Today
is the day most Dauntless come together with their families, and the day
transfers meet with any family members who are willing to see them, provided
that they aren’t angry at their child’s betrayal from their birth faction.
I
watch Tris embrace her mother, who is clad in gray.
I stand
alone, looking away from them, afraid her mother will recognize me from
somewhere, even though I’ve never seen her before. They near the railing that
overlooks the chasm, and I, a few paces away and partially turned away from
them, can hear bits and pieces of what they’re saying. I don’t pay attention to whatever they are
talking about, until I hear her mother’s voice, slightly worried, and a little
bit exasperated.
“Tensions
between our factions are higher than ever. I wish it wasn’t that way, but there
is little I can do about it.” Her mother sighs.
War. The words shouts inside me, the word I’ve been
keeping suppressed for so long.
Jeanine
Matthews is the smartest person in Erudite, in all the five factions. She’s the
cause of the tensions between the factions, and for a reason. She’s partnered
with the Dauntless, because we have something that the Erudite don’t. We have
fighting skills, we know how to use weapons. I step away from the railing, away
from everything.
I
find myself face to face with Tris’ mother, who holds out her hand. Tris stands
beside her. “Hello. My name is Natalie,” her mother says. “I’m Beatrice’s
mother.”
I
feel like a scared rabbit, and I want to run away and hide. Instead I take her hand, awkwardly. As an Abnegation, I
never touched anyone, let alone shook hands. Even now, being in Dauntless, I’m
not very keen on doing anything of the like.
“Four,”
I say weakly. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Four,”
she repeats, smiling. “Is that a nickname?”
Does she know who I am?
“Yes.”
There’s silence for a moment, and I know they’re expecting me to elaborate. I
quickly say the first thing I can think of. “Your daughter is doing well here.
I’ve been overseeing her training.”
I
feel Tris’ eyes on me. I can hear her voice in my head.
Since when does “overseeing” include throwing knives
at me and scolding me at every opportunity?
Oh
Tris, you don’t understand. You don’t understand your strength. You don’t even
know your limits.
And
I will push you.
“That’s
good to hear,” her mother says. “I know a few things about Dauntless
initiation, and I was worried about her.”
I
may have only known Tris for a week and a half, but I am sure that she has
enough power and determination inside her to do anything she sets her mind to.
During training, when she took Al’s place and let me throw knives at her, I
could see that determination, like a fire glowing behind her eyes. And when the
flame shuddered, for just a moment, I was terrified of it going out. I taunted
and teased her, just to find that glow again.
She
was brave; she was selfless. And I realized that the two weren’t as different
as I’d thought.
I
look at her, from her nose to her mouth to her chin. She looks strong. She
looks beautiful. “You shouldn’t worry,” I tell her mother.
She
tilts her head. “You look familiar for some reason, Four.”
My
heart is suddenly pounding. My brain tells me to change the subject, fast. “I can’t imagine why,” I tell her
icily, “I don’t make a habit of associating with the Abnegation.”
She
laughs lightly, and doesn’t inquire further. “Few people do, these days. I
don’t take it personally.”
I
feel myself relax. “Well, I’ll leave you to your reunion.”
I
force my feet to walk, rather than run.
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