Here's another one.
Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent
Chapter 10: Visiting Day
"Attention." I snap my head from my pillow and my eyes open wide and I look around. I turn toward the door and I see Eric next to me in the doorway. Why I am awake? I don't care about visiting day. I rest my head back on the pillow as he looks at me and rolls his eyes in disgust. He has two nasty bruise on his temple and eye. I gave him a black eye. I smirk and he continues. "I want to give you some advice about today. If by some miracle your families do come to visit you, which I doubt, it is best not to seem too attached." He scans the room and leaves me out of it. "That will make it easier for you, and easier for them. We also take the phrase 'faction before blood' very seriously here. Attachment to your family suggests you aren't entirely pleased with your faction, which will be shameful. Understand?" There is a pause and I roll over and face the wall again. "I may have underestimated you, Stiff." I hear him say to Tris. Crap, even me hitting him twice and getting him to the point he can't chase after me didn't work. "You did well yesterday."
"Thank you." She says as I hear Eric walk out the door.
"Get up." I roll my eyes at Christina's voice.
"No, let me sleep." I mumble as I feel my blanket being pulled off of my body. I try to grab it before it leaves my reach, but failed.
"Dang Girl. Who beaten you?" She seems shocked. I groan as I sit up and run my hand through my hair as I stare at her. Christina is looking at my body. I'm not wearing anything other than a bra and underwear and the wrap around my upper stomach.
"Let me sleep." I pull the blanket from her and lie back down and snuggle with it.
"Andy, what happened to you yesterday with Eric?" She asks me as she gets closer to me. Right next to my head to be exact. "Did he give you the bruises and cuts? Your sheets have dried blood on it and you're covered in purple and blue." She whispers.
"You just made me flash the whole dorm and I don't care, you know why? Because I'm tired. Let me sleep." I mumble out again with my eyes closed.
"Andy, what happen to you?" she presses more.
"I'm fine, they haven't healed from the fights I have been. So let me sleep." I tell her as I try shoving her away.
"Those cuts are new, I don't remember anything sharp hitting you." She states.
"A table of knives fell on me yesterday. I'm just clumsy, Chris." I tell her as I open my eyes and stare at her. "I'm fine."
"You're clumsy or Eric had something to do with it. He took you yesterday and you were freaked out of your mind." She points out.
"Who cares. I just want to sleep." I tell her with a tired voice. "Let me sleep. I don't care about Visiting day."
"I thought you were going to wear that dress and have your hair down and piss your father off." Christina reminds me.
"Sounds like something I would say." I groan out as I roll over. "And my legs aren't bad. There green and yellow." I deadpan to her. "I heal fast."
"Then are you getting up?" I glare at her.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" I ask her sarcastically. She smiles.
"Don't worry. You can't see the bruises when in the pit. The lighting is too dark to see with your skin." She says before leaving me in my bed. I roll my eyes and pull on my dress and slip my knife that I took from the training room into my bra. It's small enough to fit perfectly. I climb down and walk out of the room with Christina and Will as if nothing from her and my conversation every happened.
"You change fast." Will laughs and I glare at him.
"Oh, Eyeliner." Christina suddenly shouts. She pulls the stick out of her bra and pushes me to the wall.
"Careful Christina, I don't think she likes you that way." Will laughs as Christina pushes him to the side.
"Shut up." She says as she does my eyeliner. Christina has gotten faster at it and we are walking again. "I'm excited." I roll my eyes.
"Me too. I miss my family." Will tells her. I feel a little out of place with them so I let myself walk faster to the place I am dreading. What will happen? Will my father be here? If he is, what will he or I do to each other? The pit is full of people. Mostly Dauntless families and some initiates families. He was right some didn't show up. I don't see my father and I let out a breath, but I see Tris and her mother. So I walk over to her.
"That's terrible." Tris says. Her mother smiles at me.
"Aundrea. How are you doing?" She smiles at me as she nods her head.
"Fine, how are you?" I ask in my quiet abnegation voice.
"I'm fine. Glad to see Beatrice is doing well." I nod my head in agreement.
"She is doing well." I agree with her. I see Tris point towards the chasm. We turn and follow her finger.
"There's one of our instructors." Tris leans to her mother. "He's kind of intimidating." She whispers.
