All characters from Divergent belong to Veronica Roth as well as all characters from Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. I own nothing except my version of events.
A/N: It's a long one. Sorry in advance but there was a lot to cover.
Oh and for the record, I picture Theo James as Tobias and Jai Courtney as Eric. They are both so damned delicious, especially Jai... even his name is perfection.
Chapter 2 A New Beginning
I trailed behind as the Dauntless-born ran alongside two of their faction instructors. I knew I could easily keep up with them but I had to pretend like I couldn't if I wanted to remain under the radar for as long as possible.
They began climbing up the metal legs of the bridge that carried the train but instead of following after the herd, I looked for the easiest place to climb knowing someone from Abnegation would never be able to do that. Again I could have easily climbed like the Dauntless-born but I refrained myself from doing so... Acting weak was going to be tougher than I thought.
I reached the top slower than everyone else, which was fine because I had to stay at the back of the group. I turned to see if I was the last one and I almost outwardly shook my head watching Beatrice struggle to get up through the same way the other Dauntless-born had climbed. I was already annoyed at the fact that she would be joining Tobias and I and she was making it so much easier right now as she clumsily attempted to climb up the damned pole. Stupid move. They were extremely agile and with solid upper arm strength, something she completely lacked. It would be so easy to just leave her there struggling to continue to climb up until the train passed by and left her behind. No one would expect me to help her, initiation was everyone for themselves… but I knew I couldn't do that.
Thinking only of Tobias I walked back, releasing an annoyed growl deep in my throat because if it weren't for him I would have surely left her behind. I got down on my knees and grasped onto her hand just before she lost her footing and she completely slipped off. At this height she would have surely broken a leg if she had, ending her life as a Dauntless before it had even begun.
I pulled her up and she silently thanked me. I just nodded before walking away without saying a single word. If she thought I would want to join forces because we were both from Abnegation she had another thing coming. I moved smoothly in between an empty space between two transfers as we lined up alongside the train track. From what my father had told me the Dauntless would jump straight into the train as it passed by since the train wouldn't slow it's speed for us to climb on. I turned to see the other transfers as they all looked quizzically at the Dauntless as they waited with anxious anticipation, completely clueless as to what they were waiting for.
I could only imagine their faces when they would later realize we would be jumping off the train and onto the rooftop of the Dauntless compound.
I heard the train before I saw it and the Dauntless started a slow run along its tracks. I ran behind them all a lot slower. I turned back to see some of the transfers hesitating before doing the same. Of course Beatrice had been the last one to notice and began to run after everyone.
The last one at the end of the line.
Ok, here's the thing, there was only so much I could do. If she failed this one part there was no way she would make it in Dauntless. Period. It was now up to her to prove to herself that she could do it on her own. I couldn't be there to catch her every time she fell. It wasn't my job to.
Acting as clumsily as an Abnegation would, I threw my body into the train landing on my stomach and hesitating for a second before pulling myself up the rest of the way. A couple of the Dauntless nearby laughed at me but I ignored them, avoiding eye contact and turning back to the last open doorway to see if Beatrice would make it. I could see her upper body bobbing up and down right outside the open door frame as she tried to keep up with the train. I found myself actually rooting for her as she ran but I could see she was already running out of track and she only had about ten feet before she ran out of boarding space.
It was almost like she waited for the last possible second before throwing herself in and landing hard on her stomach, a lot rougher than I had earlier. Her legs dangled out of the train while her upper body remained inside, teetering just at the edge, and for a split second I thought she would fall out but she tenaciously hung on until she was able to pull herself completely in. Well, look at that. She made it after all. She sat up, knocking into a Candor girl who was sitting right next to the opening of the train. They introduced themselves and I looked away, quickly losing interest.
My focus shifted to what I've been waiting for, for the past two years. I couldn't wait to see Tobias. I mean, I knew it would take me a while to find him but I was sure he would make the effort to look for me amongst the initiates. I hadn't seen or heard from him since he left and I was anxious to see him now. I idly wondered if he would look different. What was I thinking? Of course he would look different. He would now be wearing the customary black Dauntless' attire, which I would soon be wearing too. I had to admit that it would be a welcome change for me.
I loathed wearing the Abnegation long, baggy, and boring clothing and I couldn't wait to get out of these clothes and change into Dauntless' daring clothing. Both factions were completely polar opposites but it's one of the things I loved about Dauntless the most, it was why it had never once crossed my mind to go anywhere else but here. Out of the other four factions, Dauntless was the most open of all, allowing its members to freely express themselves however they chose. And to me, any kind of freedom was better than none.
I could hear a ruckus up ahead alerting me to our next test. Man was this going to be something.
Slowly the surprised shouts reached around me and the girl who had engaged Beatrice in conversation exclaimed. "Are they jumping?!"
"There's no way!" A guy from Erudite yelled, standing up to look outside. I saw his eyes widen in fear as he confirmed what the other girl had said.
They all panicked then, but soon our turn was coming up and they were going to have no other option but to jump... unless they wanted to become factionless.
