After every 16 year old had chosen a faction, Dauntless were ushered out first. I let myself be carried with the crowd, and when they began running, i did as well. It was refreshing not having to worry about whether you're looking dumb.
When they started climbing, i climbed as well. That was easy. I could climb for miles. I stood upon the train tracks and watched as Beatrice hefted herself up, with the help of a dauntless. The jump onto the train had been a little harder, I'd never had to jump onto a moving vehicle before. I recognised one transfer boy on the train, Will. He had been in my lessons since nursery and we were good friends. I smiled at him and he stopped beside me.
"I always thought you were made for Dauntless Mae" He commented. "You were always the girl to look for a fight"
"I never went looking for a fight, a fight usually found me" I smirked. "And i simply couldn't let someone think they'd beaten me" I had gotten into a few fights back in Erudite. I couldn't help it. If someone treated me like dirt, they deserved a punch to the nose.
"You better get used to being beaten now Erudite" A boy spat and i raised my eyebrows at him. Candor. No off switch due to no brains, that's what they said.
"Oh please, a Candor?" I laughed slightly. "Do you even know how to spell beaten?" Many around the train cart laughed and Will snickered from beside me.
"Don't think because you're hot, that i won't fight you" He stepped closer to me and i rolled my eyes. How can you call me hot and then threaten me? Pointless and unthoughtful argument.
"Don't think because you're flirting, that I'll lower my standards" I smiled and the cart laughed again. The boy narrowed his eyes but backed down.
"Ignore Peter, he's an idiot" A coloured girl muttered, coming to stand with me and Will. Candor as well.
"I kind of figured that out already" I chuckled.
"I'm Christina" She introduced.
"Mae" I smiled. She seemed nice enough.
"I'm Beatrice" Oh i already know you Darling. I smiled anyway and she smiled back. A stiff joining Dauntless, that was unheard of. But i'm going into a new home, and i'm ready for changes. I looked sideways at Will, but he was silent.
"This is Will" I introduced and he blushed slightly. I gave him a look and he smiled through it. When had Will ever been shy? Ten minutes later we arrived at the Dauntless faction. I smiled as i stood near the door and gazed out. I recognised the building from my last, and only, visit here. What shocked me though were that people were jumping off the train onto a roof. Fuck. One kid almost missed and i flinched for him.
"They're jumping" I muttered and the two girls joined me on the side. I took a deep breath and took a step back before ejecting myself out of the train and onto the roof. Somehow, i managed to land on my feet. I'm sure my eyes were the size of dinner plates as i stared around me. "Fuck me" I sighed as i rubbed my eyes. That was only the begining as well.. Adam better have some fucking good tips.
"Alright quiet down" A man boomed and everyone fell silent. I stared up at the man. He looked like he could squash me with his thumb. "My names Eric" I raised my eyebrows. He was the guy i had to ask about Adam to. "Behind me is your only way into Dauntless. If you don't want to jump, then goodbye. Transfers first" Jump off a fucking building?
"There's a net" A boy whispered into my ear and i smiled thankfully at him. That made me feel better. He winked and stood back up straight.
"What's your name?" I mouthed.
"Uriah" He mouthed back and i nodded slightly.
"Someone's got to go first. Who's it going to be?" Eric asked. Fuck was i going first. While we all glanced at each other, Beatrice raised her hand slightly and stepped forward.
"Me" She said and climbed up onto the wall.
I was led down in bed that night. I'd had to burn my clothes, and change into the dauntless black clothes. I'd been shown around, breiftly, and had dinner in the dinner hall where we were lifted up and cheered. So far, today hadn't been too bad. The jump had been vile, but thanks to Uriah, i felt a little better.
The room, which we'd be in for six weeks, was mixed genders. Including the toilets. Going from the privacy at Erudite, to this, was not nice. I missed my comfortable bed and warm blankets. It was freezing here. I had trouble sleeping at home, due to my late sister's death, so it was almost impossible to get to sleep here.
It didn't matter anyway. At around 4 in the morning, someone walked into the room. I blinked at the figure and sat up when i recognised who it was. Why was Adam coming into our room at this hour in the morning? I may have just been on my phone, but everyone else was asleep.
"So much for coming to find me" He muttered lowly and i frowned.
"I can't say i've had a lot of time to get used to this place" I replied sitting up. The blanket fell around my waist and Adam sat down at the foot of my bed.
"Get changed" He said calmly, like he hadn't just walked in here and sat on my bed, like we were old friends. I stood out of bed, dressed in a pair of pyjama bottoms and a vest. I changed into a pair of trousers they'd given us and a clean vest top. I wasn't that self contious, so that was okay, because Adam didn't even bother to look away.
"I've got to be in the pit at 6" I explained as i finished tying my boots and turned to him.
"I know. That's why i'm losing sleep to save your ass" I tucked my hair behind my ears and followed him out of the room. I blinked against the sudden red light and walked down the stairs. After a short, silent, walk we reached the training rooms, i hadn't been showed to yet. A lot of punching bags, a big mat- obviously for fights- and targets. "Alright, everyday we'll meet here at 4, clear?"
"Why?"
"Divergent's get good in stage two, very good, and that's how they get discovered. We're going to train so you are good in stage one, top five ranking, and then they won't get suspicious" I nodded slowly. That made sense i guess... Eric had explained earlier about the ranking system, and how the people under the red line would get cut.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Someone did this for me, and you'll do it for the next years. It's to prevent death" Drastic, but okay. "You'll start easy tomorrow-"
"Today" I corrected.
"Today then, and you'll be introduced to a gun. Ever used a gun before?"
"Do i look like i've ever used a gun before?" I drawled.
