Agents of the Forgotten Faction

|Chapter 24|

The next morning I am silly and light. Ew I feel like one of those lovesick teenagers that we see on the monitors back home. Every time I push the smile from my face and try to concentrate on the mission, if fights its way back. 

"What is it with you today?" says Christina on the way to breakfast.

Her eyes are still swollen from sleep and her tangled hair forms a fuzzy halo around her face. 

"Oh, you know," I say. "Sun shining. Birds chirping." 

She raises an eyebrow at me, as if reminding me that we are in an underground tunnel. 

"Let the girl be in a good mood," Will says. "You may never see it again." 

I smack his arm and hurry toward the dining hall. My heart pounds because I know that at some point in the next half hour, I will see Tobias. I really hope it won't be awkward. I sit down in my usual place, next to Uriah, with Will and Christina across from us. The seat on my left stays empty. Uriah raises an eyebrow at me and just like that I know he knows what happened. 

"Okay you three, listen up. Today Caleb will have in his possession the final intel on the Erudite plans to overthrow the Abnegation government. We need a double check to see if it matches the Dauntless records that Zeke has been downloading and sending to Communtions here. Caleb should be done in the next few hours so one of you will have to go and get it from him," Hill says.

Uriah and I give each other a small glance. How will we do that? If one of us do it we might be compromised and kicked out and if Zeke does it he will look so out of place, I mean really a Dauntless at the Erudite compound? That's just begging for attention.

 I grab a piece of toast from the plate in the middle of the table and start to butter it with a little too much enthusiasm. I feel myself acting like a lunatic, but I can't stop. It would be like refusing to breathe. Then he walks in. His hair is shorter, and it looks darker this way, almost black. It's Abnegation short, I realize. 

Tobias sits down next to Zeke with out even glancing in my direction. I stare at my toast. It is easy not to smile now. 

"Tris most likely you will be the one going to Erudite," Hill says, 

"Something wrong?" asks Uriah through a mouthful of toast. I shake my head and take a bite. What did I expect? I'm the logical choice, I have family there and well Uriah is already in the compound so losing me would not be the greatest loss in the mission. I admit the kiss I had with Tobias was on my mind but now this latest mission update has taken full priority. 

"Today's fear landscape day," says Will. "You think we'll get to see our own fear landscapes?" 

"No." Uriah shakes his head. "You go through one of the instructors' landscapes. My brother told me." 

"Ooh, which instructor?" says Christina, suddenly perking up. 

"You know, it really isn't fair that you all get insider in formation and we don't," Will says, glaring at Uriah. 

"Like you wouldn't use an advantage if you had one," retorts Uriah. Please Will we have more than just an advantage.

Christina ignores them. 

"I hope it's Four's landscape." 

"Why?" I ask a little too forcefully. 

"Looks like someone had a mood swing." She rolls her eyes. "Like you don't want to know what his fears are. He acts so tough that he's probably afraid of marshmallows and really bright sunrises or something. Overcompensating."