I can only take credit for my own ideas... everything else belongs to Veronica Roth.
To answer your question sarah88, there will be no war in this version. There will probably be some inter-faction conflict, but no war.
Here we are ready for the second chapter in our little contest. As of this very moment there is still one spot left for guessing the quote from chapter 51. Please see the note in chapter 51 for the rules. Again, the quote will be bold to make it easier to spot.
Tris
Four weeks. It seems kind of crazy that I have already been in Dauntless for four weeks. And, though it seems like it was yesterday that I was just a girl that did not quite fit in in Abnegation, it also feels like I have been here forever. In four short weeks, I have gone from being terrified that I would not pass initiation, to ranking first and being accepted into leadership. Also in that time I have had my biggest dream come true. Tobias and I can finally, officially, and openly, be together. Since we met just over eight years ago, we have always had to hide our relationship, even when it was purely friendship. Now we are free to be ourselves and discover who we are, and who we can become, together as well as individually. All these changes in the past four weeks is a bit frightening, but more than anything, it is exhilarating. I am happier than I have been in my entire life.
It is Saturday and I have decided that I want to have fun tonight. Also, I want to distract T.J. from his nerves about tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day that he is going to meet both Jake and Lena. He will be meeting Jake in the afternoon and, as long as that goes well, he will meet Lena in the evening. Jake has not even told Lena about meeting Tobias yet, since he doesn't want to get her hopes up incase he changes his mind about meeting them.
I have decided that we need to get together with our friends for dinner, a movie, then a late night at the dance club. None of us have to work until Monday, so we can stay out as late as we want. We talk to Marlene, Zeke, and Lynn, who all agree to pass the information along to the rest of the group and get everyone to join us.
We meet up with the group at 5 in the dining hall. As expected, the moment I see Uriah, he begins asking questions about my relationship with Tobias.
"So, Trissy... when were you planning on telling us about you two?" He asks.
"Us two?" I ask, playing dumb.
"You know very well what I mean. When were you planning to tell us about you and Four? And don't lie to me or I will sick Candor here on you."
"Former Candor!" Christina pipes in.
"Yeah, whatever, I will sick FORMER Candor on you with all her super powers."
"It doesn't matter Uriah, I already know everything anyway. She already told me."
"You already knew?" He asks her. She nods in reply. "How long have you known?" Christina looks to me for permission and I nod.
"Since Monday I guess." She shrugs.
"You have known for almost a week and didn't tell any of us? I think I can speak for the entire group of us when I say that I am hurt." He pouts, hiding a growing smile. "What about you Zeke? You are hurt too, right?"
"Well, baby brother, all I have to say is... I'm not." Zeke replies.
"No, how can that be?" Uriah laughs.
"Maybe because I have known as long as Christina has." He says simply.
"This is even worse... my own brother... keeping secrets from me." He sighs, hands clasped over his heart. He then loses his composure and starts laughing at his own theatrics. "But really, I am happy for the two of you. Will you tell me how long you have been dating?"
"We really just started dating last Sunday, but we have been friends for... a little while longer." Tobias answers, still being vague about how long we have known each other.
"Well, I think it is great. Now we are all dating someone." He says throwing an arm around Marlene's shoulders. She blushes a bit, but leans into his embrace. Strangely, Zeke shoots him a look and clears his throat. "Oh, sorry bro." Uriah says, but does not elaborate, and no one asks.
Thankfully that is all the discussion about our relationship for now, and the rest of the meal is spent talking about random things including our new jobs and apartments. Everyone can move into the apartments tomorrow morning. I am glad to already be settled in with Tobias in his... I mean our apartment, but I don't bring this up, for fear that it will start Uriah up again.
Nearly everyone seems to have an extra amount of energy today, I am guessing, because the stress of initiation is over. The only person that does not seem to be relaxed and having fun, is Christina. There is nothing specific that she is doing or saying that make me think this, there is just something that seems off about her tonight. I don't know, maybe she is just not feeling well.
