"We're just going to be talking," I say, trying to pry Tera's hands away from my hair. "I can just brush my hair and call it done."
"The point is I'm bored and I want to practice my french braiding," she says, sitting behind me and parting my hair down the middle. "Besides, you only wear your hair one or two ways, so it'll be different."
"Hello, ladies," Finn says as soon as he enters the dormitory. "What do you two have planned for tonight?"
"Rori is meeting with...a friend," Tera says, "but I don't have anything going on. Why? What's happening?"
"I heard there's going to be karaoke going on in the Pit." Finn unlaces his boots and sits in front of me. "I was hoping both of you lovely ladies could attend the event with me."
"I would go, but I've already made plans." I jut out my bottom lip. "On the bright side, Tera is available and that's more her scene than mine."
I wink and watch him struggle to not let his embarrassment show.
"So, what friend are you meeting with later?" Finn says, as a way to change the subject. I give him a look and he slaps his forehead. "Oh... Eric. That's a good thing, right?"
"I'm not sure," I say. "He told me if I wanted to talk to meet him on the roof at seven if I wanted to talk."
"That's a step in the right direction," Finn says, with two thumbs up and a large grin on his face. "Hopefully you can work things out. If not, then there isn't anything else you can do."
"Yeah, that's true."
"Okay, your hair is all done," Tera says, the excitement evident in her tone. "Go take a look."
I hop up and cross the room to take a look in the mirror. My hair is braided down both sides, not too loose or too tight. It's different, and I like it.
"Wow, this is so cool," I say, a grin on my face. "Please teach me how to do this. You called it french braiding, right?"
She nods and places her hand on my shoulder. "You look beautiful."
"You never tell me I look beautiful," Finn says, his face appearing in the mirror. His bottom lip juts out as he fake pouts.
"Oh, you're such a baby." Tera rolls her eyes, but the smile forming is a giveaway that she is not the slightest bit annoyed.
I glance up at the clock. "It is six thirty, you guys."
"Let me put some mascara on you," Tera says, jumping up and rummaging through the trunk at the end of her bed. "It will make your eyelashes longer and make your eyes pop."
"Sounds painful," Finn comments.
I bust out laughing at his comment and he joins in. We quiet down when Tera sits down in front of me with the tube of mascara.
"Be brave, Rori." Finn chuckles at his comment, but quietens down when he realizes I have not joined in.
"So, just be still and blink when I tell you to, okay?" I nod as she twists the tube to reveal a brush covered in black goo. She raises it up to my eyelash and says, "Blink." I do as she says. She has me blink again before applying mascara to the lashes on my left eye.
"Perfect," she says with a smile. "Finn, doesn't it make her eyes pop with color?"
Finn leans in close to inspect my face before sitting back. "Huh, it does make your eyes look bluer than normal. That's crazy."
I grin and hop up from my position on the bed. I walk to the mirror and inspect my eyes before nodding my head. "Wow, you're right. I actually look like I have eyelashes."
"Right? This stuff if so cool," Tera agrees.
"Thank you." I turn from the mirror to see Tera rummaging through her trunk again. She pulls out a tube of red and smirks at me.
"Red lipstick looks good on blondes," she says, "or so I've heard."
I shrug and sit down in my spot and she settles in front of me.
"So, you've not worn makeup before?"
"There wasn't any reason to," I say. "All I did was work in the fields and go to school. I saw other girls wear it, but I never asked what it was."
"That makes sense." She applies the lipstick to my lips and tells me to rub them together. "Well, this group of girls in Candor bullied me about my appearance in school. They said they were just being honest, but they were just being mean. They're the reason I wear makeup."
"Tera, you are beautiful," I say, pulling her in for a hug. "You know, I heard that when people are mean to you that means that they're jealous of you. Those girls were probably just jealous that you were more beautiful, smarter, tougher, and funnier than they were."
"Thank you." She pulls away from the hug and smiles at me. "I'm not sure if I've told you this lately, but I'm so glad I transferred to Dauntless. You two are the best."
She pulls me and Finn into a group hug. I giggle and squeeze them gently before releasing them with a sigh. Tera glances at the clock before turning back toward me.
"You have fifteen minutes to change clothes and get to the roof."
"I don't have anything different to wear." I stand and rummage through my trunk. "I haven't gotten the chance to go shopping."
"I thought you might say that." Tera smirks and pulls a black dress out of her trunk. "I bought this a while ago and it was a bit too small, so I thought I'd keep it for you."
"Wow, that is beautiful." The bottom of the dress is layered and looks like it would come mid knee. And it has long sleeves made of lace that give it a Dauntless feel. "Wouldn't that be a bit much? We're only supposed to be talking."
"Well, if all goes well," she says, "maybe you can convince him to come to karaoke with us."
"I'm sold," I say with a grin. "Thank you so much."
