Tris POV

I was training with Uriah when the first one walked in. He strolled into the gym with his head held high with pride. He swung his arms from side to side and glanced around with a look of approval. As if we were looking for his approval.

Following close behind came the entire group. The new initiates varied from height to strength to the size of their ego. Some of them looked just like the first one. They had smug smirks on their faces, acting like they owned the place. They talked obnoxiously with each other and only each other.

While those select few were already hated by me, most of them just looked small and scared. They hung their heads low and walked in tight groups, trying to hide from everyone else.

And bringing up the rear, was Four and Eric. The two of them seemed to be mid-conversation, their heads bent together and brows furrowed in concentration.

Some of the other people training in the gym nodded and pointed over towards the new arrivals. Laughing and talking in hushed whispers.

After a few moments, they were all gone. All that was left was me, Uriah, the initiates, and their instructors.

"LISTEN UP!" Eric hollered, immediately silencing the initiates. He began speaking in his authoritative voice, obviously scaring the crap out of those initiates.

Uriah nudged my arm, "C'mon, Tris. Let's go."

"Why? Let's stay and watch."

He gaped at me, "Don't you know? We're not sixteen yet, we can't just watch the initiation!"

I crossed my arms over my chest indignantly, "Of course I knew that."

Uriah pulled at my elbow, "Okay then, let's go."

A smile slowly began to grow on my face as an idea suddenly popped into my head. I softly nudged Uriah in the side and pointed over to a stack of old gym equipment.

For a second, he just gave me a blank stare. Just as I was about to slap him over the head, he finally got it. A mischievous sparkle lit up his eyes as we crouched down and scurried behind the equipment.

The equipment allowed us perfect cover, but also a clear window to watch. The sound of Four and Eric's voices echoed off the bare walls, and eventually reached its way back to us.

"Today is the first day of fights," Eric's booming voice matched the annoyance on his face. A lot of people thought that he was the one who had pushed to make Dauntless initiation more violent, but Eric had told me that it was Max who was forcing the rules on all of us.

I guess Max just needed someone to blame.

"If your opponent surrenders or is no longer able to continue, then you win," this time it was Four speaking. I tried to stop my heart from pounding against my chest, repeatedly telling myself that he no longer had that hold on me.

The arrogant boy who I had seen first opened his mouth, "When you say 'no longer able to continue'-"

Eric cut him off with a glare, "Unconscious."

He gulped before turning away. Eric glared at the initiates one more time before asking, "Any more questions?"

Not surprisingly, no one had a question.

Eric clapped his hands together, "Okay then. Let's get started."

Four walked out from behind a wall with an old chalkboard. On it was the names of the initiates who were fighting against each other. I quickly scanned through the list, but none of them were familiar to me.

I could see the panic settling on the faces of the initiates as they glanced up and down the board.

Uriah nudged me in the side, nodding his head towards the door with wide eyes. I waved him off dismissively. If he wanted to leave, he could. But I was staying.

He glanced at me, then the door, then back at me again. He huffed before settling back in his place, leaning beside me to watch the scene. The corners of my mouth twitched up in a smile. I was glad to know that I could count on Uriah to stand by me. I would never admit it to him, but that small gesture meant the world to me.

By now, the first pair had stepped up on the mat. They watched each other, raising their arms tentatively.

The one closest to me was a girl. She was extremely tall, but also thin, making her look like a fragile stick. She curled her hands into a tight fist, pacing around her opponent carefully. Her arms and legs were quite thin -like the rest of her- but you could still see the curve of muscle bulging out. If I had to guess, I would say that she was an Erudite.

Her opponent was an obvious Candor. He sneered at her, trying to distract her with his words. He called her a few names, said a few insults, trying to rile her up. Eric shouted something at him, getting him to shut up. In comparison to the girl, he was much shorter and scrawnier. But he was also much more well built, with clear muscle definition. His long hair fell in front of his face, and he had a habit of constantly pushing it aside.

In a word, they both looked pathetic.

The girl swung her arm out, barely connecting with the boy's nose. But still, he staggered back, clutching his nose tenderly. He charged at the girl, knocking her down in a swift movement.

Uriah sucked in a breath, "Dang, these guys suck."

I nodded my head as the girl kneed the boy in the gut. He rolled to the side, allowing her to jump up from where she was pinned to the ground.

I tapped Uriah on the shoulder, "This isn't worth it, let's go."

He nodded his head as followed me quietly out the door. Just as we were about to turn the corner, I heard the sound of the door clicking open and someone stepping outside. My eyes widened as I glanced at Uriah. He grabbed my arm and pulled me around the corner. We flattened our bodies to the wall, listening for any sounds.

The second I heard the voice, I knew who it was. "Tris? Uriah?"

I sucked in a breath, I wasn't going to fall on my knees for Four. I wasn't going to give in.

"I know you guys were in there. I saw you behind the equipment." Uriah shot me an I-told-you-so look, but I just rolled my eyes at him.

"I want to talk. Just come out."

My fists clenched together as I resisted the urge to run. Either run to him or away, I wasn't quite sure which. The sound of his shoes clicking against the polished floor faded away as he disappeared into another hallway. I stood by my place beside the wall, frozen. Uriah pulled me from my spot, dragging me back to our apartment

He shut the door, shutting the lock as securely as possible. I sat down on the bed, letting my body sink in against the mattress.

Uriah pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "That was the stupidest stunt you've ever pulled off."

"Me? What about you?"

He gave me a look, "I was your unwilling accomplice."

I shrugged, "Well, you're right. We did pull it off though."

He scoffed, "Nearly."

I threw my hands in the air, "I don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of it. It was just a little eavesdropping. You need to calm down."

"We've could've gotten caught?"

"By who? An initiate? They couldn't touch us."

Uriah shook his head, "It's just too risky." He sat down on the bed beside me, "We're getting older now, we need to start taking things more seriously. We're picking our faction next year. That's crazy."

The corners of my mouth twitched up, "Yeah. It is...Which is exactly why I wanted to see what initiation's like!" I grinned wildly, "Don't you want to prepare? I mean, we're going to be Dauntless in a year! Just a year! That is so crazy."

He wasn't smiling.

I tilted my head, "Uri, you okay?"

He nodded his head and smiled at me. I knew him long enough to know that it was fake. "What makes you think that we're all going to Dauntless?"

I gaped at him. Worry started to overcome me, "What are you even saying? This family's been in Dauntless forever. Zeke's here and Mom's here and I'll be here...and you'll be here too."

He nodded his head. His gaze was focused firmly on his hands that he was wringing out in his lap. I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. His next words came out in a whisper, "You know that it's faction before blood, right?"

Now he was starting to scare me, "Right. Of course."

"Good."