Chapter six: The first day as a Dauntless!
Chapter six!
"The first thing you will learn today is how to shoot a gun. The second thing is how to win a fig ht." Four presses a gun into every single one of our palms, like it was no big deal. "Thankfully, if you are here, you already know how to get on and off a moving train, so I don't need to teach you that." I don't understand how they expect us to focus when none of us got more than six hours of sleep.
"Initiation is divided in to three stages. We will measure your progress and rank you according to your performance in each stage. The stages are not weighed equally in determining your final rank, so it is possible, though difficult, to drastically improve your rank over time." I stare at the weapon in my hand. Never in my life did I expect to hold a gun, let alone fire one. It feels dangerous to me, as if just by touching it, I could hurt someone. I'd like to point it at Four and fire.
"We believe that preparation eradicates cowardice, which we define as the failure to act in the midst of fear," says Four. "Therefore each stage of initiation is intended to prepare you in a different way. The first stage is primarily physical; the second, primarily emotional; the third, primarily mental."
"But what..." Peter yawns through his words. "What does firing a gun have to do with...bravery?" Four flips the gun in his hand, presses the barrel to Peter's forehead, and clicks a bullet into place.
Peter freezes with his lips parted, the yawn dead in his mouth. "Wake. Up," Four snaps. "You are holding a loaded gun, you idiot. Act like it." He lowers the gun. Once the immediate threat is gone, Peter's green eyes harden, his cheeks turn red. If only he would just wet himself.
"And to answer your question...you are far less likely to soil your pants and cry for your mother if you're prepared to defend yourself." Four stops walking at the end of the row and turns on his heel. "This is also information you may need later in stage one. So, watch me." He face s the wall with the targets on it—one square of plywood with three red circles on it for each of us. He stands with his feet apart, holds the gun in both hands, and fires. The bang is so loud it hurts my ears. The bullet went through the middle circle.
I turn to my own target, and start practicing I have strong forearms so It's not so difficult for me to hold a gun. I point it and shoot. The bullet hit the edge of the target barley making it. Will is in the target to my left, and Tris is one target besides him. Will points the gun, and shoots. The bullet goes right next to the middle. He smiles, and gets back to shooting. So do I, my next bullet hits closer to the middle. I click another bullet into the chamber, and shoot. It goes nearly next to the middle. Four comes by standing right besides me.
He's my instructor he's evaluating me. This one has to go in the middle! I tell myself. I point the gun, aiming straight for the middle, and shoot. The bullet goes straight into the middle. I smile, proud of myself.
"That's pretty good for a smart mouth." Four says. Wow a compliment maybe he does have a heart!
So far my shoots have been good everyone managed to hit the middle, except for Tris.
"Statistically speaking," Will says, grinning at Tris, "you should have hit the target at least once by now, even by accident."
"Is that so," Tris says without inflection.
"Yeah," he says. "I think you're actually defying nature." I smile, who knew that Will could be funny.
The next bullet that Tris shoots hits the edge of the target. She grins at Will, and for some reason that bothers me, I don't like the fact that Tris is smiling like that at Will. I immediately loose my smile, and focus on shooting.
"So you see, I'm right. The stats don't lie," he says. The smile comes back.
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By the time we break for lunch, I am pretty hungry I sit down at a table with Tris, I invite Al to sit with us, and he accepts.
"Oh, come on. You don't remember me?" i asks Al as I make a sandwich. "We were in Math together just a few days ago. And I am not a quiet person."
"I slept through Math most of the time," Al replies. "It was first hour!"
"Tris, do you remember taking a class with me?" I ask Tris. I wait a while, but she doesn't answer me."Tris," I say. snapping my fingers in front of her face. "You in there?"
"What? what is it?" Tris asks snapping into reality.
"I asked if you remember ever taking a class with me," I say, repeating myself. "I mean, no offense, but I probably wouldn't remember if you did. All the Abnegation looked the same to me. I mean, they still do, but now you're not one of them." She stares at me, and I realized that I was being honest again.
"Sorry, am I being rude?" I ask. "I'm used to just saying whatever is on my mind. Mom used to say that politeness is deception in pretty packaging."
"I think that's why our factions don't usually associate with each other," Tris says, with a short laugh. It's not that Candor and Abnegation hate each other. They just avoid each other. The faction that Candor really can't stand is Amity.
"Can I sit here?" says Will, tapping the table with his finger.
"What, you don't want to hang out with your Erudite buddies?" I say teasing.
"They aren't my buddies," says Will, setting his plate down. "Just because we were in the same faction doesn't mean we get along. Plus, Edward and Myra are dating, and I would rather not be the third wheel."
Edward and Myra, the other Erudite transfers, sit two tables away, so close they bump elbows as they cut their food. Myra pauses to kiss Edward. I shrug, I look at Will, and at the same moment he looks at me, we awkwardly look away. I look back at Edward, and Myra. Edward turns his head and presses his lips to Myra's.
"Do they have to be so public?" Tris asks.
"She just kissed him." Al frowns. "It's not like they're stripping naked."
"A kiss is not something you do in public." Tris says. Al, Will, and I all give Tris the same knowing smile."What?" She asks.
"Your Abnegation is showing," I tell her. "The rest of us are all right with a little affection in public."
"Oh." Tris shrugs. "Well...I guess I'll have to get over it, then."
"Or you can stay frigid," says Will, his green eyes glinting with mischief. "You know. If you want."
I pick up a roll, and throw it at him. He catches it and bites it. "Don't be mean to her," I protest. "Frigidity is in her nature. Sort of like being a know-it-all is in yours."