I waited for a few of the transfers to jump first before I did it myself. I landed on my feet further than the rest of them and I internally chastised myself. Before anyone noticed I dropped down to my hands and knees like everyone else. Luckily no one had noticed the distance as they were distracted by a cry at the edge of the building. I turned to see a group of people huddled together looking over the ledge, some people outwardly sobbing. I didn't bother to join them already knowing what had happened. My parents had warned me that some wouldn't make the jump from the train to the roof and would unfortunately fall to their deaths. A familiar gasp sounded by the ledge and I looked back again, finding Beatrice huddled along with everyone else. Well at least she made it, I idly thought.
A loud whistle sounded behind us, catching everyone's attention. I turned back to the front following everyone as they gathered in front of the two instructors that had guided us since we left the ceremony and one other male that had been waiting for us on the roof.
"I'm Eric!" The man announced loudly and proudly, as if his name alone should leave us in awe. "I'm one of your leaders." He proclaimed.
I analyzed him as he spoke. He had sandy blonde hair with piercings in his ears and two above his right eyebrow. He had two tattoos that started at the top of his neck and trailed down under the neckline of his shirt, leading to a broad masculine chest. Even through the leather jacket he was currently wearing I could tell his body was all hard muscle. He was incredibly handsome but with the way he stood and spoke I could tell he was dangerous. He spoke in a cold, detached, and indifferent way as if he could care less if any one of us had made it off the train. I made a mental note to stay away from him as much as possible.
I drifted back to the end of his speech after he announced we would be jumping off the building, pointing down to the black hole that we could see from here. Many of the initiates gasped, trading fearful looks as if they were about to be forced to commit suicide. The blonde leader stared at the ones who protested, glaring at them as if he wished he could push them off himself. Annoyed with everyone's reaction he finally spoke again in a supremely bored tone, "Someone's gotta go first. Who's it gonna be?"
Everyone avoided eye contact at once hoping he wouldn't pick someone at random if no one volunteered. I was supposed to pass under the radar but even I grew as annoyed as the leader when no one volunteered.
I was about to step forward, anxious to get the ball rolling when a small voice piped up from the crowd.
"Me."
I turned in surprise as I watched Beatrice step forward. I could see I wasn't the only one as everyone gawked at her, including the leader, though he hid it quickly.
She removed her long coat before climbing up the ledge while some idiot boy made a derogatory comment. At least she was smart enough to do that, if she hadn't I was sure she would've tripped off the ledge as her legs got tangled in her long Abnegation clothing. She stood there staring down at the black hole in front of her for so long I started to doubt she would actually jump.
"Today, initiate." Eric said in boredom.
I could see her shoulders tense at his rough voice, she closed her eyes and took one last breath before she dropped. Not making a single sound as she descended into the black hole below her. Huh, I guess she was braver than I'd thought.
The leader looked over the ledge for a minute before looking back at us. "Who's next?" He asked but after no one volunteered he sneered back at us.
I hated having to go unnoticed when I knew I could do this, I idly wondered which turn would look less suspicious. There were about thirty-eight of us, sixteen transfers includes. I was going to have to wait until maybe the fifth transfer volunteered. Which meant I would have to watch over half of the people here to have my own turn, ugh, that was going to take forev...
"Second Stiff!" I heard a rough bark, breaking me from my musings. I looked up, finding everyone staring at me, including the leader. "Since one Stiff decided to go first, it's only fair for the other one to follow." He announced looking at me expectantly, waiting for my reaction. When I didn't give him one his pierced eyebrow arched a fraction in confusion.
I internally smirked but outwardly left my face emotionless, walking towards him. He watched me critically the entire way, analyzing my every move. I didn't look at him again as I lifted my skirt up to hoist myself up on the ledge like Tris had.
"Scared, Little Stiff?" He taunted.
I turned to look him in the eye without changing my expression. His eyes bore into mine. Challenging me. Waiting for me to break. But I wasn't about to, nor would I ever. Not breaking our stare down I stepped off the ledge letting my body drop into the abyss. For a split second I caught his reaction, there was undoubtedly surprise but the predominant emotion I detected was interest.
Ok, so maybe challenging him hadn't been the best idea... unfortunately it was too late to change that now as I instinctively focused back on my fall. I didn't yell either as I flew through the air, my hair savagely whipping away from my face. There was a second of complete weightlessness before I was engulfed in a thick black net, making me bounce back up in the air several times. Before I had a chance to settle down I felt the net being tugged down and I rolled out feeling a set of arms wrap around me to pull me out.
I smelled him before I even saw his face, but when I did it was like my breath had been pushed back into my lungs again.
"Was it a buy one get one free on the Stiffs?" He asked mockingly, making a few of the other Dauntless standing around roar in laughter. "What's your name?" He asked.
I looked up into his familiar dark blue eyes before answering, "Bella."
"Second jumper, Bella!" Tobias announced loudly, turning back to look back at me. "Welcome to Dauntless, Bella." He said.
I fought the smile trying to break out on my face as I watched him internally fight his own, but I could see the happiness shining in his bright eyes as we reunited once again. He motioned for me to go before I felt hands on me, patting my back and congratulating me for picking Dauntless before they released me to stand next to Tris.
