Infallible

Chapter 11

  Four woke the initiates up, graciously as usual. The dorm was very quiet this morning, as none of them had any idea of what was about to happen and were very nervous. They silently walked to the cafeteria and ate breakfast. As everyone began to finish, Four stood among their tables and said,
"Initiates! Follow me."
  Rae glanced around for Eric, but didn't see him at his usual table. They all followed Four to a large room lined with chairs, a door at the very end. They were instructed to sit until their name was called, then Four took the first initiate beyond the door with him. Some time had passed before the door opened again, and the initiate emerged looking shaken up and pale. Rae remembered his name to be Collin, a Dauntless-born. He didn't make eye contact with anyone, and immediately exited the room. One after another, each initiate joined Four on the other side of the door. They all returned in various states of panic and shock. Rae's nerves increased, and she was among the last to go. It was nearing dinner time.
  When it was finally her turn, she followed Four into the room and stopped suddenly. She saw a chair, similar to the one she had sat in during the aptitude test. Next to it, a monitor. Rae stood rooted to the spot as Four stepped over to the monitor. He glanced back at her, and said,
"Sit there."
  Rae refused to move. He would find out her secret. She knew that her Divergence and this test went hand in hand somehow, but she wasn't sure exactly how.
"Rae, sit down." He pointed at the chair, looking at her pointedly. She slowly crossed the room to take a  tentative seat at the very edge of the chair. He watched her, with a small half-smile on his face.
"Nervous?" He asked.
"Yes." She clasped her hands and squeezed them tight between her knees to keep them from shaking.
"Stage 2 is all about facing your fears. You must learn to not let your fear control you. The serum will put you in to a simulation where you will go toe to toe with your absolute worst fears."
  He walked toward her, and as he did she glimpsed the huge needle he held in his hand. Jumping up, she lay her back flat against the door she entered through.
"Hell no, Four. You can go fuck right off with that needle. Get away from me."
  He stepped quickly toward her, grabbing her arm.
"Rae, you have to. Fuck, come on!" He shouted, as she struggled. "It's the only way to participate in Stage 2. If you don't do it, you'll be factionless."     She stopped and searched his eyes. It wasn't just the needle. Four would find out her secret. Yet, realizing she had no choice, she reluctantly allowed herself to be led back to the chair. She sat back, closed her eyes, and listened as he explained how he would be able to view her simulation on the monitor. She then felt the sharp sting of the needle in her neck. She whimpered a little as the liquid slowly entered her body.
"The simulation will start in 60 seconds. The first time is always the hardest, as it's probably your worst fear. Find a way to control your heart rate and face the task at hand. Be brave."
Within seconds, she felt her heart begin to race. Her palms started to sweat and her breaths became shallower. 
  Opening her eyes, she found herself in a long hallway. There was no light, and she stood there straining for her eyes to adjust. The only sound was her uneven breathing. Suddenly, a creaking noise ahead and to her left made her jump. A door opened near the end of the hallway, spilling in light. She slowly began to walk toward it, dreading what she would see on the other side. As she drew nearer, a man emerged suddenly, causing Rae to freeze with terror. Wearing a faded red button up and khaki pants, her father stood before her. He wore a twisted smile on his face that she knew only too well.
  Turning, she made to run the opposite direction. She hadn't made it far, when a door flew open at the other end of the hall. She skidded to a halt just as another man, in abnegation grey appeared, blocking her path. Marcus Eaton. Rae pressed her back against the wall, shaking violently, looking between the two men. She was trapped, they had her cornered. Sliding to the floor, she buried her head in her hands. This couldn't be happening. There was no way in hell she would let her father send her to Abnegation.
It's not happing though, not really. She suddenly realized. I'm in a simulation. They can't hurt me.
  As the realization dawned on her, she felt her hands immediately begin to steady and her pulse slow. She breathed in and out, willing herself to calm down. When she opened her eyes again, it was only be met with Four's. The look on his face was enough to make her jump again and fall from the chair . Four caught her by the arm and pulled her face close to his.
"Why was Marcus Eaton in your very first fear?" He asked her vehemently. "How do you even know him? He's the Abnegation leader. You're from Amity."
Shit. Shitshitshit.
"I don't want to talk about it." She lowered her eyes and pulled her arm free of his grasp. That wasn't at all what she had expected Four to be concerned about. Not just concerned, he seemed almost angry. She turned to head for the door when he said quietly,
"Do you know who I am?"
Stopping, she turned to look at him curiously. "You're my trainer."
"Do you know who I was?" The intensity in his voice made Rae very nervous. Who he was? Before he was a trainer?
"No." She replied honestly. He stalked over to the monitor and turned it around, messing with some wires in the back. The monitor made a series of beeping sounds and then went blank. Plugging the wires back in, he put everything back in its place.
"You and I need to talk. Not just about Marcus, but about you and your... Special situation. Nobody gets through the sim that fast. I've covered your ass this time. If anyone asks, the monitor malfunctioned during your  sim. Next time, I can't promise anything. So tonight, after everyone has gone to sleep, I'll come get you. I mean it Rae. You're gambling with your life here."
  With that, he opened the door and waited for her to exit.

