Divergent: No War

Chapter 7

"So, you going to the opening ceremony?" Christina asks, over breakfast.

The 5WF starts today, with Dauntless, and the opening ceremony was in an hour.

"Yeah, Four has to give a speech as instructor. And my parents are going to be there. I want to see my mom at least." I tell her.

Last night, we stayed up late, talking about nothing in particular. Our old factions, new jobs, gossip, etc.

"He's seemed nervous." She says. "Which is unlikely for him."

"Oh, just doesn't want to screw up in front of the other factions." I say, but I think she can tell I'm not speaking the truth.

~~~

Max stands on a temporary stage, silencing the crowd.

"Welcome to the Dauntless Compound." His voice echoes through the Pit. "We hope you learn more about us, and what we do. And we hope you can try some cake."

Dauntless spread out across the area cheer and clap.

"We will be having people up here over the course of the day, teaching about our jobs, initiation, and our everyday lives." Max says. "Please feel free to roam around, but knock if a door is closed. Thank you."

He steps off the stage and someone who guards the fence goes up to explain their job. I walk over to Tobias, who is near the stage, scanning the crowd.

"You'll do fine." I lean in and kiss him.

Half an hour later, Tobias and Lauren take the stage.

"I'm Lauren and this is Four. We're the initiate instructors, after the Choosing Ceremony." Lauren says.

"There are three stages of training. Stage one is physical, two is emotional, and three is mental." Four says, in instructor mode.

"We rank initiates after each stage, and the top initiate at the end of initiation gets first pick on jobs." Lauren says.

"There are many perks to becoming Dauntless." Tobias changes the subject.

"Tattoos, piercings, and dyed hair are only the beginning." Lauren continues. "We have paintball games, parties, and more."

Tobias smiles, "You forgot the cake."

"Oh, and the cake is amazing." Lauren repeats.

They walk off the stage, and the next group goes up. I take Tobias' hand, and squeeze it.

"I knew you would do fine." I say, as he kisses my cheek.

"It's the aftermath that I'm worried about." He tells me.

We stroll through the Pit toward the dining hall, and get some food to go. We start walking towards my apartment when someone calls my name. I turn around to see my mom.

"Mom!" I say, hugging her, then realizing Abnegation don't really do that. "Sorry."

"No, no, you're perfectly fine." She says. "How are you?"

"Good. Lets talk." I say, gesturing to my apartment.

I take Tobias' hand again and go inside. Chris isn't in there, which I'm thankful for.

My mother and I sit on the couch, while Tobias stands near the door.

"Oh, just sit." My mother says. "I know who you are, but you both have some explaining to do."

He sits, obediently, next to me, taking my hand.

"First things first, ranking?" Mom asks.

"First. I picked to be a tattoo artist and initiation instructor. This is my apartment I share with my friend, Christina." I say.

"Next," Mom continues. "Tobias?"

He tenses at his name. "I go by Four." He says.

"Oh, I forgot, sorry." She answers. "Well, would you mind to explain some of this?" She says, gesturing to our hands.

"We're dating." I say.

She smiles. "That's wonderful. How'd you meet?"

Tobias speaks up, "I was her initiation instructor, and I guess it was love at first sight."

He smiles. I blush.

He clears his throat. "Marcus isn't here, is he?"

My mother realizes his worry. She must know. "Actually, he's looking for you."