7
When all the initiates stand on solid ground again, Lauren and Four lead us down a narrow tunnel. The walls are made of stone, and the ceiling slopes, so it feels like I am descending deep into the heart of the earth. The tunnel is lit at long intervals, so in the dark space between each lamp, I fear that I am lost until a shoulder bumps into mine. In the circles.
I've always found it interesting how people cling to light. People can go pretty long periods of time with only minimal amounts of light, but not many would choose to live like that.
The Erudite boy in front of me stops abruptly, and I smack into him, my nose hitting his shoulder. I stumble back and rub my nose as I recover my senses. The whole crowd has stopped, and our three leaders stand in front of us, arms folded.
"This is where we divide," Lauren says. "The Dauntless borns are with me, I'm assuming you don't need a tour of this place."
She smiles and beckons towards the Dauntless-born initiates. They break away from the group and dissolve into the shadows. I watch the last heel pass out of the light and look at those of us who are left. Most of the initiates were from Dauntless, so only nine people remain. The rest are from Erudite and, surprisingly, Candor. It must require bravery to be honest all the time. I wouldn't know.
"Seriously," Christina says, "We're only seven chapters in and you've already been lying." Tris shrugs. "The Abnegation don't really lie per se, they're just more tolerant of secrets than the Candor," Tris says. "Yeah, well I'm just saying that it's a good thing you didn't choose Candor as your faction. You probably would have gotten kicked out for lying so much," Christina says. "Probably," Tris says, laughing.
Four addresses us next. "Most of the time, I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I will be your instructor," he says. "My name is Four."
Christina asks, "Four? Like the number?"
"I'm surprised he didn't pitch you into the chasm for that," Zeke says dryly. "He just told me off," Christina says, shrugging. I feel kind of uncomfortable when I remember stuff like that, seeing as I now hang out with people I used to be responsible for.
"Why are you called Four?" Caleb asks. I look over at Caleb and raise my eyebrows. "You know the book will explain that right?" "Yeah but that's going to take forever," he huffs. "It's because he has four fears," Shauna tells him. "Is that low?" Caleb asks. "It's the record," Tris says. "Hmmm," Caleb says. He studies me with a look that makes me think he is pondering how my brain must look under a microscope.
"Yes," Four says, "Is there a problem?"
"No."
"Good. We are about to go to the Pit, which you will someday learn to love. It-"
Christina snickers, "The Pit? Cleaver name."
"Okay, that was pretty stupid of you," Caleb says. "What? I grew up in Candor. I was used to saying what I thought," Christina says. "You still would have thought that you would have learned after the first time," Will says, "You're pretty slow on the uptake, aren't you?" Christina reddens. "Just shut up and read," she mutters.
I frown. I wasn't that mean to her. I just got in her face. Eric made her hang out in the chasm.
Four walks up to Christina and leans his face in close to hers. His eyes narrow, and for a second he just stares at her.
"What's you name?" he asks quietly.
"Christina," she squeaks.
Zeke laughs. "You were really that scared of him?" "Hey," says Will, coming to Christina's defence, "don't act like you were never intimidated by Four." Zeke stops laughing at Christina. "Only a little…" Zeke mumbles. "Oh come on!" I say, "You guys are acting like I would kill anyone who even looked at me." "You acted that way in the beginning," Zeke says. I huff. It's not my fault I have naturally intimidating looks and a slightly anti-social nature.
"Well, Christina, If I wanted to put up with Candor smart-mouths, I would have joined their faction," he hisses. "The first lesson you will learn from me is to keep your mouth shut. Got that?"
"I don't know what your talking about," Uriah says sarcastically, "he's practically a teddy bear." "Yeah, he is," Tris says seriously. She turns sideways on my lap and snuggles into my chest. "Good teddy bear," Tris says, patting my head. I roll my eyes at her. "See?" she says, "Not scary." Zeke scoffs. "That's only because you're even scarier than he is." That's true.
She nods.
Four starts toward the shadow at the end of the tunnel. The crowd of initiates moves on in silence.
"What a jerk," she mumbles.
I raise my eyebrows at Christina. "What?" she says. "You were a jerk to me." "You do realize I was trying to break your habit of speaking your mind before it got you killed by Eric, right?" I say, my eyes narrowed. Christina shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "Whatever," she mumbles.
"I guess he doesn't like to be laughed at," I reply.
