Chapter Two: Swan Dive
She didn't know how she had gotten herself into this but she was making her way up to the ledge that one person had already jumped over and she hadn't heard a splat on the other end bouncing off the walls, not to mention the leader that was here, Eric, and the other people he had with him had survived this. "What could be better than a swan dive into the asphalt…" she sung in a murmur to herself which only made her smirk as she got up near the Dauntless.
"Great we got a lunatic," she heard one of the girls whisper to Eric. Obviously she didn't know the purpose of a whisper since she let the person she was talking about hear her. Ada rolled her eyes and climbed up on the ledge looking down over the side, oh look a hole. If you didn't fall through it then you had a delightful drop and a sudden stop awaiting you.
"Do a flip!" Taylor called to her making her friend smirk, yep just like when they were kids.
"Front flip or backflip?" she questioned only to get the response of wanting her to do a backflip. "You got it," she said and turned so she was facing everyone before she smiled and launched herself off of the wall backwards turning in midair as she dropped. The world stopping around her for a split second as she felt weightlessness take over her body as if she weren't about to plummet through the air to the ground far below; Adaline could feel the wind rushing past her the other sixteen-year-olds up top cheering for her though she was currently head down looking to that opening before she finished her rotation landing on her back on the net and bouncing up a little bit before falling back down. "I want to do that again!" she announced to thin air before the net was pulled down on one side making her roll towards some laughing Dauntless members. A grim looking male helped her out of the net without her getting tangled in the thing, or her hair.
"So what should we call you, you little adrenaline junkie?" One of the girls asked her.
She opened her mouth about to say her name was Adaline but then it hit her, the more people that called her that the more it would hurt because she would just continue to think of her parents and sister. "Fabel… You can call me Fabel." She could hear her friend make a little whoop of a sound and she couldn't help but try and look up only to see her best friend falling holding her knees to her chest to make her fall even faster through the air. Fabel grinned brightly as her friend unfurled landing on her back in the net giggling like a fiend. Yeah they were two of a kind needless to say and that made them all the more great together when they were doing some of the crazy stuff that they had done growing up together. Of course there had been three of them then but Axxel had died just two short years ago in a freak accident.
The three of them had been inseparable from the time they were just a few days old, and their parents had been friends long before they were too. The women had spent days together with their children in tow both before and after their allotted time away from their chores to take care of their growing babies until they were big enough for the care takers to watch them and start to teach them during the day. Axxel had been the only boy of the three of them and for a long time he was the one that got them into the most trouble often daring the girls to do things then egging them on until they did. Then stepping back while they got in trouble as if he'd done nothing at all, but he was also quick to stand up for them and take care of them when it came to other youths.
She gently shook her head trying to fall out of her reverie before her friend found her way to the floor and the two girl's hugged for a second, they were as close to family as it got before blood was involved, and as far as they were concerned they didn't need the blood to be family either. "We can make it," Taylor whispered to her and Fabel nodded to her before pulling back from the hug both girls stood there whispering together and giggling as they waited for the others to jump. None of the others were quite so… stunning as they had been jumping.
They followed everyone towards the tunnel following the girl that had asked Fabel's name and the grim looking male that had helped her from the net, they kept near the middle of the group not caring that they were in the middle of everything especially since some of the other kids that had jumped (more so the Dauntless then the transfers) were reaching up and slapping them on their backs for a job well done on their jumps. Suddenly the two leading them stopped and the girl told them that they were splitting up and the Dauntless born were to follow her, the others were to stay with Mr. Grumpy Pants.
He turned to look at them, only five left here. They were one of the smaller groups to come in a while and it just happened to be two Amity, two Candor, and one Erudite. Grumpy Pants finally spoke up, "Most of the time I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor. My name is Four."
"Oh good number One isn't taken," the Erudite boy said making an ass of himself.
Fabel and Taylor looked at him both with near the same look on their faces of disgust, "You're an idiot." Fabel informed him.
"No wonder you left Erudite," Taylor added finishing Fabel's thought making the other girl nod. The boy grimaced taking a step closer to Taylor which set Fabel's nerves on end; she was quickly between her best friend and the boy whispering harshly at him. "I lifted seven hundred pound truck engines with my father for the past three years. You touch my best friend I will break you," Fabel hissed out and the boy paled visibly. Perhaps he was smarter than he looked after all especially when he backed away from the girl, she didn't look that strong but at least the boy took her at her word… Good boy.
Four sighed and shook his head leading the group down the hall some more until they reached a set of double doors, "The Pit."
