CHAPTER 14

AMAR POV

We are half way through stage two of training. Stage two is the hardest to watch. It rubs you raw after watching the initiates face their fears. Although some days you will get a laugh but not enough to forget what you have been witnessing all day. I think this will be my last year training initiates, I have had enough. I am really hoping that Four will want to take over my position. I have seen him training Shauna and he did a great job.

I know Max wants Four for a leadership role but he could handle that and training the initiates. He is a thinker and we don't have many like that in Dauntless. I know he will be ranked first so he will have the choice of whatever he wants when it comes to a job. I sometimes wonder if he even wants to be a leader. I know he would be a great leader but I'm not sure that is what he wants to do. It feels like if he did take the position he would be doing it for Max not himself. I hope that's not the case, he needs to remember to do it for himself.

I haven't been watching what has been happening on the screen to lost in my own thoughts. It doesn't matter really, Eric is in here and he is the last for today. It won't take long, Eric never does. Sometimes I wonder if he is divergent, the way he can calm himself in the simulation, he might not manipulate what is happening but the way he acts in there, the way he can control his breathing, the way he just faces the fear head on and doesn't move while it is happening. This makes me believe that he could be divergent but without any manipulating I can't be sure. Maybe he is just that cold and lifeless, he's not one you can warm up too easily if at all.

I know all Eric really wants to do is to rank first and become a leader. He has made that very clear to anyone that will listen. Problem is that there is one person who is standing in his way. It will be interesting to see how he reacts when he finds himself ranked second. There is no way he will beat Four. Eric was almost useless with a knife and while he is a good shot he is not consistent. He doesn't have the focus that Four has. He doesn't respect the training he has been given. He thinks that fighting was the most important part of stage one. Fighting is such a small part of the training process. It didn't help that his team lost at capture the flag. Or that it was his strategy that had caused his team to lose. He is a loose cannon and if I could have him guarding the fence for the rest of his life then I would.

FOUR POV

Last day of initiation today, finally. I am the last of the Dauntless-born to go through because I am ranked first. Amar told me that he thinks I will rank first after we finish today. I hope so. Amar also told me that he wants to step down from training the initiates. He would like to move on to training the Dauntless guards, it is an all year round job and he wouldn't have to deal with transfers anymore. He thinks I would make a good trainer, he saw how I helped Shauna with her fighting technique. I hadn't really thought about it, I did enjoy training Shauna. But I have to think of the transfers we may get. I might not have to train transfers; I might actually get the Dauntless-born initiates. It could be fun either way, a break from whatever job I choose.

Dad wants me to go into leadership with him. I don't have a problem with being a leader, dad does such a good job that it would be great to work with him. Especially now we won't be living in the same apartment. Plus it means I would get an apartment in the leadership wing. It would be a down grade from what I am use to if I choose differently. I still have reservations though; Marcus is still leader of Abnegation. Marcus still haunts my dreams at night and is ever present in my fears. I don't know if I'm ready to face him in reality. I have a lot to think about between now and job choosing, I hope I get a chance to talk to dad about it beforehand.

I am hanging in the dorm with Zeke and Shauna. We are waiting for the transfers to finish in their fear simulation then we will have the rankings and a banquet. Over half of Dauntless are already drunk and I am sure we will be among them soon. It will be good to let loose and party.

"What job do you think you'll pick?" Shauna asks.

"I hope I can get the control room," Zeke says. "Mum used to let me come to work with her and showed me how it all works."

I just shrug. I still haven't made up my mind yet.

"You know you are going to be ranked first Four, won't you go into leadership with your dad?" Shauna says.

"Yeah Four aren't you going to go into leadership? We all know you are only going to be ranked high because of your daddy," says Eric who has just walked into the room.

"Bullshit," says Zeke. "He has done it all by himself. You're just jealous because he is going to beat you in the rankings."

"Whatever," says Eric. "He hasn't beaten me in a fight yet, until he does that I will never accept that he is ranked higher than me."

"That can be arranged," says Shauna.

"Just leave it guys," I say. "This isn't your dorm Eric so why don't you piss off back to your own."

Eric leaves but he knows he has got under my skin, I'm not usually one to use profanity and I have shown him that he has got to me. I stand up and kick my bed.

