Brialla sniffled in the corner she shoved herself in, body jerking with every jump the train made. A cacophony of noise surrounded her but she found she couldn't partake in their enjoyment. Not with the rock in her chest that felt as if it weighed her down every second that passed. It was hard to breathe. To make sense of anything that happened since hearing those words.
Brialla Llewen: Dauntless.
It had to be a bad joke. She was probably still strapped down to that chair dreaming. Brialla wasn't fire. She wasn't fearless or brave. She was not a fighter. She preferred peace and words over fists and anger. This was not who she was. How could her strongest affinity be fire? She refused to believe it. She was calm; the embodiment of an earth bender. There was no way any of this was true.
The boy she once loved was in Dauntless.
She wondered if they would ever run into each other. She hoped not. She was finally over all the pain and suffering of being abandoned and didn't want those feelings brought to the surface again.
Her brow furrowed as she decided on her plan. She had always heard rumors that Dauntless had the most difficult of initiations. If people failed they were supposed to be banished behind the walls to the Shadowlands. But it was the worst kept secret the majority of people disappeared into Amity. Their magic was stripped from them, but they were alive. It was more than what the Shadowlands offered.
Brialla's gift was no gift at all. It was a curse. She was better off losing any bending ability she had. Everyone was safer that way, and she got to go back to Amity where she belonged.
No one else in her class got Fire. One other girl had gotten Candor, and two more Erudite, but everyone else stayed home. Fire was so opposite of earth. It was rare for someone of the Earth Faction to get fire. She was all alone here. She knew no one and was half certain all the people in this train could kill her with ease. She was scrawny and underweight, weak and untrained. She had nothing going for her.
Her eyes met someone's from across the room. A boy with midnight black hair and angelic features. Even from across the room she could see the greenness of his eyes. The guy stood up, dusting his legs off and walking over to stick his hand out.
"Peter."
The noise had someone what abated as their audience watched the two. More of a whisper now. Brialla studied the hand thrust in her face before taking it. "Brialla."
She let out an embarrassing noise as she was yanked up from the floor, head spinning as she realized her head was dangling out of the train. It was a far way down, the tracks sprawling high in the air over water. Someone once told her hitting water from this height was like hitting concrete.
"What? Are you not brave? You're fire, are you not?" Peter mocked, dangling her further over the edge.
Brialla didn't feel like anything. Only terrified that she might die. Her heart was in her throat, mind scrambling for any type of words to disarm him. Peter scoffed, rolling his eyes with a sneer of disgust. "I guess they let anything through the doors now. Even some happy-go-lucky Earthie."
Brialla had never heard the term before when referring to Amity, but it sounded derogatory. "Please," she whispered, closing her eyes.
"Just like an Earthie to beg. You sure they didn't mix you up?"
"Peter, that's enough."
Brialla was yanked away from the edge and brought into the safety of the train. Her knees gave out and she too short huffs of air struggling to get the rapid beat of her heart under control.
"I was just having some fun," Peter grumbled, heading back over to his friends. She would make sure to give a wide berth to the three of them.
Brialla's savior gave her a short once over and turned away. Going back to his corner of the train and watching the scenery pass. Flushed and awkward, Brialla followed him. She didn't know what else to do and she no longer trusted the people here. At least this man had shown he didn't want to kill her.
He didn't stir as Brialla sat down next to him. "I'm Brialla."
"I heard," he said shortly.
Brialla scratched at her knees, rubbing her neck as her pulse steadied. "Do you think-"
"No offense, but I don't really feel like talking."
Brialla forced herself to look away. She felt so alone. None of these people cared about her. This wasn't home. She was kidding herself thinking otherwise. Everyone thought it was a done deal that she was Amity. She wondered if her parents would talk to her anymore. They were pretty traditional and believed the factions should not mingle with one another. She didn't want to lose her parents too. It was as if everything that had any meaning in her life was falling through her fingers like grains of sand.
Brialla rested her head on her knees and closed her eyes. Maybe when she opened them again this nightmare would be over.
"I need you to strip."
Brialla flushed, already feeling bare her thin dress. She scratched at her stomach as the no-nonsense woman stared down at her with a severe look. "Kayla Summerlin, RN" was emblazoned on her nametag with ornate calligraphy which made Brialla positive that the woman was from Erudite. Only Erudite cared about such pretentiousness.
"You need a clean bill of health in order to enter Dauntless. I need to check you for disfigurement. Now strip or I'll have someone help you do it."
She was still having a heart attack from jumping off a ten-story building, but there was no sympathy to be found in this place. Brialla was finding this out quickly.
She hurried to do as bid, not wanting another person to see her so indecent. She went to cover herself but the RN rolled her eyes. "Oh please, girl. I've seen it all. It is nothing new."
