Toby sure hadn't exaggerated when he said Dauntless training was brutal. Even though Tris had been training to some degree since she was 12, it had never been as intense as what the trainers put them through during initiation. The initiates conditioned, fought, shot, but through all of it, Tris learned. She learned that most Dauntless never touch the shooting arena after initiation; why would they if there was nothing for them to prove? It didn't build muscle, it just proved you could aim. She learned that no one liked to be awake before 6 am, even the soldiers on the night shift who were praised for their dedication. And she learned that even while the compound felt like a large family reunion, there were only a slim few people she would actually trust with anything of importance.

That day she had fought Myra. It was easy enough. The other girl took a few hits and went down without hitting Tris. While she stood back with the others to watch the rest of the fights, she couldn't help but feel guilty that she didn't even have a bruise to show for her fight. She wished she hurt, at least a little bit. Hurting someone weak like that without any resistance made her feel like Marcus. Made her feel sick.

Tobias and she had resorted to small, discreet touches between training events or at meals. She wasn't sure how to talk to him while keeping her secret so hidden, and it seemed like he wasn't sure how to talk to her either. Tris was just thankful he wasn't shutting her out and that he made sure to remind her of his presence and care for her. He never failed to surprise her, that was for sure.

The night after her fight with Myra, Tris was getting ready for bed with the rest of the transfers. Everyone was tired from their run earlier that night so the conversations were minimal. When she reached to pull down her covers and get into bed, a chocolate bar peaked out from under her pillow. On the back, a note.

Good job today. Our forever isn't so far away.

Tris smiled, folded the note, and tucked it into the corner of her duffle bag underneath the bunk. Where had he gotten so good at the romance stuff? Surely not in Abnegation. Were his friends giving him tips? The very idea of that was enough for Tris to chuckle under her breath. She truly didn't deserve him.

After tossing and turning for an hour after the last initiate laid in bed, Tris finally managed to settle enough to close her eyes and drift into a sort of half-sleep. What felt like moments later, the dorm lights flickered on. She sat up rapidly, glancing around at the other beds to see who had turned on the lights.

"Everybody up!"

Eric.

She suddenly was grateful that she slept fully clothed, unlike many of the initiates. As soon as it registered that their trainers were there, Tris scanned the group until she found Tobias. He stood up against the wall, glaring at other initiates who were looking around sleepily. She locked eyes with him, nodding when she saw the lack of panic in his eyes. He was telling her not to worry.

"You have five minutes to get ready and meet us by the tracks." With that, Tobias walked out and was followed by Eric, who slammed the door behind them. Tris didn't hesitate to slip on her shoes and quickly jog to catch up with them. The last thing she wanted was to get behind and be lost.

A few minutes later, Christina and most of the other transfers catch up to the group outside of the compound.

"Gosh, Tris. Aren't you tired?"

Shit. Her eagerness probably seemed suspicious to the rest of them. She was used to midnight runs and training with little sleep. They weren't. She'd need to chill before anyone got any dangerous ideas.

"Sorry, guess I was just caught up in the moment. Adrenaline, you know?"

Christina nodded, offering Tris a smile which quickly broke into a yawn. Everyone was probably too tired to notice or be suspicious of her energy. At least, she hoped that was the case. After a few moments, they were joined near the train tracks by the Dauntless born and their trainers. They carried boxes of...guns? And ammunition. Tris turned to Christina, confused, but the other girl could only offer her a shrug of her shoulders.

"Everyone, grab a gun!" Eric shouted.

Without hesitation, Tris grabbed a gun along with a box labeled 'paintballs.' She smiled at the name, realizing that this was the ammunition they would be using. It explained why the guns they picked up were heavier and larger than the ones they had practiced shooting with. Tris slung it on her back and walked back to the group, eager to find out what they were doing. A circle of light appeared as a train approached. Explanation after jumping. Typical.

Tobias was the first to jump. Hoping to catch him, Tris ran after him and jumped on, forgetting to wait for Christina. Four grabbed her hand and helped pull her up. The sight of his arm muscles caused Tris to blush as she glanced away.

"Thanks," she whispered. Toby smiled back before pulling her into a quick hug. She savored the comfort of his arms, the warmth of his body against hers. "I love you."

"I love you," he whispered before letting her go. Tris shivered from the sudden cold air but was thankful for his caution when Christina jumped into the car a moment later.

"Damn, Tris. You're fast."

A blush crept up on her face. "Thanks."

