Clarke Griffin wakes up on Choosing Day the most terrified she's ever been.
She knows she isn't the only one. Every sixteen year old in the city is facing the same decision today. But she still doesn't know where she belongs, because while the aptitude test can tell her where her mind would fit the best, it can't tell her where her heart would be happy. And while Clarke has many reasons to stay in Erudite, she also has many reasons to leave.
When she looks in the mirror that morning, all she can see is textbook Erudite and it makes her sick to her stomach.
Breakfast, as usual, is a quiet affair. Clarke isn't surprised, but she's still a little hurt. Ever since her father's death, there hasn't been much for her and her mother to talk about. And while she hoped things would be different today, she knows it would have been illogical to assume otherwise. Once their meal is finished, Clarke clears the table despite her mother's protest. She honestly doesn't mind- it will give her something to keep her mind off of the ceremony, off of the lingering fear that she'll make the wrong choice and-
She can't finish that thought. Instead, she washes the dishes, and rushes up to her room immediately after she's done. These are her final moments in her home, possibly her faction, and she'd much rather spend them in a place with happy memories. It's much better than sitting in awkward silence with her mother, at least.
Clarke sighs deeply as her eyes wander across the room. There are textbooks everywhere, and drawings. Her bed is still unmade from this morning and her backpack is lying haphazardly in the middle of the floor. She can't help the tears that swell in her eyes. This is… no, was her childhood bedroom. There's a knock outside the door, and Clarke knows.
It's time to say goodbye.
The Hub is huge, Clarke notices. She's seen it before, of course, in passing. But she's never been this close before, let alone inside the building. It only serves to remind her of everything that's changing today. Everything she might lose, and everything she might gain.
The building seems much bigger on the inside. If it weren't for the sea of blue sitting together, Clarke isn't sure she would even be able to find her faction. Not that it matters. All sixteen year olds must sit together, in reverse alphabetical order. She thinks it's cruel, denying all these kids a precious extra few minutes with their families, but she can't say she isn't relieved. At least this way she doesn't have to face her mother.
She sits between a blond Abnegation boy, who's name she doesn't know, and a Candor girl named Grace from her Faction History class. Clarke decides it doesn't matter. More often than not, people choose their faction of origin, and Clarke knows herself well enough to know that she isn't honest or selfless. At least, not enough to choose either faction as her home.
"Welcome, welcome." She's startled out of her thoughts by the voice of Thelonious Jaha, Erudite's leader. She's slightly surprised. Normally the opening Choosing Day speeches are left up to Abnegation's leader, the same leader that governs their city. She shrugs it off, and pays close attention as Jaha begins to recount the history of their city. It isn't anything she hasn't heard before, but it would be rude not to listen and it takes her mind off of the knot that's forming in her stomach. So she listens, waiting patiently through the insanely long list of names until it's her turn.
"Clarke Griffin."
She stands, her breath and her knees shaking, and makes her way to the stage. This is it. The choice she makes today, Clarke knows, will define her future. She has to choose carefully. Although her legs are shaking, she somehow manages to make her way up the steps, onto the stage. There are five bowls in front of her representing the five factions. It would be easy for her to choose Erudite, to go back to what she knows. It's what she tested as, after all. But in that moment, Clarke knows she can't, and before she knows it, she's sliced her palm and let her blood drip over the coals.
She's chosen Dauntless.
Clarke is seated with her new faction and has to force herself to pay attention to the ceremony instead of glancing where her mother is sitting.
She isn't exactly feeling guilty, per se. She knows she needed to leave, that she needs something different, but... Clarke also knows that she's the only person her mother had left, and now she's gone too. But at the same time, she's relieved. She's free now.
The rest of the ceremony passes quickly, and Clarke finds herself swept up in the excitement of her new faction. They're actually running, something Clarke's mother would have told her is unladylike and she's actually allowed to join in. She stops for the briefest of seconds to kick off her heels, and she runs. She knows what's going to happen next, has seen the Dauntless do it thousands of times, but this is her first time and she isn't sure if she's terrified or excited or both.
Sure enough, they run and jump onto the trains one by one. Clarke is one of the last to go, and for one heart stopping second, thinks she isn't going to make it, thinks she's going to fail, become factionless. But she does it, she takes the leap, grabs on to the railing of the door and pulls herself into the train. She collapses on to the floor, laughing until she can't breathe.
"Bet you've never done anything like this before." Clarke looks up, eyes wide, to see a Dauntless girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes. "The name's Octavia. What's yours?" The girl- Octavia offers her hand.
"No, I haven't." Clarke agrees, still somewhat out of breath, as she takes Octavia's hand and stands. "I'm Clarke." Octavia grins.
"Nice to meet you, Clarke." Octavia peers out the open door, at the building approaching, and laughs. "The fun's not over yet." And with a smirk, Octavia and the others in the train jump out and onto the roof below.
Clarke doesn't even think, knows she doesn't have time, and jumps after them. As she soars through the air, she wonders if this is what dying is like, and then she hits the ground. She's vaguely aware of a stinging sensation, possibly the gravel digging into her skin, but she's laughing too damn hard to care.
"Initiates! Listen up!" She standing, dusting herself off when the voice calls out. It's a man, tall and muscular, bald and tattooed, standing on the opposite ledge of the building. She might find him attractive if she didn't find him so intimidating. "My name is Lincoln! I am one of your leaders!" He clears his throat and continues. "There is only one way into Dauntless!" He gestures behind him, to the large hole between buildings and Clarke swears her heart stopped for a second. "If you don't have the guts to jump, we don't want you here! As usual, I will offer the opportunity to go first to our initiates!" His eyes meet hers, cold and calculating. "Who wants to go first?!"
It's silent for what feels like forever, before Clarke steps forward.
"I will."
She makes her way to the ledge, the other initiates (mostly Dauntless born, Clarke notices) clearing the way for her. She steps onto the ledge, taking a deep breath. Before she can think about, change her mind, Clarke forces herself to jump.
This falling is different than falling onto the roof. She's falling down, towards god knows what, but she doesn't have time to contemplate it because she lands. Into a net. She takes a second, to catch her breath, take in her surroundings, before she rolls off. Almost immediately, Clarke feels herself falling again- obviously she's misjudged the distance between the net and the ground- and falls straight into someone's arms.
"Better watch your step, Princess." A deep voice warns, and Clarke can feel herself blushing. "Welcome to Dauntless."