near north side//peter hayes

18

This initiation ceremony is different from my own last year. Instead of wandering around drunk like most members do or staring in awe like most initiates I have to sit through every initiates fear landscape. I have to see and hear everything that they are going through. I sit with the rest of the leaders as initiate after initiate goes.

Soon enough it's Peter's turn. "Peter!"

He walks to the front of the observation room, towards me. I stand with a syringe full of orange liquid. I try to stay stone faced as I stick the syringe in Peter's neck.

"Ready?" I ask.

One by one Peter successfully overcomes his fears. I'm proud of him. There is no way he gets cut.

The lights come on. Peter stands alone in the empty room with the concrete walls. The door opens. Max, Eric, Four, a few others and I file into the room.

I smile slightly. "Congratulations, Peter. You have successfully completed your final evaluation."

A wide smile creeps onto Peter's face. "Thank you."

"The banquet is in two hours," I tell him. "Your ranking among the other initiates, Dauntless-born included, will be announced then. Good luck. You can go and get ready now."

I sit through the last few fear landscapes. When all is said and done Peter is waiting for me. The crowd has thinned out some. I smile at him.

"Only six obstacles," I state.

Peter smiles. "Same as you."

I shrug my shoulders. "I still had a faster time."

"So... you saw all my fears," Peter states.

I nod my head. "Yeah. Being naked in the pit is a more common fear than you would think." Peter groans. "I had the same one last year."

Peter chuckles. "At least I'm in good company."

I interlace his fingers with mine. "I think there are some rankings to be announced."

Peter nods his head. "Should I be worried?"

I shake my head. "Not a chance."

I stand with Peter towards the back of the dining hall. My hand is still laced with his.

"Have you thought about what job you want?" I ask.

Peter shrugs. "I was hoping you could help me get a job somewhere other than the fence."

I laugh. "I think you would be a great dishwasher." Peter shakes his head. "Or I could pull some strings and get you a job working with me or Eric. Something that keeps you away from the fence and not too far from me."

A microphone squeals somewhere. I look across the room at Eric, who stands on one of the tables with the microphone in hand, tapping it with his fingertips. I lock eyes with him for a split second. After the tapping is done and the crowd of Dauntless is quiet.

Eric clears his throat and begins. "We aren't big on speeches here. Eloquence is for Erudite," he says. The crowd laughs. "So I'm going to keep this short. It's a new year, and we have a new pack of initiates. And a slightly smaller pack of new members. We offer them our congratulations."

At the word "congratulations" the room erupts, not into applause, but into the pounding of fists on tabletops. The noise vibrates in my chest, and I grin.

"We believe in bravery. We believe in taking action. We believe in freedom from fear and in acquiring the skills to force the bad out of our world so that the good can prosper and thrive. If you also believe in those things, we welcome you.". More pounding fists, this time accompanied by whoops. "Tomorrow, in their first act as members, our top ten initiates will choose their professions, in the order of how they are ranked," Eric says. "The rankings, I know, are what everyone is really waiting for. They are determined by a combination of three scores: the first, from the combat stage of training; the second, from the simulation stage; and the third, from the final examination, the fear landscape. The rankings will appear on the screen behind me." As soon as the word "me" leaves his mouth, the names appear on the screen, which is almost as large as the wall itself.

I don't need to look far down the list. Peter is ranked second right behind Tris. A huge grin is plastered on my face. I can't help but laugh a little and clap. Peter smiles and I pull him into a hug.

I scan the rankings.

1. Tris

2. Peter

3. Sarah (Dauntless born)

4. Zach (Dauntless born)

5. Steele (Dauntless born)

6. Will

7. Christina

8. Sean (Dauntless born)

9. Rick (Dauntless born)

10. Gem (Dauntless born)

11. Molly

12. Drew

Molly and Drew are cut. I mean I knew they always would be. I haven't been able to stand them since day one. There is no way I was gonna let them into Dauntless.

I pull Peter in for a kiss. I pull away and smile. "Congratulations."

The Dauntless keep pounding their fists uncaring as to the people who were just cut.

"This feels unreal," Peter admits.

I smile as I grab his hand. "I think we should celebrate."

Once in my apartment I head into the kitchen. "I know I have some vodka in here somewhere." I look through the cabinets. Peter stands behind me watching my every move. I finally find the bottle. "Gotcha." I turn around and face him. I take the cap off the bottle and hand the bottle to Peter. "Newest member drinks first." Peter chuckles as he takes a sip. I wrap my arms around his waist. "You've made it through to being a full member. I can go easy on you now. No more nagging. No more pushing you to your limits." I grab the bottle from him and take a sip.

Peter chuckles. "No more facing my fears."

I smile. "No more fears. Right now it's just you and me."

Peter's hand cradles the side of my head, his long fingers slipping through my hair. He smiles and holds my head in place as he kisses me. Heat spreads through me slowly. The kiss only lasts a few seconds before he pulls away.

"Screw being sweet and gentle," I remark.

I lean forward attaching my lips to Peter's. The kiss deepens and I can feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. His lips still on mine, he pushes the jacket from my shoulders. He pushes me up against the counter. He starts to trail kisses from my jaw down my neck. I smile as I tug his shirt over his head. Peter puts his hands on my hips as I attach my lips back on his. It's almost a hungry kiss like I need every ounce of him.

Peter lifts me up onto the counter. I let out a little giggle at the surprise motion. Peter smiles as he tugs my tank top over my head. I look at Peter and I don't know what comes over me but I just can't stop the words from tumbling from my mouth.

"I love you."

Peter looks at me surprised. He puts his hands on my face. "I love you too."

I chuckle. "I love you." I kiss him. "I love you."

Peter slips his hands under me and lifts me up. I wrap my legs around his waist. I kiss down Peter's neck to his chest as he carries me to my room.

Peter's arms are wrapped around me as I lay my head on his bare chest. I trace the patterns of the tattoo on his arm. I look up to see Peter has his eyes closed.

"Why are you staring at me?" Peter asks not even bothering to open his eyes when he does.

"I was thinking you could move in with me. I know we're moving fast, but you're Dauntless now and that's the Dauntless way of life," I tell him.

Peter smiles wide before he kisses my head. "I would love to."

I move so I'm straddling Peter. "I couldn't be more proud of you."

Peter smiles. "Choosing Dauntless is the smartest thing I've ever done. Without transferring I never would have met you."

I lean my forehead on Peter's. "I finally found my happiness not in Amity, not in Dauntless, but with you."