Lauren and I wait until all of the initiates have jumped before leading them through a narrow path that leads to the compound. I can still recall the first time I walked down this path. The darkness used to be unsettling, but now it comforts me. We stop suddenly, and I hear several of the initiates colliding into others.

"This is where we divide," Lauren says. "The Dauntless-born initiates are with me. I assume you don't need a tour of the place."

More than half of the group break off and follow Lauren. Only nine initiates remain with me. I note that most of the transfers are from Candor and Erudite. There is one Abnegation, and no Amity. Typical.

"Most of the time I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor." I tell them. " My name is Four." It's not actually, but it is the name I wear around the Dauntless. Four was a nickname given to me by Amar, my instructor during initiation.

"Four? Like the number?" a Candor girl asks.

"Yes," I say. "Is there a problem?"

"No."

"Good. We're about to go into the Pit, which you will someday learn to love. It-"

"The Pit?" the same girl snickers. "Clever name." I have never liked the Candor for their blunt, opinionated attitude, and right now this girl is getting on my nerves. I walk towards her, fixing a cold glare on her.

"What's your name?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Christina," she manages to squeak out.

"Well Christina, if I wanted to put up with Candor smart-mouths, I would have joined their faction," I hiss right into her face. "The first lesson you will learn from me is to keep your mouth shut. Got that?"

She nods, unable to speak. I turn from her and begin walking to the end of the tunnel, and the initiates follow in silence. At the end of the tunnel, it opens out to an underground cavern, known to the Dauntless as the Pit, where we all spend a large amount of leisure time. Narrow paths carved from rock connect living quarters, shops and leisure rooms together. There are no railings in place to keep people from falling. People are everywhere, all dressed in black, Dauntless clothing, bustling about. Again, I think of how different this place is to where I used to call home. I got used to the noise, and it now provides a welcome distraction.

"If you follow me," I say, "I'll show you the chasm."

I lead the group to down a path on the right side of the Pit, towards the iron railing that separates us from the rushing water several stories below. The initiates pool around the barricade to get a better view of the chasm. At the bottom lies a river. To the left, the water is calmer, but on the right the water smashes against rocks, spraying water up towards us. I find the roar of the water to be calming - it helps to drown out unwelcome thoughts.

"This chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy!" I shout above the roar of the water. "A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It has happened before and it will happen again. You've been warned."

A few minutes later, I lead the group into the dining hall. The brightly lit room currently hosts a few hundred people who are enjoying their meals. The dining hall is alive with noise, just like most of the compound. When the group walks in, the people inside stand to applaud, stamp their feet, and shout. The place is crowded, but I manage to find a mostly empty table at the side of the room. I sit, and am shortly joined by Tris and Christina, Tris in between Christina and I. On the table sits platters of hamburgers. Tris picks one up and inspects the patty. I nudge her with my elbow.

"It's beef," I say. "Put this on it." I pass her a bowl of ketchup.

"You've never had a hamburger before?" Christina asks disbelievingly.

"No," Tris says. "Is that what it's called?"

"Stiffs eat plain food," I explain to Christina.

"Why?" she asks.

"Extravagance is considered self-indulgent and unnecessary," Tris says with a shrug.

"No wonder you left." remarks Christina.

"Yeah," Tris says, rolling her eyes. "It was because of the food."

I fight off a smile. A Stiff that tells jokes? The doors to the cafeteria open and all conversation inside halt as people realise who it is.

"Who's that?" Christina hisses.

"His name is Eric," I tell her. "He's a Dauntless leader."

"Seriously? But he's so young."

I give her a grave look. "Age doesn't matter here."

Not much does. I've been told that a few years ago, Dauntless used to be a faction built on bravery and pride. Over time, their priorities and customs have changed. Bravery no longer stands for the beliefs we used to pride ourselves on. Power is all that governs us ones who have power have the authoritative jobs. Eric stands at the door and scans the room, searching. I tense up the moment his eyes meet mine, and he begins walking towards my table. He drops into the seat next to me, and I remain silent.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" he asks, motioning towards Tris and Christina.

"This is Tris and Christina." I say. Hardly an introduction.

"Ooh, a Stiff," says Eric, taunting Tris. "We'll see how long you last."

Eric has poor judgement; he often makes the mistake of undermining a person's abilities. After all, I, an Abnegation, outranked him during our own initiation. I glance at Tris, who appeared frozen in place. I don't blame her. Eric, even without his piercings and greasy hair is threatening.

"What have you been doing lately, Four?" he asks.

I shrug as casually as I can."Nothing, really."

"Max tells me he keeps trying to meet with you, and you don't show up," Eric says. "He requested that I find out what's going on with you."

I hold his gaze for a couple of seconds. "Tell him that I am satisfied with the position I currently hold."

"So he wants to give you a job."

"So it would seem." I say. I sense his alertness; he perceives me to be a potential threat to his position. I can understand why, but he must not be clueless to the fact that a position of power is not something I am looking for.

"And you aren't interested."

"I haven't been interested for two years."

"Well," says Eric. "Let's hope he gets the point, then."

He claps me on the shoulder, a little too hard for it to be a friendly gesture, and walks away. From the corner of my eye, I see Tris relax.

"Are you two...friends?" she asks.

"We were in the same initiate class," I tell her. "He transferred from Erudite."

"Were you a transfer too?" she continues. She's surprisingly curious for an Abnegation.

"I thought I would only have trouble with the Candor asking too many questions," I reply coldly. "Now I've got Stiffs, too?"

"It must be because you're so approachable," she says flatly. "You know. Like a bed of nails."

I stare at her; I can't figure her out. I have never met a Stiff who challenged people like this. She holds my gaze, her eyes never wavering, not even for a fraction of a second. She left them for a reason, my words come back to me.

"Careful, Tris." I say quietly.

Someone calls my name from another table, so I finish my dinner quickly and leave to join my friends. We talk about nothing in particular, so I find my mind wandering again. I decided that after this years initiation, I would leave Dauntless. I joined to escape my father, and because the Dauntless had seemed like the most logical answer. At first it was fine, and I felt like I could belong. But as time went on, I began to see the flaws in my faction. I think about Tris, and wonder. What made her change factions? Even more, why did she choose Dauntless, of all the factions. We have the toughest initiation, and she seems too small, too fragile for it. I wonder if she will make it. I find myself wanting to protect her from the ruthlessness of this faction, but that's ridiculous. I'm ridiculous. She's just another transfer, another possible initiate. I shouldn't be wasting my time on her. After a little while, I leave my friends and make my way to my apartment. I sit on my bed, and before long my mind becomes foggy and I slip into sleep.