Clue: Why must I bow to the norms of society? Will be explained later.

Clashing Steel and Silver Moons

All rights to Veronica Roth. Also looking for a beta! Reviews are welcome :-)

Initiation Part I

I remember, once, that I was yelled at for demostating my fearlessness by climbing the sculpture by the Middle Level School. I didn't fall. I felt free with the wind against my face. Now, being underground, listening to the sounds of raging water underneath the Chasm, I feel more alive than ever. Except, in reality, we are more contained.

When we cling to the wall in unfamiliar territory as we decend the Pit to our dorm where we, together will stay, my brother laughs at us and says "Come on, just don't look, then you won't fall!"

I stop clinging to the wall after that. When we reach the dorm, and are given free reign to choose our beds, I pick a top bunk in the corner of the room and meet Kiara from Candor. We talk for a bit, and when she pairs up with me by taking the bottom bunk, it affirms something different.

Friends.

After we settle down, Cinna and another man walk in.

Cinna's companion is interesting, about 6 feet and a couple more inches taller than Cinna, with gelled back raven black hair and the most piercing emerald eyes. He seems...unnerving.

"All of you can walk around now. Curfew's at 10. No killing each other, no cheating."

"I'm Jason. I'll also be helping to instruct you all."

Cinna's companion speaks up. He hands out some black cards with a scanner code on it, and it can fit in my pocket.

"Those cards have points. You use points to spend and buy things here, so choose wisely." "See you at dawn."and they left.

I go and examine the drawer in which a change of black clothes is. I let my necklace show, the one with the ring and the five faction symbols, grab my card, and take off my sweatshirt and put on my coat. I then brush my hair back into a ponytail, and go to talk to Robert.

"We should explore."

He grins, "Sure."

We walked side by side around the compound, observing the Dauntless members and looking at things and stores. When we walked by the tattoo parlor, decorated with drawings and flames, I tugged on Robert's sleeve.

"Can we go in here?" I ask, curious. Maybe Tori is in there.

Robert looks at me with excitement in his eyes, "As long as we don't get full body tattoos, I guess so."

When we walk in, I see a man tattooing a tan woman's shoulder on a chair and a counter with the person I wanted to see. Tori.

Speaking of her, Tori looks up and says, "Welcome."

Robert and I end up at the counter, browsing tattoo designs. I remeber my notebook in my coat pocket and take it out. Robert eyes it and asks,

"You brought that from home?"

"It has drawings. I've been thinking of joining Dauntless anyways, so I designed some tattoos. Nothing major." "Cool." He points to the raven in flight, colored in black with electric blue feathers and silver spiraling the bird.

I turn the notebook towards Tori.

"Can you put that on my left shoulder?" I say.

Tori smiles in return, "Consider it accomplished, Zarra."

Robert and I get back just in time for curfew. My shoulder and neck burn from the tattoo, but I feel like I belong here now. Robert got the Dauntless symbol, a circle inscibed with flames, right over his heart. He said that it signified where his heart is. Faction before blood.

I hear the wimperings of someone homesick that night, but I managed to sleep once I hide my notebook underneath my bed. No nightmares happened, just heavy sleep and dreams of ravens in flight, escaping from cages.

I woke up 10 minutes before dawn, softly and quietly showering and changing into black sneakers, skinny jeans and a black tank top that showed my bandage of my tattoo. I pull my hair up, allowing the few tendrels to line my face. I slowly start to take off the bandage when I here a knock.

"Come in." I say.

Kiara walks in, her eyes surrounded with dark circles, but otherwise cheerful.

"Hey." I say.

"Hey. Need help with that?" Kiara points to the bandage.

"Sure. Thanks." Kiara uses he nimble fingers to rip off the bandage carefully, yet quickly.

It's amazing how much the redness cleared from the tattoo, no red except for the mark of the bandage on my skin. "Cool raven." She admires, a hint of envy in her voice, "I'll go change."

