A note from the author: I do not own the Divergent series or any of it's characters. Those belong solely to Veronica Roth, and I do not take credit for them. My goal for this story is to combine Veronica's story and characters from the book with my own original side plots and characters. I want to strive for a 50/50 mix of the two. I hope you enjoy the originality. Please comment and let me know what you think. And above all, enjoy :)

Chapter 1

I'm in the middle of the desert. I don't know how I got here, but as I look around I see nothing but sand stretched out flat before me. The air is hot, the sun beating down on my back, and my mouth feels dry. I glance around desperately for any sign of water, but see none. That's when I hear it, a voice screaming my name. "Tobias! Tobias," I hear him calling again and again. I don't even need to look to know who it is, I would know that voice anywhere. It is the voice that tortured me for sixteen long years of my life and even still haunts me in my dreams. I begin to run, faster and faster, until my legs ache, my heart is hammering, and I no longer care about the intense dryness in my mouth and throat. Yet no matter how fast I run, I cannot escape him. "Tobias," he continues to yell, and I know that he is angry. I also know, deep in my heart, that no matter how long or far I run, he will catch me; he always does. The pain in my legs is becoming unbearable and I don't think I can go much longer, but I don't dare stop. How he can even keep up with me is a mystery. I am, after all, much younger and physically fit, yet he keeps my pace, right on my heels. I chance a glance behind me and I see him, his face twisted into an ugly scowl. And then I'm falling. I look down and the ground is far below me, and now I'm terrified for a completely new reason. In my distraction I hadn't realized that a cliff had laid before me and I had run right off it. I scream through gritted teeth as my body falls helplessly through the air. I briefly think 'at least he didn't get me'. The he being Marcus, my father.

I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart beating frantically in my chest. "It was just a dream," I say to myself, willing my heart to calm down. It was two years ago today that I made the decision that would change my life forever, and keep me safe from Marcus. My choosing day. The day I chose to defect from my former faction. I still remember the murmured accusations of the Abnegation and the look of pure hatred on my father's face as I stood before the bowl of coals and let my blood sizzle on them. It's not so much that I chose Dauntless, it's that I was choosing to leave Abnegation. I really didn't care where I went as long as it was away from him. I'm definitely not kind enough to be Amity. I'm smart, but I don't care enough about books and logic to be Erudite. And the Candor just annoy me with their bluntness and obnoxiousness. But bravery, that I can do. So I chose Dauntless, and it has been my home for the last two years, even if it's not always so great.

I check the clock on my bedside table and realize that if I don't get up and moving I'm going to be late. I take a quick shower and throw on some clothes before running down to the dining hall. I really don't have time to sit down and eat, so I settle for grabbing a muffin instead. As I turn to leave I practically run into Lauren.

"Four, come on we've got to go! The intiates will be here soon," she says hurriedly and we begin our walk to the net.

No one here knows my real name, and I intend to keep it that way. I don't like opening up to people, letting them see the vulnerable side of me. The terrified boy I was before I came here. To them I'm just Four, hardcore Dauntless trainer who is not to be messed with. They see me as brave, confident, strong. I will never let them see me as anything less.

"Who do you think will be first to jump this year?" Lauren asks as we approach the net. The net is beneath a hole in the concrete at the bottom of a seven story building. Each initiate will have to jump from the top of the building, but they can't see the net at the bottom waiting to catch them, just the gaping black hole in the ground.

"A Dauntless born, or maybe an Erudite," I answer without hesitation. It's always a Dauntless born or Erudite. "The Dauntless are always the bravest in the beginning, but the Erudite have a lot of pride that can make them do crazy things, like jump off a building just to prove they're brave enough to belong."

Lauren mulls this over for a minute before saying, "I guess I've never really thought of it like that before, but that does make a lot of sense."

Just then I see a girl drop through the hole and land in the net. She let's out a laugh of relief and I move to the edge of the net to help her off. As soon as she goes to roll off I catch her and immediately notice what she's wearing: grey. I can't believe it and I stand stunned for a second. Not many Abnegation transfer to Dauntless; the two factions are virtually opposite. There hasn't been a transfer from Abnegation since, well me.

"Can't believe it," Lauren speaks up from behind me, breaking me out of my trance. "A Stiff the first to jump? Unheard of." I immediately tense at the word Stiff, I've never liked it. Lauren clearly doesn't seem to respect the girl, and that only irritates me more.

"There's a reason why she left them Lauren," I snap back with a slight edge to my voice. Then I realize she was right. A Stiff jumping first is unheard of. Not even I jumped first. I think back to the day I stood at the top of that building, knees shaking, trying to summon every ounce of courage I had to make the leap. My respect for this mysterious girl grows just a little more.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Umm.." she begins, then hesitates as if she's forgotten it, or maybe she doesn't feel like her old name fits her anymore. I certainly can understand that.

"Think about it, you don't get to pick again."

She's silent for a moment as she thinks about it. "Tris," she finally answers with a small smile.

"Tris," Lauren parrots back. Funny, I had almost forgotten that she was standing right beside me. "Make the announcement Four."

I look over my shoulder and announce loudly to the crowd behind me, "First jumper- Tris!" Everyone erupts into deafening cheers, like the typical Dauntless they are. Just then another girl drops into the net screaming loudly, this one from Candor.

I place my hand on Tris' back and look into her eyes, which I now notice are a pale blue, so light they almost look grey. "Welcome to Dauntless," I tell her and she smiles up at me.

One by one the other initiates begin to drop into the net. I spend the time occasionally sneaking glances at Tris. She's small, a good head shorter than all the other initiates and she's very slender. She has long strawberry blonde hair and a certain gleam in her eyes that I can only describe as determination. I don't know why but she instantly intriques me. Maybe it's just because we both came from the same faction. Yeah that must be all it is, I think unconvincingly to myself.