Hello, everyone! I'd like to thank foreverellen, TrueColorsNeverFade, and koipond-tea for reviewing! Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. Please, review!
Disclaimer: I only own Liss.
A man with short black hair dressed in Dauntless clothing stands in the middle of the cafeteria. Beside him is Tobias; Eric and Max stand before them. The other Dauntless make a circle around them. All around me people are talking, their conversation is slurred together, but I'm able to make out one word, Divergent. I watch as Max approaches the unknown Dauntless man and presses a gun to his temple.
I'm frozen, watching in horror as Max squeezes the trigger. The man's body falls and his blood splatters across the floor. There's an explosion of applause while Max approaches Tobias. I try to run forward, but I can't move my legs. He pushes him onto his knees and when he thrusts the gun onto Tobias' temple, I start yelling and thrashing about; however, no one notices my outburst.
Max squeezes the trigger once again, and I watch Tobias go limp as a mixture of blood and brain pours out onto the floor. A high pitched shrieking fills my ears and it takes me a moment to realize, that I'm the one creating the noise. The crowd roars louder than before as Max shoves the gun into Eric's hands. Eric then turns towards me and aligns the gun. He hesitates and Max says,
"All Divergents must be eradicated."
Eric nods and mouths, 'I'm sorry' to me before pulling the trigger.
I wake to the sound of the door being thrown open and multiple footsteps. The beam from several flashlights covers the room and I hear Eric shout,
"Everybody up!"
I groan, pushing all thoughts of my dream out of my head, before getting up and dressing myself.
"Did you go deaf, Stiff?" Eric barks at Tris, who is still lying in her bed. "You have five minutes to get dressed and meet us by the tracks. We're going on another field trip."
I slip into my shoes before sprinting out of the room and to the roof. Numerous guns are stacked in a pile next to boxes that say "PAINTBALLS" on them.
"Everyone grab a gun!" Eric orders.
I comply and stuff a box of ammunition in my pocket.
"Time estimate?" he asks Tobias.
"Any minute now. How long is it going to take you to memorize the train schedule?"
"Why should I, when I have you to remind me of it?"
I see the train in my peripheral vision and prepare myself to jump on. Four makes it on first and helps Tris get in. I jump in after her and move out of the doorway. Once everyone is on Tobias starts speaking,
"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. This is Dauntless tradition, so I suggest you take it seriously."
"What do we get if we win?" someone shouts.
"Sounds like the sort of question someone not from Dauntless would ask. You get to win, of course."
"Four and I will be your team captains. Let's divide the transfers first, shall we?" Eric says.
"You go first."
Eric's eyes flicker between Edward, Peter, and me. "Edward."
"Tris."
Laughter fills the car.
"Got something to prove? Or are you just picking the weak ones so that if you lose, you'll have someone to blame it on?" Eric retorts.
"Something like that. Your turn."
"Peter."
"Liss."
Eric grits his teeth in annoyance. "Molly."
"Will."
"Al."
"Drew."
"Last one left is Myra. So she's with me. "
Once they finish divvying up the rest of the group Eric speaks,
"Your team can get off second."
"Don't do me any favors. You know I don't need them to win."
"No, I know you'll lose no matter when you get off. Take your scrawny team and get off first, then."
I stand, along with the rest of Four's team and jump out of the car. We all gather around Tobias and a Dauntless-born initiate places her hand on his arm and asks,
"When you're team won, where did you put the flag?"
"Telling you wouldn't exactly be in the spirit of the exercise, Marlene," he replies pushing her hand off.
"Come on, Four," she whines, throwing out a flirtatious smile.
"Navy pier," Uriah says. "My brother was on the winning team. They kept the flag at the carousel."
"Let's go there, then," Will suggests.
When no one objects, we start walking east.
"We're close to Erudite headquarters, right?" Christina questions bumping her shoulder with Will's.
"Yeah. It's south of here," Will responds.
When we finally reach the Ferris wheel Will says,
"Think about it. People used to ride that thing. For fun."
"I wish it was still open," I respond.
"Me too," Will agrees.
"They must have been Dauntless," Tris states.
"Yeah, but a lame version of Dauntless. A Dauntless Ferris wheel wouldn't' have cars. You would just hang on tight with your hands, and good luck to you," Christina adds in.
We walk along the pier, and I see several vacant buildings run parallel to it.
"Dare you to jump into the marsh," says Christina to Will.
"You first."
When we reach a battered down carousel Tobias takes the flag out of his pocket.
"In ten minutes the other team will pick their location. 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."
"Some people should stay here and guard, and some people should go out and scout the other team's location," claims Will.
"Yeah? You think? Who put you in charge, transfer?" Marlene questions.
"No one, but someone's got to do it."
"Maybe we should develop a more defensive strategy. Wait for them to come to us, then take them out," Christina offers.
"That's the sissy way out," Uriah calls out. "I vote we go all out. Hide the flag well enough that they can't find it."
