Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for moderate violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.
Chapter 2: Ignite
Nina landed on a soft surface that bounced her back up several feet in the air. When the springy material beneath her finally settled, she had to untangle her legs from Maddie's. "Get your stinky foot away from my face, Big Foot," she teased, shoving her friend's foot away before rolling from the middle of the trampoline to its edge. A hand shot up to help her down.
"Two jumpers, that's new." A young man with short-cropped dark hair assessed the two girls with a curious expression as he gave them a hand down. He asked them their full names as well as their desired nicknames and then turned away to assist the next jumpers.
A young woman with numerous piercings adorning her face and ears recorded their names in a clipboard marked 'Initiate Transfers.' She smiled up at them and brushed her neon-colored hair away from her face. "First jumpers! Congrats," She motioned towards a side chamber. "Just wait in there for the other jumpers to arrive. We'll get you when we're ready. I'm Lauren by the way, and that's Four."
Nina and Maddie waited in the room as it slowly filled with the other Initiates. They stood out in their brightly colored garbs given that they were the only transfers from Amity. Amir found his way to the girls, and the three chatted quietly as they waited in anticipation. Nina looked over the Initiates one-by-one, creating a mental list of who looked the toughest. 'That chick looks scary, that guy looks like an idiot, that one looks like he could kill me effortlessly…'
"So, what do you think happens next?" asked Amir. "In Candor, the Initiation process involves lie detectors and truth serums. Basically, you have to prove that you're 100% honest and open."
Nina's eyes went wide. "That's just… evil!"
"You only think so cause you're a terrible liar," Maddie snorted.
Nina grinned and jabbed lightly her in the side. "Well, that may be so, but still, I think everyone deserves to have some privacy."
Maddie nodded in agreement. "Anyways, Initiation in Amity is a complete breeze. It's just playing games and making friends and singing songs and dancing like maniacs." She made a fake gagging noise.
Nina rolled her eyes. "Well, I have a feeling that things are about to get really tough for us..."
Her voice was interrupted by an intimidating masculine voice. "Settle down, Initiates. Play time is over." The man that had greeted the group on the roof was appraising them now. His tattooed arms were crossed sternly over his broad chest.
Four appeared behind Eric with Lauren and said "Welcome to Dauntless Headquarters. The three of us will be your Initiation leaders. Training starts today." The instructors turned and began to lead the group through a winding corridor. Meanwhile, Lauren explained some of the rules the Initiates were expected to adhere to, such as a strict curfew, timeliness, and limitation of leisure hours.
"You better learn your way around here quickly," said Eric. "We're not here to baby you."
"Get a hold of this guy," Maddie breathed into Nina's ear. "Doesn't seem too friendly, does he?"
Nina cocked her eyebrow and shook her head. He gave Nina the impression that his sole joy in life was to make others' a living hell. 'He's not too bad on the eyes though,' she added mentally.
The walls of the underground cavern were lined with grey stones. Nina ran her hand along the cool surface as she followed the group up a set of steep stairs. The leaders took turns explaining the layout of Dauntless Headquarters, and she listened closely to avoid getting lost. The steps she climbed were narrow and had no railing; a poignant challenge for anyone afraid of heights. She lost her footing on one of the slippery stones and instinctively grabbed hold of the person in front of her to regain balance.
Eric turned to her and shrugged her arm off of his arm. He appraised her with icy blue eyes. "Watch your step, Initiate. No one's going to catch you if you fall."
Nina trained her eyes downward bitterly in order to make sure she did not slip again. 'For fucks sake,' she thought, 'what is his problem?' Maddie pinched Nina's arm lightly and her eyebrow quirked up in surprise. Someone behind them whispered harshly "Watch it, Pansy." Nina didn't bother turning to see who it was. She was resolute in her will to not call any further attention to herself.
At the top of the steps, the large group was split in two, leaving Nina in a group with twelve other Initiates. Lauren took charge of the Dauntless-born, while Four and Eric got the Transfers. Eric commanded the group to show up at the Training Rooms on time after a short respite, and he marched away presumably to prepare for the afternoon's drills. Four showed the Transfers to their dormitory, which was a large room with several bunk beds lining the walls; adjacent was an open floor-plan unisex lavatory which the Transfers would be sharing. Four clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Listen up. In the middle of the room you'll find an assortment of clothing. Pick a few items that are your size and get changed for this afternoon. You can get more clothing later using the points we told you about. On your way to the Pit, throw your old clothing into the lit fire. You won't need those rags anymore."