After dinner, we all head to the movie theater. The movie is a comedy, and it's not the type of movie that I normally like, but tonight I enjoy every minute of it. I think it is probably because of how happy I am right now. Everything in my life seems to be going wonderfully. When the movie ends, we all gather out front and get ready to head to the dance club.
"Tris?" Christina calls out to me. I walk over to her and she motions for me to follow her off to the side.
"What's up Chris?" I ask.
"I think I am going to skip the dance club tonight."
"Oh, come on Chrissy! You know it is going to be so much fun. You always try to drag me along when you go. Come on." I whine.
"Not tonight Tris. I really don't feel up to it." She says glumly.
"Are you ok?"
"I am just feeling a little under the weather and need to get some rest."
"Ok. Do you want me to walk you back to the dorms?"
"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you think you could ask Four if I could crash on the couch in his apartment tonight. I really don't want to spend the night in the dorms."
"Well, I haven't really mentioned this to anyone yet, but it is my apartment now too."
"So you aren't going to move into your own apartment tomorrow?" She asks.
"Nope. He asked me to move in with him and I agreed."
"That is great, Tris. So I guess I can just ask you. Can I stay the night with you?"
"You can stay over any time you want to Chris."
"Thanks. Do you think I could borrow your key so I can go there now? Also can I borrow some pajamas so I don't have to go get my stuff?"
"You can wear whatever you want. And as far as the key, I am just going to go with you."
"You don't have to do that Tris. You wanted to go out tonight, and I don't want to ruin your fun."
"You are not ruining anything Chrissy. I want to hang out with you tonight and I don't care if that is at the night club or my apartment."
"Are you sure that Four won't mind?"
"He will be fine. I will just tell him that the two of us are heading back and that he should go hang out with Zeke anyway. You stay here, I will be right back and we can leave."
I go tell Tobias that I am heading home with Christina and that he should still go out tonight and he reluctantly agrees. I give him a quick kiss, earning cat-calls from Uriah, who gets a swift smack to the back of his head from Marlene. After that, Christina and I head straight to the apartment and both change into some of my pajamas. We settle in on the couch and I turn on the TV. There is not much on so we settle on watching reruns of an old sit-com.
About a half an hour later, I turn to ask Christina if she wants anything to drink and see that she has tears streaming down her face.
"Hey, Chris, what is the matter?" I ask as I shut off the TV. She does not speak, just shakes her head and looks away as she begins sobbing uncontrollably. "Christina, you are scaring me. What is wrong?"
"I don't think... I am not sure... I just can't talk about it." At this point I am nearly panicking. My mind starts to run a million miles an hour. Is she sick? Is she dying? Is she leaving the faction? This is not the bubbly, loud mouthed, energetic person that I have grown to know. She seems so... broken.
"Chris... you can talk to me about anything. Please tell me what is wrong." I plead.
"I am... I'm... I'm not sure I can talk about it."
"Christina, whatever this is, we can get you through it together."
"I'm not sure that we can." She sighs.
"Yes we can. No matter what it is, we can get through it." I take her hand in mine and give it a gently, reassuring squeeze.
"Pregnant." She whispers.
"What?" I ask, certain that I did not hear her correctly.
"I'm pregnant."
"Oh." Is all I am able to say.
"Oh is right."
"How long have you known?"
"I was not feeling well yesterday morning before the Fear Landscape so I got a test at the drug store. When it was positive I decided to get it verified at the infirmary. I went in this morning and they confirmed that it is true. I am going to have a baby."
"Have you told Will?"
"No." She says, looking at her hands twisting in her lap.
"But, how can you know already. You can't be more that a week or two along right?" I ask. She does not reply. "Did they say how far along you are?"
"They did an ultrasound and said that I am... about 7 weeks."
"Seven?! So that means that..."
"Yeah, I was already pregnant when I got here but didn't know it."