"You should fight him Four, he needs to be brought down a peg or two. You know you can beat him," Zeke says.

"I know. I knew the minute he chose Dauntless that it would happen," I say. "He just makes me sick."

"Don't worry about it now, let's go and see how we ranked, it's almost time," Shauna says.

We get to the dining hall and it is packed. Dauntless has come out in its finest. Piercings and tattoos are all on display. There is more than one person that is shirtless, showing off the ink they are proud to carry on their bodies. It is so loud in here that you cannot have a conversation with the person next to you unless you are shouting. We have been here before we know we may as well just sit in silence and wait.

Finally dad gets up onto one of the tables and raises his hands to ask for quiet. Some are still talking but he has been lucky to get the crowd to quieten down to just a dull murmur. At least we can hear him now. He gives the same speech every year, but the Dauntless don't care, they are just happy to have a reason to party. Welcoming new members is the biggest party of the year and it makes everyone a little nostalgic. It is when they all start to get a little drunk that the initiation stories start to come out.

"A few weeks ago, a group of scrawny, scared initiates gave their blood to the coals and made the big jump into Dauntless," dad says. "To be honest, I didn't think any of them would make it." He pauses to let the crowd laugh, as he does every year. "I am pleased to announce that this year, all of our initiates attained the required scores necessary to become Dauntless."

Everyone cheers. It is a relief to know that my friends will be staying with me here in Dauntless. I know Shauna and Zeke are nervous, the rankings will determine what job we can get. Zeke puts his arm across Shauna's shoulders and squeezes.

"No more delays," dad says. "I know our initiates are jumping out of their skins. So here are our new Dauntless members. I look to the screen that is just behind where dad is standing.

I look from the bottom and move my eyes over the names. Shauna has ranked eighth and Zeke is in sixth. I keep looking up and then I see it. First, my name is in first spot. YES! I think. I beat him, Eric is rank second.

Shauna is yelling and Zeke is cheering as we start hugging each other and jumping up and down. This is the best feeling. Knowing my friends and I are now officially members I am ecstatic. I think I hear Zeke yelling something like 'party time' and I know it will be tonight.

Then something happens that I didn't see coming. Eric has gotten on a table and says, "This is bullshit." He has said it so loud that the whole of the room has gone silent. I look up to find him pointing his finger. "You don't deserve to be ranked first," he says.

It feels like everyone is looking at me. It feels it because everyone is looking at me.

"You haven't fought me yet. I deserve to fight him before I have to be ranked second," he says.

"Eric get down you are making a fool of yourself," says Amar.

Dad has walked over to where I am standing. I look at him and he says, "Do you want to fight him?"

"No, but I will," I say. I know I need to do this. Not only for myself but for dad and for Amar too. I have to do this for Amar. We have been training for this for four years. I didn't know at the time that it was for this particular situation but it is now.

Eric has gotten off the table and is now standing next to Amar who is standing next to me. The Dauntless haven't said a word. They are all standing silent, waiting to see how this will end. This isn't only a test for me it is a test for my dad. While the Dauntless will accept whatever the outcome is and will support both me and dad before they will support some cocky Erudite transfer, I know that if I don't go through with this I will be looked upon as a coward. And if there is one thing I am not going to be it is a coward.

"I think we should settle this in the training room then," dad says.

"I think that is a good idea," says Amar. "But I think we should make this a little more interesting."

"We all know you want a leadership role Eric. So if you win then you get the role but if you lose."

I don't let Amar finish. "If you lose," I say. "You guard the fence for the rest of eternity."

I finally see it. Fear in Eric's eyes. It is fine to call me out for a fight but now he is having to put his career on the line. The one that he so desperately wants. Eric is power hungry, he wants the leadership role and if he can't get it he at least wanted a job that would give him a pathway to it in the future. If he is guarding the fence then there is no pathway to anywhere.

"Fine," Eric says. I can see he isn't happy about it. But I don't think anyone else can see it. He can't back down now anyway, he has called me out in front of all of Dauntless, if he backs down he will be the coward and everyone will see it. They will know what only a small number of us have known all along.

"Okay well now that it is settled let's get this over with so we can enjoy the party," Amar says.