A/N I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter. R&R
Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.
"Make me proud." My mother whispers in my ear. I give her a slight nod before I make my way over to the sexiest man I have ever seen. Blond hair slicked back with the sides shaved and two piercings in his right eyebrow, one in each ear and in the side of his bottom lip. He also has tattoos running down both sides of his neck, wrapped around his huge biceps and down his forearms. As I get closer to him I become...nervous. My mouth goes dry and my hands become clammy. I have never been nervous, my mother doesn't allow it. I rub my hands on my skirt as I step up to him and the bowls. A shiver runs down my spine as I take the knife from his callused hand. I look into his grey eyes as I slice my palm and hold it over the burning dauntless coals. A smirk appears on his face as he calls out, "Dauntless."
The room remains silent before the Dauntless erupt into cheers as I walk toward my new faction without sparing a glance my mother's way. I am my father's child. I am Divergent. I am Dauntless. I take a seat in one of the front seats that an older Dauntless member offers. I murmur thanks. Rest of the ceremony goes by in a blur until a hand slips into mine. I look down at the hand that holds mine than up at the person next to me. I smile into the laughing brown eyes of my best friend. Wesley smiles back than looks forward as another name is barked out by the young Dauntless leader. I look up and see that he is looking this way with a violent look on his face. My heart starts to stutter before he looks away. Before I know it the ceremony is over and the Dauntless are all surging to their feet and racing from the room. Wesley and I stand but before we leave I yank on the bottom of my skirt to let it rip up the side.
"What are you doing?" Wesley exclaims as he watches me.
"I can't run if I don't." I tell him with a laugh.
"Well you almost gave me a stroke." Wesley jokes as we follow the Dauntless from the room.
We leave the room to find them racing down the stairs, my mother and I used the elevator up. I look down at my heels and curse my mother and prey I don't break my ankle in these heels because this will be hell making it to the Dauntless compound.
"Can you make it, Julie?" Wesley calls over the shouts of the Dauntless.
"Yes," I call back as we start to descend at neck breaking speed. Once we make it to the streets there is no time to catch our breath. The Dauntless haven't stopped yet. They run down the street and start to climb up the support beams for the raised train tracks. I quickly reach the beams as an Amity transfer does, too. She notices my shoes and asks, "Can you make it?"
"Yes," I say as I start to climb, my feet never slipping as I make my way to the top. I swing my self up to find the Dauntless and the transfers waiting, Wesley is there as well. Thankfully I am a runner and I don't need much time to catch my breath before everyone starts running again as the train comes rushing toward us. "Its not stopping." A large Candor boy calls as the first of the Dauntless start to jump aboard. I take off running and as I jump I snag hold of the handle with my hand and find the foot hold to quickly pull myself into the train car. I step away from the door patting my pocket to feel for the photos of my father as more transfers jump inside. A hand touches mine and I look up to find Wesley again.
"Glad to see you made it." He grins as the Amity pulls herself in.
"So am I and the same to you, my friend." I say as I sink to the floor with one hand in Wesley's hand and the other wrapped around my father's ring.
"What happen to your hair?" Amity asks as she sits with us.
I reach my hand to my hair to find it falling out of its faux bob. My mother forbid me to wear it long since I turned thirteen. For the last three years I have worn it in a faux bob to appease her. Now I rake my fingers through my hair and dozens of hair pins fall to the ground. My hair now ends at the middle of my back unlike before where it barely reached my jawline.
"Wow, you have amazing hair. My name is Autumn by the way." Amity tells us.
"Thanks..." I start to say but Wesley interrupts.
"I'm Wesley and this is Juliana." Wesley says before I can finish.
"I know who she is. I think everyone does." As Autumn says this my heart sinks, will I every be able to get away from my past?
"Was anyone left or were you the last." Wesley asks not realizing my inner turmoil.
"I was the last, we all made it on." Autumn smiles at Wesley.
Over half an hour later the train starts to decrease in speed just as Wesley calls out, "they are jumping."
I get up and walk over to where he stands by the open train door. Our cart is getting closer to the roof in which the Dauntless are jumping onto. I take a few steps back and take a running leap as the roof comes into view, Wesley and Autumn are right behind. The other transfers continue to jump out as I stand to dust myself off. I see blood running down my leg from a cut on my knee from the gravel on the roof top where I landed. By all means it was not the smoothest landing. I rip apart of my skirt off and tie it around my knee to try and stop the bleeding as Wesley and Autumn come over to where I am standing.
"Are you alright?" Wesley asks as he looks down at my knee.
"Yeah, I'm perfect." i laugh as I look around.
"That was fun." Autumn says as she jumps from foot to foot.
"Enough talking!" We turn to see Eric and Max standing up on a ledge of the roof we are on. "You have made it to the compound but you haven't made it inside yet. You must take one final jump. The member's way in." Eric says as he waves his hand behind him. "Who wants to go first?"
I don't give anyone a chance as I make my way to the front. "I do!" My voice calls out.
"Jeanine's daughter." Eric smirks when he sees who it is walking up to him.
I stop just in front of him. "No, never again." I say as he and Max step down to give me the ledge. I step up and feel my leg become exposed from the split I ripped into it earlier. It is on Eric side and nearly to my panty line, so I have just flashed one of my new faction leaders a lot of leg before I turn around to look at everyone else. I smile before I say "see you below." My eyes lock with Eric's before I tip myself back. I am now free falling, my arms spread wide as the wind rushes around me, into the hole I saw from above. All to soon I land into a very large net that cradles me before a set of hands reach out and help me down. I look up into the eyes of the young man that helped me.
"Welcome to Dauntless. What is your name?" A voice comes from beside him. It belongs to a young woman around my height with dark blond hair.
I smile to them, "McKaven Blaine," I say with no hesitation.
"First jumper, McKaven Blaine!" The young man calls out and the room swells with cheers. "Go stand to the side and wait for the others to come down."
I walk over to where he points. I turn around just in time to see Wesley fall into the net. He is helped out by the same young man and is asked his name. "Second jumper, Wes!" Once again cheers are let out as Wes walks over to where I stand.
"Hey, Wes." I say to my friend as he wraps me into a hug.
"Yeah, I thought Wesley was just to formal. Did you change yours?" He asks as we look over at the net, his arm still around my waist.
"I changed it to what my father wanted to name me. My name is McKaven." I lean into his side.
"Sexy," he murmurs. We stand together and watch as the initiates drop down. I start to worry after twenty initiates have drop from above and none have been Autumn. 'What if she doesn't jump?' I ask myself, 'I just met her should I be sad?' Just then I hear a high pitched scream as she falls into the net. The blue eyed man that has been helping everyone helps her out and speaks to her.
"26th jumper, Audi!" he calls out as 'Audi's' tall and willowy body sashays over to where Wes and I stand.
"I was getting worried you wouldn't jump, Audi." She flushes as I call her by her new name.
"Yeah, I had to face a fear. I haven't liked heights in a long time," she shivers.
"But you're so tall," Wes jokes.
"And the longer the fall. I broke my arm once while I was picking apples. I've hated being up high ever since." She tells us with a shrug.
"Understandable." Wes says as another girl falls into the net. "Last jumper, Tessa," is called out.
"There was another one up there." Audi tells us as Eric jumps down followed by Max.