"He's handsome." Her mother response and I let out a laugh couch mix as Tris nods. I look at her mother and close my eyes and shake.
"So you admit it." I whisper just loud enough for her mother and she can hear. Four looks over at us as I shake my head and laugh a little bit. This should be fun. Her mother walks the little distance over to him and he seems confused.
"Hello, my name is Natalie." She says as she offers her hand. "I'm Beatrice's mother." I hold in a smirk as my brother shakes her hand as if he rarely does it.
"Four, it's nice to meet you." He says.
"Four, is that a nickname?" Natalie asks with a smile.
'Yes." He says. I'm not surprised he doesn't explain. I don't even know. "Your daughter is doing well here. I've been overseeing her training." He moves on.
"That's good to hear. I know a few things about Dauntless initiation, and I was worried about her." She tells him.
"You shouldn't worry." He tells her as he makes a quick glance at me and then back to her. Is he telling me that she will be fine? Natalie smiles and then tilts her head to the side.
"You look familiar for some reason, Four." I look to the floor and turn to the side so she can't look at my face full on.
"I can't imagine why." He tells her in a cold voice. "I don't make a habit of associating with the Abnegation." I laugh and shake my head and everyone looks at me. Think on my feet. I shrug my shoulders.
"First time he hasn't referred to me and the old faction as Stiffs." I tell her quickly. Natalie shakes her head as if it doesn't matter.
"You never really liked that word." She says before looking at him again. "Few people do, these days. I don't take it personally." She smiles again.
"I do. Stiff is very offenses. It's like calling dauntless cowards." I bite out in fake venom. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I look at Tris's mother.
"Aundrea, don't talk that way. The dauntless still respect people." Her words are calm and quiet, yet firm still. Like don't mess with firm. I shut my mouth. Reminds me of my mother.
"You should tell me how to get her to shut up. She just likes to piss people off." Four tells her with a tiny smile. I glare at him and stick out my tongue. The grip tighten very slightly.
"Put it away and treat your institutor with respect. You know how to, darling. I know you do." Again, she sounds like mother. I nod my head.
"I'm sorry Four. I need to do my best and not do that to you." Four shakes his head and I see his body tense a bit. Why is he tensing?
"Well, I'll leave you to your reunion." He says as he glances at me and then blinks and looks away somewhere by the dining hall. Bass wants me to follow him. Then he leaves.
"Is he always like that?" Natalie asks as he leaves.
"Worse." Tris tells her and her mother nod and looks at me.
"Have you seen your father yet?" She asks me and I can't help but swallow hard and pale a bit.
"No… is he… here?" I remain still as I try not to freak out.
"Yes. Him and I walked over here together. I just lost him when I saw Beatrice." I slowly nod and swallow hard again. Maybe that's what Bass wanted to talk to me about.
"Oh okay. Then I will go and find him." I look at Tris and give her a small smile. "I will see you later." I tell her before nodding to Natalie and walk off to the dining hall. God, please save me. I walk fast to towards the hall and I feel a hand grip onto my shoulder and pull me towards another hallway I haven't been down yet. We get to a place where the light hits me and my 'guest'. My heart is racing and I can't think clearly. "Um, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to. Please, the forks and stuff are up in the hole… I mean closet. I'm so sorry." I blurt out.
"What?" I turn and see Bass. I can't help but hug him tightly and then hit his shoulder.
"Don't do that. Not with Jerk is out there." I tell him upset. Bass just looks at me.
"Natalie told you." I nod.
"I don't think I can do it." I tell him after a moment. "Christina had to tell me that I planned to piss him off one last time and now… I lost the nerve." I confess to him. "Is there any way back to the dorms that isn't through the pit?" Bass shakes his head no.
"You're going to have to face him. It will bother you, Ann. I know you." He deadpans.
"Then what do you suggest I do, huh?" I ask him with a little anger. "Smile and act like he never set a hand on me or burned me or pinned me to the ground and tried to…."
"Yes." He cuts me off. "It will bother you if you don't go out there and prove to him that his torture didn't affect you, even if it did." I start to breath hard. "Calm down. Nothing will happen, not in the dauntless compound. I promise." I don't think I can calm down. This is like my nightmare from last night. Well, one of them. My body starts to shake.
