So I want to give you all a heads-up that this book is slowly coming to an end. The fictional "Saturday" is the last day before everything I wanted to tell about Tris and Tobias in this story is told. Thank you for reading this far and for staying with this story til the end. ❤
The next chapter could take a bit due to all the usual Christmas activities... ;-)
DISCLAIMER: I own neither the Divergent world nor the characters, they belong to Veronica Roth.
The parts in italics in this chapter are taken directly from the book "Divergent" and were written bei Veronica Roth, not by me.
Chapter 68: Saturday, 7 days after initiation
Tris
We meet in the pit after an early breakfast to drive to Amity, where the faction meeting is going to take place. Johanna offered to host it, since they're the faction of peace, and Jack passed on the information to us. It's a little ironic that Johanna came up with this suggestion, as it was her faction who denied us further support against Jeanine when we asked for it. The peace serum we needed to produce the antiserum with was really the only part they played in our whole mission.
We're still waiting for a few of our members before we can leave. It was decided yesterday by the cheering crowd that the Allegiant were to replace the old Dauntless leaders temporarily. The time was too short to find another solution, and it seemed natural that we could be trusted to handle the Dauntless' interests. Once we return this afternoon, we'll be up on that stage again to inform the rest of our faction about the results of the meeting, and in the evening, there's going to be a big party in the pit.
In my opinion, there was quite a good party going on yesterday afternoon, but Zeke assured me that Dauntless wouldn't be Dauntless if the party couldn't get any bigger and wilder. Christina, Tori and Marlene have planned a few things regarding decorations yesterday, and they'll need some time to prepare everything later. Uriah and Zeke have taken over the entertainment part, whatever that means... We should probably all be worried.
I check the time nervously. We need to get going, or we'll be late. Caleb, Lynn and Shauna are still missing. It's strange that Zeke is already here when Shauna isn't, but after what happened on Thursday, I'm not too surprised. Tobias told me about the argument and what she said about Divergents this morning during breakfast. He said she'd apologized to Zeke, but he wanted to have a bit more distance between them for a while to sort out where they are standing. That's why she's spent the night at her sister's apartment.
When she finally arrives together with Lynn, Shauna has difficulties looking us in the eye. But it doesn't seem as if she's still afraid or superstitious about us. To me, she seems rather ashamed, and I can't avoid feeling a little sorry for her. It must be my upbringing, or the fact that I wasn't there myself to hear what she was saying, or that she finally joined our group again to rescue us from Erudite and even risked her life for us.
I wonder what Caleb is doing and start to worry. It's not like him to be late. Maybe he got lost on the way from his room. He's got his own improvised apartment in Dauntless which he can stay in during the next days, and so has Cara. They both want some time before they go back to their faction. They're coming with us today as part of the Allegiant, but they're going to speak up for Erudite once we're at Amity. Our collaboration doesn't mean we're not in different factions anymore. Hopefully it's a good example for the way we want the factions to cooperate in the future. There are some things we want to fight for, or against.
Edward is staying in Dauntless as well for the time being, until we've found a solution how to help him. Although initiation is over, perhaps an exception could be made for him and Myra to try to complete initiation later than the rest of initiates, or repeat it again next year. Since he's not a member at the moment, Edward won't be coming to Amity with us today, though.
Finally, Caleb comes jogging around a corner, out of air. He's not trained at all.
"Sorry guys," he pants. "I overslept."
He steadies himself with a hand against the stone wall to catch his breath.
"You overslept?" I ask, amused. "I've been living under the same roof with you for sixteen years, and I can't remember one single time you overslept."
"Your beds," he gasps for air. "So comfortable. Not like in Abnegation."
I chuckle at him and pull him away from the wall.
"Time to go, dear brother," I say as I tug him along with our group.
The ride to Amity is bumpy, but the time flies as we discuss what we want to achieve for our faction. We're a lot of people to speak with one voice, it's not that easy to bring all of our opinions together. While in general, we all want more or less the same things, our ideas differ in the details. It's going to be a lot of work to achieve a common policy.