"It's interesting that you defend the guy you barely know," Caleb says. "Aren't Abnegation taught it is selfish to judge?" Tris asks. "Yeah," Caleb sighs, "Some of the people in Erudite could really use that lesson."
It would be wise to be careful around Four, I realize. He seemed placid to me on the platform, but something about that stillness makes me wary now.
"You were scared of Four?" Marlene asks. "Nah," Tirs says. "One can decide to be careful around someone or something without being scared of it or them."
Four pushes a set of double doors open, and we walk into the place we called "the Pit."
"Oh," Christina says, "I get it."
"Pit" is the best word for it. It is an underground cavern so huge I can't see the other end of it from where I stand, at the bottom. Uneven rock walls rise several stories above my head. Built into the stone walls are places for food, clothing, supplies, and leisure activities. Narrow paths carved from rock connect them. There are no barriers to keep people from falling over the side.
"That sounds like such a delightful way to fall to your death," Cale says. That's basically what I thought when I first got here.
A slant of orange light stretches across one of the rock walls. Forming the roof of the Pit are panes of glass and, above them, a building that lets in sunlight. It must have looked like just another city building when we passed it on the train.
"You have no idea how long it took me to find this place," Caleb says, "I actually walked into the wrong building three times." Tris laughs at him. "What? I'm just saying it isn't very logical for it to be so hard to find," Caleb says. He seems annoyed that Tris is laughing at him. "The Dauntless aren't always very logical Caleb," she says.
Blue lanterns dangle along random intervals of the stone paths, similar to the ones that lit the choosing room. They grow brighter as the sunlight dies.
People are everywhere, all dressed in black, all shouting and talking, expressive, gesturing. I don't see any elderly people in the crowd. Are there any old Dauntless? Do they not last that long or are they just sent away when they can't jump off trains anymore?
"Depends," Zeke says. "Some die before they can get old, some decide to join the factionless when they do, some jump into the chasm when they do, and some, like Max, just push through it."
A group of children run down a narrow path with no railing, so fast my heart pounds, and I want to scream at them to slow down before they get hurt.
"They would've just laughed at you," Lynn says. "Yeah," Uriah says, shaking his head, "Youngsters have zero respect for their elders these days. 'Tis a shame." "If you really feel that way Uri," Zeke says, "Go get me some cake." Lynn scoffs. "You're too immature to be anybody's elder." Shauna laughs and high-fives her sister.
A memory of the orderly Abnegation street appears in my mind: a line of people on the right passing a line of people on the left, small smiles and inclined heads and silence. My stomach squeezes. But there is something wonderful about Dauntless chaos.
"What?" Caleb asks incredulously. "Well," Tris says, "I don't have to cook, or volunteer, or refrain from sarcasm, and I can talk freely during dinner."
"If you'll follow me," says Four, "I'll show you the chasm."
He waves us forward. Four's appearance seems tame from the front, by Dauntless standards, but when he turns around, I see a tattoo peeking out from the collar of his T-shirt.
"Why?" Caleb asks. "Our surroundings weren't that interesting. And besides, I noticed Lauren's piercings and Tori's tattoo. I'll probably be noticing even more peoples tattoos later on in the book." Tris says.
"Speaking of," Caleb says, "anymore tattoos since I last saw you?" He eyes his sister suspiciously. "Just the one of your face covering my back." she says seriously. Caleb gives a look of shock and opens and closes his mouth. "What?" he stutters out. "I was joking Caleb. Why on earth would I deface my back like that? Plus, that'd be so creepy." she says, rolling her eyes at him.
He leads us to the right side of the Pit, which is conspicuously dark. I squint and see the floor I stand on ends at an iron barrier. As we approach the railing, I hear a roar- water, fast-moving water, crashing against rocks.
I look over the side. The floor drops off at a sharp angle, and several stories below us is a river. Gushing water strikes the wall behind me and sprays upward. To my left, the water is calmer, but to my right, it is white, battling with rocks.
"The chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy!" Four shouts. "A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It has happened before and it will happen again. You've been warned."
I put one of my arms around Tris. I know she still feels responsible for Al's death, and that she still doesn't forgive herself for it.
"This is incredible," says Christina, as we all move away from the railing.
"Incredible is the word," I say, nodding.
