Candor or Dauntless: Truth or Dare (Watty Awards 2013)

Part 14: Field Trip!

I recognize the smell and the soft lips. Tobias. I stumble backwards and he walks towards me.
"We have to leave for Amity. They have some important information Max needs us to get." He says bluntly.
I nod, "Alright, when do we leave?" I ask him.
He smirks, "In 2 hours." He steps directly in front of me and presses his mouth to mine again. I don't resist. He feels familiar.
I slip away and smirk, "What's going to happen with training?" I ask.
He bites his lip, "When we return, it starts again." I nod and walk to the door.
I hold it open, "Alright, Tobias. Time to go so I can get ready." I usher him out the door. While sighing, I pack my bags.

When I'm finished, I have 2 medium sized bags full of clothes. I smile at my success and check the clock, only 45 minutes until it's time to go. I walk to the Cafeteria and grab a plate of cake. I eat it quickly and walk to the dorms. Everyone's here.
"Hey, guys! Training is off for a day or two. We have important business to take care of. When we return, it will be Visiting Day. Bye, guys." I say. I look at them all, bruised and bandaged. I cringe. I turn and walk out.

The clock in the training room says I have 20 minutes left. I smile as a pair of mystery arms wrap around me. They aren't harsh or rough. I look at their hands, large and cracked. I turn around and see him. Jaden. I try to free myself, but his grip has tightened. He looks down at me and kisses my forehead.
"Bye, Six. I'll miss you. Please, before you go, will you kiss me?" I'm disgusted by the thought, by I'm feeling generous today.
I smile, "Only if you do not try to hurt anyone while I'm gone. You have to swear. If you do, I'll kick you out. I swear." I say strongly.
"I solemnly swear to not hurt anyone while Six is gone." He smiles.
I nod, "Go on then. Kiss me." He leans down and lightly drags his lips across mine. His lips are warm and soft, the opposite of what I expected. My lips part and he kisses me more insistently. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back.
He pulls away with a smile glued onto his lips, "Now, that wasn't so bad. Was it?" He asks, and I nod.
"No, not at all what I thought it would be like." He brushes his lips past mine again, this time, not pressing them to mine. He's teasing me. I smile and pull his head down to meet mine.

"Tris?" Alex's voice echoes down the hall. I pull away and look at him, "What's going on?" He asks, anger pouring into his voice. I don't know why I kissed Jaden. I don't like him, or do I? I shake the thought away, he tried to kill Alex, whom I know I like. I shake my head and step out of Jaden's reach.
"It was a promise. He said if I kissed him, he wouldn't hurt anyone." I say. He steps toward me, the hurt now visible in his bright blue eyes.
"Is that true?" He turns to Jaden.
Jaden's face flushes, "Um...Ye-Yes...It is. I promised I wouldn't hurt anyone while she was gone if she kissed me." Jaden studders. Alex nods, tears threatening to spill over his eyes.
"Six, can you...um...come with me?" He asks.
I nod, "Bye Jaden." I say over my shoulder. I walk behind Alex. The clock above the Chasm says I have 15 minutes to go. I grab his shoulder as we pass the Cafeteria.
"Come on. Follow me." I tell him as I start to a table. I take a seat on the edge of an empty table. He sits next to me.
"Tris...I'm going to miss you so much." He leans over and puts his arms around me.
I hug him tightly, "I'll miss you too, Alex." I say soothingly. He pulls away, but leaves his arms on my shoulders.
"Tris, I...I love you." He says it slowly.
"Alex," I start to say, but he cuts me off.
"No, Tris. I promised myself I would not deny myself the truth, and the truth is that I love you. I do."
I shake my head, "No, you can't. I don't want you to get hurt, Alex. I care about you too much for that!" I gasp. He closes his eyes and leans in to kiss me. I sigh, I've been kissed by three different people today, and it was exhausting. He fits his mouth to mine. He has the softest lips compared to anyone. I place my hand in his hair and lean into him.
I pull away first, "Please. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. I'll miss you, Alex. Bye." I kiss his cheek and stand.
I walk away and hear him say, 'Bye, Tris!' Behind me. I climb the stairs and jog to Christina's room. I knock and she opens the door. Her hair is sock bunned on top of her head and she has a ton of makeup on.
"Tris! I was looking for you! I have something to tell you." She takes this moment to hand me her left hand. On her ring finger, there is a thin black band with a large diamond in the middle.
"Chris! When?" I ask her.
She smiles, "About an hour ago! We were eating on the tracks and he just bent down and proposed!"
She exclaims. I smile.
"I have to go. Tobias and I have to go to Amity soon. I'll miss you, Chris. Say goodbye to everyone for me!" I say and hug her. She hugs me back and waves as I walk away, towards the train, bags in hand.

I wait by at the platform for the train and for Tobias. He whistles as he walks up, carrying one large duffel bag.
I smile, "Hey, Tobias." I say nonchalantly. He grabs me from behind and hugs me tightly. My arms hang at my sides and he puts me down.
"Hey, Tris." He says and I smile. The train whistles loudly in the distance. I pick up my bags and walk to the edge of the platform. Tobias stands next to me and takes one of my bags. I try to protest, but he's unable to hear me over the train. We hop onto the train and sit in silence.
After a while, he speaks up, "Tris, time to jump off." He takes his bag and one of mine and jumps off. I follow him, less nimbly. We walk up to the gates where the guards aren't there. Tobias puts in a key code and the gates open.

We walk together to the compound. I burst into Johanna Reyes' office with Tobias trailing behind me.
"Six, Four." She addresses us. I nod. "Tonight, you will stay here. Tomorrow, we will have a meeting with Erudite and Candor faction leaders. We'll let you know what time." She pauses and rustles through some papers on her desk.
"Max, will you take them to their room?" She addresses a tall, muscular man behind us. He nods.
"Oh, sorry. We only have one room currently available. There's one fairly large bed in it. I hope you don't mind." She says, carelessly.
"It's fine." Tobias speaks for me, an edge to his voice.
Max touches my shoulder, "Come along." He says in a happy tone. We walk together, with Max between us, to the room. He leads us down an empty corridor and to the last room. He pulls out a key and hands it to me, his fingers brushing my palm.
He smiles at me, "Here's your room and your key." He shakes Tobias's hand, an unfamiliar gesture to him, then he shakes mine. He walks off. I open the door to discover a dimly lit room with one large, red bed inside. There's a white fridge in the back. Across the room, there's an open door leading to the bathroom. I drop my bag on the floor near the door and jump onto the bed. I hit it with a light thump. It's the biggest bed I've ever seen. Tobias rolls onto the bed next to me. He puts his arms behind his head and leans over to me.
"Tris, I'd be careful around that guy. Something seems...off about him." He warns me.
I shake my head, "He's Amity for a reason, Tobias." I say, patiently.
He rolls his eyes, "I don't like the way he looked at you." He adds.