Chapter 9
Kazana has lived factionless her entire life, having been found by the rebels who strive to live without the faction system she becomes their new secret weapon. The plan is clear, choose dauntless, pass initiation, infiltrate the system, but what can she do when a certain leader sees through her façade? AU No War, One year after Tris' initiation.
Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent. *shakes fist angrily at the sky*
8 years prior to initiation
A pained whimper escaped Kazana's lips as a clammy palm was pressed to her mouth, a wiry arm kept her firmly in a low crouch. Sleek silver cars raced past her in flash, sadistic grins pasted on the faces of the men who hung carelessly out of the windows.
"Stop struggling," the man who held her hissed, his breath tinged with the poisonous odour Kazana had become so accustomed to.
"They'll hear you!" frightened tears streamed down her face as gunshots sounded in the distance, some wailed at the sound, and some just stood blank faced and waited. Waited for their fate.
The official term was purification, the day in which a select number of dauntless members would drive out with their weapons and cut down on the ever growing number of factionless that dirtied the streets.
Tucked in her usual reading spot, she had been unable to stifle her screams when the first gunshot sounded and was pulled away by the man who currently held now. Though gaunt himself he had no trouble in containing her, begging silently with his eyes that she remain quiet for the both of them.
Her muffled wails came to a halt when the next congregation of cars sped past, her wide eyes too big, too haunted for her childlike face, met the narrow glare of a young woman clad in the typical black attire of a dauntless member.
"We got one back there!" she called out, and Kazana felt the arms around her loosen as the older man took off in the other direction.
"Hide!" he cried out over his shoulder before disappearing in to the shadows.
The screeching of wheels had Kazana bolting in to action, taking off down the empty streets of the factionless residence. Manic laughs barely reached her ears as her heart pounded in frenzy; the desperate pleas of those she recognized echoed from roads away, it was an orchestra of misery.
"YEEEEEEE HAAAAAAA!" screamed the driver as he reversed carelessly in to the dustbins she'd once used as refuge, and accelerated towards her.
"RUN RABBIT RUN!" the woman cackled, squinting in to the setting sun and firing two bullets at the tiny girl.
Adrenaline pumped through Kazana's veins but she feared it would not be enough, tears blurred her vision and she felt her bare foot twist inwards on the unforgiving gravel. The laughs increased at her struggle as she crawled forwards on her bloodied knees, sheer desolation brought begs for mercy to the tip of her tongue.
The car squealed to a halt and the slamming of doors alerted Kazana to their oncoming presence, chunky boots scraped against the rough surface beneath them. She rolled on to her back to watch them charge forward, a malicious glint lit the eyes of three faces, two men and a woman advanced towards her like excited hyenas.
It was only as they came closed that Kazana noticed one of them was exceptionally young, 13 maybe 14 which made him a dauntless born, he was the first to reach her and took no trouble in pushing the heel of his boot in to her grazed cheek.
The pressure increased as he knelt down in to the press, his eyes were a sweet baby blue and they glittered with glee when Kazana stared back up at him defiantly, her trembling form betrayed her fear.
"She's all yours, Slo," the woman crooned, dropping her gun and looking down at the boy with a motherly sort of affection. He grinned up at her and reached for the weapon, his grip was clumsy and weak when he held it to Kazana's head, but that did not make her any less afraid.
"Any last words?" he taunted, digging the metal in to her temple. His proximity was enough that flecks of spit fell on to her nose when he spoke, his breath sweet from the dessert that would have been so graciously dished out to him back at the dauntless compound.
Kazana cleared her throat timidly and leaned in to him, she gazed up at him with such pathetic longing that he was not prepared for the feel of her teeth when they ripped in to his cheek. Kazana did not think, did not question when she sunk her jaws in to the boys smooth flesh; she simply held on with vicious tenacity and jerked her head back violently.
He flew backwards with an excruciated howl, blood poured from his face in streams but Kazana took no notice as she shuffled away on her backside and took off in to a sprint.
"I'LL GET YOU, YOU LITTLE FUCKING BITCH!" he screamed at her, his voice hoarse with exertion.
"I'LL FUCKING DESTROY YOU!"