Four leads the group of initiates across the Pit toward a gaping hole in the wall. The room beyond is well-light enough that I can see where we are going: a dining hall full of people and clattering silverware. When we walk in, the Dauntless inside stand. They applaud. They stamp their feet. They shout. The noise surrounds me and fills me. Christina smiles, and a second later, so do I.
We look for empty seats.
"There isn't a seating arrangement?" Caleb asks. "No," says Tris. "You just sit where you can find room." "But that's so illogical." he says. "Not really," I say. "People can't always eat at the same time every day, and the dining hall isn't big enough for everyone at once, so it actually makes more sense to just sit wherever." Caleb nods, accepting my logic.
Christina and I find a mostly empty table at the side of the room, and I find myself sitting in between her and Four.
I could be wrong, but I think I hear Caleb mutter something along the lines of "of course you do."
In the center of the table is a platter of food I don't recognize: circular pieces of meat wedged between round bread slices. I pinch one between my fingers, not sure what to make of it.
Four nudges me with his elbow.
"It's beef," he says. "Put this on it." He passes me a small bowl full of red sauce.
"You've never had a hamburger before?" Christina asks, her eyes wide.
"You didn't pay attention in faction history did you?" Will asks. "Huh?" says Christina. He rolls his eyes at her. "They told us what the different factions ate." "It was a boring class." she says defensively.
"No," I say. "Is that what it's called?"
"Stiffs eat plain food," Four says, nodding at Christina.
"He apparently managed to pay attention," Will says. "Yeah, well, whatever," Christina says, at a loss for a comeback.
"Why?" she asks.
I shrug "Extravagance is considered unnecessary and indulgent."
She smirks. "No wonder you left."
"Yeah," I say, rolling my eyes, "It was just because of the food."
The corner of Four's mouth twitches.
"Wow," Zeke says, "You must be magical. You got one and a half smiles out of Four in one day." "One and a half?" I ask. "Mouth twitches are counted as half a smile," Zeke says. I shake my head. How does he come up with such arbitrary rules?
The doors to the cafeteria open, and a hush falls over the room. I look over my shoulder. A young man walks in, and it is quiet enough that I can hear his footsteps. His face is pierced in so many places, I lose count, and his hair is long, dark, and greasy. But that isn't what makes him look menacing. It is the coldness of his eyes as they sweep across the room.
"Eric?" Caleb guesses.
"Who's that?" hisses Christina.
"Santa claus," Uriah whispers to Christina. She smacks him upside the head. Uriah scowls at her and scoots closer to Marlene.
"His name is Eric," says Four. "He's a Dauntless leader."
"Seriously? But he's so young."
Four gives her a grave look. "Age doesn't matter hear."
I can tell she's about to ask what I want to ask: Then what does matter? But Eric's eyes stop scanning the room, and he starts toward a table. He starts towards our table and drops into the seat next to Four.
"That's when you yell something like 'you can't sit with us'!" Uriah says. Everyone looks at him with a confused expression. Why are Uriah and Zeke such weirdos?
He offers no greeting, so neither do we.
"Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" he asks, nodding to Christina and me.
"This is Tris and Christina," Four says
"Oooh, a Stiff," Eric says, smirking at me. His smile pulls at the piercings in his lips, making the holes they occupy wider, and I wince. "We'll see how long you last."
Caleb scowls. "They let this jerk be a Dauntless leader?" "Actually," I say, "Jeanine was the one who pushed for Eric."
I mean to say something- to assure I will last, maybe- but words fail me. I don't know why, but I don't want Eric to look at me any longer than he has. I don't want him to look at me ever again.
I hold Tris a little tighter. It's a really good thing she didn't say anything. If she had, she probably wouldn't be sitting here now.
He taps his fingers against the table. His knuckles are scabbed over, tight where they would split if he punched something too hard.
"What have you been doing lately Four?" he asks.
Four lifts a shoulder. "Nothing, really," he says.
Are they friends?
I snort. Like I would ever be friends with him.
My eyes flick between Eric and Four. Everything Eric did- sitting here, asking about Four- suggests that they are, but the way Four sits, tense as pulled wire, suggests that they are something else. Rivals, maybe, but how can that be, if Eric is a leader and Four is not?
I raise my eyebrows in shock. She noticed all of that? I knew Tris was perceptive, but I didn't know she was this perceptive. It's kind of ridiculous.
"Max tells me he keeps trying to meet you, but you don't show up," Eric says, "He requested I find out what's going on with you."
