A/N
Sorry for the delay, I hadn't been able to update until today due to computer malfunctions but I wrote a big chapter to make up for it.
The last five days I've been waking up in the early hours of the morning to train on my own. The dummies and punching bags in the training room are my only and best company for hours while everyone else sleeps. I haven't been able to do it much, I have to wait for everyone in the dorms to fall asleep so I can leave without someone noticing me, only to return a couple of hours before the day starts. My body and mind are tired from the lack of sleep but at the same time I feel stronger and more awake.
I have fought three more times and although the first time the result was quite similar to my fight with Jade, for my third fight I was able to hit some good blows, which left Rita at a disadvantage. Still I know I need to do better to score more points, there is no doubt that of all the initiates I am the weakest, I guess living a life of quietness without drawing attention to myself, where most activities are considered forbidden, helped my body need much more than the others to succeed in the initiation.
I guess training while others fight in the ring is a way to keep my body constantly moving, although I no longer feel the pain of the early days, I have been pushing myself harder. I know I could do better if I had the help of someone who knows what they are doing but Four refuses to help me. Our little moment in the shooting maze is long forgotten, I can't even be sure it really happened. For the time being I will have to keep practicing alone, Uriah is too busy with council meetings to ask him to stay up all night for me. I just hope my efforts will pay off before it's too late.
Tomorrow is our first day off at the initiation, the fights are coming to an end. Layla and I will go to have dinner with the rest of the friends we have made here. Christina was very prompt in reminding me that we haven't been able to spend time together, she doesn't know that I have taken advantage of every free second to rest thanks to my thorough training. I know there is nothing wrong with what I do and that my friends know where I have come from and therefore, that I don't have the same experience as them but I don't want them to look at me with pity if I talk about how weak I feel compared to others.
"Tris, Layla hurry up hurry up" Christina is waiting for us bouncing up and down outside the training room. We walk with her to the opposite side of the dining room up some ramps that lead towards the tattoo parlor.
"Today is our ink anniversary" Christina says letting out a little squeal. We enter the studio and there are Will, Marlene, Lynn and Uriah.
"Ink anniversary?" After spending almost two weeks in Dauntless I've become used to seeing too much skin with tattoos all over it. My friends are no exception.
"Two years ago today when we arrived here, we got our first tattoos. It had been difficult days, our group of initiates was much smaller than the one you are in, so we were practically fighting every day. After crying in the halls over our muscle pain, Uriah told us that the only thing that could lift our spirits was to do something that would reaffirm the decision we had made, so we came here to get tattooed" Christina points to the flame symbol of Dauntless tattooed on her shoulder.
"Since then we decided that we would come every year to commemorate the moment we symbolically became part of the faction" says Will as he gives Christina's tattoo a small kiss.
"What are you waiting for, pick your own" Christina says to Layla and me. For a minute I freeze, tattoos are forbidden in Abnegation or at least I think they are. I've never seen anyone have them, maybe someone who has transferred but even then it's not common. You pick tattoos based on the beauty of the design and get it tattooed thinking about the part of the body where it will look best, everything about it screams vanity in volumes for Abnegation.
"Oh my goodness I've always wanted to get one, do you think they have any flower designs? No offense but I'm still not used to flames and rough stuff" Layla prances in the direction of the walls which are full of designs to choose from.
"How about you Tris, want to break a couple of rules?" Uriah has a mischievous grin, he continues to amaze me as he often seems to read my mind. "I can't" I reply without hesitation.
"Why not?" Christina pouts.
"Well, because it's not allowed" I reply.
"In Dauntles?, anything is allowed here honey" Christina shrugs her shoulders.
"I think she's talking about Abnegation love" Will smiles tenderly.
"Agh please, isn't it supposed to be forbidden there to wear any clothes that show at least an inch of skin? Pick a place where it can never be seen on you and that's it" Christina winks at me.
"Well, someone will have to see it eventually" Marlene raises her eyebrows mockingly.
