What if Tris Prior was deaf? Chapter 1
Hey guys, I know it's been a while, but I'm in the process of editing the story to make it better. Thanks for your patience.
Today is the day I choose, I choose which faction I am in for the rest of my life.
Do I stay with my family where they can help me and I have people who know how to sign, or do I go to Dauntless, live the life I want to live, and become independent for the first time in my life? I know what I want, but is it what I need? I am in such deep thought that I almost miss my mom signing my brother's name. I come back to reality and I see him cut his hand, he walks over to the bowl with water, Erudite, his blood spills into the water. I am shocked Caleb chose Erudite, because he was always the perfect Abnegation. I see my mom sign my name, Beatrice, I walk up slowly: family or my freedom, is all I can think. I cut my hand, my blood begins to pool in my hand, and I put it over the hot coal.
My blood spills, and I am Dauntless.
I go take a seat with the sea of black with tints of
dark red. My head is still racing when I realize that everyone has gone and Dauntless is leaving.
Once we are on the street we begin to run to the train, then we begin to climb to the platform,
and I see the train. We begin to run again, and I see them begin to jump on the train. I jump on
the last car barely making it. I stumble on a tan and tall girl. She begins to speak, I guess it is a
good thing I learned to read lips. In Abnegation, it was selfish to make everyone that
wasn't my family learn sign language, and she says her name is Christina. I don't speak because
I find it embarrassing to, but I do sign my name. She says "You're deaf? Well I know a little bit of sign language, I learned in Candor." I sign 'Cool', while giving her a small smile. In that moment I'm thankful for starting off on a good note.
Then out of the corner of my eye I see people jumping on the building closest to the platform. I pull her in my direction and point. She signs 'on three'. I hold up three fingers and begin mycountdown, and then we jump.
We land on the roof and dust ourselves off. I see the initiates crowd around a gaping hole in the roof. Two men face us, who I think are the leaders, and they begin speaking "Welcome to Dauntless. Your first tasks as initiates will be jumping. Now who is brave enough to do it."
I breathe a sigh of relief that I caught all of that, and I raise my hand and walk forward. I don't want to be the scared Stiff, not anymore. I walk to the ledge and pause. I think about what I am doing for a second and realize thinking is going to make it worse. Next thing I know I am mid-air and land in a net. I laugh. There is a net, a net, and then someone pulls me out. They start speaking, but he is talking too quickly and I can't read his lips. I put my hand on his shoulder and notice how handsome he is but quickly point to my ears and shake my head. I pray that he understands, and I'm grateful that he does and then he begins signing to me.
"First I want to apologize. You can pick a name for yourself. My name is Four. And I can be your interpreter for now." I decide Beatrice is too Abnegation, so I sign 'Tris', and give him my most reassuring face. He then signs "Welcome to Dauntless."
I look around and try to take in the Dauntless compound. Then I see he begins talking, slower but still quickly. I am thankful that it is slow enough, so I can see what he is saying. He begins signing and then stops abruptly. I wonder why. I see him turn to address the other initiates saying "I am using my hands to communicate it's called sign language because one of the initiates cannot hear. Does anyone have a problem with that?" Then I see his say "If that initiate wants everyone to know then they can say it themselves." I wonder why he is trying to keep my deafness a secret? It's not like I can hide it from people. So I muster up all my courage and begin signing, hoping that Four will let them know what I am saying. "I am the initiate that is deaf but I can read lips. So if you speak slowly, I can understand you. I don't want anybody's pity." I was accustomed to getting pity but I never wanted it. Out of the corner of my eye I see Four saying what I just signed, and I relax. Then he signs to me "That was pretty Dauntless, what you did up there." I smile and nod.
Eric, one of the leaders, leads and Four sticks by me to interpret. He shows me the Pit. He says "It's the life of Dauntless, you'll learn to love it," then he shows me the Chasm and tells me that it represents the line between bravery and idiocy. I try to take it all in, and I love it all already.