Tris POV:

"Why don't you come with me to my apartment?" Four asks. He rubs my back comfortingly and I'm too shaken to decline.

Our footsteps pound the concrete floors of the halls and echo into the darkness. Four finally takes us up to a door and unlocks it, pushing it open. The first words that hit me are "Fear God Alone," and they stare back at me in the darkness like they are glowing eyes in a forest.

Next to me, Four kicks his shoes off and walks up to his bed. He throws a few quilts over it before promptly diving onto the couch with a single blanket wrapped around him. I smile and gently tuck a pillow under his head before kissing the top of his forehead, kicking off my shoes, and getting under the quilts.

But I jolt up not even three hours later. "Four," I whisper.

He sits up. "You need something?"

"No," I say. "I just can't sleep."

"Nightmares?"

I nod. "If I'm annoying you, I can always go back to the dorm-"

"No," Four says. "Stay here. Please. I like the company." His voice begins to sound pleading, so I get up and sit next to him. Four puts his blanket over both of us and I rest my head on his shoulder. Four puts his arm over my shoulder and I fall asleep just like this.

"Did you ever find out why Al jumped?" Eric asks.

I stare at my toast as Max shakes his head. "It was totally out of the blue."

I want to say that no, Max, it was most certainly not out of the blue, and Al jumped because he was a coward but Four shoots me a look that says I better keep my mouth shut. So I take a bite of my toast and start to daydream as Max and Eric talk about funeral plans.

Then I hear them say that Dauntless will be hosting it. "What about his parents? Don't you think you should at least contact them?"

"There's one day we allow that to happen," Max says. "Visiting Day. You barely missed it this year, but-"

"It wouldn't have mattered anyways," I say. "I've got no one left to visit me."

Max looks at me sadly before nodding. "Anyways, we've got some three hundred more days left until Visiting Day again and we won't want to hold on to Al's rotting corpse for that long."

I clutch Four's hand under the table as Max briefly explains that today there will be a small service for Al before they incinerate his body tonight.

"We better get to training," Four says suddenly.

"Thank you," I mouth, as we stand up and walk out of the Pit.

Four smiles. "No problem. I don't like funerals anyways."

"Why?" I ask.

Four stiffens. "My mother "died" when I was little."

"What do you mean?"

Four shakes his head. "It doesn't matter," he says. "We'll be late if we don't hurry."

He takes my hand and pulls me to the Training Room. But I know he was looking for an excuse not to tell me. And if whatever he's not telling me is that bad, I won't make him tell me.

But as we turn the corner, a guy slams into us. "Out of my way," he grunts. "People got places to go."

I crash into him and he pushes me off him. Four catches me before I fall to the ground.

"Thanks," I tell Four. The guy in front of us gets up and groans. "Watch where you're goin'."

"Hey," I say. "You were the one who ran into us." I put my hands on my hips, but when I look at him, I narrow my eyes. "Eric."

He slicks back his greasy black hair and looks me over. "Tris," he says. "Forgive me. Can I walk you to training?"

"Actually," I say. "That's what Four was doing."

Eric shoots a sly look towards Four. "Oh, really."

"Uriah," Four calls. "Follow me."

Uriah gets up, takes one look at Marlene-who smiles weakly at him-before following after Four.

"Where'd you go last night?" Christina whispers, once Four and Uriah are gone. "I didn't see you in your bunk this morning or at breakfast."

I look down and straighten out my shirt. "Four," I say slowly, with a permanent smile. "Let me spend the night at his place."

Christina freaks out silently, knowing that Eric is on the other side of the room, watching us to make sure no one is stabbed by a butter knife.

"What?" I whisper.

She grins at me. "He. Let. You. Stay. At. His. Place."

"Is there something wrong with that?" I ask.

Christina's face goes absurdly ghastly. "No! Everything about it is great! I'm just surprised."

"At what? That he's a gentleman and not a pervert?"

Christina sighs. "It's just...he's never been with anyone before. The whole time he's been here."

I shrug. "Maybe he was waiting for the right person to come along."

Christina elbows me and grins. "And I think he's found that person."

I blush profoundly as Uriah walks back into the room. He gets in his chair next to Marlene and slouches.

"What do you think they're doing?" Christina asks.

