Jace approached the large metal bowls slowly. He wasn't nervous, afraid, or unsure about anything, even though he knew he should be. But he felt like he should draw it out, make everyone wait, make everyone else nervous. It made him feel stronger, more powerful. Maybe he was a little nervous, to have the need to feel powerful…

He took the knife being held out to him by the Dauntless leader, Four, and walked to the center of the bowls. Coals, water, stone, earth, and glass. Each one representing each of the factions. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the line of people still waiting to choose. They were all in their own worlds, too nervous or proud to pay attention to anyone but themselves. Except one. A short girl with fiery red hair and freckles. She was dressed in Abnegation gray, and was practically twiddling her thumbs in anxiety, but she kept her head up, gaze straight. Watching everyone who choose probably. Watching me, he thought. For a moment he reconsidered his choice. He knew he was meant for Dauntless, it's where he was born and it's where he belongs, but something made him want to choose Abnegation just then. It was a peaceful, quiet life with no troubles, no worries and no fighting. And, more importantly, he would be able to get to know the fiery redhead better. But he also knew he wasn't cut out for it. He would never be able to keep his temper, never not think of himself, and never fight. Fighting was his life. Of course he was going to choose Dauntless. He had to. How else would he survive? It was just a shame that he would never officially meet her.

All this happened within a split second, and he re-focused on the choosing. He drew the knife across his palm and let his blood drip into the fiery red coals. He sure did have a thing for fiery things.

Clary stood still as she could, trying not to fiddle with the hem of her shirt. As Abnegation as she was trying to be, it was hard not to think of herself during all of this. Which was even more of a point about how Abnegation she wasn't. She knew her mother was Abnegation, but she also suspected that her mother wasn't all that she seemed. Her mother had pulled her aside and told her to get out of Abnegation, to choose a different faction, disregarding whatever her aptitude test had told her. But if not Abnegation, then what? She wasn't smart enough for Erudite. Maybe Candor, since she was so bad at lying, but she'd heard about the tests and the truth serum, and wasn't sure she was up for that. There were too many things she didn't want to admit to herself, much less an entire faction of people. Amity was peaceful and calm, but, according to her mom and Luke, she overreacted a lot, and Luke had told her she wasn't much of a peacekeeper. That left the tough, brute Dauntless, and was she really cut out for that? She could be brave, yes, but fighting and killing? She would need a lot of practice. Of course, she'd heard that they practice a lot before kicking any initiates out. Maybe she would be able to make it there.

Her best friend, Simon, was up. Clary watched him carefully. He'd told her about his results, even though he hadn't been supposed to. He was something called Divergent- meant for more than one faction. He was meant for both Abnegation and Erudite. How peculiar that he should be meant for two enemy factions. She watched him as he bounced between the water and stone for a minute before he finally cut his hand with a slight wince. He held his hand over the water and let his blood drip in. Erudite. He'd chosen Erudite. In just an instant he was gone from her life.

Clary scowled and had to fight to keep herself from yelling out. How could he? Betraying their faction like that. How utterly ridiculous. If he was going to leave Abnegation, he at least should have chosen a faction that wasn't the enemy of the one he was born into. By the time she'd calmed herself down enough to stop scowling at the ground, they were calling out H's. They were calling people out in backwards alphabetical order, so Clary would be closer to the end to choose.

"Jonathan Herondale," called the Dauntless leader. She thought his name was Four; he was in charge of things this year, of the speech and calling out the names. A muscular boy wearing all black sauntered up and took the knife, then went to the center of the bowls. The light coming in from the windows reflected off his golden hair perfectly, and she saw that he had golden eyes as well. Golden eyes that were looking at her. She stared back before remembering she was Abnegation and probably shouldn't be staring, but by the time she looked away he'd already gone back to the bowls. He seemed to hesitate, but then went to the Dauntless bowl, cut his hand, and let his blood drip in, sizzling against the hot coals.

Clary began thinking again, about her choice. There wasn't much left for her in Abnegation. Her mother, of course, and Luke, but that was it. Simon had abandoned her for Erudite, and even her mom had told her to leave Abnegation. And there was the tempting golden boy from Dauntless. Dauntless were daring and brave and strong, and for a moment she could see herself doing it. Being brave and strong and daring and Dauntless. She'd almost been that during her aptitude test- had almost chosen the knife instead of the cheese, had almost punched the threatening man who insisted she tell him the truth. But she'd restrained herself, knowing that that wasn't what she should do. She had known it was only a simulation, and had known that she wanted to be determined Abnegation. Knew that that was the best faction for her. That was before her mother had told her not to stay. Now she didn't know anything, other than the fact that she had no idea what to do.

