Tobias POV
Today is choosing day and I have yet to prepare myself to meeting new initiates. I hate the thought of having to work next to Eric, even though I am only doing this to make sure the I can keep an eye on any divergent initiates that there may be.
Im walking towards the pit, and I notice an air of excitement around me higher than usual. Must be because of the new members who are yet to come. I see Tori headed my way she looks neutral and somewhat passive as always, she tends to be very subtle, I realized I never noticed that, but then again why would I.
"Four! So are you ready for the new initiates?" she asks with a hint of excitement.
"Hey Tori, I'm as ready as Ill ever be" I reply as she skims around the place. "So you think we will just have Uriah as a... you know, Divergent" I say with a small whisper I'm not even sure she heard.
"Probably, I only tested two. Him and another abnegation girl, but she seemed much too docile to even consider dauntless, odds are she'll stick to abnegation most likely" she states and I can't help but be reminded of my old faction, too many pleasant memories and emotions invade my mind. I am then reminded of the simplicity of abnegation and what leaving meant to me.
I remembered my two loving parents that made leaving that much harder for me. I never belonged in abnegation, I was never that selfless, so staying there would have meant living a lie and Im not sure my father would have approved me staying for the wrong reasons . But he understands, and so does my mother. My attention is then drifted back towards Lauren and Zeke headed our way.
"My man Four! You ready to mess some the initiates?" Asks Zeke with a smug look on his face. And then I remember Uriah will be one of them. So I give him an amused stare and he gets what I mean.
"Awww come on man! You will be their instructor, we have to mess with them" he says giving me a hoping look.
"We? You said it, I will be their instructor and besides I think they have enough to deal with Eric around" I say turning my attention to our surroundings. We walk headed to the net where the initiates will have to jump. I wonder who will be the first jumper. I wasn't the first jumper and not that it gives you any kind of title but it does give you a hint of respect among the other dauntless members.
"So who do you think will be the first jumper? My money is one a dauntless born" says Zeke
"I don't know man; the transfers have more to prove. So I'm going to have to bet against you on this one" I say giving him a playful look. He has a grin on his face now, and I know I just made this morning interesting. "You are on!" he says.
We can hear a bit of commotion gathering and I'm guessing the initiates are just jumping from the train, any second now we will know who the first jumper is.
I find myself a bit unsteady, feeling excited and nervous at the same time. It's weird, the last time I felt this strange was before I jumped to the net, almost exactly two years ago. I ask myself if this is because of the bet I just made with Zeke, or is it from the initiates that will begin to land any moment now. But I didn't feel like this last year when I had more reasons to be nervous, since it was my first year as an instructor. Either way I'm much too stoked and I am not completely sure what to make of this feeling.
Zeke gives me a look and shouts "I could use the extra 50 bucks!" and I know he's referring to the bet. But I'm really not worried about that so I just give him a nod and focus my attention on the other dauntless that are now cheering and pumping their fist in the air. I turn up at the ceiling and in my view I can make out the fist jumper.
All I am able to register is a gray blur. While I approach the net to offer my hand I m able to make out a small laughter coming from the net and at that my hand is grabbed by a small fragile warm hand that fits perfectly in mine, then my eyes meets hers. I help her out the net but I can feel I am no longer the person I was ten seconds ago, as if that is by any means possible. She stands before me, short and thin and to anyone else plain and unremarkable, but to me she holds much more beauty and fire than I'd ever seen before. Her eyes are so demanding and kind, so powerful but gentle, so insistent. Beautiful.
Her face is narrow with a long nose and big eyes that are intense blue almost gray, hidden under long lashes that sweep nicely every time she blinks. Even though she is small she looks guarded, her hair is a bright gold and I can tell its long by the way some of her hairs have gotten loose and stuck out from the bun and it frames her face finely.
I have to focus myself back to the present, though as I stare longer at this striking girl I find myself unable to do anything but contemplate her.
"Thank you" is all she says but to me that's enough to get me back on my feet and to the present.
I realize I am still grabbing her by the hand and as I let go I suddenly feel the urge to touch her again. She is abnegation and I know better than anyone how they see and feel about touching, though something tell me this girl is not just any stiff. No. there is something about her, something in her eyes that demands attention; demands to be see but as I stare deeper into her ocean of blue in her eyes I can't help but see a splash of sadness hidden deep within.
"Cant believe it, a stiff, the first to jump? Unheard of". Smirks Lauren as she makes her way around me. Now I know Lauren is my friend and I have never had anything against her but something in the way she referred to her annoys me to my core.
"There's a reason why she left them, Lauren," I say trying to sound a leveled as I possibly can right now, hoping to one day know why she left her old faction and why she's here in dauntless. "What's your name?" I ask returning my attention to the abnegation girl in front of me. I find myself expecting her answer, curious to finally put a name to her face that has me lingering on her for more than I probably should.
"Um... B-" she starts to say more but I can't make it out, I now feel the urge to hear her speak more so I encourage her just a bit,
"Think about it," I say hoping to sound as welcoming as I can, "You don't get to pick again."
"Tris" she says firmly. Tris I say to myself, I like the sound of that. Tris from abnegation. No it doesn't sound right, more like Tris from dauntless. Yes. That sounds more like her. Suddenly I can't wait to say her name out loud.
"Make the announcement, Four." says Lauren and I so willingly do it.
I look to the rest of the members and shout almost with a grin on my face "First Jumper- Tris!"
