A/N: Oh my gosh, what is this? ANOTHER CHAPTER! I'M LOSING IT! Welcome back to the world of the crazed monkeys (really, that is the first thought I had when I first read about the Dauntless)! So, we've just landed ourselves back in another exciting chapter! Now before we get started I would like to thank all of the kind reviewers! 21sparkles, Alia, and RGP (Random Guest Person). You three will forever have a spot on my wall for being one of the first reviewers I have ever gotten, like, ever. I am sad, aren't I. Geez! Enough of the self-pity! Time for the story!
Once we're all back on solid ground, Four steps to the front of our group, along with a girl around 19 years old, with purple streaks in her hair and several piercings in her eyebrows. They lead us to a fork in the hallways, stopping abruptly. "Dauntless-born, you're with me! I assume you don't need a tour," the girl says in a booming voice, smiling slightly as she speaks. The Dauntless-born grin and follow her down one corridor and through a large door at the end.
Next, Four speaks. "Normally, I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor. My name is Four." He sounds practiced. Really, reeeeeeeeeally practiced, does he do this in the mirror every morning or something?
From off to the side, there's an interruption. "What's that supposed to be? Something cool?" Maria sniggers. A flash of anger breaks through Four's cold shield, but he ignores her, continuing his practiced monologue.
"We're about to go into the Pit, center of life here at Dauntless."
A giggle comes from the two Amity girls, and he whips around to face them. "Is there a problem?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper. I feel my brain start to turn off, the only words I hear from him are 'Boring, dull, yadda yadda yadda, and blah, blah, blah,'. But really, if they didn't want someone to comment on the names then they should be a bit more imaginative.
I must have sighed, because Four is glaring at me now. "You bored, Erudite?"
"Yeah. I am a bi-"
"Well maybe you should have stayed at home with your mommy and daddy, if you wanted t-"
I roll my eyes. "Yes, yes, yes, I know. You're intimidating, please continue with your 'mirror practiced' speech."
He squints at me. "I suggest you start acting like a Dauntless. If I wanted to put up with Erudite know-it-alls, I would have joined their faction."
I look over him, I feel my own eyes narrowing. Who was he to insult my old faction? So, I decide to give him the ol' 'Emily style' knock down.
"You seem uncomfortable talking to me, because you are new to this position as an instructor as you're only seventeen. Just off the boat. You seem to be like most of the Dauntless, but nervous habits such as the twitching in your hands tells me you're a bit off. When I first came down into the net you looked a bit ashamed, possibly because you weren't the first to jump?" He looks like his eyes are bugging out of him head. "However, no one would be ashamed of being second, third, fourth, or even fifth. The last, perhaps?" His eyes narrow at me in anger. "Yes, the last. You still look around this area like you're relatively new to it, so I'm willing to bet you're a transfer. But Four though? It's obviously a nickname because no parent in their right mind would name their child 'Four'. So, what that supposed to be? Must be a name comprised of something you seem proud of. "I raise my eyebrows at Four. Who has the bugged-out-eye- look still plastered on his face." So, I think it's because of an accomplishment that not everyone can have. How about the fear simulation?" I ask this simply because it is the only thing I really know that happens in this crazy compound. He gives me an unbelieving look. "Oh don't look at me like that, I used to be at Erudite headquarters all the time. So, Four, how about four fears?" He starts to sputter. "Yes, you have four fears. Quite an accomplishment. So, Four, how's that for an Erudite know-it-all? Because, in fact, I do know it all."
Before he can respond, I brush past him and open the double doors, entering the area apparently called "the Pit."
The Pit is a giant cave, with shops and pathways carved into the walls, a glass ceiling visible with light shining through the building on top of us. Young children run past me, yelling and shouting and laughing. As I look around, Four walks past me and roughly pushes me back to the other initiates, saying, "If you'll follow me." With yet another glare thrown at me, I return an innocent smile. He starts walking toward a steep ledge to one side of the Pit. "This is the chasm. It reminds us of the fine line between bravery and idiocy. A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It has happened before and will happen again." I analyze him carefully. The slight sadness in his eyes - he knew someone who jumped, obviously a close friend to still be sad about it.
He leads us to a door off to the side. When we walk through, we hear loud cheers and whoops, similar to how it was when we jumped off the roof, but to a much greater scale. We're in a dining hall, and everyone is clapping and cheering. I see Tim out of the corner of my eye, grinning at me.
