Author's Note: Hello readers! This is the start of a brand new Divergent story- Welcome to the Initiation Games. This story is co-written by AshleyMocha12 and Zionnn23! We both collaborated to write this amazing story and we have some really intense and great chapters on the way! We plan to publish a new chapter roughly every weekend so we will keep the drama coming! Hope you guys like it and leave your thoughts in a review! :)
The day had finally come- the day in which thousands of Chicago teens were to be obligated to choose one of the five Factions that would represent their identity had arrived. They would have the choice to identify themselves as Dauntless, Erudite, Abnegation, Amity, or Candor. After the sorting ceremony, some would get the chance to stay with their families, while the others would be forced to fight in The Initiation Games. The winner of the games would go on to become the leader of their desired faction, a consolation prize for being the last one standing out of 25 tributes- five members from each faction.
Tris Prior was certainly nervous for the choosing ceremony.
She strapped up her worn out, grey boots as Caleb watched from the doorway.
"Do you know what faction you're choosing today?" Caleb asked from afar.
"Yeah, but I'm keeping it a secret," Tris replied slyly. She had already been notified of her Divergence, making her agile in all factions. Tris thought about the precautions she would have to take as a Divergent if she was chosen to fight in the games. She would essentially be the most probable initiate to win, but she quickly dismissed the thought in hopes of not being chosen.
...
Tris and Caleb steadily walked to City Hall, where the choosing ceremony would take place. Their anxiety-stricken bodies were certainly not prepared for what was ahead.
As Jeanine came on stage to begin the ceremony, the Dauntless faction roared with applause; even though she was not the leader of their faction, they were excited to get started. They had been eager to select a faction, and they did not want to wait any longer.
"Today is the day in which you will choose your fate," Jeanine said to the crowd. It took a while to get everyone to settle down long enough to begin, but they finally obliged.
The first few initiates came up to choose their faction in random order; the Erudite, Dauntless, Amity, Candor, and Abnegation. Tris noted a few initiates that stood out to her. Christina, a brown skinned, slender and tall girl from Candor. She eagerly cut her palm open and dropped her blood into the Dauntless bowl.
Tris Prior was the next name to be called. She watched as familiar faces looked in her direction, noting in her head how nervous she actually was. She was well aware of how dangerous her Divergence was, but it also confused her in many ways. She wanted to be able to explore every faction and decide which one she was the most compatible with, but since doing so was against the rules, she'd have to decide on a hunch. She rose from her seat, and headed toward the bowl.
Click. Click. Click. The sound of Tris' boots filled the hall. She carefully walked toward the Dauntless bowl and grabbed the knife, cutting her hand with enough delicacy to ensure that blood would emerge, but not pour out endlessly.
She considered her choices; if she were to choose Abnegation, she'd be forced to go back to the life that she'd always known. The bland, selfless lifestyle that she always pretended to value. She was sick of the disgusting, basic grey clothing, but she loved the idea of putting other people before herself. If she chose Candor, she'd have to pledge to an entire life of nothing but honesty, regardless of how dangerous the truth was. She'd have to work at it, but she wasn't sure if it was something she'd aspire for.
She even considered Erudite, realizing how successful she'd be in that faction; she was smart, and creative. Amity was a longshot, but she'd survive there. She looked to the Dauntless bowl, noticing the twinge at the pit of her stomach. She desired the thrill of the Dauntless faction; no matter how much she pushed the thoughts away, she couldn't lie to herself anymore. Her mind was tugging her in the direction of the Dauntless lifestyle.
Tris hovered her hand over the Dauntless bowl, and squeezed her palm tight as the blood dripped into the rocks below. She could hear the gasps of the crowd as the Dauntless leaders cheered barbarically before escorting her to their section of the large building.
While Tris' palms were trembling from the irreversible choice that she had just made, she couldn't say that she regretted it- not yet, at least.
She watched as Caleb made his way to the front, slicing into his hand with the blade. There was no doubt in Tris' mind that her brother would stick with what he knew; he was so good at being selfless. If there was one thing that she could count on in Caleb, it was the big heart that he was blessed with.
Without a second thought, Caleb squeezed his palm into the Erudite bowl. Once again, gasps filled the entire Hall; Tris was completely dumbfounded. Had she seen right? She had never considered the fact that her brother would ever abandon Abnegation, but then again, she didn't think that she would either.
