We head to the cafeteria and take our place at our usual table. I grab roasted chicken, a baked sweet potato, mixed vegetables, and some applesauce tonight. I'll have cake at the choosing ceremony later. Soon our friends join us, and all conversation is on tonight's festivities. Excitement and anticipation is thick in the air. Uriah, Christina, Will, Marlene, and Lynn can't wait to get into their apartments, and I don't blame them. I can't wait to get into mine either.
Tobias excuses himself at about 6:30 p.m. in order to retrieve the welcome packets from his office and make it to the auditorium by 7 p.m. for the ceremony. He tells me to stay with our friends, and I walk to the auditorium with them. Before I enter I see Tobias coming my way and wait for him. He stops and tells me I'm just an initiate tonight, and I should have fun. When we enter the room, I share the eagerness of the other initiates.
Tobias and Tori make their way to the stage and stand off to the side, behind the microphone. The 10 of us walk in order of our rankings up the center isle to the stomping of feet, raising of voices, and pumping of fists we've all come to recognize as signs of Dauntless celebration. A huge smile crosses my face that won't be leaving tonight. I stand in front of my seat, Uriah stands next to me, and the remaining initiates fall in line beside us. The cheering lasts until Tobias approaches the microphone then everyone starts to settle down.
"I would like to welcome everyone to this year's Dauntless Choosing Ceremony," he says. "This year we had a remarkable group of initiates and only the best and brightest of those remain. Tonight our initiates will chose their jobs, receive their welcome packets, and become full-fledged members of Dauntless." The crowd once again explodes in celebration. He lets them calm down naturally without any prompting from him. He is enjoying the atmosphere as much as I am.
"Our first ranking initiate this year is no stranger to you. She's our third Dauntless leader, Tris," Tobias says. At the sound of my name I walk to Tobias and Tori. Tobias greets me with love in his eyes, shakes my hand, and then hands me my welcome packet. "You are in apartment 13. Would you please tell the crowd what jobs you picked?"
As a formality I say, "I choose to be your Dauntless leader, and I also choose to train transfers during initiation." I shake Tori's hand then walk back to my seat as the crowd roars and sit down.
"Our second ranking initiate this year is Uriah," Tori says. He walks over and shakes hands with Tori and receives his welcome packet. "You are in apartment 62. Would you please tell the crowd what job you picked?"
"I choose to be a Faction Ambassador, and I also choose to train Dauntless-born during initiation." He shakes Tobias' hand then walks back and sits next to me. The rest of the initiates receive their welcome packets and apartment assignments then choose their jobs the same way. Christina got her wish of working in the tattoo parlor, boutique, clothing store, and salon, and she joins Uriah training the Dauntless-born. I pulled some strings and got her assigned to an apartment just a few floors below Tobias and me. Will chose the control room job, which he's absolutely perfect for, and we put him a floor below Christina so they can be near one another. Marlene chose to be a nurse and Lynn chose fighting for entertainment just like they wanted. Their apartments are close to Uriah's. The three Dauntless born whose names I never learned and quickly forgot after hearing them all chose to guard the fence. The only shock of the night was Peter. I really thought he was going to choose the control room but he chose to be a Faction Ambassador, which means he not only will be working closely with Uriah but with Tori, Tobias, and myself. I wonder briefly if this was a calculated move but shake off the negativity. Tonight is meant for celebration. After the final initiate returns to his seat, cake and coffee are served. I walk over to Christina and pull her into a hug. She hugs me back tightly.
"Congratulations, Christina," I say after I let her go. "I'm glad you got the job you wanted. I know you'll be great. Dauntless won't know what hit them."
"Thanks, Tris. Congratulations to you, too," she says. "I didn't know you were going to train transfers."
"Yeah, Four asked me the day we decided to add a second trainer to each group. I never thought to mention it with everything that's been going on." I look at Will who has been lingering behind us. "I'm so glad you got the control room job. I told Christina you'd be perfect for it and wished we could just assign it to you."
"Thanks, Tris," he says, beaming at me. "I tried not to get my hopes up but I really wanted that job. I was afraid Peter was going to take it."
"I had the same thought. I'm glad he didn't, though I'm having a hard time believing he's going to be a good fit in the ambassadorship." Worry nags me but I push it away.
"Too bad he didn't decide to watch the fence then none of us would have ever had to see him again," Christina says with malice in her voice. Will laughs, and I join right in.
"What's so funny?" Uriah says shoveling chocolate cake into his mouth. He has frosting trailing from his mouth down to his chin. Behind him stand Zeke, Shauna, Marlene, and Lynn.
"Right now, you!" I say. "You have frosting on your face, Uriah." He wipes the back of his hand across his mouth.
"Seriously, Uri," Marlene says, handing him a napkin. He takes it and wipes his face again. "Is that your second piece of cake already?" He just laughs and kisses her on the mouth.
