Tris POV
"Alright, stage one is almost over." he starts, walking up in front of us. "We're going to practice knife throwing today." He pauses, his eyes wandering over the initiates, stopping directly on me. I consider, looking down on my feet or something, but decide against it. We look at each other for a few moments, before he tears his eyes away.
„Get yourself some knives and start practicing." he orders. Without hesitation we all move to get the knives and start practicing.
I try to get a feeling for this, so I move my arm back and forth a few times, without really releasing the blade. "Hey, Stiff remember what a target is?" It's Peter. Who else?Without even thinking about answering, I pull my hand back one last time and release the blade.
It hits the target with a thud. Dead center. Satisfied with myself I turn around and face Peter. "Remember what a target is?" He glares at me, visibly pissed-off that I hit the center before he did.
The morning practice passes really fast and we're dismissed for lunch.
I put away my knives and head over to Will, Christina an Al. "Are you coming?" I ask. I am really hungry now, since I didn't eat anything for breakfast this morning.
"Yeah, I am starving." Christina says, smiling at Will, who just put her arm around her. I knew there was something going on with those two.
We all head towards the door and just as I am about to open it Al opens it, then steps aside, gesturing for me to go first.
At first I am startled, but I quickly recover, and give him a light smile. Just before I step through the door I turn around to see Tobias watching us, an unreadable expression on his face.
We look at each other, again. I want to say something to him but I don't think it'd be a good idea to invite him to have lunch with us so I just turn around and leave.
After we got our food Christina and I sit down on our usual table. The boys aren't back yet so I take the chance. "So, are you guys like … a thing now?" I ask. Christina blushes and smiles, her eyes shining. That's all I need to know.
I smile back at her and before I can say anything else Will and Al sit down next to us. "You were really good this morning." Will informs me.
"Yeah, it was kind of strange. It was like I've been doing it since forever." I say, smiling. "I guess I finally found something I don't totally suck at."
"Aww, come on Tris, we both know you only lost yesterday, because the paring was really unfair." Christina says. Will and Al nod in agreement. "Yeah…" I say, remembering the fight. My appetite vanishes and suddenly I feel the need to be alone.
"I'll go and check on Zoe before we have to get back." I excuse myself and quickly get up.
"But Tris you-" I hear Christina protest as I leave the dining hall, but I don't turn around and head to the chasm. I find a small path, leading behind the waterfalls. I quickly make my way down the path, before anyone notices. I sit down on the ground and hug my knees, pulling them close to my chest.
I can feel the tears coming, and I don't even try to hold them back. The last few days have been really exhausting. Tobias has always been my anchor, even after he left and I was all alone back in Abnegation. I only got through this because of him and now I am fighting with him.
I know he suggested leaving him, because he wants to keep us safe. Keep his family safe. But I'd never leave him. I know it's my job to keep Zoe safe and if anyone finds out about me or her she'll be in danger, but Tobias is part of my family too.
Realizing that I am probably already late I wipe my tears away, get up and hurry back to the training rooms. I jog down the hallways and run through the door without stopping. Everyone is already there, including Tobias. Great! Everyone turns around and Tobias glares at me.
"You're late." he states no emotion in his voice.
"Yeah, obviously. It won't happen again." I tell him.
"It better not."
Christina gives me a questioning look. I wave her off, making a gesture with my hand, and quickly get my knives.
After about an hour the door flies open and Eric walks in. Oh great! Could this day be any worse? He makes his way over to us, a sadistic smile on his face. What is he up to now?
"Four." he says, stopping in front of Tobias, who is currently helping Myra. "Eric." Tobias answers, turning around, his shoulders tense.
"How are they doing so far?" Tobias stares at him, his eyes narrowed.
"I think they're slowly getting the hang of it."
"Well, we'll see." Eric says making his way over to Christina. Everybody stares at them, curious what'll happen.
"Did I tell you to stop?" he snaps. Everybody starts throwing knives again, except for me. I won't let him out of my sight. Eric is always bad news. He watches Christina for a few minutes before he moves on to the next initiate. Thank God. I tear my eyes away from him and concentrate on my knives again.
A few moments later I feel Eric's presence behind me. I just ignore him and continue. When I see him moving on to my neighbor I let out my breath relieved. I didn't even realize I was holding it.
I am about to throw my next knife when I hear someone yell "Everybody stop!" I turn my head to where the voice came from, to see Eric grinning at Al, who looks mortified.
"Stand in front of the target." Eric tells Al, smiling. Al's eyes widen, all color draining from his face. I can't believe he's doing this.
"Four, give me a hand here?" Eric asks Four without taking his eyes off Al. I whip my head around, facing Tobias. He's not going to throw knives at Al, is he? Tobias looks at Eric, his expression unreadable.
"Is this really necessary?" Tobias asks, bravely questioning Eric in front of everyone.
"Yes." Eric tells him, his eyes leaving no room for discussion. "Yes, it is."
Tobias sighs and walks over to the table to get the knives. I try to catch his eye, but he ignores me. "Stand in front of the target." Eric says, gesturing for Al to move. We all stare at them, unsure what to do.
Al slowly moves to stand in front of the target, looking down on his feet. Tobias takes position and Al stops and turns around to face Tobias. Tobias pulls his arm back, and Al squeezes his eyes shut, his hands shaking. My heart is beating incredibly fast. Will I just stand here and watch this?
The Erudite part of me tells me that this is a bad idea, probably the worst I've ever had, but my heart tells me otherwise. Before I can stop myself I speak. "Stop!"
AN: I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Review?
