IMPORTANT: Please read.
I'm following the sequence of the book, but the characters look like the ones in the movies.
Alex did not read book 1 & 2. Only book 1 (Divergent).
In this story they go to the choosing ceremony at age 18. Making Four and Eric 20.
Still looking for a Beta…
Disclaimer: I own nothing Divergent related.
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"Welcome to Dauntless, Alex"
I looked at him blankly. Dauntless…Dauntless…. Dauntless….
Is he joking? He shoves me to a group of people standing awkwardly to the one side. They are mix of different shades of blue, white, dark red and black. No green, no yellow, orange, purple, pink...
I look to the rest of the people gathered in the hall. All wearing black. Dauntless.
My gaze falls upon the only girl wearing grey. Her blue eyes meet mine. Tris. Her name flickers in my mind. Her name is Tris.
Dauntless. Tris.
My nose itch, but I don't scratch it. Goosebumps crawls over my skin, but I'm not cold.
The guy that helped me down the net walks to the front of our little group and motions for us to follow. That guy is Four.
Dauntless. Tris. Four.
What. The. Fuck.
I've gone mad. Completely mad. Not Mad-Man mad, just…crazy.
I know this is not a dream. No, I am certain this is not a dream. It is too real. The smell, the people, the detail. You never get this much detail in a dream.
I place my hand against the smooth rock wall that leads all the way into the heart of the earth. I listen to the footsteps of the group in front om me. I feel the cold air washing over my arms. Too real.
Someone sneezes. Someone sighs. Small cracks in the wall. Shadows from the dims lights against the wall. Too much detail.
The creases of the person's top in front of me. Dripping sound of water somewhere in the background. Someone bumps my shoulder. Too much fucking detail.
I can feel it. My heart can feel it, even if my brain say it is irrational. Impossible.
The group stop. We are standing in a circle of light.
"This is where we divide" a woman says. I should know her name, but I can't remember now. "The Dauntless-born initiates are with me. I assume you don't need a tour of the place."
She disappears with everyone wearing black, leaving ten of us behind. We should be 9. No, they should be 9. I'm not supposed to be part of this.
Four starts speaking, but I don't listen. I'm too freaked out on how I got here.
I'm in Dauntless. Stuck in some weird post-apocalyptic world that is divided into messed-up factions. Am I in the future or a fictional world? I look around me. Four is in someone's face – Christina's face – he looks pissed. This can't be fictional. But if I was in the future…how would I know about this? How would I know about Dauntless, Factions, Four, Tris, Divergents…?
Divergents.
A sickly feeling crept up my spine. Divergents. I glance to Tris and then to Four. According to the book they are both Divergents. I've never read the second or third book, but for now I'm more panicked about the events of the book I have read.
I'm not divergent.
I'm going to become a mindless drone. I'm going to kill innocent people. I'm going to become like the Mad Man.
The group moves again as Four opens two heavy doors. I follow them and enter the place they call the "Pit".
My mind faintly registers that the place is huge. A big cavern that stretch deep, far and wide. It is packed with people moving on the many paths that leads between stalls, stores and other parts of the compound. My mind is assaulted by the buzzing and droning of all the people talking, shouting… moving. This is all too much. I cannot be here. I should not be here! I'm not Divergent! I'm going to kill!
Dark spots swim before my eyes. I swallow hard. My tongue sticks again.
"Are you ok?" someone next to me ask. I turn to face Tris. Of course it would be her, she is responding to the Abignation in her. A harsh laugh escapes my lips at the absurdity of it all. She keeps looking at me, not started by my laugh, as she waits for my answer. The spots in my vision vanish.
"Yeah" I say and rake my hand through my messy hair. "Just a lot to take in".
It was the truth. Some of it anyways.
She gives me a small smile and nods. I guess she must feel the same way. We start moving again and it feels better to walk than to just stand and watch. The corridor we pass through is narrow and dark, but the one side ends at an iron railing, not a wall. As we continue along the path I can hear the roar of fast moving water approaching. We are near the Chasm.
The Chasm. This is where that one guy dies. What was his name again?