"Will you go with me? I just can't do it by myself." Bass looks to the floor and shakes his head.
"No. You have to do it on your own." He says in a quiet voice. "You will have to do it alone."
"But I don't think I can. Can't I just disappear today? It will hurt seeing him. I can't do it alone." I plead with him as I reach for his hands. His head doesn't move. "Bass, please I'm scared of him." I confess. "That man scares me." his eyes don't move from the floor.
"Then you need to face him. You will have to face your fears soon anyway." I look at him confused.
"WHAT?" I ask him almost sharply. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't worry." Bass looks at me. "The next stage is to help with emotional response. Because you are who you are… you will do fine. It's just you will have to face four of your fears in stage two and then all of them in stage three." I shake my head hard and let go of his hands and stumble backwards.
"I can't do that. I just can't. Bass you don't have any clue what things will come out from it. I have suppressed a lot already. Don't make me remember things I don't want too." I feel tears form in my eyes as I hit the wall. "Bass, it will mess me up badly." I tell him as I stare into his eyes. "I would rather become factionless than face them."
"I was thinking the same thing during my initiation." He says as he looks at me. Bass places his hands on my shoulders and gets my full attention. "You want to know why I'm called four?" I don't see how this fits. But oh well, I nod. "It's my fears. I'm only truly afraid of four things."
"What does that have to do with me?" I ask him in a very shaky voice as I try not to cry.
"I thought I had more fears than that. But I don't. You have less than you think, Ann." I don't get it.
"You're older and smarter than me. So of course you have less. I'm just stupid and worthless." I shake more and try to sink to the ground, but Bass doesn't allow me.
"You're not stupid. You could actually fit in the Erudite pretty well." Bass tells me firmly. "You are not stupid or worthless, Ann. You just need to find you purpose here." I shake my head.
"Eric said the same thing last night. He said I could fit better in Candor and Erudite. I told him pretty much that he is misguided." I laugh nervously.
"He is saying what?" Bass seems to change. "Eric is watching you too." My brother lets go of my shoulders and rubs the bridge of his nose. "What did he do and say?" Crap no, no. no.
"He said I get away with a lot and that he doesn't know if I'm brave or stupid. He knows I shot him and that thinks I like pissing him off." I tell Bass quickly.
"What did he think afterward?" he asks in a firm voice.
"That I'm both, stupidly brave." I tell him and he nods. "What's going on here?"
"I told you already. He is hunting for people like you." Bass tells me quietly. "People that don't fit in the one place."
"But I lie all the time and I'm…" I start off.
"When you tell the truth when it's important and you are smart." Bass interrupts me. There is a short pause. "Now what's up with the forks being in the closet?" I laugh nervously.
"After I got out of the cold shower to take care of my burns I retaliated because he wasn't there." I look away from him.
"What did you do, Ann?" Bass asks me firmly.
"I kind of hid all the plates and silverware and cups around the kitchen and closet upstairs." I tell him nervously as I slowly look at him.
"Your…I don't know." I laugh again.
"Stupid." I get hit for that. "Hey." I hold the side of my head. "My head already throbs for the last few days. I don't need a worse concussion." I groan out.
"Don't call yourself stupid." He says before walking down the hallway and leaving me by myself with the only route I know is back to the pit. I bite my lip and shake my head. I got to do this. Bass is right, it will bother me. My legs take me into the pit and I look around for the jerk. I find him talking with Natalie. That woman could handle herself, but I still don't want her around my father because she is abnegation. She won't fight for herself if he hits her. I walk over to them and laugh.
"There you are dad." I laugh as he turns around and I give him a hug. This catches him off guard. I pull away quickly. "Sorry. I forgot already." I smile at him. My father looks at me a little confused.
"Hello Aundrea." He says in a firm voice.
"It's Andy now. Tris… I mean Beatrice gave me that nickname. Starting a new life, might as well be called something else." I tell him as if I never have been Abnegation and in fact I am as carefree as a Dauntless child.
"Oh. So… do you like things here?" He seems awkward.
"Yeah. Things are pretty cool." I tell him as Natalie looks at Tris.
"We'll leave you be to catch up." Natalie says as she leads Tris off. What? Don't leave me with him. I look back at him and sigh.
