Chapter 3
"Celebratory C or D at mine! 5:00 sharp! Friends- be there or else! Everyone else- stay away or else!" Zeke stepped down from the raised platform and came over to our little group. "You are coming right guys?!" "Course bro!" Uri immediately replied with his mouth still full of muffin and spraying the whole table with bits of chocolate cake. Tobias wiped it off his face and smeared it all over Uriah's. The table followed suit and soon Uriah looked like the chocolate monster. We all replied with nods and quiet 'yeses' to Zeke's invitation.
"What is C or D?" I whispered to Tobias. "It's like truth or dare." He replied. I raised my eyebrows, "That doesn't help, Abnegation don't play games. You know that." "Oh yeah, sorry. It's where we take it in turns to ask each other truths or dares and if you don't want to do it you remove a piece of clothing." That clears that up a little but I was still slightly confused.
"You know what this means don't you?!" Said Christina in my ear. I shook my head, brow furrowed. "Shopping!" She shouted loud enough for the whole canteen to hear. I found myself being dragged from the table and out of the double doors. Christina was saying something technical about shopping but I didn't register it and so got a slap when I didn't answer her questions, or indeed even know what they were.
After three hours of shopping (or torture depending on your frame of mind), I was struggling through the door of our apartment with about ten bags from various shops in the pit. I finally got in, dumped my bags and collapsed on the sofa for a well earned rest. "Come on- up up!" I groaned loudly as Tobias spoke in my ear. It was only 4:15 so I though I deserved a rest before facing the horrible task of getting ready. "I can see what you're thinking but you take long showers and Zeke will kill us if we're late!"
45 minutes later, at 5:00 sharp, we stood outside Zeke's door. The door opened and out stepped Zeke who with a low bow, invited us in. "So everyone's here, let's start!" Uriah looked eager to get going. "My house, I start!" Zeke shouted in the virtually silent room."Dude- unnecessary!" Shauna looked angrily at her boyfriend sitting next to her. "Are you trying to like kill my ears?!" Zeke shrugged meekly.
"My dearest brother- Candor or Dauntless?" Uriah just looked at him and his eyes quite plainly said 'really?'. "Ok, point taken. I dare you to egg the next girl to walk past!" Uriah grinned and went to get an egg. He leaned out of the apartment and suddenly lobed the egg. He quickly slammed the door and calmly sat back down. "Who was it? Did she see you?" "It was Eric's girlfriend- I don't even know her name and no she didn't see me; I am a master egger!"
"Right," His eyes skimmed around the circle and landed on... Me! "Tris- Candor or Dauntless?" "Uhhhhhhhhh, Cand... Dauntless..." "That a hard one? You don't sound so sure!" Tobias was teasing me with a joke that only we understood. I smiled stupidly and everyone else looked at us strangely. "Anyway, dauntless, let me think... Ah got it- lick Zeke's toilet." Uriah looked pleased with himself. "Zeke, do you clean your toilet?" I was unsure. "You're supposed to clean toilets?!" Zeke looked genuinely surprised. "Then definitely not! What if you don't want to do a dare?" "You have to remove a piece of clothing but not shoes or socks. And bro, even I know you're supposed to clean toilets, I don't but I know you're supposed to." Everyone, including Mar seemed grossed out by Uriah's statement. Well I definitely wasn't going to do that dare so I removed my sweater revealing a black tank top underneath.
"Tris, your turn." Tobias reminded me. "Oh ok- Lynn, Candor or-" "Dauntless!" She interrupted. "Ummmmm," I tried to think of a decent dare but nothing came to mind. Tobias leant across and started whispering in my ear. "Got it!" I exclaimed, "Kiss everyone in the room except me and Four." She seemed to consider her options. "Cheek of lips?" Should I be mean? "Lips!" Yes, I would be mean. "Ok, fine." She travelled around the circle kissing each person on the lips and deliberately stepping on my toes as she passed. Was that girl ever not grumpy? She got back to her seat and her eyes landed on Tobias. Then Uriah spoke up: "Nice dare Tris but Lynn's about to take it out on your boyfriend!"
