Chapter 8

I feel like writing again so even though I just posted chapter 7 I'm writing chapter 8. I meant to add this to the end of my last chapter, and I forgot. I think what happened in Connecticut is really awful and that was another reason I hadn't written in so long was because I was brainstorming with my friends about what to do to help the kids and teachers who survived the shooting.

"The first thing you will learn today is how to shoot a gun. The second this is how to win a fight." I press a gun into Tris's palm and keep walking. "Thankfully, if you are here, you already know how to get on and off a moving train, so I don't need to teach you that. Initiation is divided into three stages. We will measure your progress and rank you according to your performance in each stage. The stages are not weighed equally in determining your final rank, so it is possible, though difficult, to drastically improve your rank over time."

Tris looks like she was not expecting to learn how to shoot a gun.

"We believe that preparation eradicates cowardice, which we define as the failure to act in the midst of fear," I say. "Therefore each stage of initiation is intended to prepare you in a different way. The first stage is primarily physical; the second, primarily emotional; the third, primarily mental."

"But what..." a Candor starts to asks but yawns in the middle. "What does firing a gun have to do with...bravery?"

I flip the gun in my hand and press the barrel to his head and click the bullet into place. He freezes in mid yawn. "Wake. Up," I snap. "You are holding a loaded gun, you idiot. Act like it. And to answer your question...you are far less likely to soil your pants and cry for your mother if you're prepared to defend yourself." I stop walking at the end of the row and turn on my heel. "This is also information you may need later in stage one. So, watch me."

I face the targets and plant my feet and shoot. I see Tris trying to fire a gun and she misses the target and she flies back and fell over. I see her talking to an Erudite boy and he's telling her about statistics and how she should have hit the target once by now. Finally it's time for lunch and I go look for Lauren to have lunch with her.

"Hey Four," Lauren said. "How many books did you find in Khloe's room?"

"About 36," I say and I start heading towards the dining hall with Lauren so we can get back to our initiates in time for training.

After lunch with Lauren I head back to fight training room. The names are written on a chalkboard.

I head towards the middle of the room as the initiates go to the punching bags around the room. "As I said this morning," I say, "next you will learn how to fight. The purpose of this is to prepare you to act; to prepare your body to respond to threats and challenges-which you will need, if you intend to survive life as a Dauntless. We will go over technique today, and tomorrow you will start to fight each other," I say. "So I recommend that you pay attention. Those who don't learn fast will get hurt."

I name the punch I'm showing them and then I demonstrate it against the air then the bag. I wander around helping initiates. I stop in front of Tris. "You don't have much muscle," I say, "which means you're better off using your knees and elbows. You can put more power behind them." I so badly want to touch her so I press my hand to her stomach and tell her, "Never forget to keep tension her," I say quietly. And I leave and go to help other initiates.

When I finally release them for dinner they look relieved.

"I'm surprised she didn't break you in half," I hear Christina telling Tris and I pause right outside the door to see what she's saying. "He scares the heck of me. It's that quiet voice he uses."

"Yeah. He's...definitely intimidating," she says.

I went to dinner with Lauren, Zeke, and Shauna. We were talking and laughing until Shauna asked about Khloe and I left.

Happy Holidays.