A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews on the prologue! Now without further or due... chapter 1...
Chapter 1
It did not take me long to master the snare-trap. When I was younger, maybe from the ages eight to ten, my father would take my brother and me on camping trips as frequently as he could. He would teach us all about how to survive in the wilderness. Thanks to him, I know what plants are safe for consumption, how to find shelter in an unknown place, and how to set snares to catch animals. He told us that these were important skills to have in case someone needed our help and civilization was not near. Now, I know he also taught us in case we needed to save ourselves, though he would never admit it. Both my parents were very selfless people, and they always taught us to put others before ourselves. I realize now that there are times to be selfless and help someone else, but there also times to be selfish and save ourselves. I used to be Beatrice the selfless. Then, I became Tris the brave and selfish. I suppose now I have become more than either.
I glance toward to sun, and accordingly decide that it is around midday. That means I have been out collecting supplies and setting and resetting snares for approximately four hours. My eyes sweep around the forest. To the normal eye, these woods would be seen as trees and plants and dirt. But I have grown to cherish the forest – my safe haven, my home.
I begin to sing a song I recall my mother singing to me when I was a child as I return my attention to my current snare, which has captured a rabbit. I look down at the rabbit as it struggles in the trap and looks around with frightened eyes; I contemplate my options. I could kill the rabbit, which is not dead, unlike my other catches. Or I could set it free. As much as I know I need to eat, I promised myself, those six years ago that I woke up beaten, bloody, bruised, lost, and alone, that I would never allow someone to cause such immense pain to another. I continue to sing the calming tune as I carefully gain the rabbit's trust and begin to undo the snare from around its foot. I hold it in my hands for a moment as I sit down with my back against the trunk of the tree, and I stroke the rabbit's head before setting it down on the dirt and watching as it hops away.
All of a sudden I hear the rustling of a bush, and I freeze. Then, I hear a voice whisper-yell, "Ow! Fuck you, Zeke!" then the sound of a hand slapping skin. I jump up from my sitting position and pull the knife out of my boot.
"Who's there?" I shout, my voice slightly quivering as I slowly turn in circles with the knife pointed out from my body. Everything remains unnaturally still and eerie. "Who's there?!" I yell in the most intimidating voice I can muster, my eyes hard and cold.
It may have have been hours, minutes, seconds of silence before I hear the rustling of bushes and trees and pine straw coming from the right of me. I quickly whip my body to the side and reposition myself in fighting stance, my knife still in front of me. A shape emerges from the shadows, a man. He is tall, muscular, and has dark brown hair. His tight, short-sleeve shirt only emphasizes the strength in his tan arms and rock-solid core. Three more men come into view. One, the shortest of the quite tall bunch, has shaggy, blonde hair, while the other two look quite similar, other than their heights, due to their dark hair and tan complexions. And they are walking towards me.
Four P.O.V
"Give that back to me right now!" Uriah yells as he tackles Zeke to the ground. He promptly sits on Zeke's head and grabs the bag of beef jerky from his hand. I then snatch the bag from Uriah, walk ahead, and quickly unzip the bag as I take a few pieces and shove them into my mouth. Will puts a hand on my neck and applies pressure to my pressure point, causing me to drop to the ground and him to gain captivity of the snack. I turn around and continue to walk through the trees backwards. The girls, Christina, Marlene, and Shauna, are walking behind us, giggling at our childish antics. Except Lynn, who just smirks and rolls her eyes. I return the grin before returning to walking forwards.
About a week or two ago, we made the decision that for our spring break, our group would go on a vacation together. After much bickering, we decided to go on a week-long camping trip, much to Christina's demise. Currently, we are hiking through the mountains just south of Chicago. Each of us is carrying a large backpack that holds all necessities for the week, as well as tents and food. We are not following a specific trail, knowing that the unknown is always more fun than what is familiar. So we wander to nowhere in particular, in search of the perfect area to set up camp.
After another hour or so of hiking, most conversation has died down, and we walk in a near-silence. It is not an awkward silence, but a comfortable one. One that can be shared and enjoyed between only the closest group of friends. I gaze around my surroundings. The day is beautiful. The midday sunlight refracts perfectly through the canopy of bright green leaves, causing shadows of trees to be cast on the pine straw and dirt ground. I continue to lead the group and focus on the sound of the wind and rustling leaves.
Suddenly I hear a tune so sweet, it sounds like honey. It snaps me into reality and I pause for a second, my eyes darting around in search of the source. I decide it is just the wind and my imagination and continue to walk. Then, a few minutes later, I hear the tune again, but slightly louder. I know I am not just imagining this. Abruptly, I stop walking again and turn around to face the others. In a soft voice, I say, "Listen," I pause for a second, "Do you guys hear that?"
