I can only take credit for my own ideas... everything else belongs to Veronica Roth.
I decided to write the actual Fear Landscape portion from Tobias' POV since I don't really feel like going into too much detail about her fears. Since in the book he could not actually see her simulations in this stage, she will just tell him what her fears were and what she did. Also I have decided to eliminate her fear of intimacy since I want her to have 6 fears total before she would be conquering that one. I'm so excited. Initiation is over and they can finally go public.
Ok, Contest time. Over the next Five chapters (starting with this one), I will be including a quote from another book series. I will be making a little change to the formatting of the quote so that it is easier to identify. What I want from you all is to write a comment with the name of the book that this is from along with the author. Here are the rules. I will be awarding points to the first 5 people with the right answer. First to answer will receive 5 points, second will get 4, and so on with 5th getting one point. You have five days after I post a chapter to post your answer in the comments section. When posting your answer, you must be signed in so that I can reply to your comment and so that your review will not go in to my moderation folder. If you are under 18 you must ask a parent or guardian if you can participate, as I will need to get an e-mail address from the winner in order to provide your prize. The prize will be a 5 dollar Amazon e-gift card. I wish it could be more but until I get a new job, that is all I can afford. Also I will give 1 bonus point to the first five people that can say why I am using the number 5 for everything in this contest.
On with the story.
Tris
My nerves are raw this morning as I am trying to get ready to head to the third and final stage of initiation. Every butterfly in the world has migrated to my stomach. I am terrified that I am not going to make it through, and I will be Factionless, though Tobias assures me that I have nothing to worry about. He left a few hours ago, needing to get there early to double check the computer system and to meet with Max. I got up at the same time he did, and have spent most of that time pacing in our apartment.
Finally it is time for me to leave and head to the simulation rooms. When I arrive, I see that all of my friends are already there. I also see that there is not a single chair left for me to sit in as I wait. I sigh, and walk to the side of the room to lean on the wall while I wait. I catch some movement out of the corner of my eye and turn to see Uriah waiving his arms wildly, trying to get my attention. I walk over to where he is sitting. He is in the first row of chairs with Marlene to his right, and Christina and Will to his left.
"Have a seat... right here." He says, patting his lap. I consider walking back to my spot against the wall for a moment before I decide I would rather not stand while I wait.
"I have a better idea." I laugh. At that I sit on Christina's lap before turning to the side and laying down across Uriah, Christina, and Will.
I start laughing as I take in the surprised look on Uriah's face as I get settled on my back with my head in his lap and my body stretched across both Christina and Will. I put my hands behind my head as a pillow and am amazed at how comfortable this actually is. I peer back at Marlene, who is laughing so hard she is nearly in tears.
"Comfy, Tris?" Uriah laughs.
"Actually, I am. You make a decent pillow."
"It must be all my muscles." He grins. "Makes a nice supportive pillow for you."
"Whatever you say Uri."
I look over at Christina and I can tell that there is something off with her. I am guessing that it is just nerves about today, but something tells me that there is more to it. I am just about to ask her if she is ok, when Tobias enters the room and faces the waiting group of initiates. I can tell that he is struggling to suppress a laugh, as he sees me stretched out on my makeshift bed. He gives us a brief speech about the schedule for today. We will spend this morning in our Fear Landscapes, then all the data will be analyzed for our final rankings. Then at 5pm, we will all meet in the training rooms. At that time the rankings will be announced, final cuts will be made, we will then pick our jobs and be given our apartments based on our rankings. It is going to be a crazy and long day, but I just hope at the end of it, all of my friends and I will be full members of Dauntless.
Tobias
When I walk into the waiting area where the initiates are, I nearly laugh out loud. There in the front row is Tris, laying across Uriah, Christina, and Will. She is stretched out and, even though I know she is a nervous wreck, she looks completely relaxed. I pull myself together and begin giving the information to the initiates about the schedule for today. Once that is done, I begin sending the initiates into their individual simulation rooms to begin the Fear Landscapes.
The simulations seem to crawl by though, since we are running four rooms at a time, it really is not talking too much time. As expected, some initiates landscapes take a very long time. The more fears that they have and the harder it is for them to get past them, the longer they are in the simulation. We are very efficient in our process though, and manage to keep a continuous flow of initiates going. I am in charge of getting initiates prepped and started in the simulation but am not actually monitoring any of them myself.
