I own nothing, sadly. I understand that my writing style is different than Veronica Roth's, but I hope you enjoy it anyways. Thank you for all the positive feedback on the first part of this story! I love you guys and I'll try to update as often as I can.
Chapter 34
Zeke leads us from the pit, down hallways until we reach the initiate's dorm. "Get an extra set of clothes. You'll need it," he says. The experienced Dauntless have backpacks, presumably where their extra clothes are. Uriah, Marlene, and Lynn put their clothes in an older Dauntless' pack. Christina has put her clothes in the bag Will bought on his first day here; he's still an Erudite in some ways, always prepared. Just as I'm wondering where I'll put my clothes, Tobias pulls off his pack and offers it to me. That's the Abnegation in him. It's comforting somehow, proof that even the most hardened people have some Abnegation in them.
When everyone's ready, we walk out of the compound to wait for the train, laughing and talking. Christina worriedly holds onto my arm with one hand and Will's hand with the other. She wasn't part of the zip-line escapade, so this is her first off-the-record adventure with Dauntless.
"Where are we going?" Christina ask me.
"Not sure. It'll probably be ridiculous. Definitely dangerous. But I'm sure it'll be fun!" I reply.
"Is this like an initiation ritual or something?" Will asks.
One of the two boys I don't know turns around. "Of sorts. When we were initiates, our trainer took us here and we've been coming back ever since."
"Don't give them any hints, Tyler!" Lauren says, "They'll have to wait and see."
The train arrives. We all pile into the car, set our bags in a haphazard pile as Zeke directs, and wait as the train takes us toward the outskirts of the city. What are we going to do out here?
"You might want to sit down. It'll be a long ride," Shauna says.
I slide down against the wall of the car and settle in, sitting cross-legged. Tobias glances at me, ends his conversation with Zeke, and sits down at my side. I smile as he reaches for my hand and let myself lean on his shoulder. We spend the rest of the trip silent, watching the sun disappear behind the skyscrapers. After twenty minutes, Tobias stands and pulls me up with him.
"Get ready to jump!" he says. Everyone else gets to their feet and a nervous energy fills the car. Zeke's wild grin returns. Uriah stands close to the door, in front of Zeke.
"There's nothing here. It's just a lake in the middle of-" Uriah's protest is cut off when Zeke tosses him from the train into the water. A laughing Shauna throws Lynn off, and the other three older Dauntless push Will, Christina, and Marlene towards the lake. Tobias picks me up and jumps. When I surface, sputtering, I see Lauren diving in, laughing and dragging Zeke along with her. I smile and swim towards the shore, where Tyler and Shauna jumped off, bringing all of our bags with them. I see what the extra clothes were for now.
"Tris, stay for a while. The water feels amazing!" Will says when he sees my intention. He's right. The warm summer air and the cool water are heaven on my skin. It's been a long time since I went swimming, so I'm determined to enjoy every second of this.
Tyler and the boy I don't know are climbing onto the platform built for the train tracks and using it as a diving board. I never learned how to dive because it's considered to be only for enjoyment, which isn't the Abnegation way. Learning to swim was a useful skill, but diving wasn't. I haul myself onto the platform, thrilled at the fact that I can lift my whole body with just my arms. Tyler grins and introduces the other boy as Kyle.
"So you're the Stiff who somehow managed to rank first?" Kyle asks.
"Kyle! She's a Dauntless now!" Lauren scolds him before doing a graceful back dive.
"Well, we're all thinking it!" Kyle must have been Candor before his Choosing, "You're also the initiate who's got a cute little crush on Four, right?"
I'm not sure how to respond to that, so I answer that yes, I'm first in my initiation class and change the subject. "Can you teach me to dive?"
"You never learned how to dive? Crazy Stiffs," Kyle mutters as he runs and flips off the platform. He won't be any help.
"I can teach you. And don't mind Kyle, he says whatever pops into his head. He doesn't actually mean to be insulting," Tyler says, "As long as you're not scared of water, diving is easy. Just put your hands above your head and jump at an angle towards the water. The lake's deep enough, but remember to angle back up after you hit the water."
After a demonstration and a few painful attempts, I learn how to keep my body controlled enough to make a decent dive. I thank Tyler, dive in one last time, and swim over to Tobias.
"So the initiation ritual is getting thrown off the train into a lake?" I ask.
"We decided to start it this year. Congratulations! You're one of the first to experience this wonderful rite of passage," he says, laughing. He's so much more relaxed here with his friends. The change from cold-hearted instructor to smiling friend amazes me. I like this side of him much more.
"Who found the lake?" I ask.
"Amar, my instructor from initiation. We took a field trip here," Tobias replies.
"Hey! The train will be here in ten minutes! Who's ready to go back to my place and get drunk?" Zeke yells. No time for romance now.
"There's the bell," I say.
"I'll go get our clothes. I brought towels too," Tobias says before swimming quickly towards the shore, arms slicing powerfully through the water. Oh my god. Where am I going to change at?! I hate changing in front of people, and there are no trees to hide behind out here. I sigh and follow Tobias, swimming reluctantly towards the group.
When I get close to Christina I whisper, "Where are we supposed to change at?"
She laughs and replies, "Just keep your towel wrapped around you while you change your bra and underwear and then turn around so no one can see. It's not a big deal, I swear."
She's right, it shouldn't be a big deal. I'm not Abnegation anymore, I'm Dauntless, and the Dauntless aren't afraid to show some skin. Or all of it, judging from the way Kyle's stripping in front of everyone. I look away, knowing I'll never be brave enough to be naked out in the open like that.