A/N; I do NOT own the Divergent series. I'm messing around with it. As you'll figure out, the first few chapters don't stray too far from the book BUT, we'll get to that soon so please, bear with me!
Initiation day and I've just jumped from a train onto a roof. My elbow's skinned and I'm being picked on because I came from Abnegation. "Ooh, scandalous! A Stiff flashing some skin." I grin in his direction and watch as he becomes much less smug.
"You think this is a Stiff showing skin?" I walk to the other side of the roof where a man is standing on a ledge as if he's not several stories up.
His eyes sweep over the crowd of initiates and Dauntless before addressing us.
"Listen up! My name is Max! I am one of the leaders of your new faction!" He's extremely familiar but I can't remember where I know him from. He is older than the others, with deep creases in his dark skin and gray hair at his temples, and he stands on a ledge like it's a sidewalk. Like someone didn't just fall to her death from it. "Several stories below us is the members' entrance to our compound. If you can't muster the will to jump off, you don't belong here. Our initiates have the privilege of going first."
"You want us to jump off a ledge?" asks an Erudite girl. She is a few inches taller than I am, with mousy hair and big lips. Her mouth hangs open.
I don't know why it shocks her.
"Yes," Max says. He looks amused.
"Is there water at the bottom or something?"
"Who knows?" He raises his eyebrows.
The crowd in front of the initiates splits in half, making a wide path for us. I look around. No one looks eager to leap off the building – their eyes are everywhere but on Max. Some of them nurse minor wounds or brush gravel from their clothes. I glance at Peter, the guy that was teasing me and see that he is picking at his cuticles, trying to act casual.
I am proud. I am brave. And I sure as hell won't let anyone tell me differently! It will get me into trouble someday, but today it makes me brave. I walk towards the ledge and hear snickers behind me.
Max steps aside, leaving my way clear. I walk up to the ledge and look down. Wind whips through my clothes, making the fabric snap. The building I'm on forms one side of a square with three other buildings. In the centre of the square is a huge hole in the concrete. I can't see what's at the bottom but I know that this is a scare tactic. I will land safely.
I step back slightly and remove my jacket. I remove my dress to reveal black mid-thigh length shorts, a black sports bra, my running shoes and muscle. I look at the boy that was teasing me, "How is, that for skin, dip shit?"
I look up and into the faces of the Dauntless behind me and when I catch Max's eyes, he gives a minute nod and, is that pride? Why would he be proud that I jump first? I don't know why but it feels like I know him. I look at the hole again, hop onto the ledge and stand facing the crowd. I see the shocked expressions of the other initiates and grin, "See you pansy cakes on the other side!" I laugh and then I'm falling backwards.
The air howls in my ears as the ground surges toward me, growing and expanding, or I surge toward the ground, my heart pounding so fast it hurts, every muscle in my body tensing as the falling sensation drags at my stomach. The hole surrounds me and I drop into darkness.
I hit something hard. It gives way beneath me and cradles my body. The impact knocks the wind out of me and I wheeze, struggling to breaths again. My arms and legs sting.
A net. There is a net at the bottom of the hole. I look up at the building and laugh, half relieved, half hysterical. My body shakes and I cover my face with my hands. I just jumped off a roof.
I have to stand on solid ground again. I see a few hands stretching to me at the edge of the net, so I grab the first one I reach and pull myself across. I roll off, and I would have fallen face-first onto a wood floor if he had not caught me.
'He' is the young man attached to the hand I grabbed. He has a spare upper lip and a full lower lip. He eyes are so deep-set that his eyelashes touch the skin under his eyebrows, and they are dark blue.
His hands grip my arms, but he releases me a moment after I stand upright again.
"Thanks," I say.
We stand on a platform ten feet above the ground. Around us is an open cavern.
"Can't believe it," a voice says behind him. It belongs to a dark-haired girl with three silver rings through her right eyebrow. She smirks at me. "You're the Stiff I see running every morning and you're the first to jump. That's unheard of."
"There's a reason why she left them, Lauren," he says. His voice is deep and it rumbles. "What's your name?"
"Um..." I don't know why I hesitate. But 'Beatrice' just doesn't sound right anymore.
"Think about it," he says, a faint smile curling his lips. "You don't get to pick again."
A new place, a new name. I can be remade here.
