The Fourth Eaton

Chapter 13 🔪 Conquest

A/N: Hello everyone!

I'm so, so sorry that I abandoned you for what? A month? A month and a half? Something like that. The truth of the matter is, I was extremely busy, and this chapter took a long time to write. I spent an hour or more on three weekends writing this, because I had major writer's block. And school plus band plus extracurriculars makes for an extremely busy schedule. If you don't want to hear about it, just skip to the chapter, because I'm about to rant about it.

School is school. Homework. Tests. Studying. The works.

Our marching season has ended, and we are in an intense overlapping period of All-region and concert season. I mean, concert season has technically started, but the focus is on our All-region auditions coming up in a few weeks. (MUSIC THEORY VENTING WARNING) But, YOU GUYS, the concert music is flipping HARD. One of our pieces has so many flute runs, all in 16ths or 32nd notes. Sorry, but my fingers can't move that fast. Yet.

And extracurriculars. Where to begin? I took part in the worldwide HMMT (Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament) this weekend, as an individual. I'm good at math, but those problems are incredibly difficult, and I haven't taken enough math classes to do well in that yet. So, of course, I didn't get top 10, but it was a learning experience. And I also had a test for DECA, another extracurricular. And then card-making for CSA... overall, a lot.

I think this chapter is a little longer than mine usually are... I'm not sure. Hope it isn't too long or too boring. My goal was to make an epic CTF game while also facilitating the relationship between Rowan and Cammi. 

Now that I've spilled all my problems (well, some of them) and made up every excuse in the book for not updating, here is the chapter!

I am awoken from my sleep with the door bursting open and bright lights filling the room. Flashlights. I raise myself on my elbows as I try to figure out what the heck is going on.

"Everybody out of bed! Get up, initiates!" A man roars. One flashlight moves to shine on him, illuminating his imposing figure. Eric.

He's surrounded by other Dauntless, half of whom I don't recognize. Tobias stands in the doorway to the dormitory, his arms crossed across his chest.

His eyes meet mine, and I hold his gaze. I tilt my head in question, and he just smiles. It isn't an evil smile, like the one on Eric's face, but a playful smile, as if whatever is to follow will be a lot of fun, even to his standards.

I trust him, so I break eye contact and sit up in bed, reaching for my shoes.

"Get dressed and meet us by the tracks in five minutes, initiates. We're going on another field trip. You're late, you're factionless." Eric stalks out of the room after his little monologue, and Tobias follows after him, but only after he meets my eyes one last time. As usual, I give him a small nod, then shift my gaze towards Lavender, who is pulling on her clothes, out in the open, with no shame. I don't understand how she does it.

Once Lavender, Ethan, and Julia have dressed, we all take off for the train. Each step sends a small wave of pain through me, and I end up wincing throughout most of the run. I can see my friends doing the same. The fights yesterday were brutal.

I obviously beat Dante, and Julia ended up knocking the lights out of Zayden, even though the fight was somewhat close. Ethan beat Lavender, although he was visibly hesitant to fight her, yet alone knock her out. But Lavender assured Ethan that he did what he had to do and made it as quick and painless as possible.

Nobody in Dauntless looks surprised to see a bunch of initiates running through the compound. I guess that's Dauntless for you.

While running to the tracks, we see the Dauntless-born initiates approaching us from another direction. Julia, Ethan, Lavender, and I merge into their group.