Chapter Seventeen: The rankings of stage two!
Chapter Seventeen!
The day crawled by pretty slowly, the day so far has been reall good, I charmed one of the cooks in the Dauntless kitchens, and he let us try some cake batter. After that, Uriah and Marlene taught me a card game, and we played for two hours in the dining hall. After a while Will and I decided to step outside,
Latley I've felt like we're good friends, but yet I still have that tingely feeling in my stomach every time I hear his name, and speak to him which is often. We walk twoards the pit. We walk silently for a few momments, everything has been so crazy lately. I'm so caught uo with initiation, that I'm starting to forget why I wanted to be Dauntless.
"Why did you choose Dauntless?" I ask, Will
"We already talked about this because I wasn't sm-"
"Not why you left Erudite, you could have chosen Amity, Candor, why did you choose Dauntless?" I ask.
"I thought that they were pretty cool, you know at school always making trouble, and I think the idea of being brave is fantastic." He says, he hisitates a momment before asking me. "Why are you having any thoughts?"
"Of course I'm thinking, Mr. Smarty Pants!" I tease Will, his respond is a simple role of the eyes.
"That's not what I meant." He says.
"I know, I'm not thinking of leaving it's just that when I signed up for Dauntless, I was thinking about how cool, and great it seemed, but now it's all about who can beat each other up, or who can throw a knife, and I'm starting to forget why I even wanted Dauntless in the first place!" He sighs for a momment then stops walking.
"Christina, I know that I only know you for a bit, barley even two months, but you are really one of the bravest/funniest, coolest girl I think that you might have chosen Dauntless, because of what they seemed like, but you also chose Dauntless because you are Dauntless!" He looks at me, and I just want to melt away into his arms.
"You got it on your aptitude, but that's not the point, becaus eyou already chose Dauntless, you chose it because you are it-Dauntless, brave!" I stare up at him, I honestly have no idea what to say.
"Thanks!" We then walk back to the doarms!
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When we get back to the dormitory, I expect to find the same thing I found the day before: a few initiates lying on beds or staring at nothing. Instead they stand in a group on the other end of the room. Eric is in front of them with a chalkboard in his hands, which is facing the other way, so I can’t see what’s written on it. I stand next to Will.
Then Tris walks in, and stands next to Will, on his other side.
“What’s going on?” She whispers.
“Rankings f or stage two,” he says. He looks at me, and I raise my eyebrows at him queshtiongly, I have no clue how he knew.
“I thought there weren’t any cuts after stage two,”Tris hiss's.
“There aren’t. It’s just a progress report, sort of.” She nods. The sight of the board makes me feel uneasy, like something is swimming in my stomach.
Eric lifts the board above his head and hangs it on the nail. When he steps aside, the room falls silent, and I crane my neck to see what it says.
1. Tris 2.45
2. Peter 8.09
3. Uriah 9.70
4.Lynn 10.45
5.Marlene 13.89
.............
7.Christina 15.69, I was in the simulation for only 15 minutes that's nothing, but It's a lot compared to Tris, who only got three and a half mintues.
.............
9.Will 17.89I look down more at the list, and Al is dead last, I feel super bad, for him, but I'm so happy fot Tris for getting first.
Heads turn in Tris's direction. Though, I am happy for Tris, she is amazing she beats us all by a lot, it's seems impossible. Peter’s average simulation time is eight minutes. Hers is two minutes, forty-five seconds.
“Nice j ob, Tris,” Will says quietly. She nods, still staring at the board. I would like to be ranked first, but I'm glad i'm not, because I know what that means. If Peter and his friends hated her before, they will despise her now. Now she's the Edward. It could be her eye next. Or worse. The crowd of initiates breaks up slowly, leaving just Peter, Will, and Al, and Tris standing there. I walk to my bunk, and sit on the bed.
Peter turns slowly, every limb infuse d with tension. A glare would have been less threatening than the look he gives her—a look of pure hatred. He walks toward his bunk, but at the last second, he whips around and shoves her against a wall, a hand on each of her shoulders.
“I will not be outranked by a Stiff,” he hisses, his face so close to hers. “How did you do it, huh? How the hell did you do it?” He pulls her forward a few inches and then slams her against the wall again.
Will grabs Peter by his shirt collar and drags him away from Tris.
“Leave her alone,” he says. “Only a coward bullies a little girl.”
“A little girl?” scoffs Peter, throwing off Will’s hand. “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. So when you realize that she’s out to ruin us all, you let me know.” Peter storms out of the dormitory. Molly and Drew follow him, looks of disgust on their faces.
“Thanks,” Tris says, nodding to Will.
“Is he right?” Will asks quietly. “Are you trying to manipulate us?” I don't know why, but for some reason this makes me upset, to hear that he's so easily manipulated, I feel my hands start to shake with rage.
“How on earth would I do that?” Tris scowls at him. “I’m just doing the best I can, like anyone else.”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs a little. “By acting weak so we pity you? And then acting tough to psyche us out?”
“Psyche you out?” She repeats. “I’m your friend. I wouldn’t do that.” He doesn’t anything. I can tell he doesn’t believe her—not quite. This upsets me even more.
“Don’t be an idiot, Will,” I say, hopping down from her bunk. I look at Tris, a plain look without sympathy and add, “She’s not acting.” I turn and leave, I have no idea where I'm, going, but I have to get far away from here, I don't even bother banging the door shut. Will follows, but I don't slow down.
I start for the train tracks, I feel like I've got to get out of here, I just can't be here right now. I hear Will begin to call my name, but I just ignore him, and continue walking, he catches up to me, and oulls on my hand.
"What?" I ask, through gritted teeth.
"Why are you mad at me?" He asks, and I don't know how to answer.
"I can't beieve that you would turn on your own friend, to back up Peter-Peter of all people?" I say.
"It wasn't like that I'm sorry I know that was pretty jerky of me." He says, as if robotacly. I want to tell yell at him, I open up my mouth, then immediatly gritt them together. I'm just mad I don't want to yell at him,
"I just have to get out of here." I say.
"Don't go, you can't leave the compound, with out a memmber of Dauntless. You'll get kicked out, or worse hang from the railing again." As much as I want to leave I know he's right, which infuriates me most of all. Then the strangest thing happens, I begin to ocry, I don't know why, I just did.
Will walked twoards me, and wrapped me in a hug, his arms strong, making me feel safe inside them. I breath, and slowly, inhaling, and exhaling, trying to calm myself down. I think of it as if I were in a simulation. When I calm down, Will lets go of me, he looks me in the eye, and once again I feel mesmarized.
"I'm so sorry."
"It's okay!" I say, sure of what I'm saying, "lets go back to the dorm!" He wraps his arm around me, in a friendly way, and together, we walk out laughing of course at something that I said.