Ashes

Chapter 2: Changes

Hello! Did you guys like the last chapter? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I know I did.

I'm overwhelmed by how much you guys are reading and responding to this book! So here's chapter 2 for you to read! Let me know what y'all think!

~Caruscus

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"I love food," Christina moans, shoving another forkful of her pasta in her mouth. Her eyes roll up in her head as she makes another satisfied noise.

"Your food cravings are weird." Tris laughs, sipping from her coffee.

The three of us are gathered in the cafeteria for dinner. Tris has to work the night shift in the surveillance room, so she's been making sure to stay caffeinated.

"What's so weird about noodles?" Christina defends, her mouth full when she speaks.

I laugh and hand her a napkin to wipe her mouth. "There's nothing weird about it--it's just odd that you don't have anything on it."

"What? I wanted some noodles with nothing on them. So what?"

"Then there's no flavor," Tris sets her cup back down on the table, "you're just filling your stomach with empty carbs."

"I can't help it if that's what this child wants to eat." Christina mumbles, finishing her plate of food.

I already ate my own burger and fries a while ago. We're waiting for Christina to finish her food and then we're going to Uriah's. He's having a gathering and invited us over. I haven't seen him in a while so I suggested that we go. Tris is only coming for about an hour and then she's leaving for work.

"When do the new transfers arrive again?" Tris asks, changing the topic.

"Tomorrow. Ange and Lauren are going to the ceremony and bringing them back here. They start training the day after."

"I wish our initiation had been like it is now," Christina frowns, looking between Tris and I, "we went through hell. Now it seems like a cake walk."

"Oh, no," I say with a wave of my hand, "they still have to train. Dauntless is the warrior faction. We're here to protect, and we can't protect if we're not properly trained. You just get a lower ranking if you can't continue, and there's no sending someone to be Factionless."

"Eric is still harsh."

"He has to be," I defend with a raise of my eyebrow, "they're new. That doesn't mean he's allowed to work them to death, though. I yelled at him about that."

"You should've been here the past three years, then. He was so... angry. He treated it like it used to be with us. It wasn't until Hendricks stepped in that he backed off."

I frown. "The last three years were rocky for him."

Christina sighs. "I know he may have lost his memory, Crys, but that doesn't mean he needed to be an ass."

"Let's just go to Uriah's, alright?" Tris intervenes, seeing that this conversation clearly isn't going to get any better.

I bite my lip, looking at the table. I give a sharp nod before standing and grabbing my plate along with Christina's. I empty them and walk back to my friends, Christina resting one hand under the swell of her stomach protectively.

We walk out of the bustling cafeteria, the voices of people quieting the farther we get from the room. Soon we're walking through the concrete halls, the dim lights guiding the way.