Chapter 2:

My Pov

I look at the chalkboard when I walk in. Tris and I didn't have to fight yesterday, but today we definitely will. When I see Tris's name, I stop in the middle of the step. Her opponent is Peter. "Oh no," says Christina, who shuffles in behind us. Her face is bruised, and she looks like she is trying not to limp. When she sees the board, she crumples the muffin wrapper she is holding into her fist. "Are they serious? They're really going to make you fight him?" Christina snapped, and I let out a loud chuckle.

"Wow Tris, you really hit the bad luck pot." I laughed, and felt immediate relief. Drew had fought Peter yesterday, and could barely even walk without a limp. He's got more bruised skin then unbruised skin. I wonder who I'm fighting today. Tris playfully glared at me. "Hey, who are you fighting? The board next to your name is blank." Tris said, and everyone crowded around the board to get a look. "I'm not fighting?" I said hopefully, and the snicker behind me made me froze.

"Not exactly princess." Eric snickered, and everyone went silent as he strolled forward, leaning down close to me so he could whisper.

"You'll fight the winner of Tris and Peter's fight." He murmured heatedly. I froze and felt what was only described as pure terror.

"But Eric-!"

"But Eric nothing. I'm curious to the outcome of the fight." Eric said gleefully, and then strolled on pass me. My mouth dropped open, and I glared at the spot he had currently been standing in. Tris hurried to my spot.

"What did he say?" She asked, and Christina peered at me over Tris's shoulder. "I have to fight Peter." I croaked hoarsely. "I have to fight the winner of your fight. It's going to be Peter." I said traumatizing, the scene from the book playing out perfectly in my head. She saw stars, felt dizzy, fell onto the ground a lot, become bruised and broke her nose. Etcetera. Tris looked hurt and went pink in the face at my comment, and the crowd hissed in symphetically

"I'm going to be in the hospital overnight." I croaked, looking at Peter across the room. He was flexing his large muscles, and both Beatrice and I went pale at the sight of him. He was taller then I remembered.

"First fight, Beatrice and Peter." Eric yelled, cupping his hand to his face. I froze. Tris walked forward and I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. I can only help that beating her up will tire her out before he finds the energy to beat me up and injury me near fatally.

Peter is almost a foot taller than I am, and yesterday, he beat Drew in less than five minutes. Today Drew's face is more black-and-blue than flesh-toned.

"Maybe you can just take a few hits and pretend to go unconscious," suggests Al. "No one would blame you."

"Yeah," I say. "Maybe." I stare at my name on the board. My cheeks feel hot. I'm going to die here. I always wanted to die painfully, but more in a sensual way of course.

Five minutes.

Five minutes and twenty two seconds, according to Al's watch, is how long it took Peter to knock Beatrice out cold. Her face was covered in blood, the back of her head smacking the floor roughly and then she was out like a light. It was weird. Usually I like seeing someone pained, but not her. She was nice. Peter got her real good, and now I'm next.

Eric shouts, "Enough!" And I understand why. Peter stops pummeling Beatrice's unconscious body and stands up. "I'll get her." Al says, and both he and Christina move forward, picking Beatrice up and moving her towards the door. I bite my tongue as I see Eric's smirking face, and he beckons me towards Peter. Oh crap he doesn't look tired.

"Hello smarty." Peter said, leaning down into a fighting stance. Suddenly, Eric shouts. "Second fight. Peter and Juliunna." He shouts, and Peter smirks at me while we circle each other.

"Wait a minute." I say suddenly, and then innocently look at Peter with my big chocolate eyes. He frowns. "What?"

"Can I have a minute to prepare myself mentally?" I ask, and Eric groans. Peter nods. "Yeah, why not? You're going to lose anyway."

"Okay, stand up straight Peter." I say, and Peter stands up straight like a puppet.

"Peter what do you weigh?" I asked, and Peter raises an eyebrow.

"Err, 180 pounds." He says, and I have all I need to know. I imagine every vein, every bloody circuit going up into his brain and all around his body. Which would be the weakest? I ask myself, and Eric started glancing at his watch impatiently.

"Could I get a free shot?" I ask, and Peter nods with a shrug. "Yeah, sure."

