Глава 2. Lauren and I wait until all of the initiates are standing on solid ground again before leading them through a narrow tunnel that leads to the compound

Lauren and I wait until all of the initiates are standing on solid ground again before leading them through a narrow tunnel that leads to the compound. I can still recall the first time I walked down this path. The darkness used to be unsettling, but now it acts like a blanket, covering my fears and smoothing over the past of who I used to be.

We stop abruptly without warning, and I chuckle to myself when I hear several bodies colliding as the initiates halt unexpectedly one by one.

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

More than half of the group break off and follow Lauren. Only nine initiates remain with me. I note that most of the transfers are from Candor and Erudite. There is one Abnegation, and no Amity. Typical.

" Most of the time I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor." I tell them. " My name is Four."

I'm not exactly fond of that nickname, but it is who I am here. I carry the hope that someday, someone will discover my story, and I will be known as me again. The real me.

" Four? Like the number? " a Candor girl asks.

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

" No."

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

" The Pit? " the same girl snickers. " Clever name."

Her attitude is beginning to get on my nerves. I walk towards her, glaring.

" What's your name? " I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

" Christina, " she manages to squeak out.

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

She nods.

I walk back to the front of the crowd and begin leading them to the end of the tunnel. The initiates follow in silence.

The tunnel opens up to an underground cavern, otherwise known as the Pit, where the Dauntless spend a large amount of their leisure time. The place hosts an assortment of shops selling food, clothing, and supplies, and there are also rooms built for leisure activities. Narrow paths carved from rock connect each room; no railings were put in place to keep people from falling.

The place is chaotic, as usual. People are everywhere, all dressed in black, Dauntless clothing, bustling about. It sure is a lot more lively here than where I came from, and I'm grateful for the noise. It provides a much needed distraction. As a group of children run down the path, I catch the Stiff's worried expression for a moment before it disappears. She'll get acquainted with the chaos sooner or later. Preferably sooner, if she wants to make it through initiation.

" If you follow me, " I say, " I'll show you the chasm."

I lead the group to the right side of the Pit, towards the iron barrier that separates us from the rushing water several stories below us.

The initiates pool around the barricade to get a better view of the chasm. A river lies at the bottom. The water is calmer to the left, but to the right, it constantly beats against the rocks, spraying water up towards us. Not many people like to spend time here because of the danger it poses, but I find the roar of the water to be calming. It helps to drown out unwelcome thoughts.

" This chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy! " I shout above the roar of the water. " A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It has happened before and it will happen again. You've been warned."

A few minutes later, I lead the group into the dining hall. The brightly lit room plays host to a few hundred people who are busy enjoying their meals. A constant buzz of conversation can be heard above the noise of their clattering silverware. When we walk in, everyone stands up to applaud, stamp their feet, and shout. A few of the initiates take in the Dauntless welcome and smile at the crowd.

The place is crowded, but I managed to find a mostly empty table at the side of the room. I sit down, and Christina and Tris follow suit.

Platters of hamburgers sit on the table. Tris picks one up and inspects the patty.

I nudge her with my elbow. " It's beef, " I say. " Put this on it." I pass her a bowl of ketchup.

" You've never had a hamburger before? " Christina asks disbelievingly.

" No, " Tris says. " Is that what it's called? "

" Stiffs eat plain food, " I explain to Christina.

" Why? " she asks.

Tris shrugs. " Extravagance is considered self-indulgent and unnecessary."

" No wonder you left." remarks Christina.

" Yeah, " Tris says, rolling her eyes. " It was because of the food."

I smirk at her response. The Stiff's got jokes.

Just then, the doors to the cafeteria opens and the presence of the person entering the room is enough to halt all conversations.

" Who's that? " Christina hisses.

" His name is Eric, " I tell them. " He's a Dauntless leader."

" Seriously? But he's so young."

I give her a grave look. " Age doesn't matter here."

Not much does. Dauntless used to be a faction built on bravery and pride. Over time, their meanings have changed. Bravery no longer stands for the beliefs we used to pride ourselves on. Power is all that governs us now. The ones who are physically and mentally powerful are the ones who have the privilege of holding an authoritative position.

