After dinner the next day we all agreed to play Dauntless or Candor which was explained to me as being like truth or dare. It seemed like fun so we all followed Justin to Uriah's apartment and went inside. We were joined by a whole group of people and I was immediately grateful that I was not the only girl anymore. I met Christina already and she introduced everyone else.
"This is Will, my boyfriend, Lynn, Marlene Uriah's girlfriend, Zeke, Shauna Zeke's girlfriend, and you already know Four and Six."
Chris and I say hi and we all sit in a circle. Uriah starts the game asking Zeke Candor or Dauntless next thing I know Zeke is on a table singing at the top of his lungs and pretending to rip off his shirt. Everyone starts laughing. When he is done it takes a drink from a silver flask and goes on to the next person. It goes on like that everyone having fun and taking a drink of alcohol after each dare or truth is completed, until it is Six's turn to ask.
"Chris Candor or Dauntless"
Chris thinks for a moment "Candor" I think of course the candor picks candor I think.
"Do you have a crush on anyone and if you do who is it?" Everyone turns to look at Chris and he turns a little pink. Takes the flask and takes a huge swallow before answering.
"D, I have a crush on D." I am shocked my mouth drops to the floor, I feel my face get warm and I can't fathom why he would say me.
"What the hell man" Justin screams. He is still sitting there across from Chris but his hands are in tight fists.
"Oh here we go" Lynn and Buckley say at the same time. Justin is staring daggers into Chris and Chris has his hands up as if he is trying to defend himself from the daggers Justin's eyes are throwing.
"I just answered the question truthfully," Chris states factually, such a Candor. Justin just glares.
"Dude chill Justin, everyone knows D is hot, I bet even Four thinks so." Brandon says with a smile on his face. I feel like my eyes are about to pop out of my head, and I feel my eyebrows crease as if asking a question. What are these guys talking about?
Tris turns to Four, smiles at him and says in a sing song voice, "Is it true Four do you think D is hot." I see Fours ears get a bit red.
"Hey there is no denying that D is an attractive person, but not as hot as you are"
"Damn Four that was smooth but now I can't use that line." Uriah with a smile.
"Hey" Marlene says while she punches his arm.
"Guys, I have no idea why any of you think I am hot. I am nothing special there are plenty of other girls that are prettier than I am."
"Really, D I think you need to have a good look in the mirror, you're stunning and if you don't believe me well I will just have to give you a makeover to show you." Christina smirks.
"Oh thank god I thought only I was going to have to be tortured endlessly by Christina's makeovers." Tris laughs.
Christina laughs. "You know you like them Six besides it was more for Four anyway" Four smiles.
"D Candor or dauntless" Chris says trying to end the awkward conversation happening.
"Dare"
"I dare you to let Christina give you a makeover now."
Christina jumps up squealing grabs my arms and runs me out of the room right before I am out the door Buckley tosses me the Flask I down it all and toss it back. Behind me Lynn, Tris, Marlene, and Shauna follow. After about 30 minutes of sheer torture I am allowed to look in the mirror. The person I see doesn't look like me but is exactly the same as me. I am wearing a pair of black pants that are tight around my butt but make it look amazing and a tight black top with a low scoop neckline that shows off my collarbones and my curves. My hair is in soft curls off my right shoulder and I have on eye liner and a soft pink lip gloss.
"See look at what your body has to offer underneath all that athletic clothes. Do you like it?" I look at Christina.
"I can't believe this is me. Thank you I love it" When we get back to Uriah's we hear all the boys laughing most likely at something Uriah or Zeke said. The girls enter one at a time then I enter. When I do the room is silent, and all eyes are on me. I feel very self-conscious, and was about to turn and walk out the room when Justin jumps up looks me up and down and says what I think was supposed to be an internal comment.
"Wow, D you look wow" the rest of the guys just nod their heads. Even Four looks taken a back but quickly grabs Tris and says something to her, she smiles and laughs. We decide to end the game shortly after and Chris and I head back to the transfer dorms, not saying a word.
The next morning I am sitting at the table with Justin on my right and Buckley on my left. We have all become pretty close friends this past week talking and laughing and hanging out after training ends for the day. We decided today we would all be getting some tattoos. It turns out that Justin has 3, Buckley has almost his entire body covered, Brandon has 4 and Kory has 10. After the excitement of last night I am happy to do something a little less evasive. When breakfast is finished Four leads all of us to a different place in the compound. We are met there by Tris and Lauren the dauntless born trainer.
"Why is it always my fear landscape" Lauren yells.
"Because you're the only one who has enough fears to do it, if we repeat then they can get an idea of what to do beforehand." Tris rebuts
"Fine."
"This is the fear landscape room. Unlike the simulations you have been doing this week, here you will be completely aware that you are in a simulation. Lauren is going to be assigning you one of her fears to experience in the fear landscape so you can get an idea who this works. The only way to beat this sim is to either lower your heart rate or find a way to beat your fear. For example if you have a fear of drowning you need to swim deeper." When Four finishes talking Lauren gives out fears. I got her fear of public humiliation.
