Chapter 12: Part 2

A/N: Recommend checking out the pinterest page for this chapter: lady05giggles/divergent-au-i-choose-you/

"The secret to success in Artistry is every time you meet someone, make a fucking impression." Elizabeth Kelly, the leader of Artistry, states to a crowd of young artistry members, who recently passed their exams. "I don't care if you are a musician, actress, director, writer, even a magician. Make people think you're the hottest shit in Artistry. Make them think they will be missing out if they don't see you perform, if they don't see your work. Look people in the eye and never look away. Be confident, calm, and fucking bold." (quote credit: James J. Frey, My Friend Leonard).

"Jesus. Sounds like good advice for life." Four whispers to me. I nod, agreeing with him. Elizabeth has always been great at inspiring people.

We are at the Chicago Performing Arts Academy, where students are trained for four years in their Artistry specialties. Artistry has the longest training process compared to other factions because they want their initiates to master their craft. The class of initiates usually graduate before the new group comes in.

The auditorium is as extravagant as the faction, with gold string lights hanging from the ceiling, gold stage curtains closed, covering the large stage and several rows of theater seats, with a long balcony circling the stage. The students sit in the floor seats facing the stage, while Elizabeth Kelly is on the stage making her speech. This is the informal ceremony with the graduates and the leader. The formal graduation is a few days later.

Four and I are once again sitting in the back, observing the ceremony, which is coming to an end. "Look around ladies and gentlemen," the graduates look at the beautiful room in awe. I do to. "This is your stage, but it is also your home. This is a place for you to create, despite the fact that many people may not believe in it. Other factions may not think our work is important, and they may be right. But I want you to always remember," Elizabeth pulls out a paper, which looks wrinkly and well used. "These are a few quotes said over time that I love reciting. Here are a few of them I think you will enjoy, 'Life without art is stupid.'" The young graduates chuckle. She continues, "'The earth without art is just eh,'" more people laugh. "'Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it.' And this is my favorite quote, 'Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up'. That was from Pablo Picasso. Now go be artists." The crowd rises and clap. She does know how to give a speech.

As some of the members talk to Elizabeth, Four and I, wait at the entrance. "Your visit at Artistry is pretty informal," Four comments.

"Yeah. Abnegation and Artistry are really good at communicating with each other, visits are usually unnecessary. More to catch up on the work they have been doing."

"Seems more like a vacation."

"Are you saying I don't deserve a break?" I ask Four, amused by his comment.

"No, I'm not. I don't think I deserve I one." I grab his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. I am about to comment that he should enjoy himself today, but Elizabeth interrupts us.

"Hello Beatrice," Elizabeth gives me a gentle hug, and whispers in my ear, "Excellent choice in bodyguard." I am sure she is checking out Four right now.

"Thanks?" I can't help but giggle.

"Let's walk and talk."

Elizabeth and I walk outside of the concert hall, around Downtown Chicago. We discuss all kinds of things, from what Artistry is up to, to my current safety situation. Our conversation is very casual, as we walk the streets of Chicago. It is a beautiful day, and Elizabeth likes to be out of her office as much as possible. Four follows behind, staying alert the whole time.

She suddenly gets a call from her phone. "I have to answer this real quick." She steps aside to take the phone call.

I look over at Four, who seems to be tense, constantly checking our surroundings. He probably doesn't like us out in the open, where anyone could attack me, but I'm not worried. Despite everything that has happened, Artistry is fun and vibrant place. I'm not scared to be here. I reach over, and squeeze his hand, trying to relax him. It seems to work, giving a wink in response.

Elizabeth returns, "I unfortunately have to cut our meeting short. A student painted something offensive, and he is defending himself, stating it is his freedom to express himself. While true, teddy bear porn will get him nowhere." I have no clue what that looks like, but am not surprised. Artistry members are very creative, but also very defiant. "I will have Tessa host you for the rest of the day, and see you later. Goodbye Beatrice." She hugs me, winks at Four, and leaves in one of the Artistry cars that Tessa just drove in.

"That was quite the world wind." I whisper to myself.

Tessa, a tall brown skin young woman wearing her basic Artistry uniform, walks up to me. I remember Elizabeth telling me she is a photographer, but she also does a lot administrative work for the faction, like guided tours.