Everyone around cheers and shouts as they pump their fists in the air again. I look over to her once more searching to meet with her eyes again but her attention has turned to the next jumper who has just landed with a blaring scream. She turns to me and I now have to make my way back but instead I give her a coy smile while I put my hand on her back and say "Welcome to dauntless."
She walks away giving me a wary look.
As the rest of the initiates keep landing I find myself lingering on Tris' features, her voice and I am starting to get annoyed with myself. What is happening to me?! Get it together Tobias! This has never happened, what is it about her that unsettles me, I don't know. She is just another girl, just another initiate I keep telling myself while I make small glance her way. Perhaps it's because she is from abnegation as well and I think I may have known her. No, that's not it, I would have remembered her if I'd ever met her before, I would have definitely remembered those eyes. But then it hit me. I have met her before or at least I have seen her before! Her father worked with my father on a few occasions, could she be Beatrice Eaton?
A small memory clouds my mind of a young small girl with big gray sad eyes, sat in a couch along with her brother in a funeral home, her mother had passed away. I look her way once again except this time her eyes meet mine, we stare at each other for a few seconds but she breaks the glance and looks elsewhere. I now have to look away as well. She seems annoyed, and I hope she doesn't think badly of me.
As Lauren, Erik and I introduce ourselves we divide the initiates from the transfers and the dauntless-born. I give the transfers a quick tour of the place as they all stare wide eyes at the compound. A few of the initiates make a few snarling comments but I am sure to keep them at place trying to sound as intimidating as I can, and it works.
I direct them towards the dining hall and they all scatter around. I find an empty seat at a table and sit trying to gather my thoughts of the past hour, taking only an apple as lunch for today. I look around to see if Tris has sat anywhere, but I don't see her anywhere until she and her smart mouth candor friend surprisingly sit right next to me. Great! Just keep it steady man!, I think to myself. I'm trying to get into a place where I can find clarity and figure out what to make of her, but that's kind of hard when she is only inches away from me, not that I'm complaining. Somehow she makes me feel stronger? Braver perhaps, but I do know that just by her being abnegation she will already have to prove more than the rest.
I hear Christina make a remarks of the food and I find myself intruding into their conversation, "Stiffs eat plain food" I say to Christina as she asks Tris what it is about them and food.
"Extravagance is self-indulgent and unnecessary" Tris adds.
"No wonder you left" replies Christina smirking.
"Yeah," Tris adds with a hint of sarcasm "it was just because of the food."
I try to hide the smile forming at Tris comment from the food but when I look up to see her reaction she has a dreary look as if remembering something painful. Studying her expression I see Erick coming and taking a seat across from me. Oh this is going to be good.
"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Asks Eric while glaring at Tris and Christina, I can feel the atmosphere change into a heavy awkward silent. From the corner of my eye I can see them shrink with intimidation.
"This is Tris and Christina" I answer trying to hide all interest in my voice.
I know Eric and he cannot stand the sight of me, if he feels any of my concern or interest towards Tris she is done for, more now that he is noticing she came from abnegation.
"Ooh, a stiff," Erics says giving me an evil smirk, I can almost make out his thoughts, as he eyes her frivolously "we'll see how much fun I can have with you." He finishes, as Tris stiffens with a frightening offended look in her eyes. The urge to punch him now drowns me.
I know it's best if Eric doesn't associate me with her only because I know that she will be better off if a keep my distance, for her sake not mine. Though right now, he is eyeing her with an unreadable expression for much too long. I can feel Tris shift uncomfortably in her seat as he penetrates her with his stare, and am boiling up by just witnessing it unable to stop him, I should distract him from her.
Why do I suddenly feel the urge to protect her?
"I've got better things to do than to be here with a bunch of stiffs" Eric finally says, "Four." And he claps me a bit too hard on my shoulder and then makes his way out.
I can feel the tension lighten up as he walks away.
"Stiffs?" remarks Christina, with a confused look on her face, I'm hoping they won't figure out he was also referring to me.
"Are you too friends?" questions Tris with a genuine concerned look on her, its only then that I noticed all shes realized since shes been here so far, she's curious. And that is definitely not an abnegation trait.
"We were in the same initiate class" I manage to get out,
"Oh, were you both transfers?" she asks wanting more answers but I realized that I don't want her to know who I am, not just yet. She knows my family, and she has definitely been to my parent's house with her father Marcus on scarce occasions, though she may have been too young to remember or so I'm hoping. I decided I want to know her more but that may have to be after initiation when Eric won't be an issue, hoping I can manage that long. And until then I must keep my far distance while watching her closely, trusting I can do both.
"I thought I would only have trouble with the candor asking too many questions," I say coldly, "now I've got to worry about stiffs too?"
"It must be because you are so approachable," she says digging her eyes deep in mine, "You know, like a bed of nails."
Wow is all I can think, this girl has quite the fire in her, and I like it, I like it far too much for our own good. She is still looking at me right in my eyes, not backing down. Like a true dauntless. It is the first time since she's been here that I think she choose the right faction.
I stare t her as well not backing down trying to intimidate, but the tension seems to be rising. So I must break away, I gently get up not breaking eye contact and lean into her more than I should and say "Be careful, Tris." With my instructors voice. And just like that I make my way out, hoping for the next time I see her.
Hey guys! Sorry I took too long, pls tell me what you think! R&R any suggestions are welcomed as well, I tried to maintain the chapter as close to the book since I really loved that part and it doesn't speak much of either of the characters past!