"Four," Lynn said in a honeyed voice. "Candor or Dauntless?" He hesitated- face an angry Lynn or be the first to pick Candor? "Dauntless." "Good, go down to the pit in Zeke's unicorn outfit, go into the lingerie store and ask the person at the desk if they have a thong to match your mane." Everyone was hiding laughter except Zeke who wasn't even trying and who's giggles set off everyone else. "I'm sorry," Tobias said whilst removing his leather jacket, "but I know the girl who works their and she doesn't find Candor or Dauntless funny- she'd probably punch me in the face!"
"Two pansycakes in the house and it's not even 6:00 yet!" Uriah exclaimed. "Will Candor or Dauntless?" Will was quick to reply with Dauntless. "Do the cinnamon challenge." Four said nonchalantly. Will nodded and Zeke went to get the cinnamon. "You do know that the chemicals in cinnamon dry out your salivary glands and make it impossible to swallow right?" Tobias nodded and Chris gently touched Will's arm, "Your Erudite is showing darling." Zeke returned with the cinnamon and Will was about to put it in his mouth when Zeke stopped him, "Dude- not on the carpet!" Will moved in to the kitchen, "Better?" "Much!" We all laughed at Zeke being so house conscious but maybe he was making up for the toilet incident. Will closed his eyes and put the spoon into his mouth. His Adam's apple bobbed while he tried to swallow, he lasted about 10 seconds until he spat it out in a great cloud of orange powder which made us all sneeze. "Happy?" Will asked Four, " Very!" He replied grinning.
I was still slightly bewildered by the whole concept of this game but I was starting to have fun. "Chris, old faction or new one?" Will had an evil glint in his eye while looking at his girlfriend. I didn't think this would end well! "I'm Dauntless baby!" Chris shouted for the whole room (more like floor) to hear. "Ok, ok! Let Uriah dye your hair. Green!" Chris considered, I know what I would have done- hell no! "Ok," she hesitated, "Ok I guess. And Uri darling, if you kill my hair- I will kill you!" She dragged Uriah by the shirt in to Zeke's bathroom. "How do you know there's any dye?" Uriah asked. She simply replied with: "We're at Zeke's." They disappeared and Chris slammed the door shut.
"Well they'll be gone for a while so let's play never have I ever!" Lynn suggested. Zeke ran to get shots and I was completely and utterly confudled. All around me everyone was moving into a small circle around a coffee table with loads and loads of shots. "Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" I was standing awkwardly in the corner and everyone looked around with surprise. "Oh yeah," the penny dropped and Tobias realised, "Abnegation- no games. So what happens is: we go around is a circle and say something that we've never done and if anyone has done it they take a shot. Understand?" I nod uncertain. "I start!" Of course Zeke would want to go first. "Never have I ever dressed as a rainbow for Halloween..." He looked slyly at Marlene who had just taken a shot. "I was eight!" She cried and covered her face in her hands, obviously embarrassed. Next Shauna said "Never have I ever eaten Amity bread." Zeke took a shot and simply said "It was a dare." I can imagine Zeke would do anything for a dare! "Never have I ever dated my instructor..." Lynn looked slyly at me as she said this and I took a shot apprehensively. As I tipped the liquid down my throat, I gagged and almost spat it out again. The liquid was burning hit and tasted sour, I swallowed with difficulty then glared at Lynn who just shrugged. Next was Marl who had never eaten grass, Tobias and Zeke took a shot and Shauna explained: double dare. With Uri and Chris gone, it was Will's turn. I was still thinking of what I'd never done that other people would have. Tobias elbowed me and drew me out of my daze. "You have haven't you?" Uh oh- Will must have said something that I'd done and now everyone was staring at me. My face felt hot and I could knew how red it would be. " I said," Will repeated, "never have I ever worn Abnegation grey." "Oh right of course." I took a shot but then something else occurred to me, I looked over to Tobias wondering whether he took a shot his eyes told the tale- no.
