"I wanna see new places and meet new faces." -PictureQuotes
'Are you sure about this Susan? Tori said this wasn't such a great idea.'
'When have we ever listened to someone else's' opinion?' Susan's voice in was light and confident in the decision that they had made.
'Still, I'm not too sure.'
'Join with me, we'll do this together.' Their minds joined together as easily as breathing, they were one person, one action one move. Beatrice watched as her hand moved to hover over the basin for Dauntless. Her blood dripped onto the hot coals and a roar from the crowd went up. Somewhere in her mind she knew that her family was not approving and probably thought she was immensely selfish, however, Susan kept that part suppressed. Susan had never fit in Abnegation anyways, for her this made sense.
Beatrice turned and walked to where the Dauntless were sitting, she took her seat next to a petite girl with light brown skin. She then watched as Susan walked across the podium to the basins, although Susan didn't need her help, Beatrice was there for her anyways. Once more, blood dripped and sizzled over the hot coals. Susan walked toward Beatrice, her green eyes never once looked back toward where their families were sitting. Beatrice could hear and feel how she was happy with their choice and didn't regret it.
When the ceremony finally finished, the crowd of Dauntless raced out of the building and down the road. It was as if some unseen force led them where they needed to go, straight toward a bridge that they all scampered up the supports. On a platform, they waited. The sound of a train was heard in the distance, getting closer and closer at an accelerated rate. Beatrice and Susan watched as those born in Dauntless took a running jump and leaped on to the train. With a shrug of their shoulders they followed along.
They landed in a car next to the girl Beatrice sat next to at the choosing ceremony. The three girls sat against the back wall and breathed a sigh of relief that they had made it this far. Susan leaned her head against the wall and felt the shaking of the train as it raced along the tracks, she zoned in to hear Beatrice talking to the girl, reaching into Bea's head she picked out that the brown skinned girl's name was Christina. She watched as they shook hands, it was strange to see as this was not the way Abnegation greeted each other. It was good that Beatrice was making friends in their new faction, Susan hoped that this would last.
The shorter girl stood and went over to feel the wind from the open train car door. Beatrice and Christina joined her after a minute. The train was going so fast, Susan put her hand out to stop Beatrice from leaning too far out.
"So, anyone know where we are going?" Susan hears Beatrice's voice more in her head than out loud, it surprised her when Christina answered.
"I'd guess Dauntless headquarters but, does anyone really know where that is. I mean it's almost like they pop right out of the ground or something like that."
Beatrice looks over Susan's shoulder to see the orange of the setting sun bouncing off the buildings. Behind that is the faint grey stone of the houses that used to be their home. It would be her brother's turn to make dinner that night. She wondered who would take his place.
'Relax.' Susan's voice calmed her busy mind and let the picture of her parents sitting at a dinner table in silence fade from her mind.
'It's hard. I feel selfish for leaving them.'
'I know, but it will get better. I hope.' Beatrice knew that she wasn't meant to hear the last sentence. Susan had always been the stronger of the two and had always watched over Beatrice.
"What are they doing? Oh my gosh! They're jumping off the train!" Christina's voice was heard over the wind, a couple minutes later.
The three girls feel the train slow down a little bit and look out fully at what was going on. The Dauntless born were jumping out of the cars onto a roof, the tracks where about seven stories up. Nausea rolls through Beatrice as she views the gap between the tracks and the building, she backed up to the other side of the car.
"We have to jump." A large girl in Candor blue said getting ready to make the leap.
"Awesome," a boy from her faction replied sarcasm dripping from his voice. "That's exactly what I wanted to do today, Molly. Leap off a train onto a roof."
"It is what we knew we would be doing, Peter." The girl said.
Christina, Beatrice and Susan exchanged glances. They joined hands, Beatrice squeezing Susan tightly, trying to let her know that she was right there for her. They stand on the edge of the car and wait for the roof to get closer to them. On the count of three they jumped. There was a brief moment of weightlessness, Beatrice felt the rush it gave Susan. Beatrice's feet slammed into the ground, so hard pain shot up her shins like needles stabbing her repeatedly. Their hands had come apart in the air, and Beatrice took a nose dive into the gravel. She sat up to hear the other two girls laughing.
"That was so much fun." Susan smiled. Beatrice thought about how worth it all that was to see her friend smile like that. Susan heard her thought and shot the taller girl a wink.
They will both fit in quite well with the thrill seekers in the faction they had just joined. She stood to brush gravel from her cheek and look around at who had survived. It seemed that all had made the leap except one, an Amity boy who hadn't seemed to fit.
A wail went up, causing heads to turn toward the ledge, where a Dauntless girl stood staring horrified down at the ground below. Beatrice made her way over to see what was going on.
"Rita, calm down. Rita you need to take a deep breath." A boy held the Dauntless girl back.
Beatrice looked over the edge to see a girl on the pavement below; her arms and legs were bent at strange angles, her hair a brown halo around her head. Beatrice's hand flew to her stomach to quell her nausea, Susan's hand was on her back rubbing in circles. Her voice was a calming pulse, reassuring her that they had both made it and that she was okay.
