I watched the city pass by at the train's quick speeds. I leaned my head against the door of the train and took in a deep breath. It felt great not having to hide who I was. But I was still hiding something. Abby was Divergent and if neither of us are carful she'll end up dead. Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone jump. I leaned more out the door and that's when I saw them, Dauntless born and transfer initiates jumping from the train and on to the room of a building.
"They're jumping!" someone yelled. I smiled as I saw our car grew closer to that roof. I moved all the way back to the car and I waited to see the edge of the roof. I took in a deep breath and watched the roofs. Soon I was in front of the right roof with the other dauntless initiates. I ran out of the car and hurled myself into the air. I was air born and excitement filled me I let out a scream as a smile grew across my face. The pure adrenaline pumped through my veins and I felt free for the first time in my life. I knew at that moment that freedom was going to be a craving I could never kick. I landed hard on the gravel and rolled a couple times. Once I stopped and I was lying on my back on the gravel, I started laughing.
"WHOO!" I yelled with a laugh. I sat up in time to see Abby jump onto the roof fallowed by a short Candor girl holding hands with the Abnegation girl. I got up and jogged over and helped Abby up. Abby herself was even giggling at the excitement of jumping from the train.
"That was awesome," Abby smiled then frowned, "you ripped your best skirt," I looked down and saw the tear that was about mid-thigh. Without a second thought I inserted my fingers into the hole and ripped it again so now my long skirt ended mid-thigh.
"Alright can I have your attention?" I turned around to see the Dauntless man from earlier. I frowned and rolled my eyes, it was just my luck that I would snap at the guy who was in charge of training. "My name is Eric I am one of the leaders of Dauntless,"
Dauntless leader even better, I internally groaned.
Eric looked from the Abnegation girl to me and Abby. He scuffed out of amusement he thought we must have been easy targets and would be out soon. That alone, made me want to punch his lights out. It was like an unspoken challenge that he declared on the three of us. Now I wanted to show him I could be Dauntless. "If you want into Dauntless this is the way," said and looked over the edge. We all took a couple steps forward and looked over the ledge. Instead of seeing the solid ground there was a gapping black hole below. "Now who's first?"
"Is there water or something?" someone yelled
"Jump and find out!" Eric said with a cocky grin. I looked from Eric to Abby then him again.
"I'll do it!" the abnegation girl spoke up. Eric seemed amused by this as she moved forward. She climbed up into the ledge and looked over.
"Today Initiate!" Eric yelled. The Abnegation girl took off her jacket which caused one of the Candor boys to shout.
"Yeah Stiff take it off!" she glared at him then threw her jack into his face. Then she jumped, she didn't scream as she fell it was just silent. I smiled as she fell into the mysterious below. She proved that anyone from any faction could jump. She was the first jumper.
"Alright whose next!" Eris called and looked at us.
"I'll go!" I spoke up. I tried to move forward but Abby grabbed my wrist. I gave Abby a serious look and she let go. "I'll see you at the bottom," she nodded and let go of my wrist. Eric watched me make my way to the front of the group. His eyes were locked on me as I stopped at the ledge. "What?" I snapped at him.
"We're just waiting on you," Eric said out of annoyance. I rolled my eyes and climbed the ledge. I looked at Eric one more time and I sent him and unamused glare. He looked me up and down and I could tell I was already an annoyance to him. I just hopped it didn't affect me getting into Dauntless.
"Nice panties inbred hippy!" The same Candor boy that yelled at the Abnegation girl yelled at me. I turned around feeling her anger begin to boil at the mere sight of him.
"Go to hell moron!" I yelled which caused Eric to scuff with amusement.
"Twin One has bit of an attitude," Eric smirked. I turned my glare back at him.
"You can go too for all I care," with that I jumped. I began to fall and the feeling of freedom pulsed through my veins again. Yeah it was something I would never get tired of. The wind ripped through my long loose hair and what was left of my skirt. As I fell I let out a scream of joy and excitement and at that moment I forgot everything. I hit something that lurched me back into the air and then I settled on it. I started laughing as the adrenaline calmed in my veins. The corner of the net pulled down and a Dauntless man stood there.
"Amity really?" he helped me out and I saw the Abnegation girl standing breathlessly.
"Name?" He asked me with an unamused look. I stood there silently for a moment because I knew once you started a new life in a faction you could pick a new name. "You can pick a new one if you want Amity," he said out of annoyance. "Make it good it's the only time you get to pick." I hated my name I wasn't some flower that went extinct centuries ago. Of course I was picking a new name.
