Reawakening

Chapter Four

Uriah

"How did... what..." Marlene stutters after Tris's small figure disappears over the ledge.  "How did you know?!"  At the ledge, Christina is jumping; unlike Tris, she screams her head off.  "Seriously how?  How did you even think to say Abnegation would jump first?  Stiffs never transfer to Dauntless!"

There is really no explanation I can think of that she'll accept.  I shrug.  "I just know things.  I had a feeling."

"That must have been one strong feeling, if you risked a week's worth of Dauntless cake for it."

"Yeah, but look what I ended up getting out of it!  A whole month of extra cake!"  Marlene scowls at me.  "Come on, let's get down there."  Lynn has already gotten in line to jump, and I stand behind her.  Marlene follows me.

"I'm starting to think you really are psychic.  Like you just woke up yesterday with this new superpower.  First the carousel, now the Stiff?"

"Can you two shut up?" Lynn snaps.  Maybe she's nervous about jumping.  Peter is about to jump and Lynn is lined up to jump after him.

"Well, the Stiff seems cool.  We should try and make friends with her."  Marlene shrugs as Lynn jumps off the ledge.

Now it's my turn.  I know there's nothing to be afraid of here.  I don't have a clue why I didn't volunteer sooner last time around.  As soon as Max signals that it's clear to go, I let myself fall backward.  It feels almost like flying or something, free falling such a long distance.  I scream on the way down, just because I think that makes things like jumping off high things and zip lining more fun, and when my body hits the net, I bounce into the air and back to the net a few times before my body finally settles into it and I can pull myself out.  Marlene soon tumbles into the net and rolls out next to me on the platform.

When we reach the bottom Marlene marches up to Tris and Christina.  "Hi," she says with a smile, "I'm Marlene."  Tris and Christina respond with their own names.  "So, Tris, I have a question for you."

"Um, okay...."

Marlene grabs my arm and pulls me toward her.  "Did Uriah here tell you about the net before you jumped?  Did he tell you to go first?"

Tris laughed.  "No to both.  I did not know about the net until I first landed in it."  I smirk at her careful choice of words-- first landed in it.  

Marlene sighs as I introduce myself to Tris and Christina.  Soon all the initiates have jumped and gathered at the bottom of the platform, and Lauren and Four stand in front of the group.  With a wave of her hand, Lauren gestures for us all to follow as she and Four start down the dark tunnel.

The Dauntless compound is mostly underground, basically carved out of stone, so it's a pretty dark place.  The hallways have blue globe lanterns hanging at intervals, a lot like the ones at the Choosing Ceremony.  I grew up here, though, so I've always been able to see in the dark.  The transfers, however, seem to be walking blind, so when Lauren and Four stop, it causes a bit of a pile-up.  I'm glad I stayed off to one side.

"This is where we divide," Lauren says.  "Dauntless born, you're with me.  I assume you don't need a tour of the place."  With that, she leads us away from Four and his initiates.  We keep walking until we arrive at our dormitory.  A half-dozen bunk beds are lined up against the wall; we'll all sleep here, boys and girls together.

"Alright, listen up!"  Lauren yells.  Slowly the chatter dies out, then Lauren continues in a more normal voice.  "In case anyone does not know... you will train separate from the transfers, but you will all be ranked together.  Only the top ten ranked will become members; those who do not make the top ten will leave Dauntless and live factionless.  The bottom four initiates will be cut at the end of stage one, and the rest after the final exam.  Training begins each morning at eight and ends at six with a break for lunch mid-day.  Do not be late to training!  You all know where to go.  Now would be a good time to gather anything you need from your parents' homes, then come to the dining hall for dinner.  See you all at eight AM sharp tomorrow!"  Lauren then vanishes out the door of the dormitory.