The Damsel of Dauntless

Chapter Two

Here it is! Chapter 2. It's a lot longer than the last chapter, because there's a lot more going on. FYI to those reading...I've decided to base Eric off of the Eric from the Divergent movie, played by Jai Courtney, because who doesn't love a hot Aussie ;) ...even though he's American in this...but still, a hottie is a hottie. ANYWAYS. Enjoy! PLEASE Read and Review so I'll know that you like it. Even an anonymous review will do. Thank you! :)

 ***

I wake up the next morning to a quiet house. Everyone is still sleeping, so I decide I'll get ready for my "big day." After a quick shower, I wrap my hair in a towel and sit down at my vanity. I look at myself in the mirror and study my features. Many Amity members compare me to my mother. I do look like her, but I think she's an enhanced version of me. Our noses are similar; straight and symmetrical. They go well with our almond-shaped eyes lined with thick black lashes, and our dark brunette brows. It ends there though. While my mother has a stunning bone structure and mile high cheekbones, I have a face that's between defined and chubby. My cheeks are plump enough that it makes me look younger than I am, but my face shape is still sharp and angled in the right places. Chin, jawline; overall, it works well together. The only thing that really gives away my age is my body, it may even make me look older than I am, but as long as I keep covered, I can keep getting away with looking like I'm fourteen.

I dry my hair and change into one of my nicer outfits, one that I often save for big occasions; birthdays, holidays, or school events. I figure this will be the last time I wear Amity clothes, so I might as well wear some of the best ones I have. I walk out to the living room and glance into our full-sized mirror in the family room. I'm wearing a loose, long-sleeved A-line red dress that reaches just above my knees. I wear my yellow tights and brown mid-calf boots. My mother wouldn't approve of shoes, but I refuse to wear heels.

"You look beautiful Emilia," says my father from a few feet behind me. I look at his reflection in the mirror. He's standing in the frame of the family room doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. I don't know how long he has been up, but he looks tired, as if he's had trouble sleeping. He's smiling, but I can tell it's not a full-hearted smile. It doesn't reach his eyes.

"Thank you Dad," I say in a subdued voice. We're both silent for a few seconds, until my dad breaks the silence.

"Well! What do you want for breakfast? I'm not letting my little girl arrive at her Choosing Ceremony on an empty stomach!" I smile at his attempt at normality, and say the one and only thing that matters at this moment.

"Waffles, please!"

***

My hands are sweaty. I can feel my heartbeat in my head; I didn't even know that was possible. My family and I walked to The Hub together in silence and I received a hug from each member of my family before we had to separate; them joining the other family members and friends, while I joined the other participants of this year's Choosing Ceremony. I'm standing in a line of other 16-year-olds, some who look even more nervous than I feel. There's an Amity boy from my class in front of me and an Erudite girl standing behind me. No one speaks. It's as if we want the last words we say before the choosing, to be the words of love and affection we said to our families moments earlier. There are at least 80 teens in front of me, and another 30 behind me. The crowd in front of the stage settles down. Then it begins. Erudite. Amity. Candor. Erudite. Dauntless. Abnegation. Amity. Dauntless. An hour passes and there are now only two of my peers ahead of me. A petite Dauntless girl walks towards the four large ceramic bowls and cuts her palm with a small knife. She hesitates for a moment, her arm hovering over Erudite's bowl of water, then with a determined look on her face, opens her hand and lets a few drops of blood mix with the substance that best represents her new faction. A round of applause erupts from the crowd; I see a sea of blue clapping their hands, some gently, some with force; all of the Erudite are smiling. The Dauntless girl walks off the stage and my Amity classmate takes a step onto the marble platform with the five faction bowls. Without hesitation, as quick as a fox, he cuts his palm and allows his blood to drop into the Amity bowl filled with earth; he knows where he belongs and the Amity, proud of their new permanent member, erupt in cheers and applause. A smile has crept onto my face without my knowledge as I look at the happy faces of the men and women I've grown up with.