"Tris," I say firmly. "I did have a nickname but that disappeared with the friend that gave me it."
"Tris," Lauren repeats, grinning. "Make the announcement, Four."
The boy – Four – looks over shoulder and shouts, "First jumper – Tris!"
A crowd materialises from the darkness as my eyes adjust. They cheer and pump their fists, and then another person drops into the net. Her screams follow her down. Christina. A friend I made on the train on the way here. Everyone laughs, but they follow their laughter with more cheering.
Four sets his hand on my shoulder and says, "Welcome to Dauntless."
When all the initiates are on solid ground again, Lauren and Four lead us through a narrow tunnel. The walls are made of stone, and the ceiling slopes, so I feel like I am descending deep into the heart of earth. The tunnel is lit at long intervals so in the dark space between each dim lamp, I fear that I am lost until a shoulder bumps mine. In the circles of light I am safe again.
The Erudite boy in front of me stops abruptly, and I smack into him hitting my nose on his shoulder. I stumble back and rub my nose as I recover my senses. The whole crowd has stopped, and our three leaders stand in front of us, arms folded.
"This is where we divide," Lauren says. "Dauntless-born initiates are with me. I assume you don't need a tour of the place."
She smiles and beckons toward the Dauntless-born initiates. They break away from the group and dissolve into the shadows. I watch the last heel pass out of the light and look at those of us left. Most of the initiates were from Dauntless, so only nine people remain. Of those, I am the only Abnegation transfer, and there are no Amity transfers. The rest are from Erudite and, surprisingly, Candor. It must require bravery to be honest all the time. I wouldn't know.
Four addresses us next. "Most of the time I work in the control room but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor," he says. "My name is Four."
Christina asks, "Four? Like the number?"
"Yes," Four says. "Got a problem with that?"
"No."
"Good. We're about to go into the Pit, which you'll learn to love someday. It-"
Christina snickers, "The Pit? Clever name."
Four walks up to Christina and leans his face close to hers. His eyes narrow, and for a second he just stares at her.
"What's your name?" he asks quietly.
"Christina," she squeaks.
"Well, Christina, if I wanted to put up with Candor smart-mouths, I would have joined their faction," he hisses. "The first lesson you will learn from me is to keep your mouth shut. Got it?"
She nods.
Four starts toward the shadow at the end of the tunnel. The crowd of initiates moves on in silence.
"What a jerk," she mumbles.
"I guess he doesn't like to be laughed at," I reply.
It would probably be wise to keep as much distance as possible from Four, I realise. He seemed placid to me on the platform, but something about that stillness makes me wary now.
Four pushes a set of double doors open and we walk into the place he called 'the Pit.'
"Oh," Christina whispers. "I get it."
'Pit' is the best word for it. It is an underground cavern so huge I can't see the other end of it from where I stand, at the bottom. Uneven rock walls raise several stories above my head. Built into the stone walls are places for food, clothing, supplies, and leisure activities. Narrow paths and steps carved from rock connect them. There are no barriers to keep people from falling over the side.
A slant of orange light stretches across one of the rock walls. Forming the roof across the Pit are panes of glass and, above them, a building that lets in sunlight. It must have looked like just another city building when we passed it on the train.
Blue lanterns dangle at random intervals above the stone paths, similar to the ones that lit the Choosing room. They grow brighter as the sunlight dies.
People are everywhere, all dressed in black, all shouting and talking, expressive, gesturing. I don't see any elderly people in the crowd. Are there any old Dauntless? Do they not last that long, or are they sent away when they can't jump off moving trains anymore?
A group of children run down a narrow path with no railing and it brings up memories of the orderly Abnegation sector.
"If you follow me," Four says, "I'll show you the chasm."
He leads us to the right side of the Pit, which is conspicuously dark. I squint and see that the floor I stand on now ends at an iron barrier. As we approach the railing, I hear a roar – water, fast-moving water, crashing against rocks.
I look over the side. The floor drops off at a sharp angle, and several stories below us is a river, Gushing water strikes the wall beneath me and sprays upward. To my left, the water is calmer, but to my right, it is white, battling with rock.
"The chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy!" Four shouts. "A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It has happened before and it will happen again. You have been warned."
"This is incredible," says Christina, as we all move away from the railing.
