I'm really glad people are liking my story and want me to update, thanks so much!
Disclaimer: I only wish I owned Divergent... Or maybe I don't, I would have some pretty impatient fans right now, like myself!
When we arrive at the training room, Amar is standing there talking to a man who looks to be a couple years older then us and Amar. We are the first of the two "groups" to arrive, one being us, and the other being Peter, Eric, Drew and Molly. Amar and the other man who Amar calls Max finally notice us and break up their slightly heated discussion. Max turns to Amar and says, "Can you please introduce me?"
Amar points to each of us in turn, "Tris, Christina, Will, Tobias, Al." We all nod our heads or wave to Max to let him know that we see him. Max exits the room and Amar seems to relax a bit knowing that he's gone. "That was Max, one of the Dauntless leaders, I suggest you get on his good side. By the way, change of plans; we are meeting up in the fear landscape rooms. Follow me up there, and no questions if you would."
We followed Amar up to the fear landscape, which was a surprisingly interesting trip. When we looked above us, we saw the glass ceiling emitting the sunlight that I've missed for the past 24 hours. The trip takes us up winding staircases and narrow paths all up in the air. I see Christina helping Will who is getting a little breathless when he looks down. I look around to see how everyone else is doing and see Al doing just fine with the heights, right behind me. I look even farther down the path, as I seem the most comfortable with heights and keeping up with Amar just fine and see Tobias, lagging in the back. He seems to be having an even harder time than Will with the heights, but is forcing himself to look strong. To anyone else, he might appear to be that way, but after staring at him for a while, I can tell he's struggling. I dash along the narrow path, high up without rails, back towards Tobias; I reach his side and give him a smile. "Need some help?"
He gives me a half smile, grimace and nods his head as if he's in pain. "Thanks." He manages to get out, breathless with the exertion. "How do you do that?"
"What?"
"Run along the path like you're on solid ground."
"I don't know, I just don't feel like I'm going to fall."
Tobias mutters something that I can't make out. He repeats himself louder, "I'd like to try."
"Um, sure… We'll do it together, take me hand and just don't think about where you are. On three: one, two three!" We start at an easy pace, me half dragging Tobias down the path; we speed up until we go past Christina and Will and past Al up to Amar.
"Impressive Tobias. I think you'll have a good time with the fear landscape."
"Why?" I ask, my curiosity leaking out before I can stop it. I mentally slap myself at being so stupid; I'm going to get kicked out of Dauntless before I can even get into my fear landscape.
Amar squints at me, "Stiffs aren't usually known to ask questions."
"Well I'm not a Stiff anymore, now am I?" I shot back.
"Careful, Tris." Tobias warns me in a low, steady tone.
I glare at him and turn back to Amar, "Seriously, what are you talking about?"
Amar sighs and responds, "The fear landscape takes your fears and forces you to face them, like the saying, 'face your fears', if Tobias was just able to run across a path up in the air without rails, I think he won't have any trouble with his fear landscape. Enough explanation for you?"
I nod my head because I'm already thinking on what my fears could possibly be. I come up blank, I know I'm afraid of things, I just don't know what. I guess I'll find out soon. I turn to Tobias, "Nice job with the heights thing, pretty amazing."
Tobias looks at me and seems to be a little wary of the compliment, "Um, thanks…"
I leave him to his thoughts as he seems to want, I think of what might be in his, well I know heights and most likely Marcus, but I have no idea what else. It seems like I know him better than myself at the moment, though. I wonder how he got off the train and off the building. "How'd you jump off the building?"
"I just pretend that my fear doesn't exist. Just like I did right now."
"That's really amazing, I don't think I could do that."
Tobias gives me a half smile, one that I think I'd think to see more often and says, "I think you could Tris. You're stronger than you think."
I feel a small blush on my cheeks, "Thank you." I say in a quite voice, reverting to my Abnegation upbringing.
At that moment Christina, Will and Al, all come running up apparently adopting our idea. They are all laughing and soon Tobias and I join in on the fun. Amar just shakes his head slightly and turns back around on the path. Soon after the other group comes and joins us in the room we have arrived at. The Dauntless leaders, as Amar explains to us, will be watching our fear landscape as we go through it, everyone else will be watching but can only see your physical response, not the fear it's self, only the leaders will be able to see that. He also explains how the average number of fears is around 15, and the lowest so far is 11 fears.
I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves, the last person in the ranks will be cut, I can't let it be me.
Amar calls us in one by one, the order as follows: Molly, Drew, Tobias, Christina, Will, Peter, Al, Eric, Me. I'm last; I have to deal with my nerves for the longest. The Dauntless born before after us, but I don't pay attention to them, as they have already gone will we were messing around at breakfast and on the path. I do notice their times, however, since that's what matters. I only recognize a couple of names and people and those I do came in the top four: Uriah, Zeke, Lynn and Marlene. The others are faces without names, and names without faces that I don't bother to connect.
I watch Molly and Drew, they seem to have an average time and amount of fears, Drew is slower than Molly; the leaders seem indifferent about the outcome.
