near north side//peter hayes

10

Today is Visiting Day. I plan to spend it wandering around the pit, probably with Four. Eric and I are on the way to the transfer dorm so Eric can give them his speech about not staying attached to your family.

"I don't know how I can stand there and say don't get attached to your family when I've visited my family since transferring," I tell Eric.

"They don't know that, they don't need to know that," Eric tells me.

"I guess. I just don't want to stand up there as their leader and be a hypocrite," I confess.

Eric wraps his arm around my waist pulling me close to him. "It'll be fine. Just don't say anything and no one can get mad at you."

Walking into the dorm even I am surprised by Eric's sudden and loud outburst, "Attention!" he announces, flicking a lock of dark hair from his eyes. "I want to give you some advice about today. If by some miracle your families do come to visit you..." He scans the initiates faces and smirks. "...which I doubt, it is best not to seem too attached. That will make it easier for you, and easier for them. We also take the phrase 'faction before blood' very seriously here. Attachment to your family suggests you aren't entirely pleased with your faction, which would be shameful. Understand?"

It's the same threatening speech as last year. The same speech I continue to ignore. I wonder if that bothers Eric, that I still see my family. That I haven't fully let go of my family and my old faction.

I turn to leave with Eric, but he turns and stops Tris. "I may have underestimated you, Stiff," Eric says. "You did well yesterday."

Tris just stares at him.

"Thank you." Tris slips out of the dormitory.

"I've got to go, you make sure the initiates don't talk too much trash about me," Eric says with a smile.

"I'll try my hardest, but I'd rather they trash talk you than me."

He smiles before walking away.

I walk down the hallway trying to catch up with Tris. "Tris," I call, "Wait up." Tris turns around to look at me and stops. "Don't worry about Eric," I start, "I know he can be intimidating, but I'm trying to reel him in." Tris doesn't laugh, she just shakes her head. "Do you think your parents are going to show up?" I ask her.

"I don't know. Eric said we shouldn't get our hopes up. That even if they do we should not get attached," Tris tells me.

"I know I can trust you to never tell Eric this, but that is bullshit. If your parents do show up today you are allowed to be happy. You're allowed to enjoy their company. This may be the last time you see them so enjoy it as much as you can," I say.

Tris looks at me and smiles. "I always knew you were nicer than Eric. I feel like you understand that we aren't just going to be Dauntless overnight, it takes getting used to."

Now it's my turn to smile at her. Her words warm my heart. I want to oversee training for that reason. To make it easier for these initiates than Eric did for my class last year.

"My mom came last year and I don't think I could have made it through training without seeing her. We worked out our differences and it made me a better stronger person," I confess.

"I'm afraid for my family to come. My parents won't approve of how I'm dressed. My pants are tight. My collar bone is showing and I have tattoos," Tris says, running her fingers through her hair and smoothing it into a bun, something she hasn't done since the beginning of training.

"I felt the same way as you, but if your family really loves you they will push past all of that to see the strong person you have become," I say as we enter the pit.