***

  Dinner that evening was a quiet affair, at least at the initiate tables. Everyone looked thoroughly shaken from their fear simulations, and very few seemed ready to talk about it. Rae decided to blend in and stay quiet like the rest, though her simulation really hadn't been too bad. Nothing more than she could handle.
Four knows. She thought to herself nervously.
  She wasn't sure if this secret meeting between her and Four tonight would be helpful or result in her being thrown from the chasm. All she knew is that she had been warned to keep her secret, unless she wanted to wind up dead. However, Four didn't seem like a ruthless killer. A little intimidation as a trainer, but he seemed like a decent person overall.
  This was probably the only thing keeping her from panicking as Four led Rae silently through the Dauntless compound in the dead of night. He brought her to a hallway that looked very similar to the one Eric lived down. Except this one had more doors and different numbers. He stopped in front of one, and unlocked it, letting them both inside.
  Four's apartment was smaller than Eric's, and looked much more lived in. It was all one room, with the exception of a bathroom. He motioned her over to a tiny table, with one chair on either side of it. She sat, and he sat opposite her.
"So," He said, cutting right to the point."I need you first to tell me how you know Marcus Eaton."
  Rae winced at the sound of the name. Having the sight of him fresh in her memory still sickened her.
"It's a really long story, Four." That was a lie. It wasn't that long of a story.
"Then shorten it." He said, leaning forward. "We have a lot to talk about and not a lot of time."
"Why do you care? He's an Abnegation leader, Dauntless don't give two shits about Abnegation."
"Unless of course, there was a member of Dauntless who had fairly recently transferred from Abnegation. Someone who had... history- with Marcus Eaton." He looked at her peculiarly. As Rae tried to interpret the look he gave her, and his words, it dawned on her that Four almost certainly wasn't the name he was born with. She studied him a moment, before finally confessing,
"My father promised me to Marcus Eaton in an arranged marriage. He and my father grew up together in Erudite. They are both evil. I don't know much of the details. I just know that. I was supposed to choose Abnegation at the Choosing Ceremony, but I chose Dauntless instead." She had no reason to mention her father's abuse. She wasn't here for sympathy.
  For a moment, Four's eyes were wide with shock and something Rae couldn't place... disgust, maybe?
"What were your aptitude test results?" He asked, catching her off guard with the sudden change of subject.
"A-Amity." She faltered.
"And? What else?" He looked at her expectantly. Rae struggled for what to say.
"Huh?" Was all that came out when she opened her mouth. Stupid.
"What other factions Rae! I already know you're Divergent. That's pretty fucking obvious. What I'm curious to know is which factions you tested positive for."
  Rae sat stunned. He knew. He knew. How?
"All of them." She answered quietly, looking down at her hands in her lap.
"All of them? No way." He sat back in his chair.
"All of them, except for Amity, actually. Ask a girl named Tori. She's the one who did my aptitude test."
  He sat in silence for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was steady and quiet.
"Most people, during a simulation, are not aware that they're in a simulation.  You, on the other hand ARE aware. You were only in your sim for barely two minutes. Nobody has ever gotten through it that fast."
"How do I pass?" She asked quickly, desperation in her voice. "Tori told me I'd be killed if anyone found out."
"She wasn't wrong. She knows first hand where being Divergent will land you. Her brother was, before he was found dead at the bottom of the chasm."
  Rare didn't respond, only hung her head. That was so sad. And frightening. She didn't want to be next. "Please Four. Tell me what to do."
He spent the better part of the next hour going through different scenarios with her. He explained all the right steps that a true Dauntless would take in those situations, and letting her know that there wasn't ever just one right answer. As long as she fought back, solved the problem and controlled her fear. She asked questions and he answered them all until both of their eyes were heavy with exhaustion. Finally, he walked her back to the dormitories, stopping just outside the door.
"Good luck tomorrow Rae. Get some sleep."
"Okay, you too." She replied, and he turned to walk back the way he came.
"Hey, Four?" She called, before he got too far away.
  He half-turned, raising his eyebrows at her over his shoulder.
"What is your real name?"
  Four sighed. After all the personal things he was about to witness in her fear simulations, he felt giving her this one personal detail about himself wouldn't hurt. He also felt quite confident that she wouldn't tell anyone, considering he was almost the only one who knew she was Divergent. However, he still hated his answer.
"Tobias...Tobias Eaton."

Hey ladies and gents...hope you like it! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE comment and tell me what you think!!! Any ideas on what you think will happen next? I know my ending but getting there is all the fun!!!