Chapter Three

We arrive in a large room filled with bunk beds and trunks beside them. It is a scary looking room, like many unspeakable things have happened here. The beds have black sheets and black pillows. It does not help with the ominous feel of the room.

"You can each pick a bed," Drake says from behind us.

All at once, the transfers begin to run and fight over which bed they want, as if they are not concerned at all about what is going to happen to them. I stand there for a moment, watching the chaos die down. I walk to the very opposite side of the room and sit on a bed in the corner.

"So, you're Emily?"

I look up. It is the girl, Selena, that jumped after me. I nod and give her a smile. Amity girls always smile, I think to myself. "I am. And you're Selena, right?"

She gives me a smile, but it makes me feel uncomfortable. "Yep, that's me." She sits on the bed beside me and I get nervous, tensing up. I do not want her to come closer. I hate being close to people. She leans in and gives me a glare. "I don't know why a peace-loving Amity would choose Dauntless, but I want you to know that you're going to regret it." She whispers the last part like a hiss.

Shivers run down my spine, and I glare back at her. "And why is that?"

She laughs sarcastically. "Well," she begins, "Amity can't fight worth crap. And if you plan on loving us until it hurts, I don't think that will work either. Too bad you don't have any of your peace serum, huh? You could just inject us all and we would all be so happy with you! I'm sure you would be ranked first!"

I stand from my bed and look down at her angrily, but I have to think of what an Amity girl would say. "We're getting off on the wrong foot here, Selena. I'm very sorry you have a problem with me, and I'm sure that we will be able to work it out. But until then, please do not insult me. Goodbye for now." I turn and walk out of the dorm.

The glowing blue lights lead my way to the main chasm. There is a pit in the center of the room with no railings. That scares me. I hate heights. There is water at the bottom, pouring and splashing so loudly that my ears almost ache. Transfers and Dauntless-borns are running all over the place, yelping and laughing.

I spot Four, Tris, and Drake, and go to them. An Amity would suck up.

"Hey guys!" I say cheerfully, plastering the best smile I can on my face.

Tris looks away from Four to me and tells me hello. Four does the same, and then they turn back to each other and begin to talk.

"Emily, hey," Drake says with a smile. "I have a question for you."

I nod. "Go for it." Still smiling like a fool.

"Why did you come here from Amity?"

He is so straight forward. He must be Candor. I tilt my head a bit and bite my lip, thinking of the story Evelyn told me to recite whenever someone asked me. "I just got tired of nobody standing up for themselves. As much as I love peace, sometimes conflict is better. It's not good to keep things bottled up." My smile fades, and I am serious.

He nods thoughtfully, and then chuckles. "Well, the Dauntless don't really do that. You'll be good."

I smile at him, and this time it is genuine. "Thanks." And then I look away, suddenly tired. "Well, it was nice to talk to you, Drake."

I glance at him one last time, and he smiles at me. Again with that crooked smile. I give an airy laugh and turn to walk away. And then I spot him.

The man who damaged me so greatly. Who hurt me physically and mentally and who ruined me. Aaron. He is standing with another girl, talking and laughing. My stomach churns. He is feeding that poor girl lies, too. He is buttering her up. Tears begin to stream down my face and I turn to go to the dorm. But then his voice reaches my ears and I stop; I cannot move forward.

"Emily! Baby!"

I turn around, and he is already in front of me. "No longer factionless, huh?" He says it too loud, and people turn, confusion in their eyes.

I offer up a fake laugh, trying to diffuse the situation. "Aaron, you're too funny." I glare at him. "If you'll excuse me," I murmur, turning.

"Nope, not so fast, missy." His hand grips my shoulder, and it hurts. I wince and turn back to him. I am still powerless against him. I am still unable to stand up to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, Evelyn. She, um… I don't know, she wants me to experience a faction."

He raises his eyebrows. "And she picked Dauntless? By 'experience a faction,' does she mean she wants you to die?" He laughs.

I shake my head, emotions boiling up inside of me. "No." My jaw sets in a hard line. "I picked Dauntless."

He laughs again and moves his hand to my cheek. "Hon, you're not going to make it here. Go back to being factionless."

I glare at him. "I will be fine." And with that, I pull away from his hand and go to the dorm. First I walk, and then, when I am sure no one can see, I run. I run as fast as I can until I reach the room and flop on my bed. And then I start to cry, and I cry until I fall asleep.