The Unlucky Ones

[18] - Picked

[Tobias]

" EVERYBODY UP! " Eric screams, pushing the door open.

A flashlight shines behind his head, making the rings in his ears glint. Surrounding him are other Dauntless, some of whom I have seen in the Pit. I stand behind them. My eyes shift to Tris' and stay there. She stares back, almost forgetting that all around her, the transfers are getting out of bed.

" Did you go deaf, Stiff? " Eric demands

I snap out of my daze and so does she. She slides out from beneath the blankets. I am glad that Tris sleeps fully clothed because Christina stands next to her bunk wearing only a T-shirt, her long legs bare. She folds her arms and stares at Eric. I wish, suddenly, that I could stare so boldly at someone with hardly any clothes on, but I would never be able to do that. I don't invite anyone to look at my body unless its a doctor, or it's involving a tattoo.

" You have five minutes to get dressed and meet us by the tracks, " Eric states, sharply. " We're going on another field trip. "

We exit the room, leaving the initiates frantic. We approach the train tracks as we exit the pit. Next to the tracks is a black pile. I make out a cluster of long gun barrels and trigger guards. The initiates begin to appear in front of us. Soon enough, Tris and Christina are standing with their arms crossed.

" Are we going to shoot something? " Christina hisses.

Next to the pile of guns are boxes of ammunition. Tris inches closer to read one of the boxes. Written on it is PAINTBALLS. It's a self-explanatory name. Balls filled with paint, simple. Tris laughs.

" Everyone grab a gun! " Eric shouts.

They rush toward the pile. Tris is the closest to it, so she snatches the first gun she can find, which is heavy, but not too heavy for her to lift. She grabs a box of paintballs, pocketing them, then slings the gun across her shoulder so the strap crosses her chest.

" Time estimate? " Eric asks, his eyes darting to me.

I look down, checking my watch.

" Any minute now. How long is it going to take you to memorize the train schedule? How long have you been a Dauntless member now, two years? " I ask.

He shrugs.

" Why should I, when I have you to remind me of it? " He says, shoving my shoulder.

I shake my head.

" I'm not a damn clock, Eric. So don't treat me like one. " I say.

A circle of light appears on my left, far away. It grows larger as it comes closer, speeding quickly. I run alongside it, climbing on first. I look down and Tris is right there next to the door. Almost instinctually, I reach my hand down to her. She looks at it, then up my arm, and our eyes meet. She grabs it, and I pull her on. She stands, brushing herself off.

" You good? " I ask.

She nods, approaching the other side of the train car, dropping onto her butt with her back to the wall. Once everyone is on, I clear my throat, grabbing everyone's attention.

" We’ll be dividing into two teams to play capture the flag. " I say. " Each team will have an even mix of members, Dauntless-born initiates, and transfers. One team will get off first and find a place to hide their flag. Then the second team will get off and do the same. "

The car sways, and I grab the side of the doorway for balance.

" This is a Dauntless tradition, so I suggest you take it seriously. " I state, looking at Peter.

My eyes narrow at him and his group.

" What do we get if we win? " Someone shouts.

I cock an eyebrow.

" Sounds like the kind of question someone not from Dauntless would ask, " I say, rubbing my thumb over the edge of my gun. " You get to win, of course. "

Eric nods.

" Four and I will be your team captains, " He says.

He looks at me, stretching his lip in a frown.

" Let’s divide up transfers first, shall we? " He asks.

I nod. Tris tilts her head back. If we're picking them, she believes she will be chosen last; I can feel it.

" You go first, " I say.

Eric smirks, stretching his lip again. The piercing in his lip moves. I imagine the feeling of metal in my skin. Permanent fixations in my body of metal spikes and bars and hoops. Permanent fixations to remove my identity and replace it with that of a pin cushion. I imagine that I'd look like Edward but more menacing. I already give off a cold, unkind appearance. Piercings would just keep more people away.

" Edward. " Eric says harshly.

Edward nods, looking at everyone in the train car. I lean against the door frame, nodding. The moonlight shines in my eyes, undoubtedly making them brighter. I scan the group of transfer initiates briefly, without calculation.

" I want the Stiff. " I say.

A faint undercurrent of laughter fills the car. I look to Tris, an eyebrow cocked. She furrows her brows, frowning harshly. She doesn’t know whether to be angry at the people laughing at her or flattered by the fact that I chose her first. I feel bad calling her Stiff. I always hated that name and now I'm trying her to it.

" Got something to prove? " Asks Eric, with his trademark smirk. " Or are you just picking the weak ones so that if you lose, you’ll have someone to blame it on? "

He doesn't know my tactics. Or Tris'. He obviously only examines her actions when she loses. He doesn't know that she knows how to punch or how fast she is. He's gonna lose and its gonna be a bitter pill to swallow. An Erudite boy losing to not one, but two Abnegation stiffs will tarnish his reputation for a solid week. And I can't wait to watch. I shrug.

" Something like that. " I say, quietly.

I look over at her. She's glaring. Not at Eric. At me. I look back at Eric, quickly.

" Your turn, " I say.

He nods.

" Peter. " He states.

" Christina. " I say.

Eric looks at me, his pierced eyebrow cocked.

" Molly. " Eric says, keeping direct eye contact with me.

" Will, " I say, biting my thumbnail.

" Al. " He smiles, taking my last pawn of the crew.

" Drew. " And I take his, causing his smile to fade.

" The last one left is Myra. So she’s with me, " says Eric. " Dauntless-born initiates next. "

We speed through the Dauntless-Borns. Halfway through, Tris begins to try and decipher my code. She looks at her fellow teammates. With the exception of Will, myself, and a couple of the others, they all share the same body type: narrow shoulders, small frames. All the people on Eric’s team are broad and strong. Just yesterday, I told Tris that she was fast. She must begin to understand now. She lifts her head, our eyes meeting. She nods, biting her lip. She knows my plan. Hopefully, it works. Eric is gonna let his guard down and that's when we'll hit them where it hurts.