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"What are we doing here?" Tris whispers to Tobias as he guides her into one of the fear simulation rooms. She'd been on her way back to the dorm from dinner when he motioned for her to follow him. She made sure no one saw her. She assumed they would go to her father's place, but she quickly realized that wasn't where they were going.
Tris feels her palms get sweaty when they enter the fear simulation room. She's shocked when she sees her father standing there behind the computer.
"Daddy," Tris says with a big smile as she crosses the room to greet Max.
"Hi sweetheart" Max pulls her into a hug. He didn't want to let go, he loved hugging her and seeing her smile. With not having Natalie with him, he still felt close to her when he was with his daughter.
"Is something wrong?" she asks nervously.
"Sweetheart, we know you're divergent," Max says bluntly.
Tris' eyes go wide, and she feels her stomach drop.
"It's okay, you don't have to be afraid," Tobias tells her putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Mom told me not to tell anyone…" Tris says nervously.
"Your mother told me a few weeks ago," Max confesses.
She looks at Tobias, and he nods hoping to put her at ease.
"Amar and I looked at your footage from your fear simulation, we can see you're divergent…," Tobias explains.
"We need to teach you how to hide it in case anyone else looks at your fear simulations" Max continues.
"Who would be able to do that?" Tris asks, feeling the nervousness bubble up inside her again.
Max sighs and motions for her to sit down.
Tris wipes a tear away as Max tells her about his part in Erudite's plan to use divergent people for their experimentation.
"Is it strange that I understand why you did it?" Tris tells him after processing all the information. She wanted to be angry and hurt but she could see the embarrassment and hear the regret in Max's voice as he spoke.
Max lets out a sigh of relief at his daughter's words.
"I promise you; I am going to keep you safe and stop whatever Erudite is planning" Max vows.
"I trust you, Daddy," Tris tells him and hugs him. "How are you going to teach me how to hide it?"
"That's why Four is here" Max smiles.
Tris whips her head around and looks at Tobias with wide eyes.
"You too? Why…didn't…" Tris stammers and then she remembers the night after his aptitude test, Marcus coached him on the answers, but he said he felt different. She can't believe she didn't remember it until now.
Tobias smiles as Tris throws her arms around him. Max watches the two of them. He'd wondered about his daughter's relationship with Four, but he could see it clear as day now. They cared for each other.
"You can do this, If I could you, can too" Tobias encourages her.
Tris takes a deep breath; she always feels comforted by his presence. For a moment she thinks about Lynn, should she feel that way with her? She pushed those thoughts out of her mind, right now she had to focus, and she was glad Tobias and her father were there to help her.
Everyone is on edge after facing their fears. Tris is shocked when her rank increases as she learns to work through her fears quickly. She never thought she would be ranked number one over Edward. He was the strongest physically, but the fear simulations were taking a toll on him. Watching Andrew beat Caleb and Natalie while she watched helplessly was the fear that made her an emotional mess each time. Her fear of holding on to Max after Jeanine shot him shook her to her core. The fact that she only had six fears was also impressive and Max was so proud as he watched from afar.
"Hey Myra, are you okay?" Tris asks as she comes out of the shower. She'd gone to the training room to let off some steam after the latest round of simulations and everyone else had gone to the commissary before dinner. She told Christina she would catch up with them after her shower.
"Yeah, Sorry I didn't know anyone else was in here," Myra says quickly wiping the tears away from her face.
Tris throws on her clothes and goes to sit next to Myra on her bed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Tris asks, seeing she was still upset.
"This is so much harder than I ever thought it would be…I just don't know how much longer I can do this" Myra whispers her voice cracking as the tears start to fall again.
"Just hang in there" Tris encourages and gives her knee a squeeze.
"Tris, thanks…" Myra tells her with a sniffle.
"Anytime" Tris smiles but she felt like Myra wanted to tell her more be she's interrupted when Uriah and Lynn come to find her to take her with the Dauntless Born ziplining after dinner. Tris smiles when Uriah convinces Christina to tag along too.
Tris had never felt so free flying across the city looking. It had been a good night with Uriah taking the opportunity to talk to Christina since Will wasn't there and Tris was able to spend more time with Lynn.
"Why do you like me?" Tris asks Lynn honestly as they walk hand in hand slowly toward the dorm when the group gets back from ziplining.