We arrive still in time for the meeting. There's even ten minutes left until the official start. Johanna greets us outside their main building, which I haven't seen in quite a while. It doesn't seem as big anymore as it was in my memories.
Johanna leads us inside and shows us our seats. The tables in the common area are put into a big circle, with chairs only on one side of them, so that everybody can look at each other. That's a seating plan I haven't seen in Abnegation, where Marcus was always standing in the front and all the other council members were seated in rows facing him. In Dauntless, we never formed a circle either, as instructions were given from leaders and instructors to members and initiates without making a fuss about it.
I immediately like this arrangement. It's going to be a lot more communicative and is going to encourage discussions. Maybe we can keep that concept for important Dauntless meetings, too. After all, during our Allegiant meetings we spent a lot of time sitting around Zeke and Shauna's living room table in a circle, more or less. I never realized how that might have helped to bring up ideas and keep us all on eye level.
We only have time to hang our jackets over the chair backs and put our stuff down before we're surrounded by people of all factions who want to thank us and shake our hands, except for the Abnegation delegation. They stay in the background, letting the others go first, but I long to meet my parents. I hope they are here. I have to see them, I need to know that they're fine. But I can't see them behind the people from the other factions, I'm too small.
Only when Johanna sounds a big golden gong that's hanging at the wall opposite the entrance, signaling the start of the meeting, and everybody moves to their assigned seats, I spot my parents. They're waiting at a short distance from me, and I ignore the gong for a moment and go to greet them. I'm so happy they have come, and relieved. I don't know what it is that I was worried about, but somehow I was uneasy. Maybe it's because they were close to Marcus.
Their smiles truly reach their eyes, and I've rarely seen them look so joyful and proud. I hug them both. I know the last time I hugged my mother, but I can't remember a time I hugged my father after I was around ten.
"I love you, Tris," my mother whispers in my ear. "You make both my Dauntless and my Abnegation side so proud."
"Well done, daughter," my father adds as he hugs me tightly.
I guess he isn't angry at me for transferring anymore. Or maybe he just doesn't admit the thought any longer.
"I'm glad you're here and that you're safe," I say, smiling back at them.
Caleb comes to stand beside us, too, and as he extends his hand to shake mum's, she shakes her head and just pulls him into her arms, too.
"Tris," I hear Tobias say quietly as he gently takes my hand. "The meeting is about to start."
"Yeah, right. Mum, dad, I hope we have some more time to spend together later," I say, but before I can turn around to go to my seat with Tobias, my mum has pulled him into a hug, too.
"Thank you, Four. Thank you for everything you've done for Tris. You saved her life, and we will always be thankful for that," she says silently, but I hear every word.
Tobias blushes slightly, which I think is adorable. My father shakes his hand, too, and thanks him, but I also see how he looks at our joint hands skeptically. He will have to get used to seeing us holding hands in public. The time of secrecy regarding our relationship is over, and while I wouldn't want my parents to watch us kissing, there's nothing I feel ashamed about when holding Tobias hand.
Once we sit down, I have time to take a look around. The Abnegation sit on our left, while the Candor are on our right. The Erudite delegation is sitting between Candor and Amity. Johanna must have thought about where to place each faction, too. At the moment, she's the only person still on her feet, waiting for silence to fall, so she can start to speak.
"Dear friends, I want to extend a warm welcome to each of you who has come here to discuss our city's future. We can never look at the future without considering our past, and that's what we will do when we exchange our ideas today. Let's not forget why the factions were created, and what each manifesto states about their values. We would do well to remember these words written by some wise men at the foundation of our society. That's why I brought them here, all five of them in the same book that protects their spirit.
I know there's a lot to talk about, and a lot to acknowledge when it comes to those young Dauntless sitting among us, but I want to try a different beginning today than our usual. There will be enough time for discussions later on, all in due time. We can't solve our problems in one day anyway, since they apparently didn't arise in one day either.
As a start, I want each delegation to read their faction's manifesto out loud, in remembrance of the original ideals with which they were written."
Oh, that should be interesting! I haven't thought about the manifestos since we read them a few years ago at school. It'll cost a lot of time, but I like the idea of starting out like this. It'll help us set our focus and understand each other.
