I recently found the place where you can find stats about your story. I know, took me WAY too long to find, but, hey, it inspired me to write another chapter, so all's good. This is a bit of a filler chapter, mainly for humor and a bit of fluff, and to explain how they became able to do the things they'll need to be able to do in the next few chapters.

One last thing, today, I created a picture for The Spy From Candor, and uploaded it using Image Manager. Problem is, I can't figure out how to connect it to the story… If any one can help, please PM me!

Thanks for favoriting, alerting, reviewing and reading! Enjoy!

Summer Training

The sky was a clear shade of cerulean, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. The sun seen shafts of light through the breaks in the leafy canopy overhead. We decided to practice away from our tree, in the opposite direction of where Eric had assaulted me, to avoid any other unfortunate encounters, particularly given our plans.

Teegan met me in a clearing we had scoped out the day before. "So, got any plans, Ava? Or are do we need to go back to the library?" He grinned at my scowl.

"You knew I would've only made plans for what I know, didn't you." I said accusingly. His grin was reply enough. "Whatever." I continued, "I do have a general plan, though. First, we need to get into shape. It takes the average human body six weeks to get into shape."

Teegan groaned. "Trust you to have looked up that, rather than exercises for things that'll keep us alive!" I ignored his grumbling, and took a stick on the ground, and dragged its end in the dirt in an approximation of a line. Teegan looked wearily at it, and sighed. "What is that for? I've got a bad feeling about this." I grinned at him.

"It's the starting line," I said simply, waiting for him to understand. His face paled slightly, and a resigned look took over his features. I grinned conspiratorially at him, and said, "Yup! Conditioning! It's two miles to our tree and back. The ground is pretty even, and there's not too many sticks or rocks in the way. We can start off by alternating walking and jogging, but before we do much else, we're going to have to be able to run this thing at top speed, just in case. Then maybe we can expand and change our route as we try more complex things involving espionage!"

He stood there for a minute, just staring at me wonderingly. "This is that determination. That determination to do anything, and everything for what you believe in." He said, awe and love shining in his eyes. "This is who you really are."

I stepped right up to him, my voice hardened with intensity, and my mouth began to say what was in my heart, "Yes. This is me. And I believe we're the only ones who can stop this revolution, so I'll do anything and everything I can to that end. I know you'll help me. If it gets hard, remember everyone we're doing this for. Remember the books that described wars and the horrors of revolution. Remember that there is a threat. Above all, remember that we are a part of the Founding Families. We will save this society. No matter what!"

Teegan's eyes shown with determination and purpose. He held out his hand in a fist. "We will find a way to stop this, Ava. Passionate determination will give us the strength to keep our world intact!"

I laid my fist on top of his, and said, "Shall we begin?"

Teegan smiled, cupped my cheek with his free hand, and replied softly, "We shall" and we crouched, side-by-side on the line I had drawn in the dirt. Together, we said, "Ready? Go!" and began our training.

Spring came, beautiful and warm. I could have done without all the rain, though. Our little track had been worn down in the weeks we had run on it, and the April rains had turned it to mud. We were able to sprint the whole two miles, and decided to switch up our route. We ran all around the park, and through less-used city districts.

Aside from running, which is great for endurance, and though we both knew we might one day have to run for our lives, literally, we also decided to study other topics. We went to the library and read books on martial arts. Once, we had to dive behind the next row of books, because we saw Eric stalking towards the shelves on combat, muttering something about being forced to research the proper technique to teach the initiates this year, and how last years' initiates had turned out fine using his techniques.

Teegan and I exchanged raised eyebrows. Teegan whispered in my ear, "Makes you feel sorry for whoever chooses to be Dauntless this year, doesn't it?" I nodded vehemently. We spent a lot of time studying the books, and then went back to our clearing to try out what we had learned.

We punched and kicked and blocked each other. Our bruises hurt, but our satisfaction and pride made them worthwhile. I could see the improvement, in both him and in myself. I learned how to throw my body behind a punch without losing my balance, and he learned how to use his strength to his advantage.