"Because you're different. You have this thing where you aren't trying to be the bravest, but you are, like you are trying to change the world" Lynn says trying not to smile as they stop in the same alcove they did the night they first kissed.
Tris tries not to smile but she can't help herself, Lynn seemed to be the first person who wasn't Tobias or Uriah that got her. Lynn leans over and presses her lips against Tris' mouth. Tris moans lightly when Lynn pushes her tongue inside her mouth and warps her arms around her hips.
"I like kissing you," Tris says boldly after Lynn pulls back.
"I like kissing you too" Lynn chuckles.
After a few more kisses, they say goodnight, knowing that it would be another day of fear landscapes in the morning.
Tris is smiling as she walks into the Transfer dorm. Lynn made her feel great, it was nice that she had an outlet from all the stress of initiation. She slides quietly into her bunk wondering how she was going to fall asleep since she was so wound up from ziplining and kissing Lynn. She's about to lie down when suddenly she sees movement on the other side. She sees an arm raised in the air.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Tris yells.
"What the fuck" Edward yells waking up.
"What going on?" Will calls out hearing all the commotion.
"Myra don't" Tris yells too late as Myra plunges the butterknife into Edward's eye socket.
He lets out an anguished scream of pain as chaos descends on the dorm.
"You said you loved me; we need to leave; you won't leave unless they kick you out" Myra wails as she goes to jab the knife deeper. Will moves as fast as he can and grabs Myra pulling her off of Edward.
"Somebody get some help" Tris screams as she runs over and tries to hold Edwards's head still.
"Christina, grab me a towel," Tris asks.
"Get it out, Get it out" Edward screams.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry but try and hold still," Tris tried to soothe him.
Uriah and Lynn, and a few of the other Dauntless born come in looking at the scene before them.
"Lynn, I'm going to get my mom," Uriah tells her and then sprints out of the room.
"A little help here" Will grunts as Myra continues to struggle against him sobbing hysterically. Lynn rushes over to grab one of her arms and tries to get Myra to calm down while Christina kneels and tries to help Tris keep Edward still.
"I should have never come here, what did I do?" Myra wails.
Tris breathes a small sigh of relief when Hana rushes into the room and Uriah slumps against the wall breathing hard. Uriah had run as fast as his feet could carry him. He ran to the infirmary first and thankfully his mother was there checking on a patient and then she sent him to radio Tobias and Max while she grabbed a few supplies.
Tobias and Max had been going over a schematic of the city when Uriah called over the emergency radio to all the leaders.
"Help me hold him still while I remove the knife," Hana says calmly to Christina. "Tris go get me more towels"
"What's his name?" Hana asks Christina.
"Edward," Christina says with a shaky voice. Myra was still wailing when Max and Tobias rush into the room.
Tris scrambles and does as she's told, her heart beating wildly. She'd dressed the wounds inflicted on Tobias and Caleb by Marcus and Andrew many times, but nothing had ever been this bloody.
"Edward, I'm going to help you, but I need you try and stay still for me" Hana soothes.
"Please, it hurts" Edwards sobs.
"Okay Edward, on three, one, two" Hana warns but before she gets to three yanks the knife out and quickly covers his face with the towel Tris hands her.
"Max, we need to get him to the infirmary quickly," Hana tells him.
Max nods kneeling with the two folding chairs Hana had instructed him to find and grabs the bed sheets off a bed to fashion a makeshift gurney. Max instructs Uriah and another Dauntless born to help carry Edward to the infirmary.
Tobias comes in with Stacy, Harrison, and Chavis just as Edward is being carried out.
"What the hell happened?" Chavis asks as he surveys all the blood on the floor.
"Myra just attacked Edward with a fucking butterknife" Christina blurts out and Will pulls her in for a hug.
"Harrison, make sure they put the girl who stabbed him in a cell" Max instructs.
"God, would it have killed you to help out" Christina snaps to the other initiates in the dorm standing around.
"Where did she go?" Tris asks, looking around at who was still in the room and noticing Myra wasn't there.
Tris walks out of the dorm as Hana follows behind the makeshift gurney, muttering that she hoped she could save Edward's eye. Tris felt like she needed to do something. She felt like she did after Andrew would deliver a beating to Caleb or she would find Tobias passed out and bleeding. She didn't feel right leaving Edward, maybe if she was there for encouragement, it would help him in some kind of way.
