FIELD TRIP
SUZY POV
I walk out of the bathroom to find Christina trying to wake Tris. She must have snuck back into the dormitory last night. I thought she would have stayed in the infirmary but obviously she didn't want to give Peter the satisfaction.
I walk over to Tris who is given a hand from Christina to help her get up. We need to be at the train tracks by eight fifteen and it is already eight.
"I'll run and get us some breakfast. You let Suzy help you get ready we don't have much time," Christina tells Tris.
Tris makes a grunting noise and I can see she is trying not to bend. "Let me help you," I say.
"Thanks," Tris says. I get her some clean clothes out from the drawer under her bed and let her dress herself. Once she has clean clothes on she is trying to reach foe her shoes but she really can't bend enough. I grab her shoes and put them on as Christina walks back in holding muffins.
If there is one thing I truly love about Dauntless it is the food. Every day is excitement for my taste buds. After sixteen years of bland plain food it has been an awakening for me to taste the richness of the Dauntless food. With all the training we have been through I think I would have passed out if I'd had to eat Abnegation food here. Instead we are able to keep our energy levels up with what is on offer here.
Christina places the muffins on the bed and bends down to do up Tris's shoe lace and I bend and tie the other one. Once we have Tris dressed I pull her up from her sitting position and Christina passes the muffins around.
We have to rush to get to the train, I can see Tris is struggling but she doesn't complain. I wish I felt as strong as Tris is. I am grateful that Eric and Four are stopping the fights before we are knocked out but it still bothered me that Four didn't stop the fight earlier. I saw Eric stop him but still I don't understand the dynamic between the two trainers. I should really ask Tris about it, I'm sure she would know.
"What took you so long," Will is shouting at us as the train horn is blaring. We have only just made it here in time.
"Stumpy legs over here turned into an old lady overnight," Christina says.
"Oh shut up," Tris responds. I can see the pain on her face and I know that jumping on a train is probably the last thing she should be doing today.
As we start to jog alongside the train I see Al grab Tris under her arms and pull her into the carriage. I quickly jump on after. I love the feeling of jumping on and off the train now. I never thought I would be able to do such a thing, but now although I'm still a bit unsteady with it I couldn't imagine not being able to do it. It gives me a sense of freedom that I have never felt before.
"Feeling okay there?" Peter asks Tris. "Or are you a little . . . Stiff?"
He bursts into laughter with Molly and Drew joining in. He makes me sick. I would love to go over there and punch him in the face. I know it isn't the time or the place and that I would probably end up a lot worse off but he makes me so angry. The hate he has for both Tris and I but mostly for Tris is sickening and it makes me wonder why he is so cruel.
"We are all awed by your incredible wit," Will says.
"Yeah, are you sure you don't belong with the Erudite, Peter?" Christina adds. "I hear they don't object to sissies."
Four speaks up before Peter can say anything back. "Am I going to have to listen to your bickering all the way to the fence?"
This shuts everyone up. Four stands in the opening of the train car. I can see Tris sneaking glances at Four. Checking him out, I don't blame her really. Her boyfriends body is a lot different to the way it looked in Abnegation. Not that you could tell with that horrible baggy gray clothing we used to have to wear. Now every muscle is defined and with the tight shirts he seems to always wear it is only fitting for his girlfriend to want to check him out.
I feel a little jealous. Not of Tris having Four but that she changed factions to be with the person she loves. Where I have changed factions because of the hurt mine gave me. I just hope that one day someone will look at me the way Four looks at Tris.
The train comes to a stop under an awning and I can see Tris is grateful that she doesn't have to jump off a moving train. Once off the train I see a chain-like fence with barbed wire strung along the top. The fence seems endless.
"Follow me," Four says.
Four leads us toward the gate and I start to wonder how Robert is fairing in Amity. I can hear Four explaining job options but I'm not taking any notice. I am excited to think that I am so near my brother, I hope that he is enjoying his new faction as much as I am.
We stop next to the gate. A few Dauntless guards glance in our direction but not many. They are too busy pulling the doors to admit a truck.
"Susan," I hear the familiar tone of my brother's voice calling to me and I can't help but smile. I didn't think it would be possible to see him so soon. He jumps down from the truck and comes and gives me a hug.
"What are you doing here?"Robert asks. "How are you? How is Dauntless?"All these questions and he isn't giving me time to answer.
"Robert it is so good to see you," I say. "I'm good, Dauntless is good. How about you, are you enjoying Amity?"
"I'm loving it here I am so glad that I transferred but I miss you," he says. "Beatrice, how are you?" He gives Tris a big hug and I can see that she is not comfortable with Roberts' affection. I try not to giggle; I can see Robert totally belongs with Amity. It makes me wonder how oppressed he must have felt being in Abnegation.
"Hi Robert, I'm good," Tris says.
"Beatrice?" Molly demands standing next to Tris. She has folded her arms and is laughing. "Is that your real name, Stiff?"
I watch Tris glance at her. I am sure she would like to hit Molly right now. "What do you think Tris was short for?" Tris says.
"Oh, I don't know . . . weakling?"Says Molly. She really is just a female version of Peter. They are both mean and think they are better than the rest of us. I really hope that they fail initiation and become factionless. "Oh wait, that doesn't start with Tris. My mistake." Molly says.
"There's no need to antagonize her," Robert says softly. "I'm Robert, and you are?"
"Someone who doesn't care what your name is," Molly says. "Why don't you get back in your truck? We're not supposed to fraternize with other faction members."
"Why don't you get away from us?" Tris snaps at Molly.
"Right. Wouldn't want to get between you and your boyfriend," Molly says smiling as she walks away.