She looked at me then, she opened her mouth to speak but she changed her mind as we heard a yell. We turned to see the third jumper bouncing back on the net as they landed from the fall. We dutifully ignored each other, standing there in silence as we watched initiate after initiate scream at the top of their lungs as they fell.
By the end I'd had my fill of screams for the century. I looked around me, finding all of the initiates standing along the wall with Tris and I.
"Last one." Tobias announced in thinly veiled irritation.
I looked up wondering who he hadn't sounded very excited to see, finding the leader from upstairs landing on the net. Tobias didn't bother to make a move to pull him out. Not that he needed to because the guy immediately rolled, pulling himself out and leaping gracefully onto the ground not missing a single beat.
He stood in front of us crossing his arms behind his back. Tobias, a female, and the two instructors that had led us here standing beside him and mimicking his posture. "Usually we split transfers and Dauntless born initiates for training but this year we're making some changes. You will all be training together and you will all be graded equally." I could tell even from here that Tobias had not been privy to that information as he stiffened in place, but didn't say anything as the blonde leader continued to speak. "There are thirty-eight of you but only twenty-five will be welcomed into Dauntless." He announced.
"What happens to the other thirteen?" A boy from Erudite asked.
"Well you can't go back home. So you'll become factionless." He said, with a dark smile on his face.
Everyone gasped in shock, including the four trainers next to him. This time Tobias couldn't help but speak up. "What do you mean factionless?"
"Exactly what I said Four." He said in irritation. Huh, Four. He switched his name to a weird one.
Tobias looked ready to fight but he thought better of it as he turned to look forward, surreptitiously glancing at me in worry. He didn't have to worry though, yes it was going to be harder to get into Dauntless than we initially thought but I knew I would make it. He should be sure of that too.
"Only the strongest of you will be welcomed into Dauntless." Eric continued with his speech. "We will give you all of the tools we possibly can to help you pass but ultimately it is up to you to make it happen. Four, Lauren, Jacob, and Rosalie will be your official trainers but I will be overseeing and enforcing our new training regulations and will be providing some assistance when necessary. In the meantime I will leave you to your trainers to finish the tour." And with that being said he turned and walked away not sparing anybody another glance.
I released a breath now that he was gone. Dude was so intense and cut throat he made me tense whenever he was near.
"Alright!" Tobias spoke loudly to catch our attention since most of us were still watching Eric's retreating form. "We will be providing you all with a very quick tour of the places you will need to know before reaching the food hall. You will have thirty minutes to eat and then we will all guide you to your dorms. Rotations of groups of five will be heading to the infirmary for checkups but you'll be free to do as you please once you're done… Though I suggest you rest early tonight since training begins early tomorrow at six." Then he turned to his right, silently signaling the trainer beside him to speak.
"If you haven't figured it out yet, my name is Lauren. I will be doing most of the tour for today so if you will follow me..." She trailed off as she waved her hand for us to follow as she walked.
She continued to speak as she led us through the compound. It looked like we were in a cavern, it was dark and mysterious but there was something about this place that I absolutely loved already. She led us through the opening on one side and we all followed along. The first thing we saw was the chasm, it was in the center of the place and it was something you had to pass through to get almost anywhere. I looked over the ledge and I couldn't even see the bottom but I could hear the water savagely crashing against the rocks. It was a dangerous place to hang around, unless you were going over the bridges to get to the other side you wouldn't find anymore hand railings to stop you from falling in. Lauren warned us to be careful and not play around here just in case one of us slipped and died. Apparently it has happened many times before. Well no duh, a fall from here would definitely kill any one. Why someone wouldn't be careful around this place boggled the mind.
"And so we've reached the dorms now." The other male trainer, Jacob, spoke up this time. "We have decided to split you by gender since there's quite a bit of you this year. To my left is the women's dorm and to my right is the men's dorm. You may go in and pick the bed you want and each trainer will come in to provide you with your new Dauntless training gear."
"Can we keep our old clothes?" Some guy from Erudite asked.
"Why would you want them?" Jacob asked instead.
The guy looked startled by the question. "Uh, I don't know, I would just like to." He answered.
"If you're wanting to keep them for sentimental value I suggest you get rid of that notion very quickly. You aren't a member of your past faction any longer. Keeping those clothes would mean you have not left your childhood faction behind and therefore your conviction to your new faction may be left in question. Are you sure that's a statement you want to be making?" He asked him, his face showed no emotion. He wasn't angry or anything, he was just firm in his questioning, leaving it up to him to make the smart decision.
The Erudite guy looked down at his feet and shook his head.
Jacob nodded and motioned for us to go to our designated rooms. I chose one on the second row, close enough to the exit but not the one you would automatically see as soon as you entered. I didn't want to have to sneak through all of these people if I had to sneak out of the dorms at night. I figured if I wanted to see Tobias undetected it would probably have to be while everyone was sleeping.
Lauren and Rosalie walked in wheeling a cart behind them with piles of clothes. We each got a few changes of clothes and a pair of boots and sneakers to wear for training. There were nightstands besides our beds where we could keep our things and our shoes were placed under our beds. We all changed in front of each other, we'd taken a peak at the restroom/bathroom and there wasn't any space to do anything else but the necessary. Luckily we were all chicks in here so it's not like it even mattered. Once we were done we all piled our old clothes on their carts and they pushed them to the side to discard later.