If not even the Dauntless born were safe from this initiation, how hard was it going to be? Beatrice turned away from Rita and followed Susan. The longer she stood there the more likely she was to break down and start crying, she couldn't do that.
'No, you can't. You can't cry in front of these people. They already think we are going to be a weak link. You can't prove them right. Borrow my strength and hide behind me if you must, but please…. Oh, Bea, you know that we signed on to do dangerous things, we are here to protect and defend, in that there is death. Hopefully that death, if it is to come, is only on our end and not on the end of those we are trying to protect.'
'You are right, I know this. I will give myself the count of three.'
'Alright.' Beatrice watches Susan nod at her.
'One.' A picture of the body flashes through their minds, a shudder ripped through both of them. 'Two.' Rita's sobs can be heard in the background. 'Three.' They let out a deep breath, and let the images and thoughts go.
Beatrice pulled up her sleeve to let Susan look at her elbow as it was stinging and bothering them. Some of her skin was flaking off, however it wasn't bleeding so they weren't too worried about it.
"Oh, look at that! A shocking sight, a Stiff flashing skin at everyone!"
Susan's head whipped around to glare at the offender. "Stiff" is a slang word for Abnegation, and they were the only two there. Every time she heard it, it made Susan's blood boil. It was Peter, pointing and laughing at Beatrice. The blonde-haired girl's cheeks heated up as her sleeve fell back into place.
"Alright, Initiates, listen here." A mad on the other end of the roof, standing on the ledge shouted out at all of them. "My name is Eric and I'm one of the leaders of Dauntless. I will also be overseeing your initiation and training." He was tall and had broad shoulders, with tattoos on his forearms in brown geometric patterns. Beatrice could feel the appreciation that Susan felt for his physical form.
"Several stories below is the entrance to the compound. If you can jump then you will be excepted, if you can't then of well…" he paused, "Who's going first?"
"You mean you want us to jump off the ledge?" A girl dressed in Erudite blue looks shocked at the suggestion. The two girls don't understand why this would even be a question.
"Yes." Eric stated in a bored voice.
"Is there water or a cushion at the bottom, or at least something to catch us?"
"Who knows?" His eyebrow quirks up, and amusement can be read on his face.
Not a single Initiate looks eager to jump. They all look anywhere but at Eric and the ledge behind him. Some of them seem to also be tending to wound they got on the initial jump off the train. Even Peter is trying to not look at the edge, he is attempting to act causal by picking at his cuticle.
Susan and Beatrice exchange a look, and in that look they both knew that their pride would get them in trouble but today it made them brave. As one they walk toward the ledge, despite the snickers they can hear around them.
Eric leaps off the ledge and onto the roof, clearing a spot for them. They step up onto the ledge and look down.
"Well this is unusual." Susan knows that he is talking about two of them going at once, but this time she doesn't let it bother her. They both know that the hole in the concrete has to hold something that will let them land safely, it is a scare tactic that they will not let work on them. Beatrice's teeth chatter as she reaches out to grab Susan's hand.
The wind whips their clothes around, the simple grey dresses hindering their movement. Beatrice takes off her jacket and tosses it on the ground, she doesn't want it to cause any wind resistance. Susan copies her, sending her jacket to hit Peter in the chest. Catcalls and shouts echo around the rooftop. The look at the hole again. Goose bumps running up Beatrice's pale arms, and her stomach lurches.
"Today, Stiffs." Eric calls out to them.
Susan's eyes light up with fire and she makes to turn toward him, but Beatrice tugs on her hand, sending them both over the edge. The air howled as the ground got closer and closer. Beatrice could feel Susan's heart pounding through her hold on the other girl's wrist.
They hit something hard, it gives way beneath them and cradles their bodies in his hold. They are both breathing heavily, and their limbs are stinging from the impact. A net. That's what they landed on, a net. Beatrice looks up and lets out a laugh, she covers her face with her hands.
'We just jumped off a roof and lived!'
'I know, isn't crazy! We have to get up, I need to stand up.'
Susan looks to the edge to see hands reaching for them. She grabs the first one and pulls Beatrice behind her. It is Beatrice who notices the dark blue of the young man's eyes, she also notices the strength he uses to lift them both out of the net. His hands steady them as they struggle to stand upright.
They are on a platform above the ground, so that they can see a crowd of people, and the crowd can see them. Mummers spread through the crowd. 'Two jumpers! Have you ever heard such a thing?' 'Two Stiffs, the first to jump?'
"What's your names?"
"Um…" Beatrice hesitates, both of the girls cock their head to the side, their names just don't sound right for their new life.
"It's okay," he says, his lips lifting into a smile. "You can pick any name you want, but this is the only time you can change it."
"Tris."
"Storm."
"Those are fine name, well Four make the announcement." A girl they hadn't notice till then, said.
Four looked over the crowd. "First jumpers, Tris and Storm." He motioned to each of them in turn. The crowd cheers and pumps their fists in the air. Another person jumps through the hole, dropping into the net. It's Christina, her screams filled the air before the net caught her.
Four takes a look at us and sets his hand on Tris's back, "Welcome to Dauntless."
'Yes, this is where we belong.' Susan smiles and looks around.
'Tris and Storm of Dauntless…I like it.'