"So why did you even come here, anyway?" I ask him as I cross my arms over my chest as I look him in the eye. My father looks me up and down as I stand across from him indifferent.
"I wanted to see you. Can't a father see his daughter and son?" he asks me quietly as he looks around. "Where is he?"
"He's fine. I told him to stay far away from you." I tell him in a calm voice so it doesn't draw attention to us. "He really wanted to come over here and 'talk' with you, but I told him that I got it. He didn't like seeing me like that when I came in." I deadpan. "But I have more respect for you than he does. It wouldn't look good if he came in here and saw you."
"I thought you said you where heading to Candor." He says. "It didn't surprise me when you chose this place." He looks around. "But I thought you were going to Candor." I roll my eyes.
"Marcus, even you called me a liar. I thought you knew me better than that." I shake my head and I see Eric to the left. He is paying attention, but not looking this way. "So what are you really doing here? You never really cared, so wanting to talk to me is not a good excuse." I don't move my eyes from his and I stand there. My heart is racing and my head is pounding. I'm really nervous.
"It won't look right if I didn't see my only daughter in her new faction." I nod and press my lips together.
"Cool, you saw me. We had our little reunion. Now you can go home and be the leader you are and leave me alone." I tell him in a sweet smile and low voice.
"Aundrea." He looks at me annoyed. "Why must you be like this?"
"Like what, Marcus? I am being very respectful to you. I'm not doing anything that will make you look bad." I'm pissing him off. Why must I do this to myself? "I never made you look bad." I roll my eyes and look around the room for Bass, but can't find him. "So why must you try and make me look bad?"
"Aundrea, you're being a little inconsiderate." I lean on my left foot.
"I'm being a little inconsiderate, Wow. Marcus. You should have thought of that each day of my life." I tell him in my abnegation voice. "Now what else is keeping you here? I have breakfast to eat and my family to hang out with." There is a pause and Marcus remains silent. "By the way, all the stuff from the kitchen is up in the closet." His mouth opens to say something and I put my hand up and cover his mouth. "Not here, not ever again. I'm done with your crap." I tell him before walking off to the dining hall to find Christina or Bass. I'm freaking out. My eyes run around the room as I scan for her dark hair. She is with her family. They're Candor, they will tell me to leave if they don't want me there. So I breathe and walk over there.
"Andy!" Christina hugs me and holds me in front of her to show me to her mother and sister. Both of them look like her, dark skin and hair, but beautiful eyes. The mother has graying hair already. "This is my mother, Stephanie and sister, Rose." I smile and hold out my hand so her mother can shake my hand.
"Is she one of the stiffs you were talking about?" The woman in black and white asks her daughter.
"Yeah, Aundrea is her full name." Christina answers quickly. "She doesn't like to be called that, though."
"She is one." The mother states.
"Use to be." I correct her. "I am now Dauntless with Christina." I tell her calmly. "It's better here than there in my opinion." The mother and daughter look at each other and laugh.
"You sound like a Candor. If it wasn't for the tattoo, you could pass as one." I smile.
"Thank you, for years I had been thinking about Candor. But my father said I lied too much to be able to be there." I tell them.
"You seem truthful right now." Rose says with a smile. "I like you." She looks at Christina. "She is nice and truthful to us."
"She's learned not to lie to me. So I trained her well." She smirks. I roll my eyes.
"Whatever, Chris." I mumble. "Anyway, am I bothering you guys? I couldn't stand being with my father any longer and I thought Christina and her family would tell me to go away if I was inconveniencing you." I ask them. The mother laughs and pulls me into a hug.
"You are too precious. Even the most stubborn people learn how to tell the truth." She smiles down at me and I really don't like that comment.
"To be honest, it just my Abnegation that hasn't gone away quiet yet. I try to respect others and what they choose to believe. So if I'm going to be around Candor people. I shouldn't lie. If Amity….Well, I will just hope that I'm able to keep my mouth shut." Everyone laughs at my comment.
"Spoken like a true Dauntless." Her mother lets go of me and pats my head. "Anyway, we need to get going if you are to keep a good impression, Christina." She kisses her forehead and Rose hugs us both before leaving.
"Cute kid." I comment.