Rosalie, the beautiful blonde one stood up front by the doors and spoke up for the first time. "Alright ladies, let's get going. The guys are meeting us outside so we can return to the tour." She ordered.
We all quickly followed after her and Lauren, and soon enough we were back on the tour. She showed us how to get to the training area which was the place we would be spending most of our time in, besides the dorms. It was a large open space filled with weights, punching bags, fighting mats, and an area for target practice. There were a lot more equipment inside but we didn't linger in there for much longer to continue on with the tour. They showed us where the infirmary was located, stating that more than a few of us would be visiting it more often than not because of the injuries we would surely sustain due to our training. We continued to walk until we reached a large hole in the wall, moving forward we all peeked through the front line of bodies.
"This is the pit." Rosalie announced this time. "The center of life here at Dauntless."
From what I could see it was a large open space about seven stories high that reached up to the open ceiling, like someone forgot to build on this side of the structure. There were metal stairs zigzagging along either side of the walls while further back there were metal bridges connecting one side to the other, directed into tunnels to gain access to the other side. It went to show exactly how large the Dauntless compound really was. My eyes finally drifted down to one of the walls where I could see Dauntless members climbing up one side of the rock wall with no form of net at the bottom or anything else to guarantee their safety. At the bottom there were groups of people wrestling while others just stood around drinking and having fun. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. I was absolutely mesmerized.
Finally after showing us a couple of other places they led us to the food hall where they released us. Our instructors would eat nearby strictly for supervision but wouldn't commingle with us.
I grabbed a tray off the food line and sat on a bench where three tables had been reserved for the initiates. The rest of the tables were filled with other Dauntless members. From what I'd heard no one ate at the same time but because it was initiation day many Dauntless members were curious to get a glimpse of us. It was weird to be stared at by so many people but I ignored it as I dutifully picked at my food. I wasn't quite sure what it was exactly but I figured it had to be better than Abnegation food. We used minimal seasoning so our food was very bland, though I'd never tried food from other factions but from what I'd heard growing up Abnegation food was barely edible to those who weren't born there.
I watched the guy in front of me cut into his food and I copied his movement, cutting a piece of the brown chunk in front of me before putting it in my mouth. It wasn't good. It was salty and grainy and brown, it didn't look good either but the people around me seemed to enjoy it.
I heard a quiet chuckle next to me and I turned to my side, finding a tall tanned boy eating his food pretending like he hadn't just been laughing at me. I was going to ignore his laugh but I figured I needed to start planting my foot somewhere so I stared at him in an attempt to intimidate him.
He in turn choked on his food and I inwardly smiled at the effectiveness of my glare.
"I'm sorry, please don't kill me." He said quickly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before turning to me fully but he surprised me by smiling brightly at me. "Hi, I'm Jared. I wasn't trying to make fun of you. Your reaction was just really funny."
"Funny how?" I asked.
"Uh… this was supposed to be the part where you said your name first." He said instead.
"Bella." I said shortly, turning back to look down at my food.
"Well hi Bella." He said.
"You said that already." I informed him without looking back at him.
"Yeesh, you're tough. By the way, what you're eating is a hamburger." He said helpfully.
"It's gross."
"Yeah, I got that from your initial reaction. It's probably because you're not used to overly seasoned foods. It might take you a while to get used to normal people food." He said. I arched a brow at him after the 'normal people' comment and he sputtered, "I-I'm n-not trying t-to say you're not normal. I just mean Abnegation eats different foods from the rest of the factions."
I turned to look at him fully then, surprised that he'd remembered that about me. "You remembered I came from Abnegation?"
"Uh, yeah. It's kind of hard to forget, you were second jumper after all." Some other girl said next to me. I turned to look at her in surprise, I hadn't been aware that others had been listening in on our conversation. "I'm Alice, by the way. Nice to meet you Bella." She said happily, extending her hand out to me.
I shook it lightly. I'd seen people handshake before but I'd never done it myself. It didn't look hard to do though so I just followed my instinct. "You're Dauntless born." I stated, I could see her eyebrow piercing and the colored streaks in her short hair.
She smiled and nodded, touching her eyebrow piercing lightly. "Yeah, I was supposed to take all of my piercings out but I didn't want to part with this one. I never really follow the rules anyway so who cares." She said dismissively, waving her hand as if it didn't matter.
I nodded at her, turning my attention back to Jared. "Where were you from?" I asked.
He opened his mouth to speak but Alice beat him to it again. "Can't you tell? He's all chipper and shit, it's so annoying."
"Hey!" He yelled in protest. "I'm not that chipper!" He defended.
I giggled at that. "Yeah, you totally are. I bet you smile all the time too." I lightly teased. It felt weird being playful with anyone else but Tobias. He'd been my only friend growing up and I hated having to talk to the other Abnegation kids. They were all so blah, but I was in a different place now. I needed to make an attempt to open up more… it was going to be hard to get used to.
"Yeah but you have to admit. My smile is great, it makes me look more handsome." He said proudly.
I rolled my eyes while Alice snorted. "Did your mom tell you that? Because it might just be me but it just makes me want to punch you in the face." She said in annoyance.
