Waiting Four You

Chapter 11 (Tobias)

I stand alone outside Tori's apartment like she had asked me to earlier. Wondering what could have been so important that she wanted to speak to me in private, I knock.

"Four," she answers the door. " Please come in."

We sit in the living room where she had done my tattoo last year during the leadership training.

"You asked me to come?"

Tori sighes heavily, "I shouldn't be telling you this, but Beatrice insisted."

I perk up at the mention of the woman I love, "What about her?"

Tori runs a hand through her hair, her eyes shifting around like she's searching for the right way to say something, "She's divergent."

My heart starts beating faster in fear. "No, that can't be right?" I say. "Please tell me that's not true."

"I wish I could say that. She had three results, but I verbally reported it as Dauntless."

I run a hand through my Abnegation short hair. "I'm glad you told me, but I wish it wasn't the case. Hiding my own divergence is difficult enough."

"You'll have to warn her about the simulations. We don't need another Amar or George."

At the mention of Amar, I think back to his advice about thinking of the most logical way to get past the fears. To pretend that I wasn't aware.

I thank Tori for telling me about Beatrice, and head to my apartment to get ready for bed. Even though I'm apprehensive about her being divergent, I can't help but to be excited that she'll be arriving tomorrow, and this time it will be for good.

The next morning, I debate on actually going to the choosing ceremony, but I don't want to alert Max to the fact that someone special to me is choosing today, so I stand at the net waiting to welcome her home.

Lauren and I bet on what faction will jump first. Lauren is determined that it will be a Dauntless-Born like every other year, but my bet was on Beatrice.

I realize, as I stand there, that I should probably start calling her by the nick name that she and Uriah came up with, and I start correcting myself every time I think about her so that I don't accidentally call her by her Abnegation name.

Time seems to be frozen like something is stopping Tris from arriving. After what seems like years, even though I know it has only been a few hours, I see a grey blur hit the net.

"Tris," I breathe as I help her out of the net.

I can feel the muscles in her arms as my hands grip them pulling Tris to the edge of the net. She wears a long sleeve grey shirt with the normal Abnegation slacks.

"Can't believe it," Lauren says, with more Dauntless swagger than usual.  "A Stiff, the first to jump? Unheard of."

I grin smugly at Lauren, "I told you."

"How did you know that a Stiff was even in this group?"

"I know her."

I give Tris a small smile before fixing my expression and turning to the crowd near the net.

"First jumper, Tris!" I call out, and everyone cheers.

"Welcome to Dauntless," I say almost in a dream. Quieter I add, "Welcome home."

Once everyone has jumped, Lauren and I lead the initates down the dark hallway leading to the Pit doors.

"This is where we divide," Lauren says when we reach the doors. "The Dauntless-Born initates are with me. I assume you don't need a tour of the place."

She smiles, and the Dauntless-Borns follow her down the hallway that bypasses the Pit, leading them right into the Cafeteria. I watch them leave, and once they've disappeared, I straighten up. I learned last year that in order for them to take me seriously from the beginning, I have to be hard on them from the beginning. I don't have Amar's natural charm, which won people's loyalty with just a smile or a joke, so I have to compensate in other ways.

"Most of the time I help lead Dauntless, but for the next few weeks, I'm your instructor," I say. "My name is Four."

One of the Candor girls - tall, with dark skin and an energetic voice - speaks up. "Four? Like the number?"

I sense the beginnings of an uprising. People who don't know what my name means often like to laugh at it, and I don't like to be laughed at, especially not by a group of initiates fresh from Choosing, who have no idea what they're in for.

"Yes," I say testily. "Is there a problem?"

"No," the girl says.

"Good. We're about to go into the pit, which you will someday learn to love. It-"

The Candor girl interrupts again. "The Pit? Clever name."

I feel a swell of irritation, and I move her without really deciding to. I can't have someone cracking jokes about everything I say, especially not at the beginning of initiation, when everyone's attitudes are malleable. I have to show them all that I'm not someone to be messed with, and I have to do it now.

I lean in close to her face and stare at her for a few seconds, until I see her smile falter.

"What's your name?" I say, keeping my voice quiet.

"Christina," she says.

"Well, Christina, if I wanted to put up with Candor smart-mouths, I would have joined their faction," I say. "The first lesson you will learn from me it to keep your mouth shut. Got that?"