DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything, but the plot and my original characters. The rest belongs to Veronica Roth.
"I wanna run where no one else can follow me
Find a calm from the wreckage and the danger of this swelling sea
I'm just a girl from dust I came and I'll return
So please don't spare your mercy
I need your love at every turn
I'm born to go where they tell me it's impossible
Fan the flame and walk on the water"
'Heart Beats' by Johnnyswim
"Now you're just being rude!" Layla Holston yelled. Gage Holston sat at the table her fork poised over her food; trying to be as small and insignificant as possible.
"Oh I'm being rude?" Rich Holston growled pointing his fork at his wife. Layla raised an eyebrow at her husband. Gage's eyes flickered between the two uneasily.
"Well yes you are!" she snapped. "You think it's cute to pull this crap in front of Gage and make me look like the bad guy!"
"Oh I don't have to make you look like the bad guy, you are!" he snapped back. The yelling soon escalated and Gage quietly set her fork down. She then stood up and hurried out the door quickly and quietly. She hurried past other Dauntless with her head tilted away and her eyes downcast. They didn't pay her any attention thankfully. She didn't hurry to the chasm. Her parents would never notice she was gone. At least not for a long time.
Gage climbed precariously up the chasm's wall. She hissed as her foot slipped against the dark, wet rocks. She scrabbled for a hold and hauled herself up onto a ledge. She just sat there for a moment, her thoughts jumbled. She then pulled a book out from between the rocks. She opened the book and propped herself against the rocks. The book was about some war that happened a long time ago, but Gage liked it. Gage had just begun reading when she heard voices.
"Here, no one will hear us over the water." Someone said below Gage. "Now tell me what you heard!" they hissed. Gage closed her book and leaned over the edge to listen.
"They are hunting the Divergent." A male voice said. "It's the Noses, they are scared and they're dragging us into it. They've got the Dauntless looking and the Candor. I got orders today if I find out about any of the Divergent I was to take them immediately to Max." the voice said quickly. "And if they fight me to kill on sight." The other person's reply was then drowned out by the water as they moved farther down the chasm.
"Oh no," Gage ran her fingers through her hair uneasily. She tugged on the ends of her hair. She quickly shut her book and stowed it back in the rocks with the others. She sat there for a moment quivering as realization washed over her.
She was being hunted.
"Gage!" Shauna called. Gage turned her head, her hair whipping around. Shauna ran up, tossing her blonde hair off her shoulder. Shauna ran up to Gage and Zeke who stood on the platform waiting for the train to go to school with Gage.
"You're late." Zeke smirked at her, tapping his wrist.
"You don't even wear a watch." Shauna glared at him. Gage smiled briefly as they bickered back and forth.
"The train's coming!" A tall boy who hung off the edge of the building yelled loudly. The gaggle of kids began yelling loudly and jumping. Gage joined in with a yell, but it was hollow. The end of school- and the Choosing Ceremony- was coming closer and closer like the train. The train rumbled towards the crowd and kids began leaping on. Gage took off her legs extending in a relieving way. She leapt onto the train and swung around into the compartment Shauna had gone into. Then Zeke soared into them knocking the two of them onto the ground.
"Whoops!" he grinned as he rolled off of them.
"Zeke!" Shauna shoved him and he laughed. Gage grinned as she rolled to her feet and helped up Zeke before dusting him off. "You know Gage, you look especially Dauntless today for some reason." Shauna commented as she brushed herself off.
"Is she supposed to look a different way?" Zeke raised an eyebrow and Gage suddenly felt panicked like a blinking sign appeared over her head that read DIVERGENT.
"Yeah what's wrong?" Gage looked down at her clothes. She wore black pants that were tight to her legs and a black shirt that had fringe on the bottom and hung off her shoulders with black boots.
"I don't know you just look different," Shauna shrugged. "I think it's the fringe…" she drifted off with a smirk. Gage just glared at her playfully.
"Oh shut-up!" she laughed.
"School's coming up!" A girl yelled over the raised voices. Everyone poised ready to jump. Gage felt suddenly terrified. Shauna strode to the front and was one of the first out.
"Together?" Zeke looked down at Gage. Gage smiled up at him.
"Together." She grinned. They took off and rolled across the grass. They were laughing as Zeke helped Gage up and threw his arm around her shoulders laughing.
"I think I might just be in love with you Gage Holston." Zeke laughed and Gage rolled her eyes as her cheeks burned.
