Starting Over

Chapter 3

My foot slides as it hits the gravel. I try to catch myself with my other foot but it gets caught on my leg. I start to gasp as I fall to the ground. Gravel gets in my mouth and I flip a few times. When I stop rolling I spit the gravel out of my mouth and touch my forehead. My fingers come away wet with blood. I curse myself in my head.

"Line up," I hear someone say behind me.

We shuffle into what sort of resembles a line. Somehow the Amity girl winds up on my right and Malachi ends up on my left.

"It looks like you've all survived the train test, but now you have to actually get in the compound. It's actually rather simple: you jump." He points to the edge of the building behind him.

The Amity girl next to me takes a step back and Malachi pales. I try to keep my face indifferent. "Who wants to go first?" he asks with a smile.

I think this instructor must be new. I don't recognize him, and his smile seems to be genuine instead if that cruel, mocking smile Eric had mastered.

I look around. Nobody has stepped up. I shrug as I take a step forward. "I'll do it."

Malachi reaches out to grab my arm but I shake him off and walk to the edge of the building. I look straight down then look back at the other initiates, giving them a small smile. Then I take a deep breath and jump.

The ground rushes closer and closer, the wind whipping against my body. A laugh escapes from me as I flip over to my back. After that I can't help it, I'm full out laughing. I don't even stop when the net catches me. I bounce back up and collapse on my side.

"Name," I hear a cold voice say behind me.

"What?" I ask as I sit up and readjust my hat so it covers my hair.

"Name," he demands again. Now I can see it's Tobias. If he's asking for my name he obviously doesn't remember me. I'm not sure if I should be relieved or disappointed.

"B, short for Becca, which is short for Rebecca," I tell him. His face stays indifferent even though I purposely chose B for Beatrice, not Becca.

"Welcome to Dauntless," he says, just as cold as before. "First jumper, B!" He calls down the hall as I slide off the net without any help.

"Congratulations," a girl behind me says. Her voice sounds way to familiar and I jump around.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Christina responds with a grin. "Four, how's it coming?"

"Slow, she's the only one who's jumped yet."

"She's the first Abnegation transfer since-"

"Don't say it, Christina." His fists are balled at his sides and I can see jaw is  clenched even though he's staring at the ground.

Before they can say anything else someone is screaming as she falls onto the net. It's Malachi's sister Risa. As Tobias helps her down I notice her skin is almost green. She takes a few steps and starts gagging. I take a few steps back, hoping she won't puke on me, but a second later she straitens up and stops gagging. I had nothing to be afraid of after all.

A few more people jump before Malachi does. The Amity girl jumps last. I realize that out of thirteen initiates, not counting myself, I've already met nine of them. Of course, I don't know any of the initiates I'll be staying in the same dorm with, but that can wait for later.

"My name is Four. Transfers come with me, everyone else meet Uriah in the Pit," Tobias says in that cold tone if his.

We split up and I'm stuck with the four others that I don't know. The only other girl is the Amity girl. I sigh as we walk farther into the Dauntless compound.

"This is where you will be living the rest of your lives," Tobias mumbles.

After going on a short tour, Tobias shows us to our room and leaves us there till lunch, which we're expected to find on our own.

"How'd you manage to jump first?" one of the guys in the back asks.

"Hmm?"

"You didn't look scared at all, like it came naturally to you. But that's impossible, you're a Stiff."

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," I reply in the driest, most harsh voice I can manage. I resist the urge to call him a Pansycake.

"Thomas," he says. "And who, exactly, are you, Stiff?"

"B, short for Becca, short for Rebecca, and I actually don't know any of your names."

And so we go around introducing ourselves. Grayson is from Candor, Thomas and Weston are from Erudite, Laurel is from Amity. A few minutes after we're done it's time for lunch.
After following Weston around for a few minutes because he claimed that he remembered the way there we finally arrive at the lunch room.

"Where do we sit?" Laurel asks.

"Wherever" I tell her as I walk toward the lunch line where I grab a hamburger and a piece of cake before I go to sit with Malachi and his friends. I try to enjoy the food because I know training starts after this.