Soo people let me know that it showed up super weird, so hopefully this is better! Sorry about that

A/N: hi! I hope you guys are liking the story so far! Let me know what you think of it. And I don't know if people actually read these things but for those of you who do, I just want to make it known that the whole Genetic Purity War will be interpreted very differently. So it will happen, but in a different way.

P.S. Sorry for the long time in between updates, but you know...finals are a thing...and life happens and life is stressful and you know. I'll try to pump out chapters faster, this one was just hard to write, but now I've got my flow and a plan!

Thanks to everyone who commented/favorited/generally read this! You're all wonderful 😊

I sat frozen in my seat waiting for the other factions to arrive. Today is Choosing Day. I had just about 24 hours to decide which faction I wanted to spend the rest of my life in. And as I wait for the ceremony to start, I still have no idea where to go. Staying in Erudite is not an option. Although my mother is the faction leader, I know her curiosity of Divergents would outweigh her love of me. It's how Erudites' minds work, academia and learning matter more than emotional attachments.

So you can see why I don't really want to stay here.

But as I watch the other factions file in, I still can't decide where to go. The Candor come in loud and it sounds like they're arguing. I have too many secrets to hide to go to Candor...well one major secret. Also, as much as I love proving people wrong, simply arguing with others would be a very tiresome task after a while. So they are definitely a no.

As Amity comes in, I notice how happy they look. Many are humming and skipping into their seats. They seem appealing, very happy and carefree...it would be a nice change. But would it be boring? I mean, would things be too monotonous? I like challenges, I enjoy forcing my brain to work in a way it normally wouldn't. That aspect of me is purely Erudite and although I cannot stay in my home, I still want to be able to learn. No offense to Amity, but I do not believe they will challenge me enough. The same goes for Abnegation, I know I'm not a selfless person and I am not about to give up everything. Kudos to the people who can though.

That leaves Dauntless. The most daring of the factions. They protect us from the outside world and keep the factionless in place. They always seem so genuinely happy, not the high happy of the Amity, but joyful in a rowdy way. It's appealing...I feel drawn to them somehow, they are so different from Erudite...it's fascinating.

My attention to the Dauntless is drawn away as my lovely mother begins to address the crowd. It's Erudites turn to host the Choosing Ceremony, and as the leader of Erudite, my mother gets to speak and show off her knowledge to the whole community. She likes to brag.

I can't bring myself to listen about how this ceremony is essential to our peaceful society and all that bull shit. I just want to choose and leave. I just want to face the disappointment and shock in my mother's face and get on with it. It sounds cold, but believe me, it's easier this way. As they say, "faction before blood".

"Valerie Matthews."

Finally my name is called, and I take a moment to relax. I can do this, I can make the choice that is best for me. Well best fits my curiosity, and the best chance I have for keeping my secret while fulfilling my love for learning new things.

It sounds stupid when I think it out loud, doesn't it?

Anyway, I make my way up to the stage where the bowls are. I apprehensively look to my mother and she hands me the knife. As expected, I take it and cut my palm a little. I let my blood drip onto the hot coals that represent Dauntless. And that was it. I have just decided my fate and it really wasn't that bad...until my mother coldly announces that I chose Dauntless. The Dauntless cheer in response, but it sounds a tad reluctant. I can't help but look up at her one last time before I head over to my new faction. I can't tell if she's disappointed or just curious. I honestly don't know which would be worse - a curious Jeanine is a dangerous Jeanine.

I make my way over to my loud new faction, trying to process what I just did. I have changed my own life, and it excites me to have that control. I allow myself to smile as I take a seat next to an Amity transfer. She seems to feel the same way as I do - maybe trying out a new life won't be so bad after all.

The rest of the "choosers" went through their Choosing Ceremony and quite a few came to Dauntless. All of us have chosen to leave our lives behind for one of adventure and challenge. We all look a bit nervous, but I can't wait to begin.

The ceremony ends and the Dauntless start to run out first. We initiates catch on pretty quickly and follow after them. We run down the stairs and keep on running when we get out. At first I felt free as I ran away from Erudite, but now I'm getting tired and I could tell everyone else was too. The leaders don't stop running though. Then they start jumping on the passing train.