"What?!" Eric snarls at Peter, who turns to him with a confused look. "What?"

"You idiot! She's tricking you. She's got a plan-!"

"Yeah right. I'm at least a hundred pounds heavier then her. It's like beating up a brick wall. Come on Juliunna, take your best shot." He said, and then spread his arms wide.

His head, it's the weak spot. One good elbow to the head and he'll be out like a light. But it's difficult. Because there is a two square inch ration on his face that is the weak spot, not the whole face. Come on Jules, look.

I stand in front of Peter, and he smirks at me tauntingly. This may not take him out; it's too much of a risk. What do I have to…? Of course.

It was so simple I couldn't see it-!

"Are you going to stand their all day or are you going to hit him-!"

"Ahhh!" I screamed, swinging my knee up and hitting him straight in the crotch. He dropped to his knees with a painful gasp. But I didn't stop. I had to keep going before he could grab me and get the upper hand. I reached out elbowing his in the nose, and I heard a satisfying crunch. "Ahhh!" He screamed. He reached out and swooped his fist towards mine, and I lurched back. He missed. He rolled over onto his back and abruptly pushed himself up.

"You tricked me!" Peter snapped, and I dove at him. He brought up his fist to hit me in the face, and I rolled underneath his fist, jumping and wrapping my legs around Peter's waist. I leaned forward and wrapped both of my hands around his neck, choking him. He snarled like a beast. His arm twitched and my vision went sparkly. Oh no, bad move. Fix it. Fix it. His eye! I reached out and jabbed my finger into his eye socket. He dropped me with a Manish scream. Blood is just pouring out of his nose as he stumbles backwards, on his knees again. I dove forward and jumped onto his lap, this time making him smack hard against the granite floor like Tris did. Except while the both of them had the same pale look in their eyes, Peter wasn't going down without a fight.

I repeatedly brought my clenched fist up and down, right onto his forehead as hard as I could. His fist reached out and hit me hard. Almost making me fall off. I lurched to the side, but grabbed onto his shirt tightly. Again and again, I brought my fist down onto a pulsing vein on his forehead. The light seemed to be fading out of his eyes, when he took a last ditch effort. He reached upward with both hands and wrapped them both tightly around my neck.

I faltered in my painful attack on Peter's face, but knew that we would just be at it again if I let go. Slam! Slam! Slam! I leaned down and gave one last punch to Peter's face, and he went limp. His hands dropped from my neck, and I stood up. Eric's eyes were wide as I looked up at him.

"How-! How'd you do it?" He asked me in shock. I shrugged.

"It was easy. Geometry and bodily tectonics helped me." I said with a shrug. Eric strode forward and grabbed my hand, pulling me away from Peter's body and towards the hall. When we were in the hall, away from the prying eyes of the Arena, Eric threw me against the hallway. I opened my mouth to argue with him, but Eric placed his body against mine, and then his mouth against mine.

"That was hot." Eric mumbled. And his hand brushed my face lightly. "You've got his blood on your face." He said, and I tried to lift my hand to brush it off. Eric smirked and grabbed my wrist. "Leave it alone. I like it." He said with a smirk. My eyebrows rose when he leaned forward and flicked his tongue across the blood on my cheek.

"You've just earned a one way ticket to Eric's bedroom-!"

"Not this again!" Tobias snapped. He rounded the corner and glared at the two of us. Eric let go of me and leaned up against the wall next to me. "Shut up Four. Heh, take a peek inside. Look at what mini vamprific did to Hayes." Eric said with a laugh.

"What?" Tobias said, opening the door and peering inside. His eyes widened as he caught sight of Molly and Drew trying to prop up a heavily unconscious Peter. Blood splattered all over his face and on the floor.

"Wow." Tobias said, looking back at Juliunna. Eric smirked proudly at me.

When Tris wakes up in the dormitory the next morning, I'm still here, I don't feel much, but the inside of my head is fuzzy, like it's packed with cotton balls. I know that I won, and the only thing keeping the pain at bay is what is making it difficult to think straight. "Is her eye already black?" Someone asks about Tris. I open one eye— too sleepy to open the other. Did I really sleep in this unconscious Divergent World? Sitting to my right are Will and Al; Christina sits on the bed to my left with an ice pack on her jaw. Tris looks up at me and her eyes widened.