Harrison, Chavis, and Stacy were following her, discussing that Myra couldn't have gotten far. When they round the corner to walk across one of the many ledges that overlooked the chasm, Tris stops dead in her tracks.
"Hey Stacy, Harrison, I could use some help," Tobias tells them slowly as they approach him looking at Myra who still had blood all over her hands and looks at Edward on the makeshift gurney as it passes by and then takes a step toward the ledge.
"What's her name again" Stacy whispers.
"Myra" Tris tells her. Stacey motions for Tobias to back away as she and Tris walk closer keeping their hands up to let Myra know they didn't mean her any harm.
"Hey Myra, it's okay, just walk back over here and we can talk," Stacy tells her gently.
"Remember earlier today when we talked, I'll listen" Tris assures her.
"You don't understand, I can't go back, they won't let me just let me be factionless and disappear" Myra sobs and stops moving.
"That's it" Stacy coaxes as Myra turns around slowly and looks at Tris.
Tris sees the dead emotionless look in her eyes. Myra looks down at her bloodied hands that were shaking, and tears spill down her cheeks.
"They're coming for you; you need to be ready," she says cryptically while looking at Tris.
Without looking at anyone else, Myra turns back to the chasm and throws herself over the side.
"Nooooo," Tris and Stacey scream at the same time as they both run to the ledge but all they see is the swirling water of the river.
"Oh my God," Tris says her breath heavy as tears fall from her eyes.
"Damn," Stacey says shaking her head as Harrison puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Can we go down to look for her?" Tris asks as Tobias pulls her into a hug and moves her away from the ledge.
"Tris, no one can survive that fall," he tells her quietly.
All thoughts that Tris had of going to visit Edward are gone after watching Myra jump. Tobias could tell she was shaken up and he suggested she go back to the dorm to take a shower and change her clothes.
Christina and Will sit stunned as Tris tells them about Myra.
Tris and Christina scrub their hands in the sink, feeling void of emotion as the blood drains down the sink. Tris couldn't get the hopeless look Myra had on her face out of her mind. She looks down at her clothes as she reaches for the towel, not looking in the mirror. Even though she would sneak to use the mirror at school to style her hair, the gut instinct to not look was still there. She looks down at her clothes and sees that Edward's blood was still there.
"Are you okay?" Christina asks causing her to focus.
"I have no idea…. that was…I just…" Tris speaks finding a hard time finding the right words.
"Me either, everyone keeps walking around the puddle of blood on the floor. I don't think I can sleep in here tonight; it's giving me the creeps"
Tris nods she felt the same way. She wondered if she could go to her Aunt Hana's or to her father's, but she really wanted to go to Tobias.
She and Christina shower and Tris lets the hot water run over her and beat on her shoulders. She was still shaken up. She couldn't get the images of Edward and Myra out of her mind. When she comes out, she sees Christina and Will grabbing their blankets and pillows.
"Where are you going?"
"Sleepover with Dauntless Borns. They have extra beds. No one was feeling staying here tonight"
Tobias, Max, Stacy, Harrison, Chavis, and Victoria were now all standing outside the Dauntless Born dorm when Tris, Christina, and Will walked outside the door. Lynn comes up and wraps her arms around Tris in a hug.
"Are you hurt?" Lynn asks, looking over her when she pulls back and rubbing her hands up and down her upper arms. Tris shakes her head no. They turn around when Max speaks.
"We know it's been a long and eventful night; you all will have the day off from training tomorrow as we celebrate Myra's life," Max tells the group as the Dauntless Borns gather in the doorway to hear what was being said.
"How's Edward?" Tris asks and Lynn squeezes her shoulders.
"He's being worked on; they've removed the knife, but the medical staff is trying to stop some bleeding."
"Are you okay? Stacy told us how you tried to help Edward and stop Myra from jumping" Max asks Tris.
"I'm exhausted," she tells him honestly.
Max resists the urge to lean in and place a kiss on his daughter's forehead. Lynn was keeping close to Tris, but Tris nods her head to Tobias and steps a few steps away where he follows.
"I need to tell you what happened…" Tris whispers to Tobias.
He nods and motions to Max.
"Tris, would you mind coming with us? I want you to write a statement while it's fresh in your mind" Tobias says for everyone to hear.
"Good thinking Four, Tris, this would be a big help. It's standard procedure" Max adds.
