count as one!" I interrupt.
"Argh!" Peter moans. "You're not an idiot," Not exactly 'nice' but I'll accept it. "You're tough… for a stiff. You're not afraid to stand up to Eric." Those two basically count as the same, but I need to get down from this position, so I don't interrupt! "And… I guess… you look sort of hot in that." As I sit down Tobias wraps his arm around me, uncomfortably tight.
"Tris," Peter announces. So soon?
"Is that even allowed?" I turn to Christina, who seems to be an expert at this game. "I just asked him something."
She shrugs. "There's no rule against it that I'm aware of."
"I dare you," Peter continues, then scans the room, thinking, planning the best way to upset me. "I dare you to play seven minutes in heaven with Uriah!" He thinks this is his revenge. Little does he know I'm going to enjoy this, because it will upset Tobias. My revenge on him for what he did to me last Tuesday.
"Okay!"
"Tris!" Tobias hisses at me.
"Sorry Four, I just don't want to have to take my top off! Do you really want that?"
"I don't!" Caleb cries out, apparently mortified at the very idea, he so has to be at least a little Abnegation!
"You could just take your socks off." Tobias suggests gently but I hear the prickly danger behind it.
"Nope. Socks and shoes are not allowed." Christina pipes up helpfully.
"Okay, let's go then." I say in Uriah's direction and he stands up hesitantly.
We walk over to the closet and go in, and I don't look back.
"Um, do you really wanna do this Tris?" Uriah whispers as I lean forwards. "We could just wait for seven minutes. I know you don't wanna cheat on Four."
"I thought this is what you wanted." I whisper back, in what I hope is a seductive tone but comes out more growling. We both chuckle quietly at my tone and then he replies
"It is but-"
"But nothing." I interrupt and my lips smash into his. It only takes a second for him to start kissing back. My hands around the back of his neck and his on my waist. He slips his tongue out, asking for entry. I grant it, opening my mouth and let a moan escape as a feeling of immense pleasure rocks through my body. Kissing Tobias was, is, and has never been like this. This feels like paradise!
Uriah's hands slowly slide down from the waist to my bottom and remain there. My instinct is to knock him away, after all I'm scared of intimacy, but this is pretty intimate and when it's Uriah I'm doing this with, it feels natural! His hands start to go up again, and around my front. I bat him away then though, too soon for second base.
"I'm so sorry..." He says.
"Shh... I whisper and gesture to the people behind the door. "It's fine." Then I switch to a joking tone, "I was getting over-excited too. Don't normally let boys touch my butt with the first kiss."
"There's gonna be more kisses?" He says, pulling off seductive way better than I did.
Yes! I want to scream. "No." I whisper instead. "This is a game. I'm dating Tobias and Marlene likes you." I can hardly get the next sentence out without choking. "You should ask her out."
"You can't do that to me, Tris." Uriah mutters. He pulls me close again and once more we start to make out.
Suddenly the door opens and we both jump out of each other's' arms.
"Seven minutes is up, love-birds." Peter jokes, loving the way Tobias looks so upset, but I have a feeling I'm smiling as I give Uriah one last look before bounding over to Tobias.
"I can't believe you actually made out with him!" Tobias whispers, dragging me off to the side.
"Ow!"
"I mean, how could you Tris?" He grips my waist and squeezes far too hard.
"OUCH!"
"You-"
"OW!" I pull away from him and see that even though we were whispering (well, he was), everyone is still staring at us. I guess they're not used to seeing us fight. A day where Tobias and I DON'T fight is one I personally haven't seen in months.
"Look," I declare as Christina ushers everyone out to give us a moment in private. "It was just a dare, Four! It didn't mean anything! Stop getting so worked up about nothing." But I'm lying-it wasn't nothing- and he can tell. He grabs my hand and forcefully pulls me back over so that I'm staring into his eyes.
