Amber Silverwood:thanks for the review! was super excited to see it as it is the first. Funny story when I was writing all that I was sitting there going why can I not remember any shooting terminology now that I need it! I felt stupid needing to google it so I just went with it haha. I will definitely use recoil instead of kick-back from here on out.

Things are finally starting to get moving and heat up. This is where things will start to change the Divergent story line. You won't see the big changes until Stage 2 begins.


CHAPTER 4:


It's the middle of the night when the screams begin. Someone yells to find the lights as we all jump from our beds to find the source of the screaming. I hear Tris suddenly. "Oh god Edward!"

The lights finally turn on. Someone must have alerted the Dauntless that patrol the pit because Four appears looking rushed and half awake. I look to where I heard Tris' voice and see her holding her hands around Edwards eye to slow the blood from where a knife is protruding. I feel my stomach drop but don't look away as Dauntless members arrive to help Four. They lift Edward and take him off to the infirmary. I see Tris stare at the blood covering her hands and clothes. She looks up and stares hard at Peter who I look to see hasn't moved from his bed and is smirking. That bastard got rid of his competition so he could be first. No one was safe anymore. The war to become a full member of Dauntless and land a good job had truly just begun.


"As Dauntless we fight to protect every life inside the fence without fail. That's why we train you the way we do, to teach you not to give up, and to find out who has what it takes. I know it's been quiet out there a few years, but that could change at any moment. So we have to be ready for everything." Four says to us as we ride the train to the wall.

We exit and walk to the wall and begin the climb up. We can see the Amity farms and the faction members working.

What's out there?" Tris asks.

Monsters" Christina jokes.

Amity farms" Al states obviously.

No, I know. Beyond that" Tris says.

"Places that never recovered from the war" Will guesses.

Do you know?" Tris asks Four.

Let's just say they built the fence for a reason" is his only reply.

We stand there and stare at the mass of land spreading further than the eye can see. Once when I ran away from Candor I though about trying to leave the city. I wondered what could be out there and even if there was nothing I thought at the time it would be a better choice than feeling unwanted at Candor. I had almost packed a bag of food and water to make the trip, but when it came down to it I could not bring myself to leave it all behind. What would my parents of thought if I just left the safety of the city to wander the wasteland beyond, and possibly die alone and starving. They would have been so disappointed is my only answer. They expected great things of me and I was determined to prove that I was capable of doing so to them and everyone back at Candor who saw me as nothing but a nuisance and a pain.


Soon we returned from our field trip back to the compound and entered the training room. The board had been updated and I heard Peter yell in outrage. We walked over to check it out and I froze. There on the board my name and Peter's had been switched. After last night Edward and Myra left to be factionless. Meaning when we started this morning Peter had moved to first in Edwards absence but now I was first.

"How is that even possible you lost your fight?" Peter yells outraged and starts to get in my face.

Before I could give him an answer it was done for me.

"Because fights aren't all we score you on and she is the only initiate farther along in speed and gun ability than anyone else. If she had beat Edward yesterday she would have been first then instead of today after this mornings training" Eric answered as he joined us in the room.

Peter glared at me and I knew from that point forward I was going to need to watch my back… and my front… and my sides… and maybe just not sleep again. Especially after what he was willing to do I order to be ahead of Edward.

That's when we noticed the room had changed and there was a wall of blue gel targets that looked like people against one wall and a cart of glimmering knives laying out as well.

"Today we will be throwing knives" Four announces as he picks one up and hits it dead center of the targets chest and sticks it.

As practice begins we all soon notice Tris is sticking her knives right away. Finally something she is good at to help improve her score, hopefully.

"You're kind of good at this" Christina tells her.

I murmur my agreement as I line up my next shot. I can hit the damn target where it needs to go but the knife won't stick because it keeps over rotating to hit handle first. I sigh in frustration as I crack my knuckles and go to try again.

"Your flicking your wrist at the last second and causing it to over rotate like that" I hear the familiar voice of Eric say from behind me.

I stop from throwing my current knife and look back at him. Then I face the target again and prepare to throw. I concentrate on keeping my wrist from jerking and this time the knife sticks. In amazement I smile with glee and turn to grab more. I turn to thank Eric but his attention has moved onto Al, very unfortunately. Al throws the knife so weakly with almost no effort and it doesn't even hit within 5 feet of the target.

"Well that was pathetic" Eric tells him.

"It slipped" Al tries to say. It's a very bad lie. Al has been detiorating mentally even with his win in the fight against Will and average gun efficiency. His heads not in the game and he's stopped fighting to be here.

"Well go get it!" Eric demands.

"What… while they're throwing?" Al asks obviously scared.

"Are you afraid?"

"Of being stabbed by an airborne knife? Yeah." Oh Al if only you could have decided to keep your mouth shut I think as I see the familiar look Eric got after Christina begged for her fight to stop.

"Everybody stop" Eric calls out and immediately everybody does so as the clattering of knives becomes silence instead.

"Stand in front of the target" Eric tells Al. He does as he is told with his body slumped in fear and anguish.

"Four, give me a hand here" says Eric then he turns back to Al, "You're going to stand there while he throws those knives. And if I see you flinch, you're out".

Then Eric turns to all of us, "One thing you will learn here is that orders are not optional"

Just as Four prepares to throw the first knife Tris opens her mouth. "Stop. Anyone can stand in front of a target, it doesn't prove anything"

Oh Tris. You could have earned so many points back today with knife throwing if you had just stayed quiet is all I can think. I wanted her to make it. Not that I didn't like Al but I felt closer with Christina, Tris and Will.

