Chapter 1
Two years ago, on this day, I fled from my father - my horrible, unloving, cruel father. His eyes burnt with fury as I cut my palm open, drops of scarlet blood splattering into the bowl of burning coal. Everyday I thought, out of a billion families to choose from, I got the one with the dead mother and the abusive father. Sometimes I would watch other children being hugged and cherished by their parents. Perhaps it was a mirror of what I wanted my life to be.
I stand in the dark, just a few inches away from the net. I hear silence from above the building. Where are all of the initiates? The thought goes away when I hear a whoosh of air, see a bouncing of the net and a delicate laughter. The giggle belongs to a blonde girl wearing grey clothes. Abnegation. After a moment, I stick out my slender hand, and she grabs it to stop falling over. Once she steadies herself and comes out into the light, I release her and see that her laugh matches her looks – she is a small, fragile little girl. She thanks me, and for a while no-one speaks. A voice breaks the silence.
"Can't believe it," says Lauren, the other instructor, "A Stiff, the first to jump? Unheard of."
"There's a reason why she left them, Lauren." I roll my eyes at the dark haired girl, all while still feeling the Stiff's eyes on me. I turn to her and ask, "What's your name?"
She looks at me, bright-eyed, and hesitates. The corners of my mouth lift. I say without expression, "Think about it. You don't get to pick again."
"Tris," She says with much more confidence and force. Lauren, who is grinning beside me, says," Tris. Make the announcement, Four."
I look over my shoulder, seeing a flash of Tris's pale blue eyes and long, thin nose, and shout, "First jumper – Tris!" The crowd of initiates cheer, the sound roaring in my ears, until another girl falls onto the net. Just like Tris, she laughs shakily, and again everyone cheers, but not before laughter emerges from them. I smile, remembering on this exact day how I fell onto the same net with glee. I lay my left hand onto Tris's bony shoulder, and say, "Welcome to Dauntless."
After all the initiates have fallen onto the net, Lauren and I take them to the tunnel and we separate – Lauren taking the Dauntless-borns, me taking the transfers. Only nine are left – most of them from Erudite and Candor, Tris from Abnegation, but the group is completely bare of Amitys. My cheek twitches as I see the transfers huddled together, accidentally bumping into the stone walls awkwardly.
I stop, and clear my throat before saying, "Most of the time I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor." I pause, and then deciding it is only right that they know my name. "My name is Four." Except that's not my real name.
The girl, who jumped after Tris, perks up and asks, "Four? Like the number?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"No."
"Good. We're about to go into the Pit," I announce to the rest of the initiates, "Which you will someday learn to love. It-" I am cut off by the same girl.
"The Pit? Clever name," She snickers to herself, but stops when I pull my face up close to hers, and glare at her. I ask her what her name is. Suddenly she retracts, and says quietly, "Christina."
I tell her, "Well, Christina, if I wanted to put up with Candor smart-mouths, I would've joined their faction. The first lesson you will learn from me is to keep you mouth shut. Got that?" She nods. I may be a bit intimidating to others, but some people really deserve it. Like her. I make my way toward the end of the tunnel, nine pairs of feet shuffling behind me, when I hear Christina mumble, "What a jerk." I roll my eyes, and I am about to reply when Tris says, "I guess he doesn't like to be laughed at." It's the only statement today that's had some truth behind it.