"While you handle that Max, I'll get maintenance to clean up the transfer dorm" Stacy confirms.
"We'll have a crew get started on the search and recovery for the body" Chavis adds.
Tris nods and moves toward Tobias.
"You want me to come with you?" Lynn asks Tris as people start to move.
"I'm fine" Tris reassures her as she walks with Tobias.
Lynn stands there watching but doesn't miss when Tobias puts her arm around her. Tris had told her there was nothing going on between them, but she just wasn't sure.
Tris is relieved when they get to Max's apartment, and he folds his arms around her and places a kiss on her forehead. She felt so safe and secure with him.
"How are you holding up?"
"That was…I should have known something was off between the two of them, but they were a couple, so I just thought it was some kind of relationship drama"
"A couple?" Max asks, he knew where the transfers came from but not any personal details.
"Yeah, from Erudite…" Tobias confirms speaking slowly and things start to click.
"Myra kept saying, I can't do this anymore, earlier tonight before we went ziplining she was alone in the dorm, crying saying this was harder than she thought it was going to be. I just thought she was talking about initiation. But right before she jumped, she said, they're coming for you, be ready"
"She was a plant" Max reasons cursing himself that he didn't think to do a deep dive on each Erudite transfer.
"Did she say anything else?" Tobias asks.
Tris closes her eyes and thinks.
"Something about she couldn't go back, and they wouldn't just let her be factionless…oh my God. I've been so wrapped up in the fear simulations I forgot…" Tris exclaims and her eyes pop open.
"What?" Tobias asks.
"The party after Visiting Day…Lynn and I walked back, and Myra and Edward were arguing. Myra wanted to quit, and Edward didn't want to. She was saying that she wasn't going to make it and they hadn't learned anything. Something about someone not being able to help them…"
Tobias and Max look at each other. This was the first clue they had about who Jeanie's plant was.
"Think sweetheart, did they say a name" Max coaxes.
Tris closes her eyes again focusing. "Eric"
"That son of a bitch" Tobias snaps standing up and putting his hands on his hips.
"Who is he?" Tris asks, noticing how Tobias reacted.
"He was in my initiation class, and he's a creep"
Tris shivered; all this made her uncomfortable. People were watching her, and she didn't like not knowing who they were.
"Do you think he was the one that kidnapped the people on your list?"
"Strong possibility, but we don't know if he's the only one. We need to keep an eye on him. "
"Four have you been able to find anything else on Andrew's computer?"
"No, but I think we need to find a way to be able to communicate with Caleb. He's our best chance at getting any information once initiation is over"
"Agreed. You and Zeke get back here tomorrow after dinner, I want a surveillance plan for Eric"
Tobias nods as he gets up to walk to the door.
"And Baby Girl" Max calls to Tris when she stands up and looks at him with raised eyebrows. Others might find it silly, but she loved it when Natalie and Max called her that, it made her feel special and loved.
"I heard you're ranked first now, I'm proud of you," Max tells her with a smile.
Tris stands a little straighter and beams up at him. She gives him another hug before they leave. In the weeks she had gotten to know her father, the support and pride from him, made her feel like she could conquer the world.
"You okay?" Tobias asks Tris as they walk toward the elevator.
"Yeah, just exhausted, it's been a lot today" Tris admits.
"Let's get you to bed" Tris yawns and agrees.
When they get inside the elevator, she grabs his hand and squeezes.
"I miss you" Tris sighs as they walk down the path toward the dorms. There was noise of the people yelling down in the chasm, Tris assumed it was the crew trying to find Myra's body. Tobias notices her frown.
"Hang in there, you're almost done. And then we can hang out every day, except now we don't have to pretend not to laugh and can be loud if we want"
Tris giggles at his statement.
"I'm really proud of you, ranking 1st"
"Thanks. Is it selfish that I feel happy about being ranked first now even after everything that happened tonight?" she asks, looking up at Tobias as they stop just outside the dorm.
"No, you earned this. I know we've been taught not to think that way but nothing about this initiation is easy. I think it's wrong when all you care about is the win, being first, and stepping over people to get it. But being proud of yourself because you worked hard and accomplished something, there's nothing wrong with that." He tells her honestly.
Despite the events that had happened, Tris was really feeling like she belonged in Dauntless. She hugged Tobias one last time, she thought she was done keeping secrets when she left Abnegation. Now with a war coming, she felt like this was only the beginning.