Christina's eyes widen, as if remembering at this moment that I still haven't told them about Robert. Trying to divert their attention, I walk absently along the design-filled walls. Books with hundreds of tattoo options are laid out on tables. I start flipping through them and stop when I see a raven with outspread wings flying. I remember when I was a kid and my mom had to embroider for the factionless, on really hot days she would take Caleb and me to the meadow behind our compound; there she would let us run around and play like normal kids. Caleb and I would chase the crows that came down to drink water from the creek that ran by. The design makes me smile.
"Fuck them" Christina tells me "no one is going to know yet and when someone finds out what are they going to do, wipe it out?" She smiles with a mischievous grin.
I'm actually having a better time than I expected, getting tattooed would be a nice reminder of what I'm going through and Chris is right, no one would really need to know.
"Who's next?" they ask from one of the tattoo rooms.
"Hi, can you do three of these?" I ask walking into the room.
"Yeah, you got it girl!" I hear my friends shout.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
I try to move delicately while we are all seated in the dining room. I try to move my left side as little as possible, the gauze covering my chest and collarbone rubs against the tattoo area. I can't believe I did it, three crows, one for each member of my family. This is the bravest I've ever felt, so much so that I almost dare to come to dinner without a jacket, but I don't think I've reached those levels in front of so many people yet. I'm happy anyway, tomorrow we get to rest, I can take the whole day to train and sleep at a more decent hour. I'm so happy that it doesn't even affect me that Four is sitting in front of me with a frown on his face.
I made something for myself for the first time today, nothing can ruin my good mood.
"So Tris, aren't you forgetting something?" Christina gets that mischievous look again.
"What?" I answer without giving it much thought but inwardly praying that it's not the talk I'm trying to avoid.
"Don't you think you forgot to tell us all about that fiancé you have in Abnegation?" Yup, I spoke too fast, there was indeed something that could ruin my good mood….
Tobias POV
I feel patience slowly leaving my body, the last few days of training have left me exhausted and tense. Eric is over me like never before, the fights have been mostly clumsy but I couldn't help but feel uneasy that there will be a repeat of what happened a week ago in Tris' first fight. It took all my strength not to get in that ring and pull her out of there before she got hurt. I suspect Eric enjoyed the fight more than anything, but the glares he was giving me the whole time didn't went unnoticed. I realized that day that I had to be much more careful, I have to keep my promise to protect Tris but not get closer to her.
Add to that the fact that because of the same training I have not been able to take shifts in the control room, the very idea that I have not kept an eye on the Dauntless leaders and the meetings they have with the Erudite people has me on edge. Zeke has not reported any anomaly to me; at least the fact that no one has been expelled in the last few days reassures me a little, although after the next two weeks come the first cuts and then the most dangerous stage, the simulations.
Normally having a day off is a blessing, but in my case I dread the minutes ticking by for it to be tomorrow. While it has been quite some time since I learned that my mother had not actually died, it is not at all easy to have to talk to her. But two weeks ago when Zeke informed me about the two people they expelled after the simulations, I knew I couldn't extend this visit any longer. Not only to remind my mother that here in Dauntless there are those of us who care about the situation, but also to make sure personally that the two expelled are in the same condition as the others: completely oblivious to the reality in which they live and with no memory of why or how they came to be on the streets.
I try to eat in peace, knowing that after this I will take a train ride. In a place as noisy as Dauntless it is hard to find a place to think and although in here I have the perfect place, today I feel the need to go out and let the wind hit my face. I focus so the noise of the initiates doesn't disturb my peace, who told them it was right for them to sit at the same table as me?, I understand Tris sits here, my friends seem to have adopted her but the others, what does Jason have to do always glued to her?
Uriah and the others talk about their tradition of getting tattoos to commemorate their arrival in Dauntless. After all this time living here I understand how many have an addiction to needles and ink; Lynn shows a little bunny that hops when she moves her arm muscle. I don't mind the dauntless ones who have 80% of their bodies inked, but I don't understand how they can go so far as to ask to have their bodies marked with the most absurd things you can imagine. I remember a year ago when Uriah showed us the dauntless cake he had done on his leg. For me tattoos are different, they have a deep meaning. The artwork on my back is sacred to me, only Tori knows about it and that's only because she did it, no one else. Many of the girls here have tried, I know many are dying to see it and there are even bets on what it might be and how big it is, but none have succeeded. The few times I've gotten carried away I've been adamant about keeping my t-shirt on me. My tattoo and shit, my virginity is something I've held on to for four years here.