Four looks at Eric for a few seconds before saying, "Tell him I am satisfied with the position I currently hold."
"So he wants to give you a job."
"So it would seem," Four says.
"And you aren't interested."
"I haven't been interested for two years."
"You didn't want to be a leader?" Caleb asks. "Yeah," I say. "Interesting," he says, studying me.
"Well," Eric says, "Let's hope he gets the point then."
He claps Four on the shoulder, a little too hard, and gets up. When he walks away, I slouch immediately. I had not realized I was so tense.
"Are you two… friends?" I ask, unable to hide my curiosity.
"We were in the same initiate class," he says, "He transferred from Erudite."
"Question dodger," someone says/coughs.
All thoughts of being careful around Four leave me. "Were you a transfer too?"
"You abandoned being careful around me rather early didn't you?" I say dryly. "If you want me too, I can be careful around you now to make up for earlier." she says. She starts to get up, but I wrap my arms around her, forcing her to stay. "That's okay," I say.
"I thought I would only have the Candor asking too many questions," he says coldly, "Now I've got stiffs too?"
"That's a yes, then," Caleb says.
"It must be because you're so approachable," I say flatly, "You know. Like a bed of nails."
"Nice one Tris," Lynn says. They air-five.
He stares at me, and I don't look away. He's isn't a dog, but the same rules apply. Looking away is submissive. Looking him in the eye is a challenge. It's my choice.
"Bark, bark," I say. Tris pats me on the head.
Heat rushes into my cheeks. What will happen when the tension breaks?
But he just says, "Careful, Tris."
My stomach drops like I just swallowed a stone. A Dauntless member at another table calls out Four's name, and I turn to Christina. She raises both eyebrows.
"What?" I ask.
"I'm developing a theory."
"And it is?"
She picks up her hamburger, grins, and says, "That you have a death wish."
"I'm not that scary," I say. Christina shrugs.
"There's a break," Will says.
After dinner, Four disappeared without a word.
"I'm so touched that you noticed," I say, placing a hand over my heart. "You left us alone with Eric," Tris says flatly, "I'm pretty sure everyone noticed." Christina and Will nod. My ego deflates a little.
Eric leads us down a series of hallways without telling us where we're going. I don't know why a Dauntless leader would be responsible for a group of initiates, but maybe it is just for tonight.
"If only," Christina sighs. Will nods and Tris nod.
At the end of each hallway is a blue lamp, but between them it's dark, and I have to be careful to not stumble over uneven ground. Christina walks beside me in silence. No one told us to be quiet, but none of us speak.
"This Eric guy seems pretty scary," Caleb says. I snort. "He likes to think he's scary. Didn't stop me from beating him up while we were in initiation." "You may not find him scary," Caleb says, "But he did have a higher position than you, so I'm assuming you had to do what he said." "Unfortunately," I say bitterly. Sometimes I really regret not taking that leadership job.
Eric steps in front of a wooden door and folds his arms. We gather around him.
"For those of you don't know, my name is Eric," he says. "I am one of the five leaders of the Dauntless. We take the initiation process very seriously here, so I volunteered to oversee most of your training."
The thought makes me nauseous. The idea that a Dauntless leader will oversee our training is bad enough, but the fact that it's Eric make it seem even worse.
Tris seemed to really hate him really early. He hasn't really done anything bad to anyone yet, but I don't think it's possible for him to stop the bloodthirsty vibes that come from him.
"Some ground rules," he says, "You have to be in the training room by eight o'clock every day. Training takes place every day from eight to six, with a break for lunch. You are free to do what you like after six. You will also get time off after each stage of initiation."
The phrase "do whatever you like" sticks in my mind. At home, I could never do what I liked, not even for an evening. I had to think of other people's needs first. I don't even know what I like to do.
"Abnegation don't know what their birthday is or what they like to do? That's just sad," Uriah says, shaking his head. Tris shrugs. "I found the fact that there is a much greater chance y'all will die kind of weird." The Dauntless-born stop making fun of Tris. Almost everyone here knows someone who has fallen or jumped into the chasm.
"You are only allowed to leave the compound when accompanied by a Dauntless," Eric adds.
"Good job following that rule," Caleb says.
"Behind this door is the room where you will be sleeping for the next few weeks. You will notice that there are ten beds and nine of you. We anticipated that a higher portion of you would make it this far."
