Lunchtime. Peak time in the Mess Hall. The dauntless swap over for shifts halfway through the 24-hour periods. The night shift coming back from the fence, the control room, the factionless sector. Dauntless swarmed the open space like fish in a sea. Peter sat alone at a bench in the middle of the room, like he does most mornings. Sometimes some of his friends from the fence will come and join him. But today was Monday- his day off and their on-day shift. Most days he hates the loneliness, but today it felt nice. A chance to think of everything that's happened over the last few days. He smiled to himself as he took a bite out of his burger.
"Peter." His peace was interrupted. Four plonked himself next to him at the bench. His eyes had black bags hanging from underneath them, his hair ruffled into a sweaty mess and he was still wearing the clothes from the day before.
"You look gross. Spent the night with Tris did we?" He smirked a malicious grin.
"No, actually. I've been looking for Taura." He sighed. Peter's grin vanished and was replaced with an emotion he couldn't describe. "I thought she would be with you."
"I haven't seen her since around midnight. Has something happened to her?" He asked calmly, turning his green eyes back to his food. It took every bit of him not to panic. He didn't want to leave her last night. He knew he shouldn't have left her last night.
"We had an argument last night after you had done flirting with her," Four remarked sarcastically, "she stormed out and I haven't seen her since. I thought she might have spent the night with you."
"I know you think I'm a bad person Four, and your probably right-"
"Thank you."
"But I certainly wouldn't use someone like that." Peter told him matter of factly. Four remained silent. "I will help you find her. She can't have gone far." He sighed. Why was he doing this? Why was he doing a favour for someone he had sworn to neglect and belittle? He thought to himself. Is it because he regrets his previous malicious attacks against Tris and the gang? Or because of the unusual connection he shared with Taura? He couldn't decide.
"You don't know Taura. She could be anywhere in the city." Four shook his head from left to right slowly, denying the claim.
"Look, I will go speak to Eric see if he has seen her and we'll go from there." Peter stood up from the bench and clasped a hand on Fours shoulder. "I will tell you if I know anything." He smiled more menacingly than he hoped at his unlikely partner. Four looked at him with uncertainty, his eyes dotting around Peter's facial features, trying to find any hints of a liar. Four certainly wasn't a candour; but he knew far too well when Peter was bluffing. But he had developed a friendship with Taura; something he no longer had. He was willing to search for her; something he had failed at, again. It was this or having his best friend's life put into the path of plain danger.
Eric stared at the open folder infront of him inquisitively. The sparse words on the page weren't making any connection with him. He continued to stare.
Full name: Taura Jade Daniels
Age: 18
Date of Birth: N/A
Blood relatives: N/A
Spouse: Adam Daniels
Faction of origin: Amity
Chosen faction: Amity
Aptitude results: Dauntless
Eric's eyes scammed over the little information several times. Several things stood out to him. "No blood relatives? Deceased?" He muttered again. "No record of the birth?" Everyone in the city of Chicago were registered at first. Especially in Amity. Tracking every child's development since day one is crucial in the essential faction. In Dauntless it's common to have births to not be recorded; in fact, Eric could think of several he knows of. Erudite- very rare, having records of everyone is knowledge. Candor- highly unlikely, they are always truthful. Abnegation- almost never, it's seen as selfish to keep the baby a secret, besides everyone knows everyone there. Factionless- there's no point in recording them anyway. But Amity? This would be the first case for sure. Slowly, he closes the file and lazily drops it back in a drawer under his desk. He rubs his hands over his face and lets out a long-displeased groan.
"Hey Eric." Peter's voice.
"What?" Eric snaps at the young man propped stiffly against the door frame. Peter shuts the door behind him before starting.
"Taura Daniels." He sighs, furrowing his thick brows. "Do you... know where she is?"
"No more than you do." Eric kicks his feet up onto the desk that was loose on its hinges. It shifted from side to side. "She left during her training session. Well, before her training session."
"And you didn't think to tell anyone?" Peter raised one furrowed brow. Usually protocol is to alert the control room and public sector of any disappearances, which would mean either him or Four should know about it.
"Are you questioning me?" Eric scoffed, his facial expression not faltering. His voice reeked of boredom; like he had this conversation a thousand times already.
"Yeah, yeah in fact I am!" He instantly dreaded the reply.
"She promised me she would be an hour. Tops." He said as if Peter didn't just belittle him, "obviously she underestimated!"
"Clearly." Peter remarked, pacing around the office.
"Why do you care so much about her anyway?" Eric put him on the spot. The truth was he didn't know. He was confused by his own emotions. Peter sort of bounced on the spot slightly, his mouth slightly agape, his head moving side to side.
