Dynasty [Eric Coulter]

1.2

*

Ana shot up with a gasp, clutching her chest as she did. Beads of sweat ran down her forehead, leaving her skin clammy and wet. Four stood beside her, watching her with calculating eyes.

They had been doing fear landscapes for nearly two weeks now. Each one was worse than the last, including the one she just came out of. Ana never thought she was afraid of water until she was stranded in the middle of the ocean. She shivered.

So far, she had experienced eleven fears. Being trapped in a box, stranded at sea, and being kicked out of Dauntless were the worst ones so far. That didn't mean her other eight fears didn't affect her. Sometimes she woke from flashbacks of the simulations.

"You're getting better." Four said. "It only took you thirty minutes for that fear."

It was progress. The first few days of training, Ana was stuck in her simulation for a least an hour each time. Ana shook her head. "I can't wait until this is over."

Four chuckled. "It will be before you know it."

He dismissed her and she exited the room, moving to find one of her friends. She found Al by the scoreboard and joined him. She found her name immediately. Now, instead of sixth, she sat in tenth spot. It made her nervous, considering she had fallen. Al was still near the line, though he managed to stay a few spots above it.

Tris was first.

"This sucks." Ana sighed, turning to head to Al. "But at least we're still in, right?"

Al scoffed. "I'm barely in. One mistake and I'm factionless."

"Don't talk like that. We're all going to make it." She shot him a grin. "It doesn't matter where we fall on the board. We're Dauntless."

His lips rose briefly. The smile was gone when Tris approached. Tris smiled at the both of them and they all moved to sit down. Christina and Will had disappeared together after their landscapes were over, and Al left the others soon after Tris joined them, leaving just the two girls.

"Visiting Day is tomorrow." Ana mentioned. "Do you know if your family is coming?"

"I'm not sure." Tris said. "I hope they will."

"Me too." Ana knew there was a chance her family would come. She had asked her father to the last time she saw him and she desperately missed her mother and Chandler. Everyone was anxious to see their families, to see if they would even come.

Ana and Tris said their goodbyes once they entered the Pit. Ana wanted to go through the shops, hoping to make the day pass a little quicker. Her eyes lingered on the tattoo shop as she walked past. She wanted another tattoo, but she wasn't quite sure what else she wanted. None of the designs on the wall caught her eye, causing her to sigh. She'd wait until she thought of another design she liked.