Author's Note: Trigger warning for assault
It was six in the morning when I woke up. Everyone else was still asleep. It was still dark. I put my clothes on and made my way upstairs. It was time to feed the animals.
Reality hit me when I reached the top of the stairs. Feed the animals? I wasn't in Amity anymore. I was in Dauntless. I guess I was so tired from all the fun I had yesterday that it caused me to lose a few brain cells, which lead to me having temporary memory loss.
I felt too tired and lazy to go back downstairs into bed. So, I just sat on the floor next to the stairwell and went back to sleep. I've done it before back in the stables at Amity. I would try to hide in one of the horse's stalls, so my parents couldn't see me sleeping when I was suppose to do morning chores.
I don't know how long I was asleep for before I felt a gentle tapping on my shoulder. It was Four. He looked amused. At least, his soul piecing eyes did.
"What are you doing sleeping here?" He asked me dryly. "Aren't the beds here in Dauntless good enough for you?"
I covered my mouth as I yawned. "I got up early when I was in Amity to feed the animals." I replied groggily. "I forgot briefly this morning I was in Dauntless."
"So, you thought you had to feed animals when you woke up?" He clarified, sounding amused.
"Yep"
I was surprised when I heard him snickering. "Alright, make your way to the Pit while I wake up the others. Okay?"
I nodded. He helped me up to my feet while he made his way downstairs. I was not surprised when I was the first initiate to be in the Pit. Eric was sitting on a beam. Four quickly joined him. I felt very awkward because I got a feeling that neither of them liked me because of the way my mouth has been lately. If they knew me from Amity, they would know I'm normally not a smart mouth. I blame the Hell that Adam forced upon me for that.
"She's awfully quiet." I heard Eric whisper to Four after a minute of silence between us. "A little too quiet for my liking."
"And here I thought you would like a quiet girl"
"If I really liked quiet girls, I would've joined Abnegation or Amity." Eric retorted, which got a soft chuckle from Four.
Did they think I was deaf or something? I was right there while they talked about me.
"She must be hiding something." Eric added, looking right at me. Damn, he's good. "That's usually the case with very quiet people."
"I wouldn't say that." Four disagreed. "She might not have anything to say. Isn't that a good thing sometimes?"
"Maybe to you, but not me"
"Well, if you want her to talk...ask her something."
"I will." Then, Eric addressed me. "Hey, initiate! Talk! You're making me nervous."
"About what?" I replied, a bit annoyed they had this whole conversation about me like I wasn't there.
"Why are you the first initiate here?"
"I woke up early." I replied.
"She thought she had to feed animals." Four added, amusement back in his voice.
"Is that what you did in Amity when you woke up?" Eric asked me, equally amused.
"Yes"
"Did you forget that you were in Dauntless for a brief moment this morning?"
"Yes"
Eric chuckled. "I love this girl! She is amusing."
I was relieved when the other initiates finally arrived. They would take the focus of Four and Eric off of me temporarily. Something also told me they...correction, Eric...will tell everyone about my little blunder this morning about forgetting I was in Dauntless since I woke up early to feed the animals. It already felt to me I was the laughing stock of the whole fraction.
"There are two stages of training. There is physical where we push your body to it's breaking point. Then, there is your mental. Same thing where we push you to your breaking point. You will face your fears and have to conquer them unless they conquer you first. You'll be ranked each day. By the end of training, rankings will decide which jobs you go to. Leadership, protecting the wall, or keeping the other fractions from killing each other"
"Rankings will also determine who gets cut" Eric added.
There were a lot of murmurs among the transfer initiates.
"Cut?" Sean asked, puzzled.
"Whoever is under the red line after each stage will be leaving us." Eric replied. "So, you will either go back your families or become fracction-less."
The Fraction-less were people that couldn't make it in the fraction they choose. They didn't have homes and basically had to fend for themselves. They are people that our society literally throws away because they don't fit into the fractions, either of their origin or the one they choose. It pissed me off.
"I wouldn't sweat it." Eric said dryly. "If you really are one of us, you wouldn't worry if you do get cut."
We worked out, went out on runs, learn how to shoot guns, and watch Four fight other members of Dauntless as a way to teach us how to fight in the next week. I did well with working out, jogging, and shooting guns because of my background as a huntress in Amity. The only thing that would hinder me is fighting someone and comforting them for hurting them. It was in my nature as a former Amity member to forgive and console someone if they weren't doing well. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way why it's wise not to console or apologize to someone that you just fought.
