CONFRONTATIONS

TRIS POV

I am walking through the Pit with Suzy, Christina and Will. My movements are still slow from the attack from Al, Peter and Drew. When I look up I see Al walking towards us. Al doesn't look his normal self. His eyes are red and puffy like he has been crying, he doesn't look as though he has had any sleep.

"Tris," Al says as he approaches us. "Can I talk to you?"

"Are you kidding?" Will squeezes my shoulders. "You don't get to come near her ever again."

It is in this moment that I am grateful for the friends that I have made here in Dauntless. To have their support along with the Dauntless-born, Four and even Eric, makes the pain of what has happened a little less. I look up at Al and can't believe that just yesterday I thought of him as one of my friends. A lot can happen in a day, especially here in Dauntless.

"I won't hurt you. I never wanted to . . ." Al covers his face with both hands. "I just want to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I don't . . . I don't know what's wrong with me, I . . . please forgive me, please. . . ."

He reaches for me like he is going to touch me. I take a step back, not wanting him to touch me. I don't want him anywhere near me. Not now, not after he has betrayed me.

"Stay away from me," I say quietly. It is a voice I don't recognise, even though I know it is my own. I have no feelings for the person I see in front of me. I'm not angry, I am not hurt, I just feel nothing. I look up and our eyes meet. "Never come near me again." I turn to walk away but before I leave I say, "If you do. I swear to God I will kill you. You coward."

I turn and keep walking with my friends by my side. Not turning back. A few short weeks ago I would never have thought of saying such things to anyone. I don't know if I would have forgiven him even then but I would never have voiced what I thought.

I am lying on the couch in Tobias' apartment. I was so tired I didn't even bother to try and reach the bedroom for a nap. I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and I know it is Tobias. I don't want to open my eyes. I don't want to have to remember that my body is still hurting from the attack. I don't want to remember the look in Al's eyes when he confronted me in the pit earlier today.

"I know you're awake," he says. I can hear the hint of a smile in his voice. "We are meeting everyone for dinner in the dining hall."

I groan as I try to get up. "Still in pain?" he asks.

I just nod as I sit up. "I heard what happened in the Pit today with Al," he says.

"Tobias I don't really want to talk about it," I say. He nods his head and pulls me into his body for a hug. Nothing makes me feel better like being in his arms. If only I could stay like this with him forever.

"Come on, our friends are waiting," he says.

We are sitting in the dining hall, Suzy, Christina, Will, Uriah, Marlene, Lynn, Zeke, Shauna, Tobias and I. We have just finished dinner and Uriah is trying to balance a spoon on his nose when Eric walks in and whispers something to Tobias. I can't hear what he has said but I know by the look on their faces it isn't good.

Then we start to hear murmurs throughout the dining hall. Tobias looks at me and I know it has to do with Al. "What happened?" I ask.

"Al jumped," is all that Eric says. I look at Tobias and jump up from my seat and run out into the Pit toward the Chasm. I hear my friends call after me but I don't stop. I know I need to see this for myself.

I stop to see two men hoisting something with ropes. A huge, dark shape appears above the ledge, and a few Dauntless rush forward to help the two men haul it over. The shape falls with a thud onto the Pit floor. It's Al. My friends have caught up to me now and I can hear the gasps as they see what I see. I feel Christina tugging me close and a sob has come from her lips.

Christina's hands are getting tighter around my arm. It is uncomfortable and I really want to tell her to let go because it is starting to hurt but the words aren't forming. I just keep staring at his body. Someone kneels next to Al's face and pushes his eyelids shut. I'm grateful that I don't have to look into those dark dead eyes anymore. Just look away I tell myself. But I can't.

I feel my chest start to tighten, like I am suffocating and can't breathe. I sink to the ground, dragging Christina with me. I wish I could cry like I hear Christina doing next to me but I can't. Everything I feel I should be doing I'm not. It is then that I feel Tobias lift me up and carry me away from the Pit.

I must have fallen asleep because I wake up to see that I am in bed. I look around and Tobias isn't here. I get up and walk towards the bedroom door and I can hear voices coming from the lounge room. I walk towards the voices and see that the people I had been sitting in the dining hall with are now sitting around the lounge room.

I walk over and sit next to Tobias. "You're awake," he says to me. I just nod and lean my head on his shoulder.

"What's happening?" I ask.

"We are just waiting for Eric. They are going to have Al's funeral tonight," Zeke says.

"So soon?" I ask.

"Yeah, they like to get these things over with as soon as possible in Dauntless," Zeke says.

Just as he has finished saying this Eric walks in. "It's time," he says.

"You don't have to go Tris," Tobias says. "We can just stay here."

I shake my head. "No I need to do this," I say. We all follow Eric out towards the Pit.

SUZY POV

We are all standing in the Pit waiting for Al's funeral to begin. I have only ever seen an Abnegation funeral so I don't really know what to expect. The smell of alcohol is in the air, I can see that most of the people standing here have been drinking or are drinking out of flasks. It seems that Dauntless all come out for such events. The amount of people here surprises me; most of these people wouldn't know who Al was.

Shauna seems to know what I am thinking because she turns to me and says, "Dauntless see death as a celebration, well some do, most just see it as a reason to get drunk." I nod my head and just watch as Eric gets up to speak.

"Quiet down, everyone!" shouts Eric. Someone hits what sounds like a gong, and the shouts gradually stop, though the mutters don't. Eric says, "Thank you. As you know, we're here because Albert, an initiate, jumped into the chasm."

"We do not know why," Eric says, "and it would be easy to mourn the loss of him tonight. But we did not choose a life of ease when we became Dauntless. And the truth of it is . . ." Eric smiles. I don't understand why Eric is smiling. "The truth is, Albert is now exploring an unknown, uncertain place. He leaped into vicious waters to get there. Who among us is brave enough to venture into that darkness without knowing what lies beyond it? Albert was not yet one of our members, but we can be assured that he was one of our bravest!"

A cry rises from the centre of the crowd, and a whoop. The Dauntless cheer at varying pitches. Typical Dauntless. I watch as Christina takes a flask from Uriah and drinks. Will pulls her to his side.

"We will celebrate him now, and remember him always!" yells Eric. Someone hands him a dark

bottle, and he lift it. "To Albert the Courageous!"

"To Albert!" shouts the crowd. Arms lift all around me and the Dauntless chant his name. "Albert! Al-bert! Al-bert!" The chanting continues until you can no longer understand his name. I watch as Tris turns to Four and says, "I'm leaving, this makes me sick."

I watch as they walk away from the Pit. I totally understand why she would not want to be here for this. The Dauntless have stopped the chants and are all sharing flasks or bottles of what I assume is alcohol. The whole experience is sickening. I don't understand why they would want to act this way when someone has decided that suicide is the answer.

I watch Eric make his way over to me and I don't really want to be around him at the moment. His speech was ridiculous. I turn and start to walk away when I feel him grab my arm.

"Suzy," he says.

"What was that Eric?" I ask. I can feel myself getting angry.

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"How can you not know? The things you said about Al. Why would you say that after what he did to Tris?"

"It wasn't what I think. Dauntless has a speech for funerals. I just said what is always said," he tells me.

"I have to wonder if you have really changed when I see you do something like that. I thought Tris was a friend and that you would show her a little more respect. Did you really have to read out that garbage? Couldn't you have done something different? Do you even understand how this has made Tris feel? What is wrong with you?" I am now yelling at Eric. I turn and walk away; I can't be around him at the moment. I want to try and find Tris and make sure she is okay. I can hear Eric yelling for me to come back, but I don't turn around I just keep walking.