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Four: The Traitor: A Divergent Story

ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER Visiting Day

Two years ago, when I was an initiate, I pretendedroo that I smelled the dust-sweat for days afterward Last year, the first year I taught initiates, I did the sah Zeke and Shauna both invited me to spend the day with their families instead

This year I haveandto the control room

I walk through the Pit, dodging tearful reunions and shrieks of laughter Fa Day, even if they're fro "Faction before blood," after all Most of the s to transfer faht blue, Peter's Candor parents are in black and white For a moment I watch his parents, and wonder if they made him into the person he is But uess

I'm supposed to be on ainto the railing Bits of paper float in the water Now that I knohere the steps cut into the stone in the opposite wall are, I can see theht away, and the hidden doorway that leads to thehts I've spent on those rocks with Zeke or Shauna, so to the water move

I hear footsteps approaching, and look over ray-clad aration woman Natalie Prior I stiffen, suddenly desperate to escape--what if Natalie knoho I am, where I came from? What if she lets it slip, here, surrounded by all these people?

She can't possibly recognizelike the boy she knew, lanky and slouched and buried in fabric

When she's close enough, she extends her hand "Hello, my name is Natalie I'm Beatrice's mother"

Beatrice That na for her

I clasp Natalie's hand and shake it I've never been fond of Dauntless hand-shaking It's too unpredictable--you never kno tightly to squeeze, how many times to shake

"Four," I say "It's nice to meet you"

"Four," Natalie says, and she smiles "Is that a nickname?"

"Yes," I say I change the subject "Your daughter is doing well here I've been overseeing her training"

"That's good to hear," she says "I know a few things about Dauntless initiation, and I orried about her"

I glance at Tris There's color in her cheeks--she looks happy, like seeing her ood For the first tied since I first saw her, tu, like the impact with the net should have shattered her She doesn't look fragile anymore, with the shadows of bruises on her face and a new stability in the way she stands, like she's ready for anything

"You shouldn't worry," I say to Natalie

Tris looks away I think she's still angry with uess I don't really blame her

"You look familiar for some reason, Four," Natalie says I would think her co atme down

"I can't ie "I don't ation"

She doesn't react the way I expect her to, with surprise or fear or anger She just laughs "Few people do, these days I don't take it personally"

If she does recognize er to say so I try to relax

"Well, I'll leave you to your reunion," I say

On e switches fros, the initiate entrance to Dauntless A crowd is gathered around the hole, cli in and out of it, I assume to test the net

"Not into Visiting Day?" My supervisor, Gus, stands atof coffee He's not that old, but there's a bald spot at the crown of his head He keeps the rest of his hair short, even shorter than mine His earlobes are stretched around wide discs "I didn't think I'd see you again until initiation was over"

"Figured Iproductive"

On my screen, everyone crawls out of the hole and stands aside, their backs against one of the buildings A dark figure inches toward the edge of the roof high above the hole, runs a few steps, and ju, and the figure disappears beneath the pave that

"They seeain "Well, you're alelcome to hen you're not scheduled to, but it's not a crio have some mindless fun, Four"

He walks away, and I mumble, "So I'm told"

I look over the control roo Day, only a few people are required to work, and it's usually the oldest ones Gus is hunched over his screen Two others flank hie with their headphones half on, half off And then there's me

I type in a coe I saved last week It shows Max in his office, sitting at his co for the right ones for several seconds between jabs Not many of the Dauntless kno to type properly, especially Max, who I' the factionless sector with a gun at his side--he must not have anticipated that he would ever need to use a computer I lean close to the screen to make sure that the numbers I took down earlier are accurate If they are, I have Max's account passritten on a piece of paper in my pocket

Ever since I realized that Max orking closely with Jeanine Matthews, and began to suspect that they had so for a way to investigate further When I saw him type in his password the other day, I found one

084628 Yes, the nuain, and cycle through the camera feeds until I find the ones that show Max's office and the hallway beyond it Then I type the coe of Max's office out of the rotation, so Gus and the others won't see it; it will only play on e from the whole city is always divided by howeverat the saeneral rotation like that for a few seconds at a ti, but hopefully this won't takeI slip out of the room and walk toward the elevators

This level of the Pire is alone That will make it easier for me to do what I have to do I ride the elevator up to the tenth floor, and walk purposefully toward Max's office I've found that when you're sneaking around, it's best not to look like you're sneaking around I tap the flash drive in my pocket as I walk, and turn the corner toward Max's office

I nudge the door open with one to the Pit to start Visiting Day preparations, I'd crept up here and taped the lock I close the door quietly behind hts, and crouch next to his desk I don't want to move the chair to sit in it; I don't want hiets back

The screen prompts me for a password My mouth feels dry I take the paper from my pocket and press it flat to the desk top w

hile I type it in 084628

The screen shifts I can't believe it worked

Hurry If Gus discovers that I'one, that I'm in here, I don't knohat I'll say, what excuse I could possibly give that would sound reasonable I insert the flash drive and transfer the program I put there earlier I asked Lauren, one of the Dauntless technical staff and ram that would make one computer mirror another, under the pretense that I wanted to prank Zeke e're at work She was happy to help--another thing I've discovered is that the Dauntless are always up for a prank, and rarely looking for a lie

With a few siram is installed and buried somewhere in Max's computer that I'm sure he would never bother to access I put the flash drive back inwith the piece of paper with his password on it, and leave the office without getting lass part of the door

That was easy, I think, as I walk toward the elevators again According to my watch, it only took me five minutes I can claim that I was on a bathroom break if anyone asks

But when I get back to the control roo at my screen

I freeze How long has he been there? Did he see me break into Max's office?

"Four," Gus says, sounding grave "Why did you isolate this footage? You're not supposed to take feeds out of rotation, you know that"

"I" Lie! Lie now! "I thought I saw soe if we see so out of the ordinary"

Gus moves toward me

"So," he says, "then why did I just see you on this screen co out of that same hallway?"

He points to the hallway on htens

"I thought I saw soate it," I say "I'm sorry, I just wanted to move around"

He stares atthe inside of his cheek I don't move I don't look away

"If you ever see soain, you follow the protocol You report it to your supervisor, who iswho, again?"

"You," I say, sighing a little I don't like to be patronized

"Correct I see you can keep up," he says "Honestly, Four, after over a year of working here there shouldn't be so ularities in your job performance We have very clear rules, and all you have to do is follow the Okay?"

"Okay," I say I've been chastised a few tis with Jeanine Matthews and Max, or with Max and Eric It never gave ht

"Good" His voice lightens up a little "Good luck with the initiates You got transfers again this year?"

"Yeah," I say "Lauren gets the Dauntless-borns"

"Ah, too bad I was hoping you would get to know o do soe loose before you go"

He walks back to his computer, and I unclenchit My face throbbing, I shut down ot aith it

Noith this prograle one of his files from the relative privacy of the control room I can find out exactly what he and Jeanine Matthews are up to