The Transfer (A Divergent backstory to Eric)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

  I don't go down to the hub with the others, instead I stay at the compound.  10 am, the choosing ceremony should be starting soon.  I get up and go to the fridge, grab a bottle of water and head out to the pit.  It's pretty empty, I've never seen it like this, it makees me feel small.  I sit there for a minute or two before I feel a clap on my back.  It's Max, "are you ready for today?"  I nod, I suddenly feel weird talking to him after last night.  "Well you better get going, the initiates should be coming pretty soon." I nod again and get up,  "yea I should."  I meet Four by the net, "you staying down here?" I ask him.  "Yeah, you can go up to the rooftop."  I get in his face "are you giving me orders...stiff?"  I ram him in the shoulder as I leave the room.  Me and a few others climb up the staires to the rooftop we jumped off of when we were initiates.  There's two ways to get on to the roof,  jumping from the train, or the staires from inside the compound.  Once your up there the only way down is to jump because the door to the steps locks and doesn't have a key hole or handle. 

  When I get to the top Lauren is waiting on the ledge.  She's looking down at the net below.  I walk up behind her and give her a little nudge, but grab her so she doesn't fall.  She flinches a little, but then turns around and laughs.  SHe hopes off the ledge back onto the rooftop, "were you gonna push me?" she smiles.  "Nah, just messing with you" I say.  She takes a deep breath "so are you ready for today?"  I nod "yeah, just tired" then mumble "you kept me up all night."  She looks at me and laughs a little, "what do you mean I kept you up all night?" then she nudges me a little "were you thinking about me, and dreaming about me?" She smiles and gets closer.  I laugh feeling embarassed "maybe." She gets closer "well in your dreams did I do this?" She pulls me in close and kisses me.  My heart starts racing and I feel my body go numb.  She pulls back and looks at me with her sparkling blue eyes.  "Something like that" I manage to say with a smile.

  I see the train coming and take a deep breath to calm myself.  She's still staring at me.  I get up on the ledge to wait.  Then I see them leaping off the train, hitting the gravel, some not jumping far enough, pulling themselves up from the side of the building.  They walk over to me and the others. "Alright, listen up! I'm Eric! I'm one of your leaders, I'll be overseeing your training.  If you want to get into to Dauntless, this is the way in."  They look nervous.  "Is there water at the bottom or something?" an Erudite boy asks.  I look at him "I guess you'll find out, or not."  I look around at the Dauntless borns "well someone has to go first, who's it gonna be?"  They look around at eachother.  "Me." I look and see a small Abnegation girl step forward.  I jump off the ledge back onto the roof and watch as she takes her jacket off.  "Yeah stiff, take it off!, put it back on!"  I hear one of the Candor boys yell out.  I glare at her "today initiate." She finally jumps of the ledge.  "Alright, who's next?"

  Once the rest of them have jumped, it's me and Lauren again.  "Do you want me to go first?" she asks.  "You jumped first last time" I smile.  "Alrigh you go then, then you can pull me out of the net."  I agree and get up on the ledge and jump.  I roll off the net and watch as Lauren falls and lands on the net.  I grab her hand and pull her out as promised.  Four and the initiates are waiting in line.  "Alright, my name is Four, this is Lauren" he says as he motions to Lauren.  One of the initiates, a Candor girl, scoffs at this "Four like the number...?"  "Exactly like the number" Four responds.  "What happened, one, two, three were taken?"  Some of the others laugh.  Lauren and I look at him.  He walks up to her, "whats your name?"  She shakes a little "Christina."  He glares at her, "well Christina, first lesson you learn from me, if you want to survive here, you keep your mouth shut, got it?"  She looks down and nods.