"But we started with 12," Christina protests. I close my eyes and wait for the reprimand. She needs to learn to stay quiet.
"Wow," Uriah says, "Even your own friend thinks you should shut up." "Bro," Zeke says, "Everyone always thinks you should shut up." Uriah sticks his tongue out at his brother.
"There is always at least one transfer that doesn't make it to the compound," Eric says, picking at his cuticles.
He shrugs, "Anyway, in the first stage of initiation, we keep transfers and Dauntless-born separate, but that doesn't mean you're evaluated separately. At the end of initiation, your rankings will be determined in comparison with the Dauntless-born. And they are better than you already. So I expect-"
"Ranking?" asked the mousy haired girl to my right, "Why are we ranked?"
Eric smiles, and in the blue light, his smile looks wicked, like it was cut into his face with a knife.
"Your rankings serve two purposes," he says. "The first is that it determines the order in which you will select a job after initiation. There are only a few desirable positions available."
My stomach tightens. I know by looking at his smile, like I knew the second I entered the aptitude test room, that something bad is about to happen.
"The second purpose," he says. "Is that only the top ten initiates are made members."
"Top ten?" Caleb asks. "That is what I read," Will says tiredly. "That's not very fair," Caleb says, "The Dauntless-born have a huge advantage." "For stage one they do," I say, "but for stages two and three they don't."
That means that even if we make it through each stage of initiation, six initiates will not be members. I see Christina look at me from the corner of my eye, but I can't look back at her. My eyes are fixed on Eric and will not move.
My odds, as the smallest initiate, as the only Abnegation transfer, are not good.
I wonder how Peter feels about the smallest and only Abnegation transfer beating him. I'm honestly really surprised he hasn't tried to get even with Tris. Then again, he's not that stupid. He knows if he did anything to Tris, I would make sure that the last moments of his life were filled with as much agony and suffering as possible.
"What do we do if we're cut?" Peter says.
"You leave the Dauntless compound," Eric says indifferently, "and live factionless."
The mousy-haired girl clamps her hand over her mouth and stifles a sob. I remember the factionless man with gray teeth, snatching the bag of apples from my hand. His dull, staring eyes. But instead of crying like the Erudite girl, I feel colder. Harder. I will become a member. I will.
"Gosh Tris, you're so complacent," Caleb says, smiling. Tris sticks his tongue out at him. "And so mature too! And you say you aren't cut out for Abnegation," he says. "Whatever," Tris says, rolling her eyes at her brother.
"But that's… not fair!" the broad-shouldered Candor girl, Molly, says. Even though she sounds angry, she sounds terrified.
Anger and fear usually go hand in hand. Especially here in Dauntless.
"If we had known-"
"Really?" I say, "Don't any Candor think before they speak?" "Hey," Christina says, "I take offense to that." "But you're Dauntless now, not Candor," Tris points out. "Oh yeah," Christina says, "Forgot about that."
"Are you saying that if you had known this before the Choosing Ceremony, you wouldn't have chosen Dauntless?" Eric snaps. "Because if that's the case, you should get out now. If you really are one of us, it won't matter that you might fail. And if it does, you are a coward."
"It feels really weird to agree with Eric," Lynn says, her face scrunched up in disgust. Uriah nods, a similar look on his face.
Eric pushes the door to the dormitory open.
"You chose us," he says, "Now we have to choose you."
Will groans. "There's another page break. I swear, I'm going to lose my voice if all the chapters are this long."
"Hold on," Zeke says, getting up. He goes to the fridge in the kitchen area of the room and grabs ten bottles of water. He gives one to each person and then sits back down in his spot.
"Thanks," Will says, taking a big gulp from his.
I lie in bed and listen to nine people breathing.
I have never slept in the same room as a boy before, but I have no other option, unless I want to sleep in the hallway. Everyone else changed into the clothes Dauntless provided for us, but I sleep in my Abnegation clothes, which still smell like soap and fresh air, like home.
"Did you know," Caleb says, "that smells are one of the things people remember the best? Some people at Erudite have been researching it and they have hypothesised that-" Tris cuts him off. "As fascinating as that is Caleb," she says, "I don't think everyone here cares about it." Caleb hangs his head and a disappointed look comes across his face. I guess he really wanted to explain it.
I used to have my own room. I could see the front lawn from the window, and beyond that, a foggy skyline. I am used to sleeping in silence.
