A Different Divergent: A Better Tomorrow

~fifteen~

Chapter 15

Tobias and I walk hand-in-hand from the cafeteria to the auditorium across the crowded, noisy Pit floor. Dauntless members are in full Saturday night party mode everywhere I look. There's a woman probably twice my age with frizzy pink hair pressing a dark bottle to her lips. She's swaying like a tree in a windstorm not paying a bit of attention to the precarious position she's in, balancing on the edge of the chasm. A young man with shocking red hair puts his arm around her, leading her closer to safety but the look on his face tells me there's less danger for her balancing on the edge of the chasm than walking away with him. I foresee a walk of shame in the morning. There are two preteen boys looking up to no good by the entrance of the arcade. I'm momentarily worried when a young girl with blond curls walks out into the Pit but the boys just run up to her, give her a kiss on the cheek, then run off laughing, leaving her stunned. I smile at their childish innocence. A man and woman slightly older than Tobias and myself are leisurely strolling up the winding path with what looks to be a 2-3-year-old little girl with bouncing red curls holding on to both their hands, jumping over cracks and pebbles in her way. Seeing her makes me miss Tyler and Tessa that much more tonight. I need to check in on them again soon.

Tobias opens the heavy auditorium door and lets me go in first. The place is awesome. It's actually set up to look a lot like an oversized living room. There are several couches, love seats, and end tables set up in a large circle. The cold concrete floor is scattered with overlapping area rugs of various shapes and sizes and so many square and rectangular extra-large floor pillows that I lose count. Obviously, Zeke and Uriah took a page out of Christina's playbook and borrowed the items from the furniture store for the night. About 12 round paper lanterns have been hung from the ceiling at strategic intervals over the makeshift circle for mood lighting. On one side of the stage stairs is a table packed with numerous party foods including meatballs, little smoked sausages in barbeque sauce, various types of chips, numerous dips, veggie, cheese and fruit trays, and much more set up buffet style. On the other side of the stairs is another table full of every kind of beverage a person could want: Coffee, tea, soda, juice, water, mixed drinks, wine, and beer. Uriah and Zeke went all out for this. I'm very impressed.

"Four, Tris," Uriah hollers from across the room, making his way toward us. "I'm so glad you two could come! Zeke just told me a few minutes ago that you might not make it, that something came up in the fear landscape room." Oh, my dear, God! Did Uriah actually just say that? I feel my body temperature rise by at least 10 degrees, meaning that I'm probably an alarming shade of red but he doesn't seem to notice. Tobias and I look at Zeke, and he's grinning from ear-to-ear. So this is his plan, have others unknowingly tease us.

"It was nothing," Tobias says, reigning in his anger. Uriah doesn't appear to know our secret.

"Do you want a drink or some snacks?" he asks, pointing toward the stage. "We have anything you could want, except for cake. The chefs wouldn't let us have any. I guess we'll have to dare James to steal some." His face falls momentarily while telling us there's no cake but then he grins at the idea of pranking James again. Poor James.

"This place is awesome, Uriah," I say, looking around once again, trying to get my mind off of Zeke's joke. "Tell me, did you get some ideas from Christina or should her job as Dauntless party planner be in jeopardy?"

"Hey! I heard that," Christina says from right behind me. I turn and give her an apologetic look then get a huge hug from my best friend. "Of course, I gave them ideas! Do you really think Zeke and Uriah could come up with all this by themselves?" She waves her hands in the air, pointing to the immaculate design.

"Hey! I'm standing right here," Uriah playfully pouts. "Oh! More guests. Please excuse me." He walks to the door to welcome James, Ciara, Kirsten, Ella, and their dates. All eyes fall on the men who turned our friends' heads. They look closer to identical twins than fraternal but one of them is noticeably shorter than the other. They both have chestnut-colored wavy hair and eyes the color of rich dark chocolate. Kirsten's date, Trevor, is about 3-4 inches taller and has a somewhat more muscular build than his brother, Stefan, but that's not saying he's a 90-pound weakling. They're both extremely attractive guys who look like they were made especially for Kirsten and Ella. I hope they treat them well. They deserve some happiness after the year they've had.