"Cut the attitude. I don't have to be doing this" He snapped. That was true. He didn't need to be helping me. "We can't use a gun now obviously, it would wake everyone up, so we're starting with a knife" He walked towards the targets and picked up three knives. I watched, transfixed, as all knives landed beside each other in the circle.
"You came first in your class, i'm guessing?" He was two years older than me, while our trainers, Four and Eric, were only one.
"Of course. Try" I picked up a knife and looked at it. They weren't that heavy. Depending on the length and density it should need quite a bit of force behind it to get it to stay in the target, for starters. "Stop thinking. Throw" I took a deep breath and threw the knife. I think Adam was just as shocked as i was. It landed in the middle of the red circle. I picked up another and it also landed in the circle. The last one landed on the outskirts of the circle, but still in the circle.
"Shit" I said and Adam nodded slightly. "I'm pretty good at that"
"I think you've got targets under your belt" Adam chuckled. "Let's go onto upper body strength. You'll be paired with a girl to start with, someone your own strength. I hear your not a push over, so that's good, but to beat a boy you need to train" I nodded. We walked over to the metal bars that were sticking out from the wall, obviously designed to test your upper body strength. I grabbed hold of one and Adam moved the stall. Oh fuck, this burned.
At 6, Adam left. I walked to the pit and sat down on one of the rock chair, things. He'd made me stay swinging for half an hour, re starting whenever i dropped and then we'd gone running. To say i was already worked out, was an understatement.
We were learning how to use a gun today. If my arms weren't aching enough. Eric wasn't around it was only Four today. I had a niggling feeling Four must be Tobias Eaton. He's the only Stiff that deflected last year, so it must be.
Four was quite laid back though, he would just leave us to it and try to hit the targets. As previously discovered, i was quite good at hitting targets, but it was much harder with a gun. A knife was lighter, i was still good, but not as good. Beatrice, bless her heart, was shit. She hadn't hit the target once, when as Will pointed out, statistically speaking she should have hit the target once by now, even by accident.
After target practise, we were shown defence techniques, and told to try them out against each other. I was paired with Mia, who had deflected with her boyfriend, Al, from Erudite. I had heard of them, but didn't know them well. She was a sweetheart though. I was doubtful that she would pass initiation, she was a small blonde who had no muslce at all, but she was sweet.
Finally at 6, we were freed and it was dinner time. I'd had to miss breakfast, and lunch had been rushed, so i took time piling my plate and enjoying every smell. We sat down in a group, me, Chris, Bea-Just Tris now, Will, Al and Mia. We had all become fast friends. Down a little from us, was Adam. He was sat alone, reading a paper document. "I could eat a bloody cow" I muttered as i bit into a hamburger, with all the trimmings.
"Where were you at breakfast?" Al asked as he piled his plate as well.
"Somewhere you weren't" I smirked and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. I wriggled my eyebrows at him before taking another bite.
"What were you doing?" Chris asked.
"Not sleeping" I shrugged.
"You not going to tell us?" Al laughed.
"No" I smirked. "If we're going to be friends, you gotta accept i keep things to myself, and i forever will"
"Previous issues?" Tris asked and i nodded once.
"What you shared something and got someone in trouble?" Christina asked. Candor were always curious.
"I shared something and got someone killed" I said and they all stared at me. "I didn't kill them, but the information i shared gave them a location where i didn't know this person was and they got killed in the crossfire" My aunt had asked me where someone was, and i'd given her the information thinking nothing of it. I didn't know my little sister liked to hang out in this closed down room and she had gotten caught in the crossfire. It was my fault, and Mother and Father had reason to blame me. I should have known.
"Who got killed?" Mia asked softly.
"It's none of your buisness" I said simply and they shut up about it. Al, thankfully, changed the subject but i stayed silent. She was 10. She barely got to live her life. I pushed away my plate, my apetite completley gone. I should have known she'd hide there. Why didn't i know? I took a deep breath and released it slowly. It had been three years, but how do you get over something like that? I rubbed my eyes tiredly, but i wouldn't be sleeping easily tonight.
"Are you not hungry? I'm starving" Will muttered, and i smiled slightly as he polietly and poshly ate his food.
"Appetites gone" He nodded, already commenting on Tris's and Christina's conversation.
"You need to eat" I looked up, hearing the voice, and frowned. The rest of the group had looked up at Adam as well. He looked up calmly from the document and i frowned. "If you want to pass, you need to eat and eat well"
"Shame i'm not hungry then" I said before standing up. I nodded to the group before walking out of the dining room. I walked past the pit, and over the water bridge and to a part of the complex i'd been to before. The shopping strip. I saw the tattoo shop and smiled slightly before walking further down. We weren't aloud to leave the Dauntless complex without a dauntless who had passed initiation, but how would they know if i walked out, or if i was sat in a quiet corner somewhere?
"You're going to be the fucking death of me" I heard Adam complain. I looked over my shoulder and saw him approaching. I was now at the edge of a drop, which was fenced off. I sat down and dangled my feet over the edge.
"And why's that?"
"I don't do well with people and your ingorance is going to fuck me off" I raised my eyebrows.
"My ignorance? I'm not going to make myself sick because you say so" I muttered turning my eyes to the darkness beneath my feet.
"Who do you think you killed?"
"Excuse me?" I frowned at him.
"You said you got someone killed. Who was it? Your Mum? Dad? Brother? Sister?" I stiffened at the word sister, and he noticed. There was no way he couldn't. "Sister. You need to get over it, learn to accept it or it'll haunt you for the rest of your life. Trust me" And with that, he walked away, leaving me gaping at his retireving figure.