"What's going on?" Chris strutted in with dark green hair. It looked truly awful. "And if anyone mentions the hair I will pummel them!" "We were playing never have I ever but you just interrupted." Zeke replied through a mouthful of crisps. Uriah and Chris flopped down and everyone looked expectantly to me. "Never have I ever... errrrrr... Been drunk." Everyone took a shot and tipped it back. "Bad move Prior, you're gonna fall over by the end of the night!" Uri exclaimed with a cheeky smile. Uh oh. I immediately regretted that.
"Come on," whined Chris "It's my turn!" We all turned to her and her eyes skimmed around the circle, selecting a victim. Her brown eyes landed on Tobias. "Four, Candor or Dauntless?" "Dauntless" said Tobias nonchalantly. A wicked smile spread across Chris' face which, teamed with the green hair gave a rather witchly impression. "I really don't want to face an angry Chris so I'm going Candor.." I mentally face palmed- my Dauntless prodigy the first to go for Candor and with a slightly drunk Uriah across the circle... Not good. "Awwww, is the little Foury Woury scared?" Asked Uriah in a patronising babyish voice. I reached over and slapped him, hard. "Ok, an easy one for you: who knows your real name?" Tobias considered, "In the world or the compound?" Asked Tobias, considering his options. "I don't want to be here all night so the compound." Chris replied, looking at her hair using her phone as a mirror and tweaking it slightly. "Ok, ummm, Max, Tori and uhhh Tris." He answered slowly. I was immediately avalanched by masses of questions, mostly along the lines of 'Really?! You know his name?! Awwww he must really love you!' I nod smiling.
"Oh good lord!" Zeke exclaimed, "It's 2:30 in the morning! Jeez!" We all check phones, not trusting Zeke's time telling skills and certain he was wrong. He was- it was 1:30, dimwit. "Ok, my turn," Tobias said. "Uri C or D?" Uri immediately shouted "DAUNTLESS BITCHES!" "Ok, drink a whole bottle of lime juice, at once! Uri swallowed then pulled off his black T-shirt shaking his head, "I have a bad history with lime juice..." I had an idea for Uriah's next truth...
"Ok, my turn... Ummmm, Lynn- Candor or Dauntless?" Heads swiveled to her as she shook her shaven head. "I'm tired so Candor." Uriah fake gasped and Zeke clutched his heart at the sound of Lynn- the most dauntless Dauntless refusing a dare. When she glowered at them, they stopped and Uriah said, "Ok pansycak-" but he was cut off by a flying cushion that hit him square in the face. "I. Am. Not. A. Pansycake." Said Lynn, quite calmly but with menace in her voice. "Ok, ok! No pansycakes here... If you hadn't stayed in Dauntless, where would you be now?" Wow! Uriah came up with a good question- I would have to remember to congratulate him later. "Well probably Candor because I like the idea of no manipulation you know?"
That makes me think, if I wasn't Dauntless- where would I be? Candor? No, the truth I wasn't really my thing. Amity? No, all that happy clappy crap would drive me up the wall. Erudite? Yes, I was knowledgeable and intelligent. Abnegation? Yes, I was selfless and I loved the calm routine. I was brave, I was divergent, and if anyone found out, I was dead. At this thought, a huge sob racked my body and Tobias jumped next to me. He was quick to react and soon I had an arm around my shoulder and was crying uncontrollably on his shoulder. "Guys, Tris is tired, we should probably head back." He picked me up and together we swept out of the apartment.
I only stopped crying at the thought of being found at the bottom of the chasm when we were back at his apartment and was sat on his sofa with a mug of hot, sweet tea. "So what happened?" Tobias looked concerned which made the thought of being snatched away from him even worse. "What if they find me? What if-" I was interrupted, "I won't let that happen, I promise."
By the time I'd fully calmed down, Tobias wouldn't let me walk back to the dorms on my own so I slept at his apartment but unlike the time I was attacked, we both slept in the bed.