"Ditto." I said, with a small smile.
"You guys are mean." He said to us, "Boy did I pick the wrong place to sit." He grumbled the second part to himself.
"Well you're welcome to sit somewhere else next time." I commented, earning a chuckle from Alice.
"And I like where I'm sitting now." Alice said, looking slyly at me as we continued to eat.
It wasn't long after that when we were ushered to our dorms and told to wait there until one of our trainers came to get us. I was surprised when Jacob came into the girls dorm to call for me and four other girls to head to the infirmary. We all quietly walked behind him as he led us there. We technically already knew the way to get there but I guess he had to make sure we didn't get lost on the way.
He led us deeper into the infirmary than when we had previously toured around, bypassing the front desk and leading us towards the back at a separate waiting room. Now deeper inside I could see the stark differences between Abnegation and Dauntless infirmaries. This one was a lot bigger, with a lot of rooms and areas for emergencies. Abnegation's paled in comparison, there were only two doctors whose offices shared the same space in the waiting room at the front and two rooms for them to attend to the ill at the back. Abnegation rarely got sick, and if we did and it required more medical attention than our doctors could provide we were sent to Erudite's hospital. From what I'd heard their hospital took up its own building, almost as large as their faction's home base. They used it as not only a hospital but a laboratory where they developed new medicines and serums for the entire city.
"Sit here and wait until your name is called. As soon as you're done you can go wherever you want but I suggest you keep Four's warning in mind." He ordered, before nodding in our direction and walking out.
That guy needed to chill, he didn't look mean or anything but he did seem too formal whenever he directed his attention towards the initiates. While we were in the food hall I had seen how animatedly he talked with his fellow trainers, even engaging Tobias in conversation. I could only assume he wanted to maintain boundaries between us… which now that I really though about it I guess it made sense.
Surprisingly my name was called first and I stood up, following the nurse that didn't look like any regular nurse while she wore the customary Dauntless' clothing. She signaled for me to sit on the bed and I did as she asked.
"My name is Esme, I'm a doctor here at Dauntless. Welcome to our faction. I will be performing a routine physical and taking blood samples to make sure everything is in order. We will also be talking about contraceptives later on, I know your prior faction tends to give you a shot after you've reached puberty but we like to offer a booster shot to make sure there are no surprises, especially for initiates. You can always say no and we will not force you to take it but we do highly encourage our members and initiates to consider it if they are not ready to take on that kind of responsibility."
I nodded in acceptance of everything she'd said, "We don't need to discuss it again. I want the shot." I said firmly.
She looked at me a bit surprised at my certainty but nodded nonetheless. "Ok, sounds good Bella. Let's take the blood samples now so we can get the results for those as soon as possible. If you don't hear from me again after today, it means your samples came back clear." She informed me.
"Ok, thank you." I said, speaking for the last time as she got to work. I didn't want to linger here for long because as soon as I was out of here I'd be searching for Tobias. Our first meeting at the net had not been a proper reunion and I needed a lot more than that from him.
Esme on her part worked efficiently and I was done and out of there twenty minutes or so after I'd entered. I didn't even bother to glance at the other initiates as I left. I was already on a mission and I didn't need any more distractions. I had to figure out how the hell I was going to find Tobias in the first place. I had no idea of where he lived. I could see the chasm up ahead, I was planning to head to the right side of it since our tour had not covered that area at all. I figured it was a good place to start, but before I could even hit the corner I felt a warm gentle hand pulling me to the side. I gasped in surprise only to break out into a giant smile as I saw my abductor.
Without a single word we both pulled each other into our arms, holding tightly to one another. He rubbed his face into my neck and smelled me.
"I've missed you so much, Bella. You have no idea." Tobias said into my neck.
I smiled into him and nodded in agreement, "Me too, it's been hell without you."
We both pulled slightly away but kept our arms around each other. His smile was so bright it almost made me cry, I also couldn't help the smile that broke out into my own face. Being this close to him for the first time I could see the changes he had procured over the past two years. His body felt firmer and his chest was broader, he held onto me with strong arms and I quickly realized my best friend was no longer a boy but a man. A part of me hated that I hadn't been here to witness the development with my own eyes, but I pushed it to the back of my mind as I enjoyed the here and now. Not dwelling on a past I couldn't change.
He grasped onto my face firmly and planted a smooching kiss on my forehead, making me giggle at his antics. He leaned away from me to look outside of our hiding spot, when he realized the coast was clear he completely pulled away holding on to my hand tightly before speaking.
"Ok, we have to move fast. We can't stay here for long where anyone could simply pass by and see us. I want to show you where I live that way you can sneak in there whenever you want." He informed me. "I'll go out first, wait for at least 30 seconds before moving out. Keep your head down and walk fast but as casually as you can manage. Take the second bridge and continue straight down the hall, there's an opening at the end, barely noticeable but you can't miss it. It'll be dark but turn right, I'll meet you there." He instructed.
"Ok super spy." I joked, he turned back to look at me, rolling his eyes dramatically before leaving me on my own.
