Divergent: Peter

Chapter 4

We are all in bed, trying to fall asleep, when I hear someone start to cry. Wimp. I can already tell that it's a girl, that anyone could guess. But who is it? I doubt it's Christina, or the Erudite girl with the mousy hair- her voice is higher than that. The only other person is- Tris. Oh my god. This is so funny. She's already regretting choosing Dauntless. What kind of an idiot would transfer from being Abnegation to Dauntless, and not expect it to be hard?

Then I hear more crying, and it's not Tris. This is definitely a boy, and it's the boy across from me. Al. Al is the biggest and buffest of all of us. This just proves that the strongest is the weakest, and the weakest, well, they're still weak.

* * *

"The first thing you will learn today is how to shoot a gun. The second thing is how to win a fight." Four walks down the line of initiates, giving everyone a gun. I'm so tired, I barely acknowledge the gun in my hand. All those sissies crying kept me up last night. 

"Thankfully, if you are here, you already know how to get on and off a moving train, so I don't need to teach you that. Initiation is divided into three stages. We will measure your progress and rank you according to your performance in each stage. The stages are not weighed equally in determining your final rank, so it is possible, though difficult, to drastically improve your rank over time."

I look over at Tris, who is staring at her gun like its raw fish. But she gives that look to everything in this place. The burgers, Eric, the guns, next thing you know, she'll be scared of a blanket. 

"We believe that preparation eradicates cowardice, which we define as the failure to act in the midst of fear," Four keeps walking up and down the line of I initiates. "Therefore, each stage of initiation is intended to prepare you in a different way. The first stage is primarily physical; the second, primarily emotional, the third, primarily mental."

I'm still confused. "But what..." I yawn in the middle of my sentence. "What does firing a gun have to do with bravery?" Four stops pacing in front of me, flips the gun in his hand, and presses the barrel to my forehead. "Wake. Up. You are holding a loaded gun, you idiot. Act like it." I straighten up, and he removes the gun from my head. Im about to say something back, but i shut my mouth. Dammit. I can feel myself blushing.

Four continues to pace, not looking at me. "To answer your question... You are far less likely to soil your pants and cry for your mother if you're prepared to defend yourself." Four finally stops walking and turns around. "This is also information you may need later in stage one, so watch me." Four turns to face the targets, feet apart, both hands on the gun, and fires. The bullet is in the bullseye.

I see Tris hold up her gun, pushing it as far away from it as possible, and squeeze the trigger. The force of the gun sends her backwards, and she has to hold onto the wall for support. I grin. Will, the Erudite boy standing next to her, leans in to her ear and whispers something. She scowls at him and he smiles. I'm surprised when she finally hits the edge of the target, and then 5 tries later, she hits the middle.

* * *

At lunch, Al, Christina,Will and Tris sit together. All the crybabies together at once. They're the perfect group. Tris looks over and sees  

Edward and Myra, some of the Erudite transfers, kissing. She hisses. It's so funny. People kiss, and she hisses like a snake. I'm gonna have to remember that.