Глава 8. In that moment, it's as if every sense in me has been carried away by the wind like a dandelion fluff in the fall

In that moment, it's as if every sense in me has been carried away by the wind like a dandelion fluff in the fall. I don't dare let my eyes wander from Tris, fearing that her grip will falter the second I steer my attention away from her, as if I'm mentally freezing her in place. Desperation is creeping up on me; she can only hang on for so long, which means I have to act fast. My head whips around as I take in my surroundings – and that's when I see it. My eyes focus in on it like a security camera picking up something unusually peculiar that doesn't quite belong. I must have missed it the first time I walked by because I was so focused on Tris, but there it is, tucked away in a corner of dust and rust are the controls that used to power the Ferris wheel. I have no idea whether or not they still work after all these years, but it's worth a try.

" Four! " Tris yells with increasing desperation.

" Hold on! " I shout. " Just hold on. I have an idea."

I fumble my way down the metal structure, nearly losing my grip a few times in my haste. As soon as my feet hit solid ground, I make a run for the controls.

" Four! " Tris yells again.

Hang in there Tris; I'm going to get you down.

My eyes sweep over the control panel as I try to make sense of the multicoloured buttons. I jam the heel of my palm into the power button and press down on another one labeled " start". For a few seconds, nothing happens. All I hear are my laboured breaths forcing their way out of my chest and through my gritted teeth as I realize how naï ve I was to have believed the Ferris wheel would still be able to work after years and years of rust have crept onto its structures and torn its mechanics apart.

But of course, I was wrong.

My attention snaps back to the Ferris wheel as the metal begins wheezing and groaning. With a great shudder, the machine comes back to life like a great beast resurrected from the dead.

I watch it carry Tris closer and closer to the ground. When she's close enough to the concrete, she lets go of the metal bar she's been clinging to and drops onto the ground, rolling several times to steer clear of a car bearing down on her.

She lies on the ground and presses her hands to her face. I hurry over to where she is, wrap my hands gently around her wrists and pry her hands away from her face to make sure she is not seriously hurt. I encase one of her hands in both of mine and stroke the back of her palm.

" You all right? " I ask.

" Yeah."

An overwhelming sense of relief fills my body and I can't help feeling an inappropriate urge to laugh. Tris looks at me in bewilderment, but her expression changes as she fails to suppress a giggle. Moments later, the silence is ringing with the sound of our laughter.

With her free hand, she pushes herself up into a sitting position. I am suddenly aware of how little space there is between us. I can see every detail of her face. Her pale blue eyes, illuminated by the moonlight, shine brighter than all of the lights in the city combined. Her eyelashes flutter when she blinks and the corners of her lips naturally curl down, like mine.

I stand, pulling Tris up with me. The moving Ferris wheel behind her creates a wind that sends her hair tumbling around her face.

" You could have told me that the Ferris wheel still worked, " she says casually, trying to hide the accusation in her voice. " We wouldn't have had to climb in the first place.

" I would have, if I had known, " I say. " Couldn't just let you hang there, so I took a risk. Come on, time to get their flag."

I hesitate awkwardly for a moment before placing my hand on her arm and steering her body to stand next to mine. I flash a quick smile in her direction and start running back towards the carousel, where the rest of our team is guarding the flag.

As we near the carousel, I see that only half of the team is present. Christina is perched on one of the horses, guarding the flag which is resting on the back of another plastic horse behind her. The rest of the Dauntless-borns have scattered out around the carousel. The vacant expressions on their faces tell me nothing exciting has happened since I left with Tris.

" Where'd the others go? " I ask.

Lauren, who was absent-mindedly scratching her pierced eyebrow a moment ago, snaps out of her reverie and turns on me.

" Did you guys turn on the wheel? " she barks. " What the hell are you thinking? You might as well have just shouted 'Here we are! Come and get us! '" she shakes her head at me, fuming at the thought that this may be her third consecutive year of losing capture the flag. " If I lose again this year, the shame will be unbearable. Three years in a row? "

" The wheel doesn't matter, " I can barely contain my excitement. " We know where they are."

