I am loving this story! When I was writing the last chapter, I seriously got goose bumps. No joke! I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am. Honestly, what do you think of Ashlee? Do you think she would be a good Dauntless? Please tell me! Give me suggestions, too. All in all, just R&R!

The rest of the ceremony went by in a blur. I felt a tiny bit uncomfortable sitting with the Dauntless, I couldn't pay attention to anything but my composure. My palms felt clammy and I was super sick to my stomach. What did I just do?

Why would I do that!?

Because I'm Divergent. I thought. I almost told my brain to be quiet, but quickly came back from that insanity. I would be fine. Erudite never felt like my complete home anyway. I would make it through Dauntless initiation and never have to worry about that stupid, unneeded noun (or was it an adjective?) ever again.

"And that concludes our faction choosing ceremony. I hope you made the best decision of where you belong. That is what this system is about, after all. Finding out your category at a young age so you can be the best you can be," my mother said without her usual chipper voice. I felt like she was talking to me personally, not a crowd of about a thousand or more.

"Good luck, new initiates. And remember, faction before blood. That motto will help you grow in life."

My mother walked off the stage, giving me a glare full of so much hate I almost cried. Almost.

The Dauntless began to leave, which was enough to will me to stand. They began to run out of the building. I hadn't ran since I was a little child, but had always adored the speed of my steps and the cool wind pulling back my hair. I followed them without hesitation.

They broke through the front entrance yelling and cheering and screaming. I laughed with them and ran. I ran from the past. I ran towards a hopeful, brave future.

Then I saw them getting on the train. I studied them as they picked up speed and force, enough to jump or pull themselves on. Soon, the only ones left were the transfers. I began to follow the Dauntless example. Sprinting toward the track, I felt my legs start to burn and my heart began to beat faster than a bullet. I sped along the tracks, eventually being one of the first transfers to pull themselves on.

I was tired and just lay on the floor till someone reached a hand out to me. I gladly excepted it, letting them help me up. That is until I saw his face.

"Jacob Commons!" I spat, terrified and intrigued at the same time. Why would he be here?

Jacob sent me a smile. And this wasn't a sneer, or an awful grin. It was genuine, something I had never seen on his face.

"Hello, Ashlee. I liked that little rebellious thing you did with your mom. Finally earned my respect." I was pretty sure the last part was a joke, but why would he joke with me. Jacob rolled his eyes.

"C'mon. You know I'm not that bad. And we need to find people we can trust. Dauntless initiation is tough as nails and we need to stick together. Erudite, right?"

I frowned and looked at the other few Erudite in the car.

"Why don't you make your little 'alliance' with Patricia, Nicolas, or Brendan? I'm sure they would do better with strategy than me." I said, gesturing to where they sat on the floor. Smart idea. I sat down and Jacob followed.

He shrugged.

"I always disliked those jerks more than you, you know. And besides, it isn't all about the technicalities. Initiation for the Dauntless is way more physical. So will you do it, Matthews? I think we would be great friends if we were actually nice to each other."

I thought about it. I have always hated Jacob, but it could help me to have someone on my side.

"Fine, Jacob. I will be in an alliance, but here are my conditions; don't call me Matthews, don't you dare even try to back-stab me, and we will add others into this little group."

Jacob nodded as we shook hands. The contact made me shiver a tiny bit, but I'm sure no one noticed. He smiled as we let our hands drop.

"Yes, yes, and already have that covered." he said as he waved his hand over to a duo on the other side of the train car. They were a girl and boy, the girl Abnegation and the boy Amity. I recognized the girl as the first transfer. She had long carrot colored hair and jade green eyes on her freckled face.

The boy was lean with salt and pepper hair and cool gray eyes.

They sat down with us smiling at me. "Kirk," the boy said shaking my hand. Next the girl shook my hand. "Julia," she said clearly. I smiled at them.

"I'm Ashlee. Nice to meet you guys."

Jacob started talking about how we were going to be amazing friends while I thought about what really awaited me. How tough was it going to actually be? I never really thought it would be hard enough it could work you to death, but maybe I was wrong. Perhaps I may die because I chose Dauntless. I shrugged to myself. I would've picked bravery even if my life wasn't in danger. The Dauntless always seemed the most confident, getting the most out of life as they jumped on trains or played Candor or Dauntless. I wanted that for my life.