"I'm going to begin with the Amity manifesto, and then I'll pass the book around clockwise," Johanna decides. When nobody objects, she takes an old-looking, leather-bound book from the table in front of her, opens it and begins to read aloud:
X
Amity
Conversations of Peace
TRUST
A Son says to his Mother: "Mother, today I fought with my friend."
His Mother says: "Why did you fight with your friend?"
"Because he demanded something of me, and I would not give it to him."
"Why did you not give it to him?"
"Because it was mine."
"My son, you now have your possessions, but you do not have your friend. Which would you rather have?"
"My friend."
"Then give freely, trusting that you will also be given what you need."
SELF-SUFFICIENCY
A Daughter says to her Father: "Father, today I fought with my friend."
Her Father says: "Why did you fight with your friend?"
"Because she insulted me, and I was angry."
"Why were you so angry?"
"Because she lied about me."
"My daughter, did your friend's words change who you are?"
"No."
"Then do not be angry. The opinions of others cannot damage you."
FORGIVENESS
A Husband says to his Wife: "Wife, today I fought with my enemy."
His Wife says: "Why did you fight with your enemy?"
"Because I hate him."
"My husband, why do you hate him?"
"Because he wronged me."
"The wrong is past. You must let it rest where it lies."
KINDNESS
A Wife says to her Husband: "Husband, today I fought with my enemy."
Her Husband says: "Why did you fight with your enemy?""
"Because I spoke cruel words to her."
"My wife, why did you speak cruel words to her?"
"Because I believed them to be true."
"Then you must no longer think cruel thoughts. Cruel thoughts lead to cruel words, and hurt you as much as they hurt their target."
The following fifth part used to be part of the Manifesto but later got taken out.
INVOLVEMENT
One Friend says to another: "Friend, today I fought with my enemy."
The Other Friend says: "Why did you fight with your enemy?"
"Because they were about to hurt you."
"Friend, why did you defend me?"
"Because I love you."
"Then I am grateful."
X
"I have to admit, when I took out this book yesterday and reread all the manifestos, that I thought it was a bad decision to take out that last part. Our faction would have been wise to consider its position in the face of a looming war. I want to apologize for Amity's lack of attention to our own faction laws when we were asked for help."
She nods towards us, and I see the regret in her eyes that look at us in discomfort. She doesn't wait for an answer from us, she simply hands the book to the Erudite on her left. The woman she gives it to passes it on to a man who stands up and introduces himself as Daniel, earlier number four and now number one on the IQ-score-list Erudite uses to determine their leader. Apparently, numbers two and three were conspiring with Jeanine and are on the run with a few others.
Daniel swallows and takes a deep breath before he begins to read his faction's manifesto. He seems nervous.
X
Erudite
WE SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS AS TRUTH:
1. 'Ignorance' is defined not as stupidity but as lack of knowledge.
2. Lack of knowledge inevitably leads to lack of understanding.
3. Lack of understanding leads to a disconnect among people with differences.
4. Disconnection among people with differences leads to conflict.
5. Knowledge is the only logical solution to the problem of conflict.
Therefore, we propose that in order to eliminate conflict, we must eliminate the disconnect among those with differences by correcting the lack of understanding that arises from ignorance with knowledge. The areas in which people must be educated are:
SOCIOLOGY
- So that the individual understands how society at large functions.
PSYCHOLOGY
- So that the individual understands how a person functions within that society.
MATHEMATICS
- So that the individual is prepared for further study in science, engineering, medicine, and technology.
SCIENCE
- So that the individual better understands how the world operates.
- So that the individual's study in other areas is supplemented.
- So that as many individuals as possible area prepared to enter the fields devoted to innovation and progress.
COMMUNICATION
- So that the individual knows how to speak and write clearly and effectively.
HISTORY
- So that the individual understands the mistakes and successes that have led us to this point.
- So that the individual learns to emulate those successes and avoid those mistakes.
