I pick up the pistol that's lying on the table, and walk back to my spot at the line. I prepare to open fire when the instructor - named Jason - says to. "Ready and aim," Jason says. I inhale as I aim. "Fire!" Exhaling, I press my finger to the trigger and watch in almost slow-motion as the bullet travels to the target, and misses the center by just inches. Jason walks over to me. "Very good, Tris."

"Thanks, Jason." I give him a tiny smile, though I don't really like it when people compliment me, or, at least, not in this situation. I can tell that the other faction members are wondering whether or not Jason favors me above them. This fake favoring (or not fake, I don't know yet) could either benefit or harm me later on. Only time will tell.

After a few more rounds of shooting - and a few more rounds of being just inches off - I finally land the perfect shot, right in the middle of the target. I smile, genuinely, at my personal success. Now, if only I could do this every time...

"Very good, Tris." I turn to see who said this, because it obviously wasn't Jason. It's one of the newer faction members, Darin. "You finally made the shot."

"I know." I carefully look him over. He has dark hair and light green eyes. "It's a miracle, isn't it? I thought I'd never get a spot-on hit." We both laugh.

Jason walks over to Darin. "Get back to your line, Stiff. Training isn't over." Oh, that's right. Darin's from Abnegation, too. Darin tenses up, I can tell, but he obeys Jason and walks back to his line, aiming for another hit.

Soon after this, training is over - and Darin follows me out of the room. I turn to look at him. "What is it?"

"Nothing, I just..." He pauses, his eyes cautious. "Never mind." He looks at me for a few more seconds, and then he turns and jogs out of the room, and out another exit. What was that about? I wonder worriedly.

I make my way to the tattoo parlor, where I find Tori. She's drawing an eagle on an initiate's leg. The initiate winces a little, but seeing me, tries to push away the pain. I know it hurts to get a tattoo; I got one when I was an initiate, too. "Um, Tori?"

"Oh, hello, Tris." Tori looks up from the ink eagle. "What can I do for you?"

I scratch my neck with my hand, thinking about just why I came here. I don't really know what I want to ask her, but I let whatever it is that's on my mind spill out. "Uh, do you know anything about that new member, Darin...? He came from Abnegation, but that's all I know about him."

Tori finishes the eagle, and pats the initiate's shoulder. He gratefully stands, thanks Tori, and leaves. Once he's gone, Tori eyes me seriously. "Darin? Yeah, I know about him. People say he came to Dauntless because his mother mysteriously, well... died."

Death, in Abnegation? That can't be right. "What do you mean she... died?" I ask, my hands trembling. I don't know if I really want to hear what Tori has to say.

"Darin claims he was walking home from school one day with his neighbor, Leah, and they heard screams from inside Darin's house. They went inside, and his mother was dead on the floor, in a pool of fresh blood." She pauses, to let her words sink in. "The only problem was that, well, Darin's father found a knife in Darin's closet a week after... I don't blame the poor boy, though, for retreating into a crowd of brave souls after seeing his mother's body swimming in blood."

"That's very... interesting," I say, not finding a better word. Tori nods.

"Yeah, it was." She smiles for a second, but then her face becomes serious again. "Personally, I think you should stay away from that Darin kid. He seems pretty... I don't know, suspicious..."

I fold my arms across my chest. "Suspicious? He saw his mother's-"

"I know, I know. But the Erudite investigated it, and they found the most likely suspect to be Darin."

"Why, if he was walking home when it happened? Besides, Leah was with him."

"Yes, but Leah could have been forced to take sides with him."

I frown. "Wouldn't the Candor have put them under truth serum?"

"They should have. I don't know why they didn't." Tori pauses again, this time because she's thinking. I can tell I've brought up an interesting fact. "Well, in any case, don't get too close to him."

"Thanks for the help," I say, walking out of the tattoo parlor.