Ambivalence [p.h.] - EDITING

chapter 10 || i am not spending the rest of my life watching a fence all day

"We'll be getting off now." 

Just as the last word rolled off his tongue, the squealing wheels of the train slowing down burst my eardrums.  What fun.

I had never actually been to the fence before; the closest I had ever come was a hologram of it in the maps at Erudite.  That being said, the constant Huxlian conditioning to believe the fence was the most dangerous part of Chicago didn't help. When you're told that the fences aren't there to keep you in, but to keep other things out, you learn to stay away.

And yet, my loving reader, here I am.

Soon enough, the train reached the very end of the tracks and skidded to a complete stop, giving me an easy out climbing down after Four instead of hurdling myself off like we normally do.  It didn't look very dangerous.  All there was, was grass and half-dead trees as far as the eye could see —

— plus a seven foot tall chain link fence, adorned with barbed wire and had to be electric, as well as the Dauntless guards patrolling the area on the other side.

"Follow me," barked Four.  I trailed along behind him towards the gate.  It was peaceful — as peaceful as it can be, at least — feeling a cool breeze in my hair, dancing and swaying with the soft golden Amity fields that give good company to the dusty road we travelled on. 

"If you don't rank top five at the end of initiation, you will probably end up here," said Four, resting his arm on a piece of the metal that wasn't electrified.  "Once you are a fence guard, there is some potential for advancement, but not much.  You may be able to go on patrols beyond Amity's farms, but–"

"Patrols," Will interrupted, mostly echoing my thoughts, "for what purpose?"   Four shrugged.

"I suppose you'll discover that if you find yourselves among them.  As I was saying.  For the most part, those who guard 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 seems." 

I am not spending the rest of my life watching a fence all day.  I need to rank in the top five. 

From the limited investigation I had conducted so far, the Dauntless jobs I liked were far and few.  Outright I refused to do any kind of patrol work, whether that was at the fence or on the streets or in the Factionless sectors.  I was not going to break up petty fights for a living.

Other than that, there were tattoos and piercings and the shops, weapons smithing, and fighting for entertainment.  Considering none of them were my forte, my only viable options were control room and security work, like Four, and my top choice: a leadership position.  That is, if I was able make it to the end of initiation.

"What rank were you?" Peter asked.

Four tapped his foot, chewing on his lip as he seemed to do when he was thinking hard about something, and looked Peter in the eyes. "I was first."

"And you chose to do this?  Why didn't you get a government job?"

"I didn't want one," Four frowned. He left it at that, nodding at one of the guards nearby while the majority of the rest were busy opening up the gate. Out came a small truck, carrying barrels of fruit and grains and some banjo players who could only have been Amity.

Four let us roam about, his only stipulation being "don't touch the fence."  I wandered over to a woman with bright red hair and a loaded gun. She could only have been a few years older than me.

"Uh... hi," I stammered, hoping I wasn't bothering her (and, if I was, that she didn't mind).

"Hey," she beams, showing off two piercing where dimples should be. "How are you liking the field trip?"