"I hear it too!" Christina replies, her voice toned-down as well.
"I thought I was just hearing things," Shauna explains.
In the spur of the moment, I get an idea. "Follow me guys," I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Where are we going?" Zeke questions.
"To find out who or what is making that sound." I don't know why I have the urge to discover the source of the sweet music, but I feel like I need to. Like it is calling for me.
I lead us towards the root of the song, taking quiet steps as the sweet notes become louder and clearer. We come to a slight clearing in the middle of the forest and are about to walk into the glade, when I stop in my tracks, causing everyone to do the same. Right in the center of the clearing sits a few large trees with snares attached to them. But neither the trees nor the traps are what catch my attention. It's the girl who stands by the tree, the girl who is resetting the snares and removing the dead animals from them. We all duck behind the shield of plants and darkness and observe her. She is quite short, possibly five-two or five-three in height and extremely thin. Her light, blonde hair is slightly dirty and cascades down her back in messy waves. She is dressed in a black, long sleeved t-shirt, black jeans, and worn, black leather boots and has an old brown backpack slung over her shoulders. Her hands and face and any other visible skin are dusted with dirt and mud, making her tan complexion stand out. She sings a song with a voice so sweet and delicate, even the birds stop their chirping to listen and watch as she carefully and skillfully deals with her traps.
The girl walks over to the last trap she hasn't yet reset and pauses as she notices the rabbit caught in the snare is not dead, unlike the rest the them. It squirms and struggles, trying to escape, its eyes wide with fear. She crouches down beside it, seemingly having an internal debate. Then, she carefully and soothingly takes it in her hands and begins to undo the snare. Once untangled from the trap, the rabbit seems to gain some trust in the girl and does not try to scurry away. She sits with her back to the tree and strokes the rabbit's fur, her song not pausing once. After a few minutes, she softly places the creature on the ground, and it hops off and disappears in the trees.
Zeke begins to come closer to me, moving silently, when he accidentally steps on Uriah foot. He yells out in pain, "Ow! Fuck you, Zeke!" Realizing how loud he had been, he slaps his hand over his mouth. Quickly, we all refocus our attention to the girl, who has jumped to her feet and is pulling a medium-sized knife from her boot. We freeze, unsure of how to react as she shouts, "Who's there?" her voice slightly shaky. She slowly turns in circles, the knife pointed outwards. "Who's there?!" she yells in a much more confident and quite intimidating voice, especially for someone of her size. Her eyebrows are scrunched in anger, fear, and an unreadable expression.
I turn to look at my friends. The girls look nervous, scared, as the hold onto each other. Even Lynn appears distressed by the current situation. Zeke, Will, and Uriah, however, seem to be confused, but slightly concerned, similar to me. I catch Zeke's gaze and we share a quick mental discussion, seeming to know what the other is thinking. I give him one last nod before standing from my crouched position and beginning to make my way out of our hiding place.
The girl now has her knife pointed in my direction and stands in a flawless fighting stance as I come into her view. The next thing I know, Zeke, Uriah, and Will are coming up behind me, and we carefully approach the girl. I hold my hands out in front of me, trying to show that I mean no harm. She backs away slightly as we get closer until I stop walking, the others following suit. "Hello," I say in what I can only hope is a friendly tone. Being friendly isn't exactly my strong point.
She neither brings her knife down nor backs farther away. She only adjusts her posture and expression. Her eyes are filled with a fire that screams strength, defiance, and confidence, but behind them, I see fear. "Who are you?" she questions with the same intimidating voice.
"My name is Four," I explain, "These are my friends Zeke, Uriah, and Will."
"Hello," Uriah says, "What is your name?"
"Why should I tell you?" she questions angrily, not backing down.
"We aren't going to hurt you," Zeke adds kindly.
She lets out a sarcastic chuckle. "You really expect me to believe that? Who do you work for?"
"Work for? We –" I begin before she cuts me off.
"Is it The Eye? Do you work for The Eye?"
"The who?" Will asks.
"Did they finally realize they can't get rid of me that easily? Did they finally realize they failed? That I am not dead?"
I am about to respond, but she continues.
"Send them a message for me, will you? Let them know that I am still here and that I am ready to fight for myself and the rest of us. Tell them that they will never control me again. And tell them that if they send anyone else out here for me, I will not hesitate to kill them," she finishes and takes off in a run.
A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! If you did, be sure to favorite and follow to get notifications when a new chapter is uploaded. Please review! - comments and criticism and greatly appreciated. Also, check out when other Divergent story, "The Girl Dressed in Black".
Thanks Babes!
~Jillian