The Fight for the Tri-Faction Cup A Spin-Off Story of Popular Novels
by Carly Shields
As the lights dimmed in the arena, myself and the other Dauntless candidates figured it would be best to set up camp. Due to all the casualties that occurred yesterday, I thought it was a safe bet that the other factions would take the night off as well. We all anticipated the brutality that would ensue amongst the five groups, but not to this extent. The propaganda the Capital sent out before the games fueled everyone’s fire, and now it seemed as though all of us were willing to die in the name of our faction. As terrifying as the first night in the arena may have seemed, we were all aware it was only going to get worse.
As I set up my campsite, I overheard two guys talking about strategy. “These other factions have nothing on us. The Amity don’t stand a chance, they’re all about keeping peace, which’ll do them no good in here. As smart as those Erudite kids think they are, they can’t think their way out of dying. And Abnegation are basically letting themselves die off because they want to keep their selfless image.”
“What about the Candor kids?” the other speculated.
“Honestly, I don’t know. Those kids worry me a little. Because they’re always supposed to be honest, and they have a reputation for telling the truth, I think they could turn that around on us really quick,” the boy replied, looking slightly nervous for the first time since he entered the arena.
That’s the whole point of this. The Capital doesn’t just want to keep the factions in order, it also wants to see which one is the most valuable to them. Pinning us against each other is their best idea for figuring that out. Three nights of torture in order to see how many could survive. The only thing the winning faction gets out of the games is the Tri-Faction Cup, which represents nothing but bragging rights essentially. I realized thinking about it would only make things worse, and forced myself to finish setting up my tent. Almost as soon as I was done, the music began to play and the cannon shots went off. Twenty-six shots when off, one for every fallen man. I knew only three of those were Dauntless kids, but it still made me feel very uneasy. As the music dimmed into silence, I wondered what this night in the arena would bring upon us.