Soulmates

Chapter 7: War Games

"Everybody up!” Eric roars, waking the roomful of transfer initiates. “You have five minutes to get dressed and meet us by the tracks; we’re going on another field trip.”

Tris and her cohort dress quickly and stumble groggily to the tracks just behind the much more enthusiastic Dauntless-born initiates. Next to the tracks is a black pile of boxes with the word “PAINTBALLS” written on them.

“Everyone grab a gun!” barks Eric, and the initiates rush to obey.

A circle of light appears to the left. The train, Tris thinks, still half asleep. The light grows larger as it comes closer, and everyone prepares to jump. Four is the first to get on the train, and he holds out a hand to Tris, pulling her in.

Once everyone is in, Four speaks. “We’ll be dividing into two teams to play capture the flag. Each team will have an even mix of members, Dauntless-born initiates, and transfers. One team will get off first and find a place to hide their flag. Then the second team will get off and do the same.This is a Dauntless tradition, so I suggest you take it seriously.”

“Four and I will be your team captains,” says Eric. He looks at Four. “Let’s divide up transfers first, shall we? I’ll go first.”

“You went first last year,” Four grumbles. Eric shrugs, but by the tense set of his jaw, Tris can tell he’s not happy. “I want the Stiff,” Four says nonchalantly.

A few people snicker, and Tris blushes.

“Picking the weak ones so that if you lose, you’ll have someone to blame?” Eric taunts, but Four just shrugs.

Edward, Peter, Molly, Al, and Myra end up with Eric. Will, Christina, and Drew join Tris on Four’s team. The trainers divide up the Dauntless-born initiates, and then the members. As they do, Tris tries to determine their strategies. Four’s team, with a few exceptions, have narrow shoulders, and small frames. All the people on Eric’s team are broad and strong. Tris thinks that Four’s strategy will work better for capture the flag - a game of speed rather than brute force.

They finish choosing teams, and Eric smirks at Four. “Your team can get off second,” says Eric.

“Don’t do me any favors,” Four replies. He smiles a little. “You know I don’t need them to win.”

“No, I know that you’ll lose no matter what,” says Eric. “Take your scrawny team and get off first, then.”

Just before they jump, someone shoves Tris’ shoulder, and she almost falls out of the train car.

“Watch it, Hayes!” Eric roars. “We take this game seriously, but not 'murder your fellow initiate' serious. Don’t be a dick.”

Tris is surprised by Eric’s defense, and flashes him a quick smile of gratitude as she jumps from the train car.

“Let’s hide the flag at Navy Pier,” a tall Dauntless-born initiate calls out. He has brown skin and dark eyes, and a broad, winning smile. “My brother’s team won there. They kept the flag at the carousel.”

No one objects, so the group walks toward a strip of land that juts out into the marsh. They stop at a dilapidated carousel, and Four takes the flag out of his pocket.

“In ten minutes, the other team will pick their location,” he says. “I suggest you take this time to formulate a strategy. We may not be Erudite, but mental preparedness is one aspect of your Dauntless training.”

Will takes the flag from Four, and everyone bursts into the conversation at once, their voices louder with each passing second. Four sits down on the edge of the carousel, leaning against a plastic horse. His eyes lift to the sky, as if praying for patience.

Tris looks over her shoulder to make sure no one is watching, then slips away from the group, walking toward the Ferris wheel. She puts her weight on the lowest rung to test its strength, and jumps to make sure it will hold up.

“Tris,” a low voice says behind her.

She looks back and sees Four standing behind her with his gun slung across his back.

“Yes?” she says in her best innocent voice.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asks.

“I’m seeking higher ground,” she says.

She begins to climb, and the instructor follows. As they ascend, Tris hears his breathing behind her, loud and fast. “Are you all right, Four?” she asks.

“Are you human, Tris? Being up this high…” He gulps for air. “It doesn’t scare you?”

“You’re afraid of heights,” Tris realizes aloud as she reaches a platform and stops to rest. “How do you survive in the Dauntless compound?”

“I ignore my fear,” he replies. “When I make decisions, I pretend it doesn’t exist.”

They look out toward the city, but a building stands in their way. “We’re not high enough,” Tris says. “You don’t have to follow me.”

“Yes, I do,” he says. He's firm, bit hos voice sounds strained.

The pair climbs higher, and when they look at the city again, the building isn’t in the way. For a few seconds Tris sees only a dark blanket over the land, just faint differences between buildings, ground, and sky.

“See that?” she says eagerly, pointing at a tiny light. Four reaches Tris, then stops climbing and looks over her shoulder.

“It’s coming from the park at the end of the pier,” he says. “Figures. It’s surrounded by open space, but the trees provide some camouflage.”

They start climbing back down the ferris wheel, when suddenly a bar creaks, then comes loose in Tris’ hand. She’s left dangling from the scaffolding, swinging in midair.

“Hold on!” Four shouts, climbing back up to where Tris hangs.

The trainer is tall, so he’s able to keep his feet and left hand secured on a rung while his right arm circles Tris’ middle, gripping her left hip. Supported by Four, Tris reaches down for the next rung below her and lowers herself to where she can secure her feet as Four shifts his weight to a lower rung.

“Thank you,” Tris says in a shaky voice.

For the rest of the climb to the ground, Four doesn’t let Tris get away from him. His feet lower a rung and his hands drop from her shoulder height to her waist height, then her feet descend from the bar at his middle to the bar by his thighs. Thus overlapped, they carefully pick their way to the ground, never letting the other out of grabbing reach.

When they touch the ground, Tris resists the urge to hug her trainer. “Come on,” she says instead, “time to get their flag.”

They start toward the carousel, where their team members guard their flag. “We know where they are!” Tris announces.

“You do?” asks Christina, looking from Four to Tris.

“Yes, while the rest of you were twiddling your thumbs, Tris climbed the Ferris wheel to look for the other team,” Four says. “Do you have a plan, Tris?”

“Split in half,” she says. Tris lays out her plan, and the team agrees to implement it.

xxxx

The train ride back to Dauntless is a noisy affair. Christina and the tall Dauntless-born, Uriah, entertain everyone with tales of Tris’ daring climb up the ferris wheel.

A heavy presence behind her gets Tris’ attention, and she looks over her right shoulder to see Four leaning on a wall, staring in her direction warily. She glances over her left shoulder and sees Eric close behind her. “Nice job, Stiff,” the leader says in a dark but genuine tone.

“Thanks,” Tris replies confidently.