Instincts - MCYT/Hermitcraft Divergent AU

Chapter 6 - Wels

Still back.

If there was anything Wels had expected the Dauntless to do when leaving the Choosing Ceremony building, running down fifty flights of stairs wasn't one of them. Yet here he was, racing between a short-haired Candor transfer and a wild-eyed Dauntless-born as they charged down the steps. They hit the ground floor and sprinted out the doors, Wels reveling in every moment of aching pain in his lungs and slap of his shoes on the pavement. The crowd of Dauntless spread out across the pavement, heading for the train tracks. A train horn sounded in the distance, and Wels grinned. He'd always wanted to ride a train.

A moment later, the horn sounded again and the train came barreling by. The Dauntless members swiftly piled in, leaving the initiates to the last car. Wels didn't break stride, jogging alongside the train as the three Dauntless-borns clambered in. The blonde yelped as her shoulder slammed against the side of the car, and the redhead pulled her in. Once she was clear, Wels threw himself sideways, catching hold of the handle and pulling himself in next to one of the Amity transfers. He ducked back, watching the train continue on. The other four transfers only had a few more seconds to get in before their opportunity slipped out of their hands. Wels moved to the back of the car, watching as the Candor boy hauled himself in before turning back to catch the Stiff's hand. The Candor girl snatched the handle, pulling herself up, as the other Amity transfer grabbed the Stiff's outstretched hand and was pulled in as well. For a moment, the only sound was the wind and the heavy breathing of the initiates. Wels settled back against the wall of the car, studying his fellow initiates. The Candor transfers sat against one of the walls together, talking quietly. The blonde Dauntless-born winced and twisted to look at her shoulder. It looked like it may have been dislocated. The Stiff approached her quietly.

"Want me to fix it?" he offered softly.

"Hands off, Stiff!" she snapped, and he quickly backed off. She hesitated, glancing at the redhead and blond. Then she turned back to him. "Do you know how to set it?" He nodded.

"One of my fathers works closely with the hospitals. He taught me a bit." He looked a bit remorseful at the memory. The Dauntless-born sighed and slid her black jacket off, leaving her in a black tank top. The boy quickly and neatly snapped her shoulder back in place, then mumbled "Be careful with it for a while, it'll come out pretty easily for a while." The girl nodded, and the boy retreated to the far side of the car, watching the city pass by.

~~~

"Almost there! Get ready, ladies and gents and non-gender-conforming peeps, we're jumping off!" Wels raised an eyebrow at the blond standing at the door of the car.

"Why are we so high up?" One of the Amity transfers asked nervously.

"We have to jump to the rooftop," Wels guessed, standing and striding forward to stand next to the Dauntless-born.

"What?" Alarm flickered in the Stiff's dark eyes. "We can't do that!"

"Do you want to be factionless?" The Candor boy blew his blond hair out of his eyes. "I'd rather be dead than factionless." The bigger Amity transfer agreed.

"I don't think I can make it." The Abnegation boy was trembling, and the blonde Dauntless-born offered him her hand. He gave her a confused look.

"I'll pull you with me. I know I can make it. You've come too far to lose because of a jump," she told him. Wels tipped his head slightly, eyes never leaving the approaching roof, where the Dauntless in the first few cars were jumping off. It would be their turn soon. As the train lined up next to the roof, Wels jumped.

He landed hard, his momentum throwing him forward until he regained his balance. A small flare of pride rose in him at the fact that he had managed to land on his feet. He glanced around, looking for the other initiates. The blond Dauntless-born stood a little ways away, brushing the gravel off of his shirt. The handsome Candor transfer back nervously away from the edge of the roof. Wels guessed he had nearly missed the jump. Farther along, the redhead Dauntless-born shook her head vigorously. The other Candor transfer picked herself off of the roof, gingerly checking herself for scrapes. The blonde and the Stiff had made it, and the smaller Amity transfer stood near them. Wels swiftly scanned the group of members around him, until he found the other Amity transfer nearby. Everyone had made it.

"Initiates! Over here!" Wels turned, seeing a young man with long pink hair and dark eyes waiting on the far edge of the roof. The Dauntless members swiftly cleared a path, allowing Wels and the others to walk through.

"Listen up. My name is Technoblade, and I am one of the leaders of the Dauntless." Technoblade paused and stared them down. "Several stories below us is the member's entrance to the compound. If you cannot find the courage to jump, you do not belong in Dauntless. Our initiates have the privilege of going first." His lip curled in a half-smile as he studied the initiates. There was a pause. No one wanted to go first. Then the Candor boy strode forward, moving to stand at the edge of the roof. He took a deep breath, moved a couple steps back, then took a running start and jumped. There was a moment of silence following his disappearance. Wels inhaled softly. This was a scare tactic. They would land safely at the bottom, as the Candor boy most likely had by now. Wels moved forward, and the bigger Amity transfer moved with him. Wels stopped on the ledge. Closed his eyes. Counted to three. And jumped.

The wind whipped his hair and clothes as the ground raced toward him. Relax your muscles, or the landing will hurt, he ordered himself. The hole swallowed him, leaving him in darkness with only the wind whistling in his ears and his heart pounding in his throat. Then he hit something hard. It curled around him, cradling his body—a net. The Amity boy landed next to him with a yelp. Wels was struggling to regain his breath, as the landing had knocked all of the air from his lungs.

"Over here, you two!" Someone called, and Wels grabbed the other boy's shoulder and pushed him toward the people gathered at the edge of the net. Best to get off of the net before the next person jumped. A blond held his hand out to Wels as a brunet pulled the other boy off of the net.

"What're your names?" the blond asked, helping Wels stand.

"Wels."

"Zedaph. But you can call me Zed." The Amity boy still looked slightly pale as he stood.

"Looks like they're yours, Martyn. You two can go join Scott over there." The brunet directed Wels and Zed to where the first jumper sat on a crate. A short scream preceded the next person as they dropped into the net. The Abnegation boy, followed by his protective Dauntless-born. Once all of the initiates were down, Martyn and the brunet returned. Martyn grinned.

"Welcome to Dauntless."

Word count: 1210