'Do my eyes deceive me, or are you really late because you were getting a tattoo?' I gesture to the bandage peeking over Tobias's shoulder.

He doesn't give me the reaction I'd hoped for. 'Lost track of time.' He looks closer at me. 'A lot of metal appears to have attached itself to your face recently. You may want to get that checked out.'

He's talking about my piercings. I've increased the amount on my face; no one could mistake me for being an Erudite now. It's a perfect plan. There are rings through my eyebrows as well as my lips; I'm fast running out of space, the speed I'm getting them.

'Funny,' I say as sarcastically as I can. 'Wasn't sure someone with your background could ever develop a sense of humour. Your father doesn't seem like the type to allow it.' I'm dancing very close to saying his name. Tobias Eaton. We both know that the power has shifted to me, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't regain it. I can reveal his name, right now, in front of everyone, and there is nothing he can do about it.

'I think I know who told you that,' he says quietly. I can't tell if he's bluffing or not.

'I was already fairly sure. But my suspicions were confirmed by a credible source, yes.' Jeanine Matthews. The woman I get most of my information from. 'You aren't as good as keeping secrets as you think, Four.'

He doesn't say anything. We sit in silence, watching the oldest Dauntless in the room, barely more than twenty-one, file out. I remember Max's words. 'Today I would like to hear your thoughts about how to improve Dauntless; the vision you have for our faction in the coming years. I'll be meeting with you in groups by age - the oldest first. The rest of you, think of something good to say.'

We're eventually called out. Tobias and I are the youngest in the room, fresh from initiation, and therefore the last. Plenty of time to think about what I want to say. Max silently beckons to us, and we follow him to his office.

'So. Eric. Let's begin with you. Do you have ideas for what might be good for Dauntless moving forward?'

I sit up straighter and breathe deeply, trying to quell the plume of excitement rising up inside me. 'I do. I think we need to make some changes, and I think they should start during initiation.'

Max nods. 'What kind of changes do you have in mind?'

'Dauntless has always embraced a spirit of competition. Competition makes us better; it brings out the best, strongest parts of us. I think initiation should foster that sense of competition more than it currently does, so that it produces the best initiates possible. Right now, initiates are competing only against the system, striving for a particular score in order to move forward.'

I lean forward and, with a deep breath, drop the bombshell that will, under Jeanine's instruction, change Dauntless forever. 'I think they should be competing against each other for spots in Dauntless.'

Tobias turns and stares at me incredulously. 'And if they don't get a spot?'

'They become factionless,' I say. 'If we believe that Dauntless is the superior faction to join, that its aims are more important than the aims of other factions, then becoming one of us should be an honour, and a privilege, not a right. I-'

'Are you kidding?' Tobias bursts out, interrupting me. 'People choose a faction because they value the same things that a faction values, not because they're already proficient in what a faction teaches. You'd be kicking people out of Dauntless just for not being strong enough to jump onto a train, or win a fight. You would favour the strong and reckless more than the small, smart and brave; you wouldn't be improving Dauntless at all.'

'I'm sure the small, smart ones would be better off in Erudite, or as little gray-clad Stiffs,' I say, smiling wryly. Jeanine showed me what would happen, she knew Tobias would argue, and she instructed me what to say and how to say it. Patronisingly, but not too much so Max detects it. 'I don't think you're giving our potential new Dauntless members enough credit, Four. This system would favour only the most determined.'

Tobias opens his mouth to retaliate, but Max cuts in. He's looking at me happily, as if I have a good idea. 'This is an interesting debate. Four, how would you improve Dauntless, if not by making initiation more competitive?'

Tobias shakes his head, looking out of the window. The Hub is barely visible, its two prongs piercing the sky. 'I would improve Dauntless by fostering true bravery instead of stupidity and brutality. Take out the knife throwing. Prepare people physically and mentally to defend the weak against the strong. That's what our manifesto encourages; ordinary acts of bravery. I think we should return to that.'

This is going better than I expected. Or worse, depending on Tobias's point of view. I roll my eyes derisively. 'And then we can all hold hands and sing a song together, right? You want to turn Dauntless into Amity.'

