"Would someone like to tell me what the hell is going on here?" Tobias says in the most intimidating voice I've ever heard. "If you two want to beat on each other, I will gladly drag you to the training room. I'll put you on the mat and let you go at each other." Uriah is scrappy and could probably take Peter but I remember the feel of his fist hitting my jaw. I wince a little. Peter definitely is strong.
"That isn't necessary, Four," Uriah says.
"What, are you scared?" Peter hisses, taking a step closer to Uriah. Immediately Tobias crosses the floor and has one hand against Uriah's chest and the other against Peter's.
"I suggest everyone get back to their lunches. Now!" Tobias shouts. He wraps a fist in both Uriah and Peter's shirts to keep them planted while the crowd goes back to their tables to continue their lunches. Once it's just the four of us, he lets them go.
"I asked a question, and I expect an answer," he says fiercely. This Tobias scares me a little.
"It was just a misunderstanding," Peter says, a smirk on his face. I really wish someone would wipe that look off his face. I would like to do it.
"It was no misunderstanding. Stay away from Marlene. Do you hear me?" Uriah says, fire in his eyes, pointing his finger at Peter's chest. So this has to do with Marlene. I knew Uriah liked her.
"If she wants me to stay away from her, she can tell me," he spits.
"Believe me, she will tell you, psycho." I've never seen this side of Uriah. He has always been so easy going and playful. I should have known he has an aggressive side too, he is Dauntless after all. I bravely step forward in between them positioning my body so I can easily look at both of them. Although I only want to talk to Uriah, I don't feel I should turn my back on Peter. If he decided to attack, I would be lying in the infirmary next to Daniel.
"Uriah," I say sternly. I wait until he moves his eyes to mine. "Go get some lunch." He starts to object but the look on my face stops him. I'm not in the mood to argue.
"Fine," he mutters. He stomps off to our table and slides in beside Marlene. She puts her arm through his and lays her head on his shoulder. That tells me Marlene likes Uriah just as much as he likes her.
"I suggest you steer clear of Uriah and Marlene," Tobias says to Peter but Peter is glaring at me. I don't back down and stare right back. Tobias growls and Peter finally looks his way. He steps forward and gets in Peter's face. "Don't forget I have the authority to make you factionless you worthless piece of…" His words trail off but his eyes are still blazing. Peter's eyes widen and he visibly swallows. I think he finally sees that Tobias is not one to mess with. I would have thought he learned that lesson when Tobias held the gun to his head.
I step forward and place my hand on Tobias' back. I apply light pressure, steering him away from Peter, and lead him to our table for lunch. Although the altercation broke up, the cafeteria is still quieter than usual. Tori comes in a few minutes later and starts handing out the job openings list. Quickly the conversation turns toward what jobs everyone wants.
"Seriously, the job in the salon, tattoo parlor, clothing store, and boutique is perfect for me!" Christina exclaims. She's right. She was born for that position. I can't imagine it going to anyone else but I don't know what Marlene and Lynn have in mind.
"The ambassadorship is definitely for me," Uriah says. "Maybe a Dauntless-born initiate training position, too."
"I've always wanted to be a nurse," Marlene says.
"I was pretty good at fighting during initiation, maybe I'll try the entertainment position," Lynn says. That's definitely a job I wouldn't want. Who would want to fight for a living?
"The ambassadorship or the control room sound good to me," Will says nonchalantly, joining the conversation. "I just really don't want to end up at the fence." All initiates at the table agree with him. No one really wants to guard the fence.
After lunch is over Tobias, Tori, and I stop by the auditorium to see how the preparations for tonight's ceremony are coming. The maintenance people have done a really good job. The room basically looks the same as it did the night we made our announcement, except for the stage setup. The microphone has been moved stage left to make room for 10 black folding chairs with padded seats, one for each initiate including me, arranged in a semicircle. The folding chairs in front of the stage have been rearranged to allow for a center aisle. Long tables have been placed against one wall for refreshments, mainly Dauntless cake and coffee. Everything is in order so we return to our offices and continue to work on the secret files.
Tori and I split the names on the second list and take their files to our offices to go through. I note most of the names are Dauntless and Erudite born with a few Candor thrown in. I've noticed most transfers are from Candor, followed by Erudite and Amity. Of all the files I've looked at over the past few days, Tobias and I are the only Abnegation transfers I've noted. Once again, nothing in the files stand out to me as suspicious, except for every name on the first list there is a name on the second list that was in their initiate class and with the exception of me and Peter, every transfer was trained by Amar. Soon my door opens and Tobias walks in.
