Thanks all for the encouraging reviews! Again, I don't own anything, just my ideas.
Chapter 4
"Listen up! My name is Max! I am one of the leaders of your new faction!"
Max is standing on the ledge of a big hole in front of us on a 7-story roof. So far we have passed the first two tests of initiation, and Tris has kept up with Lynn, Marlene and me. I gave her a hand up into the train after pulling her along behind me, holding her hand, as we ran to the platform. She really didn't even need my encouragement to jump off onto the 7 story roof we stand on now; she jumped holding hands with another transfer—a Candor girl who introduced herself as Christina—but I think that was more for Christina's benefit than Tris's own. I don't see Tris now; after seeing that she'd made it here, I went to help another Dauntless-born, Rita, away from the ledge after her sister didn't make it. I shudder as the image of Rita's sister, Amber, dead on the concrete 7 stories below us, limbs bent at unnatural angles, flashes back to my mind.
It might be that thought that makes me hesitate when Max asks for a volunteer to jump off the building into the compound. I know there's a net at the bottom. I know I won't be hurt. I try to gather my courage back up and stop being such a damn pansycake when I see someone step onto the ledge, and I'm kind of glad I hesitated when I see who it is: a small blond girl in gray. First jumper is a big deal, and Tris is at such a disadvantage coming from Abnegation, I'm glad she'll get that title instead of me, or another Dauntless-born, or that cocky Candor who I've already heard taunt her several times.
Tris takes off her jacket, balls it up and throws it at some asshole Candor transfer who's taunted her off and on since we got to the train. I laugh under my breath. There's that spirit I always see in her eyes. She looks down for a few seconds, bends her knees and jumps. She doesn't even scream.
"Damn, didn't expect that," Lynn mumbles.
I smirk. "I'm not surprised. It takes guts to leave Abnegation, of all places, for Dauntless." Tris's Candor friend, Christina, has just jumped and I hear her scream on the way down. I snap out of my… whatever this daze is, and head up to jump next.
It seems I'm not quite as brave as Tris—I scream on the way down, even though I know what awaits me. I bounce once off the net before it stills, and I roll out. Four and Lauren greet me and Four claps me the shoulder. "Welcome to Dauntless, Uriah," he says with a slight smile. Four is Zeke's best friend. He transferred here 2 years ago, so he was in Zeke's initiation class. He trains the transfers, Lauren trains us Dauntless-born.
Lynn tumbles out next, then Mar. They join me at the bottom of the platform and I not and smile at Tris before turning to my friends. "I can't believe we're finally initiates!" Marlene squeals.
"Yeah, now you pansycakes just gotta make it through the next 4 weeks," I tease, with a cocky grin. "We all know I have nothing to worry about, though."
Marlene punches my shoulder and Lynn snorts. "I think you've got that a little backwards, pansycake," Lynn smirks.
"Hey! I'm not a pansycake!" I grin. "But I admit, Lynn, you do look pretty scary with that shaved head." That was definitely a shock this morning. But Lynn doesn't like to be patronized just because she's a girl, and thought shaving off her long hair would help keep guys from going easy on her in the fights.
"Yeah, and now no one can use long hair against me in stage one." Lynn runs her palm along the top of the slight stubble on top of her head.
"Your hair was soooo pretty though, Lynn," Marlene pouts.
"Well, at least you kept your beautiful hair, Mar," I offer. Marlene blushes slightly. She's a very pretty girl, with curly light brown hair. She's not tall but not short, and she's slender but strong. I sling an arm over her shoulders, and she smiles as her emerald green eyes look up into my chocolate brown ones. The dark skin of my hands contrasts with the light skin of her shoulder.
Lauren and Four begin down the tunnel into the compound. All the initiates must have made it down to the net, I guess. It's dark, but growing up in Dauntless, I'm used to that. Most of the compound is under ground. Lauren and Four stop and the transfers, not used to the dark of the Dauntless compound yet, bump into each other like a big pile-up. I'm kind of glad that I didn't stick by Tris, now, or I'd be in the middle of it.
"This is where we divide," Lauren says. "The Dauntless-born initiates are with me. I assume you don't need a tour of the place." As we follow Lauren to the dormitory, I hear Four start the tour for the transfers.
The chaos and excitement of Choosing Day means a packed dining hall. The transfers aren't here yet—probably still on their tour of the compound with Four. We've already picked our bunks in the Dauntless-born dormitory; I picked a bottom bunk, with Marlene and Lynn sharing the bunk bed next to me, Lynn taking the top bunk. Now that we've arrived for dinner, I try to pay attention to Lynn and Marlene's conversation, am distracted watching for the transfers to arrive to the dining hall.
We make our way to a table and sit down, Marlene at the end, me next to her, and Lynn across from us. There's a tray of burgers at the table, but I can't forget the most important part of every Dauntless dinner: Dauntless cake. And on a night like tonight, it could be gone before I know it. I hurry across the hall to grab my slice, and think to grab an extra for Tris—I already told her she's gotta try it and I'm sure she won't think to grab some before it's gone.
