We took a train ride to the edge of the city. Now, we stand in front of a large building. The others have gone in. Tris, Uriah, and I are the only ones left outside. The building is dark, windows rising with the building. I can see the flashlight of the graduated Dauntless bouncing around on the top floor. "Come on," Uriah says. "We gotta go otherwise we'll miss the fun." He runs inside and I follow him.
Inside, only one light that was hidden is on. One to an elevator. The doors are opened and Uriah stands in it, holding it open for Tris and I. We both step in and he hits floor one hundred. The number above the door goes up, glowing red in the bright, white box. Up and up until a small ding sounds and the doors behind us slide open. Before us is a gaping whole in the ceiling, one that I hadn't seen before. We climb up a ladder that is waiting for us, Uriah first, followed by Tris, and, lastly, me.
When I hit the top, it takes all my strength not to be instantly blown off the roof by the wind. By the time I walk over to where everyone else is, however, the wind seems to calm a bit and I have more traction in the middle of the roof. But it doesn't seem like I will for long. Before I even reach them, someone zips off the building, barely being held up by a string I hadn't noticed before. Zip lining. I can feel a slight pain in my chest, what from the sudden realization of being high up or of having to zoom across the city with nothing below me but a few miles of air, I don't know. All I do know is that the feeling of flying I was ready to feel again has vanished. Like it never existed.
"Come on." It takes me a minute to register that the voice is Tris' and another to realize she grabbed my wrist and is pulling me to the already forming line for the zip line. She the first initiate. And I'm second.
The line can't seem to move slowly enough and soon, Tris is being hooked up and launched. A soft hand is placed on my shoulder, making me jump. I spin and see Uriah. "You don't have to go if you don't want to." I turn to look where Tris disappeared, where they are now setting up the next harness. I shake my head. I don't want to seem like I don't belong. I take a deep breath, taking that small fear, crumpling it into a ball, and throwing it into a waste bin like Four and I used to do with our school notes after the school year ended. I exhale and step up.
A few seconds later, I'm strapped in and am propelling through the sky. But fear doesn't grip at me again. The sensation of flying does and freedom. The wind blows my hair out of my face, making my eyes water, but I stretch my arms out. Flying once more and for longer than a few seconds. If this is total freedom, I don't want it to end.
I jerk away from the chair, gasping for the air that I had been deprived, the feeling of water covering my body still lingering. Simulation. It was only a simulation.
"You didn't calm down."
"It's kinda hard to calm down when you're suffocating." I can still feel the pressure of the water on my chest before feeling like I was lifted up, dead. Like a pet fish in it's aquarium does when there is no more life in it.
"You only came out because you had died in it. We can't let it happen again. Don't struggle, just get your heartbeat and breathing to slow down. No more gasping." I stare at Four long and hard before leaving the room. Of course I mess up the drowning one. What was I supposed to do? I didn't struggle, but I know that was only because the fear got to me. I hate simulations.
Ranks are up. Tris got first, Peter second, and me third. I feel like I should've gotten lower, but I'm not that much lower than Peter. But Tris is less than half of his time. I look around before seeing Tris. Instead of joy, she seems... somber. I look around once more. And then I know why. Peter looks murderous. Tris has to watch her back or she may not make it out alive. We all have to.
