Discoveries ✔ (Divergent Fourtris Fanfiction)

Chapter 10: Tuesday, 11 days until initiation

Tobias

I have a hard time getting up and being in the simulation room on time. My stomach keeps rumbling while I set up the computer because I've skipped breakfast. It took me a while to fall asleep after I came back from my little trip last night. I'll have to take a nap this afternoon if I want to put my plans into effect tonight. I put a hand in the pocket of my jeans to check if the small piece of paper is still there. It's more of a nervous gesture than anything else because there's no way it might have fallen out. I'll give it to Tris after her simulation. She's first today. I only hope I'll get to see a different fear today than the last two times.

Tris

When I'm back to being conscious in the chair I clap my hands to my face and inhale sharply. Today's fear was the one in which I'm lost in the cold and merciless gray ocean all alone, almost drowning. Tobias waits until I've recovered enough to stand up on my own. This is another level of fear than in the simulation about intimacy. It's blank panic and terror, not anxiety. I don't even have time to think about my feelings in this one, although I'm aware that it's unreal.

Tobias takes my hand and puts an arm around my shoulders, guiding me over to the door. Someone watching through the camera would just see him steadying me while walking me over to the exit on my shaky legs, the aftereffects of the simulation still visible, but I know it's more than that. I'm not too weak to walk myself and I know that he knows that, too, and that he's probably even aware I wouldn't want any help. It's a perfect excuse to touch me and I like the warmth of his body close to mine. I wish the room would be at least five times its size. We reach the door too soon. He takes his arm away before he opens the door.

Only when I step out into the hallway, where some other initiates are already waiting for their turn, I notice the paper Tobias has placed in the palm of my hand. I go to the nearest bathroom to have a look at it. It's a small piece of yellowish paper, torn from a bigger sheet, with only a few words scribbled down on it:

"Meet me at my apartment at midnight. Bring a jacket. I've got to show you something."

That's all. No explanations. If I have to bring a jacket, we're going to leave the compound. Where does he want to take me? Fine, now I'll be thinking about that question all day, I'm sure. But the prospect of sneaking out of Dauntless with Tobias electrifies me. I only wish it was already time to go over to him. It's been twenty-four hours since our last kiss, which seems like an eternity.

***

My alarm clock wakes me up at quarter past eleven. It takes me a minute until I understand why it goes off at this time. I had planned to stay up until it was time to go over to Tobias, but then decided to get some sleep after I got home from dinner. This afternoon's training with Lauren had been particularly hard, so it wasn't difficult to fall asleep despite the excitement.

I get up and dress in black jeans and a dark gray top and pullover, then pull my hair up in a ponytail in front of the bathroom mirror and apply some mascara to look more awake. I've come to like a little make-up on some occasions, it fits me well and makes me look and feel more feminine.

On the way out I grab my jacket and throw it over my shoulders. The hallway is dark and silent.

When I knock at Tobias' door a minute later, the sound of it almost makes me jump. In the silence of the night it sounds louder than at daytime. I hope he won't mind that I've come a little earlier than he requested.

Tobias opens the door and admits me in. As soon as we're alone we fall into each other's arms and start kissing. It feels so good after missing him for almost two days. I momentarily forget about the fact that we still haven't talked about yesterday's simulation. Right now it's not important to me, and obviously it's not the first thing that comes to his mind either. Instead, I kiss him and pull him closer to me with my hands on his back. He stumbles a little, so I take two steps backwards and find myself standing with my back against the wall. His hands are on my shoulders as he opens his eyes, apparently to check if I'm okay with the situation, and closes them again when I tangle one of my hands in his hair and pull him down to my lips again.