So, this is my first fanfiction. It's based off the book facts, but I use the movie cast for the characters. In it, Eric and Four are closer to the age difference in the movies. Peter's in the initiation class because I like his character, but, as of now, I'm not using any of the other characters from that class. I'll let you guys know if there are other things you need to know. I wanted to start the story here because I find starting with the aptitude boring, but there will be flashbacks to those scenes and her life as the story progresses. Enjoy!
One foot in front of the other, that's all I can think about. I can't think about the look on my sister's face, my parents', I have to just run like hell.
There was a Dauntless-born ahead of me, her blonde hair fluttering like a curtain in a breeze. She was the only one ahead of me. I wished I could've looked over my shoulder to see who was staring at me with surprise; a stiff outrunning everyone. As the train came up alongside us, the girl swung herself in and I quickly followed, rolling out of the way of whoever comes next. Standing inside is a Dauntless woman, too old to be an initiate, eyeing us impassively.
"Hey," the girl says to me, her voice friendly but her face neutral.
"Hey." I'm not panting and neither is she, but the boy who rolls in next is gasping.
"What's your name?" she asks.
"Jemima."
"That's a little fancy for a stiff."
I shrug. "My grandma's name."
"I'm Cassie."
"Nice to meet you."
She glances over to the boy in the corner. He's Erudite and seems completely out of it. I find it odd that he's sitting there so scared looking; he was the third one on the train, he should be celebrating.
"It's been a while since we've had an Abnegation transfer to Dauntless; most stiffs are there for life." I can tell she means it as a compliment and so I take it that way. She looks familiar, but I can't quite place why.
"My brother transferred here, and my other brother and sister are in Erudite now."
Her eyebrows shoot up behind her bangs. "Damn, you hate your parents or some shit?"
"No, no," I say quickly laughing a bit. "We just didn't really fit in there, I don't think. I'm not really all that selfless."
"Well, you're fast as hell, and strong." It felt like a sentence that would have follow up, but it didn't, so I just nodded and leaned back, pushing away my family's face. I push my thumb into the bandaged cut on my hand until it hurt, focusing my energy on not letting it show on my face to keep my mind off the fact that my parents have lost four children to defection.
"Alright, up." The woman peeled herself off the wall. "We're jumping."
The three of us initiates went over to the open door of train car. Immediately my eyes shot downwards. We are seven stories up, and there is an almost four foot gap between the rails and the roof. That may not sound like a lot, but speeding by, it's scary as fuck.
"Shit," Cassie says under her breath. I glance over at her, amazed that a Dauntless-born could be as scared as me.
I step back as we near the roof and get ready. The woman jumps first and I follow immediately. I land painfully on the roof, glad, for once, that I'm wearing concealing clothing, my long sleeve top and loose pants protecting my skin from scrapes, though I'm sure I'll have bruises. Cassie lands near me a second later. She is a little more graceful than me, but she does stumble a bit and have to put one knee down. She helps me up and, over the powerful wind, crunching of gravel, and sound of the train, I hear a scream. I jog over to the edge of the roof and look down. The Erudite boy in lying on the pavement surrounded by blood stains.
"Don't look," Cassie says pulling me away from the scene.
I follow, feeling as though I'm going to be sick. This is what I signed up for I remind myself. I glance around, seeing very few transfers, a few Candors and Erudites, and one Amity girl with long red hair and a face that you put on when you don't want anyone to know you're scared. There is a bloody scrape on her knee and she limps slightly. Amity is the least likely faction to transfer to Dauntless, other than Abnegation. She catches my eye and we nod at each other.
I faced forward and made my way to where a muscular, tatted up man standing on the ledge of the building. His slivery blue eyes roamed the crowd, looking but not seeing, not resting on anyone.
"Hello, my name is Eric, I'm one of your leaders. Behind me is the way into Dauntless," he said, not shouting over the wind, but his voice is powerful enough to travel. "If you don't have the guts to jump, you shouldn't be here. Who's going first?"
I really wanted to go first, to prove myself, but my brother, Damian, told me, when I saw him on visiting day and shared that I wanted to transfer too, told me not to draw too much attention to myself, and I've already done that by being one of the first to get on the train, so I restrain myself.
Finally the redheaded Amity steps forward and there is a murmur throughout the initiates, but Eric's face never flinches. She walks forward, her limp almost completely covered, and steps up. Her shoulder visibly rise and fall as she takes a deep breath, and then she jumps.
I waited for two more jumpers, both Dauntless born, and then make my way forward. As I walked by, someone reached out and squeezed my ass. I glanced over and see a Candor boy I knew from school, a total dick, as far as I could remember. He smirked at me and I turn back around. I'd get him back later in training, but I knew better than to start a scene there.
I climbed up on the ledge and, without any hesitation, without even looking, I step over the edge.
