Venus Eaton is desperate to escape the abuse of her previous faction although she is unaware and unprepared of the ordeals of Dauntless initiation. She is a stranger to her own brother until he accuses her of murdering their mother, and finds out th...
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VENUS
FOUR EVENTUALLY sends us away for lunch, and when he does Emily runs over to me. She casts a wary glance over her shoulder. At first, I think she's looking at Four although I realize it must be Eric as she turns towards me again. Her eyes twinkle with worry.
"Are you okay?" She says. "He scares me. Like, terrifies me. I thought he was going to kill you or something!" Tris and Christina approached, exclaiming their own opinions. He didn't kill me. He just scared me. I think to myself, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants as we walk to the cafeteria.
I'm not even listening to them as we sit down, and I pick at the peas on my plate. My mind is too busily focused on tomorrow. I need to win the fight, against whoever it is. If Eric thinks I can't win, I will win. I will do anything it takes to win.
Christina nudges me harshly, gesturing to two boys in front of us. The first, Will, and the second is Al.
"We thought about getting a tattoo. So we can officially feel like Dauntless members!" She says, clapping her hands together and abandoning her plate. Tris gets to her feet, too, as well as the two boys, and I just crinkle my nose. Tattoos are... self-indulgent, and I don't want to get one.
"I-I'm worried about initiation. I don't think I'll make it through." I say. It is almost an excuse. Most of it is the truth. Christina is a lot better at shooting and punching as I am, so she doesn't have to worry about getting kicked out. But the chances of me being a weak stiff, it doesn't look like I'll be getting anywhere. Tris is better than I am!
"Look, it's the first day! Let your hair down!" Emily laughs, releasing her hair from its ponytail. I glance up at her, a brow raised. "And even if you do become Factionless, you'll have a sick tattoo to show off!"
I slap Emily's arm, with a little giggle. She's making even the worst case scenarios better, which makes me feel comfortable as we walk down to the tattoo parlor. Halfway there, Tris and Christina get a piggyback from Al and Will. Emily helps Tris balance, laughing, and I wander behind them, a faint smile against my lips.
A million thoughts travel through my head. What if I'm too heavy? What if I fall off and get laughed at? A part of me feels like I'm missing out as I trail after them, as they laugh hysterically. Christina nearly falls off Will as he runs round in circles, Tris pumps the air with her fists as Emily skips around them. They swap positions and I just look down at my feet.
But the feeling of being watched washes over me and I glance upward, at a platform of rock above us. Eric stands with another man about his age. They're sipping something from a green glass bottle, although it seems Eric's eyes are on me.
To stop myself from looking like a lonely stiff, I catch up with my friends until we're out of sight. I look around me every so often, and Tris taps my shoulder. She looks concerned.
"Are you okay?" She says as we near the tattoo parlor. I nod, smiling at her lightly. We begin exploring the tattoo parlor for the right tattoo, and I come across a design of the moon phases. They are black silhouettes, the full moon in the center. I figure I could get it across my chest, spread across both of my collarbones.
I've always loved the moon phases. It sort of signifies how stronger I'm getting, until I get to my full self. Even though it doesn't seem like I'm getting stronger, I promise myself I am. At least, I will.
A woman named Tori gives me the tattoo using the needles that she cleaned previously. I flinch a little as they hit my skin, although clench my teeth until the pain is gone. She wipes away the blood before leading me over to the mirror.
It's beautiful. I can't believe I've got such a wonderful piece of art across my skin, it feels so beautiful and precious, like I don't deserve it. I ponder how the ink can pigment my skin permanently, although I don't ask.
"It's stunning."
"Well, thank you." Tori grunts, going back to the table where she sets down the needles. She quickly bandages it before giving me some extra bandage and lotion to use in the future, for at least two weeks until it's healed.
I wait for Emily, Christina, Tris and the boys before I leave. Emily got a flower across her hip and Christina got a pretty design on her arm. Tris got some flying ravens on her collarbone, and it looks like they're heading toward her heart.