"Are you ready President Prior?" Tessa asks me. I nod my head, and start to follow her.

I decide to make this more of a fun outing, and wrap my arm around Four's. To my surprise though, he pushes my arm away, but instead wrap his arm around my shoulder. I decide to wrap mine around his waist. It is rather romantic. I like it.

Tessa takes us to the Art Institute in Grand Park. It is a museum made up of art recovered after World War III, and art that has been awarded by members of Artistry. The building is one of our oldest and extravagant buildings, since it was restored. The building is giant and wide, with a flat roof, several large, arched stained glass windows and rounded doors in the front. The building is made up of ancient looking wood and marble. It looks like a palace, with a raised first story and several steps leading up to the grand entrance. It even has a greenish blue lion statue placed out in front.

I come here every time I am in Artistry to look at the work of the new artists and to look at the art of the past. There are pieces in here that date back to the early 1800s. It is are only art museum here, but luckily it is large, allowing for many pieces to fit in here. There are about 11 departments and 30 rotating special exhibitions rotating yearly, consisting about 300,000 pieces of art. Many were salvaged after the war, and luckily you don't notice any damage on them.

There are several people here today. Many school children from other factions visit the museum. The museum also functions as a school, where different art classes are taught. This is the Artistry faction best way to show children from other factions what they are known for. They take a lot of pride with this museum, and use it as a recruiting site for children who are interested in art.

We didn't have a lot of time to walk around, and Four has never been here. So I made sure Tessa showed us my two favorite exhibits, the Impressionist collection and the 20th century American modern art. We practically run up the spiral staircase to go to those sections. I feel giddy inside, excited about seeing my favorite pieces of art.

Once there, we look around, quietly analyzing the classic pieces of art. "You never came here when you were a kid? I remember coming here a few times on field trips organized by Abnegation." I tell Four.

"I ended up being 'sick' on those days. Marcus never wanted me to go to the museum." I feel a little sad, thinking about what being sick really meant.

"Really? Why?" I whisper.

"He wanted me to stay in Abnegation no matter what. So I never got to go visit the other factions."

"Well you are with me now, and you get to see all the factions, even the boring ones." I joke. He chuckles in return.

We continue to walk beholding all the beautiful pieces of art. We walk up to one of my favorite pieces. "This one is the Nighthawk." I tell Four. "I love this piece."

"This is one of more modern pieces, considering." Tessa explains. "It was made in 1942, by Edward Hopper. He was born in 1882 in a city that was north of us, called Manhattan, New York. The piece was part of the Realism movement and was made using oil paints."

"Realism?" Four asked confused by the term.

"Yes. It means the artists wanted to represent the subject truthfully, with using interpretive elements. What you see is what you get."

With this piece, what we see is 3 people, in formal clothing of suit and tie and pretty dresses, sitting in a diner named Phillies on bar stools, while the chef waits on them. Two of the people, a red headed woman and man wearing a hat, seem to be very close, maybe even lovers, but not married. The third person, another man wearing a hat, whose is sitting away from us, seems to be lonely, drinking coffee. The piece reminds me of a simpler time, a time I will never know, since it is so long ago in our history.

Four steps to look at it closer. "It does look like a real place and real people.

"Many people think this diner was a location in New York City." Tessa explains.

"Huh?"

"What?" I ask, stepping right next to him.

"I can see why it is called nighthawks. None of these people want to go home at night."

"Yeah, it is night time." Never really thinking about the time of day. "Makes you wonder why they are not home, maybe avoiding something or someone."

"Maybe they want to be alone."

"Or they are lonely, especially this guy," pointing to the one who sits by himself.

"He does seem lonely." Four confirms, shaking his head. He looks like he is miles away right now. I am unsure what he is thinking.

Unfortunately, the grumbling in my stomach ruins the moment and breaks him from his trance. "Sorry," I say blushing. "I am really hungry."

"Then let's eat, and I know the best place to go." Four turns towards Tessa, "Could you take us Giordano's Pizzeria."

"It would be my pleasure."

We exit the museum, and walk towards Giordano's Pizzeria. This is another site that has been opened for years, founded in 1974. It apparently has the best pizza in the state. The pizzeria is located in a brick building, with a large sign and flashy lights advertising its location. It is packed with a line outside.

