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Chapter 14 - Story Time

— Tris

Leader meetings are formally held in the conference room in the Main Building. From what Tobias says, they're very formal, most of the time, and business is dealt with.

Ambassador meetings are held in the tiny hallway where "the family" lives; all of our offices right next to each other. Our meetings consist of opening your office door and wheeling your chair to the doorway. An occasional chair race as to who can race fastest down the hallway on their wheels office chair occasionally begins the meeting like a cannon at the beginning of a race.

Everyone talks at once at these meetings. At the least, there is three conversations going on at all times. By the time head ambassador Ian accepts that nothing will be accomplished, the majority of them head down to the pit and have drinks.

During my first two years, I never would think of going down to the pit with them and at these meetings I would stay quiet in the doorway of my office.

I'm glad that they helped me get out of my shell. Growing up Abnegation, I was never able to have much of a personality. The rest, well, it was history, until nowadays.

Uriah is an ambassador, and so is Evelyn. Zeke has become head of the control room, so he is always in the Main Building giving reports and requesting Josh to send squads out when something looks wrong on the cameras.

That's a new setting of Dauntless since I've been gone. I also agreed to never be on a squad in the papers I signed for Candor.

Each leader has a squad, and Josh is in charge of his squad of leaders. Along with the leaders, also the head ambassador and some other people who have proven themselves in Dauntless fighting are deemed in charge of a squad. Each person under the age of 40 is required to be in a squad, unless medically granted unable to fight, or like in my scenario, signed an agreement that they are too untrusted to be fit for a squad.

Squads are not all equal either. When needed, calling starts from the middle, tougher squads. As needed, more squads are called to duty going up the list, until reaching the head ambassador's squad. If more troops are still needed from there, weaker squads are called from below the middle, which fulfills people nearing the forty range in age and the people not very well trained but did pass initiation.

The squad system is frequently used, but not in extreme ways. There has yet to be a time where all squads have been out in the field. The maximum has been five squads out of the many. They were called when someone manufactured a bomb in an Erudite lab and the woman was on the loose.

This woman was never found. I've asked people about it before, for I know people know more than I do, but everyone denies that they know anything about the incident other than all camera lines being cut and the woman unrecognizable as a citizen of Chicago.

I mean, if they couldn't recognize me as a citizen when I came back, I wouldn't count on their judgement for this much.

I sit at my office desk and read over a note Ian asked me to proof that he was sending to Candor. As my supervisor in my position, he is required to give an update on my accomplishments and any mishaps I may have.

Although he swore not to, he always lets me read over what he writes before sending it over to them.

Ian is a great guy, and I've grown to look to him for support at times. He is about ten years older than me, has green eyes and black hair with pale skin. He's not tall, but is very loose and a fun guy to be around. He also has grown to support me greatly, for in his monthly notes about me to Candor, he always pleads for them to give up their grip on me, for I'm clearly innocent,

Of course, they never believe him. Usually West always sends back a note of warning to him how I am getting in his head and that I shouldn't have my position, but to continue on and send a note the next month and let him know when my position is removed.

I get to the last paragraph of his note when I hear thudding footsteps.

I know they're Uriah's. For a huge guy, he runs on his toes and has a very swift sounding step that is soft.

It's things like this that I grew to remember in the two years I panicked over when I first arrived. Remember the mannerisms of the people you trust, fear the ones you cannot remember.

For some reason, the idea of memorizing people's footsteps came naturally to me.

It's that way with a lot of things...

"Tris!" Uriah yells as he gets closer.

"Uriah!" I mock his tone as he barrels into the room. As expected, the noise and excitement summoned Indy who is barking and running circle around Uriah.

He stands there and looks at me for a second, and I shoot him a questioning face.

"What?"

"Why is your door closed?"

"To keep intruders like you out."

"But what about Indy?!"

"He is smart enough to know that the door isn't closed all the way. All it takes is a nudge to open, Uriah."

"Josh wants to see you," he ignores my statement. "And I'll bring you to him."

"Just grab my crutches this time, please. It's not fun hopping from his office all the way back here."

"Yeah, yeah let's go!"