"What happened to your face?" She says. My lips feel clumsy and too large. Peter's fist really hurt. I laugh. "Look who's talking. Should we get you an eye patch?"

"Well, I already know what happened to my face," Tris says. "I was there. Sort of."

"Did you just make a joke, Tris?" Will says, grinning. "We should get you on painkillers more often if you're going to start cracking jokes. Oh, and to answer your question if your asking about Christina—I beat her up."

"I can't believe you couldn't beat Will," Al says, shaking his head. "What? He's good," she says, shrugging. "Plus, I think I've finally learned how to stop losing. I just need to stop people from punching me in the jaw."

"You know, you'd think you would have figured that out already." Will winks at her. "Now I know why you aren't Erudite. Not too bright, are you?"

"You feeling okay, Tris?" Al says. His eyes are dark brown, almost the same color as Christina's skin. His cheek looks rough, like if he didn't shave it, he would have a thick beard. Hard to believe he's only sixteen.

"Yeah," Tris said. "Just wish I could stay here forever so I never have to see Peter again." We're all in a large room. Wait a minute, these aren't the dormitories. We're in a large, narrow room with a row of beds on either side. Some of the beds have curtains between them. On the right side of the room is a nurse's station. This must be where the Dauntless go when they're sick or hurt. The woman there looks at us over a clipboard. I've never seen a nurse with so many piercings in her ear before.

. "Don't worry about Peter," says Will. "He got beat up by Jules, very well I might asked. He was knocked out! His face was covered in blood and his face was totally scratched up. I wanted to laugh my head off when she asked him if she could have a minute to apply geometry to him." Will said, and everyone in the room started laughing. Not me though. I lifted my shirt up a little, revealing a large red handprint on my hips. Tris looks at me with admiration.

"It was a really good fight," says Christina. She checks her watch. "I think we're missing dinner. Do you want us to stay here, Tris?" She shake her head no. "I'm fine." Christina and Will get up, but All waves them ahead. He has a distinct smell—sweet and fresh, like sage and lemongrass. I go on with Christina and Will, who have both of my arms locked to their sides as they ask me questions.

"What was it like?" She asked.

"Yeah, were you afraid?"

"Beating up Peter-!"

"No! Sleeping with Eric!" Christina said excitedly. I glared at them. "It was hot, sweaty, rough, and painful." I said, and Will and Christina shared looks. "So was it good?"

"Of course it was good. Didn't you hear me say painful?!" I snapped at him. Will chuckled. "So, what now?" He asked, and I looked outside the clear , stain free glass window.

"I'm going swimming!" I said excitedly.

Tris Pov

I crawl across my mattress and heave a sigh. It has been two days since my fight with Peter, and my bruises are turning purple-blue. I have gotten used to aching every time I move, so now I move better, but I am still far from healed. Even though I am still injured, I had to fight again today. Luckily this time, I was paired against Myra, who couldn't throw a good punch if someone was controlling her arm for her.

I got a good hit in during the first two minutes. She fell down and was too dizzy to get back up. I should feel triumphant, but there is no triumph in punching a girl like Myra. The second I touch my head to the pillow, the door to the dormitory opens, and people stream into the room with flashlights. I sit up, almost hitting my head on the bed frame above me, and squint through the dark to see what's going on. "Everybody up!" someone roars. A flashlight shines behind his head, making the rings in his ears glint. Eric. Surrounding him are other Dauntless, some of whom I have seen in the Pit, some of whom I have never seen before. Four stands among them. His eyes shift to mine and stay there. I stare back and forget that all around me the transfers are getting out of bed.

"Did you go deaf, Stiff?" demands Eric. I snap out of my daze and slide out from beneath the blankets. I am glad I sleep fully clothed, because Christina stands next to our bunk wearing only a T-shirt, her long legs bare. She folds her arms and stares at Eric. I wish, suddenly, that I could stare so boldly at someone with hardly any clothes on, but I would never be able to do that. "You have five minutes to get dressed and meet us by the tracks," says Eric. "We're going on another field trip." He smirked and clapped his hands together. I look over to the bed beside me and see its empty. "Jules?" I ask, talking loud over the chatter of people around me. Christina started looking around.

