One More Time, I Dare You ~ Eric Story

The Choice and Punishment ~ Ch. 2

I sat in the large hall waiting for the ceremony to begin. It was going to be another 20 minutes or so before all the factions and the children choosing were all going to be seated. I sat patiently in the very last chair of my row. We were all seated alphabetically so it ended up that Cordova ended up on the end of the very first row. I was sitting there spinning my ring around my index finger when I heard someone say "Hey!" Right next to me.

I jumped at the sudden sound in my ear and looked over to see my brother crouched down next to my chair. He smiled at the fact that I jumped at his sudden presence.

"A little warning would be nice next time Nick!" I said to him playfully punching him in the arm.

"It's okay Nicole. I know this will be the last time." I went to open my mouth and say something but he hushed me with a shake of his head. "I've been your brother for 16 years Nikki. I know you better than anyone else. I know you are leaving Candor. I love you no matter what. You don't have to follow in my "perfect Candor footsteps" as you call them." He smiled at me, hugged me and whispered "Sister before faction." in my ear.

I smiled from ear to ear as Nick went to sit down with the other adult Candor's. Knowing my brother would always be there for me made me that much more comfortable.

Jeannine from the Erudite came up to the front of the stage to present this year. She spoke of the dark times before the factions, the creation of them, and read each manifesto from each faction. Then she paused and looked at each group of initiates and told us "The future is for those who know where they belong."

And those were the last words I heard. I zoned out, half watching each person go up, slice their hand open and spill it over whatever faction they wanted. I knew my choice was going to be made soon. I knew I really only had two choices left. Would I pick the Erudite always striving for knowledge or would I pick Dauntless who were brave no matter what was in front of them. I pondered this until I heard my name being called. "Nicole Cordova, Candor."

I slowly stood up and walked to the stage. I took the knife from the gentleman holding the knife on a towel. I walked behind the basins holding each of the factions desired "element" if you could call them that. I placed the point of the knife just under my index finger and slid the knife downward until it stopped just above my wrist. I winced slightly and watched my hand as the blood pooled quickly in my hand. I cupped my hand to hold the blood in my palm and moved it over the basins on the right. Candor, Erudite and Dauntless were all one right after another. I pushed my hand over the Erudite basin and just before I opened my palm to release the red liquid below I moved it over to the basin next to it.

"Dauntless." I heard the man call out to the room. I grabbed the gauze from the gentleman and sat down with my new faction who were loudly cheering. Murmurs could be heard throughout the whole auditorium as I was walking to sit down. I broke the cycle of the Cordova's (on my dads side) and Smith's (my moms side) always coming from Candor. The only thing that comforted me was the reassuring smile I saw on my brothers face before I say down.

An hour passed and finally every one had picked their factions. The Dauntless all stood up and started running towards the stairs whooping and hollering the whole way there. Then I finally noticed why. They were running and jumping down the stairs. I started running with the rest of the Dauntless born initiates that were in the front of the transfers. We all busted through the doors of the building and started running down the middle of the street. All the Dauntless acting so free from everything in the world, like nothing could touch them or affect them at all.

We all stopped as the Dauntless started climbing the legs of the railway up to a small platform that butted up to the train. I didn't question it and merely followed the Dauntless. I put one hand in front of another and climbed the metal support system. I hauled myself up to the top of the platform as I heard the horn of the train. The train was coming soon. Then I saw the Dauntless start running along side the train tracks. That train wasn't going to slow down for us.

"Jump or your out initiates!" One of the older Dauntless yelled at the pack of us. I started running quickly thanking god that I wore pants and not a dress today. I gained speed and reached for the handle of the cart and pulled myself in side the car refusing the help of the outstretched hand.

I sat down and quickly shot out my arm to a girl who was struggling to get in. I pulled her in and we both sat with our legs hanging outside the cart, panting. We watched as a girl didn't make it into a cart was left of the platform. She was factionless now.

"Nicole." I said to the girl I helped up.

"Jade." She said to me and smiled. Her clothes signaling she was from Amity. We scooted back and waited for whatever came next.

"Your the Candor girl aren't you?!" A guy from the other side car called out to me.

"Yeah I am. Got a problem with it?" I asked defensively. It was my choice. Everyone else and their damn opinions didn't matter.

He walked over to Jade and I and sat down with us. "That was fucking brave. I don't think I could have done that." He said and smiled. He was a Erudite transfer from the color of his clothes, all blue.

"Thanks." I said and half smiled.

Then we heard it. "No fucking way am I jumping." A girl said from inside our cart. We peaked our heads out to see the Dauntless jumping on to the roofs next to the train. Unfortunately there was a good 10 foot gap between the train and the roof itself. I looked at Jade an nodded at her and she did the same back.

"On three." I said to her as we backed up. "One, two, (I took a breath) three." And we took off. Jumping out of the cart at the same time and landing hard on the roof. The gravel of the roof broke our landing but tore up my arm pretty bad. I shook it off and dabbed my arm with my white jacket and tossed it to the ground after it was bloodstained.

"Initiates." An older gentleman called out to us as we gathered around. It was then that I noticed that there was only about 20 initiates that transferred. "Below is the entrance of our compound. That is the only way in. Whose first?"

Below his outstretched hand was a hole. Literally a hole in the roof below that ended in blackness. No way of knowing what was in that darkness or what you would be falling into or even if there was anything to fall into.

"Today initiates!" He said getting impatient that someone hadn't volunteered already. Before I was conscious of what I was doing, I had walked to the front. It couldn't be that hard right?

I stood up on the ledge and took two deep breaths before leaping forward into whatever was waiting for me below.

Free fall is the most amazing feeling that one can experience. It's as if you weight nothing at all and time slows down for just you.

Then suddenly I felt the pain of the ground meeting with my back. But it wasn't the ground it was a net. A god damn net. Freaking cryptic fuckers. It was just a net.

I then felt an arm reach for my arm and hell me get pulled up.

"Name?" This man that pulled me out of the net asked me. "Make it good, this is your last chance to be someone different."

"Nikki." I said to him.

"First jumper, Nikki." He yelled to someone and everyone down below started cheering.

Words: 1439

DISCLAIMER: I HAVE WRITTENT HIS STORY ON OTHER WEBSITES AND IT IS MINE SO PLEASE DONT SAY I STOLE IT