Another familiar face walked up to the front, determination written all over his face. While Tris had never cordially introduced herself to Tobias, she was well aware of who he was. He was the son of the Abnegation leader, Marcus, and he went by the nickname of Four. He didn't hesitate in dropping his blood into the Dauntless bowl. He looked toward his father with a blank facial expression before marching toward the cheering Dauntless members.
As the last teens chose their factions, Tris took one last look at her brother. It was potentially the last time she would ever see him, which sent a bitter jolt through her body. She savored that moment before marching toward the exit of City Hall.
...
Tris and Christina made friends with each other rather quickly, making them inevitable allies if it came down to it. The two made their way to their Initiation rooms and got settled into their personal bunks before the Initiation Games sorting ceremony began.
"Is it sad that I'm actually anticipating the thought of getting picked?" Christina asked as she examined herself in the reflection of the metallic bed frame. Tris slumped down on the bed, contemplating how she'd react if she were to be chosen. The only thing that kept her confident was the fact that she was Divergent, giving her a better advantage over everyone else. She couldn't help but wonder if there were others out there like her; what if more than one Divergent tribute was picked to fight? She didn't want to consider those possibilities.
…
The names appeared on the board in 5 second intervals as each faction sat in their meeting Halls, watching from a live feed on the gigantic screen. They'd only have the chance to see who would be chosen from their personal factions before going on to see who they'd have to fight against.
Tris Prior was the first name that flashed onto the screen. The color drained from her face as she slowly registered what this meant; she was going to fight in the Initiation Games.
One of the older Dauntless members cheered, igniting a storm of excited screams. The urge to cry was explicit, but she mustered up all of her strength and gathered her belongings, standing at the podium.
Tobias Eaton. He showed no fear as he took his spot next to Tris, never once looking in her direction. The fact that she'd have to fight against someone as tough as Four made her hopes fall to the ground; she knew she didn't stand a chance anymore.
Peter Hayes. He cockily walked up to the podium, a disturbing smugness about him that was dangerously evident. He locked eyes with Tris briefly, and she noticed the demonic look in his eyes; he frightened her, but she wasn't going to let it show.
Christina Nathan. Christina smiled to herself as she came up to stand on the other side of Tris. While she understood that she'd have to fight against the first friend that she'd made that day, it didn't necessarily hinder her excitement to participate in the game. It helped to know that she had a starting ally, as well.
Al Thorne. The expression on his face was unclear as he walked slowly toward the other initiates. He had a buff figure with a solid build; his biggest strength in the Games would definitely be his ability to fight- at least, that's what Tris figured. He stood evidently as far away from the others as possible, earning himself a few stares.
"Congratulations on being chosen to represent Dauntless in the Initiation Games," one of the elder Dauntless members said, walking to stand in front of them. "As always, we hope to see one of you return as the Victor. Good luck to you all." He turned to walk away, as everyone else stood to their feet.
"That's it?" Tris blurted out. Everyone froze and looked in her direction. She didn't even know that those words were going to come out until they did. The Dauntless member turned around and locked eyes with Tris, causing her to take an instinctive step back.
"Excuse me?" he asked. The other four initiates were giving her quizzical stares, confused at the fact that she actually had the nerve to talk back to an elder. She couldn't take it back, so she continued.
"That's all we get? No warnings, no advice, anything?" she asked. The elder gave her a smug smile while everyone else remained dangerously quiet.
"As a Dauntless initiate, we expect you to be well prepared to handle whatever you happen to stumble upon- that is why you chose this faction in the first place, Tris. You're capable of being able to tell what's smart and what's not while in the arena. We played this game once; now, it's your turn."
Without a word more, he turned to walk away. Tris could hear the disrespectful mutters that were being thrown in her direction, but all she really cared about was knowing what to do to survive. As Tris started to head out, she felt someone grab firmly onto her wrist. She turned around and came face to face with Four. He had a hard glare on his face, staring down at her as if she were foolish.
"Next time, keep your mouth shut. I'm pretty sure your little outburst put you at the top of every single one of their hit lists," he spat, looking her up and down with pity.
She could feel the anger rising within her at his words, but she refused to let it show.
"Thanks for being concerned, but they're at the top of mine as well. All of you, to be fair," she retorted. He could tell that she was bluffing- or maybe it was the fact that she was so small, he just couldn't take her seriously.
"I'll see you in the arena," he said back, a bit softer than before. She eyed him curiously as he walked away along with the rest of the initiates. She took a deep breath, feeling the heat that rose up her neck. She wasn't attracted to Tobias- she couldn't be. Not with the knowledge that one of them, or both of them, would be dead in less than two weeks.
