By 5:30 we were all eagerly waiting in the cafeteria. My stomach is nauseous. I can't stop worrying about what the rankings will be. Will I be high up? Will I be last? I don't want to get a bad job.
"Will you take a chill pill? You're going to be fine." Christina rubs my back reassuringly. I try to smile at her but it turns out more like a grimace.
"She's not very good at dealing with these kind of events." Tris explains, shooting me a sympathetic look.
I swallow. "Anxiety." I say quietly. She nods and continues rubbing my back.
Tobias plops down at our table beside me. Everyone is in their normal seats, just Tris and Christina are on opposite sides of the table. None of the leaders are here yet. Tobias told me earlier they'll show up in the upper level of the cafeteria.
Loud shouting comes from all over the room as the leaders walk to the edge of the railing above us. Max, Hendricks, Ange, Lauren and Eric all look down at us, some smiling and some aren't.
Eric looks at me, or at least I think he is. There are a lot of people in here right now.
He smirks and continues scanning the room. Christina nudges my side. When I look at her she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. I roll my eyes and turn back to the scene above us.
"Attention everyone!" Max's voice booms. Damn, he can be loud.
Once the room quiets he starts talking again. "One the behalf of all the other leaders and I, we would like to congratulate all the initiates for making it this far and becoming official Dauntless members!"
Cheering and whistles fill the room once again. I see Uriah and Zeke across the room. Zeke rubs the top of Uriah's head in an affectionate way, while Uriah smiles and playfully shoves him off.
"Quiet down, quiet down..." Max orders, smiling. "Now, as previously stated, once your rankings are given to you, come up to the leaders table in order and pick a job that you're interested in. They are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Then once you have your job picked, you are to pick an apartment. You can either share one with two or more people, or you can have your own private one."
Tris nudges her knee against mine under the table. I give her a smile.
Tris and I decided to get an apartment together. We talked to Christine about if she would be interested in rooming with us but she said she was getting one with Will. We told her that's fine and they're both welcome to our place anytime.
I already know I'll probably be alone majority of the time. Tris has been sleeping at Tobias's apartment for a while now, so her and I's place will probably be her part-time home until she moves in with him full-time.
"If you will turn your attention to the front of the room." Max orders, and everybody looks at the giant scoreboard resting on the wall. "Welcome to Dauntless!"
He presses a button and the names light up on the board.
I take a deep breath and swallow, then look at it.
1. Crystal
2. Tris
3. Uriah
4. Peter
5. Will
6. Luke
7. Christina
I stop after Christina's name. Everything is a blur.
I got the number one spot.
How the hell did that happen!
I vaguely feel Christina hugging me. It takes me a second to realize she's talking to me.
"You did it! You got the number one spot!" She smiles widely and hugs me again.
"I'm not even surprised. You flew through your final fears fast. Like, abnormally fast." Will laughs.
"Huh?" Is all I'm able to get out. Abnormally fast?
"Yeah! You and Tris did it in record time. Only one other person has done it that fast! What was your secret?" Christina says a thousand words a minute.
I blink. Too many things are happening right now. The room is roaring with the voices of Dauntless memebers. Tobias hugs me and tells me how proud of me he is, but I'm still in shock.
"Four what are they talki-"
My words are cut off when I'm suddenly lifted in the air by multiple pairs of hands. I would probably be freaking out if I didn't see the other initiates also being lifted in the air.
I'm passed between multiple pairs of hands. It's only when I pass by Uriah and he gives me a high five do I break out of my stupor and actually smile.
The attitude is infectious and I slowly feel myself getting happier and happier. People who I've never met before are congratulating me, high fiving me and cheering my name.
I look up, closing my eyes and let out a laugh. I know now I definitely made a good choice picking Dauntless.
When I open my eyes a certain leader is watching me. The corners of his mouth are slightly turned upwards into a smile. We maintain eye contact for another moment before he pushes away from the railing and walks out of view.
We're passed around the room for another moment and then we're set on our feet back where we originally started.
Tris and I look at each other before laughing. Christina and Will join us after a moment.
"Crystal." My name is called. I turn around to see the leaders waiting expectantly for me at their table.
