𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆

𝟎𝟎𝟓

"𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚
𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚
𝘾𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮
𝙄'𝙢 𝙗𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚."

𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘦 - 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘺 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

You land against the net and immediately suck in a deep breath. Your heart was pounding like it was trying to break out of your chest, but so far you weren't doing all that bad. Especially for an Amity. The net bounced you a few more times and you laughed as your body slowly began to realize that you hadn't died on impact.

There was a gaping hole in the ceiling like an explosion had ripped through it decades prior. If you squinted, you could see a few heads glancing over the side of the building you were just standing on before disappearing again. Adrenaline was pumping heavy in your veins when a hand reached out from the darkness and pulled the net taut, making you roll over onto your side.

You steadied yourself with an uncertain gasp, realizing a split second too late that you were now face to face with the owner of that hand.

He squinted up at you, glancing confusedly between your face and the bright orange cardigan that had fallen off of your shoulders.

"What? Did you get pushed?" He asked stoically, voice like the gravel sidewalks that stretched through the Amity homestead like vines. Frowning, you looked behind him to see at least two dozen Dauntless members whispering and snickering amongst themselves.

You tried to shift your weight without falling off the net with a frown. Yes, as a matter of fact, you had been pushed. But should you tell him that?

"It was more of a nudge, really," is what you settled for.

The stranger's lips turned up at the corners, forming the faintest suggestion of a smile before his face went blank once more. "Alright," he said, trying to shake off the impact of your joke. "Down you go."

You didn't object when his hands reached around to settle against your waist. You clung tightly to his shoulders as he lowered you down onto the cement floor carefully. Only when you felt your feet on the solid ground did you say anything else.

"Tobias Eaton?"

Just when you thought you were getting on his good side, the guy who looked all too much like Tobias Eaton frowned and rolled his shoulders back. "I'm sorry?"

"I was...I mean...I was there when you—"

"My name is Four," he interrupted with a distant look. "I think you're mistaken." The way he said it made it sound like a warning. You successfully tore down and reinforced his emotional walls in less than twenty words. He had this look in his dangerously sharp stormy blue eyes that told you to just shut up. So you did.

"What's your name, Initiate?"

You hesitated. Was this a trick question? Following orders was one of your strong suits, but this guy really had you confused. Four quirked an eyebrow down at you—because without the net you were now at least six inches shorter.

"(Y/N)," you chirped, and he nodded before turning to address the twenty-something people dressed in all black. For a few moments, you'd forgotten that they were even there.

"First jumper, (Y/N)!"

A few people whistled and you awkwardly tried to adjust your skirt that had gotten bunched up near your knees during the fall.