Chapter 14
I don't own Divergent!
TRIS'S POV:
My legs ache, burn from the steady movement. The dim lights of Dauntless reflect off the walls creating blue and black patterns dancing across walls and cameras.
I open my mouth almost in groan but then quickly close it.
This will not affect me. I will not be weak.
"Are you ok?" Tobias asks glancing at me once.
I clench both fists tightly wounding my hands into spheres, uneven and scratched jumbles of fingers.
I think about how to answer. Lying wouldn't help me.
"Not exactly, no," I rasp out.
My voice hasn't improved. It's a low rasp, the epitome of a dying animal.
"I would think not," he says lowly.
I nod, pressing two fingers to my neck. The light pressure causes me to have a double take from the shock of electrical pain.
I nod again rapidly attempting to regain my lost composure.
We walk in an unmeasured silence the hall seeming timeless for a short clip of time.
Tobias rounds another hall and I follow in his wake trying to gain a straight gait.
"Where is the hall? I don't remember eating there," I say.
"Not too far, just a second," he says craning his head at a sign.
We near opaque glass doors resembling misty fog on a window.
"Here," he says.
I stuff my hands further down into his jacket my hands shaking slightly.
"Act like they didn't faze you. Go sit with your friends, I'll go where Zeke and I usually sit," he says brushing the back of his hand lightly across my cheek.
I shiver from his touch. It makes me feel electrified.
"Ok," I work out of my mouth.
He nods gesturing for me to enter first and I bob my head once.
With an unyielding effort I pull the door open and am exposed to the pounding screams and cries of the Dauntless faction.
The walls are draped with streaks of black leaving snowy white exposed.
Wonder why they did that- it makes us look Candor.
I spot Christina, Will, and Uriah at a table north of my general direction and walk over to them.
Christina pulls me down to sit and I hold back my wince.
"Tris! What happened?" She asks mortified- probably by my appearance.
"Yesterday... Peter, Drew- and Al," I say not meeting anybody's gaze.
"What? It looks like the almost killed you!" Will exclaims.
I look to see if anybody heard him but the- my faction is too loud.
"They attacked me, by the Chasm," I say.
Uriah looks at me in shock. I meet his eyes for a second before looking away.
"That hardly seems fair, three against one," he says.
"And Peter is fair," Christina says shaking her head- disgusted.
"I thought Al was our friend... Remember in initiation?" She asks Will.
Will nods.
"Eat up Tris; I should've looked for you when I saw the note! I thought you were going to be fine," she says.
I take the plate that she slides over to me and slowly sink my teeth into a blueberry muffin.
My teeth even ache, a result from the attack I'm guessing.
Out of my peripheral, I see Tobias enter the hall, walking unnervingly casually.
"Does Four know?" Christina asks whispering into my ear.
"He saved me- yes he does," I reply.
"I'm so sorry Tris," she says her tone and expression sincere.
"You couldn't have known that the rankings still effected Peter's actions," I answer.
She nods still looking guilty.
"We were thinking of going camping out in the woods tonight... I suppose you don't want to come. I'll stay back with you of course, Christina says blinking her chocolate eyes.
I feel myself thinking no, I don't want to but my head shakes itself in defiance.
"I'll come, I'll be fine. Just everything will be a little slow," I say giving a crooked smile.
She grins at me and lightly throws her arms around me.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course."
"We'll pack later! I talked to my dad he said two nights would suffice," she says confidently.
"Plus that will give me time to help you with your boy," she says.
My eyes widen when she says that.
"Are you taking about T- Four?" I ask.
"T-Four? Yes, also known as his truly, the Dark One," she says grinning.
Christina was so easy to forget that it made me forget sometimes too.
Christina waves over a staring Tobias and he comes and sits by me.
"Hey Four," she says.
I curse her.
"Did you tell her?" He asks me.
I nod and his posture relaxes a bit.
I feel his hand brush my knee lightly, close enough to know that it's not an accident.
Christina starts telling Tobias about the camping trip but I zone out when I see Al.
His gait seems slow and his posture slouched. He walks toward me and I stiffen.
"Tris I'm sorry! Remember when we were friends in initiation?" He asks.
"Get away from me," I say my voice low, deadly, a pure imitation of my instructor for initiation.
He would've been proud. I still wonder about him sometimes.
"Can we talk? I can explain, I swear!" He says.
"No, go away and don't ever in hell get close to me again."
