Dauntless High School

Chapter 41

FOUR

The cold November air smells like chimney smoke and impending snowfall, and I can see the puff of steam with each exhale, even in the middle of the afternoon. I shove my hands into my pockets as I wait for Tris to answer the door. It is strange standing here on her front porch; I haven't used the main entrance in a long time, having grown accustomed to letting myself in the side door ever since the accident, but it didn't seem right to just walk into Thanksgiving dinner as if I owned the place. I hear voices inside ― first Zeke, then Tris calling something back to him. I bounce on my toes, using movement to keep warm, until the door swings open to reveal my beautiful Tris. Her purple dress flatters her petite figure. With effort, I drag my eyes away from the hemline that falls only to mid-thigh, very aware of my heart having picked up speed, and smile at her when I meet her eyes again.

"Hi, Four," she says with a soft smile. I see Zeke peeking around the corner, spying on us. "Glad you could make it."

"I hope I didn't hold up dinner," I apologize. Thanks to my mother, I am nearly a half-hour late.

"Zeke wanted to start without you," Tris admits.

"Yeah, I'm starving to death over here," Zeke calls out. Tris rolls her eyes and walks away to the kitchen, smacking Zeke upside the back of the head as she passes him. I snicker at his surprised yelp and follow. Zeke falls into step beside me. "Everyone's in the dining room, come on," he says.

I am soon seated next to Marlene at Tris's dining room table. Tris and Zeke are across from me, and Zeke's mom, Hana, and her boyfriend, Harrison, are seated at either end. I have never met Harrison before, only know that he lives in Miami. He is a fit middle-aged man with blond hair and a firm handshake, and he seems friendly enough so far.

"Tris, Marlene, this all looks delicious," Harrison enthuses. And he's right, it does look good. The turkey is perfectly browned and my stomach is growling just smelling it from across the table. Then there is a colorful salad, a bowl of cranberry sauce, a basket of rolls, fluffy mashed potatoes, the obligatory stuffing, and a smooth, rich gravy.

Tris blushes. "Well, we'll just have to hope it tastes good, too."

"Of course it will," Hana says, almost scolding. "Your mother taught you well."

I can tell that Tris's smile is forced. "Yeah," she says softly. "Mom was a good cook."

Hana smiles back sadly. "Well, shall we give thanks?"

We go through the usual tradition of saying what we are thankful for. There is a recurring theme ― that Tris and Uriah survived the car accident, and that Uriah is showing signs of improvement. This week, he has continued to show the same signs of increased responsiveness that Tris told me about a week ago, a little more each day. Zeke adds on that he is thankful for making the varsity basketball team.

There is so much that I am thankful for this year: Tris, and having mostly escaped my father, top the list. Neither of which can I express in front of Zeke and his family. So when it comes to my turn I say, "I'm thankful that Zeke was the first person I met when I transferred to Dauntless High, and that I have made such great friends here." I make meaningful eye contact with Tris as everyone smiles and clinks glasses of sparkling cider.

Harrison carves the turkey and each dish is passed around the table. Everything tastes even better than it looks. Marlene accepts the praise gracefully while Tris mumbles a thank-you and blushes.

"Four," Harrison addresses me, "I've seen what you can do on the football field, very impressive; do you play basketball as well?"

"Yes sir," I say sitting up straighter and setting down my fork. "I'll be on the team with Zeke."