By the time it is Tris' turn the waiting area is nearly empty, she is one of the last three initiates to be sent in, along with Uriah and Lynn. All three of their rooms are ready at the same time, so I take them in one by one to get them going. Once I have Lynn and Uriah already started, I bring Tris into her room and start hooking her up to the equipment. I attach the electrodes to her head, brushing my hand across her cheek gently as I work. Then I sweep her hair from her neck and cup her face in one hand as I inject the serum in the other side of her neck. I give her a gently smile and lightly squeeze her hand as she settles into the chair, waiting for her Fear Landscape to begin. Just before she goes under, I lean over to her and whisper "Be brave, Tris." wishing I could kiss her. Then I leave the room and head back to our apartment, since I am sure she will come here when she is done, and I have no more work to do until after all the data is in.
I wait on the couch, trying to relax, but finding that I am nervous. I am not at all worried that Tris will be cut, but I know how scared she is, and it is killing me that I can't be there with her through this. It does not take very long though, before I hear the apartment door open and see a very frazzled looking Tris walk in. She doesn't say a word, she just walks over to me, climbs into my lap, and clings to me. I sit, holding her gently but firmly, and start stroking her long blonde hair. Once she seems to be calm, I decide to ask her about the simulation.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask.
"I guess."
"Well, you must have done well, you could not have been in there very long. How many fears did you have?"
"Six." She replies.
"Only six. Honey, that is amazing. That is the second lowest number that I know of."
"Yeah, I think it is. Second only to you." She grins slightly.
"Do you want to tell me about them?"
"I guess."
She then tells me about all the fears that she had in her landscape. First she was attacked by flocks of crows. She was able to get past this fear by grabbing a gun and shooting. Second, she was trapped inside a glass box that was filling with water and she broke the glass to escape. After that, she was adrift in the ocean, about to drown. She found and grabbed onto a large rock, and was able to pull herself from the water to safety. In her fourth fear, she was tied up as Peter and other initiates began to set her on fire, and she... made it rain. Her fifth fear involved a number of faceless men, all trying to kidnap her. She began shooting them, but when she ran out of ammunition, she ran and hid in a closet until the fear passed. Her sixth, and final fear takes her longer to explain. The final fear is always the worst. She begins to sob as she tells me that in this fear, she was in a room and was going to be forced to kill her family. In the room was her father, her mother, Caleb... and me. Jeanine Matthews was threatening her life if she did not kill us all. Her response was to turn the gun on herself and shoot.
She dissolves into a round of sobs, and I pull her tightly into my arms. I whisper soothing worlds to her until she finally calms down again. She sits up taller and snakes her arms around my neck, kissing me tenderly. We stay this way, wrapped in each other's arms until it is time for me to go back to work. I have to meet with Max to discuss the final rankings and get everything ready for the afternoon ceremony. I reluctantly leave Tris in the apartment and head to Max's office.
Once I arrive in his office, Max and I get straight to work on the rankings and getting all the apartments assigned. Max is not at all surprised when I tell him that Tris will not be needing an apartment of her own since she will be living with me.
"I expected you to say that." Max chuckles.
"So you knew?"
"I sure did."
"I thought you had figured it out, but can I ask how you knew?"
"It was the way you look at her."
"The way I look at her?" I ask.
"Yep. It may not have been obvious to other people, but I could tell. From the first moment she got here, I could see it in your face whenever she was around. It's just a look you get. A look that makes me think of how I feel every time I look at my wife."
"And it's ok with you?"
"Look, Four, I was worried at first that it might give her an unfair advantage when it came to her rankings. But I have been paying close attention and I know that you were not raking her higher based on your relationship. I can see that she earned her rankings. So yes, it is ok with me."
"Thanks Max."
"Ok, so now about the rest of the initiates..."
We continue working until right before we are scheduled to meet for the final ceremony. I wish I had a chance to see Tris before the ceremony, but there is not a moment to spare. When we arrive at the Training Room, I see that all the initiates are already there, as well as Zeke, Shauna, Lauren, all the Dauntless leaders, and a number of other faction members.
Max stands up and gives a short speech before we reveal the rankings, and therefore the initiates that will now be Factionless. At the beginning of initiation, it was announced that any initiates that ranked below the tenth spot, were going to be cut and become Factionless. I have been trying to convince him to change that and at least increase the number of spots that are available, but he has been adamant about keeping the cuts as planned.
I then take step up and turn on the screen that shows the final rankings.
1. Tris
2. Uriah
3. Lynn
4. Marlene
5. Will
6. Christina
7. Peter
8. Lukas
9. Meg
10. Sarah
11. Mat
12. April
13. Mike
14. Nikki
15. Al
16. Rob
17. Drew
18. Molly
The initiates that are being cut are visibly shaken before Max steps back up to the microphone and makes another announcement.
