Hi, friends! This fic has been in my head, driving me crazy for the past month. I'm excited to see how it's received, seeing how Peter turned out. In this fic, Peter is still kind of terrible, but it's been softened so you don't hate him completely.
Warnings: mentions of death and blood, and slicing of the palm from the choosing ceremony.
Dahlia woke with the sun. Stretching, she rose from her bed and brushed her teeth before making her way into the kitchen. There, she was met with the sight of her grandfather making a cup of peppermint tea. He turned and handed her the steaming mug and with a small smile of thanks, they headed outside. They climbed the ladder that led to the roof and sat to begin their daily practice of meditation. They watched the sun stretch its rays across the horizon. When the sun stood at the 6 a.m. mark, Dahlia's grandfather, Benjamin, turned to her.
"Today is the day you will leave for the city," he said in a gentle tone.
"I'm going to miss you, friend," she whispered, her eyes silently pleading for him to change his mind, to let her stay.
"You must find your own life, honey. I am an old man, and I am temporary. You will leave the nest, and be surprised with the joy what you find will bring you," he said, his clear blue eyes staring into hers.
"I will always be with you, little bird," he assured.
Dahlia breathed in a shaky breath and blinked away the tears that were building in her eyes.
"I can do this," she said.
"You remind me so much of your mother sometimes that the hair stands up on my arms," he said, grabbing her hand.
Today was the day that Dahlia was going to join the group of sixteen year olds to pick the faction that she would call home for the rest of her life. She had spent her entire life with her grandfather in his little house built in the rolling green hills on the outskirts of Amity. The death of her mother had broken her grandfather. The man remained kind, but his grief had been so heavy, it affected the whole community. Eventually, Johanna had allowed him to settle away from the rest of the faction. The faction did not know about Dahlia, though. After her grandfather had watched his daughter die, he looked at the newborn in his bloody hands and found purpose.
Dahlia had grown up with only her grandfather and nature as a companion. Somehow, the old man had kept her occupied in the time that he had raised her, but he knew that one day she would long for more. He had shown her the ways of socialization, but she needed to be able to apply it to people that weren't just him.
One day, he would pass, and she would need a life after him. She was nervous about heading out on her own, but he knew she wouldn't let nerves get in the way of her life. He saw from as soon as she could walk that she had no fear, especially when she, at two years old, decided to follow him up the ladder to the roof.
Benjamin was an Erudite born, and he had educated Dahlia through her whole life. She had never been to school, but he had raised her to be intelligent and to have a wide variety of knowledge. He was proud of her understanding of people, even though she had only known one person. As she grew older, he became more sure of her Dauntless future, so he taught her how to defend herself. The years of working to harvest her own food had grown her to be strong and agile, and he had no doubt that she would thrive in her new faction.
Dahlia, on the other hand, was panicking.
What if I don't make it?
What if grandfather needs me?
What if no one believes my story?
What if, what if, what if...
The girl took a breath. No matter what, she would be fine. She had a 100 percent survival rate so far, and she would always have her grandfather.
Finishing her tea, she stood and took Benjamin's mug. She washed the dishes in the kitchen before going to the bathroom to bathe. She methodically dressed in a green shirt and tight black pants. After coming downstairs, she braided her long, white blonde hair and put on her shoes as she and her grandfather went over her cover story.
Benjamin had friends in the city who were in charge of identity documents, and he arranged for them to draw up a life for his granddaughter. She had memorized her false life at a young age, and this was the last time he would go over it with her. It didn't stray too far from the truth, but she needed basic paperwork to be accepted into any faction. Once he was done quizzing her, he pulled her into a hug.
"I love you, little bird," he said, using her childhood nickname.
"I love you too, friend," she replied in a choked voice.
"Do not be sad, I will be with you every step of the way," he murmured, holding her tighter.
The hug broke, and they left the house. Dahlia paused to look back at the place she had called home for her entire life.
"Come on, star. We need to get going," Benjamin called, picking two apples from a nearby tree.
With one last glance, Dahlia turned and jogged to meet her grandfather. He handed her an apple that he had plucked from a tree and they ate breakfast while making the journey to the city, holding hands, silently saying their final goodbyes. The two walked through the outskirts of Amity, before joining the crowd of families on their way to the Hub. Soon, Dahlia saw the main city buildings come into view, and she looked on in awe. She had never seen this many people, and seeing them in person, they seemed like far more than they did on paper.
The crowd began to split, teenagers parting from their families as they gathered to check in for the ceremony. There were some heartfelt goodbyes, but Dahlia noticed that some families were cold, and some were dramatic and blubbering. Her grandfather caught her eyes and placed the flower she was named after behind her ear. With a gentle squeeze from her grandfather's hand, and he gave her a smile before they both disappeared into their crowds.
Dahlia made her way to her place based on her last name and waited for the ceremony to begin. Soon, everyone went silent as the faction leaders stood to begin their speeches. She could feel eyes on her, wondering why she was wearing a color that didn't fit any faction, but she didn't mind. It reminded her of home.
After the speeches were over, she retreated into her mind to calm her nerves and prepare to live in a completely unfamiliar world. When she felt the boy sitting by her rise from his seat, she realized she was next. After he chose to stay at his mother faction, she stood on shaky legs. She took a deep breath and cleared out all the worry and self doubt swirling in her mind. Dahlia confidently strode to the table holding her future.
She took the glinting blade and sliced into her hand. The blood pooled in her palm and she caught her grandfather's crystal blue eyes over Marcus Eaton's shoulder. At his small nod, she spilled her blood into the bowl. At the sizzling sound, she gave a small smile.
Dauntless.