Eric stands at the door scanning the room. I tense up the moment his eyes meet mine. He starts towards my table and drops into the seat next to me.

" Well, aren't you going to introduce me? " he asks, motioning towards Tris and Christina.

" This is Tris and Christina." I say. Hardly an introduction.

" Ooh, a Stiff, " says Eric, leering at Tris. " We'll see how long you last."

Eric's judgment is always incorrect. He often makes the mistake of undermining a person's abilities. After all, I, an Abnegation, outranked him during our own initiation. I was hoping Tris would retaliate, but nothing came out of her mouth. I don't blame her. Eric's pierced face and greasy hair is far from the appearance she's accustom to.

" What have you been doing lately, Four? " he asks.

I shrug. " Nothing, really."

" Max tells me he keeps trying to meet with you, and you don't show up, " Eric says. " He requested that I find out what's going on with you."

I hold his gaze for a couple of seconds. " Tell him that I am satisfied with the position I currently hold."

" So he wants to give you a job."

" So it would seem." I say.

I sense his alertness; he perceives me to be a potential threat to his position. I can understand why, but he must not be clueless to the fact that a position of power is not something I am looking for.

" And you aren't interested."

" I haven't been interested for two years."

" Well, " says Eric. " Let's hope he gets the point, then."

He claps me on the shoulder, a little too hard for it to be a friendly gesture, and walks away. From the corner of my eye, I see Tris relax.

" Are you two...friends? " she asks.

" We were in the same initiate class, " I tell her. " He transferred from Erudite."

" Were you a transfer too? " she continues.

She's surprisingly curious for an Abnegation. This isn't a good time for curious though; I'd rather not share my past with an initiate who doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut.

" I thought I would only have trouble with the Candor asking too many questions, " I reply coldly. " Now I've got Stiffs, too? "

" It must be because you're so approachable, " she says flatly. " You know. Like a bed of nails."

I stare at her; I can't figure her out. I have never met a Stiff who challenged people like this. She holds my gaze, her eyes never wavering, not even for a fraction of a second.

" Careful, Tris." is all I say to her.

I hear someone call my name from another table, so I hastily finish my dinner and leave the table to join my friends.

They tell me about their day, I tell them about mine. They ask me about the initiates, I mumble something about inquisitiveness. I sit through an awful lot of talking before deciding to call it a day. I slip out before Eric comes back to pick up the initiates, and head up one of the dark, winding hallways that lead to my room.

I spend a long time lying in my bed staring at the wall, thinking. Thinking about today, thinking about my past, thinking about everything, thinking about...Tris. Eventually, sleep overcomes me so I close my eyes and give myself over to the darkness.

I wake to the sound of a bird's call. Birds? In the compound? My hands stretch out around me and I no longer feel the sheets that I often tangled myself in. Instead, I feel the sogginess of damp soil. I breathe in and recognize the lingering smell of rain. Leaves rustle around me and I realize I'm in a forest.

How did I get here?

I stand up slowly and brush dirt off of my hands and clothes.

" Tobias! " a voice calls.

I snap my head around, trying to locate the owner of the voice, but I only see trees. Rows and rows of trees. They stretch on forever, extending towards the horizon, where a sliver of the sun can still be seen. I watch the light slowly fade as the sun steals my senses and replaces them with the unsettling feeling nightfall brings.

" Tobias! " the voice shouts again, this time, much closer.

It's my father.

How did he find me here of all places?

I don't wait around to find out. Without so much as a backward glance, I start running.

I run.

And I run.

And I run.

I run in hopes of leaving behind the voice that has caused me more pain than I can handle. But no matter how fast I run, I can never outrun his voice.

" Tobias! " he screams, over and over and over, until the word no longer sound like my name. He is angry - no, furious.

I run until I can no longer breathe. My lungs ache and sweat covers my body. My legs give in beneath me and I'm lying on the cold forest floor again.

" You can't run from me forever, " he hisses, this time, right by my ear.

Startled, I fumble around trying to find a stick, or a rock, or - I don't know - something, anything, to defend myself with. But all I manage to grab is a handful of what feels like bed sheets.

And then I am...

I am...

I am back in my bed again.