After changing into stretchy black training attire and lacing up her new black sneakers, Nina approached the fire in the corridor. She rolled her old clothing into a bundle and momentarily brought it up to her nose. She inhaled the familiar smell of Amity: apples and flowers and sunshine. She set down the clothing and breathed in the air around her. The scent was cool and refreshing and slightly metallic; the darkness of the caverns was alluring. Dauntless was home now. Nina threw the red and amber colored clothing into the fire and watched as the flames greedily devoured them, and then she turned away without a second glance.
The Transfers convened in the training room after lunch. Adjacent to this room was another reserved for the Dauntless-born Initiates, who they were told they would not be interacting with much.
Eric and Four stood in the middle of the training room, arms adamantly crossed. Eric stared expectantly at the transfers. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Eric asked, a dangerous tone to his voice. The Initiates fidgeted under the intensity of his glare, not knowing what he wanted them to do. "Get on the ground!" he bellowed, causing Nina to flinch.
She dropped quickly to the cold concrete floor and started doing push-ups with her peers. Eric instructed them not to stop until Four was done talking.
Four rubbed his hands together and began to pace in front of the transfers. "Today we begin Stage One of your Initiation process: Physical Endurance and Combat Training. During this three-week period, we'll be pushing your body beyond its breaking point. You'll be trained in hand-to-hand combat and the use of firearms. In addition to this, you will all have the opportunity to select one additional fighting style or weapon to specialize in."
Despite Nina's strong upper body strength - from years of picking apples and climbing trees - she began to pant. She could feel the fabric on her back sticking to her body with sweat. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Eric walked between the rows of transfers, assessing their postures with a stern expression. She heard a thud from behind her; someone had given up. "Are you kidding?" barked Eric, "Get the hell up." The person behind Nina resumed the agonizing exercise.
Four continued. "Throughout your Initiation you'll be training and practicing separately from the Dauntless-born. At the end of each day, you'll be scored against each other according to your physical strength, endurance, and combat skills." He paused momentarily. "Only those ten of you who are ranked highly enough will move on to the next stage."
Nina's arms quivered with exertion as she did the math in her head. A voice to her left cried out in a whining voice. "You're gonna cut three of us?!" It was a raven-haired girl named Tae, whom Nina had overhead earlier complaining about the lack of privacy in the bathrooms.
Eric passed closely by Nina as he approached Tae. Nina looked down and concentrated on her push-ups to avoid capturing his attention. His combat boot settled lightly on Tae's back. "What did you say?" Her body shuddered but she did not answer. Eric pressed his foot down harder on the girl's back, and she collapsed instantaneously. "If you can't handle the pressure, then you can't handle Dauntless."
Eric turned away and addressed the entire group. "If any of you feel the need to give up at any time, the door is that way." He marched menacingly among the exhausted Initiates. "Don't expect anyone to fight for you. You're here to learn how to fight for yourself. Once you leave, you're out for good."
Four continued explaining the Dauntless Initiation. "Stage Two of Initiation is Mental Fortitude and Resilience, where you'll be evaluated individually rather than ranked against each other. Ultimately we'll be selecting only 25 Initiates in total from the Transfer and Dauntless-born groups. You'll be forced to face your worst nightmares and ultimately prove to us that you have what it takes to be one of us."
Eric's combat boots approached Nina once more. Rivulets of sweat ran down her shaking arms as she felt his boot come down lightly on her lower back. "What about you, Hippie girl," he taunted, "Can you handle the pressure?" His boot pressed firmly down and Nina concentrated all her strength into her upper body and triceps. He pressed down ever harder, trying to force her to buckle. "Can you handle Dauntless?"
The weight he applied on her was almost too much to bear and the pain in her aching arms was agonizing. Nina trembled as her body came briefly to the floor and then she exerted all her energy into pushing herself back up using the muscles in her arms and chest. "Yes. I. Can." She forced each word out with as much passion as she could muster. She picked up the pace and forced her arms to work harder and faster despite the heavy weight of Eric's foot on her back.
This seemed to mollify Eric, for he took his foot off Nina and crouched down to her eye-level. He slipped his hand onto her stomach and lightly tapped her abdomen. "Keep these muscles tighter. It will help distribute your mass more evenly." Nina's skin radiated heat where his hand had briefly touched her. She tightened her abdominal muscles as instructed and instantly felt her posture and balance improve. Eric stepped away and continued walking among the other Initiates.
When Four finally finished explaining the stages of Dauntless Initiation, the Transfers collapsed in exhaustion. Nina's lungs gasped for air, her arms quivered, and a headache was beginning to extend from her neck upwards to her head, yet she was satisfied. 'I can do this,' she challenged herself as she reached for her water bottle. 'I belong in Dauntless.'
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