Author's Note: Yay! We get to meet Eric in this story, although we don't find out his name yet. Lea refers to him as 'The Man.' Thank you guys for the follows, favorites and the reviews. Tomorrow's the one-on-ones. I wonder how those will turn out ;) *wink wink* I hope you enjoy this!
Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.
Chapter Four: Guns, Knives and Letters
We had our first training after lunch. After the excitement wore down, Four guided us to the training area underground. We were to report there every morning by 8:00AM, no tardiness was allowed.
"We take loyalty every seriously here, so no one gets to leave campus. If you do, you need to be with a Dauntless leader and since no leaders will want to escort a meaningless initiate, you won't be leaving campus." Four said.
Since half of the day was already gone, Four decided to use the remaining time of the day to train us with guns and knives.
"Here at Dauntless, we train the transfers separately from the dauntless-born. However, at the end of each stage, you will be ranked and cut together." Four explained.
"Um, cut?" Christina asks.
"Yes. Cut." Four replied.
"Well, what happens if you're cut?" Al asked.
Four didn't bother answering the question. Everyone already knew the answer to that.
"You go factionless." Peter said. There was a dead silence that hung around the air.
"The first stage is physical. We push your bodies to the limit and test your strengths. The second stage consists of mental stability. Face your worst fears and conquer them." Four continued his explanation. After no more questions from the group, Four led us to an exit.
"We'll be training outside." He said. He led us up a series of staircases which led to a roof. It was a different roof than the one we jumped off of.
He showed us a table where there were a bunch of guns. "Everyone gets one gun. They're already loaded but I'll show you how to load and aim." He said.
He took a gun and showed us how to load and then unload it. It was generally the same for every gun, although some had its differences. He took a different stance, positioned his gun at an angle, aimed for the target, and shot. It landed in the chest of the mannequin.
"Line up in front of a target. I'll see each of you individually. Don't forget to wear a protective vest." He said and pointed to a box filled with thick black vests.
I looked at the table full of guns. Everyone started picking some, mostly the long ones. I took a rifle and a jacket and lined myself at the opposite end of Four.
While he was giving advice to some of the initiates, I took the same stance as four and aimed my gun at the center of the chest of the mannequin. I could hear my shot and the impact had me backing up a few steps.
"What the hell was that?" I heard a voice from behind me. I turned around to face the owner of the voice, ready to tell them off.
"I…uh… It just shot…" I stuttered. It was the guy from the roof.
"Give me that." He said. He mumbled a few words after taking away my rifle. I think I heard him say something along the lines of pathetic useless initiates.
"Are you paying any attention?" He asked me. I looked at my gun in his hands.
"This is how you load it." He pulled something from the gun. "And this is how you load it." He said. "Do it." He handed me back the gun.
I copied his movements by disabling the rifle and then reloading. I looked at him for affirmation.
"Well go ahead and shoot. What are you waiting for?" He asked, looking annoyed.
I looked away from him, ignoring his question again. I took the same stance as Four had previously done. I held the rifle with my right hand ready to press the trigger. I aimed the gun, and shot the target twice. They both missed the chest, but landed on the mannequin.
"Where the hell is Four? What is he doing?" The man asked rhetorically after witnessing my shots. Why was he always mad? And what was his name?
I wasn't that bad. I hit the target twice; the first time was a mistake. The gun went off by itself. After shooting the target a few more times, I took a quick glance around and saw everyone's progress. Tris had the most struggles and I could see Peter making comments after every one of her shots. The Man pulled Four aside and harshly whispered something to him. Four sighed and agreed. The Man took a few other glances around and criticized some other initiates before leaving completely.
He was intimidating. Four was intimidating too, but this Man was on a completely different level. I hope he wasn't going to be there every time we trained.
Four watched some more people shoot and skipped over a few people, including me. I guess that must mean that I was doing something right.
"Alright initiates. Keep your guns loaded and leave them on the table. Take off your vests and follow me." Four said after taking off into the staircase that led us to the roof.
I followed the crowd and stuck with Kate. She wasn't doing well, but she managed to get a few shots. I could overhear Christina trying to comfort Tris.
"Don't worry. We've got plenty of time left. You'll get the hang of it." She said and punched her friend's arm. Tris laughed and returned her punch.
I could see Peter from the corner of my eye. He was making fun of Al for only getting one shot. "Well at least you're better than the Stiff." He commented.
I think he meant Tris because she was from Abnegation. As for me, I was from Erudite and Abnegation.