Tobias is next, he enters the plain room and the stimulation starts. He acts like he did on the path, I guess his first fear is heights, he faces the fear by jumping off whatever he's standing on, the screen above flashes green and he moves onto his next fear. He crouches down and seems to have trouble breathing, I have no idea what this fear is, I don't really need to know, I don't think I would like it if everyone knew mine. The screen flashes after he calms his breathing down and he moves on to fear three. He stares at something his piercing stare divided between two different subjects it seems. He finally takes a deep breath and does something that I can't figure out on the screen. It worked though and he moves to his next fear, all of them going with easy it seems to me, but to him, it probably feels like ages. His next fear, I believe is the one with Marcus, he grimaces and puts his arms up in defense, the strong Tobias seen a second ago on the screen is replaced with the one I met last night. He cowers in this position for as half as long as the entire stimulation has taken him and finally decides to stand up. He reaches out and pulls on something, he then lashes out at air and the screen flashes green again. He comes out of the stimulation.
I'm shocked and apparently the Dauntless leaders, Amar and the rest of the initiates are too, only four fears? Who is the real Tobias?
He walks out of the room and the rest of the initiates congratulate him on his MAJOR success. Amar has started calling him Four and everyone else seemed to catch on. Tobias or Four should I now call him seems embarrassed by all the attention. He just nods and gives his thanks while working his way through the crowd towards my direction. When he nears me, I give him a smile, "You did a good job, 'Four', don't be ashamed!" I tell him in a joking tone.
"Thanks, it just still feels weird being able to draw attention to yourself." He says with a half smile.
My own smile falters a little as I'm reminded of home, the words, "I know what you mean" slip out of my mouth before I can stop them.
The rest of the fear landscapes pass with average results, Christina, Will and Al, all do fine, but Al seems to have a little more trouble than the other two, but still better then Drew. Peter does just fine as well, but I couldn't care less. Eric was surprising, he did the whole stimulation rooted in place; he stifled screams and passed the whole thing by controlling his heartbeat.
Finally, it's my turn. I walk into the stimulation room and am greeted with a needle that is put into a space on my neck. I wince a little at the injection and soon after my surroundings change.
I wait tensely for my first fear to start. I'm standing on a huge, open field with blue sky above me, I see a bird approach me and I'm puzzled, I didn't think I was afraid of birds… Soon other birds follow this one and they start to land on my, pinning me down. I'm panicking, I start slapping at the birds, but I have to remind myself that it won't help. This isn't going to help with my fear. I try and think like a Dauntless, which is hard because I haven't been around them that long, so I start thinking about stereotypes, bravery, stupidity, guns, knives. My brain picks up on the word gun and I envision one lying in the grass beside me like they told us to do. I concentrate and try to ignore the crows around and on me. I reach my hand out and feel the cool metal of a gun. I take it and my brain just tells me what to do. I start shooting the birds, calming myself down by the concentration and the free movement after they're gone.
Suddenly the birds are gone and I'm in a glass box. Outside the box all of my new acquaintances from Dauntless stand, Christina comes and points at me feet smirking, I feel water rising around my and know without looking what's happening. I think about my options and start pounding on the glass willing it to crack. I have to think harder then this. I mentally sign and try to calm down though at the moment, the water is rising around my waist. I envision glass shattering beneath my hand and punch the wall with as much force as I can muster. The glass shatters under my hands, the water spilling out along the floor. I'm free, from that fear at least.
The next thing I feel is a slippery rock under my hands as I'm buffeted with wave after wave, what is it with water?! I'm slowly losing hold of the rock, my hands slipping, the waves grabbing at my feet. I'm starting to panic; I can't swim, especially not in this. I force myself, to use a strength I never knew I had to pull myself back up, it's a struggle, my muscles straining, losing ground just a little bit less then I'm gaining it. I finally do it though and perch on the rock like I did from my bed last night, safe.
I feel restricted next, I can't move my arms or legs, I see the initiates again with Peter and Eric leading them all, they carrying torches and as if on command step up to me and light the logs under my feet, I can't move and the flames are licking towards my feet, I'm going to be burned alive. I remind myself that this can't hurt me, that it's just a stimulation, but those thoughts evaporate into the heat. Peter and Eric taunt me but I don't hear their words, all I hear is thunder. The though comes into my head and it starts to rain, little drops at first, but I cheer the rain on and soon it's a downpour, the restraints release and I'm free.
I'm back in my room in Abnegation, everything all too familiar. I see a man standing outside my window, soon other me join him, all faceless and expressionless, just the forms of a man. They start coming towards me and I panic, I run to the closet where I calm myself down, barring the door with whatever I can find. I think again, gun. It's too bad I'm resorting to violence so much, I imagine the gun sitting on the floor of my closet in a pile of clothes and pull of the shiny metal, I take it in my hand just as the men enter the closet, I start shooting.
Next, I'm the one about to be shot, but I still hold a gun, the women next to me tells me to shoot them, I'm confused at first, but then I take in the other surroundings. My family stands in front of me, I shake my head, I WILL NOT shoot my family. I feel the cool, smooth circle of a gun barrel press against my temple. I cross my arms with the gun in my hand, a simple act of defiance. "Shoot them, or I shoot you." The woman hisses, more persistent this time.
"Do it Tris, it's fine, I'll be okay." Caleb says an understanding tone.
I shake my head again; I refuse.
"Beatrice, it's fine, we understand." My mother and father say.
I shake my head again, aware that the woman is counting down and is now at five.
I will not shoot my family, I just won't. She can shoot me instead.
"One."
The woman pulls the trigger and I hear a bang.
I sink to my knees in pure relief, I feel my muscles relaxing and my brain starts functioning in a logical way again. I only had six fears! Not quite as impressive as Four, but compared to fifteen or even eleven, I'm proud of myself. I'm also scared, I think that took my practically an hour, compared to everyone else's. I don't know what matters more, fear number or time. I take a deep breath and rise from my kneeling position; thank God it's over.