"I don't know Eric. I don't care why I care to be honest with you. I just want her found." Eric observed him for a few seconds, one eyebrow a little higher than the other.
"She received a phone call from someone before she left. Judging by what she was saying and the tone of her voice, it wasn't exactly a happy-go-lucky phone call." He rolled his eyes.
"Well she's not exactly a happy-go-lucky girl herself."
"I suppose."
"She did mention something last night; not all apples are green." Peter repeated Taura's words slowly. They rang in his ears, the same way they have done all morning.
"What's that meant to mean?" Eric cringed.
"I think it might be a metaphor for something. But she's that unpredictable it could be as dumb as it sounds." Peter smacks his hands against the outside of his thighs.
"Look at you Candor sounding like an Erudite." Eric snickered.
"I'm not just a meathead you know."
"Okay." Eric opened a draw under his desk, pulling out a grey folder. "See if anything in here will help you find her whereabouts. It's bleak I know, but this is what was entered." He tossed him the file recklessly which Peter caught with great ease.
"What's this?" He turned the file in his left hand inspecting the front and back covers.
"Taura's data file." Peter glanced at Eric then stared at the beige folder. He ran his hand over the front cover. "Well?" Eric dragged his voice.
"Should I be reading this?" Peter asks. "I mean she's always so reluctant to mention anything about what happened to her."
"She doesn't have to know you read it. Besides there really isn't much in there."
"I don't know... I'm candor, I'm not good with big secrets."
"Look do you want to find her or not?" He moaned impatiently.
"Okay okay." Peter opened the folder. His eyes brushed over the contents. He sat down on the leather chair placed oddly in the middle of the room. "This is confusing."
"Isn't it?"
"I mean there is barely any information in here. Did Amity forget to hand over anything?" Peter furrowed his brows. Eric shrugged at him. His face still dead. "Spouse? She's 18 isn't it-" he paused. "oh my god."
"What?"
"It makes sense now."
"What makes sense?" Eric threw his hands in the air.
"In candor we were taught about how Amity has a distorted vision of peace." He said. "Contrasting to suspicions, Amity have no laws, they just have sanctions for breaking the peace." He continued, pacing round the room. "They say that laws allow dauntless to enter the premises regularly, which obviously is a problem for them."
"I'm not following. What does any of this have to do with finding out Taura's location."
"Think Eric. Amity will do anything to keep the peace between families. What is the one thing that would be most valuable?"
"Taura!" Peter called through his hands as he marched through an Amity field. Nettles and thorns were attacking any piece of flesh they could get to. He batted over grown weeds, vines and crooked branches out his face as he stormed through the wide spread fields of the Amity jungle. Rotten fruit and vegetables covered dry and grey soil making the ground an organic slip and slide. Peter was careful with his steps; not wanting to slip or fall, but at the same time he advanced quickly. The sheer size and confusing complex made it a mystery how no one got lost in the faction. Fallen trees, dead birds, rusted spades littered the forest. "What the hell happened here?" He whispered for If trees had feelings, there was no wonder they were drooping. Peter's memories of the faction were always the opposite of what he stands in now. Bright green grass, trees that made the wall look tiny, vibrant coloured fruit and veg that grew from the plants, birds that created a blissful background tune everywhere you stepped. But not anymore. Children used to run around these fields; playing tag or climbing trees. But not now. Adults used to work in these fields; collecting pears or fertilising the soil. But not now. Now it's like walking through a grave yard of a faction lost to the hands of neglect.
"Taura!" Peter called again, but to only hear his voice echo through the emptiness. "Where are you?!" He listened to his voice travel further through the forests. He wondered if there was even anyone left. He pulled out a walkie-talkie that he was given before leaving his own faction. He held down the black button on the left side of the communicator. He waited until the crackle had ended before speaking. "Four? I'm gonna need a hand." There was a short pause.
"Which field are you in?" Four's voice came back slightly muffled.
"The graveyard?" He remarked. Another pause.
"Peter be serious." This time clearer, Fours voice was stern.
"I am. I'm literally stood in a field of dead plants and shit." Peter looked around him. "Four, do you know what happened here?"
"I haven't been in there for as long as you have Peter. I have no idea." He responded almost too sharply.
"Do you have any idea where she might be. It's like trying to look for a chocolate chip in a bowl of melted chocolate." There was a longer pause this time.
"Umm... try the apple orchards. She used to spend a lot of time there."
"Will do. I will speak to you when I find her." He sighed exasperatingly.
"Okay. Remember to look up." Four said before a silent crackle came through the speaker.