"Zed," I told him, "Zed Albright," The man nodded and turned to the large crowd.
"Second Jumper Zed Albright!" the crowd of people cheered as he called my name.
Zed I'll have to remember that was me, I thought to myself. The man directed me to the Abnegation girl and she smiled at me. I gave her one back and I crossed my arms as I stood beside her. Come on Abs don't wus out, I thought as I looked up at the large hole. Soon I started to hear screaming followed by a flash of yellow and red. I smiled as she was whiplashed back into the air. The man pulled down the side of the net and stared at my sister. I could help but laugh as he looked back at me.
"Twins," he rolled his eyes "perfect," he helped Abby out of the net and she was grinning ear to ear. "Name?"
"Abigail," he nodded and looked to the crowd.
"Third jumper Abigail Albright!" everyone cheer. Abby walked over to my side and I elbowed her in the ribs. She smiled at me as more people jumped to the bottom. Soon the last person jumped over the edge and it turned out to be Eric. "Is that everybody?" the guy asked.
"More people jumped this year than last," Eric told him without even looking at him. Obviously they had some unresolved issues. The guy moved to the front of the group with Eric.
"Dauntless born go with Lauren transfers are with me," he looked us all up and down as a group. "My name is Four I usually work in intelligence but for now I'm your trainer."
"Four?" I looked at the Candor girl who spoke up "like the number?"
"Exactly like the number," he seemed unamused.
"What? were one through three taken?" I smiled at her joke as Four got into her face. As Four spoke to her and I looked up to see Eric glaring at me. If you asked me at that moment I would have described him as the Devil himself. His steel eyes bore into my flesh and I could just feel anger radiating off of him. "Follow me!" Four brought me back into reality. Started walking with the others as Four gave us the tour of the compound. I looked at my sister and she just seemed out of place. I could tell she was nervous do to her playing with her butt length hair. I took my sister's and a squeezed it. She looked over at me and gave me a quick smile.
"It's okay," I mouthed.
"This is The Pit," Four announced and grabbed my attention. My eyes widened as I saw it was a large room with a glass ceiling miles above us. People were dancing to loud music, or working out or just hanging out all to gather. "one day you'll learn to love it," Four told us.
"I think I already do," I whispered to Abby.
"What did you say Twin One?" Eric's voice boomed over Four's. I looked behind me and I saw him standing there with an unamused looked.
"Would you like the real answer sir or want me to make a comment about your horrendous hair cut?" people around me hid their laughs while Abby elbowed me in the ribs. He turned his gaze to Abby and still had an unamused look plastered all over his face.
"Twin Two would you like to explain what your moron of a sister was saying?" I glared at him when he called me a moron. I had been called a moron before back in Amity and sometimes by Erudite, I always hated it. I didn't need to be reminded every day that I wasn't as smart as everyone else.
"She was just saying that she already fell in love with The Pit sir," Abby told him. Eric looked from Abby back to me and he seemed slightly amused.
"Points for Twin Two for not sharing her idiot sister's attitude," my jaw locked as my anger started to rumble. Four started the tour back up and I followed in silence and trying not to say something to Eric. He was a jerk and I hated him already. Soon we were in a room full of beds.
"Here's where you'll be sleeping," Four announced.
"Boys or girls?" Abby asked him.
"Both," he turned to the Candor girl, "you should be right at home Candor," he pulled on a cocky smile, "everything out in the open," he was a jerk but he was more likeable than Eric. "Get changed then meet back outside," I looked back and noticed Eric was gone and I let out a sigh of relief. The man irked me for some reason; my only guess was that I could tell the mean ones from the nice ones. It wasn't because he had a face that you could distrust it was that gave off they don't mess with vibe. Four had a nicer face but he gave off nearly the same thing. It must have been my Amity trained eye for it. Kind of like how a Candor could tell when someone was lying. I turned back and grabbed some close my size. I was a little shorter than my sister and a lot rounder and my leg strength was higher so my sister and I weren't an exact match like everyone thought. I pulled on a pair of combat boots and laced then up. I tied back my mid back length hair into a messy bun and walked out where the other initiates were standing. The cloths I was now wearing were tight and uncomfortable yet I knew they weren't going to get in the way. Once the last of the initiates were out Four led us to an open fire. People started dropping their clothing in and they burned away the last of their old faction. When it was my turn I looked at my cloths then the fire then dropped them. Seeing my mother's hand-me-down cloths burn was a sad sight to see. If I had stayed in Amity it could had been possible that Audrey would have worn them or a child I would have had. I closed my eyes and moved ahead and fallowed everyone else. It turned out it was dinner time so it was time for us to eat. Abby and I walked down the long corridor fallowing the other initiates into the dining hall. It was loud and full of people; a few parts of it reminded me of Amity like the close orders with each other and the laughing. But here it there was loud music and nobody was singing except a couple of guys in the corner who were drunk. I smiled and I looked at Abby who seemed so out of place and not as excited as I was. I looked around and found a spot across from Four. I grabbed Abby's arm and pulled her to the spot we sat down and saw the first jumper girl. She was looking at the food and just seemed confused. I looked at the food and now I understood.