The floor suddenly drops off at a sharp angle. I look down and see a river, fast flowing, far below us. The water is white, foaming, crashing against rock. It looks wild. I can feel the spray of the water on my face and naked arms. I'm starting to get cold. I look to the others and see that most of them either wears long sleeved shirts or jackets. I fold my arms over my chest and look down at the raging water again, shivering.
"The chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy!" Four shouts over the roar. I look up and search the crowd before me until I find who I am looking for. As soon as my eyes reach him, I remember his name. Al. His name is Al.
And this is where Al dies.
Al suddenly looks up and meet my gaze, like he could feel my eyes burning into him. I feel sick again. I look away.
As we make your way over the bridge I keep my face down. Four leads us to another chamber, I can smell food. My stomach turns and I swallow hard.
The dining room was large and packed full of Dauntless. They cheer, they stamp their mugs against the table, they make a hell-of-a-lot of noise. The sound is almost inspiring. I see Tris and Christina grin.
"Come" Tris say to Christina and me and move to find an empty table.
I follow, but suddenly a strong hand wraps around the upper part of my arm and forcefully jerks me back. I stumble as I'm spun around.
I could feel the shock shaking through my body and recoil at the hard grip on my arm. Mad Man – Mad Man – Mad Man, my head chants.
However, I my eyes do not land onto watery blue ones, but rather that of silver steel.
The guy that was on the net with me.
The Villain.
Eric.
Fuck, I kicked the Villain in the face. My heart plummets. Today is just not my day.
Eric's piercing flashes dangerously in the blue light. Almost as dangerously as his eyes.
The black columns on his neck stand out in stark contrast to his pale skin. It makes him look ruthless.
He is ruthless.
He studies my face for a moment, then his eyes move down my body. Not in a leering, seductive or repulsive way. Just like he needs to confirm something. The bulge in the side of his jaw tells me he is biting down hard on his teeth. His lips form a thin white line. He is breathing hard.
Eric looks incredibly pissed.
A small red line runs across the side of his jaw and I winch, recognizing the pattern of my boot heel.
He meets my gaze again. "You were not the last jumper" his voice was not what I expected. It was terribly controlled. Too controlled.
"What?" I ask, confused and stalling for time. I'm not sure what to do. I'm still trying to figure out how I got here, why I'm here, what I'm going to do. I cannot deal with this angry villain in front of me now as well.
"Don't fucking toy with me, Initiate." His voice is low. I can feel his breath on my face. Feel his iron grip crushing my arm. Feel the message radiating from his body: Do not mess me. I will make your life miserable.
But strangely enough, I do not feel the gripping fear I'm supposed to feel along with that message. I've had worse, my mind rings. I've had worse just minutes ago.
However, I do not have a death wish or suicidal habits. Eric is dangerous. It is his second nature to kill, so I choose my words carefully.
"Was I not the last to jump?" I ask, placing a mask of confusion on my face "The other leader announced that I was the last jumper? Did someone jump after me…well someone else besides you?"
His nostrils flare and before he could say something I quickly add "I truly am sorry for kicking you in the face, I was just trying to get down from the net" my voice sounds sickly sweet. I don't think that is very Dauntless-like.
My heart thuds loudly. I'm not good at laying. Never was. My mind is still scrambled. I've not had the time to process everything.
"Where did you transfer from?" he asks, his grip not loosening even by a millimeter.
Shit.
Mind blank.
The bulge in Eric's jaw never loosens. The steel in his eyes glint.
"I…um…I transferred from…a…Amity?" my answer came out like a question, but I think it to be the safest. If I remember correctly, no one transferred from Amity. No one here that could confront me.
I hope.
Eric continued to scowl at me. I can feel the power vibrating out of him. I wet my lips, my mouth is dry.
I need a drink.
"Eric" someone call. Relief wash through me.
I look over Eric's shoulder to see Four standing behind him. His face looks placid, like he has seen this behavior quite often.
"What?" Eric snaps. He releases my arm and I fight the impulse to rub it.
"Max needs you" Four say and turn to leave. Eric gives me a once over before he turns and follow behind Four.
I let out a heavy sigh and took a deep breath, calming myself. I need to get my shit together. Before I face another inquisition like I just did.
I join Tris and Christina at their table and they give me worried looks.