Present day
Any traces of alcohol that had numbed Kaz's mind had long gone as she weaved through the panicked bodies of her fellow initiates. All members were headed in the same direction, the alarm could be heard in every section of the compound but it where the noise was at its peak that everyone came to a stop.
Eventually not a single voice could be heard over the ear-splitting wail, the three dauntless members stood sombre faced before a monstrous speaker. Eric stood looking at the crowd with stern countenance, reaching over to punch the button beside him so all became silent.
Max was the first to make a move as he strolled forward with his hands clasped behind his back.
"You have all been called here tonight because there is a traitor in our midst."
Excited murmurs followed as the impact of his words sunk in but were halted instantly as he held up a steady hand.
"Though we know not all the details, we have reason to believe that there is to be an uprising."
Max's words rung out to the men and women in their hundreds who clung to his every word.
"There are people in this city, our city, who want nothing more than to watch it be run down to the ground. Those who are too weak to belong, those who have failed to succeed, to thrive and now want you-" he gestured with one long sweep to the swarm of black before him "you, the strong, the brave, the fearless, to give in to their demands!"
Cries of outrage followed his words and Kazana felt herself being knocked repeatedly in to fervent bodies, straining forward in order to be heard.
The dauntless leader's voice rose as he continued to speak bringing again silence.
"These people, these…traitors, would see this faction burn among the flames in which it was forged. So I ask you...WILL WE STAND FOR IT?!" his voice bellowed furiously and Kazana could barely recognize the people she had come to know so well, with as their faces twisted in anger.
"NO!"
"I SAID WILL WE STAND FOR IT?!"
"NO! HELL NO!"
Kazana only hoped that in their animalistic excitement, the others would not see beyond her false cheers.
"We stick together!…but just know that not everyone is who they seem, I want you all vigilant. That is all for tonight, I will leave you with that." He turned then and retreated back in to the leaders headquarters, leaving behind disarray.
Dragging herself back to the deserted dormitories, Kazana was barely aware of the eager voices around her as she went. She had gathered valuable information that would serve the mission well, but had now made things ten times more difficult as everyone would be on their guard.
Uneasiness surrounded Kaz like a dark cloud and sleep could not be more welcome as she sunk in to her soft mattress. Evelyn would have to hear about this, and soon.
"Rise and shine, tuna brine!" Wes sung cheerfully directly into Kazana's ear as he brought a fluffed pillow above his head and brought it down with vigour. Her hand shot up in a moment, with eyes still closed as she deflected the playful hit.
"Nice try, apple pie," she laughed, pushing herself out of the bed and grabbing the underwear that Wes dangled in front of her face.
Incidentally, apple pie was dished out generously along the tables as Kazana took her usual seat across from Vesper and Dale. Figuring this was a tactic to sweeten the members up; she found the thought soured her taste for it and reached instead for a large bowl of oatmeal.
"Stop right there…traitor," a cold voice halted her hand and Kaz felt her heart drop as she looked up to Turf glaring at her. The table was deadly quiet as the others paused to watch the interaction, suddenly his face broke out in to a grin and Wes' face was sprayed with apple as Turf laughed.
"Gotcha! What a load of rubbish anyway, seriously that man could tell everyone to take off their pants and wear them like rabbit ears and we'd all do it."
Kazana couldn't help but beam at him as she saw a new side to the boy she'd tried to avoid for so long, he was a lot smarter than anyone gave him credit for.
Breakfast continued on in silence before Vesper dropped her cutlery with a loud clatter and grabbed the napkin from her lap, reaching over she dabbed at Wes' face until all traces of food were gone.
"What?" she growled, noticing the way everyone looked at her with cocked brows. It was easy to envision the husky voiced girl beating a fellow initiate to a pulp or polishing off shot after shot of straight vodka, but such small displays of affection was something Kazana had never seen in her before.
The bearlike boy said nothing as he dug in to his food, but the remnants of a blush stayed on his face all the way to The Pit, where an array of knives were waiting for them. Peter stumbled in to the training room 10 minutes later than usual, holding an icepack to his head he slumped down by the wall and sneered as the initiates looked at him expectantly.
