Translucent: A Divergent FanFiction (Book 1)

Chapter 9

Our entry into the Merciless Mart is impressive. Candors fill the entrance hall, and Karen has to physically push her way through to clear a path for us. As we walk over the white tiled floor, Ava tells me there is a set of black scales imprinted into it, in black tiles. It is the symbol of Candor.

Karen leads us to the edge of the entrance hall and opens a small door set into the wall which I hadn't noticed before. There is a sign on it: No entry for unauthorised personal. I hesitate slightly as Karen opens the door and walks in, but Harvey and Ed push me from behind, explaining we are authorised personal.

On the other side of the door is a small, winding staircase that spirals up for several flights. The walls, floor and ceiling are all covered in black tiles, and the colour absorbs the little light coming from the bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The overall effect makes the space feel quite small and dingy, and my claustrophobia begins to kick in. But, just as I begin to start panicking and hyperventilating, we reach the top of the staircase and Karen pushes through a door, leading us into a large room.

We appear to be at the top of the building, and the round room has walls made of glass, giving us a view of the whole city. The roof is a large, glass dome which makes the room feel airy and spacious. The door we just came out of is set into a small, black tiled cylinder which sticks up from the floor in the centre of the room like a podium. On the other side of this box that contains the staircase are the beds. They line the edge of the room, each one with a white sheet and pillow, and a thick, black duvet.

                On the opposite side of the room to the beds, directly across from us, are a group of white desks. I quickly count them, along with the beds. There are ten of both, one bed and one desk for each of us initiates. Set into the outside of the black podium with the door in are the rungs of a ladder, and I look up to the top, where a rope ladder hangs down. My eyes move up again, to the top of the ladder, and I can see that there is a floor made of glass within the dome, with a hole in the middle where the rope ladder comes out from.

                “Right then.” Karen says, turning back to us once we have all had enough time to take anything in. “As initiates of Candor, you will be required to sleep here, in the initiate dormitory. There is one desk and one bed for each of you, and you are allowed to pick which one you would like. Up there,” She gestured us to the glass floor above us, “Is where the individual section of the initiation process will take, along with certain other things. While we are not Dauntless, we do expect you to be able to climb up the ladder, so be warned. While it is not in use, you may use it for whatever you want. It is now 6 o’clock, and tea starts to be served at half past in the dining room. I will come and collect you at quarter to seven to take you down for tea. Until then, I will leave you to settle in. Does anyone have any questions?”

                A couple of hands shoot up and a middle height girl with brown hair and a pair of large, tortoise shell glasses speaks first. She is wearing a pair of red jeans and a yellow top: Amity transfer.

                “What’s your name?” She asks

                “My name is Karen. I am going to be running initiation this year, so you’ll need to remember that.” Karen replies and her eyes meet with mine.

                Another girl pipes up. She has shoulder length blonde hair and a pair of red glasses on. She is also quite short, so she has to stand on her tiptoes to get her hand above the level of everyone else’s head. She is wearing a pair of red tights and yellow dungarees. Her hair is in bunches, and this along with her height and outfit makes her look very young, more like a 10 year old than a 16 year old.