"You don't know her, Andy." Christina says as we walk to get something to eat. "You okay?" I shake my head and sigh.
"I don't like him, but I had to do it. My brother told me I had too." I tell her as I shake my body one last time.
"Your brother? You found him?" Christina asks me. I shut my mouth and nod slowly. "Can I met him?" I don't know what to do.
"Well, he kind of doesn't want people knowing we are related." She looks at me funny. "They will put to and to together." I tell her. "He doesn't want people to know."
"Okay, whatever."
0000
"Because they're illogical." Will tells Christina as if he is the smartest one at the table. Probably is too. "What is the point in providing food and shelter for an animal that just soils your furniture, makes your home smell bad, and ultimately dies?" He gives a fair point.
"The point is…Well, they're fun to have. I had a bulldog named Chunker. One time we left a whole roasted chicken on the counter to cool, and while my mother went to the bathroom, he pulled it down off the counter and ate it, bones and skin and all. We laughed so hard." Christina laughs a little bit after remembering it. I don't get it. A dog that eats the food you worked so hard to make. Should have been trained better.
"Yes, that certainly changes my mind. Of course I want to live with an animal that eats all my food and destroys my kitchen." Will doesn't get it. "Why don't you just get a dog after initiation if you're feeling that nostalgic?"
"Because." Christina's mood swifts. "Dogs are sort of ruined for me. After… your know, after the aptitude test." Killing the dog, I think. I rest my hand on her shoulder and sigh.
"You mean… killing the dog, right?" Will's voice is sad.
"Yeah, I mean, you guys all had to do that too, right?" Christina looks at everyone expect me. Al and her know I didn't. "You didn't?"
"Hmm?" Tris tries to look causal.
"You're hiding something." She says. "You're fidgeting."
"What?" Tris doesn't understand.
"In candor." Al speaks up. "We learn to read body language so we know when someone is lying or keeping something from us." He explains to her kindly. His eyes look at her softly.
"Oh." Tris scratches the back of her neck. "Well…" God, she either needs to learn to lie or something.
"See, there it is again!" Christina gestures to her hand and Tris is more confused.
"No, I didn't kill the dog." She tells her.
"How did you get Dauntless without using the knife?" Will asks her suspiciously does he know what she and I are?
"I didn't. I got Abnegation." The look in her face seems off to me. Tris starts trying to eat her meat.
"But you chose Dauntless anyway?" Christina doesn't get it and I won't explain it to her. "Why?"
"I told you." Tris looks at the food and smirk. "It was for the food." Nice save. Christina laughs.
"Did you guys know that Tris had never seen a hamburger before she came here?"She laughs and goes into a story. I glance at Tris and give her a tiny smile before we finish our dinner. After I hang back with Tris in the back after we finish and we are on our way to the dorm. The Rankings are in for the first stage.
"You okay?" I ask her in my abnegation voice so the others can't hear me.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She laughs a little bit.
"I told her and Al earlier that I didn't kill the dog." I tell her as we walk just out of hearing distances. She looks at me confused.
"You didn't have to?" I shake my head no. "How?"
"I didn't get Dauntless. I got Abnegation." I tell her with a shrug. "But I'm here."
"Why?" I shake my head.
"Personal reasons I wish not to discuss. But I'm here and that's all what matters." I tell her flatly. "We made friends and we are both doing well here."
"But you won every fight you were in." She states.
"So. Doesn't mean that you're not doing well too. You beat Molly from what I hear." I smirk and look at her.
"I got carried away." Tris confesses.
"Yeah, Four told me. But that is okay. I can help you with controlling yourself when fighting. But I'm not great when it comes to controlling it at other times." She laughs.
"I'm surprised you didn't kill Peter then and there." I shake my head.
"I was thinking it. But then again, it wouldn't be smart." I confess to her as we get to the door. "Ready to see our rank?"
"As ready as I will ever be." I smile and open the door. I see my brother in front of the back wall through the crowd of initiates. He looks at me and rolls his eyes.
