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By the ti on the edge ofat my untied shoes I will have to bend over to tie them It will hurt when I bend over

But Christina just passes me a muffin and crouches in front of es in my chest, waration in everyone, even if they don’t know it

Well, in everyone but Peter

"Thank you," I say

"Well, ould never get there on time if you had to tie them yourself," she says "Coht?"

We walk fast toward the Pit The muffin is banana-flavored, alnuts My ive to the factionless, but I never got to try it I was too old for coddling at that point I ignore the pinch in my stomach that co after Christina, who forgets that her legs are longer thanabove it and run to the exit Every thunore it We make it to the tracks just as the train arrives, its horn blaring

"What took you so long?" Will shouts over the horn

"Stuht," says Christina

"Oh, shut up" I’

Four stands at the front of the pack, so close to the tracks that if he shifted even an inch forward, the train would take his nose with it He steps back to let soet on first Will hoists hi first on his storabs the handle on the side of the car and pulls himself in smoothly, like he doesn’t havenext to the car, wincing, then gritto hurt

Al grabs me under each arh my side, but it only lasts for a second I see Peter behind hi to be nice, so I smile at him, but I wish people didn’t want to be so nice As if Peter didn’t have enough a me a look of mock sympathy--his lips turned down, his arched eyebrows pulled in "Or are you a little…Stiff?"

He bursts into laughter at his joke, and Molly and Drew join in Molly has an ugly laugh, all snorting and shaking shoulders, and Drew’s is silent, so it almost looks like he’s in pain

"We are all awed by your incredible wit," says Will

"Yeah, are you sure you don’t belong with the Erudite, Peter?" Christina adds "I hear they don’t object to sissies"

Four, standing in the doorway, speaks before Peter can retort "A all the way to the fence?"

Everyone gets quiet, and Four turns back to the car’s opening He holds the handles on either side, his ar wide, and leans forward so his body is h his feet stay planted inside The wind presses his shirt to his chest I try to look past hi, abandoned buildings that get sh, my eyes shift back to Four I don’t knohat I expect to see, or what I want to see, if anything But I do it without thinking

I ask Christina, "What do you think is out there?" I nod to the doorway "I uess"

"Yeah, but Ithe city froers at uards near the fence until five years ago," says Will "Don’t you remember when Dauntless police used to patrol the factionless sector?"

"Yes," I say I also reet the Dauntless out of the factionless sector of the city He said the poor didn’t need policing; they needed help, and we could give it to them But I would rather not s Erudite gives as evidence of Abnegation’s incoht," he says "I bet you saw them all the time"

"Why do you say that?" I ask, a little too sharply I don’t want to be associated too closely with the factionless

"Because you had to pass the factionless sector to get to school, right?"

"What did you do, memorize a map of the city for fun?" says Christina

"Yes," says Will, looking puzzled "Didn’t you?"

The train’s brakes squeal, and we all lurch forward as the car slows I a easier The dilapidated buildings are gone, replaced by yellow fields and train tracks The train stops under an awning I lowerthe handle to keep me steady

In front ofthe top When I walk forward, I notice that it continues farther than I can see, perpendicular to the horizon Past the fence is a cluster of trees,around on the other side of the fence are Dauntless guards carrying guns

"Follow me," says Four I stay close to Christina I don’t want to admit it, not even to myself, but I feel calmer when I’m near her If Peter tries to tauntsuch a coward Peter’s insults shouldn’t botherbetter at combat, not on how badly I did yesterday And I should be willing, if not able, to defendon other people to do it for ate, which is as wide as a house and opens up to the cracked road that leads to the city When I came here with my family as a child, we rode in a bus on that road and beyond, to A toh our shirts

Another pinch in my stomach

"If you don’t rank in the top five at the end of initiation, you will probably end up here," says Four as he reaches the gate "Once you are a fence guard, there is some potential for advanceo on patrols beyond Amity’s farms, but--"

"Patrols for what purpose?" asks Will

Four lifts a shoulder "I suppose you’ll discover that if you find yourself auard the fence when they are young continue to guard the fence If it comforts you, some of them insist that it isn’t as bad as it see up other people’s messes like the factionless," Christina whispers in my ear

"What rank were you?" Peter asks Four