"Incredible is the word," I say, nodding.
Four leads us to the dormitory and tells us to get changed and be outside in five minutes. I pick a bunk, grab a box from underneath the bed and change quickly. I get some snide comments but I'm not bothered about my body. I know I'm in exceptional shape for a 'Stiff'.
Once all the initiates are out in the hallway, Four leads us back to the Pit and toward a gaping hole in the wall. The room beyond is well-lit enough that I can see where we're going: a dining hall full of people and clattering silverware. When we walk in, the Dauntless inside stand, they applaud and stamp their feet, they shout. The noise surrounds me and fills me. Christina smiles, and a second later, so do I.
We look for empty seats. Christina and I discover a mostly empty table at the side of the room and I find myself sitting between her and Four. In the centre of the table is a platter of food I don't recognise: circular pieces of meat wedged between round bread slices. I pinch one between my fingers, unsure what to make of it.
Four nudge me with his elbow.
"It's beef," he says. "Put this on it." He passes me a small bowl full of red sauce.
"You've never had a hamburger before?" asks Christina, her eyes wide.
"No," I say. "Is that what it's called?"
"Stiffs eat plain food," Four says, nodding at Christina.
"Why?" she asks.
I shrug. "Extravagance is considered self-indulgent and unnecessary."
She smirks. "No wonder you left."
"Yeah," I say, rolling my eyes. "It was just because of the food."
The corner of Four's mouth twitches.
The doors to the cafeteria open and a hush falls over the room. I glance over my shoulder. A young man walks in and it is quiet enough that I can hear his footsteps. He's just over six feet tall and is built like a house.
"Who's that?" hisses Christina.
"His name is Eric," says Four. "He's a Dauntless leader."
"Seriously? But he's so young."
Four gives her a grave look. "Age doesn't matter here."
I can tell she's about to ask a stupid question but Eric's eyes stop scanning the room and he starts towards a table. He starts toward our table and drops into the seat across from me. He offers no greeting, so neither do we.
"Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" he asks, nodding to Christina and me.
Four says, "This is Tris and Christina, first and second jumpers."
"Ooh, the Stiff," says Eric, smirking at me. "We'll see how long you last."
I glance up at him and straight back down at my plate, "I suppose we will." I look at him. He has two piercings above his right eyebrow, short blond styled hair and bold tattoos on his neck and forearms. But that isn't what makes him look menacing. His eyes are menacing, cold and calculating. I know that I am challenging him but I don't care.
All conversation has stopped. I keep eye contact for what feels like forever. He stares at me for a while, just taking in my appearance. His eyes widen.
I hear quick footstep and Max takes a seat to Eric's right. "You know, Nat would be proud of your decision, no matter what!" My eyes snap to Max, and that's when I remember who he is.
"Uncle Max?" I'm confused and realisation sets in. I feel as if my face it about to split with the smile I'm showing. I launch myself over the table and tackle him to the ground in a hug. After a few minutes, we stand back up and straighten our clothes.
"You remembered!" He takes a step back to get a good look at me, "And you grew up!"
I reply quietly, "Yeah, but I don't remember much. The one day I do remember clearly is the day you brought me some Dauntless cake. My mother almost killed you for that. I'll tell you when I remember more though." I feel eyes on us from every direction and take a look around. Most of the Dauntless look shocked that an initiate just took down one of their leaders but there are a few here and there with tears in their eyes, because they know something, about me!
I look back at Christina and Four to see equally shocked faces. Eric still looks at me in wonder. "Christina, this is my Uncle Max. Uncle Max, this is my friend, Christina. I'm sure you know the others and need no introduction." He lets out a snort.
"Bold as always, I see! You never really grew out of that and you're in better shape than I originally thought. Nice to meet you, Christina," he nods in her direction and then turns to Eric. I see the amusement straight away.
"Eric, I see you've had the pleasure of meeting my niece. Now, you have a choice."
"Hell no! You are not doing this. Can we go somewhere with no cameras or anything? I am not talking about this in front of Dauntless, especially at the beginning of initiation." I furiously whisper.
As we leave the cafeteria, I square my shoulders and meet the eyes of those crying and my brow furrows. Once the doors are closed, I hear some sobbing.
