Candor or Dauntless

Chapter 2

This is no longer my phone screen, but I love the art. The birds ☺️, just yes- I love symbolism.

Just going to brush up on my awful 2018, 13-year-old writing. Eventually.

********

The coat was beginning to become too much. It was of the woollen variety, made from the coat of a thick Amity sheep. Sweat slicked his forehead and he felt almost trapped by the stagnant heat it trapped- if he could have taken it off, he would have. In fact, he'd be showering.

Soon the edge of the game faded as people were outright and unapologetically cheesy; five rounds in, he was laying on the ground, sweltering. He'd shed the coat, but each layer of T-shirt was still slicked to him. This was supposed to be Dauntless. This is Dauntless; just without the thrills or seekers. God, he would have never survived Abnegation.

"Candor or Dauntless Willy?"

"Dauntless," he cheered, words slurring into each other. He took the flask - the concoction stunk of mushrooms and marsh - and took a vigorous swig, spilling some onto his T-shirt.

"I dare you to do 'he cinnamon challenge," she said, sporadically stopping to accommodate ongoing fits of giggles. God, "We all get to watch!"

"Okay!" He chortled.

I guess I'm moving now.

Four sighed, pulling himself up. It took longer than he would care to admit; he'd fixated on the embedded dots in the artex ceiling for seemingly an eternity. He was herded into the kitchen where a shirtless Zeke was digging through his cupboards for a bottle of cinnamon whilst Christina retrieved a ladle.

"Wait, no, you never said..." Will said, swaying slightly on his feet.

"What, you a pancake or somethin'," Uriah said, stumbling over each word. Pancake. Four did not bother to hold back a chuckle at that.

"Four? Laughing?" Zeke asked, then he looked up to the ceiling and for a moment Four thought he was observing the risen flecks, "THE RAPTURE IS UPON US!"

He yelled at the top of his lungs: it was ear-splitting. He heard another muffled shout, probably his neighbour saying something along the lines of, shut up.

"Whatever you say, man," Four conceded. He was really hating this whole 'being sober' thing, especially when nobody else was. Who cares if I'm probably drinking toxic waste? I'm supposed to be Dauntless anyway not cautious, "Give me the flask."

"Oh! Leaving your stiff ways behind!" Zeke exclaimed, sloppily clapping him on the back. Four froze. Shit. A deep wave seemed to ripple through him, the cold currents chilling until his bones chattered and scraped. Everything lit up. The stares were white-hot and blinding. His heart thudded. Oh, God.

"You're from Abnegation? I thought Tris-"

Mute, he nodded. His mouth was so dry- too dry. The waves desert for sand; it fills him, coarse and too dry.

Tentative, Will approached, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said, swallowing the sand. His shaking hand swirled the amber contents of the flask: he regarded the glinting flask for a moment before chugging.

"Woah!" Uriah exclaimed, knocking it out of his hands, "Four, that stuffs intense."

"I can handle it," he said, already feeling the dredges of alcohol wavering his vision. Scrutinised, he tried not to squirm, "Quick stalling for Will."

"Four's right," Christina slurred, shoving the ladle into Will. Plumes soiled his shirt. Sighing, Will batted at his shirt- it didn't do much.

"Chrissy, why?" he moaned, coughing from just the headiness. Even so, he tipped the ladle back and swallowed roughly.

The upshot was instant: he heaved and snorted puffs like a smoldering chimney. Uproar. The raucous chortles pounded through his head with imperial pain and isn't regretting everything a next day affliction?

***

"I dare you to call your family," Will slurred. What the hell? That was when Four realised he had to have at least some Erudite in him. He was thinking logically, even in this state. Even his fear landscapes...

"Sure, but it's a waste of a dare," he replied, feeling his stomach churn. And this was with the 'lip loosening' alcohol in full effect. God- he should have drunk more earlier.

He dialed the number, each beep feeling more like a flatline, and he hoped that he wouldn't pick up, or that he'd destroyed the phone in an infamous rage. Of course, that was too much to ask for.

"Who is this?" Marcus asked, sounding almost docile. It was uncanny.

"Nobody," Four said on impulse shoving the phone back into the receiver. His voice was breathless and he felt light; it was the moment after he jumped just before the fall. He felt the adrenaline, the deep plunge like a stone dropping through him.

Everyone was giving him inscrutable looks, like he delicate. Something flared within, "What?"

"Four, what was that?" Christina asked, and he scoffed.

"My mom's dead. My father- he never recovered," he half-lied, "So I moved out. We haven't talked since," he took a reaffirming breath, "Will, Candor or Dauntless?"

********

Did you guys know that the term cliff hanger came for How To Kill A Mockingbird as at the end of chapter 1 one of the characters was hanging over a cliff. Yes, I have read that book.

Okay, it actually doesn't! I was doing serials at the time, and also reading this book. It was from Thomas Hardy's A Pair of Blue Eyes in the same circumstances. I got them mixed up 😭. That should be illegal, but eh.