[Be Brave] Chapter 1
Tris has become accustomed to life in Dauntless, but when secrets from generations past surface, she and Tobias must rely on each other to piece together the clues before their world comes crashing down. Action/adventure with plenty of swoony romance. Set after Initiation, with no war… yet. Fourtris, obviously.
Please note: At some point, this will contain spoilers from Insurgent and Allegiant. Read at your own risk.
Disclaimer: I own nothing that the ultra brilliant Veronica Roth has created from her crafty genius mind.
Tris POV
"We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another." – excerpt from the Dauntless Manifesto
Bravery. I'm in love with the idea that even the smallest person can have an impact when they stand up for another and defend what is right. Bravery is something that appeals to me and it's something I've always had in me. It wasn't until becoming a member of Dauntless that I realized the capacity of it in me. It is a driving force behind what I do.
Tobias once told me that there wasn't much of a difference between selflessness and bravery. I think that is what I love most about it; that bravery connects my old life to my new life.
I can be brave, and because of that, I can be me.
Now that a few months have passed, life in Dauntless was starting to feel pretty normal. After placing first in my initiation class, I was the first to pick my profession the day after initiation. I could pick whatever I wanted to do – which was a completely new concept after growing up Abnegation. Initially, I ended up choosing to be a trainer. The top two initiates from every class are put in a pool and the leaders pick members from that pool to train the new initiates every year. I figured it would be a good place to start, especially if that was what would be expected of me in the years to come. Continuing to build muscle would be good for me, because although initiation training put us through the ringer and back, I still had a long way to go. Besides, it was one of the parts I loved best about Dauntless – being strong and feeling strong – and I hoped that I could learn enough to help others feel the same way too.
However, doing the whole trainer thing was a lot harder than I thought it would be. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. I'm used to hard work and pushing myself to do my best, but there were complications that came with the job. For the first month or two, I spent most of my time in training classes and shadowing some of the trainers who were higher up in the system. At the beginning it felt a bit repetitive because I had just come from weeks of initiate training where I learned it. But the material got more and more complex, sometimes to the point where I couldn't even tell you what I had learned. Thankfully, Uriah had also chosen the same profession as me, so we were able to keep each other sane and understand it enough to pass our Level One Trainer course. While the work was hard, I was building muscle and feeling stronger every day.
That became my daily routine. I'd wake up and train, go to class, train some more or work with my appointments, and occasionally when it was my turn on duty, I'd clean the training center to prepare for the next day to do it all over again. But the best part of my day didn't involve training. The best part of the day was the moment I got off work and ran, always with a sudden burst of energy, to be with Tobias.
Tobias, I think and smile to myself. I cannot imagine my life without him, and sometimes I wonder how I managed to ever live without him.
Our relationship had progressed in the best of ways in the months that we've been together. We know each other so well. He is my best friend and my love. He is my favorite part of the day, and I'm pretty sure he will always be.
Becoming Dauntless was the best decision of my life. I have made so many friends who are also finding where they belong here. It's a journey that we've all taken together and it has made us close. Christina is my closest friend, and after we were both initiated, we got an apartment together. Christina spends her days working as a nurse in the infirmary. For all the wounds and injuries she puts up with every day, she still manages to look fabulous. Will also works in the infirmary, training under the careful watch of Doc, an Amity transfer. With Will's Erudite background, he was able to pick up many concepts quickly, and he is on his way to becoming a great doctor and healer for our faction. Will and Christina have been dating ever since initiate training, and things are getting pretty serious. I'm sure that they will be engaged, if not married within the year. As for Peter, he couldn't stand being within the confines of the compound, so he voluntarily took a position guarding the fence. He thinks that he can get away with quite a bit being that far away from the rest of us, but Lynn does a pretty great job of keeping him in line… and recounting the stories to us of her doing so. Marlene has become an astounding mixologist and works in the Dauntless bar, pouring drinks and breaking hearts. While it never quite worked out with Uriah, Marlene and Lynn seem to have a decent relationship, and they balance each other surprisingly well. Uriah is working with me to become a full-time trainer. I secretly think that he chose this path, following in the footsteps of his older brother Zeke, because he eventually wants to be a Dauntless leader. I hope to see him hold a position when he gets older, but right now, I'm glad that he's not working with our current leaders.
I shudder at the thought. While it's been relatively calm these past few months, there are whispers of suspicions that travel throughout the Dauntless complex. Tobias tells me to ignore them, although I can sense that he is wary too. The thought of it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
These thoughts run through my head as one of the Level Three trainers is explaining a complicated new interval set to me. My head feels like it is about to burst. I listen and nod when appropriate, silently counting the minutes till she is done talking. Recently, I have been feeling like this most days as a trainer, but I push that thought to the back of my mind. I put the name of the interval set in my memory for later, so that I can have Uriah help me when I'm feeling more comprehensive. Once she is done explaining the set to me, I finish with the training exercises I have planned for the night. Unlike most other nights, I don't have any training appointments scheduled, which means I can leave as soon as my own training is done. I try my best not to rush through them, but the thought of spending more time with Tobias keeps me focused and timely.
I finish with my exercises, cleaning myself off a bit and rush towards the dining hall, picking up some dinner to go along the way. I decide to surprise him with food and most importantly, chocolate cake. I make my way through the Pit and up and around the walls until I stop in front of the door to the Control Room. I open it slowly, spotting him instantly.
He is staring at the computer screen, eyebrows knit in concentration as his fingers type away at a dizzying speed. He leans back, stretching his arms overhead and yawning. As he does that, the hem of his shirt comes up just a bit and I catch a peek of the smooth skin of his abdomen. It brings a certain warmth to my body and I can't help but smile. I close the door behind me, and he must hear the click of the door shutting, because he turns his head toward me and our eyes meet as his smile matches mine.
It's easy to get lost in the deep blue pools of his eyes. At this moment, they look so full of life, like he just woke up from a long rest. He still looks at me like he's seeing me for the first time, exactly the way he did as he helped me out of the net after I made the jump that changed my life. I blush and silently hope he'll never stop looking at me that way ever.
Yay! It's the first of many chapters. Please let me know what you think! This chapter is more of a prologue/catch-up/see where everyone is at this point in time chapter, which is why I didn't include dialogue. I will be trying to update at least twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays) for the first couple weeks to get this story rolling. I'm super excited to be back into writing and I hope that you'll accompany me on this journey too – I'd love the input!
Be brave,
Tara