"What never seen a hamburger before?" the Candor girl asked the first jumper girl.
"I've seen one but never eaten one before," she looked at her friend.
"Neither have we," Abby spoke up as she grabbed some fruits and vegetables on her plate.
"Abnegation and Amity don't eat meat they mostly eat a plant based diet," an erudite boy told her. I looked at the Erudite boy and gave him a cocky smile.
"Just because I was born in Amity doesn't mean I'm not into trying new things," I picked up the burger and took a large bite out of it. I chewed and the new flavors erupted all over my tongue. "This is amazing!" I said and covered my mouth so no one could see the food in my mouth.
"Lil!" Abby looked at me in shock.
"Zed," I corrected her, "and we're Dauntless now which means we need to bulk up in muscle and muscle needs protein, protein is in meat so in other words eat up," I picked up a burger and held it in her face.
"She is right," the Erudite boy said to her. "I'm Will by the way," he held out his hand.
"Zed not Twin One," I said repeating Eric nick name for me and Abby and I shook his hand.
"You really must have a set of balls if you keep talking like that to Eric," the candor girl told me. "Aren't you Amities supposed to avoid conflict?"
"It isn't in my blood," I told them and ate my hamburger. All three of them seemed to crack a smile. The four of us started talking and making jokes Will seemed to want to have a good debate with one of us and Christina, the candor girl, helped with that. Four got irritated at something they had said about our home factions.
"are Did you transfer?" Tris had asked. Four looked at her with annoyance all over his face.
"What makes you think you can talk to me?" Four spoke with a lethal tone.
"Maybe it's because you're so approachable," Four turned his attention away from her and Christina spoke up.
"You must have a death wish," she chuckled.
"It could be worse," I told them.
"You could be on Eric's bad side," Abby said and looked at me, "like my worst half." I shrugged with a cocky smile.
"He's a prick and probably is over compensating because he has a small dick," I could see Four smirk at that comment of mine. Christina Will and Tris on the other hand looked a little pale. Abby elbowed me in the ribs and I looked at her. In the corner of my eye I could see Satan himself. I looked up at him towering over me with his steel eyes burning with anger in his eyes. "What come to prove me wrong?" I didn't know why I said that. I saw already in deep shit since the gate thing with him now I said he had a small dick.
Yup I'm going to be factionless by the end of the night, I thought. Eric walked away from us and went to the other end of the room.
"I take it back," Christina said, "you have the death wish." Abby started laughing and was soon joined by the others. Back in Amity I wasn't close with people like this. I was a loner because I was a Dauntless girl in Amity clothing now I feel like I'm in the right place. Nobody punished me for my mouth (well not yet anyways) instead they laughed. It was a great feeling, belonging some place was great. Soon people started banging their cups on the tables and a man stood in front.
"initiates! Stand," we did as he said, "you have chosen the warrior faction, tasked with the defense of this city and all of its inhabitants. We believe in ordinary acts of bravery and the courage that drives one person to stand up for another," he looked at each initiates. "respect that, do us proud" everyone cheered. suddenly we were picked up and we were carried across the room. I hated feeling hundreds of hands on me but, I couldn't help but giggle as the dauntless men and women hand met my back and limbs as they passed me across the room. I grabbed my sister's hand when she came close to me. we were both grinning from ear to ear I looked over to my left and took Christina's boot. I was happy and for the first time in my life I realized I was free. I could be who I truly was and nobody was disappointed in who I was or angry.
I was free to be me.