A/N: Wow, it's been wayyyyy too long. Close to a month and a half.
In my defense, this weekend was the first time I was able to think straight, yet alone write, ever since the beginning of September. With school, driving lessons, foreign language classes, marching band practice, and Saturday marching band contests, I've been running myself ragged.
Should I be studying for my upcoming PSAT instead of writing? Yes. And I will study - but this book, and my writing in general, matters too.
This is a pretty short update - just under 2,500 words - and I'm really sorry for that. I hope you enjoy it, regardless!
The room lights up. I'm in the middle of the fear landscape room, alone, still trembling like a leaf. Dried tear tracks adorn my cheeks, and I hurriedly wipe them away.
It's over.
My body, as taut as a stretched wire, finally loosens up. It feels like everything that's been bothering me - my divergence, Erudite's plans, facing my fears - just drains out of me. It leaves me a shell. An exhausted, but content, shell.
At the sound of the door creaking open, I turn around, coming face-to-face with my brother, Max, Eric, and the other people I saw in the observation room - the other leaders. Their faces remain stoic, all except for Tobias', who flashes me a warm, genuine smile. His eyes shine with a happiness I barely ever saw in Abnegation.
A memory flashes in my mind - Tobias, eyes shining with tears as he watched me lift a gun to my friends' heads. A shiver runs down my spine at the memory, but I reassure myself by focusing on my brother's current face.
He isn't upset. He isn't crying. He isn't dead by your hand.
"Congratulations, Cammi." It is Eric who speaks. His voice is flat, the words rehearsed, and I'm reminded that I'm not the only one he's had to say this to today. "Your final assessment is complete. The banquet will be held in an hour and a half, and your ranking from the pool of both Dauntless-born and transfer initiates will be announced then. Good luck."
"Thank you." I reply.
With a final nod, Eric and the other leaders turn and begin filing out of the room.
I expect Tobias to go with them, but he waits, watching them file out before starting to walk himself. As he takes the first step, his eyes meet mine, a silent invitation for me to walk with him.
I fall into step with him as we walk out of the doors, into the area still teeming with Dauntless. I don't watch them; instead, I focus on my brother. He's smiling openly, a rare thing for him.
"Were you watching?" I'm the first to break the comfortable silence between us.
"No. I saw your times on the screen, just like everybody else. Only leaders get the honor of watching the full thing." His words, dripping with sarcastic humor, confirm my hunch.
"What a privilege it must be." I match his flat tone of voice. "Don't leave me hanging, then. How did I do?"
His smile grows wider. "Incredibly. Eight fears? According to my knowledge, you've tied the second-fewest number of fears ever recorded. And that's no small feat." His smile morphs into a smirk. "You're second only to me, of course."
I shove him with my shoulder. "Show-off."
"You shouldn't be talking. If you aren't ranked first, then the leaders and I will have words."
"Because I'm your sister?" I raise an eyebrow at him.
"No." His face grows serious once again as he meets my eyes. "Because you deserve it."
YOU ARE READING
The Fourth Eaton
Fanfiction*Book 1 of the Eaton Tetralogy* Camilla Eaton made a promise. And she has no intention of breaking it. A year after the transfer of her older brother, Tobias Eaton, Camilla follows him out of Abnegation and into Dauntless, leaving everything she's...