"It looks like we'll have to wait." Four says, but Tessa laughs. She guides us into the full restaurant, away from the line and past the host's table, to the back in the kitchen. There is a small table with two seats set to the side of the kitchen. She called it the chef's table.

"The perks of being the President," Tessa explains with a wink. She tells us, she will be back in a hour, and leaves us.

We sit at the table and immediately we are greeted by the chef. He is thankful for me visiting the restaurant and tells me he will personally make the best Chicago style stuff pizza he has ever made for me. I giggle at his enthusiasm and thank him for the consideration.

"Have you ever been here before?" Four ask.

"Nope, never."

"That means you never had Chicago style deep dish pizza?"

"Nope. Am I missing out?"

"Yes, very much so. This was first place Zeke took me after passing initiation. We waited 2 hours to get in, and I was complaining about the wait. Zeke kept telling me to relax for once. It will be worth the wait. Eventually we got in. It was late and I was starving. He ended up ordering the classic deep dish. When they brought it out, I didn't know what to do with it. It looked like tomato soup in a thick crust. Zeke dug in, making a mess everywhere, but it looked delicious. So I joined. It was the second best meal of my life." He says fondly.

"What was your first?" I ask him.

"The first time I had Dauntless chocolate cake of course."

Four and I continue getting to know each other. I describe my favorite meals, which usually occurred in Amity. I love their fresh food. We also talk about other things, as we get comfortable in our seats. We observe the chefs preparing the different types of pizzas and are in awe. They are in sync with each other, and it is fascinating to see them start with basic ingredients and end up with a massive pizza. Eventually our pizza is presented to us from the head chef. I thank him for the meal.

The pizza is giant. I can't believe what my eyes. For was right in describing his first time eating the pizza. On top, there looks to be homemade tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese inside a bread pizza bowl. When Four cuts into it, the tomato sauce oozes all over. Looking closely, I see there are layers in the pizza; layers of mozzarella cheese, spinach, sausage, and onion. It looks and smells fantastic.

"You're going to have to show me how to eat this thing."

"It would be my pleasure." Four takes a slice, and lets some of the sauce drizzle off the pizza. He then carefully folds the pizza a little bit, lifts the pizza to his mouth and takes a big bite. He puts the slice down and lick his fingers covered in sauce. I observe him the whole time, and can't help but flush when he licks his fingers.

To cover it up, I grab a slice of pizza and follow his actions. When I took a bite, some of the sauce gets on my chin. I am about to wipe it off, but Four reaches over and wipes the sauce off with his finger. He then shockingly licks it off. "Delicious," he comments. I was not able to hide the blush this time.

We eat a few more slices, get to know each other more, but after a while, I get too full. Plus, it is time to go and Tessa is probably waiting for us. The chef politely packs up the rest of the meal, and let us known the leftovers will be sent to our Artistry room. I thank him for providing such a great lunch, and tip him with plenty of points. Four and I get up to leave the restaurant.

We meet Tessa outside the restaurant and head to Millennium Park. Millennium Park is the largest urban public park we have in the city, being 24 acres. It is managed by both Artistry and Ingenious factions. Ingenious faction takes care of all the gardens, fountains, and the arcictecture. Artistry makes the park lively and fun to hang out at.

As we walk around, Tessa talks about how Artistry installs large art pieces, like the tall video-screen faces fountain called the Crown Fountain. It is also a great place for young musicians to perform at the Pritzker Music Pavilion. There is a concert venue, where they host the Choosing Ceremony when it is Artistry's turn, but that is usually for more of the older, professional musicians. The young talent are out today, as we listen to a quartet playing music they created.

Tessa wanted to take some photos, so Four and I walk around a little bit. I push him towards the Crown Fountain, and once we get there, I take off my shoes and take a dip. Many Artistry children are here already splashing around the fountain. It is a warm day, and perfect to play around. Four reluctantly does the same, rolling up his pants. He is my bodyguard, and must follow me wherever I am going.

When we get closer to the video screen, I notice the face that is currently on the careen is a young woman smiling. Suddenly, her face changes, and water spurts out of our video mouth. I get wet from the spout of water and run away. Four is already ahead of me, since he has longer legs. When we stop running, I quickly realize Four is pretty much dry. I get a sneaky look on my face, as I come up with an idea. Four looks at me confused, but he then realize what I am about to do. I run up and jump into his arms, getting the front of his body completely soaked with my wet clothes. He groans and laugh in his discomfort. When I stop laughing, I realize Four is looking at me adoringly. I bite my lip, trying not to kiss him. What I don't realize is Four is walking us back to the video screen fountain, where we get splashed with a spout of water once again. We can't help but laugh.

