Chapter 3: Flirting with Guns

When dinner is finished, Four leaves and I feel empty somehow. The uneasiness feeling returns and Eric is ushering us transfers down towards the dorms. We reach the door to the dorms and he turns around to face us.

"I'm going to go over some ground rules. First you have to be at training at eight am sharp every day. You will be training from eight to six and will have a break for lunch. After six, you will have free time to do whatever as well as have a little time in between stages of initiation. You are only to leave the compound with a member. Behind me is your dorm where you will be staying throughout your initiation phase," as he's talking he looks around bored until he finds me in the crowd and he stares me in the eye with definitely a lustful look in his eyes before going back to looking around, bored.

"You will be trained seperately from the Dauntless-born but you will all be scored together."

"Why are we being scored?" An Erudite girl asks.

"Rankings or scores determine your job selection order as well as only the best ten of you initiates will be allowed to become full members of Dauntless." People gasp at this news.

"What happens if you're cut?" I hear Peter shout above the whispers that have started.

"You will leave and be factionless." He says before he turns to walk away. As we all file into the dorm area and claim our bunks, I look around to see that everyone that transferred is still the same. Peter, Drew and Molly all get bunks around each other and settle in to talk, probably about who is the real competition around here. Edward and Maya get bunks right next to each other and start getting a little affectionate. I'm about to look away but that pang of jealousy comes out of nowhere again. I turn my head when I hear Christina talking to Will and Al and notice that they have choosen bunks right next to mine and I know that when things start going down I'll be okay this time.

I find I'm quite tired and I fall asleep quite easily once I get into my bunk. I'm momentairly awakened by a strangled sob and look for it's source to find Al. At first seeing him shocks me until I remember what he helped do before he decided that he'd rather be dead than try to continue on living. I close my eyes and drift off into a wonderful dream about my Tobias. We are woken up by Four the next morning and I blush hearing his voice after the very plesant dreams I had the night before. Everyone gets dressed and grabs a quick breakfast before we head to the training room to start. This morning we're going to learn how to shoot a gun and after lunch we're going to work on fighting.

"Your initiation is divided into two stages where your progress will be recorded and scored according to your performance in each stage. The stages are not scored equally so it is possible, although very hard, to improve your rank and go from last to first. Each stage is ment to prepare you for different situations under different circumstances therefore eliminating cowardice, allowing you to act under extreme pressures without failing." I feel like he's talking directly to me on this last part. Four turns to the targets and takes his stance then fires three rounds into the center of the target before turning back to us.

"Grab a gun and head towards a target, let's see how you guys do." He gives me a sly wink as he says the last part. Is he actually trying to flirt with me by taunting me? How I didn't realize this before is a mystery to me. Okay, I'll show him exactly what I can do I think as I grab my gun and stand before my target area. I raise the rifle up and place the butt against my shoulder. Judging it's weight against my body weight there definitely will be a kickback, I just have to be ready so it doesn't knock me off balance. I look through the scope attached to the powerful weapon in my hands, take a deep breath and fire off four shots. The first shot missed the center circle by a millimeter while the other three hit in decending order in the middle of the target. Four snaps his head toward me once I hit the target then shakes his head slightly. I come from Abnegation where we would never dare to fire a weapon so it is odd to see a girl from Abnegation not only hold the rifle so confidently like I was born to shoot from it, but to shoot it well, is quite unusual. I heed his warning and remember to shoot off to the side of the target more so as not to call unwanted attention to myself.

After a while, Four announces it's time to break for lunch and everyone heads towards the cafeteria. I notice Four is staying to put the guns away before he sets up for fighting. Christina and Will have already left so I hang back from the group until it's just Four and myself left in the training room. I watch as he unclips magazines from the guns and make sure there's nothing in the chamber before sitting each off to the side.

"If you're going to stick around, maybe you could help out." He calls out to me, breaking me out of my daze.

"Sure." I say as I make my way over towards him. I make my way in front of him then turn myself so that I am facing towards him while we work on the guns. Things are silent between us for a few minutes before he breaks it.

"How do you know how to shoot like that?" Four asks while sitting down the guns and magazines over at the weapons cabinet.

"What do you mean?" I counter, trying to sound innocent.

"You know what I mean, Tris." He turns to look at me and I am very aware of the fact that I could lean in just a few inches and his lips would be on mine, sparking the electric charge between us, and fueling this fire that threatens to consume me. I decide that it's time to start testing my boundaries and look up at him in a sultry way.

"Have you ever had a feeling like you've done something before but can't remember how you've done it?" I ask, leaning in a little.

"Not really, either you've done something or you haven't." He replys leaning in a little closer to me, so close that his lips are almost on mine and I smile coyly.

"Well, it's kind of like this- I have this feeling like you and I have met before, like there's some kind of unseen force trying to draw me to you." I'm going to try to lay it out there, let's hope he takes the bait.

"Really, is that what this is that we're feeling?" His breath comes out a whisper on my lips and I let out a small sigh of content. Time to be brave and go for it.

"Definitely." I reply back before I close the small gap between us and place my lips on his. For a moment he's completely shocked and stands still, like he's debating if he should be doing this, before he wraps his arms around my waist and gives in. Our mouths part and I slip my tounge past his lips to find his waiting for me willingly, both of our tounges slowly fighting for dominance. We break apart for air but he still has me wrapped in his arms.

"You didn't answer my question." He says a little breathless.

"I promise I'll explain soon but for now, you're just going to have to trust me, T-Four." I almost slipped. I can't afford to slip any information before he's ready for it or it could turn him the opposite way running when I attempt to explain everything. He looks into my face with questions burning his facial features but is silent for a few seconds.

"I feel it, you know; it's like somthing is trying to pull me to you too, Tris, and I can't explain it. I shouldn't be doing this though, it's inappropriate with me being your instructor." He untangles his arms from around my waist and starts out the door. Well, that could have gone better I think to myself as I head towards the cafeteria before I miss lunch; I'm definitely going to need my strength for the next half of the day.