I go to take a step towards them when Tobias suddenly grips my arm in his hand.
"Stay inconspicuous." He whispers in my ear before letting go. I frown. What's he talking about?
I walk over to the table and take a seat at the only chair across from them.
Hendricks sticks his hand out and I tentatively shake it. He gives me a smile, and I can tell he's honestly happy. It's not forced like Max's are.
"Congratulations on your ranking. It's not very often we have an abnegation get ranked first, let alone the top two."
Eric scowls in the corner of my eye. I wonder what that's about?
"You get the first pick of any job that you want, but since you're ranked first, we have a special offer for you."
Hendricks is an older man, looking to be in his late fifties to early sixties. His brown hair is quickly turning gray and he has crows feet at the corner of his eyes. I'm going to guess it's from smiling a lot.
He slides a clipboard towards me with a list of jobs on them. "These jobs are ranked from highest paying to lowest. You can have whatever you would like, though we would like to stress the top position."
I look at what is listed as number one. When I see it, my eyes widen.
Leadership.
"I couldn't possibly-"
Lauren holds up her hand. "We've taken a special liking in you. You finish at the top of your initiation and you seem to be level-headed. If you don't take it, then it will be offered to Tris. Though she would also be good, we would prefer you."
"I'm retiring this year." Hendricks explains quietly. Clearly he doesn't want a lot of people knowing yet. "I need a replacement. Dauntless has always had five leaders, and I would like for you to take my place."
I lean back in my chair, flabbergasted. "But, there are so many other qualified members. I just got here."
"Four years ago we offered a leadership position to an initiate who had just become an official member. He turned it down, so the second ranking person took it." Ange explains. She's a short blonde with bright green eyes and a no-nonsense attitude.
"Who was that?" I ask, but then immediately feel stupid for asking a question I already know the answer to.
"Me." Eric states, giving Ange an evil side-eye. He must not like being reminded about how he came in second. But who ranked first?
"If neither you nor Tris accept it, then no one else will be offered and we will be without a fifth leader for a year. That can be very detrimental to our faction, Crystal." Ange explains.
I gulp. It's not exactly helping my nerves with them laying on all this pressure to accept the position. If I don't, then it's offered to Tris. But what if she also turns it down?
"What if I want a different job?"
"Well what were you interested in?" Hendricks asks.
I point my finger at the number 5 position.
"Surveillance?"
"My brother works there. I want to be close to him again."
"Who's your brother?" Lauren asks, confused.
Everyone but Eric and Max has a confused look on their face. They must not have told the others.
"Four."
"Four is your brother?" Ange is shocked.
I nod.
Hendricks purses his lips. "Well, if you accept leadership you can spend all the time with him that you want."
I raise an eyebrow. "If I spend all the time with him that I want then I won't get any actual work done."
Hendricks lets out a small chuckle. "Of course. You would have to do some work, but you would be free to visit him whenever you wish."
I sigh and place my head in my hands. The headache from earlier hasn't gone away. It's dulled a little bit but it's still cooking in the back of my mind.
I have to make a decision. Do I take leadership and accept all the responsibilities, or do I take the job with my brother?
"If you take the position with Four, it's not confirmed that you will have a shift at the same time as him anyways." Eric says quietly. I lift my head from my hands and look at him. The look he gives me has such care in it that it momentarily takes my breath away.
I let out a sigh. "Alright. I'll do it."
Hendricks gives me a wide smile. "You accept leadership?"
I nod once at him. "I accept the leadership position."
He claps his hands together. The others nod at me approvingly. "Great! Sign here and tomorrow we will get you started!"
He pushes the first clipboard towards me and hands me a pen. I take it and sign my name beside the number one position. Once that's done he puts another clipboard in front of me.
"This is for housing," he explains. The paper shows the different levels of Dauntless and the rooms available. There are six levels of Dauntless that have available rooms. There are only two rooms on the sixth floor that are available. The rooms are different sizes, and beneath each room is the price for each month.
"We recommend for you to take one of the rooms on the sixth floor. Those are for leaders specifically."
The rooms up there are huge compared to the other levels!