"They don't seem like nice people. How can you stand being around them?" Robert asks.
"Not everyone is like her," I say.
"You could both go home you know. I'm sure Abnegation would make an exception," Robert says.
"Why would we want to do that Robert? Why? Do you want to go back?"I ask.
"Of course not. But look at Beatrice she is black and blue and Susan you don't look much better," he says. "I only want to see you both happy."
"What makes you think we aren't happy Robert?" Tris asks.
"Well by the look of you both. And I know Susan only followed you because of Caleb," Robert says.
"Robert I may have transferred for that reason but I am really glad that I did. I love Dauntless, initiation might be tough but I have made friends, I got my ears pierced, it may not seem like it to you but I am happy," I say.
"I have to go," Robert says. He gives me another hug and says, "I'm really glad you are happy Susan." I give him a smile as I watch him jump back into the truck.
I am so glad that I got to see my brother. I can tell just by looking at him that he made the right choice. He seems like he is loving his choice too.
I am broken from my thought with Four standing between Tris and me with a hand on each of our shoulders. I am sure he has only placed his hand on my shoulder so it doesn't look suspicious that he is touching Tris.
"You two need to be careful with whom you talk too?" he says. "There are people watching and you don't want to draw attention to yourselves."
"But it was my brother Four. I would never be able to just ignore him," I say.
"I understand Suzy. You just need to be careful," he says.
"How are you feeling Tris?" Four asks. I don't wait to hear her response. I walk ahead of them and give them some time to themselves. I go and stand with Will and Christina as we wait for the next train to arrive.
We get back to the compound and we have the rest of the day to ourselves. I know Tris has disappeared somewhere with Four. I am sure there is something going on between Christina and Will and I don't really want to hang out with them. That leaves Al; I certainly don't want to hang out with him for the afternoon. I know he has a crush on Tris and I don't feel like having to listen to him talk about her all afternoon.
I decide I need to find a way to break away from him before he tries to get me to hang out for the afternoon. We have just walked into the compound and so I decide to make a dash for it.
"Hey where are you going?" Al calls out to me.
"I have somewhere to be," I call back as I quickly turn down a corridor I have never been down before. I'm not watching where I am going and I go splat straight into a wall. The only thing is, is that when I look up it isn't a wall it is Eric.
"What are you doing Suzy?" he asks.
"I um, well I," I say. I think he will think I'm a complete crazy person when I tell him what I am doing. "I was trying to get away from Al."
"Was he trying to hurt you?" Eric asks. He looks concerned.
"Oh no, it's just, well we just got back from our field trip from the fence and Tris went off to do something and well Christina and Will . . . well I think they like each other so I didn't want to hang with them. So that just left Al. And well he has a thing for Tris and I didn't want to have to hear him prattle on about her all afternoon when I know that she doesn't feel the same for him. That meant I needed to find a way to get away from him and so I quickly dashed down this corridor and BAM I bumped straight into you," I say. I don't know if he has got half of what I have said because I am really nervous around him and have said the words so quickly.
Eric starts to laugh. "I can understand how you got here now," he says. "But wouldn't it be more Dauntless to just tell him you didn't want to hang out?"
"Well it may be more Dauntless but would it have served any purpose other than being cruel," I say. "I don't think being cruel is very Dauntless."
"No that would have been cruel. So what where you planning to do for the rest of the afternoon?" he asks.
"I don't really know. I am new to having time to myself so I hadn't really thought about what I wanted to do," I say.
"Well I was just about to escape for a while would you like to join me?" he says.
"Okay," I say. I'm hesitant to join him but I would really like to get to know him better.
"Come on then let's go," he says. We are walking through the compound. I have no idea where we are going but I can feel butterflies in my stomach. We walk in comfortable silence and I start to wonder where we are going. I don't have much time to think about it when I look to see we are at the net.
It feels like years since I was last here when really it was only just over a week ago. I look at Eric wondering what we are doing here.
It is like he is reading my mind when he says, "We only use this entrance once a year when the initiates arrive. So when I feel like some quiet time I come here and just lie on the net and stare up at the sky. It is better at night when you can see the stars, I will have to show you one night. Here let me help you up."
I walk up onto the platform with him and then he grabs me around my waist and throws me onto the net. I can't help but giggle. Then Eric pulls himself up and we both lie down and look up at the sky. It is a clear blue sky with only a few passing clouds. I can't help it but I have rolled a little onto Eric. He is so much heavier than I am and so I can't help but be this close to him. I try to move away but I just fall back onto him.
"Suzy are you trying to get away from me because of your Abnegation upbringing or is it that you don't want to be near me?"
"Um well, I don't think it's either. I just didn't think you would want me all over you like this." I sound so stupid. But at the same time why would he want me this close to him, if I couldn't get Caleb to stay with me why would a Dauntless leader want to be close to me.
"Suzy," he says. I look over to him and he has his arm out from his side. "Come and lie here and you will be more comfortable."
He leaves his arm out and I move over and lie down next to him leaning my head where his shoulder meets his arm. We just lie here looking at the sky, watching as the clouds slowly pass not saying a word. I have never been this close to a boy before, other than my brother. Caleb and I had never gotten this close, it wasn't allowed. Thank goodness I think because after he left me like he did I don't think I could have stood the shame.
"Eric," I say. "Do you bring many girls here?" Do I really want to know the answer to this; I suppose I'm curious to know. I mean he is leader and I think he is really attractive. His piercings are a little off putting but there is also something I like about them as well.
"I've never brought anyone else here Suzy," he says and then he grabs my hand in his and we continue to lie here in silence. I don't want to say anything else; I don't want to break what is feeling like a magic moment. Plus I can't seem to wipe the smile off my face.