Here is the next Chapter. Thank you all again for review and all. It really does mean a lot.
Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.
Chapter Two: Settling In.
I'm in the back of the group as Eric stops in front of a door. I don't like him one bit.
"For those of you who don't know me, I am Eric. One of five leaders here. We take the initiation process seriously that is why I volunteered to oversee most of it." He seems bored. "Some ground rules. You all need to be in the training room by eight every morning. It will be until six and you will have lunch in the middle." He picks at his nails as if he doesn't care. "After six, you can do whatever you want." Eric looks at the group. Four left somewhere and I am stuck with him. "You are not allowed to leave unless with a Dauntless. Behind this door is where you will be sleeping for the next few weeks." He sighs and leans against the wall. "There are three stages of initiation. The first one you won't be training with the dauntless born, but you will be ranked together. Ranking matter because after initiation, that is how you will be lined up to chose you jobs. Then the more important one is that only ten of you will allowed to become dauntless, that includes the others."
"So we don't all get in?" Someone asks. Please tell me that was a Candor. Erudites are supposed to be smarter than that.
"There are eleven of them and ten of you." Eric says with a sick smile. "You will become factionless if you don't make the cut." He opens the door, but he doesn't let us in just yet. "You chose us, now we have to choose you." Eric tells us before leaving us there with the door open. I'm in the back so I can't see the room as people start to file in the room. People are taking their sweet time. By the time I get in the room, all but one bed is taken. Right next to the door. Tris is in the bottom bunk in the same one. So I guess I have the top. The Abnegations are sticking together. I climb to the top and find a black outfit laid out for me. A short sleeve black shirt with a deep v neck that I will be surprised if the bra won't show underneath it and a pair of loose pants with underwear. The shirt will take time getting used to.
"So the Stiffs are sleeping together. All ready missing home?" I hear a girl snarl and then laughs. I heard you can tell a lot about a person by how they laugh. Not sure if that is true, but if it is then she is not good at all. I look over the edge as see three people standing next to each other. One girl and two guys. The girl looks huge, not tall wise but muscle wise. Her hair in a dark blond and her eyes are brown. All three of them are from Candor, that's for sure. I look at the boys now. If she hangs out with them, then they are bad news too. The boys are like polar opposites of each other. One is short with red hair and seems quiet, while the other is tall and has dark hair and dangerous eyes.
"Knock it off, Molly. If she wants to be with her friend then let her. You are going to hang on Drew and Peter anyway. So what's the problem? You missing home too?" Christina bites out with sarcasm. Molly and I look over to the top bunk next to me where she sits. Christina looks a lot prettier than Molly. Christina isn't as tall as me, but has long legs and short black hair.
"Don't get into this, Christina." She snaps before walking to her bunk and examining her clothes. Tris looks up at her and I start breathing again. I really don't want to fight with anyone right now. My high from last night has gone down and I just want to stay quiet, unheard and unseen. Something kind of new for me that I haven't over came yet. It started two years ago today actually.
"Don't let them get to you." Christina says as she reaches over to me and pats my knee. "Molly, Drew and Peter are just jerks."
"Thanks, not nice at all though." Tris laughs a little bit as she leans on my ladder. Christina shrugs her shoulders.
"Mother always told me that politeness is just deception in a pretty package."She tells her simply. Not abnegation thinking at all. "By the way, Peter is that one to worry about. He is like pure evil or something."
"I can tell." I mumble as I look over my new black shirt. Because of the burns on my neck and head, I'm getting pretty hot. My fingers find the edge of the sweatshirt and I stop. I forgot to put on a shirt. "Did any of you see a bathroom on the way here?" I ask breaking Christina and Tris conversation.
"No why?" Tris says as they both look at me.
"I want to put on the black shirt. I'm getting too hot in this sweatshirt." I tell her. Avoiding the reason why I'm hot. She laughs.
"Just take it off. Your tank top is fine." I look at her and can't help to blush.
"I can't." I say as I look at the black shirt again. "I forgot to put one on." Not something an Abnegation thing at all. No one forgets to put on a shirt. Tris looks at me a bit confused.
"How do you forget to put on a shirt?" Christina laughs.
"I had a lot of things going on today." I tell her briefly without looking at her.
"Makes since, your father was the one that ran the ceremony today. But how do you forget to put on a shirt?" She shakes her head and looks around. Why isn't Christina questioning this? "Al." She shouts and a boy that is as tall as me leans out from his bed under her. He has dark brown hair and eyes to match and looks huge.
"Yes." His voice is deep but sounds kind.
"Where is the bathroom in this place? Andy forgot to wear a shirt today and is too modest to show skin." I feel my cheeks heat up as she says this. The boy doesn't seem to take a second thought.
