A/N: I know I said I wouldn't be able to update for a few days, but I had some time on my hands, I started this chapter yesterday and it's slightly shorter than chapters 1-3. Please review! I am running low on ideas.
I wake up the next day in Tobias' arms, a smile tugging at my lips as I open my eyes. Last night, after Tobias proposed, we'd decided to say goodbye to the world for a while and leave, just the two of us. We needed some alone time, especially after all the chaos that had been going on around us.
Today we're going to begin training the new batch of transfer initiates. I'm looking forward to it, though I hope there's an Abnegation transfer this year. We haven't had one since me and I want to see if anyone from my former faction will make the brave choice to join Dauntless. I think back to my own initiation, how nervous I was, how completely out of place I felt.
In previous years, the initiates have called me Seven, but this year they'll call me Six. It's a small shift, but a symbolic one.
"Tobias," I murmur softly, brushing my fingers over his hand. His body is warm against mine, but he doesn't stir. "Tobias," I repeat, louder this time, my voice more insistent.
Still, nothing. He mumbles in his sleep and rolls over, unwinding his arms from around me. A mischievous grin spreads across my face as an idea forms in my mind, one that makes my heart race with excitement.
I slip out of bed quietly, throwing on some clothes—a pair of tight black leggings and a tank top—hoping they'll make me appear more intimidating, though I know I'm still only four feet and three point nine inches tall. It's hard to feel truly intimidating when you're this short, but I'll give it a shot.
I glance over at Tobias. He's still deeply asleep, his face relaxed and peaceful, a soft breath escaping his lips. He looks so much younger when he sleeps, almost vulnerable. I take a moment to simply watch him. But then, focusing on the task at hand, I grab the creepy doll Tobias gave me for my last birthday as a joke. He'd handed it to me before revealing my real present—an incredibly beautiful necklace with a Ferris wheel bejeweled with colored crystals on a rose gold chain. The doll, however, still sits on my shelf, a reminder of Tobias' strange sense of humor.
The doll is almost as big as me. Its hair is tangled, blonde, and matted, and its two eyes are different colors—one blue and one brown. The blue one is far larger than the brown, making it even creepier. The eyes are made of glass, with an eerie, glazed-over look. Its long, black eyelashes only add to the unsettling effect, and its cheeks are unnaturally red, almost like a doll version of a clown.
I pull the doll softly across the floor and place it gently in Tobias' arms. I make sure the doll's creepy eyes are facing him, and then I call his name softly, getting louder with each repetition.
"Tobias," I say again, my voice growing more insistent as I try to rouse him from his slumber.
He stirs, and I see his hand start to move as though he's waking up. He begins stroking the doll's hair, thinking it's me. I stifle a laugh, watching him half asleep, and call his name again.
"Tobias," I say, now with a playful, teasing edge to my voice.
"Tris," he mumbles, still half-dazed, leaning in to kiss me. His eyes open slowly, but when they land on the doll, his face pales. He jumps back, almost falling off the bed. A strangled yell escapes his lips as he scrambles to the other side of the bed, gasping for air.
"Don't do that!" he yells, his voice a mix of shock and half-laughing frustration. He looks at me, still breathing heavily. "What the hell, Tris?"
I can't help but burst into laughter, clutching my sides as I try to contain myself. Tobias, still wide-eyed and recovering from the scare, shoots me an accusing glare. "You weren't waking up," I say, smirking. "We have to train initiates today, remember?"
Tobias groans, throwing the covers off and swinging his legs out of bed. "I'm going to get you back for this," he mutters under his breath as he stands and starts getting dressed.
I check my watch, my eyes widening. "&!#%! We have twenty minutes until the initiates arrive!" I exclaim. Grabbing a hairbrush from the nightstand, I quickly pull my hair into a loose braid.
"What do you want for breakfast?" Tobias asks, still adjusting his shirt. "I'll grab us something before they get here."
I smile gratefully, "Would you? I'm starving."
"Anything for my fiancée," he says with a smile, looking over at me with those dark eyes that I've come to love more and more every day.
I raise an eyebrow, "Even though your fiancée almost made you kiss a freaky doll?"
I bat my eyelashes, putting my arms around his neck and pulling him down for a quick kiss. When we break away, he smiles again, shaking his head in mock exasperation.
"Waffles?" he asks, his tone playful.
I nod eagerly. "Yes, please. Are Lauren and Christina taking the Dauntless transfers again this year?"
Tobias nods, still holding my gaze, "Yeah. They'll take the Dauntless-borns. We've got the transfers again."
"We have to get going!" he exclaims, quickly planting a soft kiss on my forehead before dashing off to get our breakfast.
I smile after him before heading toward the net.
