Chapter 1
I was brought up in Erudite, the faction of the smart and academic. I was smart, but not book smart, getting one of the lowest grades in my year for an Erudite-born but I had a high enough IQ that my teachers didn't care what I did.
It was boring in Erudite.
But I preferred Erudite and I was far more likely to stay there than defect to another faction like Abnegation or Amity. Candor was a good choice but it was third on my list. With Erudite second, it left Dauntless as my top choice.
The aptitude test began after lunch, and I sat with my Erudite classmates as we poured over books and newspapers. I had one in front of me, reading about the newest occurrences in the world. It was interesting to read about other cities and how they took on the problems of Factionless people. It let me discuss it with my classmates as we argued over the different methods cities used and if and how they could be improved.
It took over an hour before my name was called. Most of the others had finished up and had been allowed to sit back down at the tables with us who hadn't done the test. No one was allowed to talk about what happened during the test but all of my lot were speaking well of their tests.
I was the last of the Erudite to be called, and there was one Abnegation left to do their test and a couple from the other factions. I was put in room six while the Abnegation girl was put into room five.
The rooms were made of mirrors, letting me glance at my outfit again. It was simple and standard for the Erudite uniform. A very pale blue shirt was tucked into dark navy slacks while my shoes were black and my long coat was a brighter, azure blue. My dark hair was pulled away from my face, laying in a long ponytail down my back as small strands fell out of the band to frame my face.
The person who would be administrating my test was a woman from Dauntless, wearing all black and a pair of jeans. I liked the tattoos she had on the back of her neck but I didn't speak as I came over to her, hands clenching at my sides but I forced myself to be calm and collected.
There was no need for fear.
I glanced over at the reclined chair with the machine next to it but I kept my mouth shut about it. I didn't need to ask questions when I already knew she wouldn't answer any of my questions because I didn't need to know.
"Sit down and get comfortable," The woman turned to me, letting me see her small dark eyes and the harsh makeup she lined them in. It looked good. "My name is Tori."
I got onto the chair, sitting down and letting my head touch the headrest without taking my eyes off Tori as she busied herself with the machine and wires.
"I've never met an Erudite who could refrain from asking questions," Tori mused, "Not curious?"
"I am but I doubt you would tell me anything I wouldn't already know," I said, relaxing as she attached an electrode to my forehead with a sticker.
"Fair," She said, attaching another. "I can't tell you much anyway."
"That's why I didn't ask."
She attached a couple more electrodes to me and then one to her own forehead. Handing me a clear vial of liquid, she instructed me to drink. I made a face, smelling it but it didn't have a scent. I swallowed it in one gulp before letting my eyes come to a close.
I opened them.
I wasn't in the chair anymore.
My head spun around, looking at the change of scenery so I was sure of where I was. It was probably a mental inhibitor or enhancer, the liquid. It changed where I was in my mind but I was still in the chair. They couldn't have moved me that quickly, and since I was in the school's cafeteria, it was even less likely that anyone wouldn't have noticed the removal of us from the rooms.
A table sat in front of me, two different baskets either holding a husk of cheese or a knife the size of my forearm.
A woman's voice spoke behind me, "Choose."
"Why?" I asked, purely because there had to be a reason.
"Choose."
I picked up the knife. It laid heavy in my hand but it felt nice. "What now?"
The baskets disappeared as a door creak startled me, making me turn around to see a dog, with a pointy nose and dark colouring. It crept towards me, lips peeled back into a snarl as it growled and came forward.
Running would be stupid. Dogs were predator animals, running just made them chase the thing they were after and I didn't fancy trying to outrun the animal at the moment.
The dog continued to make its way toward me.
I kneeled, showing I was unafraid but I still held the knife in my left hand as I stuck out my right. It continued towards me still, growling and snarling just it sniffed my hand and finally quieted down.
It jumped, standing on its back legs until it could lick me in the face. I laughed and smiled at it, petting its head as it dropped to the ground again.
"Puppy!" A young girl's voice screeched, scaring the dog and making it snarl aggressively. I could see the way its muscles coiled up, ready for an attack but I grabbed its tail before it could pounce on the girl in white. It turned back at me, snarling as it now pounced at me but I held on firm to the knife.
My body hit the ground as the dog jumped on me, but the weight was suddenly gone.
I sat up, knife gone from my hand and dog and girl gone. Right, this was a test. If I wasn't out of here yet, it meant that there was another part. With a door to the side, it would make sense to go to it and check it out. I did, walking onto a bus.
How I went from a hallway to a bus would never make sense but I knew I should question it. I left it to the human mind and the liquid they gave me.