"Get on with it then!" He spat.
Kazana was the last to select her blades, weighing them in her hands, she was just beginning to take her stance when Tris appeared on the stairs.
"You're late," Peter snapped, Tris simply gave him an indignant look and came to stand beside Lisa who was facing the target head on and seemed to be aiming for the ground.
"They're working with knives today," Peter groaned, massaging his head with the icepack. Tris rolled her eyes and moved Lisa's arms and legs to make the throw more affective.
"Why don't you come up then Peter, I understand you're quite the killer with a knife" she quipped.
Kazana smiled to herself as Peter bristled in anger and came to stand behind her.
"Partied a little too hard last night I guess, not that you'd know anything about that huh, Stiff".
Tris refused to give him the satisfaction of replying, turning to walk up the stairs she addressed the initiates.
"I'm going to get more supplies, keep practicing."
Peter turned his attention to Kazana.
"Well don't just stand there! Go!"
Angling herself so that she stood diagonally on from the target, Kaz drew back her arm and prepared for the throw but was cut off once more by a screech coming from further down the line.
"Get off me!" Mia cried, her short hair wrapped tightly in Solomon's fist as he bore down on her, her back to the target.
"You think you can smart talk me and get away with it?!" he punctuated his words with a sharp tug of her hair, she whined at the motion.
"That's enough," Peter drawled, leaning against the target and watching the display with disinterest.
Solomon wilfully ignored him as he slammed a fist next to Mia's head making her jump. She whimpered and her eyes darted around the group, a silent plea for help.
"I'll show you crazy, you brown nosing piece of-" the hand he had raised was pinned in an instant to the target by the edge of his sleeve. A single blade continued to tremble with the impact of the hit and a small trickle of blood slid to the floor where his wrist had just been nicked.
"Don't you touch her," Kaz snarled. Her body still tense from the force of her throw, she straightened up and walked calmly over to where Solomon stood staring at her. His grip loosened enough for Mia to slide out from under him and back up into Jared's open arms.
Pulling the blade from the target in one swift motion, Kazana decided to take one more chance in wiping the surface of the knife across Solomon's bare shoulder, smearing it with his blood.
An amused chuckle sounded from behind her as Peter came to slap Kaz on the back.
"You're a fast learner Amity, you'll fit in here." The smile fell from his face when he saw the state of Solomon's wrist.
"But that right there was an unauthorized attack, and I can't just let that go unpunished. See Max after training and he'll sort you out." Rolling his eyes as Solomon continued to stand there clutching his wrist and shaking.
"Go get that cleaned up."
Tris returned soon after that, oblivious to everything that had just taken place and began to lay the table with more knives.
"Everyone take 5 steps back. I want to see you throw long distance."
Kazana's body was slick with sweat by the time they were dismissed for dinner but she found the thought of being at Max's mercy put a stop to her appetite and decided to head straight to him before attempting to stomach something.
A timid voice stopped her halfway up the stairs, and Kazana found it sounded entirely unfitting coming from Mia's mouth.
"Thank you" she mumbled.
Unable to think of a reply, Kaz could only nod in response and carried on up out of The Pit. The petite girl followed behind and she could hear the cogs working in her head like a true Erudite.
"I'm sorry about what I said to you" Mia confessed, running a little to keep up with Kazana's long strides.
"It's fine" Kazana was nearing the Dauntless leaders headquarters when she realized Mia wasn't going to leave. "You just said what everyone was thinking, I forgive you. Now you have to go before anyone catches you here."
Mia nodded eagerly and lingered for a moment before heading off in the other direction.
Nearing Max's office, Kaz heard raised voices from within the room and found what little determination she'd had flee when she recognized just whose it was.
"I will not waste my time babysitting whilst we are at risk of a war!" Eric's voice was verging on a yell and there was a muffled bang as his fist made contact with the wall.
"You said yourself you wanted to train the initiates; I thought you'd appreciate this" Max replied.
"The point is that you are asking me to waste my free time t-"
Having heard quite enough, Kazana raised her hand and tentatively knocked on the door. It was thrown open in an instant by a very enraged Eric; he looked ready to bite the head off whoever had dared to interrupt his conversation but his mouth snapped shut when he saw who it was.
