Christina turns a black stone over and over in her hand as we walk. It takes me a few seconds to realize that it's actually a piece of coal, from the Dauntless Choosing Ceremony bowl.
"I didn't really want to bring this up, but I can't stop thinking about it," she says.
"That of the ten transfer initiates we started with, only six are still alive."
Ahead of us is the Hancock building, and beyond it, Lake Shore Drive, the strip of pavement I zip lined over.
That memory is long gone.
We walk the cracked sidewalk side by side, our clothes smeared with Edward's blood, now dry.
Edward, not exactly a friend of mine, but still a human, and the boy in Will and I's self defense classes.
Was he the most talented transfer initiate ? Physically,Yes. But I'm not sure if he'd make it through the second or third phase.
Though I see no reason that he wouldn't .
"And of the nice ones," Tris says, "it's just you, me,(Y/N) and . . . Myra, probably."
I remember Myra. When I told her to pretend to be unconscious and she did .
She would make a great Amity or Erudite.
Probably not best for Dauntless.
A set of doors to the Hancock building are already open, dangling from their hinges. Uriah said that he would come here early to turn on the generator, and sure enough, when I touch my finger to the elevator button, it glows through my fingernail.
"Have you been here before?" I say as we walk into the elevator.
"No," Christina says. "Not inside, I mean. I didn't get to go zip lining, remember?"
"Right." I lean against the wall.
" You should try to go before we leave." Says Tris.
"Yeah." She's wearing red lipstick. It looks good on her.
"Sometimes I get where Evelyn's coming from. So many awful things have happened, sometimes it feels like a good idea to stay here and just . . . try to clean up this mess before we get ourselves involved in another." She smiles a little.
"But of course, I'm not going to do that," she adds. "I'm not even sure why. Curiosity, I guess."
"Have you talked to your parents about it?" Tris asks.
I chew on my bottom lip. I haven't seen my parents yet.
Of course I've looked for them. And I've also asked Peter to look for them. He said he will. But he Is busy.
"They have to look after my sister," she says. "They don't know if it's safe out there; they don't want to risk her."
"But they would be okay with you leaving?"
"They were okay with me joining another faction. They'll be okay with this, too," she says. She looks down at her shoes.
"They just want me to live an honest life, you know? And I can't do that here. I just know that I can't."
The elevator doors open, and the wind hits us immediately, still warm but woven with threads of winter cold. I hear voices coming from the roof, and I climb the ladder to get to them.
Uriah and Zeke are there, throwing pebbles off the roof and listening for the clatter when they hit the windows. Uriah tries to bump Zeke's elbow before he throws, to mess him up, but Zeke is too quick for him.
"Hey," they say in unison when they spot Christina and me.
"Wait, are you guys related or something?" Christina says, grinning.
They both laugh, but Uriah looks a little dazed, like he's not quite connected to this moment or this place.
I get it, even though I have not lost my significant other, I have lost my best friend. Childhood best friend.
Will, Fernando,Al....
Will.
Fernando.
Al.
The thoughts come back pretty quickly.
I clench my jaw. I should stop these thoughts. Think rationally.
There are no slings on the roof for the zip line, and that's not why we came.
The others are quiet too. I wonder if we're all thinking the same thing.
"What do you think's out there?" Uriah finally says.
Zeke just shrugs, but Christina ventures a guess. "What if it's just more of the same? Just . . . more crumbling city, more factions, more of everything?"
"Can't be," Uriah says, shaking his head.
"There has to be something else."
"Or there's nothing," Zeke suggests. "Those people who put us all in here, they could just be dead. Everything could be empty."
"That is a possibility, but let's stay optimistic . After all,hope is all we have " I say.
We stand there for a long time. I follow the bumpy edges of buildings with my eyes until all the lit windows smear into a line.
Then Uriah asks Christina about the riot, and our still, silent moment passes as if carried away by the wind.
The next day, Evelyn stands among the pieces of Jeanine Matthews's portrait in the Erudite headquarters lobby and announces a new set of rules. Former faction members and factionless alike are gathered in the space and spilling out into the street to hear what our new leader has to say, and factionless soldiers line the walls, their fingers poised over the triggers of their guns. Keeping us under control.
"Yesterday's events made it clear that we are no longer able to trust each other," she says. She looks ashen and exhausted.
"We will be introducing more structure into everyone's lives until our situation is more stable. The first of these measures is a curfew: Everyone is required to return to their assigned living spaces at nine o'clock at night. They will not leave those spaces until eight o'clock the next morning. Guards will be patrolling the streets at all hours to keep us safe."
I try to keep myself from clenching my jaw by taking a deep breath,because honestly , my teeth have begun to hurt and that Could be a reason .
"Tori, former leader of Dauntless, ousted by Evelyn herself, stands a few feet away from me, her arms crossed. Her mouth twitches into a sneer.
"It's also time to prepare for our new, factionless way of life. Starting today, everyone will begin to learn the jobs the factionless have done for as long as we can remember. We will then all do those jobs on a rotation schedule, in addition to the other duties that have traditionally been performed by the factions."
Evelyn smiles without really smiling.
"We will all contribute equally to our new city, as it should be. The factions have divided us, but now we will be united. Now, and forever."
All around me the factionless cheer.
I can't help but feel somehow uneasy . The former faction members that rose against Edward will not give up. Something important is happening in this city .
But the outside world is even more important.
YOU ARE READING
Born to be Dauntless
Fanfiction"I was trying to help you Peter,I am trying to help you" I say ,he looks up at me,seeming angry ,I don't know why he's angry at me "really? Were you? Are you? Cause I remember Me kissing you and You pulling away"
