Tonight is capture the flag.
I'm buzzing with excitement.
Tobias tells me I shouldn't go, it isn't healthy. He's probably right. But if I don't go tonight, I'll have to wait a year. That's unacceptable. It's starting to become obvious, my stomach is rounder and I'm slowly but surely gaining weight. Some others know as well. If someone asks, I'll tell them, I've decided. There's no point in bringing it up on my own. So I tell myself.
"Ready?" I ask Tobias, smiling sweetly.
"Yes," he says wearily, standing. He looks annoyed, and my smile grows, "Let's just catch that train."
.
"Okay, Four and I are captains," Peter says. I'm surprised Eric isn't there. Guess he was busy.
"Tris."
"Reed," Peter says. I grit my teeth.
"Christina," I say, Tobias rolls his eyes, and nods.
"Drew."
"Uriah."
"Molly."
"Lynn."
Peter looks thoughtful, "James." A tall red headed boy smiles.
"Is Zeke here? No?" Tobias shakes his head, "I'll take Will then."
"Gus." Another person I don't know.
"I want her," I point the Amity girl, who miraculously passed training.
"As usual, someone to blame when you lose?"
Tobias and I smile, "Something like that."
.
"It's starting, did you hide it?" Uriah asks Christina and Will when they get back.
"Yeah, it's all good," Will says.
"How do we know whose on what team?" A short snobby looking girl asks me.
"You'll know when they shoot at you."
That shuts her up.
"Okay, everyone get in groups of three... Me, Lynn, and Frances. Tris, Macy, and Hana. Christina, Uriah, and Gerry..." He continues to name others.
I'm in a group with an older woman, whose covered in tattoos, and the Amity girl, Hana. They both offer me smiles. I return them.
"Leaders, you get walkie talkies, stay in touch! Here's the plan. Tris, take your group to the parking lot, we think the flag is there. Go around the back. We'll create a diversion. Two groups head straight for it and one attack the side. Christina, have your group hang back and watch the flag until the fighting starts, but keep your distance from it. Ready? Let's go! Lights off!"
I turn off the small blue lantern around my neck. I turn the safety off the gun and motion to my group. We break into a run, headed to the trees to get around to the back, and attack where they don't expect it. I quickly run out of breath and curse myself. I can hear shouts. I know the fighting has started. Of course we aren't using real bullets. But they do feel like them.
I try to steady my breathing. We've arrived at the back. It's almost too easy, the flag is wide open, laying against a car. Hana steps forward to get it, I hold her back. My careful eyes scan the area around us. I see Macy do the same. I suck in a breath, and point to the cars. In several, surrounding the flag, people sit in, ducked behind seats and have the windows down. A perfect trap. I growl.
I whip the walkie talkie to my mouth, "Tobias," I whisper, crouching in the undergrowth.
"Tris, what is it?" I can hear the sound of guns firing over the speaker. He voice is crackly.
"It's a trap, there are people heading in a ton of cars, the flags wide open, I can't get to it," I make a fist.
"Hey, remember how to make a dirt bomb?" He asks. I can hear the smile.
"I'll have that flag, keep fighting," I start scooping dirt into my hands, "Hana, listen closely..."
.
"Oi!" Macy yells, hidden from her spot in the tree, on the other side of the cars. "Come out and get me! I see you!" I grin. She's doing perfect.
I motion to Hana. We slide against the car. Someone opens the door and jumps out. I fire before he can get his gun up. He gasps and falls. Reed. Hana shoots him again in the ass. He groans.
"That's for your help during training."
"Over there!" Molly sees us and yells. They start firing.
I grab Hana and we duck behind the car. I press the packed dirt into her hand and we silently count down. 3, 2, 1. I throw the dirt over the car and cover my mouth. Hana does the same, throwing hers. It takes moments for the bombs to hit the ground, and dirt turns to dust and fills the air. I hear coughing and people crying out that they can't see.
"Go!" I mouth to Hana.
We run in and grab the flag. I hand it the her and tell her to run. I fire at everyone I can see. Then I hear firing in return and sprint after Hana. She clutches the glowing yellow flag and we laugh. I wince as I get tagged in the arm. I rip the needle out, trying to ignore the pain. When we reach the other side of the parking lot, I kneel and hug my arm, moaning. The fake bullets transmit the feeling of actually being shot. The pain is already fading. I force myself to stand.
We meet up with the rest of our group. Tobias runs up to meet me, and presses his mouth to mine. I hug him, pulling my arms around his waist. Our team whoops and cheers, and eventually the other team joins in. Tobias is right. Everything is perfect.