"It's just outside and along the way we came." He says and then looks at me. "I can take you if you want." I look between Tris and Christina.
"Thanks, but I think I can find it. If I can't, I will try to come back and ask you." I tell him quickly. He doesn't seem to hurt.
"She is a Stiff, Al. She will be Stiff for a while. Don't take it personally." I glare at Christina and throw my pillow at her. "Hey, I'm only telling the truth."
"This isn't Candor, Chris. It's Dauntless. We are brave and we bend the truth here." I tell her as I move to the ladder with my shirt. Tris moves and gives me room. I hope I don't get lost. Yet again, I could be able to find Four and ask him where Bass is. I'll cross that bridge when it comes. I get to the floor and walk to the door.
"Don't get lost; Eric says they throw people over the chasm if new Initiates get lost." I roll my eyes as someone's random comment. I doubt that's true. I walk out into the hall and walk the way we came and keep my eyes peeled for the bathroom. I really can't believe I'm here and sharing a room with boys. That seems strange. Oh well. The price for wanting to see my brother. I turn the corner I could have sworn we came down earlier to get to the dorm room, but it seems different. The lights are more spread out. I don't like the dark much. Not since I was nine. I walk down a bit and start getting nervous. I should've taken Al with me. I turn around and grip the shirt tighter and walk back to the dorm room. I open the door and I find Christina leaning against her ladder laughing at something.
"Hey, she's back. Al, I told you. Go help her." Christina says as she pats his back. I remain quiet as he smiles at me and leads me out the door.
"You ok? You look a little pale." I laugh and look to the ground.
"I'm fine. Just don't like the dark." I tell him quietly as we walk.
"You know, for someone like you. I didn't expect someone quiet and unsure." Al says in a calm voice. I don't think he is meaning to be rude. He is just truthful. A Candor trait.
"Someone like me? What am I like, at first glance?" I ask him with some curiosity.
"Sorry, didn't mean to be rude." He says quickly. I shake my head and loosen my grip on my shirt.
"I'm not offended." I tell him. "Now what did you mean?"
"You just seem tall and brave, like a Dauntless already. Sure you look like you don't have as much muscle, but you seem like you are one." I can't help but smile.
"Thanks, Al." I feel the urge to tell him about my brother. "The only reason why I'm here is because my brother is here."
"Really? That's cool." He says.
"It good to know that I can fit in here, from an outsider's perspective. At least I'm not making a mistake." I mumble the last part as we turn the other corner. The one after the one I took.
"You're not. Your test showed Dauntless so you're in the right place." I shake my head.
"It said Abnegation. I don't know how, but it did." I seem like I can be truthful with him. "But don't tell anyone. It will seem odd for someone like me being here. For what the others are concerned, I got Dauntless."
"Ok, I don't know I can lie just yet, but the question shouldn't come up." He says with a little laugh.
"Thanks. Why is it when a Candor asks me something, I feel the need to tell the truth most of the time?" I ask him as I start to see the bathroom door down the hall. It's not too far from the dorm.
"We can tell when people lie. So it makes sense to tell the truth. We are just going to ask again." I roll my eyes. Seems right. I walk to the door. "Do you want me to wait?" I look to the door and I'm not sure. I'm urged to say no just go, but I didn't really pay attention on the way here.
"Yeah, but if anyone asks you just look at me. I will be the liar." I tell him flatly. "I'm not always willing to get help, do you hear me?" He nods his head and smiles.
"Ok. But I'm willing to help whenever you need help." I thank him and walk into the bright bathroom and find a stall to change. The bathroom is complete with three stalls and three showers and sinks. Like the locker rooms at school. I pull off my brother's sweat shirt and hold in a cry. The burn feels like fire. I have to look at it. So I unlock the door and walk over to the mirror and sigh. I have changed. My face is long and narrow with defined cheek bones. It almost feels strange, standing in front of this mirror in my bra and pants.
I have gotten taller. I look like I'm almost six foot now. My hair and skin look the same, smooth. My skin still has a soft tan and my hair looks almost black. It's really dark brown though. I reach my left hand to my right shoulder and pull it forward and turn around to look at my back. It's a second degree burn and a perfect circle on my back. It's going to hurt like hell and I would want to wear nothing but a bra to bed but it's good. I could do that, but I would have to pull the shirt on and off a lot and since there are blisters and it's going to peel, that will hurt. Third degree isn't something I want to deal with right now so I will not complain much. What is someone sees? I can't really say that my father hit me with a hot pan. Hopefully, no one will.
