fourtris oneshots

in reverse

Sweat covered my face as I woke from the simulation.

I died, and it was the thing that made me wake from the test. I could feel my heart beating fast in my chest as my eyes trailed to Tori, the administrator. She was looking at me with wide eyes. Then, she tightly grabbed my arm.

Never in my life, did I think that you could die in the Aptitude test.

"We need to get you out before the supervisor comes," the woman said hurridly. "Come on, Beatrice."

"Wait--what was my result?" I tried to stop the shaking in my hands by folding them into fists. "I--I've never been told you can die in your Aptitude test--"

"You can't," Tori said, her thin eyes narrowing at me. "Dauntless, Erudite, Abnegation. Divergent. You probably died in because . . ." The woman didn't continue her sentence. She was pushing me out the back door a moment later. "Choose wisely," was her last words.

If I died because I transferred to Dauntless, because I knew how to fight and was without fear, then I can't go there. With Erudite, the way they talked about my faction . . .

Abnegation. I would stay at home.

Though, when I stood by the cold, gray stones, something urged me to move my arm. A string, tugging me toward the faction that would give me death. A string, tugging me to the boy that had the name of Tobias. It was not possible. The people in my test were not real. Tobias Eaton's new alias was not Four. Nobody knows where he went once he transferred. He is probably living in Factionless by now.

My blood touched the cold stones, and there were quiet claps from behind me.

+++

Robert transferred to Amity, and once I was done with initiation, I was glad to have a smooth start to my life.

But then Dauntless attacked Abnegation. The coal black clothes swarmed the faction, taking people from their houses and killed instantly.

My parents and I, along with a group of other Abnegation, ran. I didn't know where I was going at first, but once I found out we were running, leaving people behind . . .

I wasn't able to speak once we stood in a wood barn. "Why did we leave?" My voice was quiet but stern. The Dauntless in my soul. "We left everyone behind--"

"There are things that you cannot handle knowing," my mother whispered to me. There were people from the group, people who had tripped or been shot before, being treated by people in different colored clothing. Factionless.

A boy walked up to where we were sitting, covered in an Amity red shirt and Dauntless black pants. He held a scrappy blanket in his hands, and he tossed it down to us gently. As night arrived, the shack we were in would get cold, I assumed. His face hid in the shadows as he asked if we were hurt.

Why were the Factionless helping?

His voice was deep and even as I looked down to the gray dress I wore, I felt his gaze on me. My mother replied to him, and from the corner of my eye I saw her gently smile as she declined. Then, he moved on to the next bunch.

"He looked familiar," my mother whispered to my father. "Did you recognize him?" Their hands connected lightly. "We need to leave before we are found."

My father moved a hand to sit on my mother's shoulder. It was the most affection I have seen them give at one time. "I know," he said. "Marcus took his group to Amity, to find if we can take shelter there."