Heat swells behind my eyes as I think of home, and when I blink, a tear slips out. I cover my mouth to stifle a sob.
Tris looks around the room with a fierce expression on her face. I would feel sorry for someone stupid enough to say anything, I'm not sure if they would be entirely the same after Tris was through with them. I wouldn't be surprised if they needed therapy.
I can't cry, not here. I have to calm down.
"Oh please," Christina says, "Everyone else was crying. So stop giving us all the death stare okay?" Tris stops glaring at everyone. "Whatever," she Tgrumbles. One thing I can say about Christina, is that she has guts. I've been on the receiving end of Tris's death stare, and it is truly terrifying.
It will be alright here. I can look at my reflection whenever I want. I can befriend Christina, and cut my hair short, and let other people clean up their own messes.
I start to play with Tris's hair. She never did cut it. We both keep our hair at the approved Abnegation length.
My hands shake and the tears come faster now, blurring my vision.
It doesn't matter that the next time I see my parents, on Visiting day, they will barely recognize me- if they come at all. It doesn't matter that I ache at every split-second memory of their faces. Even Caleb's, despite how much his secrets hurt me. I match my inhales to the other initiate's, and my exhales to their exhales.
It doesn't matter.
"You know the very fact that you're telling yourself it doesn't matter is proof that it matters, right?" Caleb says. Tris doesn't respond to him.
A strangled sound interrupts the breathing, followed by a heavy sob. Bed springs squeal as a large body turns, and a pillow muffles the sobs, but not enough. They come from the bunk next to mine- they belong to a Candor boy, Al, the largest and broadest of all the initiates. He is the last person I expected to break down.
His feet are just inches from my head. I would comfort him- I should want to comfort him, because I was raised that way. Instead I feel disgust. Someone who looks so strong shouldn't act so weak.
Lynn nods. Tris and Lynn are actually pretty similar. And they seem to enjoy double-teaming Uriah and Zeke.
Why can't he just keep his crying quiet like the rest of us?
I swallow hard.
If my mother knew what I was thinking, I know what look she would give me. The corners of her mouth turned down. Her eyebrows set low over her eyes- not scowling, almost tired. I drag the heel of my hand over my cheeks.
"You have both Caleb's and your mother's looks of disapproval memorized? You must have not been a very good kid," Zeke says. Tris looks at him incredulously. "Zeke honey," Shauna says, "you have no room to talk."
Al sobs again. I almost feel the sound grate in my own throat. He is just inches from me- I should touch him.
I scowl. She really shouldn't. He obviously liked Tris anyway, this would just have encouraged him.
"Tobias," Tris says, "stop scowling. You're freaking Caleb out." I glance over at Caleb and realize it's true. It's hard not to laugh at him. He's looking at me like he's afraid I'm going to kill someone. I stop scowling and nuzzle my face into Tris's neck. Out of my peripheral, I see Caleb relax.
No. I put my hand down and roll onto my side, facing the wall. No one has to know I don't have to help him. I can keep that secret buried.
"Or not," Uriah says.
My eyes shut and I feel the pull of sleep, but every time I come close, I hear Al again.
Maybe my problem isn't that I can't go home. I will miss my mother and father and Caleb and evening firelight, but that is not the only reason for this hollow feeling in my stomach. My problem might be that even if I did go home, I wouldn't belong there, among people who give without thinking and care without trying.
Most of the ones who transferred nod in understanding. Only the Dauntless-born in this room don't know what it's like to grow up not fitting in.
The thought makes me grit my teeth. I gather the pillow around my ears to block out Al's crying and fall asleep with a circle of moisture pressed against my cheek.
"Done!" Will shouts, "Who's next?" "I'll do it," Marlene says. Will pushes it across the floor to Marlene who then picks up the book and opens to the right chapter.
"Chapter 8…"
Author's note: Done! God! Veronica Roth needs to make her chapters shorter. Okay, so I'll probably be updating every 2-3 days here on out. These chapters take me awhile, and I'd rather post better things and not update as often than post bad things often. Also, if I remove a review of yours it's probably because I find it rude and/or annoying. You can ask me about it if you want to, but those are probably the reasons.
Edit: I noticed something was made redundant in a later chapter, so I changed it. I should probably refresh on what I've written more often so that sort of thing doesn't happen. I probably won't though. Oh well.
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DIVERGENT
