Venus Eaton is desperate to escape the abuse of her previous faction although she is unaware and unprepared of the ordeals of Dauntless initiation. She is a stranger to her own brother until he accuses her of murdering their mother, and finds out th...
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VENUS
I WAKE with a gasp, sweeping a strand of brunette hair away from my face. I'm curled on one side of the couch, using a throw cushion as a pillow.
At first, I wonder where I am, only to see Tobias walking in from the kitchen. He has a mug in his hand, passing it to me.
"It's tea," He says, and smiles. "Do you have a headache from drinking last night?"
"Nope," I reply, popping the p. "I should go now. What time is it?" In all honesty, I could stay here longer with my brother, but it would seem suspicious.
"About 9 am, parents will start visiting at 12 am," He says, and studies my face for a moment. "He won't becoming, Vee. I promise."
I shrug. "How do you know that?"
"He didn't visit me, I doubt he'd visit you either." He says, and I let out a sigh. "I probably won't be able to stay with you for the entire day, plus that would appear like I'm favoring you out of the other initiates."
I nod, and drink one more sip of tea before getting to my feet. I pass the mug back to Tobias and brush imaginary dust from my legs.
"Thank you." I say.
"For what? Just don't tell anyone what I told you, okay?"
"Okay."
I walk over to the door and cast a final smile in his direction before walking into the hallway, checking left and right first before sprinting toward the stairs.
***
It is only today I realize the groups we have settled ourselves into.
Factions, depending on our personalities and friendship circles. Tris and Christina sit at one table with Will and Al, and Emily and Harmonie and I sit at another. Then there's Rhett and Peter at another with Molly and Ollie. Maybe it's not intentional, but sometimes I wish we could all just sit together, not apart.
Harmonie nudges my elbow, snapping me from my trance. "You okay? I'm not sure if you're overly happy today, or overly distant..."
"So you're still drunk?" I say with a grin, flicking a pea in her direction. She shrieks, nearly falling backward.
"My head hurts, that's all!" She protests, burying her face in her hands. "Maybe I shouldn't have drunk so much, but it was Emily's fault!"
"My fault?" Emily grins, "You hogged half of the shots after Vee left!"
I roll my eyes as the two continue to argue. I shove a few more peas into my mouth before a hush falls over the refectory. I look around to see everyone heading out of the cafeteria, probably toward the dormitory.
"I think Eric is going to announce something before we see our family in the Pit," Harmonie says, and I grumble incoherently under my breath. I forgot about Visiting Day. No one will be there for me, which I will be happy about. If he is there, I'm not staying, I won't talk to him. He doesn't deserve my time anymore, and I realize how easy it is to disown someone when you hate them so much.