"You know how much I love my Dauntless cake," he says, rolling his eyes at her. I think everyone in Dauntless knows how much Uriah loves cake. "Hey, when I get into my apartment I'm going to throw a party the likes Dauntless has never seen before. It has been entirely too long since we've had a rowdy game of Candor or Dauntless." Candor or Dauntless? Will, Christina, and I exchange a look.
"Okay, I'll bite. What's Candor or Dauntless?" I say. Uriah, Marlene, Lynn, Zeke, and Shauna burst out laughing. It's definitely a Dauntless thing.
"It's like truth or dare but with a twist. If you won't tell the truth or do the dare you have to take an article of clothing off," Zeke explains. "There are some other rules but we'll explain them to you fully the first time we play. It's a Dauntless tradition. Sometimes we just play Dare too. That's how I got this scar." He points at a red, raised jagged scar on his forearm. "Some guy dared me to jump from the second story window of an abandoned building. I got 23 stitches," he says proudly.
"Strip truth or dare? Seriously?" I squeak then blush bright red. Everyone laughs at me.
"Seriously, Stiff! You're Dauntless now," Lynn says. "You're going to have to loosen up."
"Not to cut this party short but I want to see my apartment," Marlene says. "I've been waiting 16 years for this." Her excitement is contagious, and we all agree we want to see our apartments.
"Hey, Christina," I say when she turns to go, "don't forget my office after lunch tomorrow. We'll finalize the party plans."
"I won't forget. Hey Marlene, Lynn, Shauna?" Christina shouts. She then motions for them to come back. "Why don't we all get ready for the party at my place Saturday? We can make an afternoon of it. I'll invite Ciara, Ella, and Kirsten, too."
"Afternoon?" Lynn says raising one eyebrow. "It doesn't take hours to get ready for a party."
"You've never been treated to the 'Christina Experience'," she says with a pouty face. "There's more to getting ready for a party than throwing a dress on." Lynn sighs and I can't help but agree with her but we all settle on the Christina Experience.
I grab a slice of cake and a cup of coffee then look for Tobias. He's been noticeably absent while I've been talking to our friends. After dodging several people's congratulations I see him standing in the shadows by the stage. I walk over to him.
"There you are," I say to him. "I've been looking for you."
"I thought I'd give you some time with your friends," he says.
"They're our friends," I tell him. "I'm ready to see the apartment but I'd like to stop by your place and pick up my clothes so I can put them away." Excitement is evident in my voice.
"That isn't necessary," he says with a smile. "I had the movers take your bags and put them in your room."
"Thank you, Tobias," I say in a whisper after making sure no one can overhear, and he smiles down at me lovingly.
"Shall we?" he asks, moving away from the wall. He carefully places his hand on the small of my back and leads me out of the auditorium. We don't make it 50 feet onto the Pit floor before we see Uriah and Peter. By the looks on their faces an altercation is brewing and sure enough Uriah rears back and punches Peter in the face. Tobias takes off running but before he can stop the fight, Peter has tackled Uriah to the ground and is hammering punches into his side. When Tobias reaches them, he literally picks Peter up by the collar of his shirt and throws him a good 10 feet then he drags Uriah to his feet by the neck. He marches Uriah over to Peter and takes ahold of Peter by the neck also.
"That's it. I've had it with you two," Tobias says in a very low, menacing growl. "I don't even want to know what's going on here. How would you two like to guard the fence for the rest of your lives?" Uriah and Peter are shooting daggers at each other not appearing to hear Tobias at all. "Better yet, how would you both like to be factionless?" That sinks in. They both look at Tobias, Uriah's mouth practically on the floor.
"You wouldn't," Uriah says.
"Try me," he says. "You both just chose to represent our faction as ambassadors. Do you think I'm going to allow anyone in such an important position to act like two year olds? You are not initiates anymore, infractions go in your permanent files. Enough infractions can result in expulsion from Dauntless. Uriah go stand over there. I'll talk to you in a minute." Uriah slowly follows Tobias' instructions and sulks by the wall, looking defiant but he knows Tobias well enough not to test him. "Peter, I told you to leave Marlene and Uriah alone. You may not know this but I watched you closely during initiation, and if it had been up to me, you would have been out on your ass after the Edward stunt. I will not tolerate your reckless ways here, do you understand." Peter glares are Tobias for a long moment before nodding his head. "I can't hear you."
"Yes, Four," he says.
"Fine, get out of here but remember, if I see you near Marlene or Uriah, unless it is work related, you will find yourself in a world of hurt." Peter stalks off in the direction of the apartments and Tobias moves to talk to Uriah. "What were you thinking, Uriah?"
"I was thinking he's an asshole and needs to be taught some manners," he says defiantly. Tobias closes his eyes and inhales deeply. He opens his eyes and looks at his best friends little brother.
"Like I said, I don't care what's going on between you two. You need to ignore it or work it out like adults. I will follow through on putting you on the fence if I ever see you hit someone like I saw you do tonight. That kind of behavior will not be tolerated here anymore, Uriah. Do you understand?" Tobias says.
"I understand, Four," he says.
