Timeless- The Sequel To Dauntless: A FanFic Of Divergent

Chapter 17- Wake Up

I can feel Eric fade into the background, his eyes constantly at Tobias and I's backs. Cold. But I try to ignore it, focusing my attention on the initiates. I watch each of their techniques carefully. Edward's confident, and very skilled. Myra, on the other hand...she looks weak. Her quietness reminds me of Alex. But Alex wasn't so timid. I walk up to her quietly. "Try to put your weight behind it. Use your shoulders and back, not just your arms." I say. She nods, and tries it again. But, there isn't much improvement. I shake my head. She just doesn't seem to understand, or maybe just isn't trying. Either way, she won't last long.

Four's eyes seem to scan the initiates, just as mine do. I catch his lingering on Tris longer than any of the others. He's almost intrigued with her, as it would seem to me. They were from the same faction, I suppose. Maybe he knew her. I wonder if she recognizes him. She didn't seem to. And if she did, she hid it well. But he's changed quite a bit since then. It's curious, to see how he watches her. I'll wait and see where it goes. It's high time Four had someone in his life.

Peter uses brute force on his punching bag, and not much technique at all. I'm reminded almost immediately of Tyson. I can't help; it would seem, to compare these people to the initiates in my group. Four must do the same. I'm sure he sees Eric in Peter. I'm sure he saw him in Tyson. There's always one. I try to shake it from my mind, stepping up to him. "Think about your movements." I say. He shrugs and continues, seeming to barely register what I've said. Then he mumbles something under his breath. I can't hear it, but I raise my eyebrows. "What was that?" I ask, crossing my arms. He stops, stepping back and looking at my, irritated. "I am." I tilt my head, growing cross myself. "Try harder." I say sharply, in a fakely sweet tone. He rolls his eyes and turns away. This is the problem with Candor. They do not take criticism well. Or at all. And they'll tell you about it too. I look at Four, and he shrugs. Helpful, that one is. I stalk back to the center of the room to stand next to him, eyes flaring. He leans in closer to my ear "Don't let it get to you." he mumbles. I nod and take a deep breath. I must appear strong, no matter what I'm feeling. Currently, I'm feeling like I'm still bleeding. I glance at my side casually, but Four catches it. "Go. I got it." I shake my head. "I'm fine." He sighs. "I can see that you aren't. You'll just make it worse." I glare at him "Drop it Four." He shakes his head slightly "Fine." I think I'm just mad at everything today. But I know better than to push Four. That would just be stupid.

He sits with us at dinner. Zeke can't seem to stop himself from drilling us about the initiates. They get to be pretty popular for the first few weeks here. Shiny new toys, I guess. People talk. People want to know who's coming into their faction. "How are they?" is his first question, almost as soon as his butt hits the chair. I shrug "I've already picked out my least favorite, if that gives you any idea." Four chuckles, a rare occasion "Of course you have." Shauna smiles, tilting her head. "If it makes you guys feel any better, my groups amazing." I roll my eyes. "Your brother is fun." She says to Zeke, who scoffs, trying not to spit out his food. "Yeah. So delightful." Shauna laughs "I'm serious! He's quite the ladies man." She says, wiggling her eyebrows. Zeke gags and I laugh. "Spare me, please." He says, looking disgusted. Tobias just does that half-chuckle thing of his again. I glance at the initiate table in the lull of conversation. I notice that Four has sat in the perfect position to watch them as well. Was that on purpose? We have to be really good babysitters, I guess. We're the closest things they have to parents now. His eyes flit between his food and them. I can't tell exactly who he's looking at. But if I'm right, it's Tris.

They all seem pretty exhausted the next morning, which is expected, considering they aren't used to the Dauntless level of exercise. "We're learning how to shoot a gun today." I say cheerily, feeling a lot more awake, and less emotionally tumultuous than yesterday. My side feels somewhat better. I wrapped it up last night. Looked to me like I only reopened the scar tissue. Hurts, but it isn't life threatening. Four demonstrates how to load the gun, and then fires it without really thinking. The strong wind of the roof whips my ponytail around my face. Eric leans against one of the concrete structures near the edge. He was ranked below Four, I know that much. If it weren't for Marcus, Tobias would be leader, and I'd feel a whole lot safer. Peter yawns, and Molly shifts her weight. Large bags reside under Al's eyes, like he didn't sleep at all. Tris crosses her arms against the wind, face steely. Peter yawns again, looking at Four "What does firing a gun...have to do with bravery?" he asks through the yawn. I press my lips together as Four looks at him for a moment, with that so obvious "you are an idiot." stare. He walks up to Peter swiftly, pressing the gun to his temple. He freezes, mouth still partly open. "Wake. Up. You are holding a loaded gun. Act like it." Four says harshly, voice just loud enough for everyone to hear. Peter stands, completely still, as Four backs away, shaking his head. "You're less likely to run and cry for your mommy if you can defend yourself." I say, looking pointedly at Peter, who hasn't seemed to completely recover yet. Four nods "We'll learn how to fight better later. But for now, practice. And no complaining about how much your arms hurt. Because, believe me, they will."

A/N: Thanks for reading guys! Sorry about the slow updates, I'm really focused on another story at the moment, but I hope you enjoyed! Slap dat vote button if ya did, and stay Dauntless:)

-Argo