"I am not frigid!" Tris exclaims.
"Don't worry about it," says Will. "It's endearing. Look, you're all red." Will comments. Tris's face gets even hotter. Everyone, except tris, chuckles. Tris laughs, and we all laugh with her, maybe Dauntless insist so bad after all.
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After lunch, Four leads us to a new room. It's huge, with a wood floor that is cracked and creaky and has a large circle painted in the middle. On the left wall is a green board—a chalkboard. I think it has something to do with Dauntless priorities: training comes first, technology comes second.
Our names are written on the board in alphabetical order. Hanging at three-foot intervals along one end of the room are faded black punching bags. We line up behind them and Four stands in the middle, where we can all see him.
"As I said this morning," says Four, "next you will learn how to fight. The purpose of this is to prepare you to act; to prepare your body to respond to threats and challenges —which you will need, if you intend to survive life as a Dauntless." I can't even think of life as a Dauntless. All I can think about is making it through initiation.
"We will go over technique today, and tomorrow you will start to fight each other," says Four. "So I recommend that you pay attention. Those who don't learn fast will get hurt." Four names a few different punches, demonstrating each one as he does, first against the air and then against the punching bag. The kicks are more difficult, though he only teaches us the basics.
I walk to a punching bag and start working. I manage to punch the bag, and move it from it's spot. I guess all those years fighting with Rose will finally pay off. Rose, I miss her so much. Visiting day is coming, where all the family from our old faction can come to see us. Most parents don't visit. I won't be mad if my parents don't come, but I sure hope they do.
Four just then passes me, and goes to watch Tris who's right next to me. I continue punching, but I look at them from the corner of my eye. Tris is trying to punch, but the punching bag won't move.
"You don't have much muscle," he says, "which means you're better off using your knees and elbows. You can put more power behind them." Suddenly he presses a hand to her stomach. I tense up, he looks like he's going to snap her in half. "Never forget to keep tension here," he says in a quiet voice. Four lifts his hand and keeps walking.
I keep practicing until Four dismisses us for dinner, I nudges Tris with my elbow. "I'm surprised he didn't break you in half," I say. I wrinkle my nose. "He scares the hell out of me. It's that quiet voice he uses."
"Yeah. He's...definitely intimidating," Tris says after a while. Al, who was in front of us, turns around once we reach the Pit and announces,
"I want to get a tattoo."
"A tattoo of what?" Will asks from behind us.
"I don't know." Al laughs. "I just want to feel like I've actually left the old faction. Stop crying about it." When we don't respond, he adds, "I know you've heard me."
"Yeah, learn to quiet down, will you?" I poke Al's thick arm. "I think you're right. We're half in, half out right now. If we want all the way in, we should look the part." I give Tris a look.
"No. I will not cut my hair," I say, "or dye it a strange color. Or pierce my face."
"How about your bellybutton?" I ask.
"Or your nipple?" Will says with a snort. Tris groans.
Now that training is done for the day, we can do whatever we want until it's time to sleep. The Pit is swarming with people. I announces that Tris and I will meet Al and Will at the tattoo parlor and then I start to drag Tris toward the clothing place. We stumble up the path, climbing higher above the Pit floor, scattering stones with our shoes.
"What is wrong with my clothes?" She asks. "I'm not wearing gray anymore."
"They're ugly and gigantic." She sighs. "Will you just let me help you? If you don't like what I put you in, you never have to wear it again, I promise." Ten minutes later Tris stands in front of a mirror in the clothing place wearing a knee length black dress. I slip the tie from Tris's hair and she shake it out of its braid so it hangs wavy over her shoulders. Then I holds up the eyeliner. Tris looks at it weirdly.
"Eyeliner," I say.
"You aren't going to be able to make me pretty, you know." She closes her eyes. I run the tip of the pencil along the line of her eyelashes.
"Who cares about pretty? I'm going for noticeable." I say. I finish, and Tris opens her eyes, she looks amazing. Thanks to me, of course.
"See?" I say. "You're...striking." She looks at her reflection "You like it?" I ask.
"Yeah." Tris nods. "I look like...a different person." I laugh.
"That a good thing or a bad thing?" she look at her reflection again.
"A good thing." she shake her head. "Sorry, I've just never been allowed to stare at my reflection for this long."
"Really?" I ask, while shaking my head. "Abnegation is a strange faction, I have to tell you."
"Let's go watch All get tattooed," Tris says.
Tris and I race down the narrow path to the tattoo place. When we get there, Al is sitting in the chair already, and a small, narrow man with more ink than bare skin is drawing a spider on his arm. Will and I flip through books of picture. I elbow Will lightly in the arm.
"Check out this one." I say, while pointing to a tattoo with a skeleton on it.
"I like this one." Will says pointing to the Dauntless flame tattoo.
"Me too." I say, with a smile. It's so crazy how Will, and I look the exact opposite, me, dark and lean. Will, pale and solid, but yet we both wear the same easy smiles, like the same stuff, and agree on 'some' things. We are different but yet alike. We hear a screech from Al.
"Do you want to exit while he's still getting his tattoo?" Will asks.
"Are you kidding I have to see this." I say with a laugh, Will laughs too. I like the way were becoming friends. I like the way Dauntless is turning out. It's not so bad. I'm actually having a great time. I made new friends, and a new life for myself. I'm happy here there's only one thing keeping me from having the happy life, and that's the rankings. I have to get into the top ten. I WILL GET TO THE TOP TEN!