I wake up and immediately wish I didn't. Today is the day we go through our fear landscapes. The last day of initiation. Then, if we don't have fast enough times, we get kicked out of Dauntless. We become factionless.
I shudder, remembering my first encounter with the factionless.
When I was about nine, my mother asked me to bring food to them. About three of them approached me. They looked so scary, like they weren't well cared for, and I got so frightened I dropped the food and ran.
And now I have high chances of joining them.
Hershey climbs down from above me and shakes Willis.
"Wake up!" she shouts.
"Why should I?" Willis mutters.
"Fear landscapes today!" Hershey replies.
"Thanks for the reminder, now let me sleep," Willis groans.
Hershey and I laughs.
Willis sits up and throws a pillow at us, then rolls back over.
Hershey throws the pillow back.
This continues for a minute until finally Willis throws the pillow off to the side.
I grab the pillow and toss it to Hershey, who throws it at Willis again.
Willis angrily snatches the pillow and stands up.
"You win!" He grumbles.
"Finally!" Hershey cheers.
...
"All Dauntless-born initiates, please report to the fear landscape room for the final test."
Kimberly drops her fork and stares at the loudspeaker. Biting her lip, she stands and starts for the door.
"Good luck!" I call out.
Kimberly nods, then leaves.
I pick at my food, my thoughts scattered.
I almost failed stage one. I was ranked lowest in the transfer initiates. Then I was ranked twelfth in stage 2. I'm not doing well. I won't make it into the top ten. In order for that to happen there will have to be six initiates with worse simulation times. And considering it took me almost four minutes in one obstacle... I don't want to think about it.
"Transfers, please report to the fear landscape room for the final test."
I glance at Hershey and Willis. Together we stand up and walk along the elevated path to the room where we will face our fears.
Kita walks behind us, shaking.
I try not to think about what will be in mine.
We walk in and see Angel stumbling out of the room.
Oh, great. That's satisfying.
"Here's the order you will go in." Kaden hangs up a sheet of paper. "Opposite rankings."
Selina, Willis, me, Trista, Kita, Sandra, Hershey.
I'm going in third.
Kaden injects Selina, then sends her into the room.
On the screen, I watch her jump at least a foot into the air from things I can't see. After a while of silly reactions, it is Willis's turn.
Willis walks boldly into the room. I see him twitching, like he's trying to escape something, brushing random things off him, running from air.
Then it is my turn.
Kaden injects me with the serum, then sends me in.