" We? " Christina says, her eyes flitting back and forth between Tris and I.

" Yes, while the rest of you were twiddling your thumbs, Tris climbed the Ferris wheel to look for the other team, " I tell them.

" What do we do now, then? "

I turn my attention to Tris. This, after all, is an exercise for the initiates.

Everyone fixes their eyes on her. The attention catches Tris off-guard and she looks like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. She hesitates for a second, not quite sure where to begin, but then the words start tumbling out as if she's known the plan all along.

" Split in half, " she says. " Four of us go to the right side of the pier, three to the left. The other team is in the park at the end of the pier, so the group of four will charge as the group of three sneaks up behind the other team to get the flag."

" Sounds good, " Lauren claps her hands together in approval. " Let's get this night over with, shall we? "

The initiates split up into two groups, like Tris instructed, and set off towards the Pier. I trail a few meters behind Tris, Christina, Uriah and another Dauntless-born, who rounds up the group of four heading in from the right side. Christina's long legs carry her forward faster than everyone else so Tris has to run twice as fast to match her stride.

When we reach the end of the pier, I pull my gun, which has been slung across my back, onto my shoulder and hook a finger around the trigger. My breaths come in ragged gasps and my heart rattles against my chest from the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I work hard to keep my breathing as quiet as possible to avoid alerting the other team of our presence.

Then a chorus of yells sounds as the other team charge us from the edge of the trees. Paintballs whizz by in the air making spattering noises when they hit their intended and unintended targets. The other half of my team charges from behind and catches Eric's team by surprise. I pull the trigger on my gun and hit an unaware initiate square in the stomach. She drops her gun and stumbles over from the impact. The flag is almost unguarded. Uriah aims and shoots the last guard in the thigh. The initiate, an obvious Dauntless-born with bright purple hair, throws her gun down to the ground in a fit of temper at the fact that her team has been defeated.

Christina and Tris stand beneath the branch that has been the flag's safe house. They both reach for the flag, but Christina, being the taller one, swipes the flag from the branch before Tris has a chance to snatch it and lets out a cry of victory. Behind me, a chorus of yells can be heard from the rest of my team who are basking in the glory of our triumph.

The shouts of victory become contagious as Tris and Christina run over to embrace their teammates. The two groups collide midway and I feel the corners of my mouth curl up into a triumphant grin that marks yet another successful game of capture the flag.

Christina is quickly engulfed by the group of elated initiates who are all grabbing her arm to lift the flag higher in the air to show the world their symbol of success.

Tris stays off to the side, but she's standing just close enough for the glow from the flag to illuminate her face. The corners of her mouth are turned upwards in a wide, beaming grin. Happiness radiates off of her and awakens something deep within me. It spreads through my veins from my chest to the tip of my toes, warming my entire body. Heat rushes to my face and I press the tips of my fingers, which are chilly from the night air, against my flushed cheeks to cool them.

I walk over and gently place a hand on her shoulder.

" Well done, " I congratulate her quietly.

She looks up at me, the ghost of her smile still lingering on her face. I can see the reflection of the moon in her eyes. A gentle breeze tickles my cheek and I pick up the faint sound of crickets chirping from somewhere through the trees. It's hard to believe the rest of the city was asleep while we were out here fighting for our hard earned victory. After the excitement has subsided, I realize just how tired and worn out I feel.

Everything seems to recede away at once. All the voices intermingle and become indistinguishable from one another – like the constant bustle of life that fills the city when nightfall comes, even after people have fallen asleep. There is a steady current of electricity that fills the air and charges it with energy, the energy from every being. It is so constant that I hardly notice it. But tonight, it jolts me awake and makes everyone and everything look vivid and clear and a thousand times brighter than they should be.

I try to take a snapshot of this night – try to capture every sense and feeling with it and lock it up in my memory, tucked away in a little corner where it will remain, for my eyes only.