With there being no seats, I held onto a pole to keep upright as it moved. A hand tugged at my coat, making me snap.
"Don't touch me!" I snapped, letting it be barely above a whisper. "What do you want?"
I looked at the man who had tugged my coat, his hands were burned and thus scarred. He shoved the newspaper towards me, letting me see the headline 'Brutal Murderer Finally Apprehended!'.
It meant little to me.
"Do you know this guy?" He asked, tapping the picture right under the headline.
The picture was of an average-looking young guy, plain-faced and bearded so it could have been anyone. Even with the nagging feeling that I did, somehow, know him, I answered.
"No, I don't,"
The man stood, his mouth in a snarl as his cheeks were just as scarred as his hands. He leaned closer to me, breath smelling of cigarettes before he frowned and spoke. "You're lying. You're lying!"
"I don't know him."
"I can see it in your eyes." He muttered before becoming louder, almost shouting in my face. "If you know him, you could save me. You could save me!"
I steeled myself, keeping my face blank as I spoke, "I don't so go away."
)()()(
"Fuck!"
That was the first thing I heard as soon as I was back in my mind and in the chair. Tori began to pull the electrodes away from my skin, putting the wires away. I sat up, watching Tori's face distort.
"It didn't go well, did it?" I asked.
"It was… strange." She sucked her teeth, jotting something into the machine before looking at me. "I'll be right back."
I nodded, letting her leave.
It took over ten minutes for her to come back, I counted the time on my watch which I had gotten for my sixteenth birthday from my father.
I had been surprised to get the present from him, mostly because he was a man from Amity and my mother was of Erudite. It wasn't approved of, their relationship, but it had fallen apart when they found out they were expecting me. Any child born of a two Faction family would become a member of whichever faction they lived in. My mother took me so I took her Faction as my own.
Hopefully, whenever the visiting day was, I would be able to see them both again. I hadn't seen my father for a couple of months now but it was normal for me.
The door opened and Tori came in.
"Sorry to worry you," She said, coming to stand near me. "Alexandria, your results were inconclusive. Typically, these situations are supposed to eliminate one or more factors but you had only ruled out three of the five."
"Candor defiantly has been ruled out," I said, watching as she nodded.
"Yes," Tori said. "No one will know you are a Divergent until you choose a faction. Only then, will the higher-ups be told about your status. No one else will know. They are not allowed to. You were ruled out for Abnegation and Amity, and you already concluded you were out for Candor. I've put you down as Divergent but whichever Faction you want me to put down I can. Legally you are Divergent, but each gets to choose between whichever Factions they hadn't ruled out. So, for you, they are Erudite and Dauntless.
I nodded in understanding, thinking for split second, "Put down Dauntless. I'm choosing that tomorrow so it would make more sense for my mother to know that."
"Alright," Tori said. "You're the last so you can leave with the others."
"Thank you," I said, getting out of the room.
I was quickly crowded with my classmates, asking me questions.
With the test being officially over, we were allowed to talk about the test now. They bombarded me and each other about the test. What did we do with the cheese and knife? What about the dog? And the girl?
By the time I got home to the apartment I shared with my mother, it was late but she wasn't home yet. She worked late nights as an advisor to Jeanine Matthews so it was expected of her to work late. I didn't mind, we weren't that close so I was alright with ordering dinner to the house. A perk of being an upper-classed Erudite. We could order food and it would be delivered.
)()()(
In the morning, my mother was home.
It was the first time this month she was home in the morning, but I supposed it had to do with the Choosing Ceremony later today.
The breakfast table was delicately full of food that would power us through the day. Healthy options mainly, but the cereal had sweeteners in it simply because Mother knew I preferred sweet cereal in the morning.
I felt like having something sweet and doughy, so I chose a sugared doughnut with a jam filling for breakfast. I had a couple of pieces of fruit alongside it, making sure Mother wouldn't complain as she fiddled with her tablet.
"So," She began, never looking up." I took a look at your Aptitude test. You asked for Dauntless to be put down officially but you are Divergent."
I nodded, sipping at my water glass, "Yes."
"Do you plan to choose Dauntless as your Faction?"
"I do,"
"Good," Mother nodded, looking up to reveal the same grey eyes I had. "You will do well then. All Divergents do well within their chosen factions. They are naturally attuned to whichever circumstance they find themselves in. After you choose, I will not get to see you until visiting day. I will try and get your father to come."
"Thank you,"
We left for the ceremony soon after breakfast was finished.
I wore flat shoes I knew I could run in. I'd need the ability later today. Mother took me to the Hub by car, driving and parking without hesitation before she took me up to the building and in. The elevator was packed but we got in fine, going up to where we needed to be.