Leaders must not be chosen based on charisma, popularity, or ease of communication, all of which are misleading and have little to do with the efficacy of a political leader. An objective standard must be used in order to determine who is best fit to lead. That standard will be an intelligence test, administered to all adults when the present leader reaches fifty-five or begins to decline is function in a demonstrable way.
Those who, after rigorous studying, do not meet a minimum intelligence requirement will be exiled from the faction so they can be made useful. This is not an act of elitism but rather one of practicality: Those who are not intelligent enough to engage in the roles assigned to us—roles that require a considerable mental capacity—are better suited to menial work than to faction work. Menial work is required for the survival of society, and is therefore just as important as faction work.
Information must always be made available to all faction members at all times. The withholding of information is punishable by reprimand, imprisonment, and, eventually, exile. Every question that can be answered must be answered or at least engaged. Illogical thought processes must be challenged when they arise. Wrong answers must be corrected. Correct answers must be affirmed. If an answer to a question is unclear, it must be put to debate. All debates require evidence. Any controversial thought or idea must be supplemented by evidence in order to reduce the potential for conflict.
Intelligence must be used for the benefit, and not to the detriment, of society. Those who use intelligence for their own personal gain or to the detriment of others have not properly borne the responsibility of their gift, and are not welcome in our faction.
It bears repeating: Intelligence is a gift, not a right. It must be wielded not as a weapon but as a tool for the betterment of others.
X
Wow, I forgot the Erudite are the only faction who addresses making people factionless. The other manifestos don't include that explicitly, although it's implicitly there, too, of course.
What I also notice is that Daniel must have skipped lessons the day they learned how to 'speak clearly and effectively', since he rushes through the paragraphs and is clearly uncomfortable. It must be difficult to represent a faction that wanted to start a war and kill innocent people this morning.
But then, it's the same for us. We're here to represent Dauntless, and we clearly do not represent our former leadership. After all, it might be easier for us, though, because thanks to Jack, the whole city knows to which lengths we went to safe it.
Jack reads the long Candor manifesto in the same voice the teachers used to lecture us at school. He has an authority that easily demands everybody's attention and doesn't tolerate interruptions.
X
Candor
DISHONESTY IS RAMPANT. DISHONESTY IS TEMPORARY.
DISHONESTY MAKES EVIL POSSIBLE.
As it stands now, lies pervade society, families, and even the internal life of the individual. One group lies to another group, parents lie to children, children lie to parents, individuals lie to themselves. Dishonesty has become so integral to the way we relate to one another that we rarely find ourselves in authentic relationships with others. Our dark secrets remain our own. Yet it is our secrets that cause conflict. When we are dishonest with the people around us, we begin to hate ourselves for lying; when we are dishonest with ourselves, we can never attempt to correct the flaws we find within us, the flaws we are so desperate to hide from our loved ones, the flaws that make us lie.
What has become clear is that lies are just a temporary solution to a permanent problem. Lying to spare a person's feelings, even when the truth would help them to improve, damages them in the long run. Lying to protect yourself lasts for so long before the truth emerges. Like a wild animal, the truth is too powerful to remain caged. These are examples we clearly see in our own lives, yet we fail to understand that they do not just apply to the dynamic between ourselves and our neighbors, or ourselves and our friends.
What is society but a web of individual-to-individual relationships? And what is conflict except one person's dark secret crashing into another person's dark secret? Dishonesty is a veil that shields one person from another. Dishonesty allows evil to persist, hidden from eyes of those who would fight it.
DISHONESTY LEADS TO SUSPICION. SUSPICION LEADS TO CONFLICT.
HONESTY LEADS TO PEACE.
We have a vision of an honest world. In this world, parents do not lie to their children, and children do not lie to their parents; friends do not lie to one another; spouses do not lie to each other. When we are asked our opinions we are free to give them without having to consider any other responses. When we engage in conversation with others, we do not have to evaluate their intentions, because they are transparent. We have no suspicion, and no one suspects us.
And most of all — yes, above all else —we are free to expose our dark secrets because we know the dark secrets of our neighbors, our friends, our spouses, our children, our parents, and our enemies. We know that while we are flawed in a unique way, we are not unique because we are flawed. Therefore, we can be authentic. We have no suspicions. And we are at peace with those around us.
