Hey everyone! This idea popped into my head as I was reading some other Divergent fanfics yesterday, and swam around my brain all night. So, I figured I'd give it a shot. Let me know what you think! I know I don't have much out right now, but I'm hoping to get another chapter out tonight.
Just a couple of things before you start reading!
1. This will be an Eric X OC story, and will have the M rating for chapters that will come in the distant future.
2. It will take place after Eric and Four's initiation class, but before Tris' initiation class.
3. Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, just the plot and Audrey. This disclaimer will apply to the entirety of the story.
If there was one phrase to describe me and my life, it would be this one: I was born Dauntless in Candor. It had been obvious from the moment I was able to walk and talk to not only my parents, but anyone who spent more than 10 minutes around me. And now, after spending 16 years in a faction that I never considered home, I would finally be able to go where I would truly belong.
Unfortunately, I'd gotten off to a rocky start. My aptitude test had gone just fine, giving me the result I had had no doubt I would receive. It was the walk back home that had been more problematic. I'd always liked walking outside, more so than being inside the clean and pristine white walls of Candor. So, instead of cutting through buildings back to my family's apartment, I took the long detour around all the skyscrapers. I'll admit, said detour included some sketchy alleyways. But I'd never had any trouble with this detour before, and assumed today would be no different. I was wrong.
The gravel crunched beneath my black and white converse. That sound along with my white blazer flapping in the wind, were the only sounds I could hear. The road was mostly empty, with most of the population either at the test center, or waiting at home for a loved ones' return from the test center. Aptitude test day was a big deal around here. I briefly wondered what it would be like to not know which faction to choose. I knew a couple of people that fell into that category. They liked their birth faction, but they weren't certain if that was where they wanted to spend their entire lives. I'm sure the 'what if's haunted them at night.
For me, on the other hand, there was never any question. It was always going to be dauntless. My parents disagreed, of course.
"They don't train rebels Audrey. They train soldiers, and you can't follow an order to save your life!" –My dad when I'd refused to attend the detentions assigned to me.
"They have a chain of command there too, you know, same as here. And if you can't respect it in your home faction, you sure as hell won't be able to in Dauntless." –My mom when I'd talked back to a professor.
"You need more than just an affinity for fighting to make it into Dauntless, Audrey! And by the time you realize that, it'll be too late to change your mind and you'll end up factionless. An embarrassment to this family, once again." –Both my parents when I'd gotten into yet another fight at school.
Needless to say, my parents and I didn't get along. They were both Candor born, and had never understood that I was not made to be in Candor. They just assumed I didn't try hard enough to fit in to Candor, and that if I just put in some effort, I could be happy here. There were right about one of those things though, I'd never tried to fit in, because I had no desire to.
Which brings us back to me happily making my way down the road, glad I'd gotten the result that would prove to my parents I really didn't belong in Candor. I stopped immediately when I heard the noise. It ha started out as the sound of a metal trashcan being pushed over, but finished off with some sort of groan. It was hard to make out, but definitely human. I frowned and listened harder, twisting my head around to pinpoint to source. I could only hear some shuffling, but it sounded frantic. But then I heard the distinct sound of fabric ripping and a muffled scream. Before I knew what I was doing, I bolted for the nearest alley on the right side of the road. When I got to the alley's entrance, I scanned the scene before me, which only provoked a sickening churn of my stomach content. Barely 30 feet in front of me, there was a man holding a woman bent over a pile of crates, her skirt ripped partially off. Her eyes found mine quickly, and the panic in her eyes was only emphasized by the amount of tears they were shedding. Her face was pushed down onto the wooden crate beneath her with half of the man's giant hand covering her mouth.
What happens next is something I can't put into words without difficulty. I'm not even certain of how I reached the man so quickly, but in what seemed like a fraction of a second, I'd grabbed the man by the back of his neck, my nails digging into his skin, and pulled him off her. With the element of surprise on my side, I landed several closed-fisted blows to his face before he even realized he had ended up with his back on the ground and me towering over him. Once he did though, he managed to throw his foot into my stomach, which barely registered. The state of rage I found myself in barely let me register anything at all, besides my fist landing in his face over and over again.
It wasn't until I myself was pulled back from him by my neck that I realized he was lying unconscious on the alley ground. My right fist was a mangled mess that was bleeding openly. I took a look at the person who'd pulled me back. The Dauntless woman was looking over the man I'd beaten to a pulp while several of her other Dauntless friends came over. When they arrived at the alley, they took a look at my outfit and frowned. I looked down and noticed I had a good amount of blood on my white shirt and blazer. Was that mine? I didn't recall him landing any punches.
"You're going to have to come with us." One of the Dauntless men told me. For once in my life, I didn't argue. He grabbed my upper arm and pulled me towards the main road. Before being pushed into a large black truck, I caught a glimpse of the woman I'd saved. She was curled up on the ground not far from where he'd been raping her. She was crying still, but managed to mouth the words 'thank you' in my direction before the vehicle door was slammed behind me.