"So Tris, aren't you forgetting something?" Christina says. Eat faster and get out of here Four. I give Tris a little glance, she answers nonchalantly but I notice she's a little nervous.
"Don't you think you forgot to tell us all about that fiancé you have in Abnegation?" The entire table falls silent, someone even throws down a spoon, Fiancé, is Tris engaged?
"What?" Uriah exclaims a little too frantically for my liking. I look up slightly and Tris stares at me very briefly. She exhales defeatedly knowing Christina isn't going to drop the subject until she's satisfied and for once, I'm thankful she's my friend because honestly and much to my annoyance, this subject interests me.
"Do you have a fiancé?" Jason asks incredulously. Ha, are all three of us assholes with our hearts in our stomachs for finding out about this? Of course Tris has someone at home, for God's sake just look at her. I hadn't thought all this time that in Abnegation from the moment you become a member you can start to court, now that I know this, I don't know how it hadn't occurred to me that maybe, because of her age, she might even be married already.
"Something like that..." she answers half-heartedly. My heart pounds with a little hope, is it that she doesn't want to be engaged?
"Tell us" Christina and Marlene say at the same time, yes please Tris tell. Fuck this shouldn't affect me so much but I feel on the verge of insanity for not knowing.
"Well... in Abnegation when you become a member you are expected to get married and have children to keep the faction in motion. There are some exceptions but it's not the norm, and I, hmm, well, I'm two years past my initiation. A few months ago Robert Black came to my parents' house to ask permission to court me" I strain to keep my eyes on my plate.
"¿And?" Christina invites her to keep talking.
"My father accepted, after that Robert went to me to ask me for the same thing. It is not common in my faction to decline this kind of offer, besides as I am in my training to become a leader, well, hmm, our council members said that I had to do my best to present myself as an outstanding member of my faction, that includes having a family..." Marcus, I know well my father's ideas of what a respectable selfless person should be and do. When he thought I was going to stay in the faction he had my job, my life, my wife and my future family planned. One more reason to run out of there and never look back. Did Marcus force Tris to accept this which clearly doesn't seem to be what she wants?
"And what's he like?" Agh Christina who the fuck cares?, surely he's a dull, insipid, boring, completely correct asshole. Fuck, am I jealous of someone I don't even know? No, I have no right to feel that way.
"Self-abnegating" Tris replies bitterly. I know and I pity her, I can't imagine anyone in that faction being able to handle the fire in her eyes and spirit. I can't help but notice the irony, the only girl who has caught my attention is not from my faction and besides she is engaged to someone else, someone who doesn't deserve her. Holy fuck life is unfair.
"And this so-called engagement, what does it mean?" Jason asks her.
" Huh?" Tris whispers without much desire to continue answering this interrogation, almost the same desire I have to continue at this table listening to this.
"Do you guys have dates?" Marlene asks.
"Not really, all you do is spend time together volunteering and occasionally sharing a meal until you finish the engagement and have the marriage ceremony."
"Sounds tempting" Jason says mockingly. Idiot, he was born here, of course even without being an official member he's already had more dates and experiences than Tris could even begin to imagine.
"Yeah, not very exciting I guess..." Tris smiles but her smile doesn't reach her eyes.
"Tris tell us, what's he like?" Christina raises her eyebrows, yeap that's my cue to get out of here. I stand up and take one last look at Tris, she looks at me and I feel my heart break a little. Fuck, every little reminder that this I feel is wrong, she doesn't belong here, she's not coming to stay.
I stand on the train tracks waiting for it to come through, I don't understand why this had to happen to me, fuck it's not like I used to be the happiest person in the world but this is too much.