I slowly pull on my black shirt and as I thought. The V is low. It doesn't come too far down, but it is tight around my chest and shoulders. I'm not swelling badly, so it means the shirt is small. I will have to deal with it though until my back heals. The back doesn't show much red and blisters. If my hair it down, it will cover it all. I pull my hair out of the bun and run my fingers through, careful enough to not hit the 1st degree burn on the scalp. I know it's that because I can't feel blisters and hair isn't burned off. My hair falls down past my shoulders and just above my waist. Most of the other girls have shorter hair in my faction. Their mothers cut their hair every third month or so. I never really had that privilege and it was hard to cut it by myself, so I just trimmed the ends and pulled it up. One last time, I shake my head and watch my long hair wave. It feels refreshing having it down. I pick up my brothers sweat shirt and I glance at the tag inside. T. E is written on the inside. Normally we don't mark our clothes. But he had this for years before he left. He never let it go because it fit… ish. I fold it nicely and walk to the door.
"Ready to go?" I ask Al, who is leaning on the wall next to the door. He blinks and looks at me again.
"With your hair down and skin showing, you look different."Al says as he stands up from the wall. "You look the same, but it's another way to look at you and I was wrong, you have muscles. But not too much." I can't help but roll my eyes. Yeah, I have to in order to pin my father and stand up to him.
"I ask again. Can we go?" He laughs.
"Yeah." He says before turning and leading me back to the dorm. I will have to wait until after the lights go out to sleep. That thought doesn't really scare me. I got him and Christina around me. Two strong looking kids. Plus the dark that comes from sleep doesn't bother me. It's the darkness that's there but doesn't need to be there. "Your hair is really long. I thought there were haircuts you all follow."
"My mother died before she could teach me and I couldn't bother the other mothers to do it for me. Even though they would have been willing. I chose not to cut it." I tell him.
"I'm sorry." He says. "I didn't know…"
"Not many outside of abnegation know or care to know." I tell him simply.
"Even when your father is the leader of your faction." I shrug my shoulders.
"He wasn't too famous among some of the factions." We walk back to the room and he opens the door for me.
"The other Stiff is showing off her skin." I hear someone bark out with laughter. I look over to the back side of the room and see the taller boy speaking. Did Christina say he was Peter? "And doesn't look to bad, for a Stiff." He smirks as our eyes meet. I want to go after him, but my body doesn't allow me too.
"She looks better than any of you with her abnegation clothes." Christina defends me as she slides down her ladder and stands in my eye line of Peter. She has her hands on her hips.
"Really?" Molly laughs out. It kind of sounds like she is sick. "You think she is prettier than me and Peter?"
"She doesn't even need to try." Christina deadpans. "Now, stop being jealous. She is only a stiff." She smirks. Molly goes to walk forward, but Peter puts his hand on her shoulder.
"Not yet." He tells her in a firm voice. Christina turns to me and leads my back to our beds. There are two more boys and one more girl in the group now. One boy has blond shaggy hair and the other has clean cut dark hair. The girl that is on his lap looks fairly pretty with shoulder length light brown hair.
"This is Will, Edward and Myra." Christina says as we finishes walking the short distance. I feel instantly awkward. These kids are from Erudite. I bit my lip and nod silently.
"Never thought I would see stiffs show so much skin." Edward says. I look to the floor and walk to the ladder and go up it quietly.
"He didn't mean that in a bad way." Will speaks up as I climb. "Just stating facts." I get to the top and set my brother's sweatshirt on my pillow.
"Are you all like that?" I hear Edward ask Tris.
"She doesn't like being called a Stiff." She says simply. "She very upset and is trying not to go after everyone right now." A pause in the conversation happens.
"Andy has a bad temper." Christina says
"I do not. I just ask for respect and I will give it back." I blurt out from the top bunk. I lay on the bed so my head hangs off the edge and I can see everyone. Thanks to having my hair so long, some of it goes half way down the ladder.
"So she can talk." The girl named Myra says with a short laugh. "So why did you leave? Tris says it's because of the food for her." I look straight at her with blank eyes.
"I didn't like the food either." I state with no emotion.
"I thought it was because…" She starts off.
"No, not that. I just couldn't stand life there. I wasn't meant to be there I guess." I cut her off quickly. I knew that was going to be brought up. It's truthful, kind of. The Erudite transfers look at me with suspicious eyes. "You're here; it means you didn't fit in your old faction. Can I not fit in my old faction?" I'm not as harsh as I want to be. It actually sounds like a real question, almost pleading with them to keep their mouths shut. They know, somehow.
"I guess that is a logical statement." Edward speaks up. "We will treat you with respect and you us?"He looks up at me with a questionable look. He seems bigger than normal Erudites. I wonder why.
"Yes, my request is that I am not called a stiff and my former faction isn't brought up negatively." I tell him firmly.
"Then it won't be brought up." He says as he looks at the other two wearing blue. They agree with no problem.