When I arrive back at the table, Four has joined our table, a couple seats over from where I left my plate. A moment later, Tris cautiously sits down between me and Four, with Christina and a couple other transfers—both boys, Erudite and Candor—sit across from us, by Lynn.
"Tris!" I say eagerly. I push the cake toward her. "I got you this. We talked about the cake yesterday, remember? You definitely can't miss out on Dauntless cake your first night here."
"You really like your cake, don't you?" Tris frowns. "I've never had cake, actually. We didn't have things like that in Abnegation."
"Well, make sure I get to see you take your first bite, when you're ready for it, then," I chuckle. "I swear, your life will never be the same again."
Tris cautiously puts a hamburger on her plate and examines it. A few of us at the table notice and I can see that we're all confused… everyone except Four, apparently. "It's beef," he tells her, passing her a bowl of ketchup. "Put this on it."
"You've never had a hamburger before?" Christina asks with wide eyes.
"Stiffs eat plain food," Four says. That's right… I often forget that Four transferred from Abnegation. I don't think many people know that, but because he and Zeke are best friends, I know more about him than most. That doesn't say much though—I actually know very little. I don't even know his real name. He mostly keeps to himself, other than hanging out with Zeke and Shauna, but even with them, I don't think Four is exactly an open book.
"Why?" Christina asks.
Tris sounds like she's reciting from memory when she shrugs and answers, "Extravagance is considered self-indulgent and unnecessary."
Christina smirks. "No wonder you left."
Tris rolls her eyes. "Yeah. It was just because of the food."
Four almost manages to suppress his smile, and Lynn snorts. I laugh and lean toward her a little. "You made a good choice, then. Told you we had good food here."
Four and some of the transfers look puzzled at my familiarity with Tris, but we dodge potential questions as Zeke and Shauna plop down across the table from Four. Before I can begin to introduce them, the cafeteria doors open and the room hushes. Eric, our youngest—and cruelest—leader is entering the cafeteria… and is heading our way. Eric was in Four and Zeke's initiation class and he and Four hate each other. The only fight Eric lost was against Four, and Eric also ranked second to Four, and it seems he's never gotten over it. And yep… looks like Four is exactly who Eric is here to see. If I'd known this was coming, I'd have convinced the kitchen staff to make me popcorn.
"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Eric asks Four. As Four introduces Eric to the transfers, Eric is looking at Tris like she's a meal, and I can feel the tension radiating off of her. I don't like it one bit. "A Stiff?" Eric scoffs. "We'll see how long you last." Under the table, my hand involuntarily forms a fist, and I glare at Eric. The last thing she needs is to for Eric to have it out for her.
I think it's time to get the attention off the transfers. "Did you need something, Eric?" I ask. It works—he has tense conversation about our head leader, Max, wanting to see Four, to which Four refuses, as he still does not want the leadership job he's been refusing for the last two years. I'm not sure why he's so against leadership. He sure would have been a lot better than a sadist like Eric, and as the first ranked initiate their year, it was in Four's favor. He's pretty much a Dauntless prodigy.
Eric finally leaves. Someone calls Four's name and he gets up and leaves also. Tris nudges me with her elbow. "Ready for me to try this cake, Uriah?"
I bounce in my seat. "YES! Zeke! Tris here is about to try her first ever bite of cake!"
Zeke grins and he and I watch expectantly as she closes her mouth around the fork and her eyes widen. Finally she says, "You were right, I would have transferred here just for the cake, Uri!"
Zeke and I laugh. I put my arm around Tris's shoulders. She tenses a bit, but relaxes after a moment. I know she's not used to casual touch, but I'm not afraid to push the limit a little bit—it'll help her fit in better here. Yep, I'm just helping her fit in. Right. At least that's what I tell myself. "So Tris, this is the less handsome Pedrad brother, my big brother Zeke. Zeke, this is Tris Prior, first jumper. We were sat together in school a lot. Oh and that's Shauna. Shauna is Zeke's girlfriend and Lynn's sister." Tris nods at them shyly.
"That's right," Shauna says, "I heard the first jumper this year was a Stiff. Impressive." Tris blushes. Her transfer friends leave the table and she starts to follow them, but I pull her back down, whispering her to wait a second.
"Zeke, my wonderful, generous big brother…" I start. He raises his eyebrows. "I told Tris I… well, we… would help her get up to speed for stage one. Like how Four helped Shauna."
Zeke looks her over. "Yeah, I can see that it looks like you'll need some extra practice." She looks down. "I'm sure between Uri and I, we can help you get there. Sometimes I will have shifts in the control room and won't be able to help, then it'll have to just be Uriah, but I can help a few times."
We decide that Zeke will start working with her for a little while later tonight, and I'm relieved. I talked her into coming here, so I'd better make good on my promise to help her through stage 1. I can't let her become factionless. She's the only one who knows my secret. The only one I know who is like me.