CONVERGENT - [Divergent] ADOPTED

Chapter Eleven

[TRUDI]

Ellie was good. Really good. I was just finishing my second mag before I got anywhere near the bullseye. She was the second person to get bullseye. She helped us out a bit, telling us tips and tricks she was using, but still. Pretty much everyone had hit the board before I had.

But I was still better than Alice. I was only just hitting the target, so I didn't think anything I said would've benefitted her. I kept trying to give her tips, what she was doing wrong and how to fix that. I'm not an expert, and it was like the blind leading the blind.

I felt the need to help her. She seems really depressed though and I wish I could help, but I know that I can't.

"How are you doing, Trudi?" Ellie asked from next to me, in between firing at the target. She's going to put a hole through it at the rate she's going at.

"Okay," I tried to sound convincing, but I'm not sure I succeeded. But I really was going okay. I just didn't have high hopes.

"What are you having trouble with?" She pulled her clip out and put a new mag in. She held her gun up and fired without hesitation, or taking time to aim. But she hit a perfect bullseye.

"Um, the aiming?" I honestly had no clue what I was doing wrong. "The shooting?" I made a sound that I hoped sounded like 'I don't know.'

"Okay." She sighed, and after emptying her clip, she put down her gun and stood next to me. "Okay, go."

I raised the gun, took aim at the target and fired a shot. The force of it still got me, although I stopped stumbling back, I couldn't help the movement.

"Okay, two problems. You close your eyes just before you shoot. Don't, keep your eye on the target. Do not let it go out of sight, even for a second. Second, you're letting the jump get you. Lock your elbows and knees, dig your heels in and brace for it."

Although I felt like complaining, telling her I was doing fine, I stopped myself because I knew it wasn't true. I wasn't doing fine, and if Ellie said that's what I'm doing wrong. Then that's what I'm doing wrong.

I took a deep breath and did as she said. Do not let the target out of your sight.

Taking aim, I locked my elbows in place, tucked up against me, my knees and pushed into the ground, thinking immovable thoughts. I am a boulder. I am a mule. I am a tree.

Then I fired the shot.

I had a very strong pull to close my eyes, but I didn't. I didn't blink, I continue to keep my gaze on the target.

And guess what.

I got it.

Well...next to it, at least. Close enough. I let out a happy squeal. I put my gun down before wrapping my arms around her neck. "Thank you."

She hugged me back. "Anytime."

For the next hour or so, I went through mag after mag. Trying and almost succeeding in perfecting my aim. Sometimes I'd miss, breaking my streak, but for the most part, I got the target.

At around one, Ajax called us to stop, put our guns away, after teaching us how to clean them and look after them. And we made our way to the lunch room.

Kori was babbling on and on about... I'm not exactly sure. At first it was about the shooting and how cool it was and then it kind of turned into troubling scenarios, like shooting actual people and stuff.

I couldn't keep up. She started talking about our shopping expedition she's taking us on tonight. But if our day continues anything like this morning, I'm going to be exhausted. Shooting at a target all morning is actually very tiring.

The lunch menu is almost identical to dinner. Only difference is the name. I think Ellie is fitting in almost perfectly, if it weren't for the fact the guys in our initiation class are still calling us stiffs. I don't think that'll change anytime soon.

The conversation I was previously ignoring came back to me. "Trudi?"

I looked up at the three girls all wearing different expressions. Kori was almost offended, Ellie was amused and Alice, was, well, Alice – with her face of indifference and stoic mask.

"What?"

"We were taking about getting tattoos, y'know, to move on from our old factions into our new one," Kori quickly forgot that she was offended at my ignoring her. "I'm thinking about getting a rose wrapped around a gun. I think that'll be cool. Where do you think I should get it?"

"Uh..." I trailed off, I don't know the first thing about tattoos. "Why do you want that?"

"I think it represents like, a beautiful thing can be deadly – oh! – maybe even like, beautiful but completely badass!" I think it suits her. She is quite pretty, with dark brown hair with a subtle side of copper – I think it's called – tanned skin and a lithe but tall build, yea I can see her beauty. But also her dangerous side. She was very quick at picking up the shooting, not as quick as Ellie, but much faster than the rest of the boys. I would not want to be on her bad side, that's for sure. Yes, I think it makes sense to get such as a tattoo. I wouldn't but that's personal opinion.

"So, where do you think I should get it?" Kori asked again, looking at all three of us in turn.

"Hip, side," Ellie suggested with a shrug.

"Thigh, back," Alice added.

"Head, toes," I sarcastically added – I really didn't think anyone should get tattoos on their head or on their toes.

Kori gave me a look that translated to: really?

"No, not really. I'll defriend you if you ever do. I might forgive the toes, but not the head," I gave a smirk hopefully saying I really don't mean that, but it's still a point I want to get across.

"Ha, ha," she sarcastically laughed. "As if anyone could resist my incredible beauty and amazing wit," she pretended to dust off her shoulders.

"Oh yeah," I went along with. "You're right, let us bow to you our most amazing witty and incredibly beautiful queen."

"You have three second before it's off with your head!" her voice raised a few octaves higher. I had a feeling she was referencing something, but I couldn't place it.

I broke. "What? Where on earth did that come from?"

"Queen of Hearts," she stated, but then she must've noticed my frown. "Alice in Wonderland? Down the rabbit hole? Through the Looking Glass? Mad Hatter? None of this is ringing any bells? None at all? Cheshire Cat?" Kori looked at me as if I grew an extra head. I continued to frown. None of it made any sense.

"Nope," I made sure to pop the 'p'.

She groaned and turned to the other girls. "You've heard of it, haven't you?"

They both shook their heads slowly.

"I love those books, they are truly exquisite and completely mad!" she laughed. "I cannot believe you've never even heard of it. That is truly saddening. They're from the time before the war. The Erudite tried to have it banned, saying there is no use for such trivial nonsense," she scoffed and shook her head.

It wasn't long before Ajax was calling us back to training. Instead of going back to the shooting range though, we went to the training rooms.

"For the next few hours, I'll be taking you through a few drills and techniques for combat and fighting which will start in two days, you have until then to learn exactly how. So listen up and learn fast."

A/N: Two chapters for you today already, aren't you lucky xD

Let me know what you think!! I can take it ;P 

Lots of love, 

~wolf-gabby23 <3