Once all the initiates are safely in the compound, I divide the them into transfers and Dauntless-borns. Like before, the transfers stay with me and the Dauntless-borns go with Lauren. When Lauren has walked away with her initiates, Max informs me that three didn't make it. The two transfers are factionless and the Dauntless-born is dead. The news doesn't come as a shock to me; I knew it was coming. Though I still feel a dull dread in the pit of my stomach; that could have been Tris.

This time I already know how many transfers there are; nine in total. There should have been eleven.

"Normally I work in the control room, but during your initiation, I will be your instructor," I say, trying my best to imitate my 'Four voice' as Zeke calls it. "I'm Four."

I hear a giggle from the crowd; Christina. I try my best to keep my expression neutral. I know what comes next, and I brace myself for it.

"Four? Like the number?" She asks, a wide grin spread across her face. I know I shouldn't snap at her; she's from Candor. They have no filter, whatever they think, they say. But I can't help myself.

"Yes," I say. "Is there a problem?"

"No".

"Good. Now, we're about to go into the Pit, which you will someday learn to love. It…"

Christina snickers. "The Pit? Clever name."

A smirk threatens to tug at the corner of my mouth. I fight the urge to smile; I have always had a talent for hiding my emotions. I walk over to her, my expression neutral, and bring my face very close to hers. The closeness doesn't bother me as much as it did the first time.

"What's your name?" I ask, my voice quiet.

"Christina," she squeaks.

"Well, Christina. If I wanted to put up with Candor smart-mouths, I would have joined their faction," I hiss. "The first lesson you will learn from me is to keep your mouth shut. Got that?"

She nods.

I walk away from her, taking the lead again, and finally allow the smirk that I've been fighting to show. I try to convince myself that she had to be taught a lesson; she wouldn't survive here in Dauntless otherwise. But I can't help but think that I did it more out of amusement than concern.

When we reach the end of the corridor, I push open the double doors and walk into the pit.

I give the initiates a moment to take in their surroundings before I speak. I show them the chasm and explain about the reason behind it; there's a fine line between idiocy and bravery. When I'm finished with the basics, I lead them to the dining hall.

When we enter, the Dauntless all stand and applaud. They stamp their feet and shout in excitement. I see Tris gazing around the room, a huge smile evident on her face.

I push through the crowd toward the half-empty table on the other side of the room. I slump down into a seat near the end of the table, and reach for the nearest platter of food. My hand closes around a chicken leg.

A few moments later, I find that Tris is sitting next to me with her friends; Christina, Will and Al. I see Tris cautiously pinching the hamburger on her plate, her brow furrowed. I once again fight the urge to smile, and instead, I nudge her softly with my elbow.

"It's beef," I say. "Put this on it." I pass her a small bowl of red sauce.

"You've never had a hamburger before?" Christina asks.

"No," she says. "Is that what it's called?"

I don't feel the need to interact with them this time; I'm sure Tris can explain the Abnegation teachings better than me.

Tris shrugs. "Extravagance is considered self-indulgent and unnecessary."

Christina smirks. "No wonder you left."

"Yeah," she say, rolling her eyes. "It was just because of the food."

I've heard this conversation before, so I know what to expect. I pick at my chicken leg, my expression still carefully neutral.

The doors to the cafeteria open, and the room falls silent. Eric walks in, carelessly twisting the metal ring in his eyebrow. His eyes are cold and menacing as they sweep the room. I already know who he's looking for. Max has sent him to speak to me about my lack of interest in leadership.

I would be lying if I said that the idea of leadership was completely unappealing to me, because it wasn't. If Marcus wasn't a part of the government, I would have probably accepted the job when it was first offered to me. But this time I'm stronger. I'm no longer afraid of my father.

"Who's that?" Christina hisses.

"His name is Eric," I say. "He's a Dauntless leader."

"Seriously? But he's so young."

I give her a grave look. "Age doesn't matter here."

Deep down, I know she's right, but I can't bring myself to openly agree with a Candor.

Eric's eyes stop scanning the room, and he starts toward our table. I see Tris' eyes widen and Christina presses her lips together. I'm glad she's taken my advice. Eric wouldn't be willing to look the other way if someone were to argue with him.

