Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent, any of the characters or any of the dialogue that comes directly from the text.
We are officially veering off a bit more from the original script.
Chapter 6
I lead them through the pit to the railing above the chasm. The river is roaring loudly and I can see fear and confusion on Christina's face as well as on the faces of the rest of the initiates. I consider whether or not a threat would be enough, but my authority is at question and I have to follow through with this.
I shove Christina against the railing, wincing internally as she hits it harder than I intended.
"Climb over it," I say.
"What?" She says, eyes wide and face ashen.
"Climb over the railing," I say again slowly. "If you can hang over the chasm for five minutes, I will forget your cowardice. If you can't I will not allow you to continue initiation."
She looks terrified and I wonder if this threat is enough, if she has already learnt the lesson I was hoping to teach.
"Fine," she says, her voice shaking.
I watch as she puts her toe on the ledge and lifts her other leg over it. She wipes her hands on her pants and holds on to the railing so hard her knuckles turn white.
This is your last chance to stop her I think. I hesitate before looking over at Tris. She is watching Christina, her expression equal parts terrified and angry. Suddenly she turns her head and is looking directly at me. Her eyes harden as we stare at each other, she scowls disapprovingly. She is clearly attempting to look intimidating but her expression mixed with her round eyes make her look like an angry puppy. I nearly smile but manage to train my mouth into a smirk, raising an eyebrow at her.
She breaks my gaze and we both turn our attention back to Christina who is taking one foot off the ledge and then the other. Christina looks determined and I hope to God she can handle this.
I notice Al setting his watch next to Tris.
For the first minute and a half, Christina is fine. Her hands stay firm around the railing and her arms don't shake. But then the river hits the wall and white water sprays against Christina's back. Her face strikes the barrier and she cries out. I notice her hand slip so she is just holding on by her fingertips. She tries to get a better grip, but now her hands are wet.
I can feel my heart beating in my throat as I start to doubt that she will make it. It wasn't my intention to get her killed. I just wanted to show these initiates who is in charge.
I look over at Tris who appears to be once again lost in thought. I wonder if she will reach out to Christina. If she will try to help her. Stiffs are meant to be selfless, aren't they? She doesn't look as though she has any intention of helping her friend and I find myself thinking she might belong here after all.
I hear a loud sob and realize it's coming from the girl hanging from the railing. Another wave hits the wall and the spray coats her body. Her hands slip again, and this time, one of them falls from the railing, so she's hanging by four fingertips.
I chance a glance at Tris who looks as though she is about to cry or vomit, maybe both and I realize it's my fault that she looks that way. I recognize that I am being a complete dick, but I'm not a monster and I will not let this girl die because of my stubbornness.
"Time's up!" I yell, knowing full well that her time is not up yet before reaching over the railing and grabbing onto her free wrist. She stares up at me, eyes wide and afraid, likely debating whether or not she trusts me not to drop her.
"I got you," I say only loud enough for her to hear. She hesitates before grabbing onto my forearm. I hold her wrist tight and the hand holding onto the railing lets go. I reach my other arm out to her and she swings up to meet it. I haul her over the barrier and she drops to the ground, soaking wet and quivering.
I look up from her and notice Tris staring at me once more. Her expression is hard to read, but I note a mixture of relief, confusion and curiosity. We continue looking at each other and I am too aware of how fast my heart is beating in my chest….but then again, whose wouldn't be after lugging Christina over the railing.
I look away and start to make my way back to the training room, there are still more fights to observe after all.
It's a short one, but I'm hoping to get another chapter done by the end of this weekend. Thank you for reading! And any feedback is welcomed! 3
-MWB