Tris POV
I hear the sounds of my fellow initiates starting to fall asleep. My routine has been the same the last few nights, wait for everyone to sleep and head out to one of the training rooms, practice for a couple of hours and come back to get some rest before starting the day. To say that I am completely exhausted is an understatement but it is completely worth it. I feel like my body is stronger and it shows during the workout. I think an hour goes by when a steady chorus of snoring is heard. I lie down fully clothed then I just have to quietly get out of here.
I stop for a drink of water while I wipe the sweat from my face. I've been in the punching bags for about three hours now, unfortunately I can only practice punching and knife throwing, guns I should only do that when we are all training, I figure being here at this hour is not such a big deal but I am breaking curfew, firing guns would only attract someone and then I would be in trouble.
I think I could train some more but I decide to go back to the dorm, in a few hours we will have the day off and I can go back to practice more without having to be careful. I clean up everything I used and decide to leave the bandages on my knuckles, they are stained with a little blood from the effort of my punches. In the last few days I have figured out a few ways to get to the dorms without going through the pit which is usually full of people no matter what time it is.
As it is still early I decide to take one of the long routes I have discovered, I walk through the stone halls listening only to the echo of my footsteps. I unzip my jacket a little, the tattoo I got in the afternoon still hurts when it rubs against my clothes, besides there is no one here which means I can afford to walk without covering the low-cut tank top I wear and I have discovered, it's better for training in this hot weather than the full tops I normally wear.
I walk along without really noticing until a sound of distant voices catches my attention. I am in a part of the complex that I don't recognize but I think they are the cellars that Four mentioned during the tour. My intuition tells me that I should sneak up on them, as I round one of the walls I see the doors of one of the warehouses open in the distance, people coming in and out of them carrying large containers. I can't see their contents but I can perceive that the warehouse has quite a few pieces accumulated there. A familiar voice sounds from the other side of the hallway approaching. The hallway I'm in is fortunately one of the less lit ones here, I hide more in the shadows waiting for the people walking towards the warehouse to pass.
"Anything else so far, it's been a few days since the last report of simulations here, I think we might risk testing in my compound" says a woman, I recognize her voice but can't remember from where.
"The extraction went off without a hitch, no damage control needed, so I guess we could pull one in this faction in the next few days," the voices drew closer to my hiding spot. I pressed myself against the wall, seeking refuge, even though I knew they'd only see me if they turned down my hallway—their destination seemed to be the warehouse.
"Any updates on this year's initiates?" the woman inquired again.
"Other than the fact that they're a bunch of fools? Nothing much," I recognized Eric's voice unmistakably.
"You know the signs start to show from stage two. This first stage lets us gauge which members we can recruit willingly and which ones might require a bit more, shall we say, persuasion," replied the second voice. It was Max, the other leader.
"What about the supervisor, how are we doing with that subject?" The voices are much closer, I dare to peek out a little and see them walk by, Max and Eric are walking with Janine?, what is the Erudite leader doing to be hours in another faction?, and why is she asking about the initiation, what purposes are they talking about?
"A pain in the ass I'm trying to take care of" Eric answers her, a shiver runs through my spine, they're talking about me, I'm the supervisor.
"Let her be a little more, I am particularly interested to see how she does in the second stage" Janine says in a cold manner.
The voices move away and I have to come out of my hiding place if I want to continue listening, but the last thing I hear is something about a load and count of I don't know what. I always thought the way the two factions interacted was strange, they never fight with each other like the others do, but they are not too friendly either. Now that I've seen it firsthand, I think they've always acted trying not to give away the complicity they obviously have. I don't know how much longer they are going to be in the warehouse but I think I'd better hurry so that no one here sees me.
I walked without much notice so I have no idea how to get back to the dorms from here. I start to move forward through the stone labyrinth, what interest can Janine have in me supervising the initiation of Dauntless?, and more importantly why does she wants to know how I am doing in the second stage of initiation?. I remember Four telling us that stage had to do with our fears and mastering them, but I guess I'll have to wait to find out what they want from me.