"I've interviewed Shannon and Lex and, like I figured, they were out for a spur-of-the-moment early morning jog and happened upon the assault. They both separately relayed it was their impression Samaire was there watching the attack but they couldn't be 100% sure of that." He looks troubled by this news. "I'll summon Samaire now if you're available."
"I want to finish typing this report, and I'll meet you in your office," I say. "I'm nearly finished looking over these files." He nods at me and goes into the hallway. I see him beckon Snake Tattoo – I really should make an effort to learn his name – and give him a note. He must be sending him to get Samaire. I momentarily wonder how they know where she is then I turn my attention back to the computer screen and finish my report. I gather the files and bring them with me to Tobias' office to put them away. I knock on his door and let myself in. He's sitting behind his desk leaning back in his office chair with his hands resting behind his head. He smiles a tired but friendly smile when he sees me walk in. I walk behind him and carefully put the files back in their appropriate places in the alphabetized records. I'm taking a seat opposite Tobias when there's a knock on the door.
"Come in," he says and a tall, beautiful woman walks into the room. She has dark chestnut brown hair with crimson highlights, flawless pale skin, and nearly black eyes set off by professional looking makeup. I momentarily wonder if she just came from the salon. She's wearing typical black Dauntless attire, and her right shoulder is adorned with a very lifelike tattoo of a Bengal tiger.
"Aw yes, Ms. Towne, please have a seat," Tobias politely says gesturing to the seat right next to mine. "Tris and I have called you in today to go over your statement about Daniel Parks' assault Monday morning."
"Of course. Anything I can do to help," she says, slowly looking between Tobias and me as she lowers herself into the chair.
"Please tell me what you were doing at the train tracks and what you witnessed during the attack," Tobias says as he pulls out the notes he jotted down after the attack Monday.
"Daniel left his jacket at my place. I thought it might rain so I was taking it to him. I knew he was running late so I was hoping to catch up to him before the train came. I saw him standing at the train platform. I was running to catch up to him when I saw two people dressed all in black start hitting and kicking him." Her voice starts to waver and a single tear slides down her cheek. She immediately wipes it away. No member of Dauntless ever wants to show what they interpret as weakness. "I don't exactly know what happened next because I froze. The next thing I really remember was you taking Daniel away," she says motioning toward Tobias with her hand. I've read her initial account and this is totally different.
"Samaire why did you tell me you didn't know Daniel when I questioned you after the incident?" Tobias firmly asks. Her eyes widen and her bottom lip starts to quiver.
"I-I told you I-I don't know D-Danny? That c-can't be right," she stutters. She puts her face in her hands and sobs. Tobias and I just look at each other, questions in our eyes. Could she be telling us the truth right now or is this just a big ruse? After she stops crying she looks up at me and then to Tobias. "I'm sorry. I have no idea why I told you I didn't know him. We met during initiation, and we've been dating for more than three years. I was in shock during the attack and maybe I misunderstood you. I'm sorry."
"Are you absolutely sure you don't know who did this?" Tobias asks.
"I don't know who attacked him. I was too far away, frozen in fear. If it weren't for those two who ran up, I'm afraid those men would have killed him." By the time she finishes her sentence she is barely audible, tears in her eyes once again.
I lean up and pick up a legal pad off the corner of Tobias' desk and take a pen out of his pencil holder. I give them to Samaire and ask her to write down every detail of that morning she can remember, no matter how small or unimportant she thinks it is – every person she passed on her way to the train, any unusual comments she heard, any unusual site she saw, why Daniel was running late. We need as much detail as we can get from her.
She takes the pad and pen from me and writes her account of that morning. She is very detailed until she gets to the attack then she writes she can't remember what happened, it was all a blur. I take the pad from her, and Tobias and I thank her and let her go. I quickly read over her account and it repeats everything I know except why Daniel was running late; he was talking to someone in the hallway but she didn't recognize the voice. When she noticed his jacket she opened the door to give it to him but he had already left. She had to get dressed to take the jacket to him. Everything she said fits with the timeline. I hand the pad to Tobias and let him read it.
When he looks up I say, "What do you think? Do you believe her?"
"I honestly don't know what to think. If that was an act, she has me believing," he says.
"I'm not sure if I should, but I believe her. I just can't figure out what her name represents on that list."
"I think we should get Daniel's statement tomorrow and compare the four to see if there are any inconsistencies, especially between Samaire and Daniel's." He looks toward the clock on the wall. "We'll have to cut supper short and come back here to pick up the welcome packets for the ceremony. I don't trust leaving them unattended in the auditorium."