Secrets

Chapter 3: Dauntless

{I do not own Divergent, Insurgent, or Allegiant. I am not Veronica Roth, nor am I pretending to be Veronica Roth.}

I take a deep breath as the train comes nearer and nearer, working up the courage to jump on. When I do, I scrape my knee but nothing else is harmed. I look around at my fellow transfers. I decide I would look less awkward if I sat against the wall, since there are not many seats.

I look around for Christina, but she is already talking to another girl and I felt it would be rude to interrupt. So I sit across from the door, feeling uncomfortable and slightly lonely.

"Hello." A voice says across from

me. I turn to notice a skinny girl with shoulder length hair.

"Hi, I'm Lily."

"I'm Myra, and this is my boyfriend," she blushes before continuing, "Edward."

"It's a pleasure," he says quietly.

"Nice to meet you both."

Myra sits next to me with Edward on the other side of her.

We talk for awhile, subjects drifting from the test to our coming initiation. I feel confident enough to trust her. She seems friendly enough.

Friendly.

I look to the corner of the train, where two boys and a girl, sit staring blankly toward Christina and her friend. It was not a friendly stare.

I shake it from my mind as the Dauntless leader, Eric, tells us we will be jumping off the train and onto a tall building. When people begin to freak out, he simply tells them not to be a coward and jumps off chuckling. Before I jump I see a girl trying to jump onto the train. She doesn't make it. She falls to her terrible death.

I shudder. I jump, and Myra and Edward link hands before jumping off behind me. We barely make the edge of the building.

I make a shockingly graceful landing, but I hear a cry for help behind me. I turn to Myra, and find Edward hanging off the building by his hands. Myra and I help him up, each taking one of his hands and lifting him onto the building.

"Thank you - so - so much," Edward stutters in between pants.

"Oh yeah I was pondering whether to let you fall or not." I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes. We laugh as we catch up to the group.

I thought the train was bad. Now we are lead to the edge of the building, with a net at the bottom. After Eric jumps, everyone begins to freak out. Christina's friend jumps first.

Brave.

Dauntless.

One of the boys who was staring at her on the train steps up to go next, but without warning I run and jump off quickly.

I fall into the net, and bounce off, landing on my feet. The girl claps her hands, and so does the guy who I assume will be our teacher.

"I'm Four."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Lily. Are you the teacher?"

"You could say that."

Mysterious.

"I'm Tris."

"It's nice to meet you, Tris. I'm Lily. I transferred from Candor."

"Abnegation."

We nod at each other, and the last person to jump is Myra. I help her out of the net.

The Dauntless born initiates join us. You can just tell the grew up here, by the effortless way they jump on and off of the train, and off of the building.

I meet eyes with the boy in the front of the line of Dauntless. I don't know how long we stare, but it must be awhile because one of his friends says something in his ear, and he blushes and looks away. I feel myself blush too. I look ahead.

We are informed that many of us will practically be eliminated from Dauntless initiation throughout the two weeks, and the ones who are will be factionless.

A boy says that it isn't fair, and if he had known of this he wouldn't have chosen Dauntless.

Eric simply says,

"You chose us, and now we have to choose you."

I shiver.

They continue and tell us that the first week will be physical training, the second week will be all stimulations.

Now we are led to a place evidently called The Pit, which Four says we will grow to love. I hope so. I'm not the most balanced.

Then we are taken to the dining hall and told initiation will begin tomorrow.

I stand next to Myra as we fill our plates. A roll, a slice of cake, and a salad.

"Talk about light," Myra says with an eye roll.

"And what about yourself?" I say, gesturing to her plate of vegetables and the same cake. "We're practically the same."

We laugh and find an empty table. Edward soon joins us. I glance over to the table seating most of the Dauntless born initiates, my eyes searching for someone. Then I realize with a blush that I'm looking for the boy from earlier.

My eyes lock on a tattoo of a snake behind his ear. He must have felt eyes on him because he turns in my direction. I look down at my food, but just a little too late. I feel my cheeks go hot, and out of the corner of my eye I see him smile.

{I'm not getting many reads at all but I'll keep writing just for practice. If anyone has any input, please comment. Thanks.}