Mother kissed me once on the forehead, muttering a quick, "You'll do us proud," before she sat down in the circle of Erudites and I was forced to stand on the edges with the other eighteen-year-olds.
With the ceremony being done in early September, right as the new school year began, I was one of the oldest with my birthday being in November. Between September to September, that determined which year's ceremony you would be in.
I stood near the end of the line, right between a girl named Mary Vanes and a Mich Williams. Due to my last name, I stood with everyone who had the last name beginning with V.
Dauntless was the host this year, all of the major Dauntless members were standing at the front with the bowls. Next year, it would be Abnegation's turn to lead the ceremony, going back to the next faction after that.
The leader of Dauntless was a black man named Max. He was strict but didn't seem any stricter than my own mother. I tuned him out, every ceremony started with the same speeches until the names began.
All I could imagine was the feeling of leather on my skin. The sound of my blood sizzling on the coals before I was brought over to the Dauntless.
I couldn't wait, and it didn't take long.
"Alexandria Voltaire."
That was me.
Keeping my pace steady as I came up to the platform, I looked Max in the eye as he shook my hand before he handed me the knife.
There were four others around him. One woman and three men. The youngest looked barely older than me. I barely glanced at the rest until I went over to the bowls.
Erudite was a good choice, but it wasn't for me. Though I did like learning, I didn't want to study all day, every day. All the books I had ever read were while I was in school, several hundred now.
Dauntless. That was where I belonged; with the brave and determined. the fearless and vain. Watching them play on the train, and watching them risk injury to jump to safety was one of my favourite pastimes while I was thinking.
I took the knife, sliced my palm and let my blood drip onto the sizzling coal without care as I looked at the young leader next to Max.
He smirked, his eyebrow dermal piercings moving a little as he did.
I didn't care for his opinion as Max nodded, taking back the knife.
I had to say the young one was cute but I ignored that as I went to the Dauntless.
The room had gone silent, many looking to either my mother or to me as I stood behind the seated Dauntless members. So far, I was the only transfer in the whole ceremony.
)()()(
I was the only female transfer.
Three of the fifteen Dauntless-borns were female, all wearing their respective black and bright hair. They seemed like good friends from what I noticed from their interactions. Those three also had bright hair, matching in different colours as each either had flaming red, hot pink, or sunset orange hair.
When we were led out of the room, they guided the transfers onto the stairs with everyone else. It didn't take long before we all were running down the stairs like maniacs. It was surprisingly fun to run down the stairs but quite stupid as I heard people begin to fall here or there. Others just laughed, helping them up before continuing.
We got onto the ground floor and burst out of the exit to greet the cold air of the fast-approaching evening.
The transfers followed the Dauntless-borns, having no clue where we were going so it was a smart decision to just follow them for now.
"Where the fuck are we going?" A Candor boy asked, running alongside me.
"To the train," I said, "Isn't it obvious?"
"Yeah," Another voice said, coming from my other side as we continued to run and go around the corner. It was the young leader from before, smirking as he stayed up with us with ease. He snickered. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Not really," Candor boy frowned.
"Well, it will be!" He sped up his pace just as the train horn sounded.
"Are we getting on that thing?" The boy asked, watching as the slightly older Dauntless boy left before he heard the train. "Will it slow down?"
"Gods no," I rolled my eyes as we got onto the tracks. The train was gliding towards us on steel rails, and each door of the carriages was opened, ready for us.
Unlike the boy from Candor, I didn't hesitate to follow the Dauntless and jump into the first carriage that came. I hated hesitation so I didn't, getting into that car was harder than I thought but I made it.
I was the only transfer on a car full of Dauntless-borns.
Fuck.
Ignoring all the people, I stood to the side, holding on to whatever I could as I knew I wasn't used to the train and its movements yet.
"Ah, we've got a transfer on with us!" One of the boys said, slinging his arm over my shoulders. "How'd you get on with us? Your lot never are able to."
"Don't scare her off already. She's one of us now, Druid," Smirk and dermal piercings spoke again, walking up to us as Druid shrugged his arm off my shoulders. "Or did you think you transferred to the Erudite lot?"
That, somehow, made the whole car full of Dauntless-borns snigger at Druid. I didn't find it funny but I stayed quiet.
"Of course, Eric," Druid said, slapping me on the back hard enough to startle me. I gritted my teeth at that.
"If looks could kill," Eric laughed. "You'd be gone, Drui-Drui. She looks like she's ready to chuck you out of the train, isn't that right?"
I looked at him, "The temptation is very much there."
