Hi, friends! This chapter is a further introduction. Next chapter is when things start picking up!
Dahlia joined her new faction where they were sitting, and caught her grandfather's gaze. His clear blue eyes sparkled with love and pride, but also sadness. She was his best friend, after all. He would miss her like crazy, but he enjoyed solitude, and knowing she would be out in the world, living a happy life full of purpose. It was for the best, and they both knew it.
Soon, the ceremony finished and the Dauntless headed for the exit. Before Dahlia left the building, she looked back and got a glimpse of Benjamin's smiling face. He threw his hands up in the shape of a heart and she did the same. Then she left, breaking out in a sprint for the train tracks. She knew what to do from what her grandfather told her, so she ran to the train and launched herself into the car. She was followed by the other Dauntless initiates, and she watched as a few transfers never caught up to the car. They would be factionless. Her heart broke for them.
Dahlia sat in the door of the car with her legs hanging over the edge, looking on as the city rushed past her. It was beautiful and new, and she grew excited. She missed her grandfather, but she understood what he meant when he told her needed a life that wasn't him. She grabbed the dahlia flower Benjamin had placed behind her ear and plucked the petals off, letting them fly away in the wind. Watching the flower float away, she felt the sadness in her heart begin to fade. She would always have him with her.
When the train slowed slightly she looked and saw the Dauntless compound approaching. People in the cars ahead of her started throwing themselves out, over the gap between the train and the roof. Dahlia readied herself to jump. The other initiates caught on and followed her lead. Dahlia jumped first, bending her knees to absorb the shocks and taking a few steps to get rid of her momentum. When she turned back, she saw a Candor born girl throw herself out of the train car. She miscalculated and landed on the edge of the building, flailing her arms to try to regain her balance. Quick to react, Dahlia reached out and grabbed her by the front of her black pants and yanked her forward. The girl stumbled, landing on her hands and knees. She looked up at Dahlia with wide eyes.
"You saved my life, thank you," she said in a hoarse voice.
Dahlia simply nodded and walked away, watching as the girl's friends rushed to check on her. One of the boys stopped to size her up, and she fixed him with her blank stare. He had dark, curly hair and hazel eyes. He had a couple of scars on his angelic face and neck, and a straight nose. When she looked into his eyes, she knew she needed to watch herself around him. He had a way about him that just put her on edge.
Dahlia was the first to reach the large hole in the ground. A man with thick tattoos running up both sides of his neck was waiting in front of it.
"Hey, green, what's your deal?" the man asked.
Dahlia tilted her head in confusion.
"Where are you from?" he simplified in an exasperated tone.
"Amity," she said quietly.
"Never seen one in green," he said. "Huh."
"That was pretty kind of you to save that girl," he said.
Dahlia shrugged. She knew what he was insinuating, but she didn't bother to defend herself. She wasn't interested in making conversation with people. Her grandfather had raised her to believe that words were precious, and people needed to earn them from her.
Soon, the rest of the initiates were gathered in front of the hole. The man, who introduced himself as Eric, cleared his throat and began his speech. Dahlia didn't pay much attention to it. She knew what he would be saying about bravery, faction before blood, and all of the other stuff that factions tell their initiates.
She did perk up, though, when she heard a nervous voice ask "Wait, we're jumping down there?" The voice belonged to an Erudite boy.
"Of course, unless you're scared, then this is the wrong faction for you," Eric said bitingly.
"I'll do it," a small Abnegation girl spoke up.
"Excuse me?" Eric asked, surprise covering his features.
A mousy girl clad in gray pushed her way to the front of the group and Dahlia raised an eyebrow. She did not expect someone like her to be competition. Though Dahlia would be happy to just get into Dauntless, she would like to have a job of her choice instead of the bottom of the barrel. The girl took her gray jacket off, and the boy from before wolf whistled.
"Oh, yeah baby, take it off. Wait, no, put it back on," he laughed.
A few members of the group chuckled, but Dahlia rolled her eyes. What a waste of words, she thought.
The Abnegation girl surprised her when she balled the jacket up and threw it at his chest, before diving off the edge, into the hole. Dahlia stepped forward without a word, and when she received a nod from Eric, she tossed herself backwards, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness that came with falling. When she hit the rough material of a net, she opened her eyes to see a boy falling directly above her at high speed.
She heard Eric shout and it snapped her out of her daze. She scampered up the net, only to slide back down when the net dipped with the person's weight. Dahlia found herself face to chest with a boy, and she was met with the same hazel green eyes that had captivated her on the roof. She lifted herself, climbing over his body and rolling to land on the floor five feet below them.
