Pretty Little Divergent

Chapter 22 - Blindfolded

TRIS POV

I see Christina on my way to the training room and, knowing I have plenty of time before training starts, I catch up to her. I have to know what happened last night.

"Are you okay?" I ask Christina, matching my walking pace with hers.

Christina turns to look at me and I see her face in the dim light. Her eyes are puffy and red as if all of the joy has drained out of them overnight.

"I'm fine," she says, looking back in the direction we're walking in.

"What happened to that annoying Candor honesty?" I ask, nudging her. She doesn't smile, but I can tell she knows I'm only joking.

"Can you at least tell me what happened last night? And why you and Will were arguing?" Christina abruptly stops walking and looks at me, one hand on my arm.

"How do you know about that?" Her tone is defensive and worried. It scares me.

"I'm pretty sure the Amity could even hear you," I say. I try to laugh but it comes out nervous and strained.

"So.. What actually happened?" I ask her again. She looks over my left shoulder, and I turn my head to see what she's looking at. I see Will, with tired eyes and disheveled hair, talking to someone I don't recognise.

"I uh.. I-Will cheated on me." Christina manages to get out the words, but with a troubled look on her face. "I saw him, sucking faces with some.. Some dirty-" She lets out a sob she's so clearly been trying to hide the whole time.

"Shh, it's okay, Christina," I say, pulling her in for a hug and rubbing her back comfortingly. Then it clicks.

'I saw what happened!' At first, I wasn't sure which of the two was the one to say that, but it must have been Christina.

I'm not quite sure what to do with myself when Christina clings onto me. Of course I hug her, but I worry I'm doing it a little too loose one moment, and a little too tight the next.

Yes, I've been in Dauntless for a while now, but I doubt I'll ever be used to holding hands or hugging. The Abnegation aren't really good with embraces.

Christina is the first to pull out of the hug, so I just stand there awkwardly, one hand on the opposite elbow. Christina straightens up, wipes her eyes, and shoots me a smile, as if a wave of confidence and contentment has suddenly overcome her.
She seems better. Happier, even.

But her eyes tell me otherwise.

"Come on," she says, grabbing my hand. Her hands are warm but with calluses. "We have initiates to train."

***

"I think we should take advantage of my position," I say.

"You mean the position I don't want you to keep?" I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, that one. Besides," I say, shrugging, "I could make a difference if I'm a leader in training. I might as well make the most of it."

"What kind of difference?"

"The initiation process, for example."

"I'm listening.." Tobias says, attempting to lean on a punching bag but falling backwards when it moves, causing me to laugh.

"Well, wouldn't it be so much fairer if no one got cut?"

"A lot better.."

"Exactly. I don't know why they added new rules, anyway. It's all so stupid!"

"What's so stupid?" The voice sends chills through me and my breathing falters. It sounds exactly like Finnbar.

I turn around and see Daniel and Elliot, and inhale shakily. Soon after, the other initiates start to trickle in and we start training.

***
TOBIAS POV

Target practice. Boring when you've done it so much, but when Tris does it blindfolded to show off? Not so much.

Abbie and Elliot are the only two initiates who believe Tris can hit bullseye blindfolded on her first try. Elliot even made everyone make bets.

When I first saw Tris shoot during Dauntless training, she looked awkward, birdlike. But her thin, fragile form has become slim but muscular, and when she holds the gun, it looks easy. With the gun in both hands, she shifts her weight and fires. Her bullet strays from the target's dead centre, but by millimetres, so it's still classed as bullseye.

Tris takes off the blindfold, looks at the target and smiles.

"Pay up, people!" Elliot yells. I hear everyone but Freya laugh, including me, like we're a flock of birds.

"Jesus, it's not that amazing. Anyone who's not stupid can do it," says Freya.

"You must be stupid, then," Daniel mutters and everyone laughs again.

"Well why don't you try?" I ask. Freya looks taken aback, like she wasn't expecting me to actually to retaliate.

"I, uh.." Freya starts.

"Here, you can even have this," Tris sings, holding out the blindfold.

"Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves.." says Freya. "I was just saying that you shouldn't think you're so special-"

"Well since you're clearly brave enough to be that rude to your instructors, then you should be brave enough to do this," Tris says. She looks at me firmly and I take the signal.

Tris throws me her gun and I catch it with ease. She then runs to the target and stands in front of it. I give her a look-- a look as if to ask if she's ready. In response, I get a nod and a bite on her lip.

Without taking my eyes off of Tris, I say, "Watch my stance. You're not going to do good at all if you're not standing right, but make sure you don't overthink it."

I stand the way I always stand, easy, natural, and lift both my arms,
squeezing the gun with one hand and steadying it with the other.

"Then, you focus on what you want to hit, and nothing else."

I stare at one space on the target and try to let it swallow me. The distance doesn't trouble me—the bullet will travel straight, just like it would if I was closer. I inhale and brace myself, exhale and fire, and the bullet goes right where I meant to put it: about a quarter centimetre above the hair on Tris's head.

Tris doesn't move. Tris doesn't blink. No face contortions of fear at all.

"Any chance you could get a little lower?" Freya asks. I glare at her. If I went any lower, the bullet would've grazed Tris's head without a doubt. Freya knows this, of course.

"If you really want me to, I'll go lower when you have a go," I say. When Tris gets closer, I see a smile playing on her face.

"What are you talking about? I'm not having a g-"

"It's your turn," Tris says to Freya.