CHAPTER EIGHT :
BLOOD AND WATER — DARCIE’S POV
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What’s a girl to do when she’s not strong?
When everyone that holds my hand
Gets cut from all the thorns
I used to put my ear against the wall
To hear the screams, to hear the fall
More reasons to escape it all
—Natalia Kills, “Devils Don’t Fly”
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Fifth. I was fifth in the rankings. Isis said I had no right to be pissed considering I was knocked out. And she was right. If I hadn’t cracked my opponent’s nose, my score would be even lower. What bothered me wasn’t my score, however. The reason behind my frustration relied in a single factor: Eric had managed to score higher than me
“Look on the bright side,” Imara said jokingly. “Now you have a valid reason to talk to him.”
I rolled my eyes. “No chance. I’d rather become factionless.”
She smirked as we approached the entrance of the Pit. “You keep telling yourself that.”
We pushed ourselves to the front of the crowd until we came across Tobias. I figured he hadn’t fully recovered since yesterday’s incident by the expression on his face. In some odd way, I thought his response was rather admirable. He simply couldn’t stand to watch her be beaten and bloodied like that. He cared; and that’s something I had never seen before.
“Listen up,” Isis called suddenly. She stood before us, her arms crossed nonchalantly. “Today we’ll be doing basic training. You’ll be paired up —”
“Do we get to pick our partners?” a Candor boy shouted. His name was Peter.
Isis rolled her eyes. “You just lost points for that, Candor. And, no. I will be selecting your partners. You will be in pairs. The two of you will go through the courses together, starting with the punching bag station.”
Peter huffed heavily. “Whatever.”
Isis raised a single eyebrow in annoyance. “You realize I can make you factionless at any given point, right?”
Peter placed his hands at his side in an act of defeat.
“That’s what I thought…” she trailed off before clearing her throat. “You, first jumper.” Isis motioned Imara to step forward.
Imara now stood by Isis, who had clapped her hand onto Imara’s right shoulder.
“Imara here is a stiff, and although she’s not in first place, she’s doing a hell of a lot better than most of you. So, Peter, you’ll be paired with the stiff. Maybe seeing that you’re actually at the bottom of the totem pole will shut you up,” Isis said harshly, as she shoved Imara towards Peter.
Peter’s face began to grow red. “But I’m above her in the rankings!”
Isis smirked. “Technically, yes. But I like her better than I like you… and last time I checked, right now I’m in charge of who gets cut.”
Peter clenched his fists tightly and stormed off to the punching bags. Imara reluctantly followed shortly after.
Isis turned her attention back to the crowd ahead of her. She snapped her fingers in my direction.
YOU ARE READING
Variant ▸ Divergent
Fanfiction[ON HOLD] Imara Ember was born Abnegation. She lives a simple, selfless life devoted to helping those around her. However, Imara feels as though she is an outcast in her faction. When the time for her aptitude test approaches, she desperately hopes...
