Finding The Courage

Part 7

The wake up call came in the middle of the night. I felt weird getting ready without Tris but I knew that Four would find a way to get her to the game if it would help her get above the red line. We were all gathered on the train, armed with a gun headed into the city, as we pulled away I saw Tris running to catch us. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the train and then ducked down as if I was tying my shoe.

"Who let you out?" Eric asked her.

"I let myself out." Tris said and I snickered beside her as she nudged me with her leg.

The train ride was quiet and soon Eric and Four were picking teams. I was not surprised when Four picked both Tris and I. He was playing favorites and wanted to keep us close. Our team hopped off the train first and as we got off the train the group started to argue. We were near a carousel and a ferris wheel. I was already climbing the rusted wheel before Tris realized I was gone. She followed after me and Four after her. When Tris almost fell is when Four realized I was already at the top of the wheel. The night sky sparkled with stars and the city lay out below us just as it had on the train. I felt free again. I spotted Eric's team and their flag and was on my way down before Four and Tris could even reach me at the top. 

"Heights, it's one of your fears." I said blatantly as I passed by. "Their flag is in the tower. Let's go, I have a plan." As we reached the ground again Uriah joined us, I told them my plan. Christina and Tris would go for the flag, the rest of us would work as a distraction while someone stayed behind to guard the flag. We stayed silent as we crept up on Eric and his team, Tris and Christina took off to find a way into the tower while the rest of us attacked to keep them off the girls scent. Uriah and I protected each other while Four took a sniper position to try and watch out for all of us. Eric snuck up on Uriah and took him down before I got a chance to react. I dove for cover before I could be hit with a paintball. 

"Come on out Stiff, I think we have a score to settle don't we?" He called after me.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about." I called back. I heard him move towards the sound of my voice while I moved quietly away from where he thought I was. I was soon behind him. He was now in the range of Four as well.

"Come on Stiff, don't make this harder than it has to be." Four shot him multiple times after that.

"No hard feelings right?" I asked as I shot him in the back before he could turn around as Christina waved his team's flag out of the tower.

"Was this your idea?" He asked, shocked. I gave him my sweetest smile as a giggle bubbled out of me.

"Maybe you should stop underestimating me, Eric." I said as I walked past him still giggling in joy at the win.

I was on an adrenaline high by the time we made it back to the compound. I lay in bed on my stomach being careful of my new back tattoo, knowing the results would be up tomorrow and I was probably high up and Tris was most likely going to pass the first stage. Four did not wake us up the next morning and when we did finally wake up I decided to spend the time buying a few new items of clothing, including a dress that both Tris and Christina insisted was made for me. I grabbed what was introduced to me as eyeliner along with a few more comfortable pairs of pants and shirts. I was becoming more comfortable showing skin and with my tattoo I wanted to show it off a little bit.

Zeke found me with the girls in the Pit, he looked worried.

"Wren, He's back. People have been telling him all types of stories about you all night while you were playing the game." Zeke began pulling me away from my friends who made a move to follow us but I shook my head at them.

They just took the new clothes and went to drop them off in the dorm. I was wearing a low cut tank top and a pair of tight black pants, I fixed my hair as Zeke led me to a bar that I hadn't noticed before. I had taken it out of the braid for the day and had recently trimmed it to allow myself to have bangs so a quick check in a reflective surface reassured me that I looked beautiful and put together. The eyeliner Christina had put on earlier to show me helped. 

We entered the bar and the whole place went quiet, all eyes were on Zeke and I. Across the room I saw a man who was indeed in his early thirties, tall like most of the men I had the pleasure of meeting in life, surrounded by Dauntless members. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Eric but I paid no mind to him. I didn't know it but behind me was Tris who had run to get Four when she had seen how worried Zeke had looked.

"So are you the one everyone is claiming is my kid?" A deep voice called out across the room.

"I don't know what rumors are being spread but I know who my father is and you are not him." I sassed back.

The stranger got up and started to approach us, the closer he got the more I realized people were right. We did look identical. Zeke placed himself between us when the man had gotten too close to me.

"Move." He ordered Zeke but in true Dauntless fashion Zeke stood his ground.

"What's your last name, little one." He bent down to look me in the eye and I refused to look away as I met his blue green eyes with my own.

"Dristen." I answered without hesitation in my voice. The crowd gasped. The man let out a chuckle.

"And your first name?" He knew the answer, we both did. This was my brother.

"Wren."