"We're jumping, transfers," said a girl with a shaved head who looked a little older than us.

"Jumping?!" Kirk exclaimed, turning pale. "Are they insane?"

The bald girl chuckled. "Maybe."

I stood, Julia clutching my arm as we walked to the car door. All the Dauntless were jumping onto a roof coming up. It looked to be five feet away, at least, and about twenty five feet below us was cold pavement. They were crazy, but if I didn't jump I would be factionless. It would be better to fall to my death than live on the streets.

"Let's do it together," I told Julia, grasping her hand. She nodded. The roof was getting closer. We would have to do it at the right time, or be squashed like a bug. Jacob saluted me.

"See ya, Ashlee," he said as he jumped, falling to the gravelly building top. I glanced and Julia.

"On three," I yelled to her over the gushing wind. "One. Two. Three!"

We flew through the air, landing on the pieces of rock on the other side. Julia was laughing hard, only having a few faint scratches on her palms. I was lucky, too, only having a brushed burn on my arm and a scratch on the back of my hand. Others were bleeding, and a few people were looking over the edge of the roof. I could hear crying, and decided not to look over the side at the probably mangled body below.

Kirk and Jacob were close by, only having scratches and bruises. I smiled at my new friends. That was pretty easy.

"Alright, initiates," a girl who looked the same age as the bald one yelled. She was small with short blonde hair, wearing a pair of black jeans with a tank top of the same color. She didn't look very intimidating, but the Dauntless born looked a little meek as they ran to her, so I shouldn't underestimate. "Gather around!"

The girl stood on the edge of the building, pacing the side like it were solid ground. The Dauntless really were fearless. Or know something we don't.

"For those who don't know me, my names Tris. I am one of your new leaders. And this," she gestured to the bald girl beside her. "Is Lynn. The Dauntless should already know one of their new instructors."

The Dauntless born gave wearied smiles to Lynn's grin.

"Now," Tris continued, "I need you all to jump off this roof and into that hole below us. Do I have any volunteers who want to go first?"

I stared at her, open mouthed. She expected us to jump to our death? There must be a catch.

"Wha-What's at the bottom?" a boy in black stuttered. Even their kids were afraid!

Tris shrugged. "That's for me to know, and you to find out. Any volunteers?"

Everything was silent. No one looked really interested in jumping from this roof. They probably thought the Dauntless wanted us to commit suicide, but logic told me this was just a test. I would be fine.

I stepped forward, trying to look confident. "I'll go." I croaked out. Tris smiled at me, gesturing to the side. I walked up slowly, taking off my jean jacket and tossing it at some random Candor kid. He growled at me, but I ignored it. I stepped on the ledge, looking down at the huge hole. I could only see darkness. It was like the chasm went on forever, but that was impossible. Everything had to stop sometime, like impact always had to happen when you were falling to your death. Great analogy, right?

Taking a deep intake of oxygen, I leaped of the building and skidded through the air. The force pulled at my skin and made it hard to breath. I closed my eyes. I was going to be fine. I wasn't going to die.

Who was I kidding? I was terrified and was about to have a meet and greet with concrete.

Suddenly, the impact was absorbed and pushed me into the air. I fell back down onto something rough, burning my skin. My eyes flew open. I saw rope and hands surrounding me. I was in a net! I laughed, taking one of the offered hands that pulled me out.

I was met by a guy with dark brown hair and navy blue eyes. He set me on the floor and looked me up and down.

"What's your name?" he finally asked, giving me a pointed look.

I almost said it, but then thought better of it. Ashlee sounded to girly-girl, not tough enough to be Dauntless.

"Think hard. This is the only time to change it." the guy told me, looking like he had said it a million times. I smiled.

"Ash." I said with pride. The guy turned to the crowd.

"First jumper, Ash!" he announced.

Everyone cheered for me. For me. It was an exhilarating moment.

"Oomf!" I noise came from the net. I turned to see Julia sitting their, harassed by a million hands. I laughed.

Things were finally looking up for me.