Divergent: A Retelling

Looking the Part

"The first two things you learn here today are how to shoot a gun, and how to fight." Says Four, walking as he presses guns into the palm of every initiate. I get my gun and stare at it. I've seen guns before, at the wall that surrounds us. Amity fields go beyond them, but you can only go beyond the fence if you're older than sixteen. I see the soldiers that protect the wall carry guns, though they're much bigger than this. "Thankfully, if you're here, you already know how to get on and off a moving train; so I don't have to teach you that."

A couple people snicker. I'm not surprised that Dauntless would want us to be training as early as possible, but I expected a little more than a few hours of rest. My body is still waking up and my brain is a little fuzzy.

"Initiation is divided into three stages. We will monitor your progress and rank you according to your performance in each stage. The stages aren't weighed equally in determining your final rank, so it's possible, yet very difficult, to drastically improve your rank over time."

I stifle a yawn and remember that I'm holding a loaded gun. This wakes me up a little. "We believe that preparation eradicates cowardice; which we define as the failure to act when in the mindset of fear."

Says Four, "Therefore, each stage of initiation is intended to prepare you in a different way. The first stage is primarily physical. The second stage is primarily emotional; and the third stage is primarily mental."

"But what..." says Peter next to me, yawning through his words , "Does firing a gun have to do with... Bravery?" When he yawns, it makes me yawn, though I try to hold it in. Four turns the gun and presses it to Peter's forehead, clicking a bullet into place. Peter freezes mid-yawn, and so do I. If he's getting a gun to his head for yawning, so am I. "Wake. Up." Four snaps. "You're holding a loaded gun, not a plastic water toy, you idiot. Act like it." Four lowers the gun and walks away from Peter and thus, away from me. Peter's green eyes harden, shooting daggers at Four. I expect him to retort in some way, being of Candor background. But to my surprise, he doesn't. His cheeks are red.

"And to answer your question; you are far less likely to wet your pants and call for your mother if you can properly defend yourself."

Four finishes walking to the end of the row of us lined up, and turns on his heel. "This may also be information you will need later in stage one, so pay attention."

He faces the wall covered in targets, a square of plywood with three red circles, and stands with his feet apart. He holds the gun in his hands and fires. The bang is so loud I jump, and Peter snickers next to me. I elbow him hard in the ribs, and he glares at me.

I look past him and see that Four has hit the target through the middle.

I turn to my own target, which is at least 20 feet away from me. I wonder what my sister would think, me learning how to use a gun. She would be horrified. But it doesn't matter what she thinks. Valerie is Abnegation. I am Dauntless. Well, Divergent. But what does that matter right now?

To my left is Peter. I didn't mean for it to happen that way. Quite frankly, I'd probably want to be as far away from Peter and a loaded gun as I could. To my right is an Erudite boy, Will. Then Tris, then Christina and then Al. I spread my feet and hold up my gun. It's surprisingly light, but then I remember all the years I spent building muscle by climbing trees and carrying loads of produce and grain.

I aim at the target, right at the center. I pull the trigger, and remember to keep my hands firm so the recoil doesn't come back to hit me in the face. The loud bang hurts my ears. I put down my gun and see that I've hit the edge of the target, nowhere near the middle. My ears ring, a high-pitched squeel that I have a feeling I'll be getting used to.