Suddenly she was up next and walking forward to take the knife. She cut her palm and hovered between the Dauntless and Abnegation bowls. She glanced back at her mom, sitting next to Luke. Her mom's eyes were full of love. It didn't matter what Clary would choose, she would still be loved.

Clary swung her hand towards the burning coals and let her blood drip in. Dauntless. She was Dauntless. She was crazy and she was Dauntless. Time to be brave.

Jace stood at the back of the Dauntless section, arms crossed as he leaned against a wall. Next to him was his best friend, Alec. Alec was two years older than him, and therefore had chosen his faction some time ago. His younger sister, Isabelle, was Jace's age. She had chosen before him. Dauntless, just like the rest of them. It ran in their family, the choice of Dauntless. The Lightwoods were born into Dauntless, and it looked like they would die that way. Jace's father, Stephen Herondale, had been Dauntless before he died. Jace was told that his dad had switched from Erudite into Dauntless. That was probably the only thing he knew about his father though. His mother had died during childbirth, and before Jace was a toddler his dad had died. No one would specify how though. Jace suspected he'd fallen in the chasm and no one wanted to make Jace ashamed of his father.

Isabelle was babbling about something about all the fun this was going to be and all the new people she would be able to meet. Alec was scolding her, saying that she needs to take initiation more seriously. But Jace wasn't listening to either of them.

The redhead he'd seen earlier was up to make her choice. He saw her hesitate, look back at the Abnegation section. Looking for approval from someone she cared about. He saw her nod slightly, as if deciding for sure. Then she moved her hand over the Dauntless bowl and let her blood drip in. Jace stood up straight, staring in surprise. A Stiff had chosen Dauntless. A short, redheaded quiet girl who seemed too insecure to be anything but Abnegation or Amity or something peaceful and quiet, had chosen Dauntless. She began to come this way, towards the initiates for Dauntless. Distantly he heard Alec saying something and felt a hand on his arm.

"Jace," He heard. "Jace. Jace!" Alec was trying to get his attention.

"What? What?!" Jace said, breaking his gaze from the freckled girl heading this way.

"What's up dude, you just zoned out on us." Alec said accusingly.

"Are you listening to me at all?" Isabelle asked, offended.

"Shut up. I zone out all the time, lay off." Jace replied harshly. Alec glared but shut up and turned back to Isabelle, who gave Jace a concerned glance before beginning to talk at a million miles a minute. Jace sighed and turned away, trying to find the redhead again. She had to be somewhere among the Dauntless. After a minute he spotted her. She was standing around some of the other transfers from this year. He only knew one of them- Maia, a girl from Amity- and she was talking to the short girl. Jace began walking towards them, trying to hear what they were talking about. The redhead laughed and Maia smiled at her and asked, "What was your name again?"

"Clary," She responded. "Clary Fray." Clary. He finally knew her name. And it was a good one at that.

"Well Fray, you're pretty cool for a Stiff." Maia said.

"Thanks, I think." Clary replied.

"Hey Maia," Jace interrupted smoothly. "How's it going?" Maia smiled at him. Damn cheerful Amity's.

"Pretty good. Little nervous. What's the Dauntless initiation anyway? What all do we have to do?" Maia asked, eyebrows coming together.

"Oh not much. Just, you know, jump on and off trains, off buildings, face your worst fears, kill some people." Jace replied nonchalantly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Clary pale. Maia shoved his shoulder, "Oh now, don't kid, that's not funny."

"Oh alright, you won't have to kill anyone. But everything else I said is true." Jace said. The freckles on Clary's face clearly stood out now as her face got paler. She took a quiet breath before talking.

"Will we really have to do all that?" She asked timidly.

"All that and more." Jace said. "That's part of initiation. You think you're cut out for it Stiff?"

"My name is not Stiff." She said with a glare that could shatter glass. "It's Clary."

"Well, Clary, my name's Jace. And I'll be your fellow initiate. See you on the field." Jace said, turning and walking back towards Isabelle and Alec.

A/N: Haha, do you see what I did there? "My name is not little girl Stiff". Hope you all like it so far! I'll post as much as I can, but I make no promises. Tell me what you think and let me know if you think I should continue! Follows, favorites, and comments are all appreciated! Thanks for reading! Stay lovely~