"We're here!" Kate said after a moment.
I looked around the room for a little bit and saw where Four was setting up. We were going to be throwing knives. I searched the room for The Man but he wasn't anywhere in sight.
"Alright initiates. This is the last training of the day. After this, you'll be headed to dinner and you can go do whatever you want. Make it count." He said.
Four made us pick a few knives and head to some blue targets. He showed us the correct stance and threw his knife. Like the gun situation, he hit the target right on the center.
"It has all got to do with the wrist." He said. "Angle your body in a comfortable stance and flick your wrist in the direction that you want to go." He said.
He started giving advice from my end.
I placed my left foot in front and the right one a foot behind. I held the knife in my right hand, and flicked my wrist. It landed on the head of the target. I looked to see Four's reaction. He encouraged me to throw another one.
"That was just a lucky shot, Lea. You're not good enough to do it twice." Peter said to me.
He was such an asshole sometimes.
"Well it doesn't look like you can do any better." I remarked. His knife had landed on the ear of the target.
"I was aiming for that." He said. The Man was right. Initiates were pathetic.
I shook my head and took the same stance as before. This time, my knife landed on the heart.
"Great job initiate." Four said and moved on to the next person. Peter looked my way.
"Well at least you can do something right." He snorted. I swear I was going to punch him one day.
Taking deep breaths, I focused my attention on the target again and practiced.
"Everyone, stop." I turned to see The Man.
He was standing next to Al, another transfer from Candor. "Go stand in front of that target." He said.
Al, intimidated, walked up to the target.
"Four, a little help here." The Man said. Four smiled a fake smile and went to the table to examine some knives. He came back after choosing a few.
"You're going to stand in front of that target and if I see you flinch, you're out." The Man said.
Why was he doing that? Four could hurt him. Just before Four could flick his wrist, Tris shouted.
"Stop! Stop." She said. Well, she had everyone's attention now.
The Man was about to say something, but Tris beat him to it.
"Standing in front of a target doesn't prove anything. Anyone can do that." She said.
"Well then. Maybe you could take his place then." The Man said.
Tris switched places with Al and Four threw his knife, missing Tris completely.
"Come on Four. I know you can do better than that." The Man said.
"You want me to give her a little trim?" Four asked.
"Yeah, just a little over the head." The Man replied.
Four focused on Tris and flicked his wrist. It cut her ear a bit. There was a trickle of blood sliding down of the whole ordeal, Tris didn't flinch one bit.
"Points of bravery for you Stiff, but not as many as you got for opening that mouth." The Man said. "We train soldiers here. Not rebels." He said.
We got dismissed to dinner. Once The Man and Four were out of earshot, everyone started talking about Tris.
"I can't believe she did that!" someone said, "Yeah! Maybe she really is meant for Dauntless." Another said.
"I can't believe it. Maybe there's still a part of her that's Abnegation. You know? Being selfless." Kate said. I agreed.
Tris finally caught up with us at dinner. Everyone was congratulating her, but I couldn't see Al anywhere in sight. Maybe he was just embarrassed or ashamed or something.
"Hey!" Peter called out to Tris. She turned around to meet him.
"Good work, out there." Peter said. Noticing everyone's looks, he added, "What? You're famous now. But not about the knife thing. I mean it. You're on the newspaper!" He showed it to us.
"Children of Andrew and Natalie Prior are beaten to death." He read aloud. "Is that why you moved out of Abnegation? Did your parents beat you like Marcus did to his child?" Peter asked.
Upset, Tris stomps away with Will and Christina by her side. "Asshole." Christina said before sprinting to catch up with them.
"That was… that was something." I said to Kate. Kate nodded. There was an awkward silence among the group before someone suggested to go eat dinner.
After finishing up my dinner, I decided to head to the medical ward to get something for my fainting. It would be ugly to faint in the middle of training, especially if Peter was there. Anything could happen when that guy was there.
"Hey, Kate." I said. She was still eating her dessert. "I'm going to head to the medical ward to try and get some pills for the...uh...fainting thing." I said.
She looked worried. "Do you feel like you're going to faint again?" She asked. "Do you want me to come with you?" She offered. I saw Tris and her friends, including Al, coming towards us to eat dinner.
"Nah, you should stay with them. I'll be headed to the dorms anyway after." I said.
"You sure?" She asked. I nodded and left after explaining to the group where I was headed.