"Seems cheery doesn't it Lore?" Fabel asked her best friend with a bright smile at her making the other girl laugh as they all looked around The Pit. Ok so it was impressive needless to say, high over them was a building with a glass roof letting the light of the setting sun into the area. There were spars going on, life, shouting and talking people, one girl was making a face at a boy who quickly pulled her close to him and kissed her making the people around them laugh, children ran through the place screaming and playing. It was one of the best things Fabel had seen in a long time. Four continued to lead them through the place showing the group the chasm which earned a big fat 'fuck all that shit' check mark in Fabel's mind.
They followed Four once more as he led them this time to a hole in the wall… Oh wait it was a cafeteria, there was food on all the tables and as soon as they were led in there was all kinds of noise filling the air, cheering, shouting, feet stamping, whoops of laughter, and someone in the place yelled do a flip. "You only get one a day!" Fabel called out making them laugh as Grumpy Pants found a seat, ok she didn't want to be stuck with the brooding male hopefully he was different around his friends then he was with the initiates otherwise they were going to have to find a way to surgically remove that stick of his. Apparently the other transfers agreed or they just thought they should stick with the two girls that already seemed to be the leaders of the small group in such a short time.
They sat at a decently empty table, Fabel had Taylor on one side of her and the Erudite boy on the other, she still had no idea what to call these other three. The two Candor transfers sat across from them the girl sitting next to Eric who was glaring at them all like they were idiots for sitting at the table with him. Fabel and Taylor weren't shy when it came to food needless to say and were quick to start getting their plates together. "So you two together?" the Candor girl asked making both girls laugh though Taylor was the one to answer. "No, we might as well be sisters. We grew up together… and Axxel but he's… he's gone."
"Decided neither of you were worth having sex with him?" Erudite asked.
He really was an idiot this boy sitting next to her, not only did he just insult them, talk about the dead, but the idiot sat next to her. Fabel calm as could be reached over punching him in the face without even looking causing a sickening crack to fill the air and blood to gush from his nose and he was cursing and clutching at his face. "Could you pass the ketchup?" she asked Taylor as if nothing had happened.
"Axxel died," Taylor explained shortly. "We don't like people talking about him…" she told the others as she passed over the bowl of thick red sauce to her best friend who slid a layer of it across her burger before putting the bun back over the meat taking a bite. She could feel Eric's eyes on hers and she looked right back her blue eyes boring into his own cold blue ones. Her eyes were full of life unlike his, she looked at him though… long dark hair, countless piercings, he was handsome in a dark way and she didn't like that.
"You got blood on my table," Eric told her.
"And you got asshole on the bench, seems to me we're even Sunshine." Fabel informed him making the Dauntless male next to Eric burst into laughter.
After dinner it was Eric that bid them to follow him, oh goody… He led them down a path with little blue lamps at the place where each hall connected to the next leaving an expanse of darkness between each and one of the Candor people slipped on the uneven ground hitting Fabel in the back. The girl stopped long enough for the boy to get his balance as he mutter his apologies to her. Eric stopped in front of a wooden door and the five initiates simply looked at him, "For those of you idiots that don't know I'm Eric, one of the five leaders here. So I've volunteered to oversee most of your training."
"Is that code for you wanted to stare at the girl's asses because from back here I can tell you," the Erudite boy really didn't know when to shut up.
"Unless you want this one to break your jaw along with your nose I suggest you shut up already and just die with dignity because you are more than likely going to annoy her to the point that she kills you," Eric informed him before continuing even as Fabel made the face that clearly told everyone she was thinking about it. "So ground rules. You have to be in the training room by eight every day. Training will take place every day from eight to six with a break for lunch, after six you can do what you want and you will also get time off between each stage of initiation. You are only permitted to leave the compound if you are accompanied by a Dauntless.
"Behind this door is the room where you will be sleeping for the next few weeks. We expected more transfers so you have plenty of room to hide from the girls since you are scared of them," Eric said looking at the Erudite boy. "Anyway, in the first stage of initiation, we keep the transfers and the Dauntless-born separate, but that doesn't mean you are evaluated separately. At the end of your initiation, your ranking will be determined in comparison to the Dauntless-born initiates, and they are better than you already."
The Erudite was about to open his mouth again and Eric smirk a vicious cruel smirk his lips pulling at the rings in place there as Fabel just looked at him and he shut up. "Your rankings will determine which order you will select jobs after your initiation. There are only a few desirable positions available."
Fabel yawned as she sat on the bed she picked wet dark hair falling in stringy waves down her back, she hadn't cared that the males had glanced at her more than once in the shower. What did she have to be worried about she was stronger than them after all, most of the others got changed without a shower but she needed to relax for a moment or two.
Taylor sat on the bed next to hers just like when they had been back in Amity, "so the Erudite boy is Benjamin. The Candor boy is Victor, and the girl is Jinnifer."
"Benjamin… even his name just sounds like a self-affirmation no wonder I broke his nose."