"So it's not Will's?"
"It is not."
"Are you sure they are right. Maybe you are not as far along as they think. Maybe it is Will's baby after all."
"It is not Will's baby."
"Are you 100% sure."
"Will and I have never had sex. There is NO POSSIBLE way that this is his baby."
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh."
"So the father..."
"I don't even want to think about the father. He is just some random guy from Candor. We were never anything serious. We just used to get together every once in a while. The last time was a few weeks before the choosing ceremony. I don't know how this could have happened. We were always so careful."
"Well, careful doesn't always work." I shrug.
"Obviously." She rolls her eyes, placing a hand on her still flat abdomen.
"Have you told him?"
"I got a message to him in Candor. He thanked me for letting him know, but said that he was not interested in being a part of the baby's life. He offered to send me points if I wanted him to, but I said no. I don't want his pity."
"How are you doing?"
"I wish I knew." She sighs.
"Are you feeling ok?"
"Physically... I am fine. A little bit of morning sickness, I guess, but overall not bad. Emotionally on the other hand..." She trails off.
"I get it. You have every right to be upset."
"Upset? Upset doesn't even begin to cover it. I am a total disaster! It's a miracle I was able to get out of the house today. It's a miracle I'm even wearing pants, a double miracle I remembered to wear shoes." I have to stifle a laugh.
"So what are you going to do?"
"Well, I guess in about 33 weeks, I am going to be having a baby."
"Have you decided when you are going to tell Will?"
"That I have not decided. I mean, we just started dating. We are not really even that serious."
"What do you think he will say?"
"I don't know. I know that I won't blame him if he decides to run for the door though. It's not like we are in a committed relationship like you and Four. We are just dating, not really anything more than that. Yeah we make out from time to time, but we both decided that we were going to take it casually for now. I can't really see him wanting to raise a baby with me anytime soon... especially a baby that is not even his."
"Maybe he will surprise you."
"Maybe. But honestly Tris, I doubt it. Can you make me a promise though?"
"I think so." I say hesitantly.
"I need you to promise me that, if he does decide that he does not want to keep seeing me, you won't hate him for it. This is not his fault, and I don't want his friends turning their backs on him if he decides to break it off. I won't hold it against him, and I don't want anyone else to either."
"I can promise you... that I will try." I say. "But Chris?"
"Yeah?"
"You need to tell him as soon as possible. Not just for his sake. You need to know too."
"I know. I will tell him tomorrow morning. But, Tris?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think... can you... will you be with me when I tell him?"
"Of course I will. You can always count on me."
"One more question for you."
"Go for it."
"Would you consider being my baby's godmother?"
"It would be an honor." I beam.
I turn the TV back on and we watch for a while longer, and soon we both fall asleep on the couch. I am awoken by Tobias gently lifting me off the couch and carrying me to the bed. I see that Christina is already laying in the bed, still sound asleep.
"Hey." I whisper. He stops and sets me down to stand in front of him.
"Hey, honey. Go back to sleep, it's late." He replies before giving me a gentle kiss.
"Did you put her in the bed?"
"Yeah. I felt bad having her sleep on the couch. She looked like she was having a bad night earlier, and I didn't want to make her sleep there."
"You never cease to amaze me." I give him another kiss and wrap my arms around his neck.
"Do you know what is wrong with her?"
"I do. But we can talk about that tomorrow."
"We sure can. Now get some sleep."
"Where are you going to sleep?" I ask.
"I will take the couch. You go ahead and share the bed with Christina."
"Ok, but I am not sure how well I will sleep. I have gotten accustomed to using you as a pillow." I smile.
"There's always tomorrow... and the day after that..."
"And the day after that." I interrupt.
"And all the days after that." He grins. He kisses me passionately before leading me to the bed. I climb into bed and watch him turn off the lights, walk to the couch and settle in for the night. Just before I close my eyes I whisper.
"I love you."
"I love you too Tris. Good night."