She wasn't going to let herself fall for him, regardless of how attractive his intense glare was.
…
The tributes woke up the next morning still shaken by the events that occurred the following night. Many of them woke up because of the anxiety that struck them all throughout the night. The intercom came on, alerting the tributes that training would begin in 15 minutes, giving them less time than wanted in order to get ready for the terrifying events ahead.
Tris, still recovering from the choosing ceremony last night, geared up in her brand new Dauntless outfit. She almost forgot about her Dauntless status before she got dressed, then quickly remembered how she burned every article of Abnegation clothing she had on her back prior to the choosing ceremony.
Christina and Tris made their way to the common area, where they were told to meet for training. The two were then escorted, along with Four, Al, and Peter, to an undisclosed location where they would learn the rules of the Initiation Games and meet their fellow tributes.
After the very short ride to the building where the tributes would meet, everyone was anxious, and more so afraid, to see who they'd be up against. As they entered through the large doors of the mysterious building, Tris felt an unnerving feeling at the pit of her stomach- the first thing she saw was her brother, Caleb, standing in the spotlight of Erudite. His name was lit up, just like the other four names. Caleb. Niles. Molly. Keisha. Will. None of those names stood out more than Caleb. Not her brother; it couldn't be possible. Christina helped Tris to keep her composure, whispering reassuring thoughts into her ear. Honestly, nothing that she could say would make the undeniable feeling of hurt go away. The five of them walked up to their respective podiums and dreaded what was ahead.
A large projector descended from the ceiling. The image lit up and the tributes first instinct was to cover their faces.
"Hello initiates, welcome to the first phase of the Initiation Games. I am here to explain the rules and introduce you to your new teammates, or enemies," The voice introduced in a sly tone, as if it held human emotions.
"Introducing, our Dauntless tributes! Tris Prior, Tobias Eaton, Christina Nathan, Al Thorne, and Peter Hayes!" The five of them looked between each other as all eyes burned in their direction. Tris locked eyes with a stunned Caleb, and she instantly noticed the tears that brimmed his eyes. He tried to mouth something to her, but she couldn't quite understand what he was trying to say. She turned away from him before she could allow her emotions to get the best of her.
"Now, here's our Erudite tributes! Caleb Prior, Keisha Jackson, Will Aguilar, Niles Carr, and Molly Atwood!" Caleb wasn't familiar with any of his fellow tributes, which wasn't a good way to enter the games. He noticed that the female tribute from Dauntless, Christina, held an intense gaze in his direction. She was beautiful, and he couldn't deny the smile on her face as she watched him.
"Continuing, let's meet our Amity tributes! Lucah Cavanaugh, Anthony Chavez, Ansleigh Fields, Brittany Ferguson, and Cody Greene." No one was truly worried about the Amity tributes- they were entirely too sweet to put a finger against anyone. At least, that's what previous Games indicated. It wasn't set in stone whether or not these tributes would abide by the same criteria.
"Introducing our Candor tributes! Kiersey Costine, Seth Stewart, Jacob Knott, Brooke Ball, and Austin Spafford!" Kiersey and Seth held the most dominant smiles as they linked hands with each other. Kiersey was absolutely gorgeous; from her honey brown skin to her dark black hair, and her long, curvaceous body, she'd surely be the eye candy in this years Games. Her boyfriend, Seth, was just as attractive as she was- tan, tall, and ridiculously handsome. Their looks, charm, and confidence combined was enough to scare everyone else around them.
"And last but certainly not least, our Abnegation tributes! Jenny Rapp, Naomi Lee, Diane Williams, Richy York, and Andre Gonzales!" They looked around at all of the other tributes with timid postures, making sure to avoid the blatant wall mirror that circled the building.
"Now, the rules are simple. Each of you will be given a token prior to entering the games." A picture of each token representing their respective faction appeared on screen. "This token will essentially be the key to life, and the key to survival while in the games. In order to win the Initiation games, you must receive all of these tokens. Alliances may be formed, but in the end, only one will be standing."
The initiates had zero questions as the projector immediately went back into the ceiling. The tributes looked around, skeptical of the alliances or deals that have possibly already been made. They could tell that they had a rough journey ahead of them.
Author's Note: As all first chapters start, the drama hasn't really begun! But don't worry, there is so much more in store! Don't forget to leave a review- we're excited to hear back from you all!