"Then why don't we let that temptation through?" Eric grabbed the boy by the collar, dragged him to the edge of the car door and leaned him out of it. The only thing keeping the boy in the car was Eric's hand on him, making him yelp in fear and grab onto the sides. "Now everyone, if he fell from where we are right now, would he die?"
No one moved to look outside but many mumbled agreements.
I bit the inside of my lip, reframing from my desire to look out of the door and see how exactly far we were from the ground.
"Transfer?" He asked, hand still fisted in Druid's shirt. "What do you think? Will he die or will be injured?"
"Depends on how he falls," I said, moving slowly until I was next to him. I glanced outside, seeing the drop between the train and the buildings around us. It was several dozen metres, more than enough to damage. "He's more likely to die from this height but if he lands on his feet, he'll just break all of his bones from the chest down."
"Good," Eric said, tugging Druid back into the car before releasing him. "I might be a new leader but it doesn't mean I won't be ruthless on you all."
He held onto the side, looking out of the car as we approached a set of building much closer than the other ones.
The others jabbed past me, jumping out of the train car and onto the building nearby. I was almost pushed out of the car but a hand tugged me to the side, letting the others jump.
"It might've not been obvious," Eric said, his head out of the car for a moment to watch others jump out of the other train cars too. "We jump here. There's always going to be a transfer that doesn't jump. Hope that isn't going to be you."
I shook my head, looking out of the car to see others jumping. Many of the Dauntless jumped, tucked, and rolled when they did, making sure they didn't get injured as they landed.
One of the transfers had barely caught the edge of the ledge, holding on for dear life as his friends tried to pull him up.
There wasn't a big gap between the train and the building, a solid jump would work but the moving of the train didn't help, even if it slowed down a little to accommodate the transfers' first jumping here.
It, surprisingly, didn't take me much to launch myself out of the car, landing on the rooftop with a small roll onto my side so I didn't hit my head. I was more reckless than I had previously thought. Maybe I was made for Dauntless then.
Eric and many other Dauntless rolled and landed on their feet before getting up.
I was glad no one helped me up, letting me dust myself off and walk over to where the other transfers were. Many were grazed or bruised, but I was unharmed besides a slightly bruised ego from not being able to land properly. At least I didn't have small injuries from the landing.
I stood with the other transfers, twelve boys in total. Two other Erudites, four Amity, three Candor and one Abnegation. Most of them looked more nervous than I did. There were originally thirteen boys but one had stayed on the train instead of jumping.
Max stood on the ledge, a little above everyone else as he had Eric and another leader on the ground on either side of him. The other two leaders from the ceremony weren't there.
"Listen up! My name is Max! I am one of the leaders of your new faction!" He said, before gesturing vaguely over the ledge, "Below us, several stories down are the entrance to our compound. The only way in is to jump down, if you can't, you don't belong with us. Initiates first, so who is it?"
I stood nearest the front of the transfers, mostly because the boys had moved away from the ledges.
"What?" The Amity boy who had almost fallen off the ledge said, looking pale in comparison to everyone else. "You want us to… to jump off the ledge? Again?"
"Yes," Max said it like it was a plain fact.
I had to admit I was a little fearful but I wasn't scared. Dauntless was about calculated risks, bravery about the actions you took. They wouldn't tell us to do something without a reason. Perhaps it was to test our resilience to follow orders or to test our fears over orders.
I took a quick glance around. I didn't want to be the first jumper, already knowing that there would be a sort of status symbol coming from it since they would be the apparent bravest of the transfers, but no one else was going to jump first.
They nursed their minor injuries, scanning hands, palms, elbows and knees. They looked anywhere besides at the three apparent leaders, at their feet, at the ground or up in the slowly setting sky.
A hand touched my right shoulder blade, almost pushing me forward but I jabbed my elbow back and into their stomach. One of the Candor boys hunched over in pain.
"Bitch."
"Asshole," I snapped back.
"Initiates," Max dropped from the ledge, walking over to me and the other transfers. He looked between me and the boy. "Do either of you want to go first?"
The Candor shook his head.
"Wimp," I muttered.
"Speak up, initiate,"
I looked at Max, raising my voice a little, "I said I'll go first."
I was so glad I wore trousers today, walking up to the edge before stepping up onto the ledge. There was a huge hole created with three other buildings making a square so dark, I couldn't see the bottom.
I moved until I faced the group, sticking my middle finger at the Candor boy as I allowed gravity to take me down.
"Now that's a great fa—" Eric began.
I didn't hear the rest as the wind filled my ears and all I could see was a couple of them looking down the hole. The darkness consumed me for a moment, perhaps longer, but my back hit a huge net. It was thin but bounced me upwards after I landed. It took a couple of bounces and be grabbing onto the net to stop and be able to roll off the net.
