DIVERGENT: Tobias (Watty Award Winner 2013)

Chapter 1

Today, all sixteen year-olds will take their aptitude test, which will tell them what faction they "belong" in. Tomorrow is the Choosing Ceremony, where they will pick a faction. The choice is permanent and unchanging. All of the factions have an initiation that must be completed before they can officially enter the faction as a member. These initiations are representative of the values of each faction. Dauntless initiation is centered on controlling fear, learning not to be afraid. Enter me. The instructor.

I find my way to the Dining hall, taking in the dark atmosphere of the Dauntless Compound as I go. Spotting her dark hair easily in the large room, I make my way over to where she’s sitting.

“We should go over the plans for training the initiates.” I say, sliding into the seat on her right.

“Hi to you too, Four.” Lauren says, her voice teasing. I catch her rolling her eyes. “You sure you want the transfers again? They’re always harder to train then the Dauntless-born.”

“I’m fine with it.” I reply, watching her shake her head incredulously at me. What she doesn’t know is that I actually prefer training the transfer initiates. I don’t know why, but I find peace in the training room for the transfers. The familiarity of it. Of the two years that I’ve been here, it’s been the one thing that has remained constant. I take comfort in that.

“Okay. Do you want to call the shots this year or…?” She asks me, trailing off at the end.

“We’ll start with physical training. Guns, Fighting, and then knife throwing. Then, we’ll do the fear simulations and obviously, we’ll do the fear landscape last. We’ll announce the rankings after each stage.” I tell her, my voice and face expressionless. Lauren nods once, in agreement with my plan, and leaves the table. I sigh. I’m hoping things will go back to normal between us, but it’s already been almost a year. After training the initiates last year, Lauren suggested that her and I date or whatever it was that she said. I told her no. Simple as that, but I don’t think she’s gotten over it.

I don’t have much time to dwell on the issue, though. Zeke occupies Lauren’s seat and clamps an arm around my shoulder.

“Four! You won’t believe the dream I had last night! Something about green guns…I don’t know. But it was weird. Oh, and Uriah’s pretty excited for the aptitude tests today, a little nervous too. I told him not to worry about…” Rolling my eyes to myself, I tune out Zeke’s voice for a chance at some peace and quiet. I grab a muffin from the center of the table and break small pieces off before putting them in my mouth. Banana flavored. Somehow, I can’t seem to get over the idea of food with flavor. My appreciation for the Dauntless food never wavers.

I am lost in my thoughts. Today brings back a flood of memories that I’d rather not relive, but it seems I have no choice. The memories play out in my mind over and over. My aptitude test. My result. The Choosing Ceremony. My choice. Before I get too caught up in my own mind, Zeke interrupts me, only now realizing that I haven’t been listening.

“Hey!” Zeke yells at me with annoyance. “Were you listening to anything I was saying?”

I look at him with a sheepish smile on my face. “I think you said something about Uriah.” I say.

He glares at me for a moment and then his goofy smile returns. Zeke isn’t one to hold grudges and he doesn’t get offended too easily. We’re the same age and we went through initiation together, though he was born Dauntless and I was a transfer. I’d have to say that he’s my best friend here. I smile as I think about that. I never expected to find friends here. In the moment that I had to choose a faction, I was fixated on Dauntless as an escape, as a safe haven. And so the idea that I might have friends here…that I might do well in this faction, never occurred to me.