Three laughter sounds in the corner in front of me. I don't have many options, I can go back but this hall only has two exits and I wouldn't know where to go next, my only option is to meet the voices head on, there are three men and it doesn't seem that any of them are Eric or Max. I walk around trying to look confident, hopefully they are just three guys who are hanging out around the complex and don't recognize that I am part of the group of initiates, plus in the distance I can hear the sound of rushing water, which means I am close to the Chasm.
" My my, what's a stiff doing wandering the halls of a faction she doesn't belong to?" in front of me I have Peter the third ambassador of Dauntless and my least favorite one, next to him are two guys I've never seen before.
"Is this the stiff?" One of the boys asks with distaste, the other just glares at me but doesn't say anything or have the evil grin on his face that the other two have.
"Tell me stiff, are you having fun at my place?" Peter walks up to me and something in my gut tells me it's dangerous.
" Hmm, I couldn't sleep so I went out for a little walk. I'm on my way back to the dorms Peter" I tell him trying to stay calm.
"You think you can call me by my name like we're equals?" Peter comes too close to me, so close that I can feel his foul breath on my face. I recoil but his quick arm holds me roughly. "Are you going somewhere?, tell you what, why don't you stay with us for a while, so you can learn a little more about how we spend our time in this faction for fun" with his free hand Peter begins to stroke my arm, moving up from my wrist to my neck. My knees are shaking and my stomach is churning.
My gaze travels over the three faces in front of me, Peter's eyes are dark and his gaze chills my blood "Let go Peter" I try to release my grip but he only tightens it further.
"What's the matter stiff, do you like to flirt but you're afraid of what might happen next? Or do you only like it when that asshole Pedrad looks at you. I bet you fucked him already didn't you?" Peter's fingers start to travel towards my collarbone, I feel the terror start to take over me. Think fast Tris, there's no one else here, you have to save you on your own.
I recall one of the moves I've been practicing for the last few days. I plant myself steadily and raise my knee to hit Peter's stomach, the blow is not that effective but I get the shock of surprise to make him let go. I turn to run but he's faster, he pulls my hair to pull me back to his side "Where do you think you're going you idiot?, Drew grab her." One of the guys makes a tourniquet with my arms turning me around to face Peter.
"Wow stiff" Peter says laughing mischievously as he squeezes my chin '"I must confess I like it rough, how did you know, I'm shaking just imagining what you can do with that mouth..." he starts to move his face closer to mine and I can only think to spit at him. He lets out a grunt as he wipes his face and releases a slap that makes me see stars. "Fuck it, hold her" he says as he reaches for something in his jacket. My mind is racing, I'm afraid of what he might be looking for, I just hope that whatever weapon he's carrying and whatever he wants to do to me, it's quick.
Peter holds in front of me a syringe with a bright orange liquid in it "You feel flawless don't you? fuck you" Peter starts to bring the syringe closer to my neck.
"Peter stop, the liquid is not diluted" says the guy who has been staying behind all the time, I don't know what that liquid is but from the expression on his face it can't be anything good. The fear triggers me and I know I have to fight harder, I start kicking leaning my back to Drew's body who holds my arms from behind, fuck it I don't care what punishment they can put on me, I have to get out of this alive. I start screaming at the top of my lungs.
"Shut the fuck up you stiff mouth" Peter tries to get closer to me but I keep kicking as if my life depends on it. I squirm in Drew's grip and get him to let go, both of them pounce on me as I keep screaming. I see the third guy try to snatch the syringe from Peter, Peter violently pushes him away and returns to my side. Everything happens very fast, Peter hits me in the face again only this time with his fist, Drew continues to struggle with me and I feel a scrape on my left arm as I fall to the ground, my jacket is somewhere next to me torn. I kick Peter in the ankle and he lunges at me.
"Hey! What's going on here?" someone yells from the corner of the hallway, I can't stop to look who it is because Peter is all over me, syringe in hand. I catch a glimpse of the third guy running the other way. The stranger runs towards us and then I look to see who it is. He must recognize me at the same time because his face shows that he wants to kill someone.