"Gage, you're such a Stiff!" Shauna giggled at Gage's flushed cheeks. Gage rolled her eyes and shook her head as she walked to her locker. She opened it and as always kept the door half shut. Gage's locker had books all in it and most Dauntless-born had no books besides their school books. Gage's tousled caramel locks formed a curtain on the other side as the locker beside hers opened.
"That's a lot of books for a Dauntless," an arrogant voice said. Gage looked around to see a boy her age. He had clean-cut black hair and blue eyes. He wore a blue blazer over a crisp white top, and blue slacks.
"Never would have guessed an Erudite was nosy." Gage slammed her locker shut. He looked thin, but his eyes had an excited look that was a bit too similar to malice. He walked in front of her and placed his hand on the locker. "Get out of my way."
"My name is Eric." The Nose said.
"I don't remember asking." Gage sneered in a Dauntless-only defiance.
"You're quite rude." Eric commented as Gage leaned against the lockers. "Not that I expect anything less from a Dauntless, I suppose." He smirked lazily. "And to think I thought you were different."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Gage snarled, out of fear more so. Has her Divergence always been so obvious?
"Well you are always hiding in that little nook in the library so I looked at what you were checking out." Eric rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "And I thought this war novel was really good since I saw you were into that stuff." He shrugged handing Gage a book.
"Oh," Gage's body relaxed. "Um yeah," She took it and put it in her locker. She then walked past him. She walked a couple steps and then paused. She turned around, "Hey um Eric," he looked up from his locker. "Thanks." She gave him a shy smile and hurried down the hall. Gage hurried into Advanced Math and sat down at her desk. She was doodling the Dauntless flame when someone sat down beside her. "Oh hi Tobias," Gage said.
"Hey," he replied quietly and quickly averted his eyes. Tobias Eaton was the son of Marcus Eaton who ran the factions. Whereas Marcus was a talker Tobias often refused to speak. On the first day the seat beside Gage was the only one left so he sat there. The two were both shy so it was a long time before they actually even said hello to each other.
"Are you alright?" Gage asked as Tobias gingerly moved his arm.
"Yeah I hurt it yesterday carrying food for the factionless." He replied quietly. Gage just nodded, but she knew better. Tobias had never admitted it, but Gage knew his father smacked him around. She was exceptionally intuitive almost surpassing Candor status. The Erudite teacher then called the class to order and pointed to the board.
"Mr. Eaton will you please come to board and do this problem?" the teacher asked him. Gage saw fear flicker in Tobias' dark blue eyes. Tobias stood his posture rigid and stiff as a board.
"Why so stiff, Stiff?" an Erudite jeered loudly.
"Mr. Smith!" The teacher glared at him. Smith set back in his chair proudly smirking. "Mr. Eaton, carry on," the teacher waved her hand.
"Um Mrs. Roberts can I try this problem?" Gage spoke up before she lost her nerve.
"Sure Miss Holston, go ahead," Mrs. Roberts shrugged. Gage quickly walked up to board as Tobias sat down. Math came easily to Gage. The numbers just clicked in her brain like the parts to a machine. Gage had never shown anyone though and she often lied about her grades to seem normal. Gage's hand sprinted across the board and suddenly the huge expression was not even a handful of X's and numbers. "Excellent job, Miss Holston," Mrs. Roberts smiled widely. Gage hurried back to her seat and heard people whispering.
"I had no idea Dauntless could do math." A Candor girl whispered to her friend.
"Since when do Dauntless think about anything especially math?" An Erudite boy hissed incredulously.
"That problem took me at least twenty minutes last night!" An Amity girl gasped. "She did that in seconds!"
Gage for once in her life was happy that none of her Dauntless friends were in Advanced Math.
She sat down beside Tobias who merely looked at her with raised eyebrows. Gage's cheek burned bright red as she looked down at her notebook- her hair a curtain between her and everyone, but Tobias. He smoothed his paper, before speaking. "Thank you." He said quietly looking at his paper.
"It was nothing." Gage said quietly back. Tobias just gave a slight smile with a knowing look in his eyes and looked up at the board as an Erudite girl did the next problem.
In Faction History, Eric sat in front of Gage. Gage wondered briefly if he had always sat there or not. Shauna sat to her right and Tobias sat to her left while Zeke sat behind her. Shauna was to Gage's right and talking to the girl behind her. The girl was a fellow Dauntless named Lauren who had purple and blue streaked hair. Gage talked quietly with Zeke.
"Are you going zip-lining tonight?" Zeke asked leaning forward on his elbows.
"I dunno," Gage playfully tousled his hair and grinned. "Are you?"