While studying martial arts, we came across muscle exercises. We saw diagrams of things called push-ups, to strengthen our arms, and sit-ups and planks to strengthen our core muscles. One book mentioned how one could use a small, hand-sized squishy ball to strengthen our hands and forearms.

In our attempt to replicate the exercise balls, we cut big round cloth circles out of blankets I'd used as a toddler to play dolls. I was more than happy to get them out of my closet, where they'd been kept at my mother's insistence that I would someday find a good use for them. I thought this was an appropriate was to use them. Teegan borrowed some thread and needles from his mother's sewing kit, and we brought our materials to the side of the river that wound beside the abandoned amusement park.

The muddy banks were slippery with the warm rains of late spring. As I reached down to get a handful of mud, my feet slipped out from under me, and I flailed, sliding on my back towards the frothing waters. I screamed, seeing the rushing water coming nearer and neared as the fact that I didn't know how to swim threatened to paralyze me body. I splayed out my arms to catch something to stop my descent, and my left hand caught a small ledge of sharp rock, barely five feet above the swollen river.

The edge cut into my fingers, but I didn't let go. "Teegan!" I cried out, hoping desperately he would find a way to help me. My fingers grew numb from supporting my weight.

"Here!" Teegan shouted, and a long branch came dropping quickly towards me. I yelled, and recoiled, in case it stabbed my through the eye. The force of my movements caused my now blood-slick fingers to slip on the rock. I felt gravity begin to take its hold as the branch kept descending towards me.

My feet sank into the cold, turbulent waters, and pulled me instantly downriver. Knowing it was probably my last chance, I swung my right arm up as hard as I could, and my hand met the wood, pulling up to a stop suddenly, sending searing pain through my arm as the muscles stretched to accommodate my swinging weight, and the pull of the current.

My hand slid and my calves submerged in the river. "Pull up NOW, Teegan!" I screamed, afraid of what would happen, should my hands slip much further. The white wood of the branch bean to shorten as it disappeared over the edge of the sheer riverbank.

I managed to hold on as first my hand, then my elbow crested the edge. A large, warm hand gripped my forearm and yanked me the rest of the way up. I groaned in pain, and shuddered In relief at being back on dry ground. I was too shocked to speak, or even open my eyes. Warm, solid arms wrapped around me and held me close. I snuggled up against Teegan's chest, not noticing until then that I was shivering.

I felt his lips on the top of my head as he whispered, "I thought I'd lost you. This happens way too much, Ava! You have to be careful, and don't say your life is you own, to do with what you please, because you and I both know that your actions affect a lot of people. Especially me," his voice trailed off as he took a deep, shuddering breath, "Heavens, I'm glad you're alright!" he said, hugging me tightly. I wrapped my arms around him and let the shock die down.

Eventually, we remembered our purpose there and carefully grabbed handfuls of mud to put inside the old-doll-blanket circles. We they were sufficiently stuffed, we curled up the edges, and sewed them shut at the top, leaving a little fringed excess of cloth at the top. Teegan sqeezed his, and when the mud stayed put, we decided they would work, and left to deposit our new toys at our tree before we went back home.

Spring drew to a close as we practiced with the mud balls and we got stronger. My left hand healed quickly, and I was soon just as strong with my left as with my right. For whatever reason though, Teegan always had more trouble with his left hand than with his right. He used the mud balls so much, frustrated by the lack of improvement that one time, he stared down so intently at his hand while he did the exercises that he couldn't move his head away in time, when the stitching broke, and mud splattered out from the top like a cork from a bottle. My hour-long laughing fit sufficed as my ab workout for the whole week.

What I struggled most with, though, was learning to move virtually silently. School had finished and summer was well underway before I mastered the skill through sheer practice. Even then, I kept concentrating on how much noise I was making, rather than how much noise I wasn't making, so I was startled when I scared a rabbit next to a bush so badly, it fell over from shock. I didn't even know that was possible.

Then, a thought occurred to me. If I could scare a rabbit, why couldn't I scare Teegan? With my mischievous bit of fun in my mind, I began hatching a plan as I slunk back to where we'd started running earlier that day. He was hanging from a tree branch, doing chin-ups when I found him. I decided to postpone my plans a bit, because the sight of the muscles in his broad shoulders bunching up to make them even bigger was just to good to miss.