And hour later, I found myself sitting at a metal desk, alone in some sort of interrogation room. My hand was haphazardly wrapped, and I'd been told I'd be directed to the infirmary after this. The woman who'd written down my statement concerning the whole ordeal had left over 20 minutes ago, and I was getting desperately bored. The questions had been straightforward, and I'd answered them with ease. But the entire time, I'd gotten the feeling they were trying to discredit me.
"What faction was the man from?" The Candor woman asked.
"Erudite." I responded.
"How can you be sure?"
"He was wearing a blue blazer." I told her with a sign as I ran my hands through my hair.
"Anyone can wear a blue blazer." I narrowed my eyes in confusion.
"Well, unless he stole some of the laundry from Erudite, I think it's a pretty good assumption that he was from that faction." My response was heavy with sarcasm and irritation. Factions were strict about their dress code. I'd tried to sneak into my faction red socks when I was 14, and had gotten caught in barely 3 hours.
"And the woman?"
"Factionless. And before you ask, I knew that from her homeless appearance. Similar to yours, but not as white." She'd given me a good glare at that comment. Of course, despite my Candor origin, she knew I was lying for the sake of the insult. The woman had been wearing a multi layered, patched up skirt, a worn coat and fingerless gloves. No distinct color and every article of clothing tattered.
Another 15 minutes passed before the door to the room opened. My eyes snapped up and I sat up straight, ready to get the hell out of here.
Imagine my surprise when Jeanine Matthews walked in. I frowned, confused at why the leader of Erudite would matter with this issue.
"Audrey Rivers. You did a mighty brave thing today." She gracefully sat down opposite of me at the table. She looked so pristine. Not a hair out of place, not a single article of clothing misaligned.
"Thank you." I replied suspiciously. I'd never trusted her much, but that was probably my general issue with authority figures talking.
"I'm going to walk you through the events that took place today." She waited for me to respond, and when I didn't, she continued. "An Erudite man, a rather influential person in our factor, forced himself upon a Factionless woman. You intervened by pulling the man off the woman and proceeded to beat him within an inch of death." I could tell she was scanning my face with any reaction at that last part, but she would find none. I had no regret for what I'd done, nor do I wish I'd shown some restrain with him. "Dauntless patrol then pulled you off the man, probably saving his life in the process, and brought you here to get your statement on the matter. Does that sound accurate?"
"Yes." Of course she knew it was accurate. I wasn't sure what game she was playing, but I knew her being here was probably not a good thing.
"As the Erudite representative, I'd prefer this not to get out to the general public. This man involved was fairly high up in the Erudite chain of command, and it would reflect very poorly on the entire faction if it was to be known that he'd…" She paused for a moment, looking for the proper words, "assaulted a factionless."
"You mean raped a woman." She was purposely avoiding the word 'rape', even though that was clearly what he'd done. This made me mad. I understand the concept of loyalty to your faction and wanting to protect it, but I wouldn't let her censor this man's actions in front of me. Jeanine cleared her throat.
"Yes. Now, I've read your file." She slid a white folder on top of the table, which had my name inked along the top right corner. "Candor born, but with an obvious determination to join Dauntless." She opened the file and flipped through its numerous pages. "Countless fights, problems with authority, inability to show restraint when your temper flares up, and I could go on. I had someone talk with your parents just now. They've told you time and time again that you wouldn't make it in Dauntless due to your inability to take any type of command or criticism."
"Yes, they have."
"I would agree with them. Fighting is a big part of Dauntless, but control over yourself and the ability to find your place within a chain of command are big parts of it too, neither of which you really seem to have."
"Is there a point to this? My parents want me to stay in Candor, but what exactly is the point of you telling me this?"
"I'm willing to offer you a deal." My eyebrows rose at that.
"What kind of deal?" I asked her, my interest peaked.
"You don't breathe a word of today's events to anyone. As far as anyone is concerned, you went straight home after your test with no problem."
"And the man?"
"He will be appropriately delt with." I wasn't sure I believed her.
"And if I do what you say…?"
"If you agree to these terms, I will ensure you pass Dauntless initiation." My jaw practically dropped.
"I'm not sure you have the authority to do that." I told her with a halfhearted chuckle.
"I do, actually. And if I'm lying and you end up factionless, you could always come out and tell the truth about today's events." I narrowed my eyes slightly. She didn't seem like the type of woman to trust anyone, but she was willing to risk such a scandal by trusting me? I was almost sure she was hiding something. Some kind of safety net she'd use against me later. But then I realized, did it matter at the moment? If I made it through initiation, I would have no reason to bring up what happened today, and everyone would be happy. And if I didn't make it through initiation and she tried to keep me quiet, well, it wouldn't matter what she did, because I'd already be factionless and would have nothing left to lose.
"Do we have a deal Ms. Rivers?" Her perfectly manicured hand reached out halfway towards me. I hesitated only a moment, before smirking and extending my hand out to meet hers.
"We do." And with that, Jeanine Matthews and I shook hands.
Don't forget to review to let me know what you think!