When he is a few steps away from us I feel the prick of a needle in my neck and a cold liquid entering my bloodstream. Drew releases me and my head hits the floor, I see how Four violently lifts Peter and slams him against the wall, one of his fists hits his temple repeatedly, I'm about to try to get up when I feel it, a shiver takes over me and my body starts shaking, I feel beads of sweat everywhere and my heart stops when I hear the most tearing scream I've ever heard, Four hears it too because he turns to see me with panic on his face.
I feel my body freeze inside, my blood becomes so heavy it's hard to circulate and my heart beats faster than ever, I start to see black but I hold on to Four's face because whatever this darkness is, it's terrifying and I don't think I'll survive it if I let it consume me. The scream goes on and on and I think if I listen to it a second longer my heart will stop beating. Four rushes at me and the worry and anguish on his face frightens me, I would rather let the terror consume me than see him suffer in this way, everything goes black and the last thing I hear is the scream that will haunt me for the rest of my existence and even death.
A strange smell wakes me up. I feel as if a train has run over me repeatedly, my eyelids feel heavy and I can't open my eyes. A stabbing pain won't leave my throat. I try to concentrate on the sounds around me, everything is completely quiet, I am on a soft surface, a bed maybe, there is deep breathing near me, someone asleep, but it's only one person, I can't be in the dorms. I struggle to open my eyes and they burn as they adjust to the light from the ceiling.
When I manage to open them fully I see I'm in an infirmary room, I have my training clothes on and it doesn't look like my body is hooked up to some machine. Next to my bed in a chair is Four asleep. I try to make a sound to ask what happened but my throat is going to explode with pain. I try to clear it and the groan that comes from my effort wakes him up, he stands up with his eyes wide open and keeps looking at me.
"Tris" he says in distress, he seems to remember something and walks to a table next to the bed, he hands me a glass of water with a straw "Drink, it will help with your sore throat" I have never seen Four as worried as he looks now. I drink and although the pain is still there, the cold water soothes me enough to be able to ask what I'm doing here.
"Wh-what happened?" my voice comes out raspy and barely a whisper.
"I thought you passed out in the hallway, I brought you to the infirmary where they had to sedate you because you weren't unconscious we just couldn't get you under control. I have to let Marlene know you woke up" Four goes to turn to leave the room but without thinking I grab his hand resting on my bed stopping him.
"No. Peter!" I yell remembering what happened in the halls.
"Shh, easy" Four pulls the chair he was asleep in closer and sits down without letting go of my hand "I reported this, they are in confinement for the moment. They can't hurt you" he says as he traces circles on the palm of my hand with his fingers, the movement is almost unnoticeable but my heart starts beating to the rhythm of his caress.
"Four, someone else was in danger" I say disturbed remembering the scream I heard before I saw everything black. He gives me a strange look back "the scream, someone was screaming", his face falls but his eyes turn dark, he is angry.
"Tris" he starts to say staring at me '"No one else was screaming besides you" what?, was the scream that I heard and tore my soul apart coming from me? There must be confusion on my face because Four sighs and his face relaxes.
"Peter injected you with fear serum. It is the serum we use here for phase two of the initiation. This induces your brain to show your hidden fears however deep they are, we hook you up to a machine and we can see them in real time as they happen in your head" I feel my face go pale from remembering the cold and anguish I felt with the serum, how they subject initiates this for over a month? Four must imagine what I am thinking because he quickly clarifies what he said.
"Tris, the serum we use is diluted. This way the fear doesn't consume you and allows you to work through it to overcome it. What Peter did is unforgivable, he injected you with pure serum" his face hardens again and I feel his hand clench mine. "Tris that was very dangerous, you could have died. The human body is not designed to withstand that kind of fear. If I-if I hadn't gotten there in time... you could have had a heart attack. We had to sedate you to stop the serum." Four closes his eyes and sighs. I understand what he's saying, I understand how dangerous my situation is and the danger I was in but right now it seems like the only thing that's important to me is reassuring him.
"Thank you" I squeeze his hand and try to let my eyes show how grateful I am that he found me. We spend I don't know how many minutes looking into each other's eyes, but a thought stops by his.