A woman was there, a little older than me but already had three rings through one eyebrow and streaks of purple in her short hair. She helped me down, almost rushing me off as soon as she heard the next one jump.
"For fuck's sake, Eric. You're supposed to wait a minute after each jumper!" The woman snapped as Eric landed onto the net before rolling off much quicker than I did. "Go on. The others will be down soon enough. If they don't get too scared to jump."
"One already is factionless," Eric said.
"Stayed on the train?" She asked.
"Yep, couldn't even jump off the train, let alone get down here," He then took a couple of steps away, whispering something but I couldn't hear it. "Got it, Lauren?"
She nodded, stepping away when another jumper came.
Only ten transfers jumped.
One from Erudite didn't jump.
It took all of twenty minutes to get them all down, some coming one after the other, others by themselves before they got here. I had to stand around by myself for at least a couple of minutes since no one followed after me after Eric. After a few more people came, all transfers were done, the Dauntless-borns were all swift to jump.
Max had jumped but then disappeared quickly. He wouldn't bother with us until we were members or had disciplinary problems.
Lauren and Eric led us down a narrow tunnel with stone walls and sloping ceilings as we vaguely went in a downward inclination. They stopped up at a hallway where another intercepted it. Another person joined them, the passive boy from before.
"We divide here," Lauren said, gesturing to herself. "Dauntless-borns are with me, assuming you don't need a tour of the place."
They departed, leaving eleven transfers including me.
Eric rubbed his hands together as he stood before us with the other boy. "I am your instructor for the next four weeks. I'm Eric, a leader of Dauntless, and this is Four. He works in the control room but he's gonna be making sure that no one slacks. Show them around and take them to the dining hall."
)()()(
Dinner was fine, calorie full but otherwise still tasty. We were instructed to follow Eric to a series of hallways, never telling us where we were going but none of us asked. We weren't stupid enough to question him just yet.
He stopped us all in front of a set of wooden doors, crossing his arms loosely as he spoke to us. We gathered around him in a circle, everyone being able to see and hear him.
"I am a leader, meaning I get to oversee most of your training. We take the initiation process very seriously here." He started, shifting his feet once. "Ground rules: You have to be in the training room by eight o'clock every day. Training takes place every day from eight to six, with a break for lunch. You are free to do whatever you like after six. You will also get some time off between each stage of initiation."
There was some mumbling at the 'do whatever you like'. I didn't want to think about some of the leers I got from the other transfers, already knowing someone would try something… They would probably end up choking in their sleep, somehow. Probably with a pillow.
"You are only permitted to leave the compound when accompanied by a Dauntless," Eric added. "Behind this door is the room where you will be sleeping for the next few weeks. You will notice that there are ten beds and eleven of you."
I raised my hand to get his attention. "Ten beds, eleven of us, and I'm the only girl. How is that working out?"
"We're having a bed brought in for you," He said. "Regardless of how many males and females there are, they stay together. The same goes for the Dauntless-borns. You also share showers. If there is an issue with sharing with a girl, gents…"
They snickered as he smiled. It was a crooked smile but mischievous nonetheless.
"Well," Eric continued, turning to look at me as he turned serious again. "The bathrooms are separate, and both have a separate, smaller shower in there. However it is cold water, so take it as you want. I will not have, however, disrespectful acts happening. All complaints are investigated."
I was glad to know that.
"In the first stage of initiation, we keep transfers and Dauntless-born initiates separate, but that doesn't mean you are evaluated separately," He said. "At the end of initiation, your rankings will be determined in comparison with the Dauntless-born initiates. And they are better than you are already. So I expect you to work hard."
"Rankings?" The only other Erudite in the group asked. "How's that working and why?"
"Your ranking serves a purpose," He said. "The higher the ranking, the better positions you are allowed to choose from. The first ranker gets first and so on and so forth. If you're at the bottom, you get the shittest, most boring jobs unless you've shown an aptitude for something else. Any more questions or can I move on, Nose?"
Nose was an insult for an Erudite-born. It wasn't as bad as Stiff for Abenagtion but it was still up there.
He left us soon after, letting us go get dressed in the room before we went to sleep. Our former faction clothes were burnt, save for any jewellery but we were advised to not wear any during training. I kept my watch on, mostly because it was practical and we were allowed.
My bed had been shoved to the side as there wasn't much space. I was glad to be near the wall, letting me undress with a sort of resemblance of privacy but I quickly gave up being modest. I was stuck with these boys for the next four weeks.
Only two of them were crying but I tuned them out to fall asleep.