a/n Hey guys! another chapter my friends
Tris POV
Time skip to after jump off trainI tell myself that this is a scare tactic. I will land safely at the bottom. I tell myself this in hopes of making me brave. I don't think it is working. I tell myself not to think about it. I walk off the edge. The air howls as I plummet to the ground, which is rapidly getting closer. My heart is beating so fast that it is all consuming. I hit something hard. I look around wildly. A net. I hit a net. I make a sound, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. I just did that. I don't believe it.
I grab the first hand I see, which is attached to a yellow, fluffy jacket. I roll off the net to realize that the person that pulled me off is not in fact wearing a jacket. He is wearing a fluffy chicken onesie. What the heck? I must have been staring because he said "What do I have grain on my face?" before bursting in laughter. "He" has curly short brown hair, dark brown eyes and skin. Handsome. "What's your name? You can change if you want.".
I am about to say Beatrice, but it does not sound right. Not after everything. "Tris" I say firmly. "What? Not 'Zeke Is The Greatest'. I thought that would a hit.". He calls my name to the crowd; they surge forward, ready to meet me. First jumper. Tris. Zeke puts his hand on my back. "Welcome to Dauntless".
Tris POV
When we are all on solid ground, Zeke and another Dauntless lead us down a narrow tunnel. We walk in the dark, with only small blue lanterns to light the dark underpass. We stop; I smack my face on the Erudite in front of me. I rub my nose. The girl, Lauren, leads the Dauntless-born walk away into the darkness of the tunnels, leaving us transfers cowering together. As they walk out, Zeke play punches one of the Dauntless-borns. He looks alot like Zeke. Probably his brother. I look around; I am the only Abnegation transfer. Of course.
Zeke addresses us. "So guys, my name is Zeke, but feel free to call me Lord Awesomeness. For the next few weeks I will be your instructor. Any questions?". Christina raised her hand. "Um, why are you dressed like that?", she asked, which was exactly what I was about to ask. Zeke laughs again, "Y'all are too tense! Back when I trained with Four..", He stops, so suddenly it seems he's been stabbed in the gut. His kind eyes are suddenly cold. "Just lighten up, most likely we won't kill you.''. He finishes softly, and as if this answers all our questions, He turned and lead us down a darker passage.
He must have been friends with Four, or Tobias. I wonder how it must have felt, to walk around the bend, and BAM! You see them pulling up your friend, your partner in crime, your family, out of the river. I smack once again into the Erudite, and stumble in front of him. "This is the pit, you will grow to love it. This is where you'll get tattoos, watch fights, and get drunk.", the gleam in his eyes had returned.
When we entered the Pit, life sprung out at us. People we're laughing, kids we're playing tag. I noticed there are no elderly Dauntless. Do they not last that long, or are they just sent away when they can't jump off moving trains anymore?
A group of children run down a narrow path with no railing, so fast my heart pounds, and I want to scream at them to slow down before they get hurt. A memory of an orderly Abnegation streets appears in my mind: A line of people on the right passing a line of people on the left, small smiles and inclined heads and silence. My stomach squeezes. But there is something wonderful about Dauntless chaos.
"If you follow me," Zeke says, "I'll show you the chasm.". He waves us forward. Zeke's appearance seems tame from the front, by Dauntless standards, but when turns around, I see a tattoo peeking out from the collar of his T-shirt. He leads us to the right side, people wandering over, slapping him on the back, saying hi. When one girl came over, kissing him heartily on the mouth, I shy away. As I do, I see Christina turn blood red. I hope she isn't crushing on him; it will not to her good to like the trainer.
As we weave through the crowd, we eventually get to the right side of the chasm, I squint and see the floor I stand on now ends at an iron barrier. I hear a roar , water, fast-moving water, crashing against rocks. I look over the side. The floor drops off at a sharp angle, and several stories below us is a river. Gushing water strikes the wall beneath me and sprays upward. To my left, the water is calmer. But to my right, it is white, battling with rock.
"The chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy.", Zeke shouts. " A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It has happened before and I hope it will never happen again. God, I Really don't..", Zeke walks away. I wonder if walking by the chasm reminds him of Tobias's death. At a glance he looks comfortable, but he acts as if someone replaced his spine with a metal rod. Tense, plus he breathes through clenched teeth. "This is incredible", she says. She acts as if she is talking about the chasm, but I see her ogling Zeke. I roll my eyes and say, "Incredible is the word.".