"We'll turn around so you won't have to leave the room." She turns around and Finn does the same. "Ah, you're going to look so gorgeous."
I pull my tank top over my head and slip out of my jeans. I step into the dress and push my arms through the sleeves. I try to pull the zipper all the way up but I can't reach.
"Would you mind zipping me up?"
Tera turns around and it is obvious she likes how the dress looks on me. I turn around so she can zip the dress. Once she finishes I do a quick spin around, letting the bottom of the dress flow.
"So, what do you think?"
Finn says, "Wow, you look beautiful."
"I agree," Tera says, beaming. "I mean, you always look beautiful, but this is a different level of your beauty."
"I'm about to cry." I look up and blink a few times before laughing.
"Lucky for you, I applied the waterproof mascara." She pauses, as if debating on if she should say what she's thinking. "I didn't know how this talk would go." Her words were barely above a whisper, but I heard her clearly.
I have no idea how this chat with Eric is going to go either, but I am hoping for the best.
"I'm hoping it goes well," I say with a small smile. "Speaking of which, he told me to meet him at seven, so I better get going."
"Let us know how it goes," they say in unison.
"I will," I call as I leave the dormitory.
I make my way through the halls before making it to the stairway that leads to the roof. I climb the many flights of stairs before finally making it to the roof. I open the door and look around, but I do not see Eric. I must have been beat him here.
I walk across the roof to the edge and look at the sky. It is painted in blue, yellow, orange, pink, and the clouds are a mix of gray and purple. The sky looks beautiful. The sun should be fully set around eight, so we have about an hour before it will be dark.
I stand and stare at the sky for a few minutes before deciding to sit and lean against the edge of the ledge. I scoot some pebbles with my foot before taking a seat and stretching my legs in front of me. Thankfully, the roof isn't too dirty.
A gust of wind blows and chill bumps pop up on my arms. I rub my arms as a shiver erupts from my body. I really hope Eric gets here soon. I could really use a jacket right about now.
To waste some time, I pick up some pebbles and throw them in front of me, trying to see how high I can make them bounce up. I do this for what seems like forever until the wind gets too chilly for me to handle. I stand up and rub up my arms. Maybe I'll warm up if I walk around and get my blood flowing.
I walk around the roof aimlessly, lost in my thoughts. I think about Eric, how this relationship started and how this conversation may go. I think about my friends and how lucky I am to have met them and gotten to know them. I think about initiation and how we only have one more stage of training left.
I glance up to take a look at the sky. The sun has almost completely set. I sigh and hope that Eric is just running late. He is a leader, after all. Something must have made him get held up. I sit back down. I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I rest my chin on my knees and think about Amity.
As lonely as I was in Amity, I really liked it there. Being so busy with initiation has made me forget how beautiful it was. The sunsets in Amity were breathtaking. Working in the fields was tough, but the field made up for it with its beauty. I wonder how Fern is doing. I did not see her on Family Day, and I wonder if she is okay. She works under Johanna, the representative of Amity, so she might have gotten caught up in work. I really miss Fern.
A yawn escapes my mouth and I stand up. I brush off my dress and I turn around. The sun has completely set, the moon has claimed its spot in the sky, and the stars are twinkling.
Where are you, Eric?
***
The Pit is full of life. Some couples are dancing with each other to the music blaring through the speakers. Some people are leaning against the back wall talking to friends. And others are sitting in booths along left wall when you first walk in. I take a lot around and finally spot Finn and Tera sitting in a booth close to the stage.
Finn notices me first and gets Tera's attention. She turns to face me and waves for me to come to them. She scoots over and I slide in next to her.
"How'd it go?" she says. "Was it a good conversation?"
"I wish." I shoulders slump and I sigh.
"Oh, it was a bad conversation," Finn says. "What did he say?"
"Nothing," I say, my voice wavering. "He didn't say anything."
"What do you mean?" Tera has a look of confusion on her face.
I look up at the ceiling and blink a few times to keep the tears from falling. Once there are not any tears threatening to escape, I focus my eyes on the table. "He didn't say anything because he didn't show up."
"He didn't show up?" Finn says, his voice raised. "What kind of person does that?"
Tera covers his hand with hers to attempt to calm him down. "Hey, let's give him the benefit of the doubt until we know his side of the story. A leader duty might have come up that he couldn't put off."
"You're right." Finn nods.
Her words calm me down, and they seem to have calmed Finn down as well. Though, it was nice to see him get worked up on my behalf, Tera is probably right. At least I hope she is. If she isn't, then I guess I'll have my answer.
"Let's just enjoy the rest of our night." Tera reaches for my hand and squeezes. "We're going to watch some karaoke, possibly sing some songs ourselves, and have a good time."
A/N: Hi, initiates! I hope you are well and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you liked it, please vote, comment, and follow me! :)
Q: Why do you think Eric didn't show up?
Q: Did you expect him to not show up? Why or why not?