It's the first day of the fear landscapes. I'm sort of nervous, but not at the same time. It's apparently a combination of the simulations, plus more, but the simulations didn't scare me that much. It was hard getting out of them, but only because of my heartbeat. And they aren't really what you're afraid of. Anyway, I'm only nervous because I have no idea what's coming.

I brush my fingers along a bold tattoo of the Amity tree on my wrist. Amity was never right for me. I hated the idea of hiding myself there. It was sad giving up my parents, I guess, but they had a sort of hands-off approach where it came to me and my sister. Never really there, always keeping things from us. I used to wonder if maybe I would be better for Candor, but my Aptitude test ruled that out along with Abnegation and Erudite. I should have guessed that I was meant for Dauntless. I mean, aren't they basically the opposite of the Amity? In stage one, we learned how to shoot a gun and how to throw a knife, not to mention the hand-to-hand combat. That couldn't possibly be considered "peaceful."

"Julia Long."

I jump at the sound of my name and walk towards the door. The needles were never a problem for me where the injections were concerned, and I let Max inject the back of my neck without flinching. Technically, he's a Dauntless leader, but he decided he wanted to help out with the simulations, to "see what the initiates were like," in his words. He intimidates the rest of the transfers, but not me. I just don't find him all that amazing. I mean, yes, he is a Dauntless leader, but he seems to ride on other people's fear. And that's not a Dauntless trait.

I sit there patiently and wait for the simulation to start. It takes a little longer than usual, but that's probably because it's a different type of simulation. I watch the second-hand of the clock. It usually takes about ten seconds for it to start, so this should take twenty, maybe.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Max stands up. He glares at me. "Well?"

I frown. "I... I don't know. I think... Why isn't it starting?"

His glare turns into a sarcastic smile. "Oh, I think you know."

I raise an eyebrow. "I do? Well, that would be a nice change."

He snorts. "You sound like the Dauntless would... but that doesn't mean anything. I knew it. This initiate class's times were much shorter than average. It was guaranteed, almost." He smiles again. "Care to share your aptitude test results?"

I shrug. "Sure. Dauntless."

"Really? So if I look that up now, leaving you in this room, I'll find that you aren't Divergent?"

"Di-whata-whata?"

Max's POV

Huh. Usually when I mention the word Divergent, they go pale, or tremble, or gulp. It doesn't take a Candor to figure it out. "Oh, you heard me. See..." I lean closer to her face. Fear is necessary here. It is what motivates the Dauntless. "To thwart the fear landscape, you have to be Divergent, or fearless." I grin. It makes me feel powerful, for a reason I can't explain. Maybe knowing that I am powerful. "And no one is fearless. The lowest number ever, was..." The man who refuses the power I can give him. The first-ranked initiate who would rather take the labor of the control room, one of the worst jobs, than controlling all of Dauntless. It must be the Abnegation; I am one of the few who know his secret. He is the one Dauntless I can't read. "Was four," I say, snapping back to the Divergent in front of me. "Which means that you, girlie, are Divergent."

Eric hates him. Because, in a way, even though he's a spy, one that I appointed, he still cares about his life as a Dauntless. He reminds me of myself, though I'll never admit it, and that's why I hate him so much. But not enough to send him back to Erudite. He's a good spy, and he reenforces the rules of the New Dauntless better than anyone. New Dauntless- the Dauntless who can and will fight, whether they want to or not. The Dauntless who can and will fire a gun. The Dauntless we are training.

Julia's POV

"How do you know I'm not fearless? And what the fuck is Divergent?" I say. "Some kind of disease?"

He laughs. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Uhhh... well, are you going to tell me or am I going to stand here like an asshole?" I ask.

He sighs. "Great, a Divergent rebel with a dirty mouth. Just what I wanted. Fine, if you're going to play dumb, I might as well 'tell' you. Why not?"

There's a pause. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Ti- "Well?" I say.

"Sure," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Someone who can belong in two factions. Bet that's new news, huh?"

"Actually, yeah," I say. "So why don't you go check my aptitude test results?"

"Fine," he shoots back. "Maybe I will."

"Idiot," he says, walking back into the room. "You little—"

I cut him off with a punch to the throat. He doesn't hesitate, but twists towards me, his hand colliding with the base of my ribs. I let out a scream. Maybe someone will hear. I can handle this on my own, but that doesn't mean I have to.

"Coward," he snarls, kicking my ankles so that my feet slide out from under me. He kicks again, this time at my face. I feel a burst of pain, and then something trickling down my chin. Blood.

"No one's coming," he laughs, kicking me again so that the trickling turns into a waterfall. "They'll assume you're in your landscape. Coward."

I see black spots. He kicks again and again. "Divergent," he says with contempt. I can barely make out what he's saying past the roaring in my ears. "You can get one result. You can try to hide it, but I'll always find out." I black out to the words, "Take her to the chasm. We'll get rid of her."