I'm not trying to say that I'm stupid, because I'm not, but Dauntless was a hard place to get around. I figured that it was near the training area that Four had showed us earlier that evening but I couldn't get to that place.
After a long while, I made it back to the dorms, but no one was there. They were probably still at dinner or exploring around, like me. Anyway, I made my way to the training area by memory and found my way to the med ward eventually.
I knocked on the door twice before I could hear a muffled voice. "Come on in!" The male voice said.
I turned the knob and went inside. There was a young male with glasses sitting at a long table. He was pulling on some gloves and making his way to me. "What can I help you with today?" He asked after assessing my body for any injuries with his eyes.
"I fainted during the choosing ceremony today and I was wondering if I could get some pills to prevent them?" I asked.
Recognition lit his face. He knew about me.
"Lea, right?" He asked. I nodded. "I'm Michael." He smiled widely, exposing his sparkly white teeth. His eyes were hazel and his hair was blonde, like The Man's.
There was a silence between us. Standing next to him, I could smell disinfectant and some chemicals.
"Right." He smiled, breaking the silence. "Well for starters, I have to diagnose you first. Are you feeling any dizziness of some sort or anything?" He asked.
I shook my head. Throughout the rest of the day, I had some headaches but they weren't as bad. It just made me dizzy. He couldn't find anything wrong with me because I wasn't showing any signs of any symptoms that may lead to fainting. His only guess was that I didn't get enough sleep and I was too stressed and that put a lot of pressure on my body. He recommended me some sleeping pills to better help my sleep and some painkillers in case I would get some headaches.
"Well, anything else?" He asked.
I remembered my about my period. "Well, uh, since this is the medical ward, I was wondering if you could help me get to the pharmacy? So I can buy stuff." I said.
He looked shocked. "I'm the doctor and pharmacist." He laughed. Right, he was the one that gave me the pills.
"But I wonder if there are any other workers?" I asked him shyly.
"Yeah, but my friend, Patty, isn't in today. We take shifts." He said. "Is there another problem?" He asked. His eyebrows were scrunched up together.
"Well I need stuff for my period." I said.
We stared at each other for a few seconds and we burst out laughing.
Apparently he had many cases like mine. Girls got their periods and got their toiletries from him. It was totally normal to ask him for stuff. He said that asking him for some pads or tampons were daily occurrences. He compared it to people asking the lunch lady what's on the menu. It was completely normal to be honest with him; he was there to help everyone anyway. It was his job.
"Well, I didn't think I would be getting any patients on the first day." He laughed. I laughed along with him.
"Well thanks for the pills and..." I said, motioning to the bag that held my toiletries.
"No problem. Be sure to visit tomorrow." He smiled. I blushed. "For the pills. I just want to see if you're having any side effects." He said. He smile and flirtatiously winked at me. I blushed even harder. I had to get out of here. I have having all sorts of attractions today. Maybe I should get checked. If this continues tomorrow, I would be sure to get checked out.
I was out in a flash and in the dormitories. No one was there. Deciding that this was my one and only chance, I got the clothes that hid at the bottom of my bed and headed to the communal showers.
I was out and done before anyone came in.
"Lea!" Kate exclaimed and ran to me. "Where were you?" She asked. "We came back to the dorms for a while but you weren't here. We figured that you were still at the hospital so we took a tour around the compound." She said.
"It's alright." I said. "Besides, I got time to shower anyway." I said.
Kate pouted. She said that she would wake up in the morning to shower before anyone else was awake. I laughed and told her that I was going to shower in the morning also. Tris and Christina joined in the plan. While two people were showering, the other two would guard the place and they would switch. I explained to them about my trip to the pharmacy and hospital, and they laughed. They would be sure to see this cute Michael guy soon.
"So, Michael." Christina wriggled her eyebrows to me. I flushed.
"Who's Michael?" Will asked from across the room. Al seemed interested in our conversation too.
"NO ONE!" I screamed before Christina could tell everyone that he was my 'friend.' Everyone laughed.
Kate promised to take me to the tattoo parlor and the hairdresser when we got the time. We made a promise to each other that we would get our first tattoo together after passing initiation.
That night, while everyone was asleep, I pulled out the envelop that hid in my jacket that hung on the bed's frame and exited the room. I looked around, it sounded like everyone was asleep.
I searched for the Chasm. It wasn't very hard. I just had to follow the sound of the water. I remembered Four telling us that it was the Chasm that had the most minimal security because it could hardly pick up any footage or sound.