"Where'd she go?" Christina asked with a frown. Will looked up and around. "Where-! Juliunna!" He bellowed after cupping his hands around his mouth. Eric looked straight at Tris, his eyes heated and smirking. "She's here." Eric smirked, and Peter sat up and rubbed his bruised eyes.

"I saw her going outside an hour ago." He yawned. My eyes widened.

"What? Christina, Will, you guys left with her. Did she say anything about where she was going?" I asked, and everyone stayed silent enough to hear my conversation with them. Will bit his lip in thought.

"Well… She did say something. She said she was going swimming." Wil yawned, lacing up his boots. My mouth dropped open.

"Swimming?" Eric asked sarcastically. "Where can she even go swimming-!"

Christina squeaked. "Look. Outside." She squeaked, and the enormas mass of bodies pressed up against the window to see what she was looking at. "Is she-! Oh my god!" Edward yelled as we saw Juliunna jump off the chasm wall spinning around as she did so. Immediently the Dauntless trainers were running down the hall, us right behind them.

"Are you stupid?!" Eric shouted at her for the third time on our way to the train, delayed by Juliunna's jump. "No, it was pretty exciting actually." Juliunna said with a laugh. She had a nearly wet, nearly dry towel drapped around her shoulders.

When we had all got down to the chasm, we found out that she had tied a stretchy rubber bungee robe to her waist, and had been jumping from jagged rock to jagged rock. When Eric had shouted at her from the railing, she had become so startled that she tripped and fell over into the swirling water. It took Four only a minute to pull her up from the dangerous tides and rapids. But Juliunna wasn't scared, in fact she laughed when she got up onto the safer side of the railing. And she laughed when Eric grabbed onto both of her elbows tight and pulled her against him so he could scare her with his calm and possessive whisper. She just shrugged and took her reprimands from Eric with a smirk, allowed Four to slip the towel around her rounded shoulders, and we all set off for the train in silence.

I didn't get a chance to talk to Juliunna. I was too mad at her for making me scared and nervous. But as I passed her I smacked her hard on her shoulder. I followed at a half jog half walk behind Christina on the way to the train. A drop of sweat rolls down the back of my neck as we run up the paths along the walls of the Pit, pushing past members on our way up. They don't seem surprised to see us.

I wonder how many frantic, running people they see on a weekly basis. We make it to the tracks just behind the Dauntless-born initiates. Next to the tracks is a black pile. I make out a cluster of long gun barrels and trigger guards. "Are we going to shoot something?" Christina hisses in my ear. Next to the pile are boxes of what looks like ammunition. I inch closer to read one of the boxes. Written on it is "PAINTBALLS." I've never heard of them before, but the name is self-explanatory. I laugh. "Everyone grab a gun!" shouts Eric. We rush toward the pile. I am the closest to it, so I snatch the first gun I can find, which is heavy, but not too heavy for me to lift, and grab a box of paintballs. I shove the box in my pocket and sling the gun across my back so the strap crosses my chest.

I look up and watch Jules and Eric grab one too, his arm slung around her dampen shoulders. Did she not remember my conversation about having no relations with Eric?!

"Time estimate?" Eric asks Four. Juliunna looks up with a sigh. "How long is it going to take you to memorize the train schedual?" She smirks, and Eric raises a suspcious eyebrow at her. "How did you know I was talking about the train schedual?" He asks, and I bit my lip nervously. Think Jules, think.

"Its all in your body laungauge. Also, you looked at the watch and then to the empty train tracks. Obviously we're all getting on the train. And during a long car ride I always ask the time estimate for ending times." She says with a smile. Eric nods after a moment. Four checks his watch after smiling at her. "Any minute now Eric. And she's right. You really try to memorize the train schedule?"