All the Dauntless-borns are sitting at one table, with a few empty spaces at it, and an entirely empty table adjacent to theirs. The empty table is clearly meant for us transfers, seeing as it's the only table with no members at it. I see the girl who had been leading the Dauntless-born before sitting with them, eating her dinner. I start walking toward the transfers' table, and see Tim sitting at the end of the Dauntless-born table that's touching the end of the transfers' table, waving at me to come sit next to him. I do, sitting at the end of our table while the other transfers spread out. Four comes and sits next to the Dauntless-born's instructor -the one with the purple hair, who Tim tells me is named Lauren. We start eating our dinner - hamburgers - and I talk with Tim until a strange hush falls over the dining hall, and I look up to see Eric walking in.
Sophie leans over from her seat a few feet down from me and asks Four, "What's so special about that guy?"
"His name's Eric, he's a Dauntless leader," Four says, glaring at Eric. Wait, he's a leader? Why didn't he tell me? Hmph! I'm not sharing any of my dessert if he asks!
"Really? But he's only, like, seventeen!" Jessica pipes up, also looking at Eric. A dazed look on her face as she looks him up and down. I almost barf.
Four glances at her. "Age doesn't matter here."
Eric's eyes are skimming over the crowd, until they finally settle on our table. I raise my hand to wave and mouth 'hi', but he walks right past me and stops by Four, tapping his shoulder and saying something in his ear after he stands up. I let my hand fall and glare at my plate. I feel a hand on my shoulder and hear Tim say, "What's wrong?"
I look up at him. "Eric and I used to be best friends until he transferred a year ago. And now he's just ignoring me," I answer.
"Ah," Tim says. "I hear he changed a lot during Initiation.. He's not the same guy you used to be friends with." He looks sad. Why would he be sad? We literally just met! People can have funny little brains sometimes.
After dinner, Four gets up and shows the transfers our dormitories. Lauren, once again, takes the Dauntless-borns with her.
That night, while I'm trying to sleep, I hear a few sobs coming from the Amity girls, and from, surprisingly, what sounds like James and John, the oh-so-tough Candor twins. Aaron and Alice are smart enough to muffle their tears, or to prevent themselves from crying at all. However, my face remains completely dry, and completely blank. I search around inside myself for the homesickness I feel should be there, but instead I feel emptiness, and the hurt I felt at Eric ignoring me at dinner. But the hurt is so minuscule that it's like it's not even there. I try to remember the last time I felt a full emotion other than stress and anger, but I find nothing. And with that notion, I fall into an uneasy sleep.
A/N: Right, so, slightly shorter chapter this time.. Hope you enjoyed Four's slightly-less-intense-than-it-used-to-be bitchiness! Please, let us know what you thought about this chapter!
Please! I would really like reviews! You could almost say I am broke on reviews. If there was a store where you spend reviews I would not be able to buy anything. So please, for the broke Time Lord living in the Doctor's basement because he's the only family I have left the and the pool in right above me so there are leaks.
… For the record, I have no idea what she just said either.
I get that a lot :D!
You'd think I would understand her after four years (five years? idk) but NOPE.
It's my special talent.
Okay, she just spelled 'special' as 'spiecial.' DO YOU SEE WHAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH?
Really, really! I couldn't spell that damned word to save my life (trust me, I have tried)
Wait, then how are you still alive if you've tried?
I'm not alive, but I'm not dead. I'm un-dead!
My mind just exploded.
But you see the term 'Un-dead' could really be used for living things because we are 'un-dead' and all that 'un-dead' really means not dead. So why would writers call Vampires and Zombies 'un-dead'? Because they are almost half alive and half dead so they should be called the Half-un-dead.
The thing is.. You said 'I'm not alive.' Thus, you are lying. And you just went off on an entirely unrelated tangent… And I think at this point the A/Ns are getting longer than the actual chapter.
Mhm… yes. But on an entirely unrelated note the term 'un-dead' means-
I'm just going to cut you off there, and finish up this super long A/N. Reviews would give us an amazing opportunity to spam each other whenever we get one, which is a lot of fun, so they are very much loved!
Correct-amundo!
So yeah, thanks for reading this far, we hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoy writing it, and I hope you continue to read and enjoy it!
Until we meet again! Off to Akhet, I think the ceremony's about to start. Coming, Astro? Oswald and the Doctor are waiting.
…I DON'T GET THAT REFERENCE YET! But sure!
Lovely! Off we GOOOOOOO!