I counted 45 seconds in my head just to be sure and walked out of my hiding spot. Following his orders to a 'T', walking confidently as if I knew exactly where to go. Faster than I'd realized I got to the end and turned to my right, a door I hadn't realized was there suddenly opened, Tobias holding it open and mutely motioning for me to join him.
Once the door was closed behind us he grasped onto my hand again, smiling brightly, it was so infectious I did the same. "These stairs are rarely used, I don't even think most Dauntless know about them. They usually take the elevators which is great because this will be the safest way for you to reach me. I'm on the fourth floor, my apartment is right next to the stairs. I picked that one specifically to prepare for your arrival. I wanted to be available to you as best as I could."
I looked up at him in surprise, when he'd said he'd worked hard to prepare for my arrival before he'd left Abnegation, he hadn't been kidding. I squeezed his hand in silent thanks and he lifted my hand up to kiss it. We reached his floor and he quietly opened the door, it opened silently as he peeked out to make sure the coast was clear. Once he was sure he pulled me out with him. Sure enough we stopped at the door literally five feet away from the stairs, he pulled me in closer, motioning for me to look at the code he input on the keypad next to his door. It lit up green and he gently pushed me in first before he closed the door behind him.
"Just to be sure you saw it correctly, it's 758134, remember it. If you ever need a place to decompress or you just need space, you can come here whenever you want. Even if I'm not here. I know you're still an initiate but this place is for the both of us, Bell."
"You're the best." I said happily with a quick hug before I pulled him behind me to look around his place. He quietly chuckled but let me look around his living room/kitchen at the front, it was sparsely decorated, only the essentials. The only thing that could be considered as extra decor would be the bookcase by the door. It was filled with books and I turned to arch a brow at him in question.
"They don't regulate the use of books here like they do in Abnegation. You'll be surprised to find that Dauntless actually has a room filled with them, it's called a Library. They let us take what we want and we can return the books that we want back. They don't really enforce anything around here, it could also be because not that many Dauntless actually take the time to read books. As you can already tell, they're more focused on their jobs and physical training." He said, shrugging his shoulders.
I saved that bit of information for a later time, maybe once I finished initiation I could get some books from the library he'd mention to put in my own place. "Right, jobs… Is training your job or is that like a volunteer thing?" I asked, wondering how he'd managed to become a trainer. I pulled him towards the back so I could take a look at his bedroom. He dropped onto his bed as he watched me take a look around his space. He only had the necessary things in here too like a drawer for clothes, the bed, a nightstand where he had a tablet and a book lying on top of it with a lamp for him to read at night before going to bed I assumed. I wondered why that was… back in Abnegation we were forced to keep things the way they were, but now he was in Dauntless. Why wouldn't he take the opportunity to decorate?
"Both I guess. I asked to be a trainer this year but it wasn't a guarantee I would get it. I work in intelligence, I do camera surveillance inside the compound and around it, it's what I do full time."
"Did you get to choose your job?" I asked, wondering if that had been something he had willingly wanted to work in.
He smiled at me and nodded, "Oh yeah, I actually finished first during my initiation year. They offered me a Dauntless leadership position but I refused. It was too high profile and I needed to remain somewhat in the shadows. Dauntless leaders are watched too closely by everyone here and so I decided to take on a job in surveillance because I figured it would make it easier for me to keep an eye on you when you came. I knew we would be sneaking around here a lot and I wanted to make sure there would be no evidence left behind. I also made friends with the head of intelligence, which happens to be one of the leaders in Dauntless. I'm technically her second in command, I oversee everyone in surveillance for her since she's always busy. Anyway I asked her to put in a good word for me so I could get the position as a trainer this year… which was good because Eric would have never let me be trainer otherwise."
I stopped what I was doing and turned to look at him in shock, blinking back the tears that wanted to spill out as I heard him speak about everything he had done to prepare for this day. It warmed my heart like no other, knowing that every step he'd taken since he stepped foot here in Dauntless had been solely with me in mind. "Tobias," I started quietly "you shouldn't have given up so much for me. I would've been fine on my own. You should've taken that leadership position if you wanted it." But even as I spoke he was already shaking his head at me.
He stood up and gently grasped onto my face with both hands, forcing me to connect my eyes with him. "No, Bell. I told you I'd be the strong one this time around. I did all of those things because I wanted to, I wanted you to transfer here and make initiation smoother for you than it was for me. I don't regret having made those decisions, Bella. I would do it all over and over again and wouldn't regret it, even if you hadn't transferred here. I love you, Bell. You've been a part of me since you were practically born and there's nothing I wouldn't do for you Little Sis." He said lovingly.
This time I couldn't stop the tears from running down my face. He was one of the only three people that could make me cry. Tobias was my world and I was so thankful the universe had sent me the bestest brother that ever existed. I pulled him to me and rubbed my face into his chest to clean my tears. He chuckled, his voice sounding gruff with his own emotion but let me do as I pleased, hugging me to him tightly as if he never wanted to let go. I could feel his own tears land on my neck as we clung to each other and I decided to move on to lighter topics to erase those tears from his eyes.
"You're a lot more muscle-y than the last time I saw you. I bet you have abs now." I said teasingly, trying to dissipate my emotional mood.
