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I stare across the Pit, where so paintballs at the walls One of them breaks and splatters the stone with yellow

I think of what Tobias told ht with the factionless, about the older Dauntless leaving the faction because they were no longer physically capable of staying in it I think of Candor’s rhy, which calls us the cruelest faction

"She can," I say

"Tris She won’t even be able to move around"

"Sure she will" I look up at hiet a wheelchair, and someone can push her up the paths in the Pit, and there’s an elevator in the building up there" I point above our heads "She doesn’t need to be able to walk to slide down the zip line or fire a gun"

"She won’t want me to push her" His voice cracks a little "She won’t want et over it, then Are you going to let her drop out of Dauntless for a stupid reason like not being able to walk?"

Zeke is quiet for a few seconds His eyes shift overme

Then he turns and bends and wraps his ared esture force war

"I’s," he says as he pulls away "Want to co and chase hiun, and I load ht, shape, and material are so different fro it

"We’ve round covered," Bud says "But you should tackle the Pire"

"The Pire?"

Bud points up at the glass building above us The sight pierces me like a needle The last ti, I was on a mission to destroy the simulation I ith my father

Zeke is already on his way up the path I force myself to follow him, one foot and then the other It’s difficult to walk because it’s difficult to breathe, but soe By the tione

Once we’re in the Pire, Zeke lifts up his gun and aireen paint sprays across one of the s,"Ouch"

"Yeah? I’d like to see you do it perfectly the first ti it up on un feels unfaht with h the scope I find the camera, and then squint to stare at the lens A voice whispers in my head Inhale Aim Exhale Fire It takes me a few seconds to realize it’s Tobias’s voice, because he’s the one who taught er and the paintball hits the ca blue paint across the lens "There Now you have With the wrong hand, too"

Zekeunder his breath that doesn’t sound pleasant

"Hey!" shouts a cheerful voice Marlene pokes her head above the glass floor Paint is s her a purple eyebrow With a wicked s, and then at

Marlene laughs and ducks under the glass Zeke and I look at each other, and then run after Marlene She laughs as she sprints down the path, weaving through a crowd of kids I shoot at her, and hit the wall instead Marlene fires at a boy near the railing--Hector, Lynn’s little brother He looks shocked at first, but then fires back, hitting the person next to Marlene

Popping sounds fill the air as everyone in the Pit starts to fire at one another, young and old, the cae down the path, surrounded by laughter and shouting We cluster together to forainst one another

By the tiht dies down, my clothes are more paint-colored than black I decide to keep the shirt to remind me why I chose Dauntless in the first place: not because they are perfect, but because they are alive Because they are free

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

SOMEONE RAIDS THE Dauntless kitchens and heats up the iht I sit at the same table I used to claim with Christina, Al, and Will From the moment I sit down, I feel a lump in my throat How is it that only half of us are left?

I feel responsible for that My forgiveness could have saved Al, but I withheld it My clear headedness could have spared Will, but I could not suuilt, Uriah drops his tray next to me It is loaded with beef stew and chocolate cake I stare at the cake pile

"There was cake?" I say, looking at my own plate, which is more sensibly stocked than Uriah’s

"Yeah, soht it out Found a couple boxes of the mix in the back and baked it," he says "You can have a few bites ofthat mountain of cake by yourself?"

"Yes" He looks confused "Why?"

"Never mind"

Christina sits across the table, as far away froet Zeke puts his tray down next to her We are soon joined by Lynn, Hector, and Marlene I see a flash of movement under the table, and see Marlene’s hand ether They are both clearly trying to look casual, but they sneak looks at each other

To Marlene’s left, Lynn looks like she just tasted so sour She shovels food into her mouth

"Where’s the fire?" Uriah asks her "You’re going to hurl if you keep eating that fast"

Lynn scowls at hi eyes at each other all the ti about?"

"I am not an idiot, and neither is anyone else So why don’t you just et it over with?"

Uriah looks stunned Marlene, however, glares at Lynn, leans over, and kisses Uriah fir around his neck, under the collar of his shirt I notice that all the peas have fallen off rabs her tray and storms away from the table

"What was that all about?" says Zeke

"Don’t askI’ve stopped trying to keep track"

Uriah’s and Marlene’s faces are still close together And they are still s

I force e to see two people you have known separately join together, though I have watched it happen before I hear a squeak as Christina scratches her plate with her fork idly

"Four!" Zeke calls out, beckoning He looks relieved "C’ood shoulder A few of his knuckles are split, and the blood looks fresh "Sorry, I can’t stay"

He leans down and says, "Can I borrow you for a while?"

I get up, waving a good-bye to everyone at the table who is paying attention--which is just Zeke, really, because Christina and Hector are staring at their plates, and Uriah and Marlene are talking quietly Tobias and I walk out of the cafeteria