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
I NEARLY jump out my skin as the door slams close behind me and Harmonie glances at me with wide-eyes.
"What was that?" She asks quickly, although I quickly grab her hand and pull her toward the cafeteria. "What happened? I heard yelling-"
"You heard?" When we're a reasonable distance away, I stop, staring at her.
"W-well, no. I just heard raised voices, that's all. No words." She says. I can't tell if she's lying or not, partly because she slightly turns her body away from me as she speaks and looks down, her hair hiding her face. I wouldn't be able to tell anyway, so I nod in relief.
"What was it about?" She presses, and I shake my head.
"It's... It's fine. It's nothing." I tell her as we walk to the cafeteria at a slower pace.Once we reach the dining hall, I can't help but watch every table turn their heads in my direction. It feels strange. All the attention makes my cheeks red. Why are they are looking at me? Every time I walk into the cafeteria, no one pays attention to me because I'm nothing more than the weak stiff.
Harmonie struts forward, clearing enjoying the attention, although I don't think it's aimed at her. I clench my hands into fists and they follow my movements.
"What are they looking at?" I say quietly to Harmonie as we approach a table. Emily is there and so is Tris, Christina and ill. Emily pulls me down as soon as I'm close enough.
"What is everyone looking at?" I ask desperately, dropping my head down. Just before Emily is about to speak, I hear a voice.
"You." Rhett says. I glare up at him as he twirls the plastic fork in his fingers. "I thought you realized that?"
"Well, no shit Rhett!" I grumble, tapping my fingers on the table. "I want to know why."
I've never gained attention like this - the majority of Dauntless looking at me - and I never thought I would. Maybe in smaller situations, but not always purposefully. I don't know why an Abnegation like me is so important.
"Maybe it's because I threw a knife at you," I say, and Rhett snorts before scowling at me. Did I damage his dignity, by getting stabbed by the weakest Stiff in history? Probably.
After we eat, Emily and Al tell us they're going to the tattoo parlor. My heart warms at the sight of them, they're getting closer and it's adorable. Al hasn't been crying himself to sleep recently, and I think Emily is helping him believe in himself, even if that means she isn't spending as much time with me. Harmonie and Christina follow them, leaving me and Will and Tris.
I focus my eyes on my boots until we're out of the cafeteria toward the refectory so I can fix up my bleeding arm. I hear footsteps approaching us from behind, and I already know who it is by the sound of one foot hopping on the ground.