"For those of you who just came in, I'm explaining how the ranks are determined." Four tells me and Tris. Then he looks at the rest of the group. I let Tris go in front of me so she can see and I listen. "After the first rounds of fights, we ranked you according to your skill level. The number of points you earn depends on your skill level and the skill level of the person you beat. You earn more points for improving and more points for beating someone of a higher skill level. I don't reward preying on the weak. That is cowardice." Four speaks. I don't even see my brother when he is in his 'Four mode'. "If you have a high rank, you lose points for losing to a low-ranked opponent." I hold in a smirk when Molly gets pissed off. Serves you right for picking on Tris because she is small. "Stage two of training is weighted more heavily than stage one, because it is more closely tied to overcoming cowardice." Four goes on. "That being said, it is extremely difficult to rank high at the end of initiation if you rank low in stage one." Tris moves and almost get stepped on. So I step back and Four looks at her. "We will announce the cuts tomorrow, the fact that you are transfers and the dauntless-born initiates are not will not be taken into consideration. Four of you could be factionless and none of them. Or four of them and none of you. Or any combination thereof. That said, here are your ranks."
I breathe as he turns it around. Why was I holding my breath? I'm not nervous. I did well or I will be factionless. I don't care. Either way, I will be with family. Four steps behind the group and over to me. I look at him and shrug my shoulders. He looks to the door and blinks once. I nod my head. Four points to the board as I hear Molly.
"What?" I turn and face her. "I beat her in minutes, and she ranked above me?" She pointing at Christina.
"Yeah." Christina smirks. "And?"
"If you intend to secure yourself a high rank, I suggest you don't make a habit of losing to low ranked opponents." Four says nice and loud enough to be heard by everyone. Four turns quickly and walks out the door without another word. He wants me to follow him. I will, after I see my ranking.
"You." I turn again to Molly and she is pointing at Tris. I step closer to Tris and glare at Molly, warning her. "You are going to pay for this." She hisses before walking out of the dorm. I glance at the board and see second place. How is that possible? I didn't fight Tris. I fractured her finger and I joked with Will. It goes, Edward, me, Peter, Will, Christina, Molly, Tris, Drew, Al, and then Myra. Before anyone can talk to me, I turn around and leave. I walk my way to the pit and then down another hall. Four shouldn't be too far ahead of me. I turn the corner and see him.
"Four." I call his name and he keeps walking, so I follow him to his room. Once in his room and the door is closed he talks.
"How did it go?" I shrug my shoulders as I sit on his bed and flop over, my hair going everywhere.
"I pissed him off and Eric was watching. At least he knows I'm not attached." I mumble out.
"How can you piss everyone off?" he shakes his head and leans on the wall.
"I told you I was going to snap, it's hard to gain control again. But I'm working on it." I tell him as I put my hands on my face, blocking out the light. "I was respectful and I told him that."
"Respectful and yet you pissed him off." Bass states, not believing me.
"That's what pissed him off. Me being quiet and sweet yet calling him by his first name." I explain. "Talk to Eric. He heard almost everything."
"I was going to talk to you about him." I roll my eyes and sigh. "Why is his face bruised?"
"Does it matter?" I ask him almost sharply. "I don't take being punished physically too lightly."
"You shouldn't have hit him. He is pissed off now." I roll my eyes.
"He shouldn't have reminded me of dad. So shot me. I had a long night and a lot of nightmares, Bass. I'm tired and partly because of him and the crap that happened afterward." I groan. "Can't I just go to my nightmare riddled dreams?"
"You're having night mares?" His voice changes.
"Almost every night since I got here. It's more memories than anything else." I inform him. "Now can I go?"
"Why are you having nightmares, Ann?" I roll my eyes and sit up. He is sitting in one of his chairs right in front of me.
"I don't know, Bass. You tell me?" I deadpan.
"I don't know what goes through your head." He scoffs. "Only you can figure it out." I roll my eyes. I let out a yawn and stare at him.
"If you won't let me go back to the dorm, I'm going to sleep in your bed." I tell him defiantly before stretching out and laying down on his bed and pull the blanket around me.
"You can't sleep in here." He groans. "It's my room." I shut my eyes and in hale the comforting scent that I consider safe, the only smell I think is safe. I snuggle into his pillow and smirk.
"I missed this scent. Your old room doesn't smell like you at all. It just smells stale." I sniff. "This is the smell of being safe." Bass can't say anything after that. I just hear the door shut after the lights go off.