She joined Christina on the other side of the cart and waited for everyone to jump in. Tobias spoke up to explain the game they were playing. Capture the Flag. At midnight. It was such a Dauntless thing to do, Tris could only help but smile. Each day she was getting to be more and more like them. She kept her eyes and brain alert as she absorbed the rules, which were pretty straightforward, and she found herself getting more and more excited as the game was explained. She had the chance to be a part of a real Dauntless tradition.

Tris watched as Christina brought her hand up to her mouth to try and muffle another yawn which reminded her once again that these were ungodly training hours to everyone else. She needed to use that to her advantage to win the game. Tris knew that it was more than just a game, no matter how much Eric stressed it wasn't serious. It meant something to win, because victory was important. It was like having the title of first jumper. Bragging rights, she was learning, were everything in Dauntless.

Tobias and Eric began to pick their teams with Eric picking Edward first. No surprise there.

"I want the Stiff," Tobias stated confidently. Shock rippled through her. Tris figured he would pick her eventually, but why first? Wasn't that suspicious?

"Got something to prove? Or are you just picking her so you have an excuse when you lose?"

Tris flinched. As much as she knew his words weren't true, the insecure part of her mind wanted to believe them.

"Something like that."

She cringed more, only relaxing when Tobias touched the small of her back. His way of reminding her that it was just another lie. It was subtle enough to be missed by all the others, but she couldn't stop a shiver from running down her back at their sudden closeness. He was certainly being bold, but why?

Halfway through picking the Dauntless borns, Tris began to realize their different strategies. Eric consistently chose strong and broadly built people, the ones who would win a fight. Meanwhile, Four chose the small and agile people. They were the people that would be able to sneak around easily, which in a game like Capture the Flag, seemed to be everything. Smart.

Eric let Tobias's group get off first. As Tris prepared herself to jump, she felt four hands push her back and unbalance her. What she had hoped to be a soft landing ended up into a tumble. She instinctively ducked her head to curl into herself, but all she managed to do was get the breath knocked out of her as she fell. Tris gave herself a moment to regain her breath before uncurling herself. She was shaking from the impact but otherwise was in relatively good shape. A Dauntless-born stood in front of her with his hand outstretched, causing her to blush. Of course he had to be the one to watch her less than sub-par dismount.

"Rolls are pretty advanced for newbies, maybe you should wait until you're an actual member before you go trying something like that."

Tris rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, finding her footing once he helped pull her up from the ground.

"It was instinct. I couldn't really prepare myself to be pushed out, could I?" He chuckled, causing her cheeks to heat up even more. Hopefully, he wouldn't be able to see the red flush through the dark. She brushed off her pants as they walked with the group.

"True. I'm Uriah, by the way."

She looked up again, taking note of his features for the first time. He had brown skin and matching dark eyes. Handsome.

"Tris."

"I know. First jumper, the transfer who masters everything the day it's taught. It's hard to not know who you are." She blushed even more and looked down at their feet. "Plus, Four's told me a lot about you."

At the mention of Toby, her head snapped up.

"What? He has?"

Play it cool Tris, play it cool.

Weren't they staying a secret until after initiation?

"Yeah, he's pretty in love with you. He and my brother Zeke are pretty tight, so naturally, I know everything he told him," he snorted. "Four also told me to find you at school. Watch out for you, try and connect before you transferred so you knew someone other than him coming in. I never found you though."

"I, uh, I homeschooled last year. Family stuff." Sweat began to form and drip down her face. She blamed the humidity, but in reality, she knew it was the fact that Toby knew she was pulled from school. He must have more questions than he was letting on.

"Well, it's good to finally meet you," Uriah smiled, revealing two large dimples, "it must be hard for you and Four to hide everything, huh?" They had reached the back of the group but no one paid them any attention. The group was too busy arguing over different strategies.

"Yeah, I guess. It's no different from back home though, so it's nothing new." Uriah grinned before pushing Tris forward.

"Well then go talk to him while you have the chance!" She smiled over her shoulder at him before pushing through the group to find Toby once again.

(Past A/N)

Ahhh, I can't believe this is Chapter 30! That's insane...originally I planned for this story to be 40 chapters but there is no way that is going to happen. We're only halfway through! It's a good thing though because I love writing this, and I'm not ready to let go yet! You guys are awesome, thank you for all of your sweet reviews and support. It means so much to me. Stay safe!

DFTBA,

thebooktrooper