Chapter 3: Free.

I walk quickly away from the dorm, I'm not sure where I'm going but I know I don't want to be here. I came here to get rid of Amity but it seems to follow me everywhere. I find my way to the chasm and listen as the water crashes into anything it can touch. I lean over the railing and look down into the water. I heard that last year a guy was going to fail initiation and chucked himself over the ledge, I don't think he was alive after that.

"Planning on going for a swim?" Alan asks as he walks up beside me.

I shake my head no, although it is tempting.

"Zach beat the living shit out of him..."

"Oh?" I raise my eyebrow. Zach knew about it, he was the only person I told, he told my parents.

Alan nodded and continued. "Damian's face is pretty busted up. His nose looked broken."

I sink down and let my feet dangle over the chasm, Alan sits beside me and we stay silent for what feels like forever.

"Candor or Dauntless?" he says, breaking the silence.

"Dauntless." I look at him. His hair was a dark brown and his pale green eyes were fixed on the water. He had a soft jaw line and a curved nose, his skin was tan but not too dark. He didn't look Candor, he looked Dauntless.

"Come get a tattoo with me." Alan stands and helps me up.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"Do you really not know what a tattoo is?" he starts walking

"I know what a tattoo is." I glare.

"Then what's the problem?" he laughs.

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We sit in chairs across from each other with tiny machines attached to our forearms. The lady said that a hundred years ago tattoo artists used needles to give tattoos, but now it's more like a printer. The machine was only the size of my hand and it stung a little but it was bearable.

"Candor or Dauntless?" I ask him, watching the tattoo printer light up and go dark again.

"Candor." he replies after thinking for a moment.

"Do you like men?" I blurt out, not thinking about what I'm asking.

I look up at him, he stays silent and doesn't make eye contact. Finally he nods and looks at me.

"Candor or Dauntless?" he asks quietly.

"Candor."

"What's your last name?"

I look down and close my eyes. "Canton."

A girl walks in and removes the machines from our arms. We stand and look at the ink on our forearms, across mine in an old type writer font it reads "Free". On his in the same font it reads "Dauntless". We smile at each other and walk out.

"Candor or Dauntless?" he asks.

"Dauntless." I say, even though it's technically my turn.

"Go back to the dorm and continue playing the game."

I look at him and nod.

XxX{PAGE BREAK}XxX

I stop at the door to the dorm, everyone is still playing the game but go silent when they notice me. Zach stands and takes me out of the room, he hugs me tightly. Out of all the people in my life I know that he is the most understanding. When I told him about my uncle he did the same as he is doing now, hugging me like a mother would.

"He's in the infirmary." he says as he lets go of me, knowing that I've never been much of a hugger. He holds up his right hand to show that his knuckles are bruised. "I told the others that if they said anything they would wind up with a butter knife in their eye like that other guy did last year." he chuckles.

I nod and watch him.

He smiles painfully. "I can't let my little brother get hurt, again."

He has always blamed himself. I remember when I told him, he started crying and saying he was sorry. That he should have noticed.

He took me back inside and we sat back down in the circle, everyone was trying not to make eye contact with me. Finally, the Erudite girl broke the silence.

"Zach, Candor or Dauntless?"