"Then it should be easy for you to take his place" Eric suggests.

Tris walks over and switches places with Al mumbling to him that it's okay.

"Same rules apply" Eric announces.

Tris takes a deep breath and Four throws his first knife and it hits the target beside Tris's leg.

"Oh come on Four" Eric taunts.

Four tosses his second knife around in his hand before throwing it and it hits the target beside Tris's head this time.

"You can get closer than that" Eric taunts again.

"You want me to give her a little trim?" Four asks. He is tense and irritated. I know he and Eric don't agree or like one another. I'm certain he doesn't agree with throwing knives at any of us as punishment.

"Yeah, maybe just a little off the top" Eric agrees with a smug grin.

Four throws the third knife and it lands on the target only an inch above Tris's head. He then without pausing throws his fourth and final knife and it lands next to her ear. From her gasp and how she touches her ear next we all know it cut her.

"Points for bravery, Stiff. But not as many as you just lost for opening your mouth" Eric informs her, "You watch yourself. We train soldiers, not rebels" Then to all of us he announces, "Alright, we're done for today, get out".

We all leave while Tris stays behind with Four. I can tell she was upset but we could wait for her elsewhere.

"Can you believe that?" Christina asks.

"I wish I could say no" I tell her with a sigh.

We're all quiet on the walk back to the dorm. I soon decide I cannot keep still so I head out of the dorm alone and go up onto the roof where we jumped and just yesterday I was shooting targets. I jump up and sit looking down to where I know the net is waiting. At least if I get blown off the edge it will catch me. I balance and lay back on along the edge with a sigh. Things here were not what I thought they would be but I guess none of us knew what to expect. Not even the Dauntless-born actually know what initiation entails until they are in it.


I do not know how much time passes before I hear the gravel shift as boots approach me. I stay still hoping it's not Peter here to try and kill me. Granted if he did shove me I did already place myself over the net.

"What are you doing out here?" I hear Eric question.

I can tell he's trying to use his leader voice but there is a casual undertone breaking through like he's genuinely curious about me and not just being his scary, asshole leader persona.

"If I didn't know any better I would say you were stalking me" is all I reply.

"It's my job to keep track of all initiates" He says.

"I feel like you do an extra special job of keeping your eyes on me" I do not know what has given me the courage to speak to him this way but just something about him makes me think I do not need to worry like everyone else does about facing the wrath of his actions. Maybe that's stupid and crazy but I am Dauntless.

"I think you are seeing things initiate" he says and I gasp opening my eyes when I realize he is standing right above me, hovering his face over mine.

"Says the guy invading my personal space" I state sitting up to face him forcing him to stand straight.

"You seem to be the only one not afraid of me" is all he says looking down at me.

It was not the answer I expected and it throws me off guard for a second. "Well why should I be? Sure it's your job as leader and trainer to act tough to make us prove ourselves but I do not think that necessarily makes you a complete asshole" and there it was. I had just said it aloud.

"So you do think I'm an ass?" he questions and I cannot believe my eyes when I see he is smiling teasingly back at me.

"Sometimes, well lately most times. You did try to kill 2 of my friends already and I have only known you 3 days" I reply truthfully.

"Careful Aria, your Candors showing," he teases. Who is this man and what has he done with badass Eric who takes no shit and only dishes it out, and quite cruelly. And I am even more intrigued to realize I find it extremely attractive. I find him attractive. Oh, I do not need this right now.

I stand quickly and look right up into his face, "I need to get going it's almost dinner" I state.

As I go to move around him he puts out an arm stopping me. I freeze and look back up into his eyes. He smirks at me and I cannot help but feel my heart skip a beat and my whole body grows warm. Damn hormones. It has been too long since I have been with someone to fight this.

"Just a second" he says lowly.

I am frozen as a million things flash through my mind at his tone of voice and not a single one of them is appropriate. Not a one!

He reaches up and moves a blonde strand of hair back behind my ear from where the wind has dislodged it. His hand grasps my neck and next thing I know he is kissing me. This has to be so wrong on so many levels and breaking some kind of rule but it feels so right that I do not even care. I step closer pushing myself against him and kiss him back. It gets heated and when we finally break apart were both trying to catch our breath. I can't help but drop my head down so its practically resting against his shoulder for support as I gather myself.

"If you're interested in continuing this meet me on the chasm bridge tonight after lights out" he whispers huskily and then steps back from me.

I look up to meet his gaze but he's already turned away and is heading for the secret stairs. I have no idea what to think as my mind catches up with everything that just happened and all he just said. Once it does catch up I am so full of emotions and churning thoughts that the only thing I can think of to do is plunge down over the edge to the net for an adrenaline rush to shock my system back to thinking clearly.

This is Eric were talking about here. The guy who tried to drop Christina over the chasm and wanted to throw knives at Al and makes us fight till were unconscious. Even with all that though I cannot stop thinking about him. I realize I want him as I lay there in the net just looking up at the sky. Not in the romantic sense. Definitely not with his actions, but just for fun I could totally let myself have some fun.

I roll out of the net and stand up more graciously than the last time. I begin the journey to the dining hall wondering just what a fun non-committed fling with a guy like Eric could be like for me, especially as only an initiate.