'No,' Tobias says. 'I want to make sure we still know how to think for ourselves, think about more than the next surge of adrenaline. Or just think, at all. That way we can't be taken over, or controlled from the outside.'

He places emphasis on the last words, looking straight at me, and in that moment, I know that he knows what I'm doing. I don't know how, or why, but I need to be a lot more careful.

'Sounds a little Erudite to me,' I say, testing the waters. Two can play at this game. He has no proof.

'The ability to think isn't exclusive to Erudite,' Tobias retorts. 'The ability to think in stressful situations is what the fear simulations are supposed to develop.'

I start to retaliate, but Max holds up his hands. 'All right, all right.' He looks stressed. 'Four, I'm sorry to say this, but you sound a little paranoid. Who would take us over, or try to control us? The factions have coexisted peacefully for longer than you've been alive. There's no reason that's going to change now.'

I try to hide my smile as Tobias opens his mouth, snaps it shut, and starts to talk calmly. 'To be honest, I don't think this is the right place for me. I told you when you first asked me that I'd like to be an instructor, and I think I'm realising more and more that that's where I belong.'

My smile grows. One less competitor for the position of leadership. The odds are looking better by the second. Max studies him for a few seconds. Tobias looks at him straight back in the eye, his expression unreadable. 'Eric, will you leave us, please?'

I know that I can't refuse Max when he asks. I want to stay in his good books, so I nod and leave perhaps a little too eagerly. I wait just around the corner, where I can still hear every word Max is saying to Tobias.

'…I still think you're a strong candidate for leadership. You fit the right profile, you've demonstrated proficiency with everything we've taught you, and beyond that, you're more likeable than some of our other promising candidates, which is important in a close working environment.'

But what about me? I want to scream. I'm proficient with everything, and I'm likeable, too. And my idea is so much better than Tobias's one. Jeanine promised I would be a leader. She promised.

'Thank you,' Tobias says. 'But you're right, the pressure is getting to me. And the pressure if I was actually a leader would be much worse.'

I grin, waiting for Max to speak.

'Well. If you'd like to be an initiation instructor, I'll arrange that for you. But that's seasonal work. Where would you like to be placed for the rest of the year?'

'I was thinking maybe the control room. I've discovered that I enjoy working with computers.' I grit my teeth, remembering the computer technician meeting a few days ago. 'I don't think I would enjoy patrolling nearly as much.'

'Okay,' Max replies, sounding almost sad. 'Thank you for being honest with me. If you ever change your mind, please don't hesitate to tell me. We could always use someone like you.'

I hear them getting up. As I'd hoped, Tobias walks round the corner alone. I grab his arm, hard. 'Careful, Eaton. If anything about my involvement with Erudite escapes you, you won't like what happens to you.' This is better; he knows that I'm involved, but he can't prove it.

'You won't like what happens to you, if you call me by that name again,' he retorts. We both know that I'll never think of him as Four. He wears his brilliance in that name.

'Soon, I'm going to be one of your leaders. And believe me,' I say, smirking, 'I am going to keep a very, very close eye on you and how well you implement my new training methods.'

Tobias scowls at me. 'He doesn't like you, you know that? Max, I mean. He'd rather have anyone else but you. He's not going to give you more than an inch in any direction, so good luck with your short leash.'

Before I can think of a reply, he wrenches his arm from my grip and walks away.

A/N: Hello, it's me again :) Here's a question: Which do you think is the best book; Divergent, Insurgent, or Allegiant? I like Divergent the best, because it was normal, rather than everything being turned upside down like in the other two books. And it didn't end up getting some of the main characters killed off (Yes, a few died, but those who have read Allegiant will know what I mean)… Leave your answer in a review, I'd love to hear what you think!

What do you think of this chapter? And a big question, now we're on chapter 20 *grins manically* What do you think of the way that the story is turning out so far? I'm really proud of it, but I really want to know what you think? Thank you so much for all the supportive reviews I've had! You guys are unbelievable awesome :D Thanks so much for reading :)