A few minutes later, I'm standing by the net, waiting. Tobias is just arriving with the waffles, right in the nick of time. He hands me one dripping with maple syrup, and I smile up at him. But before I can take a bite, a flash of blue catches my eye. The first jumper has just landed in the net.
Tobias grabs the initiate with ease, pulling him out of the net. "Just out of curiosity," Tobias begins, his voice calm but firm, "Why did you jump first? It's almost always a Dauntless-born."
The Erudite transfer looks at Tobias as if the answer is the most obvious thing in the world. His voice is condescending but calm. "It would be illogical to make all the initiates jump to their doom," he says matter-of-factly. "The Dauntless population would go extinct."
Tobias doesn't miss a beat. He simply looks at the transfer for a long moment before responding, his voice low but firm. "Fair enough," Tobias says. "But you're going to have to leave your Erudite traits behind. You're Dauntless now. Got that?"
The Erudite transfer nods, looking slightly taken aback.
"What's your name?" Tobias asks.
"Ryan," the transfer replies.
Tobias turns to me then, a small grin tugging at his lips. "Care to do the honours?"
I smile back, stepping forward, and in my best instructor voice, I shout, "First jumper, Ryan!"
The Dauntless members around us cheer loudly. Ryan stands proudly, moving to stand next to them. A few moments later, another jumper falls into the net, a loud cheer ringing out as a Dauntless-born takes their turn.
Over the next ten minutes, the initiates continue to fall one by one—10 Dauntless-borns, 4 Candor, 3 Erudite, 1 Amity, and, to my delight, an Abnegation transfer.
The last jumper lands with a thud, and I hear someone call, "Last jumper, Vérité!"
I think "Vérité" means "Truth" in French, which strikes me as fitting. She seems to be one of those people who speaks her mind, no matter the consequences, she was Candor after alll.
Tobias steps forward, his voice cutting through the chatter of the initiates. "Listen up!" he calls, his voice commanding attention. "Dauntless-borns over there!" He points to Lauren and Christina. "Transfers here! Move!" The initiates scramble to obey, their fear evident in their movements.
Once things settle down, Tobias starts his usual routine. "We will be your instructors for initiation. My name is Four, and this is…" He looks at me, asking if I want to be known as Seven or Six.
"Six," I say, sharing a secret smile with Tobias.
"Which instructor is Five?" asks the last jumper smirking.
"I am sorry," I begin, "But do you have a problem with our names?" I continue while advancing on the now cowering Vérité.
Shakes her head, trembling all over. I stare at her in the eye for a few more seconds then take a step back.
"Next person who can't control their smart mouth stands in front of a target while a throw knives at them!" I shout, "Either that or hang over the chasm by their hands until we say stop! Got that?"
All the transfers nod, most looking petrified. They are much easier to scare than the initiates from previous years. Or maybe I am just more intimidating.
Some of this year's batch don't seem very nice. It's a shame none of them will be cut. Last year Tobias and I went to Max to protest against cutting the initiates. We argued for hours and eventually made a compromise. He agreed to stop cutting initiates if initiation was made longer - 5 months rather than one.
Tobias and I argued that this was far too long, but Max insisted that if there was no cuts then he wanted every single initiate to be up to scratch and we gave in.
Another problem with initiation being so long is that we can only work in our other jobs 7 months a year - Tobias in the control room and me as a city police officer.
Tobias continues with the routine tour of the Dauntless compound.
During dinner a minor fight breaks out among the initiates. The smart mouth Candor transfer, Vérité, and a couple of others start picking on the only abnegation transfer, Nicholas.
"So why'd you pick Dauntless, Stiff?" says Vérité.
Nicholas mumbles something under his breath that I didn't catch.
"What's that, Stiff? Why did you choose Dauntless? You'll never belong here. You might as well get used to that fact." she spits.
"What's that, Candor?" I say threateningly, "To me it looks like you are the one who doesn't belong here. In Dauntless we don't tolerate bullying. It's cowardly. You got that?"
Vérité nods and puts her head down, blushing scarlet.
Dinner continues without any more trouble from her and when everyone has finished eating we show the transfers to their dormitory and head back to our apartment, hand in hand.
We have been hiding our feelings for each other all day, not wanting our relationship to get in the way of training and I am wearing my engagement ring on my index finger rather than my ring finger until the initiates realise. It's been torture watching initiates flirt with my fiance and I can tell he does not enjoy watching me being messed with either.
As soon as the door closes we make up for not being able to be more than colleagues for the majority of the day.
A/N: This chapter was a bit shorter than the previous ones, sorry. I feel that my story is becoming almost identical to other Divergent no-war stories. What do you want to read about? Please help me!
Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent. The Divergent Triology belongs to Veronica Roth.