I roll my eyes as the bickering continues and sit down next to Tobias on the carousel. Out of the corner of my eye I see someone move. I turn my head and see Tris making her way to the Ferris wheel. I nudge Tobias with my elbow and tilt my head in Tris' direction.
"Go," I urge him. "I'll take care of the rest of the team."
Once he's at least a hundred feet away, I stand up.
"Hey!" I shout trying to catch everyone's attention. When no one stops what they're doing, I whistle. It's loud enough to get everyone to stop and some even cover their ears, but Tobias who's now at the base of Ferris wheel doesn't hear it.
"Thank you. Standing around here shouting at each other will only make us lose. Christina, you wanted everyone to stay here. Uriah, you wanted everyone to go look for the other flag. We compromise and go with Will's decision. Now, we split into two groups. If you're fast stand over here," I say, pointing to my left, "and if your aim is accurate stand over here," I finish pointing to my right.
They all comply, a few open their mouths to complain, but my glare stops them. Behind me, I hear the Ferris wheel turn on. Choosing to ignore it, I split the two groups into four. Then I pick a group of fast runners and a group of people with accurate aim and tell them to spread out and to make sure that no one gets past a certain perimeter.
"What about the rest of us?" questions Marlene.
"Just wait a second," I say as I watch Tobias and Tris run towards us.
"Where'd the others go?" Tobias inquires.
Before I can answer an older Dauntless says, "Did you guys turn on the wheel? What the hell are you thinking? You might as well have just shouted 'Here we are! Come and get us!' If I lose again this year, the shame will be unbearable. Three years in a row?"
"The wheel doesn't matter. We know where they are."
"We?" Christina says, her eyes flickering from Tobias to Tris.
"Yes, while the rest of you were twiddling your thumbs, Tris climbed the Ferris wheel to look for the other team."
"What do we do now, then?" asks a Dauntless-born.
"Split in half," Tris instructs. "Four of us go to the right side of the pier, four to the left. The other team is in the park at the end of the pier, so the group on the right will charge, as the group on the left sneaks behind the other team to get the flag."
"Sounds good. Let's get this night over with, shall we?" states the older girl.
Tris, Christina, Uriah and I go to the left. We sprint till the end of the pier, then slowdown in order to make less noise. I concentrate on trying not to breathe too loudly as we jog towards the spot where a light is blinking.
A chorus of shouts and shrieks start up and I sprint, clutching my gun. Most of the guards have already been drawn out, but two remain. I lift my gun and shoot, hitting a boy with a lip ring, and I notice Uriah hit the other guard, a girl with purple hair.
I stop sprinting, as does Uriah, instead we both start shooting at anyone who threatens to hit either Tris or Christina, who are going for the flag. I fire off three shots each of them hitting their intended target.
I'm about to fire at another guy approaching Tris and Christina, who are now jumping for the flag, when I see someone about to shoot Uriah from the back. I squeeze the trigger and then lunge at Uriah. We tumble down and the paintball flies over us.
I hear a whoop from behind us and I roll off of him to see Christina waving the flag around. I laugh and give out a whoop, as does Uriah.
"Thanks," Uriah tells me as we both stand.
"Anytime," I say before running off to join our celebrating group.
We're back in the original training room today. Instead of guns, knives are spread out along a table. Eric stands in the middle of the room, his posture is rigid, and he looks pissed. Today the room is silent as we all pile in.
"Tomorrow will be the last day of Stage One. You will resume fighting then. Today, you'll be learning how to aim. Everyone pick up three knives. And pay attention while Four demonstrates the correct technique for throwing them," Eric instructs his voice sounding rougher than usual.
"Now!" he barks when no one moves.
Everyone rushes forward, and I grab three daggers quickly before falling back into line. As soon as everyone stops moving Tobias begins. He plants his feet before turning the knife over in his hand and throwing it. Unsurprisingly, it hits the center. He does this two more times and I notice that he times his moves with his breathing.
"Line up!" Eric orders.
I tuck two of my knives into one of my pockets and toss the other one between my hands trying to test the weight. It's much lighter than the guns and I realize that I need to loosen up before throwing it, since there will be no recoil. It won't travel as fast since I'll be throwing it, so I'll have to start from a higher point rather than align it with the target.
I plant my feet and turn the knife over in my hand like Tobias had. As I inhale I lift the knife and when I exhale I throw it with a harsh flick of my wrist. It spins before hitting the outermost circle on the target and sticking. When I look around, I see that I'm the first to get their knife in the board.
"I think the Stiff's taken too many hits to the head!" Peter shouts. "Hey, Stiff! Remember what a knife is?"
I look over at Tris, who has been practicing the motions; this time when she brings her knife up, she throws it. It spins and hits the board, however it doesn't stick.
"Hey Peter," Tris calls out. "Remember what a target is?"
I laugh and throw my next knife. A half hour later, Al is the only who hasn't hit the target. My eyes wander over to where he's standing, his arm is too loose and when he throws his next dagger it collides with the wall, rather than the target. Eric moves behind him as I turn my knife over in my hand. When Al throws again and misses, it's obvious that Eric has had enough.
