If I Was Dauntless Born

Chapter 22- Fear Landscapes Part 1

I do love being Dauntless.

Especially during the initiation ceremonies. They are chaos. The cooks bring out the stash of chocolate cake, and they make the best breakfast. Most people are already drunk by noon. There are tons of fun activities going on such as paintball and capture the flag (a scaled down version, of course).

I shoved my way through the masses of people in the cafeteria. I just wanted to get a piece of cake before Uriah and Zeke get there. Once they get their hands on the chocolaty heaven, it’s game over for everyone else. I piled whatever food looked good onto my plate and shoved my way around until I found an empty seat.

I looked around me and saw what the other factions must see Dauntless as. There are people with brightly colored hair that is spiked in all directions. People display all of their tattoos, one way or another.

Someone sits down beside me. I turned around and saw Christina and Will with plates of food as well.

“Nervous?” I yelled over the noise of the cafeteria.

“No.” Christina yelled back even though her face was pale.

“What will it be like?” Will asked me.

I shrugged. “Who knows? It’s not like I have been in one before.” I yelled over the noise again. “Do you really think that we would like to go through our worst fears regularly? Besides, most of the time, they don’t let you in until you are an initiate. Even then, why would you?” I said. Will just nodded.

I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair. I was soaking in the sounds and smells of Dauntless. This could be the last time that I eat in this cafeteria. I could end up factionless, though I doubt I will. Being Divergent, I already know what the simulations are like. Plus, I went into Four’s landscape. I was at the top of the leaderboards, also.

Once I was done with my food, I nodded goodbye to Christina and Will and went to look for someplace quiet. I found a dark hallway and curled up in a ball. I tried to strategize for the landscapes, but I came up empty. I didn’t want to think about how to combat my worst fears. I decided to get my mind off of things and play a game with some of the other kids.

I found the paintball range filled with other Dauntless, including Uriah and Marlene. Uriah waved to me right before he was pelted in the chest by Hector, Lynn’s brother. I assumed that Lynn was hiding somewhere nearby.

I grabbed a gun and box of paintballs and jumped behind a concrete barrier right as a paintball went whizzing over my head. I jumped up and returned the fire shortly after my gun was loaded. I fought my way to Uriah to see who was on whose team, if there were any teams at all. After about 15 minutes of full on war, I spotted Uri and Marlene.

“Uri! Mar!” I yelled and began running toward them. I had to run through a straight stretch with no cover to get to my brother and best friend. I had almost made it. I was yards away from cover. That’s when I saw Lynn. She popped up from behind a barrier and began firing at me.

The next thing that happened wasn’t one of my brightest moments. Instead of getting hit by a couple of paintballs, I decided to dive and roll headfirst behind the barrier. I sprinted faster and jumped toward the barrier. As I impacted the ground, I rolled, scraping my face and many other body parts on the abrasive concrete floor. At least I avoided the paintballs.

“Tris, you idiot!” Uriah yelled at me and crawled towards me. “Why did you do that right before the landscapes?”

“At least I avoided the paintballs.” I said sheepishly and sat up. I could feel something dripping down my arm. I looked down and saw a shallow cut running down the top of my arm.

“How bad is it?” I asked, gesturing to the scrapes on my face.

“You just have a bleeding spot on your cheekbone, your arm, and your knee RIGHT BEFORE LANDSCAPES.” Leave it to Uriah to be motherly at a time like this.

“I’ll be fine, Uri. I’ll just go home and change before landscapes.” I said brushing off and standing up. That was a mistake.

Lynn, Hector, AND Zeke were apparently waiting for one of the three of us to pop up because as soon as I did, I was pelted with color. When I ducked down to escape the rapid fire, I hit my chin on the concrete barrier.

“Geez, Tris. Could you try to not hurt yourself for once in your life?” Uriah sighed before standing up and returning fire. I decided that it was time to go clean up. I head to the dormitory and go straight to the bathroom. I get some strange looks by some of the initiates on the bunks. When I look into the mirror, I see a lot of blood.

The gash on my face is still dripping onto the floor, and my shirt is totally ruined. The cuts on my arm are covered in dirt. I sighed and grabbed a wet paper towel. I began to clean my wounds, and I thought about how awful my decision to dive was.

Finally, my scrapes were clean, and there was no fresh blood. I also found a fresh shirt and pair of pants. It was also time to begin the fear landscapes. I wound my way through the Pit and up the stairs into the Pire. When I get there, Marlene is already in her fear landscape. I don’t watch. I don’t want to see my best friend go through her worst fears.

Tobias taps me on my shoulder and tells me that I will go after Uriah. I will go last because I had the best time in stage two. I turn to walk away, but he grabs my wrist.

“Tris. Just, just think. Think like a Dauntless, not a Divergent.” He murmurs under his breath. He looks questioningly at the scrapes on my face and arms but dismisses it soon enough. "Be careful." He said quietly. His hand lingered on my wrist a little longer than necessary, and it sent tingles up my arm. I nodded and looked at my shoes. When I looked up, he was gone, lost in the crowds of black.

I find a seat and stare intently at my shoes. I must think quickly, but not too quickly. I have to act like a Dauntless, not a Divergent. I almost forgot how deep in this I am. I still have to fight for my life. This time, it’s against the leaders of the factions.

I hear Uriah’s name called and look up. Uriah stands and walks into the room, but before the close the door, he turns and winks at me. He was trying to mask his fear, but I’m his sister. I can read him like an open book. I saw the leaders of Dauntless staring at screens with wires attached to their heads. They will see whatever Uriah sees. Eric comes into the room with a syringe. He injects the liquid into Uriah’s neck. I see him mouth words, but I don’t know what he said. Then the room darkens, and the simulation begins.

I try to tune out my surroundings again. I can hear people cheering every now and then. I guess Uriah passed another fear.

Someone, Tobias, taps my shoulder. He nods towards the door. I stand up straight and walk in the direction of the door, weaving around groups of people. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me so I stand up straighter and steel my expression. Once inside, I close the door behind me.

Eric approaches me with a large syringe with orange liquid in it. I don’t flinch when he inserts the needle into my neck. Then, he steps back.

“Ready?” Eric asks.

I am ready. I was born ready.

****
Hey, look! I'm actually alive! I came back from dropping off of the face of the earth! I'm sorry for making you wait for so long for such a sucky chapter. It's a filler for the next chapter which is the actual fear landscape. The chapter was too long so I had to split it up.

Anyway,  I reread my story and saw how awful my grammar and everything else was, so I'm in the process of rewriting. I have the first 3 done and updated. I will keep updating in chunks of three with another chapter. I'd appreciate it if you read those and gave me some feedback.

Thanks again for reading, initiates! Love you all!