Apparently modestly wasn't a thing in Dauntless or Erudite. After she was searched and prodded head to toe she was shoved out the door, cheeks flushed and scrambling to adjust her clothes. She examined the paper shoved at him and noted only a mild peanut allergy she was already aware of on it.
She wiped the wrinkles out of her clothes, rubbing at the flush of her cheeks and taking the room in. It had to be one of the largest chambers she had ever seen. It was sectioned into different areas. There was a weight lighting spot. Another specializing in some type of wrestling and so on. The center of the room was void of equipment and that was where the new Dauntless initiates were gathered.
After letting out a sigh she went to join them, keeping far away from Peter. Standing at attention was a girl with hair the color of lilacs, expression even and brokering no argument. Brialla would bet all her apples the woman would be beautiful if she smiled but she seemed to have no inclination. A man stood beside her, his expression enough to curdle milk. Brialla shivered, hoping she would never have to deal with him. The man's jaw ticked as he took in the room with disgust. He did not seem happy with them and training had not even begun. He was dressed all black, a popular color for the Fire Faction. They tended to wear that or red. When she took in the last man her lungs stopped.
He was taller, with hair cut to the nape of his neck and slicked out of his face. Eyeliner framed his face and he had a ring in. He almost looked like a completely different person, but Brialla knew better.
Brialla rested her head against her lover's chest, fiddling with a loose string on his sleeve and smiling when she felt a kiss pressed to her forehead.
"You promise no matter what you'll write."
The ceremony was coming up and with it the chance of her lover leaving her for another faction. Brialla tried ignoring it, but with the date bearing down on them she couldn't anymore. She had a bad feeling about it all, and despite their talks about it she realized he had never actually referenced staying in Amity after the testing.
Her lover's hair curled against his forehead. Spiraling curls he had never cared for but Brialla loved. He reached down to cup Brialla's cheek, placing a soft kiss on her lips that had Brialla grinning. "Bri, nothing could stop me. I don't think you have anything to worry about. My family has only ever had Earth Benders as far as I know. After the ceremony, I'll be back in the fields quicker than you know it."
That promise had blown through her fingers much like her own life had the moment Dauntless had been called. Brialla thought her lover would at least write or try and be friends. She waited for a reply for so long. An entire year passed before Brialla realized she had been forgotten, left behind as if they were some type of fling. Like their years of friendship didn't matter and the month's they spent learning each other as something new meant nothing.
Their eyes met from across the room, Brialla's defiant and his empty, and then he was on looking at the next initiate as if he didn't know Brialla at all. Anger coursed through her veins, burning him from the inside out.
Tobias Eaton was dead to her.
The man in the middle stepped forward. The one with dangerous eyes that frightened Brialla to her very core. He cleared his throat and the room went silent without a hitch. He studied them a moment longer and opened his mouth, his voice deep and penetrating.
"It is obligatory for me to say congratulations in my speech. Now I have done that. You are now a trainee for Dauntless. Being sorted will be the easiest part of this process, I'm afraid."
He paced in front of them, shoulders back and hands loosely locked behind his back. Brialla struggled not to get sick. If getting sent to Dauntless was the easiest part she would never survive.
"My name is Eric. This lovely lady beside me is Lauren, and Four is to my right." The girl with lilac hair gave a short nod at the mention. It seemed Tobias now went by Four. He really had shoved everything away from his old life. "We are responsible for pushing your sorry asses through training. This will be difficult. You will be torn apart and then pieced back together into something that possibly resembles human. Many of you will quit, and all will bleed on this floor before you leave. This is to ensure you are worthy to be called Dauntless."
Everyone stared at the concrete floor as if picturing it already. Brialla shivered, folding her arms across her chest to hide the shaking. Dauntless was known for having one of the most rigorous initiation processes. All Amity did was have their new initiates try out all the available jobs until they picked which they liked. This was hell compared to that.
Eric stared all of them down as if searching for their weaknesses. He wouldn't have to look long when it came to Brialla.
"This is how it works. You will be assessed three times, and for each one cuts will be made." He pointed to a large board that sat on the wall. "Every day there will be a daily ranking. If you want to see how shit your score is, that is where you want to look. At the end of this process, only sixty of you will remain. Yes, that means twenty-two of you will not make it." Eric took in the scattering of colors not wearing the traditional black and red, landing on her and sunflower yellow sundress.
She felt like an idiot.
"Eight of you are transfers without a clue of what to expect," he continued. "All I can say is try to keep up and don't piss everyone off."
"Dauntless are the protectors. The heroes. We keep all of the factions safe and give our lives to do it." He pointed towards the door with a scowl. "If you are a coward you might as well save yourself some time and suffering. This is not the place for you."
Eric grinned, and it was a dark thing. Dangerous and flashing with alarming intent. "If not, let's get started. I got my eye on a few I'm dying to tear into."
A/N: As you can see, I changed Four's former faction for this story. Tris will be in this story btw. I haven't cut her out. Please review. It gives me an idea of how I am doing. :)