"How slow are you, Candor? Do you need glasses? Should I move the target closer to you?"
Al blushes a deep red before clumsily throwing his next knife.
"What was that, initiate?" Eric questions, stepping closer to Al.
I swallow and avert my eyes; I don't want to watch Eric be cruel to Al.
"It-it slipped," Al provides as an excuse.
"Well, I think you should go get it," Eric says, and everyone stops throwing. "Did I tell you to stop?"
I squeeze my hands into fists before throwing my next knife.
"Go get it? But everyone's still throwing."
"And?"
"And I don't want to get hit."
Dread fills my stomachs as I throw my next dagger.
"I think you can trust your fellow initiates to aim better than you. Go get your knife," Eric orders and when I look over at them I see that he's smiling.
"No."
"Why not? Are you afraid?"
"Of getting stabbed by an airborne knife? Yes, I am!" Al exclaims.
I can't help but think that he would have been better off going to get his knives then standing up to Eric.
"Everyone stop! Clear out the ring. All except you," he states looking at Al.
I tighten my grip on my last dagger before doing as told, stepping to the edge of the room.
"Stand in front of the target," Eric instructs.
Al complies shaking slightly and I have to bite down on my lip in order to keep my mouth shut. If it was another time, I might have already spoken up, but I had told Tobias yesterday that I'd be more careful.
"Hey, Four. Give me a hand here. You're going to stand there as he throws those knives until you learn not to flinch."
"Is this really necessary?" inquires Tobias.
"I have the authority here, remember? Here, and everywhere else."
Tobias flushes slightly and his knuckles turn white as his grip on the knives tightens.
"Stop it," Tris orders. "Any idiot can stand in front of a target. It doesn't prove anything except that you're bullying us. Which, as I recall, is a sign of cowardice."
I wince at her last sentence. Standing up to Eric would have been fine, but calling him a coward, there was no way he was going to let her out without a scratch.
"Then it should be easy for you. If you're willing to take his place."
Tris walks forward proudly before stopping in front of the target.
"If you flinch, Al takes your place. Understand?" Tobias says.
Tris nods and stares directly at Tobias as he throws his first knife, it lands half a foot away from her cheek. When she closes her eyes Four says,
"You about done, Stiff?"
"No."
"Eyes open, then."
She stays still as he throws his next knife, this one lands centimeters from the top of her head.
"Come on, Stiff. Let someone else stand there and take it."
It then occurs to me that Tobias is trying to use her selflessness to get her to stay up there. Tris however, doesn't reach this revelation, for she shouts,
"Shut up, Four!"
This time his knife lands next to her ear, ripping some of the skin off in the process.
"I would love to stay and see if the rest of you are as daring as she is, but I think that's enough for today," Eric says and we all scurry out of the room.
I arrive at the training room half an hour early, as usual and start up on the punching bag. When Eric arrives, we exchange greetings and I continue to focus on practicing. After a while, we stop for a water break, but before I can return to my punching bag he calls me over to the center of the room.
"Yeah?" I ask when I'm about a foot away from him.
"We're going to fight."
"We're going to what?" I ask in disbelief.
"Fight, come on." When he notices my dubious look he continues, "The punching bag isn't working, it doesn't fight back. You need real practice."
"So, just to be clear, if I hit you, it's fine?"
"Yes," he says exasperated.
I shrug, but go with it. We circle each other for a moment before I lunge forward and fake punching left, when he goes to block it, he leaves his stomach exposed and I redirect the blow there. He grits his teeth and throws a punch at my face. I manage to just barely block it and then I take a swing at his jaw in retaliation. He's able to block it easily and sends a blow at my jaw, he hits it dead on.
Pain ripples through my body and I quickly block his next punch before sending one at his jaw again. It hits and he stumbles back, surprised. I kick my foot into his stomach and he doubles over for a moment before quickly straightening out and punching me in my stomach. I take a step back, but he grabs my arm and tries to send another blow to my face. I duck and spin, twisting his arm slightly, he lets go; his stomach is now up against my back. He grips one of my arms and tries to spin me around but I send my elbow back into his nose.
His grip loosens and I'm able to free myself and turn back around. He wastes no time in kicking my stomach, this time I fall. When he steps closer to me, I sweep his feet out from underneath him and he topples to the ground beside me. I quickly raise myself so that I'm above him and send a forceful punch to his right cheek. He groans before flipping us over, then he pins my hands above my head. I try to wiggle my way out from underneath him, but it's a lost cause.
Once I stop moving he loosens his grip and slides off of me. My wrists tingle slightly from where he was holding them, but it's not a bad feeling.
"That was good," he tells me, lying down beside me. "But you need to work on covering your jaw and not falling on the floor."
"Thanks," I reply, panting slightly.
"As long as you don't let your guard down, you should be able to win tomorrow."
"Yeah?" I ask turning to look at him.
"Yeah."