"Do we follow them?" One of the other initiates shouted. I wanted to yell back at him and sarcastically say no, we have to find our own way, but I don't. I'm too busy trying to figure out when the opportune time to jump on the train would be. Everyone else is just randomly jumping on the train and I try to follow. I push my legs off the ground as hard as I can. I grip the handle and try to push myself on the train. My hands are too sweaty and it's very difficult to climb on a moving train. It looks pretty badass, but it's hard.

Anyway, I notice a hand grip my wrist and I see the Amity girl. I finally make it on the train with her help.

"Thank you," I say breathlessly.

"Don't mention it," she replies. She stretches her hand out for me to take. "Joanie."

"Valerie," I say taking her hand. We're both out of breath and. The two of us stand secluded away from the other initiates. Most of them are from Candor, but there's a few from Erudite that I recognize. I notice Joanie is the only Amity, and also the only one who looks even remotely friendly. The rest look brutish and ready to push anyone off this train car. I think I'll stay back here...

The Dauntless members start jumping off the train car and onto the building. Joanie looks at me incredulously as if to say, "seriously?" I simply shrug and take a running start to jump off. Joanie immediately follows me and we jump off nearly in unison. We land on a roof not so gracefully. Joanie lands on her knees while I trip and actually fall flat on my face. What a way to start my new life.

"Welcome to Dauntless," begins one of the Dauntless. He's blonde and fierce looking with piercings all over. He has a cold look that just exudes leadership, which was directed right at Joanie and I trying to get back on our feet. Not the best sign.

"Once our graceful initiates can find it in themselves to stand up and come to attention, we can begin," said the Dauntless, looking directly at us. The other initiates turn to look at us as we quickly stand and brush off the dirt from our clothes. "Thank you. My name is Eric and I am one of the Dauntless leaders. This initiation is not for the faint hearted. Consider yourselves warned. This is the alternate entrance to the Dauntless compound. You all must enter by jumping off of the roof into our compound."

"Is there something to catch us at the bottom?" an Erudite yelled.

"No, they're gonna let us all die." I say before I can stop myself. But can you blame me? Do these people really think they're gonna just let us all fall to our deaths? Apparently they do because they all just stare at me aghast.

"Since you're so confident, why don't you go first?" Eric the leader challenges me. He thinks that since I'm an Erudite I'm all logic and words, but no action. Well, challenge accepted asshole.

"Why not?" I respond spitefully. I walk over to the edge, and look down. I can't see the ground and I won't lie and say it doesn't scare me, but it does. I look over to the leader and he's smirking at me, as if he can feel my fear. I feel a rush of defiance and leap off the edge.

I feel weightless as I fall and its amazing! It's over all too soon as I feel myself it some sort of net. I bounce back up and I can't help but let out a squeal of glee as I fall back down. I roll off the net and fall messily onto the concrete floor. I find myself next to a pair of legs. Male legs. I look up at the owner of the legs to find a guy a little older than me staring down at me, exasperated. He sighs, sounding very annoyed and asks my name.

"Uh Valerie," I say.

"First jumper, Valerie!" shouts the guy. The surrounding Dauntless cheer. He motions for me to move away and I watch the other initiates jump down. I wait for Joanie, my new friend here. She's one of the last to come down and She smiles when she see me and comes over.

"These people are insane," she whispers to me. I can only find it in me to nod, because she's right, these people are a bit nuts. I can't tell if I like it or not. It's too late to back out now either way.

"Transfers, you will follow me," says the man who took my name. "Dauntless-Born, you will go with Lauren, I'm assuming you don't need a tour of the compound."

The Dauntless-Born laugh and follow a girl out. The man turns back to us, there's only a little over 15 of us.

"My name is Four and I will be your training instructor during initiation. It is a three part process and will determine your place here in Dauntless. Now if you will follow me, I will give you a tour of the Dauntless compound."

Dauntless is a very interesting place. It's almost like an underground bunker that I've read about in the old books about our ancient past. The people are interesting as well, they're very lively. I'm being literal, they're so alive and happy! It's odd to see people so loose and with their hair down. It's very different from Erudite, where people just studied and interacted primarily for academic reasons.