I lifted his t-shirt and barely got a glimpse of said well sculpted abs before he laughed and pulled away from me, pulling down his shirt to cover himself in the process. His reaction made me laugh and in retaliation he dug his fingers into my sides, tickling me mercilessly. I laughed even louder and tried to run away from him but he stopped me before I could, grasping onto me and lifting me off the floor before dropping me on his bed on top of him. Our laughs died down eventually and we quietly remained together lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. After we caught our breaths he shifted me to the side as he lay on his own side resting his head on his fist as he looked down at me, playing with my long tresses with his free hand.
"So this leader, Eric… he doesn't like you?" I asked for verification. I needed to know who not to trust around here, though even from our first barely there meeting I knew I shouldn't.
He released an exhausted breath before speaking. "Yes, he's not a good person, Bell. You need to stay away from him as much as possible. He absolutely loathes me and if he even catches a whiff of what you mean to me, he will make your life a living hell." He said seriously.
I frowned up at him, analyzing his worried expression. "Why does he hate you so much?" I asked in confusion. Tobias had always been quiet but kind, I never knew anyone to ever dislike him… well besides his own father. But that was something else entirely. Either way, out of the two of us I was the one people were wary of. I didn't hide my disdain towards others, I did the bare minimum when it came to putting others before myself, just enough to not call attention to myself by getting reprimanded. I knew how to toe the line well, but still, I never made an effort to talk to anyone unless I had to. So it was weird to hear that someone hated Tobias with a passion, it was an anomaly.
He rolled his eyes and suddenly looked very annoyed. "We were in the same initiation class. He was also a transfer but he had come from Erudite. At the time, Dauntless used to separate the transfers from the Dauntless born and graded them separately. He didn't like me from the beginning, we were two of the strongest transfers, but I excelled in everything while he struggled more. I tried to help him but Eric was stubborn even then. He got tired of always scoring below me and hated the fact he was always 'second best' as he liked to put it. I would've let him get first place but I couldn't. I needed to make sure I had all options available to me to make sure I could take care of you when you came. I couldn't afford to be second place, not when I had so much on the line. By the end of initiation we had both been ranked at the top, but again I bested him for the last time earning first place overall above him. He didn't hate me as much once he saw I rejected the leadership position they'd offered and he gladly took it in my place. Still, even now he likes to rub his leadership position in my face. Honestly I don't even know what his problem with me is now. I gave him what he ultimately wanted but I guess he's just a dick." He said with a frown on his face. He looked back up at me and he gave me his serious look. "You need to stay away from him, there's only so much I can do to keep you safe. You're going to have to help me out a little."
I bit my lip at that, looking away from him sheepishly.
He narrowed his eyes at my expression. "What did you do, Bella?" He asked firmly.
"Oh, nothing… you know?" I said offhandedly.
"No I don't know. It's why I'm asking." He said firmly.
"Well… I might have challenged him while we were up on the roof, but it wasn't my fault!" I quickly exclaimed as his face contorted in irritation and worry. "Tris had volunteered to go first and after she had gone he told me to go next. He said 'it was only fair for one Stiff to follow after the other'. He mocked me and he tried to get a reaction out of me like I would cry or something." I scoffed and rolled my eyes, I was a strong ass bitch. The only people that had the power to make me cry were my parents and Tobias, other than that I was a force to be reckoned with. There was no way I would ever bow down to him or anyone else in this damned place. "Anyway, I didn't give him any reaction and before I stepped off the ledge he tried to get another reaction out of me but of course, you know me. I didn't relent and I challenged him back as I stepped off the ledge." His eyes zeroed in on me and I was waiting for the lecture I knew he was more than ready to spew. "Don't overreact. He hasn't directed a single word to me or even looked in my direction since then. I'm sure he didn't take it as seriously as you're thinking." I reasoned.
"I don't know Bella. Eric never forgets, he's a silent killer. He doesn't let you know you're a target until it's too late." He said seriously, staring deep into my eyes hoping I would grasp the enormity of his words. "For now just be careful with him. Avoid eye contact and avoid him as much as possible. My first instinct is to step in the way but it'll be worse if I intervene… trust me."
I nodded in acceptance, not wanting to fight him on the subject because honestly, he knew the guy much better than I did. If he said he was bad then I had to take him on his word and listen to his warning. It was the sensible thing to do. I changed the topic of conversation to the most interesting one of all, I was silently dying of curiosity.
"Soooo…" I started as casually as I could manage. "The love of your life has suddenly popped back into your life. How does that make you feel?" I asked.
He plopped back down on his bed, throwing an arm over his face as he groaned in displeasure. "I was hoping that question wouldn't pop up."
I laughed as I watched his reaction but sat up straighter to gauge his expressions better. "Oh come on. I know your glowing little heart must have sped up at the sight of her."
He threw me an annoyed look before he spoke. "My heart didn't beat faster but I was shocked when I first got a glimpse of her. I never expected for her to come to Dauntless. You've always been so sure that she belonged in Abnegation."
I dropped down flat on his bed to join him, releasing a breath in disbelief. "Trust me. It was a big shock to me too, not even Edward had known she would defect. She caused quite a stir at the choosing ceremony… actually it was a combination of all three of us, I guess. You know Abnegation rarely defects and for it to have happened this year while all of us being direct children of Abnegation leaders was a hard blow. No one had expected that."
