The Initiate (A Divergent fanfic)

Chapter 27.

I watch Tori apply an inked needle to my rib cage. It was hard trying to find a big enough area without any bruises. Even now I have to bite down onto my lip as she tattoos me to stop me from cursing. Connor watches from the chair on the side of the parlor. He has a grin on his face. The face that seems to make everything bad just a little better.

"Abnegation showing her rib cage I can't believe it." He says. I smile back unable to speak from the pain and by the way Tori is I doubt she will have much tolerance for someone who is constantly screaming out every two seconds. The buzzing of the needle stops and I feel her fingers move off my body. My rib cage pinches at me but I get an overpowering sensation of pride whenever I have gotten a tattoo so far. I stand up from the green foamed bed and look into the mirror and I see my new tattoo; a phoenix. The feeling of the largest smile I have had in a while comes up on my face.

"So what do you think?" Tori asks untying her black and white hair.

"Love it! Thank you Tori." I giddily say, she smiles causing lines to appear at the corners of her mouth. "I have always wondered what it was with Abnegation and mirrors." She says a little sternly.

"We reject vanity." And I reply a little sterner than usual. But I remember the last time I got angry. I nearly killed someone. Connor picks himself up and walks next to me getting rid of the cold feeling which made my skin tingle.  

"Looks good." He replies. He puts his hand around my waist and I shudder a little from the shock. But I like the feeling, now another flame inside my body has been lit and like the first time he touched me I don't think that this feeling will be going away anytime soon. 

We walk side by side, shoulder to shoulder, body to body. We eat the muffins we got from the canteen and sit by the roaring chasm and we watch the flickering flames of the white wax candles. "So well done for passing initiation." He says. "Well stage one anyways." he chuckles. "Thanks same to you." I say. "I wonder what the candles are for." I add. I see Christina hold hands with her boyfriend, Will. She looks to be crying almost.

"Apparently a transfer last year wasn't going to pass stage two of initiation. So they committed suicide. It was either that or become factionless. I don't know which one is worse, maybe some people aren't the things they choose to want to be." Connor explains. 

"Oh." I simply say. Connor lifts his self up and turns to face me, slowly he comes closer. "Did you know that Olivia and Shayne are dating?" He whispers. 

"No. That is nice I suppose I got the impression they liked one another." I say back with a smile. 

"I guess they didn't waste a chance to be happy. Which has got me thinking we have passed stage one and I may not have chance to say this again but -" Connor begins to talk and his voice is a wavy nervous mess a contrast from the smooth tone and confident taste he has to it. But he is promptly interrupted by  Aspin shouting our name. Connor bites his lip to stop him from cursing. Aspin, Ryan and Keira approach us. 

"I take it you made it then huh?" Keira says with a distaste. "Though you did come ninth that will do I suppose." She says crossing her arms. Now that she is wearing a balck and grey sleeveless shirt I can fully see the dragon tattoo on her wrist. I just smile back. 

"Yes we did I came first in the transfers what about you three?" Connor asks. 

"We all passed. I came third, Aspin came fifth and Keira came second not bad." Ryan says playing with his lip piercing the way Eric does. Cold chills attack my body. Aspin smirks as he lifts up to streach I see the hem of his shirt lift and the bottom of a snake tattoo on his hip. "So we will be moving onto stage two of initiation soon? Looking forward to it?" Aspin asks lighting a cigarette. 

"Yeah I'm extatic." I reply nearly coughing from the smoke Aspin exhales out. The blue smoke nearly dries out my eyes. Smoking in Abnegation is considered very self indulgent as a cigarette's use is to cause pleasure from use. Aspin pulls out an orange box and he pulls back the lid and offers me and Connor one. Connor shakes his head and I follow. "No thank you I don't smoke." I say politely. 

"Typical Stiff."  I hear Keira whisper to herself. Aspin looks at her. 

"Hey leave her! Just because she doens't smoke doesn't make her a stiff. She has proven herself so far. Give the newbies a chance." Aspin snaps. He takes another drag of his cigarrette and this time the smoke isn't so bad. I'm tempted to take one off of him and smoke it just to prove Keira wrong. But I would look stupid in doing so, I have never smoked in my life I wouldn't know where to start. And I am not affecting my health just because of her. "We had better get going we are meeting Uriah and his brother Zeke. See ya later." Aspin adds before he takes another drag of his cigarette.

"Bye." Connor says. The three walk off and we walk over the chasm past the flickering orange flames of the many  candles. 

"Oh Connor what is it you wanted to talk about?" I ask. His face reddens over the orange tint he has been given from the flames. 

"Oh it was nothing important." He replies with a smile. Now his voice has gone back to the unstable mess. 'Have I made him like that?' I ask myself. We arrive at dorm, the three broken Erudite all sit in a corner and quietly watch us enter the dorm. Their faces are purple and their noses are swollen. I sit on the bed opposite Olivia and Shayne who are holding hands. 

"Well it is about time something happened between you two." I say. 

"Yep it is." Shayne replies. They kiss and my heart flutters, it is nice seeing people who are genuinely happy together. I have seen enough broken relationships to last infinite lifetimes seeing Shayne's and Olivia's relationship can safely restore my little hope in relationships. Eric and Four enter the room and suddenly everyone stops; the three Erudite stop talking, Shayne and Olivia let go of each other's hand and I rise my shoulders up. 

"As you may know it is visiting day tomorrow, so you have chance to see your families. But in the unlikely event that they do even show do get too attached to them. We here take the motto 'Faction before blood' very seriously. Getting too attached only shows to us that  you aren't fully  committed in being with Dauntless." Eric explains. His hair annoys me I swear I occasionally see grease fall from his hair to the floor. I saw Four almost cower his head at the word 'Families' one thing we have in common. "That is all initiates." Eric says clasping his hands. They both leave and that is when the atmosphere returns. But I feel sick in my stomach, Marcus may be coming to see me.