Soulmates

Chapter 10: Fear

At her trainers' insistence, Tris spends the night in Eric's king-sized bed. Eric sleeps in his second bedroom, and Four stays on the leader's couch. In the morning the two men walk their initiate back to the dorm.

Christina flies at Tris as soon as she walks in. "Tris!" she squeals. "Are you okay? We went looking for you, but you weren't in the infirmary."

"Oh!" Tris exclaims. "I guess they decided I didn't need medical attention."

"Then where were you?" Christina asks, tilting her head like a curious puppy.

"Um, Eric's apartment?" Tris says, though it sounds more like a question.

"What!?"

"Four's friend Shauna was there," Tris says. "I, uh, took a shower and went to bed. I was pretty out of it."

"Four has a girlfriend? What was Eric's apartment like? Were you totally freaked out? I would be!"

"Chris!" Tris interrupts. "I don't really remember a lot. Eric said I was in shock. Shauna came so she could help me shower. And she's not Four's girlfriend. She's dating his best friend, or something like that."

"Did they say anything about Edward?" Christina asks.

Tris nods sadly. "They ended up taking him to the hospital at Erudite," she says. "He could come back and finish initiation since the physical part is done, but Myra was going to be cut anyway, so they chose to leave together. Once he heals up they'll be factionless."

"Woah," Christina says. "Do they know who did it?"

"They suspect Peter," Tris says.

"We all suspect Peter," Christina interjects.

Tris nods. "Unfortunately there's no proof, so they can't do anything. But Four said he's going to work on the video feeds and see if he can find anything."

xxxx

The initiates make the most of their extra day off, napping, shopping, doing laundry, and getting tattoos and piercings. Tris gets her ears pierced. She's amazed at the diagrams Tori and Bud have at the tattoo shop. She had no idea there were so many piercing locations on the human ear.

Because Edward and Myra left, only two initiates have to be cut. The bottom two are Dauntless-born, saving Al and Drew.

The next day is the beginning of phase two. As promised, the two groups of initiates are combined into one big group. Four vaguely describes the fear simulations, then calls Molly to follow him down the hall. Lauren calls a Dauntless-born, and they disappear as well.

The other initiates lounge around the waiting area. Some talk about the rankings. Some nap or make plans with their friends. The overall mood is pretty subdued as no one knows what to expect.

One by one the initiates are called, but none of them return. Eventually Tris is the last one in the room.

"Come on, Tris," Four finally calls. He places his large hand on her back to guide her down the hall, and Tris feels herself melt into the comfort of his touch.

“Sit,” Four says when they reach a closet of a room with a metal reclining chair and a computer.

“What’s the simulation?” Tris asks, trying and failing to keep her voice from shaking.

"Ever hear the phrase 'face your fears?'" he asks. "We take that literally."

He taps something, and Tris looks back to see what it is. Four holds a syringe with a long needle in one hand, his thumb against the plunger.