"Think the boss is mad, because I kicked him in the face" I say with a small smile. I might as well start making friends with the right people. Who knows how long I'm going to be stuck here. The two girls nervously laughed at my comment.
"Hi, I'm Christina and this is Tris" she introduces and I smile. Not because I already know, but because it is a good sign that I just might get to make friends with them.
"Hi, I'm Alex" I say in return.
"We know – last jumper" Christina say and place a tomato on her hamburger. I look down at all the different bowls of hamburger toppings and notice a used plate where I'm sitting.
"Four sat there" Tris explains when she sees me looking at the plate "He practically swallowed his food whole, before he came to rescue you."
I frown at that. A nagging feeling pressing against my chest. Wasn't Four supposed to remain seated here with Eric showing up to sit next to him? I look up and don't see Four or Eric. Is my presence going to change the sequence? It sort of already did.
Is that a good thing? Or a bad thing?
The feeling made me scared and hopeful at the same time.
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Everything after dinner followed as it did in the book. The only difference was that Four showed us to our dormitory and gave us the lay down instead of Eric. I was relieved at that. I'm not ready for him yet.
The room is dark. The bed is surprisingly soft and comfortable, but I cannot sleep. The reality of this fictional world is slowly sinking in. Now that I have the time to think, my mind seems unable to do so.
Watery blue eyes drift into my head and I shudder. I feel the slice of a knife on my skin, I hear the gun shot. I shudder again. I do not want to see or think about the Mad Man. I run my hand across my arm and feel the uneven skin where all the legions were made. My hand travels up to my shoulder and I stroke my thumb across the round bullet-wound scar.
How is it possible to heal this quickly? The scars look years older. Do I perhaps have memory loss? Maybe I forgot everything that happened between the torturing and the jumping into Dauntless.
No, I shake my head. I saw my reflection in the bathroom mirror earlier tonight. I look the same. Same 18-year-old face. My head hurts trying to process it all.
I think about my dad, was he ok? Did the Mad Man find him? Does dad even know that I'm gone? Why was the Mad Man looking for him? What was my father always doing behind that safe-door in his lab? Why am I here? How long am I going to be here? What am I going to do?
I replay the events of the book in my mind that still needs to unfold. The training, Al's death, the fear simulation, the injections, the killing of Abignation, Jeanine looking for something. I wish I've read the second and third book. I sigh.
Focus.
I need to focus.
I don't want to be factionless. I can't transfer to another faction, so I have to become a Dauntless member.
Ok, I can do that. I'm fit enough – I love running – so I think that will count as an advantage. Physical combat? Never done it before, but I was no match for the Mad Man, so maybe that would be a bit of a challenge. However, if Tris can do it, I can do it.
Maybe training to defend myself is a good thing. I never want to feel so vulnerable in my life again. I never want to be in such a helpless state that I was in with the Mad Man. I wipe my cheek and notice that it is wet. I did not realize I am crying. I take a deep, shaky breath.
Yes, training to defend myself will be a good thing. Physical combat, knife throwing and handling a gun. I shudder at the last thought.
But the training part is not the difficult section. What about the fear simulation?
I hug the pillow to my face and groan. Fuck. Ok, so what am I afraid of?
The Mad Man. I feel sick knowing I'm going to see him again. Feel it again. Be there again.
I quickly moved on to my next fear, trying not to linger too much on the watery blue eyes floating in my mind.
My dad. I'm afraid he will get hurt. It's just a fear simulation I remind myself, so it will be alright, he is not actually going to be there. What next? Sharks. I'm terrified of sharks. The black beady eyes and razor sharp teeth. I've watch too many Shark Attach episodes on National Geographic's.
Mmmm…does Four even know what a shark is? I'm not sure how secluded they are here. I know about the wall of course, but do they have books, movies or internet to access stuff outside? Anyway, what else? Cockroaches. Hate them, but don't think it will be too much of a problem.
Not being Divergent and killing innocent people. That's a huge fear.
I frown into my pillow. That's going to be a problem. Four will freak out when he sees that. I can just imagine the scene. All the people he knows, walking like zombies, killing his former faction…
I groan again. Maybe it is a good thing if Four sees it. He is the good guy after all. Maybe he can help in devising a plan to save everyone.
