The Unlucky Ones

[19] - Ferris Wheel

[Tobias]

" YOUR TEAM CAN GET OFF SECOND, " Eric says.

I twist my lip, cocking an eyebrow.

" Don’t go and do me any favors, " I snap. " You of all people know I don’t need them to win. "

I smile slightly as he squirms at the memory of our War Games.

" No, I know that you and your team will lose no matter when you get off, " He says, biting down briefly on one of the rings in his lip. " So take your scrawny team and get off first, then. "

We all stand up. Al looks in our direction. If any of the four of his group had to end up on the same team as Eric, Peter, and Molly, at least it was him. They usually leave him alone. The train is about to dip to the ground. I let the initiates off first. Tris stands at the doors, preparing to jump. Someone reaches forward, shoving her shoulder. One of Peter's crew.  Before they can try it again, she jumps. This time she is ready for the momentum the train gives her. I jump after the initiates are off, running after them. Marlene approaches me, touching my shoulder.

" When your team won, where did you put the flag? " She asks.

I cock an eyebrow.

" Telling you wouldn’t really be in the spirit of the exercise, Marlene, " I say.

She rolls her eyes.

" Come on, Four, " She whines.

She gives me a flirtatious smile. I brush her hand off my arm. I turn my head, spotting Tris smiling.

" Navy Pier, " Uriah shouts. " My brother was on the winning team. They kept the flag at the carousel. "

I glare, pinching the bridge of my nose.

" Uriah, seriously. " I state.

Will shrugs.

" Let’s go there, then, " He suggests.

I shrug.

" I'm not saying no, but just a fair warning--Eric's team might look there first of all places to avoid losing to an easy hide. " I say.

No one objects, so we walk east, toward the marsh that was once a lake. When I was young, I tried to imagine what it would look like as a lake, with no fence built into the mud to keep the city safe. But it is difficult to imagine that much water in one place.

" We’re close to Erudite headquarters, right? " Christina asks, bumping Will’s shoulder with her own.

He nods.

" Yeah. It’s south of here, " He says.

He looks over his shoulder, and for a second his expression is full of longing. Then it’s gone. We walk across the bridge. We still need the bridges because the mud beneath them is too wet to walk on. I wonder how long it’s been since the river dried up. Once we cross the bridge, the city changes. Behind us, most of the buildings were in use, and even if they weren’t, they looked well-tended. In front of us is a sea of crumbling concrete and broken glass. The silence of this part of the city is eerie; it feels like a nightmare. It’s hard to see where I’m going because it’s after midnight and all the city lights are off. Marlene takes out a flashlight and shines it at the street in front of us.

" Scared of the dark, Mar? " Uriah teases.

She glares at him.

" If you want to step on broken glass, be my guest, " She snaps.

She turns it off anyway. She needs to prove that she's Dauntless. Dauntless are brave. There’s nothing especially brave about wandering dark streets with no flashlight, but we are not supposed to need help, even from light. We are supposed to be capable of anything. The buildings end just before the marsh. A strip of land juts out into the marsh, and rising from it is a giant white wheel with dozens of red passenger cars dangling from it at regular intervals. The Ferris wheel.