I sat at the edge of a metal like bridge. My feet hung on the edge of the bridge. It was 2:16AM and I was pretty sure that everyone was asleep. I breathed in the wet air a few times and opened the envelope.
There were two pages. The first was double sided and the second page was only half used. There was nothing else inside of the letter. The writing was elegant but the paper was rough. I began reading the letter.
To my dearest Leanne,
I'm sure Ari gave you this letter on your Choosing Ceremony day. But I hope that this letter falls into the right hands, after reading this, you must get rid of it immediately. No one can know of this.
If you're reading this right now, then something must've happened to me and your father. Listen, I already explained to Ari everything. You can tell her anything. She is someone you can trust. But please, don't try to seek revenge.
'Don't try to seek revenge.' It was like what Ari said to me. I paid closer attention to the letter. I curled up my legs so they were pressed against me.
Your real parents, they're dead. Or at least that's what Jeanine keeps on telling me. I don't believe her. I think they escaped. I don't know where, but I think they're still alive. They were good friends of mine as well as your father. I hope you know what Divergents are?
Divergents? I've heard of him in the school hallways, but they were just myths. They weren't real. But why was my mom talking about Divergents? And what did she mean 'real parents.' Was I adopted? I continued reading.
They have inconclusive aptitudes. They fit into more than one faction. Your parents, they were 'divergent.' They were also the ones who led the research of these Divergents. They were trying to save them from Jeanine. But Jeanine found out and got rid of them. I don't know how. No one knows where they are. Their bodies weren't in the coffins on their funeral day.
My real parents were dead? I didn't even know their names.
We took you and your brother in. We had to protect you. Jeanine swore that she wouldn't hurt you or Carl, but she keeps on trying to get the research that your parents conducted.
So I was adopted. And so was Carl.
If you're reading this, then Jeanine must've gotten ahold of the research or something must've happened to me and your father; probably the same thing as your real parents. I trust Ari has done something for you two, she's from Abnegation, and she's my sister.
Were my real parents murdered too? But they didn't have the bodies to prove it. I could feel my eyes getting wet. I blinked my eyes dry of the unshed tears and continued with the reading. I was almost near the end of it.
We observed you two while growing up. It was wonderful. We watched for any signs of divergence in you two. You seemed to fit in with the Erudites. But Carl, he doesn't. He gets along more with the others in the other factions at school. He's young, so no one bothered to care about him. I think that Carl may be like your parents and the people that your parents researched about. We've done enough research on our own, and we have some theories that fit. You need to make sure that Jeanine does not get a hold of the research. If she does, our world will come to an end. If you need anything, tell Ari. She'll help.
I wished I were there to see you two grow up more. We love you and Carl so much. We love you guys as if you were our own children. Protect your brother, Leanne.
Love,
Mom and Dad.
(Chapter 2 explained that Lea switched factions from Erudite to Abnegation because the Erudite didn't want to handle with betrayers. Lea holds a slight grudge with them for it, and she didn't want to join Erudite during the ceremony.)
I wasn't going to seek revenge. I promised Ari that. I was going to be fine, like I promised to my brother. But I was also going to keep him safe, because I made a promise to myself.
I ripped the letter into a million little pieces and threw them into the Chasm, letting the water wash the words away.
I didn't want to think, I just wanted to sleep. I would have to process the information.
My brother was a divergent. It wasn't proven yet, but I trusted my parents. I have to get to him and tell him everything. I have to make sure that nothing will ever happen to him or Ari. Why didn't she tell me about this before I chose my faction? I would've stayed with my brother. Faction over blood. Jeanine had said that on the day of our ceremony. I wasn't going to fall for that crap.
My brother came first, and he always will.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Woah *cracks fingers* that was the longest chapter that I've written, so far. Anyway, please let me know what you think! Is it progressing too slowly? Or fast? Do you need more clarification? Criticism much appreciated! I was thinking of writing the next few chapters in Eric's P.O.V. and Lea's. But I think that I'd much prefer writing both of their points of perspective in the same chapter. Let me know which one you like best (: Oh, and I don't know if Eric is starting to get out of character? I'm trying not to make my character too over-powered, but I don't want her to be weak either. Please let me know… Also, I'm trying to combine Tris's timeline with the story but I don't know how that will turn out, so the story will be a bit different than the movie and book. Lea mentions her switch of factions in chapter 2, so if that needs more clarification, please let me know. Thanks again and please review!