I can't help but love this place...

I take in everything around me as we continued to tour Dauntless. I hardly listened to Four talk, what he was saying was common sense information anyway, like "Don't jump in the gorge". Well I don't plan on it sir. Thank you.

When we make it to what looks like a dorm, we stop.

"This is where you'll be sleeping, both boys and girls."

The boys looked creepily excited, while the girls looked uncomfortable. Four noticed this and he mentioned that we'd even be sharing the bathrooms, which whipped the smile off of their faces. Pervs.

After he left, everyone seemed too nervous to do much, so we just went to bed and got ready for our first day of training.

Training starts early. Too early, and that's coming from a girl who has spent her whole life waking up early because intelligent people need to take advantage of the hours of the day. Apparently brave people do too. It sucks.

Anyway, we get rudely woken up and told to wear the training clothes that have been given to us and then go down for breakfast. We did as we were told, and I found myself next to Joanie and a few other transfers from Candor and Erudite.

"So what do you think we'll be doing today?" asks the Erudite. I recognize him as a boy named Frank. He was always really nice, but never that bright.

"Probably learn the ropes, general things," I offer as I eat my oatmeal and sausage. "It'll probably be a transition day or something."

I assumed that today would be a day of learning the general rules and regulations of Dauntless, along with what they do here. I was confident, but when breakfast was over, I learned I couldn't have been more wrong.

We get there only to find Four and Eric impatiently waiting for us in what seems like a gym. There are punching bags, dummies, weights...and everything else that would fulfill a workout junkie's dream.

"Good morning initiates!" Eric shouts as we enter. He observes us taking everything in before he continues. "The first stage to your initiation deals with physical ability. In order to even survive here, you need to be able to fight. We defend our civilization from outside threats, you cannot be weak when handed this burden.

"Furthermore, this first stage determines your fate here in dauntless. You will be ranked with the Dauntless born, but only 15 of you will make it through until the end. The rest of you will become factionless."

He pauses for a moment, waiting for a reaction. It's like he wants us to defy him, but we're all too shocked to say anything. Well I shouldn't say we, I'm more confused than shocked. Why kick manpower out of a faction that relies on it? It seems foolish to me.

A few moments pass of awkward, tense silence before Eric says anything more. He smirks and motions us to follow him.

He takes us to where all of the fighting equipment is.

"First we will observe you practice your fighting skills, then tomorrow, you will begin fighting each other, you will be ranked." Four began. "I suggest you use your time wisely."

I noticed the other initiates take up the weights or other exercise equipment and begin practicing. I look and see a punching bag is beside me, not sure what else to do, I begin punching it with all of the force I have. I try different moves as time goes on, and I believe I'm doing pretty well until I notice a looming figure beside me. It's Eric, observing me with a wicked grin on his face.

"You must be Valerie Matthews, the pride of Erudite," he taunts as I try to concentrate.

"I'm not Erudite anymore, I'm Dauntless now," I state, reaffirming the "faction before blood" mentality. He was testing me, and he knew that I knew that. He just laughed.

"We'll see, know-all," he says, walking away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I inquire heatedly.

"You should've stayed in Erudite where you belong, where you'd be nothing more than a nameless scientist."

"You're wrong." I can't help but stare as he begins to walk away again.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, you're wrong," I restate confidently. "I will make it here, I swear it."

He smirks again before he answers. "Give me 10 push ups initiate."

I do as he says but I could barely even do one. He laughs boisterously and steps down hard on my back as I try again. He leans into me and whispers, "This is where you belong Matthews - at my feet. Remember your place here."

The rest of the morning does not go well. Eric berates me constantly, pushing me to the edge of my patience. The other initiates (besides Joanie) laugh along with him, because how could a nerd like me, ever make it in this harsh faction.

As we go to lunch, I notice many point and whisper as I walk by. I hear what they say, it's just different variations of the same thing: how long will she make it? How will Jeanine deal with her daughter being factionless?

Am I really that pathetic? That not even 3 hours into my first day, I'm already doomed?

Well screw that, and screw them.

I will make it here, I don't care how much harder I have to work than everyone else - I'll prove all of the assholes wrong.