Death Wish

Part 21

Ferris pov

Similar to yesterday, I was stuck waiting nervously for my fear simulation. After my tutoring session yesterday with Four, I made it pertinent to keep in mind that I had to perform like a Dauntless. I had to believe I was Dauntless and not Divergent.

I still didn't totally understand what made me a Divergent. But I didn't care what that silly test said. I knew I was a Dauntless.

Today, Eric was administering the simulation. I just prayed that the last fear from yesterday wouldn't decide to recur.

I sat next to Morsov, who was not typically a chatty person, but today he was being especially quiet. He told me yesterday that one of his fears had been watching his sister, Emer, die in front of him. He'd been so convinced that it was real that he almost attacked Four after waking, demanding to know where she was, and didn't calm down until he saw Emer again. He didn't let his sister leave his side the rest of the day and into the morning. She was also shaken from her fear sims and they took comfort in each other's presence

Many of my friends had similar stories. Each claiming that it had felt and seemed so real. I pretended to relate but unlike them, I'd known it was completely fake. It was almost like how you can tell a dream is fake based off of it's uncanny and unatural qualities.

I guess that's what made Divergents dangerous. We couldn't be controlled with fear like normal people were.

I didn't have much more time to think about it because Eric called my name, knocking me out of my thoughts.

I walked slowly into the room.

"Go ahead and take a seat initiate," Eric said stoically as he prepped a syringe. I nodded and sat down in the chair nervously.

"Alright, you ready?" Eric asked and gently moved the hair on my neck with his finger. My skin tingled under his touch.

"Yeah," I answered and then felt a slight pinch in my neck. He then took a small metal processor and connected it to my temple.

"Good luck Candor," Eric said as he sat down looking at a small screen that broadcasted what was happening in my mind.

I closed my eyes slowly and reopened them to see that I was on a bridge. But this was not like the metal bridges in Dauntless. This one was like the wobbly old bridges made out of wood and rope. I looked down over the side to see a dark river gushing powerfully below.

Suddenly the bridge began to shudder violently and I desperately held onto the non-sturdy rails made from rope. I turned to see the ropes connecting the bridge to one side of the cliff were starting to break. I had just second before they would snap entirely.

What would a Dauntless do?

I started sprinting the other way with wobbly legs and was almost to the other side when the bridge gave in and I started falling along with it. I extended my arms out, trying to grip any part of the wooden bridge, and just barely grabbed hold of one of the wooden planks at the last second.

I strained to hold my weight as my feet tried to find foothold. I was about 5 yards from the top of the cliff. I made the mistake of looking down and quickly regretted it as flash of panic raced through my senses. I was hanging over an almost two hundred foot drop over treacherous looking water.

I clenched my eyes shut.

It's not real! It's not-No! I need to think like a Dauntless! A Dauntless would climb out of here.

I started climbing up the fallen bridge. Pulling my body weight up inch by inch with the wooden planks. Splinters dug into the palms of my hands as I gritted my teeth in effort. After about a minute of climbing, I crawled over the side and shakily stood up. My arms burned but I was other wise mostly unscathed.