Soulmates

Chapter 15: Confession

Tris blinks as she becomes aware of the lights in the fear landscape room. The leaders observing her test murmur approvingly to one another. Tris looks for Eric, then stares at him, hoping to get an idea of how she did by the look on his face. But Eric is impassive as always.

“Six fears!” says Max, Dauntless’ head leader. “Very nice job, Tris!”

“Thank you, sir,” Tris says deferentially as she shakes his offered hand.

“The welcome banquet begins at six o’clock tonight, and we’ll reveal the final rankings then,” Max continues. “Tomorrow you will choose your job, and we will assign you your new apartment. Job-specific training starts on Monday, so you’ll have the weekend to get moved in and nurse your hangover from celebrating. Welcome to Dauntless.”

Tris flinches slightly at hearing her soul words, even though it was not the first thing Max ever said to her. But it’s a reminder that this is another day when the words are likely to be spoken.

After being dismissed, Tris leaves the fear landscape room. She doesn’t know where to go. Should she find her friends? Pack up her few belongings? Get another tattoo? She wanders away from the testing room aimlessly, lost in her thoughts.

“You’re going to finish first, you know,” a voice says. Tris startles, but is not afraid. How does he always calm me just by showing up? she wonders.

“We’ll see,” she says to Eric.

“No, Tris,” he says, his face sincere, “you will. I was there for all of them. Your time was the fastest, and you were already in first place going into the test. You will have your pick of jobs.”

Tris sighs, causing Eric to give her a quizzical look.

“I think what you mean to say is that at the banquet I’ll be announced as the first-ranked initiate, and if no one kills me in my sleep tonight, I’ll get first pick of jobs in Dauntless,” Tris says flatly.

Eric chuckles dryly. “That does seem to be your experience here,” he says. “But before that, Four and I need to speak with you. Will you come with me, please?”

Tris nods. She’s reluctant to face Four after the fight they had in the night, but she knows she needs to deal with it sooner or later. Eric throws an arm over her shoulders and walks back toward his apartment.

Four is waiting outside Eric’s door when they arrive, and Tris carefully avoids making eye contact with him until they’re safely inside.

“Have a seat on the couch,” Eric instructs Tris. “Can I get either of you a drink?”

“Please,” says Four. “The stronger the better.”

“Um, no thank you,” Tris says. “It probably wouldn’t look good if I showed up the banquet drunk.”

“This is Dauntless,” Eric says with a smirk. “Half the faction will show up drunk.”

He returns to the living room a minute later with two glasses of brown liquid, and a bottle of water. He sets the water on the coffee table in front of Tris, and hands one of the glasses to Four.

Eric and Four each perch on a corner of the coffee table, facing Tris who is seated on the center of the couch. She feels penned in and nervous as she looks from Eric, in front of her on her left, to Four, in front of her on her right.

“We talked about how to do this,” Eric says, tipping his head at Four as he watches Tris. “All we’re asking is that you listen and give us a chance to explain.”

Tris nods as Four clears his throat. “So, um, Tris,” Four begins anxiously, “so, not many people know my real name. I don’t like to talk about it. My, uh, my family life growing up was pretty awful. So when I came to Dauntless and found out I only have four fears, I got a new nickname and made a new identity. That’s why they call me Four.”