Tobias is on the third level. I automatically look to see if there are any apartments near him, but don't find any. Frowning I continue to look.
"Are you planning on sharing a room or having one for yourself?" Max asks.
"I'm sharing one with a friend." I mumble.
"Who?"
I look up at Eric. There was an odd tint to his voice there for a second. The other leaders also look at him. He glares back at them.
"A friend." I say again. He frowns minutely. I roll my eyes. "It's Tris."
There's a collective 'ah' as the others nod in unison. Ange looks at Eric beside her.
"Is there something the two of you aren't telling us?"
Eric sits up straight. "What? No." Eric and I both deny it in unison.
"Then what was up with your one fear? We all saw it." She smirks evilly at us.
They all look at me, Eric included. He must be as curious as the others, but I can't help but disappoint them. I swallow nervously. "I can't explain it."
She looks between the two of us, suspicion in her eyes. "Hm." She says.
See, even he denied it Uriah. I say to myself.
Hendricks just lets out another chuckle. "Kids." He says to himself.
I really hope I'm not blushing right now.
"Where would you like to live?" Lauren asks.
I bite my lip. "Well, I would like to live here," I say, pointing to an apartment on the sixth floor, "but I don't have any way to afford that right now."
Max waves his hand. "That's fine. A leader in Dauntless gets paid more than you think."
"Really? How much?"
"Three times as much as the second highest position."
I almost choke, but catch myself before making a complete fool of myself. "Holy shit," is all I say in response.
"Holy shit is right," Eric says, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, causing his muscles to bulge, "you'll be rolling in points before you know it."
"That room is a two room and two bathroom apartment. Perfect for someone who wants to share a place." Hendricks explains.
I smile at him. "I appreciate it, but I think I'll take something a little smaller to start out with. I want to earn it."
He smiles back and has me sign my name on another form for an apartment on the fourth floor before Eric hands me a set of keys. Our fingers brush and I have to hide the shiver that runs down my body.
I stand up, thanking them, and walk back to my friends with my new keys clutched tightly in my fist.
When I reach the table they all swarm me.
"What job did you get?"
"Where's your apartment?"
"Did you get us a room?"
Tris, Christina, Will and Tobias are all waiting for me to answer them.
I jiggle my keys in the air. "Fourth floor, room 423."
Tris smiles widely at me. "That's great."
"No fair," Christina fake-pouts, "you got a high level room."
"Yeah how'd you get such a big room? I hear the higher up the level the more you get paid." Will asks.
"I took the leadership position."
"Leadership!" They all exclaim. Everyone but Tobias. He looks like he's ready to pass out.
"You okay?" I ask, taking a step towards him.
His breathing is shallow. "You took a leadership position?"
I frown. "Yeah?"
"Tris!" Max calls, beckoning her to go over to them. She looks worriedly between Tobias and I before leaving.
Tobias takes my arm in his hand once again and pulls me out of the cafeteria and to an empty hallway.
"Are you fucking insane?" He seethes.
I wrench his hand off my arm, lightly rubbing where his fingers were digging into my skin. "What are you talking about?" I bite back.
"I told you to stay inconspicuous."
I throw my hands up in the air. "You can't just randomly say that before someone goes to make one of the biggest decisions of their life with no warning, and expect them to understand what you meant!"
He angrily runs his hands through his short hair. "God damnit Crystal, you're fucking divergent and you took a leadership position!"
I step back from him. "What are you talking about?" I ask, my voice dangerously low.
"Don't act like you don't know." He says, lowering the volume of his voice like he just realizes what he said shouldn't be said out loud.
I shake my head. "I don't know."
He turns away from me for a moment and angrily kicks the wall. He crosses his arms and faces me again. "How do you think you did so well in the last two stages of initiation? Huh? A normal person can't get through their fears that quickly."
"Tris got through them at the same time I did," I hiss back.
"Tris is divergent."
Silence.
Tobias looks around. I hear footsteps coming down the hall but I ignore them.
He looks back at me, exhaustion in his face. Why am I just now seeing the bags under his eyes?
"You need to come with me. Someone has a lot of explaining to do."
I step out of his reach. "Why didn't you tell me."