I shrug, then Four walks into the room. He looks over everyone, then sets his eyes on me. "Tris," he says. "Come with me."

I get up and Christina gives me a thumbs-up sign as Four holds the door open for me. He leads me into a room with a chair similar to ones at dental offices.

"What are you going to make me do?" I whisper.

Four sighs. "Get on the chair."

"Why?" I ask. "What's going on?"

"We're going to test your fears."

I back away from the chair, then realize that it's going to happen whether I want it or not. So I slide onto the chair.

Four brushes my hair away from my neck, leaving a tingling feeling where his fingers were. Then he inserts a needle. "The serum will activate in one minute. Try to stay calm..."

I awake in a field similar to the ones that Caleb and I would go to to help farmers with their crops as children. But the buildings are far away and as I try to walk towards them, my back is poked and prodded. I turn around and crows get in my hair and nip at every part of me. I start to scream, then realize that there were no crows in the fields.

"This isn't real," I mutter. Then I say it louder. "This isn't real!" I scream at the crows. One by one, they start to disappear.

Then I wake up in the dental chair.

"Wow," Four breathes.

I raise my eyebrows. "Are the crows gone?"

Four chuckles. "You knew they weren't real. They are gone from your imagination."

I rub my arms to make the goosebumps go away. "How long was I in there? Twenty minutes? Thirty?"

Four looks at me. "Three minutes and thirty-three seconds. Three times faster than the other initiates." He whistles low. "Watch yourself. The leaders will think you're too good for Dauntless." He clicks a button on his screen and looks at me. "I deleted your simulation. You're welcome."

"Why?" I ask, then I wish to take it back immediately. I shake my head. "Nothing makes sense here. Forget anything I said."

Four opens the door. "Watch yourself," he repeats, before holding the door open for me and calling another initiate into the room.

After training, Eric calls after me. I look back. "What do you want?"

He crosses his arms. "Why do you automatically think that I don't have good intentions?"

"I know what Max expects of us," I say slowly. "But it's not going to happen, okay?"

Eric looks at me and crosses his arms. "Look, princess, I've tried being nice. I pitied you for your family's death. I pitied you because you were stuck with Four."

I give him a weird look, but he doesn't stop. "But there comes a point where you can't keep shoving us all away. Dauntless is your home now. So deal with it. Max wants us to be together, so deal with it." Eric leans in to kiss me, but I move my mouth away just in time and rush out of the Training Room, leaving Eric to stunned to run after me.

But as I'm running out of the Training Room, I bump into someone.

"Sorry!" I squeak, as I slam into the ground.

Uriah's laugh comforts me as he helps me up. "No problem," he says with a smile. Then he looks at me. "You look spooked. What's the matter? The fear simulations? Al's death? You know what? I can lift your mood. Come on."

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"Zip lining," he says. "I take it you liked it the last time we went?"

I nod eagerly. "Let's go."

He takes my hand and we run out of the Compound and into the breeze.

"Yo!" Zeke calls. "I was wondering if you were coming!" Then he sees me. "Tris!" he yells over the wind. "Glad to see you!"

I smile. My dad used to call the people like the Dauntless 'hooligans,' but some of them are much more than that. Some of them are some of the nicest people I've ever meant.

For the first time in my life, I don't wish to go back. Sure, I miss my family, but I love the thrill of Dauntless.

I love the thrill of us jumping on and off the trains, riding up to the hundredth floor of the Hancock building, and being strapped to the black cut-out bags that will let us slide down Chicago.

And as I'm being strapped now and given the okay to go down the zip line, Zeke pushes me and I can let go of all my troubles.

I can allow myself to feel free of Al, Peter and Drew. Feel free of Eric. Free of cowardice and hate, despair and fake love.

I can allow myself to feel as free as the ravens that fly to my heart and remind me of the life I left behind when Max took me to Dauntless.

A/N Thanks for all the support guys [and gals]! My mom is pretty shaken by her dad's death, but I think we're coping pretty well. Also, a bunch of my friends' mothers have recently passed away, so (not to be prejudice) if you have a divine being that you pray to, please keep their families in your prayers. Thanks! Also, you should leave a review or hit that follow and/or favorite button because that's sometimes fun to do! :) DFTBA!