"Why should I, when I have you to remind me of it?" says Eric, shoving Four's shoulder. A circle of light appears on my left, far away. It grows larger as it comes closer, shining against the side of Four's face, creating a shadow in the faint hollow beneath his cheekbone. He is the first to get on the train, and I run after him, not waiting for Christina or Will or All to follow me. Four turns around as I fall into stride next to the car and Four holds out a hand. He pulls me in and I let go quickly without looking at him, and sit down on the other side of the car. Juliunna and Eric are next. When she is fully in the car he grabs her by the shoulder tight and steers her over to me. He pushed her hard and she stumbled next to me. "Don't be dramatic." He said to her, and I scowled as she sat down next to me. She smirks at him naughtily and I look away with disgust. Once everyone is in, Four speaks up.

"We'll be dividing into two teams to play capture the flag. Each team will have an even mix of members, Dauntless-born initiates, and transfers. One team will get off first and find a place to hide their flag. Then the second team will get off and do the same." The car sways, and Four grabs the side of the doorway for balance. "This is a Dauntless tradition, so I suggest you take it seriously."

"What do we get if we win?" someone shouts. "Sounds like the kind of question someone not from Dauntless would ask," says Four, raising an eyebrow. "You get to win, of course." "Four and I will be your team captains," says Eric. He looks at Four. "Let's divide up transfers first, shall we?"

I tilt my head back and even Juliunna looks nervous. If they're picking us, I will be chosen last; I can feel it. "You go first," Four says. Eric shrugs. "Edward." Four leans against the door frame and nods. The moonlight makes his eyes bright. He scans the group of transfer initiates briefly, without calculation, and says, "I want the Stiff." A faint undercurrent of laughter fills the car. Juliunna rolls her eyes in annoyance at the name Stiff. Heat rushes into my cheeks. I don't know whether to be angry at the people laughing at me or flattered by the fact that he chose me first.

"Got something to prove?" asks Eric, with his trademark smirk. "Or are you just picking the weak ones so that if you lose, you'll have someone to blame it on?" Four shrugs. "Something like that." Angry.

I should definitely be angry. I scowl at my hands. Whatever Four's strategy is, it's based on the idea that I am weaker than the other initiates. And it gives me a bitter taste in my mouth. I have to prove him wrong—I have to.

"Your turn," says Four. "Peter."

"Christina." That throws a wrench in his strategy. Christina is not one of t he weak ones. What exactly is he doing?

"Juliunna." Eric says, and Jules gets up and curls into Eric's side. He smirks again.

"Turner."

"Molly."

"Will," says Four, biting his thumbnail.

"Al."

"Drew."

"Last one left is Myra. So she's with me," says Eric. "Dauntless-born initia next." I stop listening once they're finished with us. If Four isn't trying to prove something by choosing the weak, what is he doing? I look at each person he chooses. What do we have in common? Once they're halfway through the Dauntless-born initiates, I have an idea of what it is. With the exception of Will and a couple of the others, we all share the same body type: narrow shoulders, small frames. All the people on Eric's team are broad and strong. Just yesterday, Four told me I was fast. We will all be faster than Eric's team, which will probably be good for capture the flag—I haven't played before, but I know it's a game of speed rather than brute force. I cover a smile with my hand. Eric is more ruthless than Four, but Four is smarter. They finish choosing teams, and Eric smirks at Four.

"Your team can get off second," says Eric. "Don't do me any favors," Four replies. He smiles a little. "You know I don't need them to win."

"No, I know that you'll lose no matter when you get off," says Eric, biting down briefly on one of the rings in his lip. "So just take your scrawny team and get off first, then." We all stand up. Al gives me a forlorn look, and I smile back in what I hope is a reassuring way. If any of the four of us had to end up on the same team as Eric, Peter, and Molly, at least it was him. They usually leave him alone. The train is about to dip to the ground. I am determined to land on my feet. Just before I jump, someone shoves my shoulder, and I almost topple out of the train car. I don't look back to see who it is—Molly, Drew, or Peter, it doesn't matter which one. Before they can try it again, I jump. This time I am ready for the momentum the train gives me, and I run a few steps to diffuse it but keep my balance. Fierce pleasure courses through me and I smile. It's a small accomplishment, but it makes me feel Dauntless.

One of the Dauntless-born initiates touches Four's shoulder and asks, "When your team won, where did you put the flag?"

