Emma & Uriah | Dauntless lovers

Chapter 5

"Come on, it will be great to get away from all the other transfers for a while! Besides, I'm pretty sure you will enjoy our tour a lot more than Eric's." Marlene says, with a huge smile.

I am walking around in what seemed like a labyrinth to me, with Uriah and his friends, Marlene and Lynn, that I suppose are now my friends too. Thank God I won't have to hang out with Tobias like I used to do back in our school days. None of us is exactly considered "social". But isn't that part of why I came here? Starting over.

"You guys are right. Thank you." Lynn and Marlene both smile at me and then start walking in front of Uriah and I.

"So... Do you think you're going to survive this? I mean, I don't know, initiation seems a little harsh for a stiff." Uriah says to me with a smirk. I think I looked confused for a moment, because he laughs and pats my back. "I'm just kidding, Emma. I know your brother, we all do. Toughest guy in this place."

It's my turn to laugh. "Yeah, he is. Tobias, or Four, or whatever you guys here call him, used to protect me when we were younger. I owe him so much, I don't think I could have asked for a better brother."

Uriah smiles. "Are you kidding? I didn't even know his name was Tobias until now!" he pokes Lynn on the shoulder, and says "Did you guys know this?!"

The three of them kept talking about my brother for some minutes, and I do nothing but smile and think of the initiation, and what was coming for me.

That was until Uriah turns back to me, his friends now walking in front of us again, and it's then when he asked, "So you said Four used to protect you?" I nod. "What could be dangerous enough for an Abnegation girl to need protection in such a young age?"

There it is. I can't talk about it -I promised to myself not to. Not to talk, not to think about it. But Uriah's look of concern was all I needed. A friend, someone to talk about, that was all I needed. Is it too soon? I don't know. But I'm intending to take the risk.

"Uh, well. Let's just say that Tobias and I didn't exactly grow up in the best circumstances. I mean, our life was fine, I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything. But our father... He hit us. He hit our mother at first, and we would just be young and weak and afraid, so afraid. We would watch him hurt her without being able to move, to help." I turn and face Uriah, who seems concerned and willing to hear more, so I continue talking. "Then he would hit Tobias, and I couldn't believe it! I was so, so afraid Uriah, so helpless. And then, years after, he hit me. With a belt, just like he did to my brother." I feel my eyes tearing up, and blink to hold the tears. "Tobias was always there for me. When I wasn't able to stand up for myself, he was was the one to do it."

Uriah puts his arm on my shoulders. "I'm so sorry. No one deserves to go through that much in such a young age. I'm glad you got away." And I couldn't mean it more when I say, " Thank you."

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I am in a huge room with a lot of beds, as many as the transfer initiates, ready to go to bed and finally rest. And it's then when I hear a guy laughing, saying "And what would you know about fighting and bravery, stiff?" I turn my head and see them. The guy, tall and muscular, Uriah told me his name was Peter, and a girl, blonde, small and petite, I don't recognize her. She seems to be trying so hard to ignore him, but I understand when she turns and starts telling him something I can't hear, but I do recognize an angry, defensive tone in her voice.

I quickly walk up to them, and without thinking, I slap the guy. Rule number one I had in my head, "Stay out of trouble", was already broken. I grabbed the girl's arm and walked out of the room, to a hallway, taking her with me. "I'm Emma" I tell her. "I can't tell you how relieved I am now that I know that someone else here is from Abnegation." She smiles at me, and puts some her behind her ears. "Thank you for that. I'm Beatrice -well, Tris now."