Tris POV

It's been almost a year since that conversation with Four.

We talked. There was still the occasional exchange of nods as we passed each other in the halls. Zeke was still his best friend. And Zeke was still my brother. Uriah had also taken on a strange liking to Four. The two of them were closer than I was with Four. It seemed that Four had affected our entire family.

I tried to tell myself to ignore him, to push thoughts of him away. But it was no use. I'd find my thoughts wandering back to him no matter where I was, what I was doing, or who I was with. I couldn't help think about his voice, so deep it was hypnotizing. Or his sharp cheekbones, that left just the faintest hollow beneath them. But most of all, I couldn't help but think of his eyes. They were so deep-set that his long eyelashes scraped the skin under his eyebrows. And I would never forget the blue. The dark blue, like the sky, just before a storm is about to erupt.

Even now, I couldn't stop thinking about him. If only he felt the same way.

"Are you nervous?"

"What?"

I glanced to the side at Uriah, and he gave me a weak smile in return. "For the test."

"No."

The smell of sweat clung to the air around me. The train glides along the sides of the city, hurtling towards the school at a blinding speed. I grab onto the side of the train, preparing myself to jump.

No matter how long you've been doing it, even as long as me, you can never get used to that split second right before your jump. The anticipation, building up from within you, just waiting to bubble up as you leap through the air. That excitement, mixed in with a nervousness you try so hard to ignore.

My head tilts forward as I drop to the ground and roll forward, absorbing the momentum of the drop. I could feel the weight of stares from all around me, as the other factions stop their walk to watch us.

I always hated the attention we got as Dauntless, the staring and whispering. It was something that we all dealt with everyday. Most of Dauntless enjoyed it, they basked in the glory. It took everything in me to not hide behind Uriah.

My muscles stiffened as we walked through the front doors. The atmosphere around us was tense, every sixteen year old seemed to be too busy contemplating their future to say anything at all. It was likely the last day that we would ever walk those halls, our new factions would be in charge of finishing our education.

"You're not worried at all?" I glanced toward Uriah who seemed to be the spitting image of calm. While I on the other hand, was sweating bullets at the mere thought of the upcoming test.

He gave me a small smile, "Are you?"

I wanted to tell him how scared I was for him. How much I was hoping that he would get Dauntless. This test might be the last thing stopping him from leaving Dauntless.

From leaving his family.

From leaving me.

Uriah is dauntless through and through, it runs through every vein and touches every single part of him. I could never tell him this, but the thought of losing another brother is one I wouldn't be able to live with.

---

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife by the time lunch ended. Uriah, Lynn, Marlene, and I huddle closely together at the long tables. Lynn brought a deck of cards but none of us wanted to play. The cafeteria was as loud as always, almost as if this was just another ordinary day. The Amity were clapping hands and singing songs. The Erudite had their heads bent over their books and newspaper, eyes glued to the pages. Even from across the room, I could still head the Candor arguing loudly, oblivious to the noise they were creating. And as always, the Stiffs were waiting quietly and obediently.

I've always hated that name, Stiff. I never enjoyed that aspect of being Dauntless, of being a bully. Uriah used to tease me about being an Abnegation myself, noting my constant silence and hatred of attention. My fingers drummed against the table nervously, trying to release the tension coiled up in my body.

Lynn slapped my hand, "Stop it."

"What?"

"You know what," she shot me a harsh look.

I returned the look and lifted my fingers to continue, when Lynn interrupted me again. "If you don't stop, I'll cut your hand off."

I rolled my eyes at her and turned my gaze away. Uriah grabbed my hand from underneath the table, and squeezed. He shot me a small smile, and I tried my hardest to return it.

We continue to wait in silence.

Another group of ten people leave, following a bored-looking test administrator. The test administrators are usually Abnegation volunteers, but this year, Zeke volunteered to test the Abnegation members, as you can't be tested from someone in your own faction. He smiled and waved every time he came out to get a new group, and I could tell that Zeke was only making Uriah more nervous. I just tried my best to block him out. My brother can be both amazing and embarrassing, but usually it's the latter.

When the next group comes back, both my name and Uriah's is called. He moves hesitantly towards the exit, and I followed close behind. I wish that I didn't need to tell him that he shouldn't be nervous, I wish that he could just realize that where he belongs...is with his family. I thought that this was going to be easy, my whole life I always knew that it would be Dauntless forever. But recently, Uriah's hesitation has spread to me now. It should be easy for us, but my instincts are telling me otherwise.

I clenched my fists together to stop them from shaking, and when I glanced over to the side, I could see Uriah's forehead glistening with sweat. But he forces his chin high and walks with fake confidence. Why can't he see how courageous he is? Why can't he understand that his sense of bravery doesn't come easily for everyone? That it only comes to the people that belong, people like him.

Once we left the cafeteria, a row of ten rooms greeted us. The rooms are different than the ones in the school, they're separated by mirrors. Mirrors that show the paleness of my face and the terror in my eyes. Uriah gave me one more nervous smile before walking into his room, and I walk into the room right beside his, where an Abnegation woman was waiting for me.

She looked different than the other Abnegation volunteers. Her smile seemed natural, and her posture was calm and welcoming. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She was shorter and skinnier than average, and her hands were very frail. She gestured towards the chair, "Have a seat, there's nothing to worry about, you can relax.

The entire room was covered in mirrors. I could see myself from every angle, but I chose not to. I slowly sat down on the chair, gently placing my head on the headrest. She focused on the machine to my right, twisting and plugging and pulling on the wires that I also tried to ignore.

Suddenly, something caught my attention. It was the smallest line of black ink, barely peeking out of her sleeve. I squinted, barely able to make out a small curve. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Is that a tattoo?"

She instantly pulled on her sleeve trying to cover up the ink that was still creeping out, "Aren't you curious?" Her tone softened when she saw me recoil.

"Sorry, just nervous."

"Are you scared?" She raised a brow.

I shook my head immediately, "No, no, of course not. I'm Dauntless."

She simply nodded her head and turned back to the machine. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did I have to open my big, fat mouth? I wanted to bang my head against whatever machine the girl seemed so busy with.

Suddenly, she spoke up again, "I used to be Dauntless, like you?"

I couldn't stop myself from talking. "You switched from Dauntless to Abnegation?"

She nodded her head, "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"I don't know, they're just so different."

"Not really."

I furrowed my brow in confusion, this girl must be crazy. Yet I couldn't stop her words from running through my head again, and again, and again. How could Dauntless and Abnegation, two factions that are polar opposites, be alike?

I wanted to ask her for clarification, but another question was still bugging me. "Why'd you switch?"

She barely acknowledges me. "I didn't fit in, Dauntless really isn't all that it's cracked up to be."

Before my next words could leave my mouth, she turned around and passed me a vial of a strange liquid.

"What's this?" I gulped.

"Can't tell you, just drink it."

I glanced at her one last time before pressing the edge of the vial to my lips, and tipping the contents into my mouth.

A split second later, everything went black.