"Telling you wouldn't really be in the spirit of the exercise, Marlene," he says coolly. "Come on, Four," she whines. She gives him a flirtatious smile. He brushes her hand off his arm, and for some reason, I find myself grinning. "Navy Pier," another Dauntless-born initiate calls out. He is tall, with brown skin and dark eyes. Handsome. "My brother was on the winning team. They kept the flag at the carousel." "Let's go there, then," suggests Will.

No one objects, so we walk east, toward the marsh that was once a lake. When I was young, I tried to imagine what it would look like as a lake, with no fence built in to the mud to keep the city safe. But it is difficult to imagine that much water in one place. "We're close to Erudite headquarters, right?" asks Christina, bumping Will's shoulder with her own. "Yeah. It's south of here," he says. He looks over his shoulder, and for a second his expression is full of longing. Then it's gone. I am less than a mile away from my brother. It has been a week since we were that close together.

I shake my head a little to get the thought out of my mind. I can't think about him today, when I have to focus on making it through stage one. I can't think about him any day. We walk across the bridge. We still need the bridges because the mud beneath them is too wet to walk on. I wonder how long it's been since the river dried up. Once we cross the bridge, the city changes. Behind us, most of the buildings were in use, and even if they weren't, they looked well-tended. I n front of us is a sea of crumbling concrete and broken glass. The silence of this part of the city is eerie; it feels like a nightmare. It's hard to see where I'm going, because it's after midnight and all the city lights are off. Marlene takes out a flashlight and shines it at the street in front of us. "Scared of the dark, Mar?" the dark-eyed Dauntless-born initiate teases. "If you want to step on broken glass, Uriah, be my guest," she snaps. But she turns it off anyway. I have realized that part of being Dauntless is being willing to make things more difficult for yourself in order to be self-sufficient. There's nothing especially brave about wandering dark streets with no flashlight, but we are not supposed to need help, even from light. We are supposed to be capable of anything. I like that. Because there might come a day when there is no flashlight, there is no gun, there is no guiding hand. And I want to be ready for it.

The buildings end just before the marsh. A strip of land juts out into the marsh, and rising from it is a giant white wheel with dozens of red passenger cars dangling from it at regular intervals. The Ferris wheel. "Think about it. People used to ride that thing. For fun," says Will, shaking his head. "They must have been Dauntless," I say. "Yeah, but a lame version of Dauntless." Christina laughs. "A Dauntless Ferris wheel wouldn't have cars. You would just hang on tight with your hands, an d good luck to you." We walk down the side of the pier. All the buildings on my le ft are empty, their signs torn down and their windows closed, but it is a clean kind of emptiness. Whoever left these places left them by choice and at their leisure. Some places in the city are not like that. "Dare you to jump into the marsh," says Christina to Will. "You first."

We reach the carousel. Some of the horses are scratched and weathered, their tails broken off or their saddles chipped. Four takes the flag out of his pocket. "In ten minutes, the other team will pick their location," he says. "I suggest you take this time to formulate a strategy. We may not be Erudite, but mental preparedness is one aspect of your Dauntless training. Arguably, it is the most important aspect." He is right about that. What good is a prepared body if you have a scattered mind? Will takes the flag from Four. "Some people should stay here and guard, and some people should go out and scout the other team's location," Will says. "Yeah? You think?" Marlene plucks the flag from Will's fingers. "Who put you in charge, transfer?" "No one," says Will. "But someone's got to do it." Yep we should develop a more defensive strategy. Wait for them to come to us, then take them out," suggests Christina.

"That's the sissy way out," Uriah says. "I vote we go all out. Hide the flag well enough that they can't find it." Everyone bursts into the conversation at once, their voices louder with each passing second. Christina defends Will's plan; the Dauntless-born initiates vote for offense; everyone argues about who should make the decision. Four sits down on the edge of the carousel, leaning against a plastic horse's foot. His eyes lift to the sky, where there are no stars, only a round moon peeking through a thin layer of clouds. The muscles in his arms are relaxed; his hand rests on the back of his neck. He looks almost comfortable, holding that gun to his shoulder. I close my eyes briefly. Why does he distract me so easily? I need to focus.

But then a sudden thought occurred to me.

Why does Juliunna call herself Malfoy when her last name is Addams?