"What were you doing walking the halls at that hour Tris?" he doesn't look angry, just concerned. The reality is that Four saved my life, the least I can do now is be honest with him.
" Hmm. The last few days I h-h-have been training on my own in the wee hours of the morning" now that I say it out loud I feel a little embarrassed. Four raises an eyebrow as if he doesn't understand what I'm telling him. "You heard Eric, even though I'm not an officially initiated, I have to achieve a place in the rankings in order to continue here."
"Is it really important for you to investigate this faction Tris?, is it all worth it?" his look seems almost pleading, as if he's trying to tell me that there's nothing above my well being.
"It's my job, I've fought hard for this. I can't give up just because of a few bumps and bruises" I suddenly feel angry. I know Four thinks I'm nothing but an abnegation weakling and that's why he doesn't even bother to give me any advice on how to improve. But I can do it, I know it and I've seen it in the last few days.
"It's not just a few bumps and bruises. Fuck Tris you almost died today and for what?, because you pissed off the wrong people, why did you decide to come to where you don't belong?" Four stands up with a red face, his breathing is agitated.
"I didn't die, thank you for that, but I can't stop now that I got here. This is bigger, more important than what can happen to me." I see red, I know he doesn't want me here but he has no right to decide for me what I can or should do. "I know this isn't my place Four" I laugh sarcastically "but it's my friends home, it's the home of innocent people and if I can do anything to make their home a better place I'll be damned if I don't."
"What do you think you can do to fix what's going on here if you can't stand up for yourself? FUCK!" Four kicks the chair knocking it over.
The living room curtain moves revealing Marlene who is wide-eyed "What's going on here? She asks us both.
"Nothing!" We both reply at the same time.
"Tris, are you feeling okay? Maybe the effects of the sedative are keeping you a little groggy but it will wear off throughout the day" I just nod unable to open my mouth for fear of continuing to yell at Four. "Four, there are more patients here, maybe you'd better step back. As soon as a few more hours pass we will discharge Tris" she tells him disapprovingly, he just drops his shoulders and looks down at the floor crossing his arms.
"No, I'm sorry Marlene. It won't happen again. Tris is part of my initiate group technically. I will stay until she is discharged" Four picks up the chair and places it back next to my bed. Marlene looks at him not very convinced and then looks at me as if asking me if I'm okay with this. I just snort.
"I'll be at the front desk, I know this is an infirmary but please try not to kill yourselves, we don't want to waste resources" she smiles at me one more time and leaves the room. Four takes a seat again and turns to look at me, I look away unable to meet his eyes.
A few minutes pass when I hear a snort, I look up at him and he's smiling "You got a tattoo" he says pointing to the crows on my chest. I had forgotten Drew and Peter ripped off my jacket. "My family" I tell him and he nods.
"Not a very abnegated thing to say, what are you going to do when someone sees them?" he asks wryly.
"No one will see them, we stiffs wear giant clothes and this area" I say pointing to my tattoo "is always covered" he snorts. "Someone will see them" he says hatefully, I know he means Robert, I don't forget his face when Christina mentioned during dinner my engagement. I know he perceives me as a weak person, but I couldn't help but be a little heartbroken when he frowned as if to him it was disgusting or unbelievable that someone would want to be with me.
"No one will see them" I say forcefully, not that it's any of his business but I feel the need to let him know that I have no plans for Robert to see my tattoos.
"If that's what you think" he snorts.
"It's what I know" I tell him sharply.
Four drops his face in his hands, sighs and after a few minutes says "alright, I'll help you" I just raise an eyebrow not knowing what he's talking about.
"The reality is that for the past few days you haven't been doing as bad as you did in the beginning. If you are determined to pass the initiation I will help you. I'm not supposed to but technically you're not my initiate, I'll help you with training" he says scratching the back of his neck.
"Thank you" is all I can say to him, I don't want to fight anymore. Not today, not with him...
A/N
Well, they already had a fight, they already made up ( kind of) let's see what's next for these two...
I want to take this space to thank gabri14 for leaving me comments saying nice things about this story. Thank you thank you thank you :)