He looked at me thoughtfully until something crossed his features and his expression turned playful. "I'm just glad you didn't choose to go to Erudite with Edward, I was genuinely worried." He tried to say with a serious expression but he completely failed as he laughed at the thought.
I rolled my eyes, as if that would ever happen. "No, I sadly had to depart from him." I said brokenheartedly, throwing my hand dramatically over my face pretending to cry. "But we weren't meant to be. We will remain star crossed lovers for all of eternity." I cried.
He burst into laughter and pulled my hand away from my face, kissing it tenderly in the process. He pulled me into his side and I laughed with him and kissed his cheek, dropping my head down onto his shoulder. "I haven't laughed that hard since I left. I missed you more than anything, Bell." He admitted.
"I missed you too, Tassy. Being in Abnegation without you was unbearable. If it weren't for my parents I would have surely gone insane."
He frowned down at me in worry. "You never tried to make friends? You should have, Bell. Even if that friend had to be Edward." He begrudgingly admitted.
"I mean… Edward was kind of my friend, I guess..."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he felt my careless shrug, dammit, he still knew me too well. He towered over me again to analyze my expression. "Spill." He ordered. I bit my lip trying to stop the smile that was fighting to break out onto my face. "Oh no, what did you do Bella?"
"Oh you know… this and that…nothing too interesting." I said. He continued to stare at me and it didn't take me long to break. "Ok!" I yelled. "I might have… sort of… experimented with him a little." I said, wiggling my eyebrows at him and tilting my head to the side, patiently waiting for him to figure it out on his own.
His eyes widened and his mouth fell open when he finally understood what I'd meant. "You didn't…" He said in clear surprise.
I laughed at his expression and shrugged my shoulders. "I was bored without you, and suddenly my body started to get all of these urges and I couldn't resist. Though I made it clear to him that it wasn't any deeper than what it was and he accepted."
He shook his head at me and laughed, louder than I think I'd ever heard him before. His laughter boomed around us and I was forced to laugh alongside him, it was just so infectious. "You are absolutely vicious. You know very well that boy could never say no to you."
"Hey!" I complained, "I didn't force him to do anything he didn't want to do. Trust me, he got as much out of it as I did." He shook his head at me still in disbelief, but didn't say more. I watched his reaction and something about it caught my eye. "So you've never…?" I trailed off my question, not wanting to be so intrusive about it. He didn't have to answer me if he didn't want to and I would never push him. There were some things I left for him to keep to himself, though we were incredibly open with each other so that rarely happened. Still, I love and respected him and if he didn't want to talk about it then I would never ask again.
He looked away thoughtfully for so long I didn't think he would respond. I was getting ready to change the topic when he finally spoke up. "No." He said softly, "I was tempted a few times… When I ranked first after initiation a lot of women started throwing themselves at me but I didn't want to. It just seems like something special that should be saved for someone that mattered to me. Maybe it's something I kept from Abnegation, I don't really know… but I want it to happen for the first time with someone I actually care about." He said honestly.
I smiled at him tenderly, scratching the hair behind his ear lightly. I admit it surprised me that my now 20 year old friend was still a virgin, not that it was wrong or that it changed my view of him in any way but still… I guess it was a little strange to me. Then again Tobias had always been more deep and emotional in every aspect of his life so why would this be any different? And now as I really thought about it, it actually seemed on par with his character. "That's beautiful, and you should wait until you find the right person." I finally said, trying to sound as understanding as I possibly could. I didn't think of sex in the same way he did, then again maybe it was my rebellious side. Either way, sex to me was something I enjoyed doing. It's connotation didn't have the same meaning to me as it did to him but I respected it nonetheless. Then a thought suddenly occurred to me and I couldn't help but speak my mind. "Can I suggest you wait to do that with Beatrice until after initiation?" I asked, "I just think it would complicate our lives a lot more if you did."
It was meant to be a joke but he looked down at me and frowned, clearly not taking it as one. "I never said her, Bella, and her new name is Tris by the way." He added as an afterthought.
This time I succeeded at hiding my smile from him. He was still just as obsessed with her as he had been in Abnegation. I guess the two years he'd spent away from Abnegation hadn't changed that. I was tempted to poke fun of him more but as we both laid in bed I remembered what it felt like to be with him like this back in Abnegation. Like the world around us didn't exist while we were together. I snuggled up to him and cherished the time we currently had together. I knew it would be few and far between and I should take advantage of this opportunity before it slipped through my fingers.
The light from his window slowly diminished and I realized it was getting late. I hated to leave our peaceful space but knew I couldn't have everyone suspicious of my disappearance on my first day of initiation. "Alright, as much as I hate to say this, I have to go. It's late and my instructor told me to get a good night's rest before training tomorrow." I said cheekily.
He chuckled and pulled me into him tightly for a minute longer before releasing me and rolling out of bed. I did the same and he held my hand as he walked me into the hallway and led me down the stairs until we reached the bottom where he stopped again. "I'm really glad you're here, Bell… I finally feel whole again." He said sweetly.
I smiled, wrapping my arms tightly around his new muscular form. "Ditto."