He grabs the back of my wheeling office chair and pulls me, facing backwards, down to Josh's office.

"Josh I got her!"

"Uriah, please say it was with her own will this time."

"God I only did it once!"

"Twice, actually," I correct him.

"Whatever. I did as I was told. Here's your hobble sticks," he props my crutches against my chair and leaves.

"What's up?"

"How did your appointment go at Erudite yesterday?"

"They did another scan of my leg and everything has been healing well since the last surgery. I go back in two weeks to get a mobile cast and get therapy to walk with my crutches, eventually without the crutches, then eventually without the boot, if everything goes as planned."

"That's great news, Tris!"

"It's a little nerve breaking, but it is a step in the right direction."

"Let's just hope things keep moving that way."

"Yeah."

"So look, it's been a while since if pushed the boundaries a little.."

"What do you have up your sleeve now?" I ask.

"Well, you've been an ambassador for a while now. I want you to start working closer with Ian. He's an unorganized man, and I know you're extremely organized."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Every year he plans the faction visitation week, as do all the other head ambassadors in the city, and every year we are talked to about how much of a mess it is."

"Josh..."

"I don't need your name on anything. I just need you to be one that speaks and shows people around that week. You know, take a group under your belt, do some stuff that will make us not suck. Talk it out with other ambassadors, maybe even some leaders. We just have to do something that is special to us, something Dauntless that week. Something that keeps people coming back for that week because it's fun every year."

"Josh I don't like this. I'm not creative."

"Well, I know I'm better off coming to you than the other 19 of your family over there. I know you'll find something."

"And if I don't?"

"Don't worry about it. I just need someone thinking. If I come up with anything, I'll let you know."

"Ok," I say uneasily.

"Do I have to have Uriah come and wheel you out?"

"I really think I should train Indy how to. Quite honestly, I have faith he would hit the walls a lot less than Uriah does."

"I'll have someone get my chair later, if you don't mind," I stand up and grab my crutches.

"It's not a problem! See you later. Don't stress about this, please."

"If it means I'm helping, I'll figure something out. See you later."

Indy gallops over upon seeing my presence in the room.

"Hey, Tris!" Zeke waves me over, standing next to my boyfriend.

"You were in the initiation class with the guy who got his eye stabbed, right?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," images come to my mind that I wish to forget.

"What was his name?"

"Who? The one with the butter knife or the one without the eye?"

"I know who Peter is."

"Edward then."

"Ha!" Tobias points at Zeke. "You owe me five bucks! Thinking I don't know my initiation students more than you knew them."

"You two are something else," I shake my head laughing.

"That has to make the best initiation story out there. Like I mean the guy with the rat in the Dauntless born room my year was pretty funny, but that doesn't beat a freaking butter knife to the eye."

"I guess you could look at it that way..."

"Where's Uriah?"

"Last I saw him he stranded me at Josh's."

"Again?!"

"It was only once!" Uriah yells from down the hallway.

"Found him," Tobias says, monotone, pointing his finger towards the sound of Uriah talking.

Zeke walks away and I suddenly have an idea.

"What's your initiation story?"

"I didn't know rat guy, I was in the other dorm. I've told you my story. Remember the gun fanatic that snuck a rifle into the dorm and almost hit me. Good thing he didn't have good aim."

"Oh yeah, I remember that. I'll be right back."

I make my way across the room back into Josh's office. I just enter without knocking.

"Back so soon?"

"I swear I'm not creative."

"Don't stress about it Tris, I can ask—"

"Story time."

"What?"

"Every Dauntless has a story that isn't one you will find in any other faction. We gather people somewhere, every day of the week someone shares a story they have from the compound."

"I knew I went to the right person."

I walk away without saying goodbye.

.

Hello!

So here's the plan, until the second week of August, so for the next 7 weeks (or until I can't keep up) I will post on Mondays and Fridays. If I'm still feeling adventurous, I'll update extra on the weekend, but for now, twice a week.

Also, if you're looking for something to read, I do have two one shots you can take a peek at. They are The Way Things Should Be and I Love You Too.
•I also may or may not be working on a new one shot in the meantime... stay tuned!!•

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