But what if Eric or Max witness the event in my mind? What if, even if Four erases the memory, Eric takes his place one day controlling the simulation? My stomach lurch and I feel sick. That cannot happen. I'm not going to have innocent blood on my hands.
I need to avoid the fear simulation, but how?
By not becoming Dauntless.
I need a new plan. My mind is twisting and turning to come up with a new idea.
Maybe I can still do my training - get fitter, stronger and learn how to defend myself. Then one day, I can steel a gun, maybe some daggers and run away. I'll be factionless, but that will be ok.
I can try and find the Prior Family and inform them about what I know. I can tell them I've overheard the Dauntless speaking about it and that was why I ran away. They will help. Tris's mother will help.
After that I can leave the place and explore what's behind the wall.
What is behind the wall?
Maybe it's Zombies.
Ugh, add that to my fear list.
Scrap that idea for the moment. Let me first try and find out what is behind the wall, before I venture out there.
Great, that could work. In the meantime while I'm here, I can save Al.
I feel calmer now, now that I have some form of a plan laid out. I also feel calmer, because the Mad Man can't reach me in this world.
I remove the pillow from my face and let out a long breath that I was holding. I can hear the different stages each person in the room with me is in. Deep sleep, restless sleep, not asleep.
I know Al and Tris is also awake. I know that both of them are crying. Tris is just doing a better job at hiding it than Al. I wonder why such a big, strong, slightly handsome boy, can be so utterly afraid. If he is soft in nature, as he clearly shows, why did he choose Dauntless? He would have done much better in Amity, hurling grain sacks and eating happy-clappy bread.
Another sob escapes the boy and I wonder if I should comfort him. Maybe he just needs someone to tell him that everything is going to be all right. Maybe this is the first step into saving Al. I gave a soft chuckle. Operation: Saving Al. It sounds like a title of a low budget movie.
I remove the covers and swing my legs down. The stone floor is cold and I shiver.
I make my way down the aisle, noiseless, towards Al's bed. I halt in front of it, not sure of how I am to proceed. This is kind of awkward.
"Al?" I whisper.
The bed creaks and the sobbing stops "Who's there?" His voice is think with crying. He sounds awful.
"Alex" I shift my weight, uncomfortable and uncertain "are you ok?"
He sniffs, but does not answer. Hesitantly I lower myself on his bead. "Mind if I sit down?" I ask "The floor is quite cold"
"No" he whispers and I feel him scoot over. I sit down completely and place my feet on the bed as well. I notice that Al's back is turned to me.
This feels so weird. I'm not very good with comforting. I just know that every person, no matter how tough they are, needs comforting some or other time in their life. I reach out a hand and start stroking Al's back. Ugh this feels so weird. He must think me a freak.
"It's going to be ok" I whisper and my voice sounds weak.
"You will be good at his." I try and say more confidently. I'm not sure if he is hearing this or not, but I feel I have to do this. I cannot sit by and just let him die.
I'm not sure if messing up the story line will end up in a disaster, but at this stage I don't give a flying fuck about that. These people here, now, are real to me.
"You are strong and brave" I continue stroking his back. "Leaving your home is brave". I'm not whispering anymore, but I don't care. Tris is in the bunk next to him and maybe I can comfort her at the same time.
"Choosing Dauntless is very brave"
"You've managed to keep up with the Dauntless running from the Choosing Ceremony, you jumped on and off a moving train and even from a building down into a black hole" I smile "So don't worry you are brave"
Al's breathing is evening out a bit and I can feel that the wretched feeling is slowly leaving his body. Maybe if he starts off with a little bit of confidence and a good night's sleep, maybe he will do better in the training.
I sit a little while longer, stroking Al's back and then quietly slipped off his bed and back into mine.
Everything is going to be fine.
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Ok, chapters will not always be posted this quickly, but since I've already written this one and is semi-finished with the next two...I thought I might as well post it.
Hopefully I will get a few more followers and reviews
Thanks to Debbydg, AndreaGreenleaves and CallMehGabbeh for your reviews.
Thanks for reading.
Mwa/xx