"I don't want to see you near Peter unless it's work related. I gave him the same warning about you and Marlene. Now get to your apartment." Tobias looks toward me and just shakes his head. "Ready, Tris?"
"Yes," I say. "I wonder what that was about."
"Probably Marlene but, honestly, I don't care as long as they don't fight again." He puts his hand on the small of my back as we walk to our apartment, anticipation and anxiety warring for the dominant emotion. When we reach the door, Tobias looks down at me.
"Would you like to do the honors?" he says. I release the welcome packet from my iron grip and take the single key out of the envelope.
"I thought there were supposed to be two keys," I say looking up at him, surprise on my face.
"I have the other one," he says in my ear, sending a shiver through me. My hand is visibly shaking as I take the key and try to put in the lock. I think anxiety is winning the war. I take a deep breath and steady my hand. I slip the key into the doorknob and turn it. The door opens and immediately exhilaration replaces every other emotion. Tears start to swim in my eyes. I walk into the apartment and Tobias follows closely. I hear him close and lock the door behind us. The eight barstools match the color of the cabinets and island perfectly. Now we have a place to sit for meals and don't have to go to the cafeteria all the time.
The furniture is the right scale for the space. The movers not only brought the bags of my clothes but the couch from the other apartment and set it up. It's opposite the entertainment center. To the left of the couch is the matching loveseat. To the right, at a slight angle, sits the oversized club chair with matching ottoman. On the wall to the left of the door is the bookshelf that already holds the few books he had in his apartment. On the floor is the black, white, and blue area rug I was sure had the same geometric design as the kitchen backsplash and it does. Beside the couch are two wrought iron end tables with blue glass-based lamps with black linen barrel shades I don't remember picking out.
"Are these new?" I say running my hand across the nearest table.
"Yes. I realized we didn't have any side tables so I picked some that match the entertainment center and bookshelf. The lady at the furniture store helped me pick out the lamps based on our color scheme." The lamps perfectly complement the colors and design of the room. I look at the entertainment center and realize he's right. The table design is identical. On the entertainment center sits his TV and DVD player and all the movies from his apartment. There are a few new components I don't recognize. I walk over to the shelving to get a better look. They're stereo components. The orange cast of the setting sun is shining through the wall of windows when suddenly the windows turn black. I can still see outside but instead of orange it looks dark gray.
"We have automatic windows. They sense the setting sun and turn black so no one can see in at night," he says noticing my gaze. That is smart. I hadn't even thought about window coverings because I was so excited to be able to see outside again. Now there isn't any need to block that breath-taking view.
I slowly walk to the stairs still taking in the look of our living room and kitchen. I climb the stairs with him trailing behind me. I skip the other doors and go straight to my bedroom. I open the door, and the view behind it stops me in my tracks. I thought the bedroom set was beautiful in the store but, now, here in front of me, it's exquisite. Directly in front of me is the king sized bed flanked by the matching side tables. On the left wall, in between the his-and-hers closets, sits the standalone mirror, and on the right wall is the huge matching dresser. Everything is absolutely perfect. I turn and run into Tobias' arms, lean up on my tiptoes, wrap my arms around his neck, and press my lips to his. He wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me off my feet. After a few minutes of fevered kissing, last night comes back to me, and I stiffen in his arms. He pulls his mouth away from mine and looks into my wide eyes. As the passion in his eyes fades it's replaced by pain, and he sits me on my feet.
"I'm sorry," I whisper to him. It kills me that I'm the one hurting him, but I feel like all the progress we've made since I learned he was in my fear landscape has been erased. After a few minutes I ask, "Did they bring everything from your apartment today?"
"Yeah. My bedroom set is in my room along with my clothes. They put your bags, backpack, and garment bag in your closet. What little kitchen things I had they put away for us. We can rearrange them however we like. The desk is setup in the other room and, of course, the couch is downstairs."
"You didn't look in the garment bag did you," I ask, suddenly worried. "That's my dress for Saturday night, and I want it to be a surprise."
"No, I didn't look in any of your bags," he says with a small smile on his face.
"I would like to put my clothes away. How about I meet you downstairs in a little while."
"Okay," he says. He starts to walk out of my room then stops. He turns slowly around and cautiously walks over to me. My heart is beating like a big bass drum in my chest. He leans over and kisses the top of my head. When he straightens up I reach out and take his hand. I very slowly stand on my tiptoes and pull his mouth to mine with my other hand and give him a quick closed mouth kiss. After I pull away, I look up into his eyes.
"I love you, Tobias Eaton. Don't forget that. Please bear with me, I don't want to lose you," I say as a tear escapes and slides down my cheek. I can tell he's fighting pulling me into his arms. He instead cradles my cheek with his hand and wipes the tear away with his thumb.
"This is my fault. I did this to us. You won't lose me," he says, emotion thick in his voice. "I love you, too." He leans down and places his lips to mine for a moment then quickly walks out of the room. I cross to the door, close it behind him, and then slide down to the floor, emotion taking over. I sob into my hands, trying to be as quiet as I can. I know if he hears this, it'll kill him.