TRUTH MAKES US TRANSPARENT. TRUTH MAKES US STRONG.
TRUTH MAKES US INEXTRICABLE.
We will raise our children to tell the truth. We will do this by encouraging them to speak their minds at every moment. For the child, withholding words is the same as lying.
We will be honest with our children even at the expense of their feelings. The only reason people cannot bear honesty now is because they were not raised hearing the truth about themselves, and they can't stand to. If children are raised to hear both honest praise and honest criticism, they will not be so fragile as to crumble beneath the scrutiny of their peers. A life of truth makes us strong.
Adulthood will be defined as a time at which each member of society is capable of bearing every other member's dark secrets, just as every other member will be subjected to The Full Unveiling in which every hidden part of their life is laid bare before their fellow members. They, too, will see the hidden parts of their fellow members' lives. In this way we bear one another's secrets. In this way we become inextricable:
THE TRUTH MAKES US INEXTRICABLE.
X
After he has finished, Jack turns to us and I can see him wordlessly ask whom of us he should give the book. Christina reaches out her hand to take it from him.
"We'll take turns reading it, we don't have a leader yet," she states matter-of-factly and begins with the first sentence, after which she hands the book to Will.
X
Dauntless
WE BELIEVE
that cowardice is to blame for the world's injustices.
WE BELIEVE
that peace is hard-won, that sometimes it is necessary to fight for peace.
WE BELIEVE
that justice is more important than peace.
WE BELIEVE
in freedom from fear, in denying fear the power to influence our decisions.
After Tori and Lauren have read, too, it's my turn now.
WE BELIEVE
in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.
How very true those lines are...
I give the book to Tobias.
WE BELIEVE
in acknowledging fear and the extent to which it rules us.
We keep handing the manifesto around among us until we've read the whole text aloud.
WE BELIEVE
in facing that fear no matter what the cost to our comfort, our happiness, or even our sanity.
WE BELIEVE
in shouting for those who can only whisper, in defending those who cannot defend themselves.
WE BELIEVE,
not just in bold words but in bold deeds to match them.
WE BELIEVE
that pain and death are better than cowardice and inaction because we believe in action.
WE DO NOT BELIEVE
in living comfortable lives.
WE DO NOT BELIEVE
that silence is useful.
WE DO NOT BELIEVE
in good manners.
WE DO NOT BELIEVE
in empty heads, empty mouths, or empty hands.
WE DO NOT BELIEVE
that learning to master violence encourages unnecessary violence.
WE DO NOT BELIEVE
that we should be allowed to stand idly by.
WE DO NOT BELIEVE
that any other virtue is more important than bravery.
X
This is the Dauntless I chose, the Dauntless I would love and be proud to live in. I want to make it stand up to its ideals again. And for the first time in my life, I feel the appeal of power - not to rule over others, but to make my ideas come true and give the people of Chicago a better life.
Do I have what it takes to become a leader yet? Do I want that already? There's still so much I have to learn. But one day, maybe?
I'm brought back from my thoughts by my father clearing his throat with the book in hands. He reads the short Abnegation manifesto as if he'd say a prayer.
X
Abnegation
I will be my undoing
If I become my obsession.
I will forget the ones I love
If I do not serve them.
I will war with others
If I refuse to see them.
Therefore I choose to turn away
From my reflection,
To rely not on myself
But on my brothers and sisters,
To project always outward
Until I disappear.
X
While there are parts of it that I would still claim as part of my personality, there are others I wouldn't support anymore. I don't want to disappear. Who wants that? Who should want that in the first place? There is a middle way between self-centeredness and self-abandonment, and I'm going to walk it, with Tobias, who I know shares the same opinion on this topic.
Dad puts the book back into Johanna's hands.
"So, after these reminders of our basic ideals, we should get to business," she says. "There's a lot to discuss, and with representatives of our whole society present, it's going to take a while. I thought three hours..."
She doesn't get any further because she's interrupted by a woman walking up to her from the half-opened front door.
"Haven't you all forgotten about someone?"