Divergent Imagines

Poison (Eric Coulter)

Only about half a hallway separates you from the Dauntless training room. This is your first time being back here, as a part of the initiation process, since you joined this faction a couple of years ago. This time, though, you won't be one of the quaking initiates but one of the instructors. Now, you'll be enjoying initiation with a lot more power and experience under your belt. Consider it this way: you remember the worst parts of the initiation process for you, the memories where you were so swallowed up in exhaustion and an adrenaline rush that you could hardly think straight. This is what you'll be channeling for your time as an instructor- to make the initiates work as hard as you, if not more. You'll be shaping the future of your faction. It's up to you to make it a good one.

Next to you, a man smiles. "Are you ready for this?" You scoff. "Never better. We're going to have fun." He chuckles. "That's exactly what I was afraid of. I pity the initiates who make the mistake of crossing you." You grin. "That's why you're here, isn't it? To ensure that they don't make that mistake." Four shakes his head, unable to hide a smirk. "You're impossible. It's great to see you again."

You laugh at that. You've known Four for years, ever since it was just the two of you growing up in Abnegation. There were once two kids clad in gray, who had no place to truly call a home. He was the only good thing about that place, and he would say the same thing for you. When it came time for your Choosing Ceremonies, you didn't have to say a word to each other about where you would go. You knew each other well enough to know that you would be choosing Dauntless, the only place in this entire city where you could push away all of the powerlessness you had once felt.

You'd gone through initiation alongside him, competing for the same titles and honors that come with being the highest ranked initiates, but you never once resented him for it. If anything, the fierce competition made you trust him even more. When everyone was busy stabbing each other in the backs to gain even one rank, you knew Four would never let you down. You'd been friends for years, and protected him from his father just as he protected you from yours. If you thought he'd let something like the Dauntless initiation come in between you, you clearly didn't know a thing about him.

You'd separated for a year or so after initiation concluded. You can still remember some of your last moments with him before you'd left, when the two of you had stood proudly in front of the board displaying the final rankings of the initiates. It had been the two of you in the first two places, just as you'd hoped. You'd said your goodbyes at the train station, and then shipped yourself out to the border wall. You intended to spend some time guarding the wall, to coast on your adrenaline rush and come back to instruct the Dauntless initiates once you'd had some more experience under your belt.

Now, you're headed to your first initiation session with Four by your side. Once he'd heard that you were back at base, he'd practically leapt at the chance to lead initiation with you. Sure, the two of you were excellent at supporting each other through your friendship, but you can't deny that you wanted to see just how far he'd go, to get to know the calm and deadly Four that everyone else at Dauntless seemed to recognize as opposed to the smiling boy you called your friend.

You've reached the doors by now. Four looks at you one last time, a silent question in his eyes. You nod, and he opens the doors with one firm push of his arms. The room full of initiates, which had previously been abuzz with nervous chatter, silences immediately. You walk to the front of the room with Four, and stand, arms folded, judging the fresh crop of trainees with a knowing eye. At last, you speak.

"Welcome to Dauntless. We'll be your instructors for the next month. If you feel like giving in, do it now. There is no room here for the weak. You came here because you wanted to feel strong? We expect you to prove it." You take a step back, allowing Four to continue on. He says much of what you said, about how Dauntless is a place for the brave. He goes on to detail the various aspects of training.