Discoveries ✔ (Divergent Fourtris Fanfiction)

Chapter 24: Sunday, 6 days until initiation

Tris

Breakfast is an unusually quiet event, at least at our table. I'm nervous about going to Erudite today. It's not exactly forbidden, but it's at least frowned upon. How will Caleb react when he sees me? Can I really trust him with this? Will he be able to find out anything at all? Maybe it's out of range for him. Surely, as an initiate he won't be allowed access everywhere. I sigh as I stir my cup absentmindedly, as if I could find answers in the swirls of milk and coffee.

Christina doesn't talk either. Will seems to have caught her mood, since he finally stopped trying to start a conversation with her a few minutes ago. Even Uriah eats his muffin in silence, and Lynn usually never talks much in the morning anyway.

"So, can you tell me what's going on?" Marlene returns from refilling her cup at the coffee machine and sits down again between Lynn and Uriah, watching us all with a puzzled expression. "It's Sunday, we have the day off and you all look as if — well, I don't know, as if it was Monday morning at seven, and," she lowers her voice a bit, "we're about to have training with Eric and have to face two instead of one simulation."

"I''ve got a hangover," Uriah answers, rubbing his palm along his forehead.

"Me too," I sigh. It's maybe the easiest explanation we can use. Everyone here can relate to the aftereffects of alcohol.

"But you didn't drink that much," Marlene frowns at me.

"Don't forget where she transferred from," Uriah jumps in to back me up. I smile at him thankfully.

"I think I'll leave you to your breakfast after finishing this cup of coffee and do some training. Anyone wants to come with me?" Marlene continues, but she's really only looking at Christina, who doesn't seem to have noticed her question.

I softly kick her leg under the table.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Christina puts on a smile, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"I wanted to know if you'll join me in the training room after breakfast." Marlene's tone is slightly accusatory.

Christina shrugs. "Yeah, I just have to finish my omelet first and then I have to go to my apartment to change."

"Okay, I'll go ahead and meet you at the training rooms then," Marlene says, already getting up from the bench.

"Wait, your coffee," Uriah calls after her, suddenly back at the moment.

"You can drink it," Marlene shouts back over the three tables she has already passed on her way out.

"You take it," Uriah murmurs, pushing the cup towards Christina, whose own mug is already empty. Then he jumps up and leaves his half-finished muffin behind to follow Marlene.

Okay, what was that about? I was so caught up in my own problems this past week that I didn't notice what was going on between those two.

"Do you mind if I take the coffee?" Christina asks me, her fingers already closing around the black china, "I forgot to wash down my vitamin supplements with mine."

"Sure, take it."

I haven't even drunk half of mine, yet my stomach already feels full. There must be a knot in it that prevents me from eating much this morning. I glance over at Tobias, Zeke and Shauna sitting together at the other end of the cafeteria, sharing their table with a bunch of Dauntless members I don't know. The three seem disconnected to the conversation going on around them, lost in their own thoughts, too.

I keep wondering how Tobias gets to know factionless leadership when it's kept such a secret that they have a leader at all. Something in his attitude prevented me from asking him, though. It's difficult to describe, just a premonition that he might get upset if I pushed him to tell me, although I can't come up with a good reason for that feeling. Maybe I can work up the courage to ask him tonight. He'll have to report to our group anyway, since the others will be waiting for news from our different consultations this evening. I only hope it's not a mistake to trust people outside of Dauntless, but we have no other options.