Fractured | Tobias Eaton ✓

31 | I'm Fractured

Each day I have the simulation to endure. Apparently getting all–or as far as we know, some–of your fears in the first go is odd. I chalk it up to me having been born Factionless and how I've known fear my entire life. Four used a different word though.

"I expected this when you changed the simulation," He says.

I just stare at him, "How did I change the simulation?"

"Don't play stupid, you know what I'm talking about. You made that door appear."

"No, I didn't, Four. What are you insinuating?" I had some semblance of an idea of what he might say next. It could have been anything. From him knowing about David and how he trained me–to Four saying...

"You're Divergent." He utters–I barely catch the word.

But it makes me cold everywhere. There's only one person who I've heard use that word before. And that's Evelyn Eaton, the leader of the Fractured. Named on accident by myself when I was just a child. Divergence is when you're multifaceted like humans are meant to be. And you know, not a two-dimensional piece of paper.

I shake my head, "No. I'm not Divergent, I'm Fractured." I spit out. "And I don't think it's safe for either of us to even think that word here."

Four glances behind him, "How would you know that if you weren't."

"How would you?"

He has no idea what it means to bring that word up in the compound of all places. Cameras lurk in every corner. It's made me painfully anxious for the past week.

My fears seem to manifest differently each time I go under. Instead of blood and my family, I see Edward being stabbed by an unknown aggressor over and over again. The blood covered every surface. Sometimes he explodes–others he just deflates. It's sickening.

Then the heights... as I predicted–the Ferris wheel makes an appearance. Only instead of Four saving my life–I fall to my death. Over and over again. Until he has to pull me out of it before I hyperventilate.

I'm doing terribly, to be honest. I've only stayed in first place because I get out of them quickly. The constant changing between each simulation has been throwing me off and only making it harder to keep my times under 10 minutes.

According to Four, I'm still doing well. But I hate how helpless these simulations are making me. I'm well aware they're not real but I forget so quickly in that I'm basically fucked.

Instead of just Al crying at night–so do I, only silently. There's a noticeable change among most of us. I can see Drew sitting wide awake every night and how Christina has her head under her pillow now.

So many of us are crumbling and it's so stupid. Instead of a select few excelling like the first stage–we're all being broken down... except for Tris. She seems annoyed by everyone's suffering, the only physical manifestations of the simulations taking a toll on her are her hands.

Our hands look quite similar now. Nails bitten down well past our fingertips and small scratches all over the backs of our hands.

"Your time is getting longer but you're doing pretty good, given your circumstances." Four says as I wake up after another run of the simulation.

I shake my head, "I'm losing to them and I don't think I'll make it out alive."

"Rita, you're running through more fears than the others are every time you go under, there's bound to be more time." Four reassures me and it makes me pause.

"Why are you being so nice?"

Four takes a deep breath, "These simulations can be a bit... heavy on your psyche."

I scoff loudly, twisting so I'm able to jump off of the chair. "You don't say." Sarcasm is dripping in my tone. I know I'm being unnecessarily harsh but he's aggravating me. "Thanks for the enlightenment, sir." I bow my head dramatically and make my way out.

—

The dorm is unnaturally quiet when I enter, a crowd blocking my view of the room. "What's going on?" I ask Russ and he shrugs.

"I think our scores for stage two are already up? Eric said something about a progress report." I nod, crossing my arms across my chest. "Oh shit," He says, pushing forward and I do the same before stopping short.

What the hell?

"How's that fair? I go through like three different fears every time I go under!" I argue upon seeing Tris' name in the first spot. I shouldn't be angry after I ranked first in the first stage, but this is bullshit. But then again am I really surprised there are no special conditions granted to anyone here? It is Dauntless after all.

1. Tris - Avg: 2:45
2. Rita - Avg: 3:56
3. Peter - Avg: 8:00
4. Russ - Avg: 8:23
5. Will - Avg: 9:20
6. Molly - Avg: 10:55
7. Christina - Avg: 12:41
8. Drew - Avg: 15:26
9. Al - Avg: 18:49

"What? Three? I only ever go through one–" Someone says.

Eric cuts everyone off, "Any discussion of the simulations with your fellow initiates from here on out is prohibited." Then he leaves. What the hell?

Tris' face is beat red as Peter and I stare at her. I'm not mad at her, but at whatever scoring system didn't take my extra fears into account. He stalks past her but then pushes her into the wall and I'm moving before I can stop myself.

"I will not be outranked by a stiff!" He leans closer as I close my hand around his arm, "How did you do it, huh? How the hell did you do it?"

I yank him backward and push him. He stumbles. "Last stage you got outranked by a factionless girl, wanna try that with me?" I threaten, glaring at him.

"Why're you on her side? Next thing you know, she's gonna be more than happy to outrank you and leave you to get cut."

I shrug, "And? That's my fault for doing poorly. Quit bitching because you're no good at this. Only a coward bullies a little girl," I say.

Peter shakes his head, "A little girl? Are you blind, or just stupid? She's going to edge you out of the rankings and out of Dauntless and you're going to get nothing, all because she knows how to manipulate people and you don't."

"And? I've had nothing before, I'd fair better than you ever could if I were factionless again." I step toward him, leaning into his personal space just like he did to Tris.

"When you came here you were weaker than any of us, you survived with pure luck." He spits and I grit my teeth.

A sadistic smile grows on my face as I tilt my head, "I'm weak, huh? You'd hardly survive a day if you were factionless tomorrow. I think you should reevaluate your options because if you keep this up I'm gonna edge you out of the rankings. Or perhaps you'd rather I get rid of you like you did with Edward?"

Peter's silent then and my suspicions are proved to be true. I nod my head at him, "Watch where you step, Candor. Because next time I won't be so forgiving."