We finally make it to a secluded and secure area. "No favouritism! No one-on-one training! Not a chance in hell. I will train with the transfers as an equal."
He sighs and leans against the wall. "In that case, let Eric run with you in the mornings."
"Um... No! How about I just do my morning run on my own, do what the other initiates are doing and we leave it at that? I don't want or need special treatment, Uncle Max. Please, let me make my own way through initiation."
"We need to get your fitness levels up so I'm changing your routine. I've had countless Dauntless tell me about the girl from Abnegation that sprints through the city for thirty minutes every morning. I'll give Four the details once they've been figured out and he'll let you know."
"No. I am not bringing anyone into this. I can barely remember anything. Let me get knocked out once or twice, it might jog my memory but please, Uncle Max? No special treatment, unless there is a threat to my life!"
When I get back to the cafeteria, I see everyone waiting. I keep my head down until Eric leads us down a series of hallways without telling us where we're going. I don't know why a Dauntless leader would be responsible for a group of initiates, but maybe it's just for tonight.
He stops in front of the dormitory door and folds his arms. We gather around him.
"For those of you who don't know, my name is Eric," he says. "I am one of the five leaders of Dauntless. We take the initiation process very seriously here, so I volunteered to oversee most of your training."
The idea of a Dauntless leader overseeing our training is bad enough, but I can see that malicious glint in Eric's eyes and I know it's not going to be pretty.
"Some ground rules," he says. "You have to be in the training room by eight o'clock every day. Training takes place every day from eight to six. You are free to do whatever you like after six. You will also get some time off between each stage of initiation."
The phrase 'do whatever you like' sticks in my mind. At home, I could never do what I wanted, not even for an evening so I had to make sure I didn't get caught running in the morning.
"You are only permitted to leave the compound when accompanied by a Dauntless," he adds. "You all know where we are. You'll all be sleeping here for the next few weeks. You will notice that there are ten beds and only nine of you. We anticipated that a higher proportion of you would make it this far.
"Anyway, in the first stage of initiation, we keep the transfers and Dauntless-born separate, but that doesn't mean that you'll be evaluated separately. At the end of initiation, your rankings will be determined in comparison with the Dauntless-born initiates. They are better than you are already," I laugh, extremely loudly. He glares at me and everyone else looks at me as if I've grown a second head, except Christina.
"Rankings?" asks the mousy-haired Erudite girl to my right. "Why are we ranked?"
Eric smiles, and in the blue light, his smile look wicked, like it was cut into his face with a knife.
"Your ranking serves two purposes," he says. "The first is that it determines the order in which you will select a job after initiation. There are only a few desirable positions available." He lets that sink in and continues, "The second purpose is that only the top fifteen initiates are made members."
I almost gag. And then Christina says, "What?"
"There are twelve Dauntless-born and nine of you. Two will be cut at the end of stage one. The remainder will be cut after the final test."
I hear Peter ask "What do we do if we're cut?"
"There's no going home to your families and there's no space for you here. You'd leave the Dauntless compound," shrugs Eric indifferently, "and live factionless."
I remember a factionless man attacking me when I was a child for no reason.
"Stiff's definitely out then, eh guys?" Peter, the idiot.
I crack up. Full belly laughs and when I look up, I see everyone staring at me.
"Peter, the arrogant, cowardly piece of shit, shut your mouth," I smile sweetly. I know my gaze has hardened. I turn to Eric, "I've been hearing rumours about someone and her return to Dauntless. Can you explain, please?"
Eric perks up, "Oh, she's in the building, alright." I've never seen someone so eager.
"I don't know. I've just been hearing all sorts of stuff about her. Tell me, what you know about who she is and where she comes from."
"I know her mother was Dauntless, her father from Erudite. I know that her mother's best friend taught her some self defence after she was attacked and left black and blue by a crazy factionless man when she was a child. I know that she spent most of her time from the age of five training in pretty much every fighter's style she could and I know that she is brutal and ruthless. But most of all, I know that she is highly underestimated. I know more about her but I'll let her tell people when she's ready! What do you know about her?"
"From what I've heard, I'm guessing that if she were to step into the ring with you, she'd have on your ass in under a minute. If she wanted someone dead, she could do it with one hit. I also heard that she doesn't know who she really is. Something about losing memories after a serious blow to the head when she fell off a roof."