"Thank you." The conversation moves to what tomorrow is going to be like and eventually, they all go to bed and the light dims to almost pitch black. I'm glad that there is some light, but overall it's dark enough to pull off my shirt and lay on my chest. My shirt is tight at the top, but I manage to get it off without hurting the burn more. I rest my head on the pillow, looking at the light from the little torch next to me dance. It's the only source of light right now. It's almost beautiful, if I wasn't afraid of getting burned. Watching the fire dance slowly starts to loll me to sleep. Makes sense, the dauntless using torches to light some rooms at night. It ignites on their own from whatever machine it has next to it or in the wall. It's not long before I hear some sniffling from below me. Tris won't be crying. I sit up and crawl to the end of the bed and look down. Al's still awake and he is upset.
I grab my hair and lower my head. Tris is laying with her head towards him. She and I make eye contact and she seems torn. Tris isn't much for taking care of others, is she? I slowly nod my head and sit back up on the bed. I gently pull my shirt on again and make my way down my ladder quietly. The height doesn't bother me. If I fall, I will land fine, might be sore, but I will be fine. I walk silently to the head of Al's bed and crouch down next to him and rub his back that is facing me. Tris lies there, acting like she is asleep. No, she isn't going to comfort him, which is fine. I will. Al rolls over to face me and I give him a weak smile as I see tears run down his face.
"Want to go for a walk?" I ask him. From the light, I can tell his face is red. He looks worn out, but he needs it. "I can't sleep either and I can't find the restroom." He sits up slowly and I move out of the way so he can get up. Now, I'm the one leading him out of the room and into the hall.
"I'm sorry." He says quietly when the door shuts. I lean against the wall and sink to the ground. I stretch my long legs out and pat the ground next to me.
"For what? Being human?" I ask him. "Sit and we can talk." He looks at the spot and slowly sits next to me. "I doubt anyone would really come down this way." I tell him to let him know it's just us. "What's on your mind?"
"I miss my family." He says. The Abnegation training in me wants me to say me too. But I only miss my brother.
"When my brother left two years ago, I knew how you feel. He and I were really close. He was my best friend. When he left me with my father, it felt like my whole world died." I tell him and he looks at me with some tears coming out. "I hadn't really gotten over it. That's why I'm here, but I have learned to be able to move and function without him. I guess that's close to how you feel. After leaving your family to come here with some people you don't know." His eyes seem to drop as I look at the blue light on the other wall. "But you have Christina here and made a few friends and you will get to see your family soon on visiting day." I inform him. "You get to see them then."
"Do you miss your father?" He asks in a shaky voice. I look back at him and laugh a little bit.
"Want the truth or what?" Al looks to the ground and sigh. "No, I won't miss him. But I have my own reasons for that. But I do miss my mother." My voice is low and quiet. "I lost her when I was three."
"I'm sorry." This doesn't seem to work.
"I learned to live with it. I am told I look just like her." I have a hint of a smile on my lips as I bring my knees up to my chest. "From what I was told, she was a great woman. Brave even though she came from Erudite."
"That's probably how you can fit in here." Al suggest quietly.
"Maybe. But the thought of her in Dauntless seems weird. She is selfless more than anything." I sigh and I hear him laugh a little bit.
"Selflessness and bravery go hand in hand." He seems better now. "You might be showing Selflessness being here for your brother. So you look brave." I smile.
"Thanks Al, I needed that." I chuckle quietly. "I brought you out here to cheer you up and you end up cheering me up."
"You did great." He assures me. "Still sad, but it doesn't hurt as much." I look at him and he seems genuine.
"Why are you here, Al?" I ask him after a few seconds. He shakes his head and looks to the place I had been staring at.
"My parents think it's good to be brave. They admire the dauntless a lot." He says. "I guess I'm here because they would like it." I shake my head.
"DO you want to be here?" I ask him.
"I don't know yet. I will tell you later." He says with a small smile before getting up. He offers me his hand. I take it and he pulls me up. I'm surprisingly taller than him.
"Thanks. Better enough to go to bed?" I ask him.
"Yeah, thank you. I will keep what you said in mind." He says before leading me back into the room. He goes back to his bed and lies down. In a matter of seconds, I hear a soft snore.
"Sorry." I turn and look at Tris. "I just couldn't do it." I can barely hear her. So I walk from the door and crouch in front of her.
"I can't sleep with someone upset." I whisper to her. "Even if I'm Dauntless now. It's programmed into me, hard." I add the last part as a second thought.
"Not well enough in me." She says with a quiet yawn.
"But you are fine just the way you are, Tris. Not wanting to help is fine too. Besides I needed to hear some of the things he said to me. So it works out." I give her a small smile and climb my ladder again. I pull my shirt off and rest my head on the pillow and pass out.