"But it wasn't just a dare, Tris, and I'm not getting worked up about nothing, AM I?" He sounds choked up but I'm not falling for it. Not this time. "I saw the way you looked at him differently than you did before. I KNOW you love him, because it's the way you used to look at me!" Then I feel the blow. He punched me. I hardly feel it, I knew it was coming and I'm used to it in Dauntless, but that doesn't make this okay. "I'll talk to you properly later." He says finally and storms off. Yeah right, as if I'm going back to his apartment.
Christina and Uriah come racing back in the second he leaves. When Uriah sees the bruise forming on my cheek all hell breaks loose. He starts rambling fast and furiously. I make out the words "Four" "murder" and "destroy".
I sink down onto the floor and Christina comes to sit beside me while Zeke, Peter and Shauna calm Uriah and take him over to a separate corner. Everyone else appears to be trying to decide whether to give me space or come ask me if I'm okay.
"MOVE!" Comes a strong, forceful male voice and for a second I think its Tobias but then Caleb comes crashing through everyone else.
"Oh my god." He says, staring at my two cheeks. It's easier to see that the one that got slapped is still a bit pink with the quickly developing purple bruise on my right cheek. "What the hell did he do?"
"He only punched me. It's fine." I reassure both him and Christina. "I've got hurt way worse in training."
"This is not fine Beatrice!" Caleb shouts.
"Yeah Tris, he's right. This is not fine. You may have got hit way worse in training but this is real life. He can't just go around hitting people. Maybe in a war, but not his girlfriend. That's called abuse!" Christina declares, just as loudly as Caleb.
"Well, this isn't new for me," I accidently let slip. Everyone turns to look at me. So of course I have to explain how this has happened before, how Tobias doesn't want me to hurt myself, how jealous he gets.
Will pushes forward, wraps one arm around me and one around Christina and guides us both back to their apartment, which is close to Zeke and Shauna's. By the time we get to theirs Christina has recovered from her shock and ushers me over to the sofa as Will makes hot chocolate. When he's drunk his, Will announces that he's going to stay at Uriah's apartment tonight. Christina gives him a quick kiss and then sits down next to me on the sofa. We watch two hours of bad TV in an attempt to distract ourselves (well, mainly me). At two am, though, Christiana forces me to take the bed, as she stays on the sofa, and get some sleep. How I am supposed to sleep I don't know, but exhaustion takes over and I manage to… at least for twenty minutes, before I wake up after a nightmare.
I've moved into Uriah's apartment (as roommates only) because I'm not comfortable being in my own apartment which is very close to Tobias'. My friends are almost always with me or I'm at work, so the only places I've seen Tobias in so far are public ones where he knows he can't touch me. I begged them not to but Christina and Will filed a complaint about Tobias with the Dauntless leaders. Being Dauntless, they shrugged it off and said I'm probably over-reacting and I should be able to take a bit of pain. Everyone else was outraged but I didn't care. I'm happy now. I have amazing friends, two jobs (at the tattoo parlour and training transfer initiates- which Will has taken over from Tobias as helping me with (when they move to Dauntless)) which I love, I get to see my family all the time because both my brother and my father are now on the council (and wherever my father goes, my mother does too). (I rejected the government offer myself because I felt like it was too much for me to handle right now.) My life can't really get much better. Except for one thing. I stare at him across the table, laughing as he and Marlene (who have decided to just remain friends) have a competition to see who can eat their Dauntless Cake the fastest. Suddenly he looks up and our eyes meet- he saw me staring at him. I feel my face heat up and turn back to my food, stuffing cake in my mouth to hide my embarrassment. Uriah's lips quirk up at the edges and then he stands up, walks around to my side of the table and grabs my hand.
A few minutes later we're sat on the net together, in a comfortable silence.
"Uriah," I say with urgency out of nowhere.
"What?" He might have been about to say, but he doesn't get to, because my lips press against his, kissing him, and then he kisses me back, hesitantly at first but with passion after a few seconds.
"Does this mean we're together now?" He asks between kisses.
I roll my eyes and smirk against his lips. "Duh!"