"Are you okay?" a man with soft brown eyes asked her.
Dahlia nodded.
"Name?" he asked, his eyes hardening after he knew she was okay.
"Dahlia," she whispered.
"Second jumper, Dahlia!" he called.
He stepped to the net and yanked the side of it down, pulling the boy down from where he was still laying where she had left him. He rolled and landed ungracefully, crouched on the ground.
"What the hell were you thinking? You could have crushed her!" The man from before growled, grabbing the boy by the scruff of his neck.
"I-I- I'm sorry," he whimpered looking Dahlia in the face.
She nodded to him and he was released. He brushed himself off and straightened up with a cocky smile on his face.
"I'm Peter, by the way," he said sticking his hand out for Dahlia to shake.
She looked at his hand confusedly. She didn't understand this form of greeting. Hesitantly taking his hand in her smaller one, she just held it, looking at his face. They both were analyzing each other before Dahlia pulled her hand out of his with a curt nod, turning to watch the remaining initiates drop from the sky. She didn't notice, however, the way Peter was staring at her like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time.
Soon enough, the initiates all made it to the ground, Peter's friends, Molly and Drew, coming last. Dahlia walked away from the to be to the side of the group, away from the other initiates, but close enough to hear the instructor introduce himself. He showed them around the Dauntless compound, and Dahlia only paid attention to the Mess Hall, training room, and dormitories. He dropped them off at the dormitories and left them to change into their Dauntless clothes.
Dahlia was not modest in the least, seeing as her grandfather never taught her to be, so she stripped fully before dressing in the provided undergarments, the tight black pants, and a black singlet. She felt eyes on her and caught the Abnegation girl who she knew as Tris. Staring at her with a disgruntled expression as she exchanged one piece of clothing at a time. She also noticed a few other initiates watching her, including Molly and her friends.
Dahlia gathered her clothes, breathing in the scent of trees, mint, and her grandfather for one last time before approaching the fire where her instructors were waiting. She took a deep breath and threw the clothes on the fire, watching the green cotton turn black. Dahlia felt the rest of the weight lift off her chest. The burning of the clothing was the final release she needed for her to feel okay with leaving her old life behind. She was here, now, and she would always have her grandfather with her in mind and spirit.
Dahlia turned her back to the flames and left as the rest of the initiates arrived to the hearth. Navigating her way to the Chasm, she sat with her legs dangling over the edge, retreating into herself as she felt the fine mist of water wash over her skin. She sat there, simply breathing when she heard footsteps approaching her. Her eyes pooped open, and she saw a large darker skinned boy that she recognized from the Candor section during the choosing ceremony.
"I come in peace," he told the skittish girl with his hands raised. "They're serving dinner right now; you should probably head there now if you wanna get any. Dauntless is huge."
Dahlia gave him a small nod before jumping to her feet and heading to the mess hall. She opened the doors and headed to the long line of foods. She saw some sort of meat discs between bread on most people's plates, but she headed to the plant section and grabbed a peach and some celery from a large bowl. She found a seat at a table with no one at it and dug into her food. She ate hurriedly, hungry from not eating since the morning walk over to the city.
When she finished, she threw the pit into the compost bin, washed her hands, and headed to the exit doors. Dahlia was almost taken out by the heavy metal doors to the canteen when a large, muscular, dark skinned man burst through them with a small group of people behind him. It only took her a moment before she recognized him as the leader of Dauntless, Max.
"You're gonna want to stay here for this," he told her, steadying her.
She probably wouldn't, but she did anyway.
The leader of Dauntless gave a speech about the philosophy of the Dauntless, and the expectations of the initiates, and the life they will lead when they make it through initiation. Dahlia tuned them out; she needed to get through initiation before she knew what she could be missing. When the speech finished, the members of Dauntless banged their tin cups on the metal tabletops, cheering on the initiates. Dahlia left soon after.
Dahlia was tired after everything that went on during the day, so she headed to the dorm room, took her jacket and pants off and climbed into her top bunk in the back corner of the dormitory. After a few minutes of nighttime meditation, she was fast asleep. She dreamed of glimpses of her old life. Her grandfather's wrinkled, callused hands. His clear blue eyes that had deep wrinkles around them when he smiled. His joyous laugh that would echo through their small home. Pictures of her mother that she used to stare up at with wonder as a little girl.
She left that behind, but she was looking forward what was ahead.