Chapter 1: Eric

The roof top is sunny and I can feel the heat through my jacket, but I have to wait for the initiates to get here before I can go inside and who knows how long that will take?

It's only me on the roof and somehow I prefer it that way, it's peaceful up here and a good place to think. Whenever I need time to myself or need to think about something I come up here and just sit quietly staring out at the city. Right now I see that everyone is bustling around after the choosing ceremony with new transfers making their way to the factions they chose and families making their way home. The colors of each faction can be made out even from all the way out here and I continue watching until I hear the train approaching.

I take my place up on the edge of the wall and clasp my hands behind my back, the initiates start jumping off of the train onto the rooftop and I see a few faces that I recognize from the pit and others that are dressed in other colors. Candor in their black and white, Erudite in their blue, and even a girl in grey.

Abnegation? That couldn't be right, the last Stiff transfer was Four and this girl looks like she could get blown away by a strong wind. I realize that I've been staring and move my eyes across the group as they stand in front of me.

"I'm Eric, one of your leaders." I'm only two years older than the rest of them, but I'm bigger and I see some of them are scared. "This is the way into Dauntless."

"We just jumped," I hear a Candor girl whisper to the Stiff. "They want us to jump again?"

"What's down there? Water?" Leave it to the Erudite to ask questions.

I cock an eyebrow up at him and smirk. "I guess you'll just have to find out. If you don't jump, you don't belong in Dauntless. Who's first?"

The group is quiet, trying not to catch my eye but it doesn't take long before someone speaks up.

"Me." The voice was small but help purpose and when I looked over I saw the Stiff walking up towards the ledge.

Jumping down onto the roof I motioned for her to take his place and jump. Taking off her grey sweater I hear one of the other initiates making fun and have to suppress a smile when she tosses the shirt at him. "Today, initiate." Without another thought she jumps and I don't hear a sound come from her, normally the initiates scream when they fall.

"Now you all get to say you jumped after a Stiff." They all line up and jump one at a time before I am the only one left and quickly follow knowing the net will catch me.

When I get back on the ground I see that the initiates have been divided between Dauntless-born and transfer and snarl a bit when I notice Four is in charge of the transfers. He takes them on a tour of headquarters as I go to find Max and report how many new initiates we have.

"There are going to be some changes to what we have them do." He says as I stand in front of his desk. "No conceding in fights, they go until one can't anymore. When they get to the second phase you have to keep a sharp eye looking for any Divergents that may have slipped through the system, any that we find need to be sent to see Jeanine as soon as possible." I nod and he waves me away.

Max is the real leader of Dauntless, but since our rules say that we can't have just one or an even number of leaders he has to technically share power, but everyone knows that's not really what happens. So I make my way down to the cafeteria for lunch and when I get there I see the new initiates are already eating, the room quiets when I enter and admittedly it feels nice to know that the faction fears me enough but at the same time I wish they wouldn't. Not anymore.

I find Four sitting at a table with initiates including the Stiff, the Candor girl is talking and I can see Four's mouth move to answer her but they all stop when I work my way over and sit down. "Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" My head inclines towards the girls and I wait for Four.

"This is Tris and Christina."

"Ooh, a Stiff. We'll see how long you last." I don't want her to be kicked out of initiation but I honestly don't know if she will make it, she looks too trusting and weak. After a moment I decide to not focus on her and face frontwards again. "What have you been doing lately, Four?"

"Nothing, really." He responds but I know he's lying. I know he's been suspicious about me and what I've been doing but I can't let him know that, not yet.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Tris look between the two of us trying to figure out what's going on, I decide to keep talking and keep my focus on the rival before me bringing up that Max keeps trying to set up meetings with him but he never shows up. Eventually I get the information that I need from Four and go to leave not sparing another glance at the table.

I'm not hungry so I leave the room and make my way to the apartment I have in the Pire. Because I'm a faction leader I get one of the nicer apartments all to myself which is helpful because what I'm doing isn't something others need to see.

Notes and papers cover the face of my table, plans for an attack on Abnegation set up by Jeanine Matthews the leader of Erudite. I've known for a while that she was planning something but only recently was I filled in completely and as I look over the notes telling me what I need to do, I have mixed feelings.

The next night I wander around the Pit watching the faces of my faction and talk to a few people, but from across the cavern I see blonde hair bobbing through the crowd to a store. I keep walking and end up close to the store when she emerges, she's in new clothes that hug her figure and black surrounds her eyes tastefully. I can see that she's uncomfortable showing so much of her body but after she realizes that no one is reprimanding or staring at her she starts to walk more confidently with her friend to the tattoo parlor.

Chewing on my bottom lip I pull one of the piercings between my teeth, my first two weeks at Dauntless I got several piercings and tattoos trying to show the rest of the initiation class that I was more Dauntless than any of them. It worked in making others afraid of me and now that I'm a leader the fact that I look like I belong here is important. I see a lot of the initiates spending their free time in the Pit but I don't want to be surrounded by them so I leave and head up to the roof.

The cool air hits my face and I breathe deeply but my mind starts racing.

Is this something I really want?

What happens if it doesn't work?

Jeanine will have me killed.

I'm out there for hours before I decide to try and sleep, I have initiates to look over tomorrow.