Since we got so wet, we walk around the park to dry off. It is warm enough today, so luckily we dry off pretty quickly. Tessa catches up to us, after taking several pictures. She even admits that she took pictures of us at the Fountain. She shows us with her picture viewer, and it looks like we are having a lot of fun. I tell her I would like a copy of those pictures, and she promises to send them to us.

Tessa then takes us on a tour of a few breweries in Chicago. I am surprised by this, considering I am not much of a drinker, but she wanted us to see how creative the breweries have gotten in making a variety of beers, hand crafted sodas and juices. Usually factions have water and basic drinks, but Artistry, with the help of Amity, would like to diversify factions drink options. I can't imagine Abnegation getting into this, but the other factions should be interested. We go to Goose Island, Revolution Brewing, Half Acre Beer Company, and Pipeworks Brewing Company. We have samples at each of the breweries, to Four's delight. They do have delicious drinks, and even non-alcoholic options, which is nice.

I am tired from our long day of walking, but Tessa has us going to one last event, put on specially for me. "It is called Hideout Makeout Party," Tessa explains.

"What?" I ask, surprise and a little uncomfortable by the name of this party.

"Don't worry, it is not like what it sounds. The party is at Buddy Guy's Legends Club. Artistry musicians come together to play original songs, as well as classic love songs. Lots of romantic dancing. They also serve delicious food, some that are even aphrodisiacs. It is a party for couples, and since you are Four are together, we thought you guys would enjoy it."

Four and I look at each other nervously, unsure about going to this party. It too late to go against it. She has us in a taxicab, headed to the party. Once we are there, I realize it is a very private gathering, with 30 people here at most, all Artistry members. Many of them are older, and I quickly see the council and there love ones are here.

The club is setup for couples. It has a few small tables with 2 chairs per table setup. A small stage is at the middle of the club with a bar off to the side. There is a small dance floor right in front of the stage. The room is decorated with musical instruments, and photos of musicians of the past and present. It has a very bluesy vibe.

As Four and I sit at a table, I see Crystal, my aunt, sitting at one of the tables with her husband. She notices me rather quickly and walks over. Four politely gets up, allowing us to talk to each other. We catch up, and I tell her about my day. We have been able to talk to each other a few times over the phone. We also plan to meet up for brunch tomorrow. Plus, she is performing a little bit later in the night. So we only talk briefly, but it was nice to see her.

When she leaves, Four returns, with some orange cream soda, sliders and potato skins. We eat, drink, and get to know each other more. "Is this what your life like?" Four ask.

"No." I laugh, thinking how usually stressful my life is. "My days are not this fun usually. Lots of reading, writing policy proposals, and listening to people's complaints. This is a good day."

"Are you saying your life is usually stressful, trying to keep our state together?" He asks amusingly.

"Trying to avoid a Civil War is hard work."

"Well, hopefully I can make your life a little easier."

"You already have."

I am really enjoying our time together. This is easily the best date I ever had, even though I don't think Four considers this is a date. This is just a party Artistry members organized for my visit here, but It is still an incredible date.

Musicians are playing several love songs throughout the night. Many of the couples are slow dancing at the front. I see why this is called Hideout Makeout Party because this place is very hidden from everything else in Chicago and couples are starting to kiss each other at their small tables.

Four and I are sitting in comfortable silence, enjoying the music, but suddenly Four asks me to dance. I accept. We start to slow dance, and at first, we are not very close to each other. But as the music becomes more romantic, we move closer to each other. I end up laying my head on his chest. He leans his head on top of mine. I listen to the music, but also his heartbeat, relaxing me completely. There is nowhere else I want to be.

When the song ends, the people applaud in appreciation. When I look up at Four, wrapping my arms around his neck tighter, he looks at me with…love, I think; I don't know. It is a look I never seen before. He slowly leans forward and kisses me. What starts off as a peck, deepens, and we are making out on the dance floor. This has definitely been the best date of my life and easily the best day.