"I see that there are a number of you... 8 to be exact, that are now trying to get used to the idea that you will now be living with the Factionless. For a few years now, it has become a rule that only the top 10 initiates would be allowed to remain in Dauntless. However, recently, I have been encouraged to re-think this rule. Your trainer, Four, has been trying to convince me that making these cuts automatically is not in the best interest of the faction. I have taken his argument into consideration and have decided that this year, we will not be making automatic cuts based on ranking. However, those that are ranked below the 10th spot will have to complete a probationary period, during which they will have to prove that they will be an asset to the faction. If they are not able to prove their value to the faction in the next 90 days, they will then be removed from Dauntless." There is a lot of murmuring in the crowd, before Max continues. "Now, it is time for all the new members to select their jobs and receive their apartment assignments. This will be in order of the final rankings. Before we begin, I have some things
to clarify on a few positions. First, if you select Leadership as your occupation, the current leaders will immediately vote on this decision. If the leadership board decides to accept the request, you will then have the position. If the request is rejected, you will need to select another position. Now, if you select a job as an Initiate Trainer, you will also need to select another job, as this is a seasonal position. Finally, if you select a job in the Infirmary, you will need to select your specialty after you begin your training. You can decide to train as a physician, physician assistant, nurse, nurse midwife, or clerk. Now, let's continue with the ceremony." He motions to the stage and calls Tris to come forward. "Tris, what is your decision?"
"I have decided that I would like to be an Initiate Trainer... and... a member of Leadership." She states, nervously.
"Very well Tris. Now, please step aside to that I can discuss this with the other members of leadership."
Tris steps to the side as Max turns and begins talking to the other leaders. It only takes a few minutes of discussion before Max steps back to the microphone and motions for Tris to step back over.
"After discussing your request, the members of leadership have decided unanimously to accept your request and allow you to become the newest Dauntless leader. You will also be able to be a trainer for initiation. Congratulations Tris!"
Tris is beaming as she shakes his hand, steps away, and returns to her seat. The process continues and results in the following job assignments.
Tris - Leadership and Initiation Trainer
Uriah - Control Room and Initiation Trainer
Lynn - Infirmary
Marlene - Infirmary
Will - Control Room
Christina - Tattoo Parlor
Peter - Maintenance
Lukas - Movie Theater
Meg - Fence Guard
Sarah - Shop Keeper
Mat - Fence Guard
April - Custodial
Mike - Shop Keeper
Nikki - Cafeteria
Al - Custodial
Rob - Cafeteria
Drew - Fence Guard
Molly - Fence Guard
All the initiates are given their apartment assignments, except Tris, and Max concludes the ceremony. As soon as it is completed, I walk straight to Tris and have to fight the urge to kiss her right then.
"You think giving you a hug would give away too much?" I say.
"You know," She says. "I really don't care." She then grabs me, stands on her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine. I no longer am worried about if people know about us. Initiation is over, she is an official member of Dauntless, and finally I can publicly say that I am hers and she is mine. This is the best moment of my life.
Tris
I kiss Tobias, gently at first, then it grows more passionate. We stay this way, until I begin to feel like I am being watched and pull away. I look around to see a few of our friends staring at us openly. Christina and Zeke, on the other hand, seem pleased and exchange a quick high five. I just smile, take T.J. by the hand, and head out the door. We can explain to them another day. Right now I just want to be with Tobias and celebrate the official start of our lives together as Dauntless members.
"I am so proud of you Tris." He says as we walk to our apartment.
"You know, I couldn't have done it without you." I reply.
"Thanks for saying that, but I believe you could have. You have no idea just how strong you are, honey. You are amazing!"
He wraps an arm around my back and I reciprocate the action. We remain silent for the rest of the walk home. Once we arrive, he insists that I relax and allow him to prepare our dinner. Neither of us wants to go to the dining hall tonight for dinner, so a quiet diner at home seems wonderful. He makes spaghetti with meat sauce and some garlic bread that we had in the freezer. I set the table and we sit to eat in peace.
We are both exhausted after today and decide to make it an early night. I take a long hot shower while he cleans up dinner, insisting that I not help him. When I am done and ready for bed, he is already in bed, reading a book. I climb in next to him, he places the book on his bedside table, turns off his lamp, and turns to face me. I turn off my lamp and curl tightly into his embrace. He kisses me warmly before I tuck my head onto his shoulder and quickly drift off to sleep, feeling safer and more sure of myself that I ever have.