"Okay, see you at breakfast." I fasten my necklace with the faction symbol ring and walk to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria is lined with long, narrow tables, with the Dauntless born initiates sitting with us transfers. When I order, I find an assortment of muffins, not the Erudite favorites of eggs and ham because they promote a better mindset.

This isn't home- Erudite- anymore.

I pick out a cinnamon muffin and a couple of stripes of bacon and walk to the tables. Everyone ceases to speak when I walk past them to sit next to Kiara, Robert, Gregory and a Dauntless-Born initiate.

When I sit, the Dauntless born initiate laughs a dark, full brass sound that cause all of us to smile.

"Someone has a badass tattoo." She says, "You can already be one of us!"

Gregory grins and points a finger at the girl. "I'm Greg, Kiara's brother," "And this is Nari-"

"My full name is Narrenne Vrestrika. I'm too outlandish for my other Dauntless born peers, so I thought I would meet Cinna's little sister."

I examine her closer. Nari wears her chocolate brown hair short, ending sharply at her jawline. Her eyes are hazel, with the green specks standing out against her gold eyeliner. She carries herslef confidently, and is very... snarky and sarcastic. I like her enough, but have to be weary of competition.

"What!" Robert asks, incredulous, "The instuctor's your brother?"

Cinna and Jason sat at another table with the other Dauntless leaders: Max, Rikal, Lauren, and some other people. Apperently our conversation was loud enough that Cinna is now walking towards us. I catch Jason's eye though, and he's suppressing a laugh. My brother walks over, his hair calmer, yet spiked, and a smile on his face.

"Yep. Zarra's my sister alright. I won't treat her any differently from the rest of you though." He pats my head, and I scowl.

"Off, Cinna." He stops and looks at my tattoo closely.

"I see the similarity now," Robert mutters, his eyes traveling back and forth between us, "The same hair and eye color...and similar demeanors too."

"You just sounded like a know it all!" Kiara groaned and Nari's comment.

Cinna and I both give the same expression to Nari, "He's Candor, I'm the know it all here." I say, finishing my muffin.

A loud whistle ceased all conversation.

It's Jason, standing on one of the tables. "We start phase one of initiation today. Transfers, come with Cinna and I, everyone else, go with Lauren.

We clean up and follow Cinna and Jason to the training center. I feel a bit giddy, excited to have fun and not fail.

When we get there, there are targets and places for everyone. It looks like some shooting range. We each take a place at one of the spots. The target looks to be about 20 yards away, so it won't be hard to throw a knife. Guns, on the other hand, I don't know a lot about as only Dauntless is allowed to have weapons. My spot is in between Robert and an intimidating and annoying girl from my faction that used to tease me when I was younger. Her name, as I couldn't and still can't forget her long blonde hair and icy blue eyes and her horrid remarks, is Harriet. She snarls at me, and remarks that I was always a little wierd and will probably end up killing myself with a knife.

How much she doesn't know. Threats don't do much to me anyways.

Jason and Cinna address that initiation is taken very seriously, and that this stage will focus on physical attributes, and that today, we are focusing on throwing knives. The demonstration starts with Cinna explaining the math and effects of your aim and Jason demostrates the throwing of it. They both stress to only aim at the targets, and then we are given eight knives.

When we start, I hold one of them in my palm, testing the weight and feel. After, I get in position, aim so that the knife will hit the target, and throw it. The knife hits the bullseye (or the center, as it hit that directly) with a loud thunk and sticks. It was just as I predicted, so I continue throwing each knife, hitting the bullseye range.

When the last one hits, everyone is staring at me. No one has hit their target except for me and Robert once. Robert looks at me with a serious expression on his face, and then Jason speaks up.

"Very well, all of you. Go collect the knives and we'll try something different."

Harriet glares at me throughout the session and I wonder if I'm in more danger of being discovered Divergent...