"Ah speak of the devil, Kaz is it? I've heard a lot about you. Please come in." Max beckoned to a seat before him, the glass of his desk was invisible underneath the plans and diagrams that covered it.
Treading carefully over to the seat, she tried to sink naturally in to it and found unwanted memories of the night before plague her mind as she looked up at Max's confident smile. The persona of a leader, it made her queasy for some inexplicable reason.
"It's rare here to have an initiate come in to training and make a name for themselves before stage 1 is even over, and an amity transfer no less!" Max chuckled warmly, she forced a smile in return.
"Imagine my surprise then when I heard that you are currently the lowest ranking initiate!" he clapped his hands together and did not look in the least bit bothered by the statement.
Kaz found herself confused at his brash words, was humiliation to be her punishment?
"This is true…sir?"
"Max" he corrected.
"Right, Max. This is true, but I am making improvements…I hope to rank higher by the end of stage 1" she finished calmly, hoping he would buy in to her story.
"Oh no doubt you are! But with potential such as yours, to waste it would be a crime!"
Kazana's eyes narrowed, 'Oh you'd know all about that'.
"That's why Eric will be helping you train nights" Max finished.
The words took a few moments to sink in, and it took a few moments more for her to even formulate a reply.
She became aware of his lips, dangerously close to her own.
"I…I was under the impression I'd be mopping floors Sir."
"Max" he corrected again and laughed "I'm afraid mopping isn't one of Eric's forte's, but there a great deal others thing he could help you with."
The tension was unbearable and tantalizing all at once.
"I really don't think that's necessary, I am doing just fine on my own."
A derisive snort sounded from behind her and she turned to see Eric leaning against the now closed door.
His entire stance seemed relaxed but the muscle in his jaw twitched as he looked down at her coldly, stony grey eyes scrutinized her in a way that much differed from the previous night.
She offered no resistance as he pulled her closer to him.
"Are you deaf? Or just stupid? You're ranking last initiate. You can pull all of the fancy kicks you like but unless I'm impressed, you can say goodbye to stage 2." He smirked as she gaped at him.
"Is that a threat?" Kazana bit out, forgetful for a moment that she was under the watchful glare of two dauntless leaders.
"It's a fact, and I suggest you take a more respectful tone with me if I'm to be training you for the next 12 days," he warned, eyes glinting dangerously.
Kazana wanted to snort, to wipe that righteous look from his face and challenge him right there, but it wouldn't do. Instead she gave a single nod, which was enough for Max who slammed his hands on the table eagerly.
"Fantastic! You'll be a great asset to us Kaz. Now if you excuse me I have a lot of work to get on with. Eric you'll see her out won't you?"
He flapped his hand towards the exit and punched random digits in to an elaborate touchscreen in preparation for a private call, signalling that the conversation was quite over.
Eager to flee the room and put as much distance between herself and the dauntless leaders as possible, Kazana rose swiftly from her chair and moved through the open door. A solid form kept her from advancing any further as the hand that held the door lifted and it shut behind her with a bang.
It had come to the point where Eric was in her personal space more often than not, so she was surprised when he stood at least two paces away from her. His face set in its usual impassive expression.
"I expect you ready for training at 8.30 every evening, without fail. Is that clear?"
His voice contained a rough quality to it. Kazana cursed herself for the way her body responded to the sound.
"Crystal."
The inevitable feel of his lips ghosted over hers.
The space between them only served to enhance the memory of what had occurred only hours before. He did not move straight away, she held his stare as a question seemed to hang in the air around them.
What happens now?
Eric gave his answer by turning away and walking further in to the leader's quarters. Leaving Kaz to breathe a sigh of relief, she was happy that the previous night had meant nothing. She was.
Heading down in to the food hall to join the others, Kazana tried to fight the gnawing irritation that he had dismissed all that had occurred between them with such…ease!
So consumed was Kazana, by thoughts of him that she failed to acknowledge Max's words until her body was engulfed in cool bed sheets.
'You'll be a great asset to us'.