He drops down into the seat next to me, offering no greeting to the initiates.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" He asks, nodding toward Tris and her friends. I press my lips together, defiantly. I will not act as his slave, not this time.

Eric rolls his eyes at me. He turns to Tris. "What's your name?" He barks.

Tris meets his gaze. "I'm Tris," she says. "And this is Christina."

"Ooh, a Stiff," says Eric, smirking at Tris. I see her wince, giving him a look of disgust. "We'll see how long you last."

Tris' eyes harden, and her upper lip twitches. She looks as though she's going to say something, but thinks better of it. I release a breath of relief.

Eric taps his fingers repeatedly on the table. I notice that his knuckles are scabbed and bruised, probably from hitting the punching bag too hard. I am reminded of our fight during our initiation. Eric was confident; too confident. He thought taunting me would help him win, but it did the opposite. He constantly reminded me that he knew my real name and where I came from. I finally snapped, and I couldn't stop myself. I kicked and punched until someone pulled me away. Only then did I realise what I was capable of, but I don't regret it.

"What have you been doing lately, Four?" He asks.

I shrug. "Nothing, really."

He raises an eyebrow.

"Max tells me he keeps trying to meet with you, and you don't show up," Eric says. "He requested that I find out what's going on with you."

I just look at him for a few moments, remaining silent. Max is trying to recruit me for leadership, again. I'm not angry, I understand why he's so persistent. Eric only got the job because of his alliance with Jeanine Matthews. I was, and it seems I still am, Max's first choice. I try to piece together the things I need to prevent; the attack on Abnegation, the strict initiation rules and much, much more. But it seems I can't stop these things from happening while in my current situation. Leadership is the only option I have.

"Tell Max I accept his offer," I say.

The rings in Eric's eyebrow catch the light. "What offer?" There's that suspicious probing again; he feels threatened by Max's extreme interest in me. I fight to keep my expression neutral. His Erudite is showing; it seems that our old factions never leave us. Eric isn't as Dauntless as he thinks he is, but neither am I.

"I believe that is between Max and I," I say. "It's none of your concern."

Christina covers her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh. Tris' eyes shine with amusement.

"I'll see you later, Four." Eric claps me on the shoulder, hard, and gets up. When he walks away, I see Tris slouch in her seat. I never realised how tense she was.

"Are you two… friends?" She asks, her curiosity overpowering her. I try to hide my disgust.

"We were in the same initiate class," I say. "He transferred from Erudite." I know I shouldn't have mentioned his old faction; he could destroy everything I've built for myself whenever he wants, but I don't care. They have to know what they're up against.

"Were you a transfer too?"

I grit my teeth, forcing myself to remain calm. I knew that this was coming, but I wasn't prepared. I was thrown off guard.

"Yes," I say quietly. "I was."

Someone from another table calls my name; Zeke. I get up from my seat, abandoning the untouched food on my plate, and head over to his table.

"Hey, man," he says, thumping me on the back. I wince as his fist hits the same place where Eric's did. "How's it going? You looked like you were having… fun.

I shrug my shoulders. "Same as usual, I suppose."

He nods. "What did Eric want?"

"Max sent him to talk to me about his offer," I say.

"And, what did you say?" He asks. I raise an eyebrow at him. Zeke isn't normally so interested in my personal life.

"Where's Shauna?" I ask, a smile playing on my lips. Zeke blushes.

"Still at the fence," he says between mouthfuls of his hamburger. "So? What did you say to Eric? He looked pissed."

I smile sheepishly. "I said yes."

Zeke's eyes widen. "What? You said yes? I thought leadership didn't appeal to you?"

"I have my reasons," I say. I expect him to press me for more information, but he just nods. His eyes show curiosity, but even Zeke knows when to stop.

"I'm proud of you," he says. I stifle a laugh.

"Thanks," I say. I can feel the heat rushing to my face. All the attention is making me uncomfortable; I can see the other Dauntless members on our table leaning slightly closer to eavesdrop. I try to change the subject. "Bet you can't wait for Shauna to get back."

"More than you can imagine!"