A/N: This is my first fanfiction, so I hope it doesn't disappoint.

And of course, disclaimer: I do not own Divergent or its characters.

Chapter 1

I bounce on the balls of my feet nervously as I watch the train approach. I take a shaky breath in and let it out. As the train nears I begin to run, to match its speed, Marlene and Lynn steps behind me. I'm the first to reach the handle. I swing myself up and into the open train car, reaching out to help my friends on.

Marlene smiles, but, Lynn, being Lynn, of course, scowls and pushes my hand away. "I know how to jump onto a train, Uriah. I'm not some weak little girl."

I raise my hands, palms out, in surrender. "Guess I'm just feeling extra nice today—don't worry, I won't let that whole 'friendship' and 'being nice' thing happen again, Lynn," I assure her with a wink.

"So are you guys nervous for today?" Marlene's voice sounds a bit higher, more strained than usual. She's nervous, whether she'll admit it or not. I don't blame her. I am too.

"I guess, a little, but I can't see myself leaving Dauntless no matter what the test says," I admit. "You won't get rid of me that easy, Mar." She playfully punches my shoulder and I grin.

My friends and I, and the other Dauntless-born in the train car, are 16 years old. We're on our way to our last day of upper levels; this afternoon, our school careers will be behind us. Tomorrow, we will be initiates. But first, we must take the aptitude test. It will tell us which faction we fit into. We don't have to choose the faction the test suggests at the choosing ceremony tomorrow, but we only get to choose once and that's it. This decision determines the rest of our lives. There's no taking it back.

"We're all Dauntless to the core. There's nothing to worry about," says Lynn confidently.

I shrug before making my way to the open door of the train car, grabbing both handles and leaning out into the wind, watching the city go by. I close my eyes and smile into the wind. When I open them I see the city center approaching. "Just about time to jump!" I call out over the wind.

The train doesn't slow down for us; we just jump. A few seconds of total weightlessness, which still makes my stomach jump into my throat even after thousands of times jumping off moving trains—I love that weightless feeling—and then the familiar abrupt jolt when my feet hit pavement. I don't fall; I haven't messed up a landing in years. We Dauntless value bravery above all else, and as a result, we tend to be adrenaline junkies. I wonder what it's like to grow up in another faction, always playing it safe? No crazy games, or jumping off moving trains, or zip lining. Sounds pretty boring, if you ask me. Still, I'm sure that there would be things to love in any of the five factions.

I throw my arm around Marlene's shoulders as we saunter confidently toward the upper levels building. I smile as I gaze at the school building—I can hardly believe this phase of my life is almost over. I feel too young to choose the rest of my life, but too old to be a kid any more. It's a weird sort of limbo. As my eyes scan the windows, I see a grey-clad girl with her blond hair pulled into Abnegation's typical bun, watching us through the windows. Beatrice Prior.

This isn't the first time I've noticed Beatrice watching us Dauntless-borns. Occasionally I've seen her looking out the window at us as we arrive, like today. But I've also noticed her watch us climbing the big metal sculpture outside the school, and once, when a kid a year behind me fell and broke his leg while climbing said sculpture, Beatrice had been watching and was, of course—Stiffs are all about selflessness—the one to run to the nurse for help.

I don't usually notice Stiffs. That's kind of the point—their gray shapeless clothes, quiet demeanors, they are taught to be selfless and only focus on helping others. But I noticed Beatrice. Sometimes teachers seat us alphabetically, and with my last name being Pedrad and hers, Prior, sometimes that meant that she sat next to me in classes. Still I probably wouldn't have noticed her, if she were just any other Stiff. But she isn't. Stiffs are easy to ask for help, because, well, that's what they do. So more than once I've asked for her notes after I've cut class, or to borrow a pencil when I, being me, forgot to put one in my bag. Anyway, sitting by her in class, it didn't take me long to notice her eyes. They are large and round, and an icy grayish blue—almost stormy looking. It's not so much their shape or color, though. There's just something in them… something behind them. A curiosity and… excitement, maybe?... totally uncharacteristic of Abnegation. So, I don't think much about her, but I do notice her sometimes.

I split off from Mar and Lynn in the hallway and as I round a corner, see a big Candor kid intentionally barrel into none other than the girl I just saw in the window: Beatrice. He makes some rude comment about her being a Stiff (that's slang for Abnegation because they're so uptight) and leaves her to pick up all her books without any help. Most people don't like Stiffs much. They seem alright to me, though.

I stop and bend down to help her pick her books up and we stand up, facing each other. My hand brushes against hers as I stack the books on top of the ones she's picked up and she blushes. "Thank you," she nearly whispers.

I smile. "You're welcome, Beatrice. Good luck today."

As continue on toward my math class, I feel her watching me, but I don't look back.