One by one, the rest of the initiates fell onto the net. As he had done with me, the man helped the struggling daredevils off.
Finally, the last of initiates feet touched solid ground and the man started to lead us down a narrow tunnel. I could barely see anything down there until we reached a lit section of the tunnel. The stone walls and sloped ceiling made the walk unnecessarily eerie. Every now and again we'd pass another light as we continued our agonizingly long trudge. The tunnel's light only came at long, choppy intervals.
When a sudden light rudely flooded my sight with nothing but a white glow, I knew we reached the end of our walk.
"This is where we divide," the man said. My eyes take a moment to adapt to the brighter surroundings compared to pitch-black one a second ago. "Dauntless-born are with Lauren. I assume you don't need a tour of the place." A shadowy figure emerged from the darkness of the room and came into sight. It was a girl. Lauren, I gathered. "If you couldn't tell, I'm Lauren. Come with me if you please," her voice and demeanour was oddly cherry for someone in Dauntless. She called the others over and the Dauntless-born, along with Lauren, dissolved into the shadows, just how she had came.
Now that they left, the group was significantly smaller. Only ten of us remained. Transfers from Candor and Erudite made up the majority of the group and Beatrice was the only Abnegation. No Amity, but that was probably for the best. I've heard stories of what the Dauntless make their initiates do, and it's not for the faint of heart.
The man stepped forward and addressed us. "Most of the time I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor. My name's Four." I couldn't help the snicker that inaudibly left my lips. It was nice to put a name to the hand, but I was not expecting that name. A dark-skinned girl from Candor was in the same mindset as me. "Like the number?" She asked. "Yes, is there a problem with that?" He retorted back with fake curiosity. "No."
"Good," he replied almost challengingly. "We're about to go into the Pit, which you'll learn to love. It-" Four was interrupted once again by the same Candor girl. "The Pit? Clever name." Four looks down and smiled for a short second. It vanished as soon as it appeared though as he walked up to her. "What's your name?" He asked in a quiet voice. "Christina," she said, confidently staring right into his eyes. Bad choice. People like him have a dog-like mentality, you would do better to submit in the moment and wait until they are at a vulnerable moment to attack.
"Well, Christina, if I wanted to put up with Candor smart-mouths, I would've joined their faction," he growled threateningly. "When you're with me, you'll learn to keep your mouth shut. Do you understand that?" Christina's eyes instantly left his and she silently nodded.
Four then started to move towards the shadowy exit of cavern-like room, similarly to the Dauntless-born and Lauren.
My brain was analyzing are calculating different scenarios involving how to act around Four. Every end result landed me with the same conclusion: I'd have to be wary around him. He appeared to be shrewd, almost on an Erudite level.
Four led us to a set of double doors and pushed them open. We all walked into the place the Dauntless deemed "the Pit." Mind you, it was a fitting name, the problem was it lacked creativeness. It was a underground cavern that spread further than my twenty-twenty vision could see. Jagged, uneven walls made of rock framed the Pit several stories high. Areas for food, clothing, supplies, and leisure activities creviced within the stone walls. In the centre of everything, people were taking up the entire area. Adults talking animatedly, accompanied by big hand gestures. Children running around, swerving through the adults like a wild pack of wolves. Shouldn't these children be reading a book or something?
"If you follow me, I'll show you to the chasm." Four said, his intense eyes focused forward. He led us to the right-side of the Pit, which was weirdly voided of light. It made me a bit apprehensive. I did not want to go into a dark place with him. The feeling of apprehension worsened when I heard the violent crashing of high-pressure water slamming heavily against the rocks. The cherry on top of this suicidal Dauntless cake was the fact that the chasm only had a subpar iron barrier.
"The chasm reminds us that there's a fine line between bravery and idiocy!" Four shouted over the fiercely active waters. "A daredevil jump off the ledge will end your life. It has happened before and will no doubt happen again. You've been warned." Mist sprayed up at us and as I felt the sensation on my skin, I knew for sure the Dauntless were trying to kill us. This definitely should have been secured more effectively.
Everyone looked over the ledge, their eyes wide with both fear and wonder. "Let's move on!" Four yelled for our attention. We all dispersed from the ledge and followed him through a gaping hole in the wall. Unlike the rest of the places he showed us, this room was well lit. I breathe a sigh of relief. Cutlery clattered, people were in obnoxiously loud conversations, and everyone was picking food off the feast in the middle of the tables. I look around to try and find a vacant spot. My eyes scouted a spot beside Beatrice and her friend Christina. My feet grudgingly move in their direction.
"May I sit here?" I asked upon arriving there. Christina looked at me, her brow cocked questioningly. "Don't you want to sit with your Erudite buddies," she asked, looking in the direction of Will and then Edward and Myra. "I would like to sit with them, but I don't like to be the third-wheel." I looked the couple again. They're cutting their steak and with every sawing motion, their elbows would bump. They looked at each other and sweetly pecked on the lips. My face cringed in disgust. Without waiting for their acceptance of my request, I took a seat beside her. Neither of them take mind though.
I contently eat whatever that laid in front of me. Hamburgers, fries, ribs, and a side of carrots and broccoli made its way to my plate. Back in Erudite, we were allowed to eat anything, but we preferred to eat a healthy, balance diet. My eating stopped when I heard cups start to repeatedly slam on the tables. Shouts and hollers broke out in the crowd and I saw a tall, muscular, dark-skinned man standing on an overhead platform. The man that oversaw our jump into Dauntless - Eric - was flanking behind him as he started to talk.
"Initiates, rise!"
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The Girl Who Cried Dauntless
फैनफिक्शनFaction before blood was a maxim taken seriously by both the Erudite and the Dauntless. It's in human nature to want to hold onto your past and your family, but that's the thing they were trying to eradicate. Human nature. A remedy to their probl...