"But-"
"Get away!" Tobias says suddenly and the whole table stops.
Quiet, so utterly quiet.
My instructor had the same effect the deep, quiet voice that could stop a room of Dauntless to just mute into a faction of what would seem obedient Amity.
Al trembles as if he has been struck and walks away his hands shaking.
I see Peter and Drew in a corner watching Al quietly.
Drew is worse than I am. His eye is a version of my neck but five times worse, already blue-ing and tinting with yellow. His lip is split and his arms are limp at his sides. He stands up and hobbles out the door in Al's wake.
"Jesus, Four! Did you do that?" Christina exclaims.
Tobias nods once, placidly although I can see the hidden triumph washed over his handsome face.
"Dang," Uriah whispers.
Tobias's lip curls.
"So we are going camping right?" Will asks.
I nod and Christina explains what he means.
Tobias casts me a doubtful glance when she says I wanted to come and I raise my eyebrows at him.
He shoots me a hot grin and I look away blushing.
"See I told you," Christina whispers.
I hit her arm causing her to yelp.
"What time is it?" I ask Will.
"Eh ten after," he says.
"Ten after what?" Uriah asks.
"Ten after... Ten," he says awkwardly.
We all laugh.
"Wanna go pack? I think you'll need some help," Christina says.
I feel a pang of defiance. I'm almost about to say no I can do it myself, I'm not weak, but I don't.
"Hey, don't worry," Tobias, says his lips brushing my ear, staying there longer than needed.
"Come on Tris!" Christina shouts and I follow her slowly almost forgetting that I was attacked-almost.
[PAGE BREAK]
TRIS'S POV:
"How is this even going to work?" I ask as we all stand in front of the woods.
We took a hike out to the outskirts of camp where the woods start.
The sky cleared up and it's a vibrant blue shining, burning into the evening.
"Well I guess we just go right in," Uriah says.
Tobias's arm brushes mine and I look up at him.
"Feeling any better?" He asks.
"Yeah actually," I respond.
Although the bruises still ache and burn, my limbs don't feel as tight and tense as they did in the morning.
Just don't think of what happened and you'll have a great time.
Wordless, everyone together advances toward the woods Zeke sauntering in the lead.
We walk in a line Christina in front of me and Tobias at my back.
We walk for a minute before Zeke pulls to an abrupt stop that causes us to bump into each other.
I groan as Christina's back grazes over my bruises. She stumbles and tips back on me causing me to fall back.
Tobias makes an "oof" sound before his fingers are holding me by the elbows. They're thin, made for fine deft movements.
I feel his breath at my ear.
"Well hello."
I back up causing me to be even closer to him. My spine is against his chest and his arms are even closer.
I hold my breath.
Then he lets go and I breathe out.
We pick a relatively smooth area that is surrounded by trees and start putting up tents from God knows where.
Probably Uriah.
"Tris come here I want to show you something!" Tobias says gesturing for me to follow him into the woods.
Christina gives me a look that I return with a gruesome glare.
I'm not entirely keen on the idea of going anywhere right now but I follow him because… well he's Tobias.
"What is it?" I ask when I catch up to him.
"Huh?" he asks staring at something in the distance.
I try to focus my gaze near his but when I do, there isn't anything but the woods.
"You tell me buddy," I say rolling my eyes.
Tobias respectively rolls his eyes subsequently.
"I wanted to ask you if you remember something," he says.
I cock my head slightly in question.
"Your initiation was last year correct?"
"Where are you going with this?"
"Was it somewhere around last year or not?"
"It was," I answer sighing.
"What was your instructor like?" he asks.
"Well he was kind of mysterious you know? He wore this mask," I say chuckling although I don't know why.
"Did he?"
I nod confused why he's asking this in the first place.
"Was the mask black with a white stripe?" he asks.
"Where are you trying to go with this?"
"What was his name?" he asks ignoring my question.
"He never said, I just called him Instructor," I say.
I did just call him Instructor because he didn't vouch his name at all during those two weeks.
Tobias pulls out a mask.
Black with a white stripe.
"So you stalk my instructor? What's this gotta do with me?"
"Tris," he says laughing his eyes smiling. "I was your instructor."
A/N: This chapter I'm not exactly sure about so please I'm open to any ideas. The Allegiant little quote/catchphrase/thingy: One choice will define you. I'm SOOO excited! Read & Review!