Chapter 11

I feel someone shaking my arm violently. I make a noise to let them know I am in fact alive and turn my body away from the person. I hear footsteps walking around my bed and tense my body in unknown anticipation as to what they plan on doing. I peak open my right eye a little and Christina is standing over me. She shakes my shoulders so violently that my head jolts off the pillow.

"Get up" She whispers.

I sigh heavily before opening my eyes to look at her. "Why?" I ask, my voice croaked.

"Paintball" a grin shoots across her face and her eyes light up.

Blood surges through my veins and I sit up abruptly, just avoiding Christina's chin.

"Get changed, we need to wake the initiates up!"

I jump to my feet, I am still wearing clothes from earlier, perfect. I grab my fleece that is hanging on the wardrobe handle and pull it over my shoulders. I didn't realise I was cold until now.

When we walk out of my room people swarm the corridor, like ants, silent but fast. People are moving crates labelled "paintballs", and two people carrying the flags. I didn't realise how much effort goes into this event. They must be bringing all the stuff through here to take it the back root so the initiates don't know.

I see Tobias with a clip board and walk over with Christina. He glances up at us smiling. He scratches the back of his neck, his t-shirt clinging to him, his muscles on display.

"You ready to wake the recruits up?" Tobias says looking at both of us. "Christina can you go wake up Dauntless born?" She nods and walks away.

Tobias rocks on the heels of his feet, his hands tucked into his trouser pockets.

"Do you think you will be climbing the Ferris wheel this year, I would like some time to prepare if so."

I look at him and squint. "What makes you think I will be in your team?"

He raises his eyebrows "Because me and Zake did rock paper scissors."

"Zake's a leader?" I ask

"Yes. I won the bet. You won the flag for us last time so it would be silly not to pick you. You use your brain more than your mouth, which is a rarity around here." He smirks at me but I roll my eyes.

He pushes himself forward and almost stumbles into me, and gestures for me to follow him. He puts his index finger over his lips and we tiptoe down the corridor of the initiate dorm. Tobias stands beside the door to let me go in first.

I push open the door to be greeted by the sound of snoring and the faint smell of hairspray and deodorant. Someone knew about the paintball fight. I scan the room for signs of movement. My eyes are drawn to a small boy sleeping in the bed nearest the door, his eyes flicker under the eyelids, and his unsteady breath gives him away.

I walk over to him and shake him slightly, his eyes open like lightning. I shove my hand over his mouth to stop him from speaking and shove him out the room. Tobias follows him. No initiate is allowed any advantage of the others, it is cheating. He will be on a warning, one more questionable act and he will be out. I turn on the lights and they flicker for a moment. The bright light doesn't shock my eyes, but I can see it had the desired effect on some of the sleeping teenagers in front of me.

"GET UP!" I shout.

Groans echo off the stone wall and small body's slowly arise from their beds.

"QUICKLY."

Someone in the back bottom bunk is not rising. I walk over, heavy footed and pull the sheets off. The boy removes his head from the pillow to look at me. For a second I would have sworn it was Al. I stumbled back a few paces before regaining control over myself.

"Do you think the rules do not apply to you?"

He jumps up from his bed.

"Sorry." I nod and walk back to the front of the room, as I do Tobias comes back in.

"Be by the train track in five minutes. Anyone who doesn't come will be factionless before the sun rises." Tobias speaks, loudly but firm.

We walk out of the room.

"What happened to the boy?" I ask

"He will be integrated to who told him. He is sitting in the canteen waiting."

We make our way to the tracks and stand with Zake, Christina, Will, and a few others I have seen around and smile at them in acknowledgement.

Tobias tells them of the boy who knew, and they all share guesses as to who it was. I just stare in the distance, soaking up the night, waiting for a light to appear to tell me to get ready to run and jump.

Tobias looks at his watch. "They have one minute. This may be a very small game of paintball." But just as she says that I hear one set of footsteps and turn round. It is Hetty. Her hair in abnegation style. I purse my lips. She should have learnt by now it doesn't look good if you are trying to impress your new faction to dress like your old one.

Hetty looks so small in the light, she has no obvious muscles. I wonder how she did in fighting, if she ended up in a hospital bed like I did the first time.

A few seconds later an abundance of initiates jog up to us. Zeke doesn't wait until they are all standing still before he gives the orders to get a gun. A few scuffles take place, but in true dauntless fashion nobody breaks it up. I hear the train and turn round to see a small light glowing in the distance. As it comes close I start to jog, my head looking back searching for an empty carriage.

"Third from the back" Zake says from beside me.

When the carriage is beside me I grab the handle and easily pull myself up. I am the first one on the train. Next is Zake, then Uriah, Tobias and Christina. The initiates struggle to get on, their weapons getting in the way. Some fall off, others cling for dear life. But none of us help them. This is all part of initiation and I need to learn that. Nobody was left behind though, eventually they clambered on board and sat down. I and the other members stand in a line. I look at Tobias, his eyes scanning everyone as they talk. He is looking at their bodies.

After a few minutes I zone out, looking at the landscape out of the carriage rushing by. So fast my eyes don't really know what they are looking at, but they know it is something spectacular.

It suddenly becomes quite and I turn to look at everyone who is paying full attention onto Zake and Tobias, they are choosing their teams. Isaac is taken by Zake, Hetty by Tobias, Mel by Zake, and a few others I recognise from training them to shoot, but I don't care to pay much attention.

I feel a hand placed on the small of my back. "Time to jump, ready?" Tobias whispers in my ear.

I nod and make my way to the front of the cart, climbing over nervous people that sit before me. Just as I feel the train slowing down I jump, and run two paces before stopping. I turn round to see Tobias getting off with our team. They are just like I thought they would like, small but agile.

"I can't believe we have to be on a team with them" A little petit boy grumbles.

A tall lanky boy replies sharply "What do you mean? Tobias is amazing, and Tris, she basically saved the city!" I scoff at that. They have no idea, it was never only me. However my ego is temporarily boosted by the quiet but wide spread agreement that in fact we are "basically superheroes". For such a small age gap my tolerance is running remarkably low for this group.

Tobias crosses his arms and stands beside me, close, maybe a little too close. I step to my left a step to increase the distance. The irony in this action that when I did this activity I realised I liked Tobias, I wanted to be close to him, and now I step away. I don't want to become reliant on anyone.