It was a quiet night, which was rare in Dauntless, notoriously the loudest faction of them all. Ruth was restless, sure she was supposed to be sleeping, but she just couldn't. Tomorrow was the Aptitude Test, and well, like many of her peers she was nervous. As the first generation of the City, it had never been done before. No one knew what to expect and there was no one she could go to for advice. Tired of lying in bed, the sixteen-year-old rose and climbed out of bed. She quickly threw on a black crop top and shorts before she left her room. She was careful to be quiet on her way out of the apartment, not daring to wake her sleeping father. Once outside she breathed in the familiar stale air of the Dauntless Compound. I need to get out of here, she thought, but she didn't mean for the night - that was forbidden. Dependents weren't allowed to leave the compound unless accompanied by a member. She meant out of the faction for good. Sure, Dauntless had its charms, as she was sure all the factions did, but she wanted to get away from her father. With limited options of where to go, she went to the Chasm and sat on the bridge, dangling her feet above the rushing water below.
"Isn't it a little late for you to be out of bed?" Came an all too familiar voice. Ruth glanced up and smiled at the face of the man who was like an uncle to her, Theo. He smiled back at her as he sat down beside her. Theo, like her father, was one of the three leaders of the faction and although they were supposed to be equal, everyone deferred to her father. He was Dauntless royalty, and in a sense so was she.
Ruth sighed as she leaned back and closed her eyes, feeling at ease with the older man around. "I couldn't sleep." she admitted as she ran a hand through her brown hair.
"And I assume this has nothing to do with the Aptitude test?" Theo teased as he elbowed her in the side.
Ruth grinned. "I know it's stupid, I mean, why worry over something I have no control over? But it's just, it's so unknown…" she trailed off.
"That's the beauty of it," Theo said. "There's no way to prepare, so the results will be real. The test will tell you who you are, you have to have some faith in Erudite."
Ruth nodded. "I guess you're right," she mused. "But still, I can't shake the feeling that something bad's about to happen."
"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Theo questioned as he stood. He offered his hand and helped Ruth to her feet. "I'll walk you back."
"You're just making sure I actually get home," Ruth teased. She began to walk backwards so she could still see her older companion, but kept looking over her shoulder to make sure she didn't bump into someone and was sure to keep both hands on the railings, one fall over the chasm and it would be over for her.
"That too," Theo said with a shrug.
The pair had arrived at Ruth's apartment, and as if on cue, the door opened. Ruth swallowed a lump in her throat at the sight of her father.
"Axel, good to see you," Theo said as he shook the older man's hand.
"Thank you for getting my daughter home safely," Axel said, blue eyes looking his daughter up and down.
"Of course," Theo said. He then gave Ruth a side hug before he disappeared, leaving the father and daughter to presumably discuss her worries, not knowing what horrors awaited the teen behind closed doors.
"Just where the hell have you been?" Axel demanded as he grabbed his daughter by the arm and dragged her inside.
Ruth tried to pull her arm free, but her father tightened his grip. He was dressed in a housecoat, and his reeked of booze. Of course he's been drinking, that's all he ever does, Ruth thought.
Ruth shrugged nonchalantly. "Out."
Axel chuckled humourlessly, "You think you're tough?" he asked, his tone threatening. "Let's see how tough you really are."
Ruth tensed and braced herself for the first blow and her father didn't keep her waiting long. Suddenly, her face exploded in pain and her head snapped to the side. If it weren't for her father's grip on her she surely would have fallen over from the force of the blow. Luckily they lived in a faction where bruises were commonplace, otherwise she'd have a lot of explaining to do.
Hello and welcome to my Divergent SYOC!
This story will be about the first initiation. Unlike other stories, this story will focus on Dauntless born initiates. Therefore, I have a preference for receiving Dauntless born initiates.
If you'd like to make a character, please PM me asking for the for with a brief idea about your character - just so I can make sure they're a good fit for the story. Once your idea is approved I'll send you the form.
I will need instructors and maybe the third Dauntless leader that I haven't made yet. So, if you're interested in sending those please do so.
If you have any questions please PM me. And please review if you're enjoying the story so far.