After a bit, I tiptoed to the other side of the tree he was using, carefully watching to make sure he wasn't looking my way. His eyes were closed though, concentrating as sweat dripped down his forehead. He controlled his breathing carefully, and I was mesmerized with the rhythm of in-out, in-out, accompanying each rep.

Teegan gasped out a breath and I jumped, sure he'd seen me. No, he was just getting tired. His face was set into hard determination, muscles straining to continue. If I wanted to complete my plan, I'd have to work fast.

I jumped up to grab a tree branch above my head, and pulled myself up onto it, proud that I was strong enough to do now what I couldn't do at the river. I swung up another couple of branches, slowly inching my way around to Teegan's side of the tree. I made my way up to about three feet above him, where there was a nice, sturdy branch with few leaves to rustle and give me away. I slowly sat down on the branch, and scooted back until my thighs were completely off the branch, and my knees and calves pressed into the bark to keep my from falling.

I kept my balance by leaning back, further and further, so I was hanging by my knees from the tree branch, head down. The blood rushed to my head, but I enjoyed the sensation. I quickly undid my braid, letting the hair tie fall to the ground. My hair fell in auburn waves past my head, straining towards the ground. I used my hands to pouf it up a bit, then opened my eyes to see I'd done great so far. My head was level with Teegan's, but upside down. I could easily reach the branch he clasped, when I wanted to get down. His head bobbed down, having finished his chin-up. I pulled in a deep breath of air as he pulled himself up again, his eyes still shut. When his face came level with mine again, I blew out my breath, ruffling his hair, making him blink.

He shrieked in surprise, and let go of the branch he was holding. I was laughing as he rolled into a ball as he fell twisting so that he would land softly. He sprung up from the soft, thick green grass below and scowled. "Ava! Not funny," he complained, rubbing his sore arms, glaring up at me. I grinned, reached under the branch he'd been using and gripped it tightly.

I released one leg from the branch above, and hooked my foot around the bottom of the branch for momentary support as I swung the other leg up, off the branch, to set it against the branch, soon joined by my other foot. I used the arm and core strength I'd built up to keep my body from falling until I pushed off from the branch and used my momentum and slightly loosened hands to swing around the branch, towards the trunk, and back up again.

Just as I began to feel gravity take me again, I freed my hands, hoping I was in the right position to fly into the clearing, rather than the trunk. I twisted into a ball to somersault through the air, until I landed with a thud not on grass, but on something harder, and much warmer. I heard an "oof" of the breath being knocked out of someone, and a bigger thud as whatever I was lying on hit the ground with a jolt that knocked me way.

I heard a wheezing noise, and unwound myself from my ball and sat up to see Teegan muttering, "Reckless, reckless, reckless," while trying to get his breath back.

"Sorry, but you weren't supposed to catch me," I said to him.

"Yeah, but if I hadn't, and it'd gone wrong, you could have gotten really badly hurt!" he replied, annoyed.

"But if you caught me, you'd certainly get hurt," I said pointedly, noticing how he stayed unmoving on the ground.

"You would have been hurt far worse than this, if-" he began,

I cut him off, putting my hand on his cheek, leaning over him, "How badly are you hurt? I'm sorry, and I know it was a stupid stunt! I should have known you wouldn't take a chance on letting me fall, and I really do appreciate that, but you make me worry too, by doing that!"

I stopped when a gentle, loving smile spread across his face, making my heart speed up. "I know," he whispered, bringing a hand up to trace the worried, scrunched-up muscles on my forehead. "But, you're right. I won't let you fall. Not ever. Even if I get hurt and that hurts you. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. I need to protect you," a bleak look entered his eyes as he went on, "I have a feeling you're going to need all the protection you can get, before this is all over,"

"We need," I corrected him gently. "We are going to need a lot of protection before this is over. Which is why we have each other," he smiled widely at me, and I smiled back. He sat up and drew me close.

"We'll always have each other," he murmured in my ear, before tilting my chin so my lips could meet his. The sun lit the sky brilliant shades of red and orange as we kissed, forgetting what could happen after the Choosing Ceremony, a little over a month away, lost in our bliss.