"I thought you knew."
"You thought I knew?!" I splutter. He shushes me as the footsteps come closer.
"Just-just follow me. If you won't believe me, you'll believe this person." He turns and leaves.
I stand there for a moment before coming back to my senses and following him through Dauntless. Something isn't right here.
We go through the Pit and towards the shops. He turns into the tattoo parlor and heads for the back of the shop. Without warning he opens the staff door and walks in.
"What the fuck, Four? Ever heard of knocking?"
Tori?
I walk in behind him to see Tori sitting on the couch, legs crossed and a cigarette hanging from her lips. She angrily pulls it out between two fingers.
"You need to talk to her. Now."
Tobias gives her a look and that's when Tori finally sees me. Her face pales a little bit and she stands up.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Bullshit," I say, my own anger bubbling up. "You know a whole lot and you've been leaving me in the dark."
Tori looks between the two of us for a moment before shutting the door behind me and locking it. "Sit down," she orders. We sit at the couch she had previously been sitting at.
"Start from the beginning," Tobias tells her.
Tori puts out her cigarette on the ash tray by the door. She sighs, exhaling smoke in the process.
"Do you remember how I told you your test results were Dauntless?"
I nod.
"Well, I technically didn't lie--but it also wasn't the entire truth."
My hands ball into fists in my lap. "What are you saying?"
"You also got Erudite and Abnegation."
My entire body goes cold. It's not possible. I'm Dauntless.
Right?
Tobias takes one of my hands in his, warming me up a little bit. "Why didn't you tell me?" I ask her.
"Short story: I panicked. I didn't know what to do. Crystal," she says, stepping closer to me, "my brother was divergent. They killed him. It was my first time administering tests, and one of the first people I get is divergent. How was I supposed to react? I had someone's life in my hands. I thought it would be safer if I didn't tell you. I manually put in your results as Dauntless and sent you on your way."
"But you also had Tris, and she knows she's divergent." I counter.
"She was later on. I had time to think properly by then. I put in her results as inconclusive and told her to go home and say she was sick. I didn't realize until then that it would actually be better if you knew you were divergent."
I lean back against the couch, feeling like I'm going to pass out. This can't be happening.
She crouches down to me, like I'm some child who needs comfort. "I'm sorry. I completely threw you to the fishes, and when I saw you here, I was consumed by guilt. I had signed your death certificate."
"That's why I told you to be inconspicuous. I thought you knew you were divergent." Tobias explains. "And now, well, Jesus..." he trails off. "She took leadership." He explains to Tori.
Tori turns her head sharply to me. "You didn't."
I nod numbly. "I did."
"You shouldn't have done that. They'll be watching you closely now. Not only will you be working alongside Jeanine Matthews, number 1 divergent hunter, but you'll also be expected to kill divergents. Do you realize what you've done?"
I stand up suddenly, knocking her off balance so she falls on her ass.
Good.
"Do I realize what I've done? You completely ruined my life! Why didn't you tell me!" I seethe, getting right in her face. She cowers back in fear.
Tobias pulls on my hand, getting me away from her. I'm this close to hitting her.
"Harming her won't do any good. What's done is done. We just have to watch out now."
"Watch out for what!"
"Jeanine has been getting uncomfortably close with Max recently. I'm not sure what they're planning, but it has people on edge. Mainly the factionless."
"That's what Tris meant to tell me." I say more to myself than anyone else.
I put my head in my hands and let out a frustrated growl. "God damnit you're not helping my headache any!"
"I'm sorry." Tori says quietly.
I take my hands away from my face and look down at her. With another frustrated sound I storm out of the room and into the noise of the Pit. I need to get away from them, I need to get away from here, I need to get away from myself.
As I'm pushing through the throng of bodies someone grabs me. I just wish people would stop touching me.
"Crystal, are you okay?"
I look up to see it's Eric who has a hold of me. There's concern on his face. I'm not in a good mood and I don't want to hurt Eric right now so I just get myself out of his grip and run out of the Pit.
I don't stop running until I'm outside of the compound and I'm inside a train.
It's only here that it's too loud for me to hear myself think as I curl up in a corner and cry.