Bite Me || Eric Coulter Fanfic - Divergent

3. A warm welcome to Dauntless

Everyone in the Dauntless section of the amphitheater was out of their seats and running towards the exit before Jeanine Matthews, the leader of Erudite, was done with her speech.

We kept running and laughing and somewhere between jumping over discarded boxes and climbing the metal pillars of the train track, I lost the flimsy piece of twine holding my braid together and my hair was flowing behind me. For a few moments, I was free.

Looking around, I saw that I was one of the first transfers to successfully climb up to the tracks. It was just me and the Dauntless born for a few minutes. Adrenaline can sure do crazy things to your sense of danger. And then I heard it; the train. It was coming quickly and with no indication of slowing down to allow us to safely board it. Well I guess we're running then. Weirdly, it didn't bother or intimidate me in the slightes. I guess a life in Amity really lowers the bar for what's fun, because in this moment I couldn't wait to board that train.

I observed the Dauntless born and started running along with them, swiftly grabbing onto one of the handles on the doors and pulling myself in. Right as I was catching my breath I saw a petite Abnigation girl running with a terrified look on her face. She knew she had to jump, otherwise she would be factionless. Making a snap decision, I leaned out of the cart and held my hand out for her. In a final burst of courage the girl jumped and caught my arm.

Right when I thought she had made it, her dress caught on one of the loose pieces of metal of the cart and suddenly all of her weight was hanging from my arm. That is until a Dauntless born guy caught her other arm and together we pulled her in. She was safe at last, which unfortunately couldn't be said for the Candor boy a few carts away who fell to his death while jumping in a desperate attempt to make it.

"Thank you both" said a quiet, breathless voice beside me. I look to see the girl that narrowly cheated death. She looks plain in her grey Abnegation dress, but her eyes are a striking hazel color.

"Don't worry about it" I tell her, trying to calm both of us down.

"Yeah, it was no problem" says a guy, who I've just noticed has been standing next to us. He's the one that helped when the girl's dress was stuck. Immediately, I take notice of his captivating blue eyes, like the color of the calm, peaceful morning sea. Blond lashes frame his eyes, the same color as his short hair. Once I'm done with my ogling, I register his words.
"I'm Sean" he says extending his right hand to me and then the girl.

"Iris" I say shaking his hand and then turning to the Abnigation girl.

"I'm Chloe. It's nice to meet you both" the girl says, albeit a bit timidly. I go for the signature Amity smile, as it tends to calm people down a bit.

"Are you guys ready?" asks Sean after we've travelled for a few minutes.

"Ready for what?" asks Chloe, in a slightly panicked tone.

"To jump" replies Sean, mischief shining in his sea-colored eyes.

Just as he finishes his sentence, I see a few Dauntless born getting a running start and then jumping out of the train, laughing hysterically.

"On three, okay?" I hear Sean ask from beside me.

With a quick look at Chloe, I smile at Sean. "Hell yeah!"

"One" he starts counting and my heart begins to beat just a little bit faster.

"Two" I close my eyes and take a big breath.

"Three!" I smile, start running and jump out of the train.

The landing is not so graceful. I fall on the hard gravel of the building's rooftop like a cross between a baby giraffe taking its first step and an overflowing sack of potatoes. Like I said, graceful. Hopefully, I'll have time to practice that landing.

I stand up, dust my dress off and walk towards the edge of the roof, along with the rest of the initiates, who at this point still comprised of Dauntless borns. I stand next to Chloe, waiting for the rest of the transfers to jump and join us.

"Alright listen up" a voice cuts through the noise. It carries power and authority, so much so that all sounds immediately cease.

A man is standing on the edge of the building, walking dangerously close to the edge, but looking as if he's taking his evening stroll. His black t-shirt is fitted, hinting at some pretty impressive muscles. Tattoos adorn what is visible of his arms and neck, while his face piercings catch the sunlight every now and again. Crystal blue eyes, the color of a turbulent midnight sea. All in all, he's undeniably attractive.

"My name is Eric and I'm one of your leaders here in Dauntless" he continues "If you want to be one of us, you have to prove it. Jump and move on to the next part, back down and become factionless. Simple." he says, voice cold, gaze sweeping each of us, as if evaluating a new batch of bread loaves he just baked to decide which ones to throw away. Remember how I said he's attractive? Yeah, now that he's opened his mouth, I'm starting to reconsider.

"We just jumped and now he wants us to jump again?" whispered Chloe timidly from my right.

"Is there water at the bottom or something?" asks an Erudite boy with really fluffy hair.

Eric directs his cold, calculating gaze on the boy, who in any other situation would have probably frozen twice over by now. "Find out" he says, taking a step towards the boy and leaning closer. "Or don't" he continues with a shrug of his shoulders. He really doesn't care, does he?

"Alright, come on. Someone has to be first" he says surveying the crowd once again. "Who's it going to be?"

I look around me at everyone else; heads turned as far away from the man as possible, eyes cast down. Well, I'm here to become my true self, aren't I? Might as well start now. Or die. Both appealing prospects.

"I'll go" I say, head held high, voice as steady as ever.

A few people move away to allow me to walk to the front. Either that or I've just sprouted an extra head. Both equally possible based on the looks I'm getting.

I step closer to Eric, the temperature dropping a few degrees. He looks me up and down, as if I'm the dirt underneath his shoe.

"Amity huh?" he says, in a tone that is, surprise surprise, very condescending. That ticked me off, especially after being looked down at this way my whole life.

"Any problem with that?" I ask and the Amity in me immediately regrets it.

Eric's eyes widen just a fraction. I wouldn't have been able to catch the change if I weren't standing so close.

He clears his throat.

"Are you jumping today initiate, or are you going to waste more of our time?" he snaps dismissively.

"Oh sorry I was just enjoying our lovely conversation" I say sweetly.

And with that, I turn around and jump.