"Of course," Zeke batted his eyelashes at her. "Won't you come for me?"
Gage looked up at the ceiling as if in thought, "Hmm, an abandoned building, some Dauntless, and a zip-line that probably leads to a pit of glass shards or needles," she tapped her chin. "Let me think," she said. "No." she said straight-faced and Tobias smiled at his notebook.
"Oh don't be so melodramatic Holston." Shauna laughed. "It's fun! Any Dauntless would do it!" she prodded.
"Sorry, I'm not jumping at the chance to be decapitated." Gage deadpanned. "I'd like to live past sixteen thank you." She rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me are three done back there?" the history teacher, a snobbish Erudite, snapped.
"Actually I need to copy some homework for another class really quick, if you could hold on a moment, Doris." Shauna said sassily.
"Lovely to know I'll be seeing you in detention again Miss Carpenter." The teacher sighed. "And it's Ms. Miller."
"You know you'd miss me if I didn't Doris." Shauna grinned as Ms. Miller rolled her eyes and turned around.
Gage soon labored through another hour of classes before the bell rang. "Hell yes!" Zeke leapt out of his desk and practically sprinted toward the door.
"Mr. Pedrad_!" Ms. Miller called after him, but just let her hand drop with a sigh. Gage just turned to Zeke's desk and gathered his books for him with a sigh. Ms. Miller exited out the door probably to go to the teacher's lounge or make copies, but Gage realized she wasn't the only one in the room.
"Um Gage?" Gage turned around to see Tobias leaning against the row of desks. He was handsome even in the drab Abnegation gray.
"Yeah?" Gage asked with a smile.
"Do you think that you could like tutor me a little in Math?" Tobias shifted from foot to foot.
"Sure, I'd be happy to. Just tell me when and where." she said.
"After school and I could drive you home afterwards since you'll have missed the train." He offered.
"Sounds cool," Gage said with a smile. "When do you want to start? Tomorrow?" she asked.
"That works for me." Tobias gave her a slight smile. "Thank you very much." He said stiffly.
"Of course, Tobias," Gage said with a wide smile. "That's what friends are for," she pulled Zeke's books and her own tighter to her chest. "I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled.
Tobias smiled shyly and nodded.
"Goodbye." Gage smiled before walking out. She walked to her locker and put her books up before walking to Zeke's locker where he was standing. "You forgot these Dumbo." She handed them to him.
"Whoa thanks." He grinned wildly at her. "What took you so long?" he asked quizzically as he shoved his books in his locker.
"Nothing, just taking my time," Gage shrugged.
"Really," Zeke grinned. "Then why did I see that Stiff come out of there after you smiling?" he asked playfully shoving Gage as they walked.
"He just asked me to tutor him Zeke." Gage rolled her eyes.
"Why would he ask you and not an Erudite?" Zeke's eyebrows furrowed.
"Because Erudites are jerks," Gage laughed.
"I take offense to that Holston." Eric appeared beside her.
"Good." Gage sneered at him. "Now what do you want?"
"I was just wondering if you knew when our paper on our own faction's history was due? I forgot to write it down." Eric replied smoothly.
"It's due at the end of this week." Gage replied more civilly.
"Okay thanks." Eric grinned.
"Eric!" A girl in a pretty blue dress called his name. "Come on!" she stood with a group of other kids in blue
"Coming Petra!" He waved to the girl. "See you around Holston." Eric grinned and winked at her before he joined the group of blue that was going into the library.
"What was that about?" Zeke asked.
"I have no idea." Gage shrugged hopelessly.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well howdy there friend. My name is Ireland and writing random stuff is my forte. Or I like to think it's my forte, so I feel like I'm going somewhere in life, ya know? So anyways this is a new Divergent fanfic that I'm working on. I hope you like it and all. This will be sticking as close to canon as possible, because I think Veronica Roth is a goddess and fab and glorious and just flat out amazing. But of course I got this idea before all the Four Novellas came out so it's not too canon, but I think that it'll be okay. I love the idea of the factions and just wanted to use them so bad, plus I had Tobias feels so here you go. Okay dis es really long so deuces. I hope you vote and comment and all that jazz, but thanks for just reading it.
P.S. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL IN EVERY SINGLE WAY! :)
CHARACTER LIST: (Idk where this is supposed to go, so every chapter all new characters will be given their face claims in the author's notes.)
Gage Holston: Emma Watson
Tobias Eaton: Theo James
Eric Davenport: Ian Somerhalder
Shauna Carpenter: Elsa Hosk
Ezekiel Pedrad: Beau Mirchoff