Four and Tris - If things were different (no war)

2

Our clothes have been burnt along with our pasts. I can't help but feel a bit of pain as I watched them slowly disintegrate. Everyone around me didn't seem to mind but then again I'm sure they're all certain that they belong here. I keep getting flashbacks of being told I'm Divergent. I still don't really know what it means, I just know I need to start acting like I belong here, before someone realises I don't.

Christina and I decide to go to the bathroom before dinner. We thought it would be better this way as everyone we are sharing a room with has rushed off to get food and we didn't have to have people looking at us or making it awkward. The only thing we didn't consider was having very limited spaces to sit when we got to the hall. Christina spots someone from her old faction and pulls me along to sit opposite him. He has dark hair and he sits besides a boy named Will, I had met him earlier when we touring. 

It takes me a while before I notice who I'm sitting next to. It was Four. He had no food on his plate just a glass of water and the same look he always has, staring straight ahead. He made hardly any noise, I realised it was him when he put his glass down more aggressively than anyone else. Maybe he's so closed off because nobody's ever tried to get in. The brave, Dauntless part of me takes it upon myself to talk to him. Maybe he just needs a friend, or someone. 

"Where you a transfer too?" As I say it Christina, Will and Al (the ex Candor) all fall in silence and shock. Four turns his head and looks me in the eyes for a while. I know he's trying to intimidate because I feel it, but when he looks me in the eyes as he does right now I can tell there's something more to him. Everything is so strong and emotionless, apart form his eyes. I feel myself getting nervous has he stares deeper into me so I raise an eyebrow prompting an answer. 

"What makes you think you can talk to me?" Usually, I would say this is coming from a rude person, but I don't why I'm so curious to find out. Something is guarding him. I try to lighten the mood with the only humour I can think of in this situation. 

"I guess your just so, approachable." I say laughing and I hear Christina inhale next to me. He looks away from me and raises his glass up to his mouth again. 

"Careful," he says before taking a sip of his water and I finally realise what I'm doing. I turn my back on him slightly so I'm facing Chris a little bit more. I see her talking to me but I don't hear what she's saying so I just smile and nod along. My mind is slowly filling with the mysteries of Four and why I'm so drawn to his story. It bugs me that I'm the only person interested in him, and it bugs me that it's him I'm interested in. I'm not used to having instructors and I'm not sure the ways in which I can act around them but surely I can have a friendly conversation with one. Apparently not. 

After dinner, Christina and I start to walk around the place and explore a little more on our own. We look around the shops and see what there is to offer, we look at the places people like to hang out and spent time with their friends and then we see chasm. We decide to sit at the top and talk about what kind of things we're scared for in training tomorrow, and the excitement we have for the future here in Dauntless. 

Hours must've passed without us noticing as a very official looking man stands behind us and coughs to get our attention. He had tattoos all down his neck and you could see them at the bottom of his shirt sleeves as well. Christina and I both look up and look in confusion as to why he needed our attention, and he taps his watch with his index finger. 

"You should both be heading back to your dorms now, you have a tough day ahead of you with Four." He says in a low voice and a slight smile afterwards. He reaches he hand down and helps us both up safely and walks us back to our dorms. On the way I can't bear the silence so I make small talk. 

"Tris," I say reaching my hand out for him to shake it and he does. Christina states her name but keeps her hands to herself as she's too far away to shake his anyway. 

"Andrew, I had my initiation a few years ago. It's tough but if you work hard and sleep well, you should be fine." He says. 

"Did you have Four too?" I ask hoping to find out some more information about him. I've almost taken this on as a personal project now, I won't be able to rest until I know why he's so closed off. Especially if I'm going to be around him every day. 

"Yeah, apparently he was first in his initiation class after being bottom when he joined. That's all anyone knows." Even this little bit of information tells me more than everyone else is taking from it. Something was driving him to be better, to be stronger, and maybe it still is. 

Christina and I thank him for walking us back, and he leaves. When we get into our room everyone is already in bed but indulged in their own conversations. I lay on my bed and close my eyes, pretending to be falling asleep because I just want to think about my family at the moment. I've never been around this many people without them but I've never felt more alone. I roll over to hide the tear that escaped my eye and eventually I genuinely fall into a deep sleep, building my energy for the follow day.