When it's my turn I am given the serum and enter the fear landscape room. Public humiliation is right I am just standing in front of everyone naked. Everyone is pointing at me, laughing or hooting this is insane. I feel my whole body get red from embarrassment, but I remember that I am supposed to know that it is a simulation so I quickly compose myself and let my heart rate calm down. Happy to be done with that and grateful that no one can actually see what I was doing, I head off to dinner to find my friends. In the hall right by the dining hall I hear someone running up behind me. I just assumed it was someone heading to dinner and ignored it, till I felt a sharp pain on my left side.
I turned around and saw Kat, right as I turned she punched me in the exact same place, knocking the wind out of me. I quickly composed myself and yelled, "What the hell Kat!"
"Stay away from my boyfriend!"
"Who the hell is your boyfriend, I haven't done anything with anyone"
"Just leave Justin alone. He is mine and will never be yours he can get whatever he needs from me." I get so angry that she attacked me for some stupid jealous reason.
"Justin isn't your boyfriend and he isn't mine. He doesn't like you deal with it."
She tries to punch me again but I am ready for it now and quickly dodge her attack, get on the inside and kick her with all my strength in the stomach making her hunch over and gasp for breathe, then I take my elbow to the back of her neck. She falls to the ground instantly, and I walk into the dining hall leaving her pathetic self on the ground knocked out. Instead of going to the table with my friends I went to Tris and told her what happened. Tris got up and walked out to retrieve Kat and put her in the infirmary. I sat and joined my friends. I winced as I reached for a piece of cake and Justin asked what was wrong. I got angry about him asking and blurted out so the whole table could hear.
"Your girlfriend Kat jumped me in the hall from behind like a coward. She got me twice in the same place before I knocked her ass down. You might want to go to the infirmary and check on her." I growl.
"Dude I don't know what Kat said to you but she is not my girlfriend and would never be."
"Its true D, Kat has been obsessed with Justin since we were 12. She's nuts" Buckley states.
Just then Eric enters the dining hall, scanning for someone, looks straight at me and walks forward. "You transfer come with me now." Growling as he points at me I get up and walk out with my brother, the leader of the dauntless and the guy in charge of hunting divergent, hunting people like me. I try not to panic. He takes me down the hall and through a door that takes us up to the roof where I first jumped on my choosing day. I just hope he isn't planning on throwing me off the roof the opposite side onto the pavement below.
"I saw what happen on the surveillance video. Some girl jumped you from behind she is cowardly and has been removed from dauntless because of her cowardliness. Also you broke her rib when you kicked her and sprained her shoulder. Good job! I can't believe how well you are doing here. You definitely have come a long way in 4 years."
"Did you bring me up here to praise me?" His face softens a bit.
"I brought you up here to make sure you were alright."
"Like you care" I scoff.
"I do care, I just can't show it in front of everyone else. I have a certain reputation I need to keep here. "
"You can be either a cruel leader that cares for nothing and no one or my brother, how you can be both?"
"I'm trying the best I can her Danni"
"Don't call me Danni, my name is D!"
"Fine D, I am doing the best I can but I can't show favoritism and I can't let people know we are related at least not right now. Just know that if anything bad happens I will do everything I can to keep you safe."
With that he walks out the door. I stay on the roof for a while, I know I am supposed to meet everyone at the tattoo parlor, but now I just want to be alone. He wants to keep me safe if something bad happens. Does he know? I sit on the ledge with my feet hanging over, even though we are up 7 stories it doesn't feel that high anymore after my fear simulations and I am fine here. Maybe I am conquering part of that fear. I hear the door open behind me but don't turn around, I know who it is by the way I feel him looking at me.
"Hey, you alright D?" I smile.
"Yeah Justin I am alright, he just wanted to congratulate me on beating up Kat, and let me know she is factionless now that she was marked a coward." Justin comes to the ledge and sits next to me feet dangling over nothing.
"I'm glad you're alright." He puts his arm around my shoulder and brings me into his side. We sit there for what seems like hours.
"D?" Justin says out of the blue.
"Hmm"
"You know I like you right as in more than a friend." I nod. "Well do you like me too?"
"Yeah I do Justin, but I just haven't really had much experience with relationships, I don't know if you can tell but I am kind of not really a girly girl."
"Really?" he snickers "hadn't noticed." I laugh.
"What about you, you must have had tons of girlfriends, it seems like whenever you walk outside girls just follow you, why settle on me?"
"Trust me D, I am not settling for you. You're gorgeous, funny, smart, brave, strong, and you can stand your own around the guys. You're amazing and so you know I have never had a girlfriend by the way, I just wasn't into what they had to offer which is pretty much just their body, and that really isn't me. "
"You really think I am pretty?"
"No, you're not pretty your gorgeous, you are so much more then pretty and yet you can't see how amazing you are. I will get you to realize it though no matter how long it takes." He takes my head into his hands and kisses me softly on the lips. My first kiss. He looks at me smiles, which makes me smile and comes back into my lips more passionately. He lowers his hands from my face and brings one behind my head and the other to my waist. My hands wrap around his neck, and we are lost in each other for a few minutes. When I finally pull away to breathe. He looks at me and says breathlessly.
"Wow that was amazing." I blush. "So D, would you be my girlfriend?"
"Yeah, I think that sounds like a great idea."