The Fourth Eaton

Chapter 28 🔪 Luck

A/N: Wow, it's been too long since I updated this. So, do you all remember how I said I had three exams coming up and I was procrastinating? Yeah, I paid the price for that. A week before my first exam, I was like, 'holy moly, I haven't studied at all,' and then proceeded to speedrun a year's worth of content in a week. It worked - I got an A average on the exam - but the stress was not worth it. Also, I've FINALLY completed driver's ed (the second exam) - I swear it is the most boring educational content in the history of the universe - so I'm getting my permit soon! The third exam is still coming up, and I definitely won't procrastinate for this one.

Anyways, I'm pretty sure you're here to hear about Cammi, not me. So let's dive right in!

If I have learned anything about Dauntless in the past few weeks, it's that when they do anything, they go all the way.

Initiation day is no different.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the entirety of Dauntless has taken leave from their jobs to cheer us on. There certainly seem to be enough people crowding the paths and floor of the Pit. The only thing that convinces me otherwise is the fact that lunch is still being served in the dining hall. At least the cooks are still working; somehow, I doubt that every Dauntless knows how to cook. It seems like such a tame activity for the wild, carefree Dauntless.

I have to carefully shield my lunch from all the flailing limbs of intoxicated people as I make my way back to the dormitory, where I hope to find my friends. The dining hall is so crowded, people are standing and eating.

My spirits lift as I poke my head into the dormitory. Lavender and Ethan sit on Ethan's bed, heads close together, lunch trays on their lap.

As I watch, they stay in that position for a moment more, before Lavender leans forward and presses her lips to Ethan's.

At this point, I turn away, still uncomfortable with such things, a small smile on my face. The two of them really care for each other. I hope, for both their sakes, that they both make it into Dauntless.

I linger just behind the door frame to the dormitory for a minute, and then walk in, acting like I just arrived. Lavender and Ethan, who are now back to having just their heads touching, both look up, and abruptly sit up at the sight of me.

"Cammi!" Even if I hadn't witnessed her and Ethan a minute ago, her flushed cheeks are a dead giveaway. But I choose to not comment on it. "Come on, sit down." She shifts to the side and pats the area of the mattress beside her. I oblige, walking over and settling down on the edge of the bed, my own lunch in my lap.

"Hey, Lav, Ethan. Where's Julia?"

"Not here yet." Ethan is quick to reply.

I hum in response, before turning my attention to my lunch. The food on my plate, now that I look at it, is an odd mix of two factions. Chicken breast and peas populate one side of my plate, while a yellow-red dish I've learnt is called lasagna and Dauntless cake take up the other side. It feels strangely symbolic; I've left Abnegation, but, until the fear landscapes, I'm not completely Dauntless, either.

I have two identities. One is a docile girl dressed in gray. The other is a rebellious girl clothed in black. And by the end of today, I will be forced to give up the first. Or, if I don't pass, both of them.

Will I be able to, though?

I sigh, banishing those kinds of thoughts from my head, and pick up my fork. As I eat, I listen to Lavender and Ethan talk, idly going over the potential fears I could see in my head.

I faced seven fears in my simulations. Assuming that all of those appear in my landscape, that's bugs, quicksand, getting thrown out of Dauntless, confinement, hurting my family and friends, r- intimacy, and Marcus.