Divergent: A Retelling

Uriah

I start walking up to them and the Dauntless-born turns to me, smiling.

"Townes! Just the person I wanted to see." "Right," I say, looking him up and down. I notice a snake tattoo behind his ear, and one peeking out underneath his shirt. His smile is like white against dark gold. There's a stirring sensation in my chest. I look at Tris, she shrugs. I notice he does a double take, looking me up and down. "And you are?" "Uriah, Dauntless-born, obviously." "And, you know my name. . . how?" "Four came in the other day and taught us one of your moves." Says Uriah, still smiling. I raise an eyebrow.

"You know, the-" Uriah does a little kick and then imitates a chokehold.

"Oh," I say, going pink, but my expression remains the same. "Yeah, he said it was one of the most impressive moves he's seen from a transfer." I smile a little. The burning in my chest grows. I don't like it. "Oh and I see we
Have matching tats," he says, pointing to my arm. I smile widely, "Well, mine's better." He gasps in mock hurt, clutching his chest. "Why are you looking for me?" "I wanna take both of you to an initiation ritual of sorts," He says, looking between the two of us. "Come on, we have to hurry."

"Hurry for what?" I ask as Tris get's to her feet. I feel the sense of elation creep into me. "The train," Says Uriah, already walking. "Usually the only initiates that they let come have older siblings in Dauntless, but they might not notice." Uriah looks back at me and smiles a little. "You'll definitely look like you belong, what with the big-ass tattoo and all." I share a small smile with Tris as we follow Uriah.

"What exactly are we doing?" asks Tris. "Something dangerous," Says Uriah, with a look of something I can only describe as Dauntless mania in his eyes. Thrill-seeking excitement flows through me, and from the look on Tris's face, she's excited too. We smile at each other as we reach a group of Dauntless-born. "What's the stiff doing here? And the amity transfer? Uriah, come on man." Says a boy with a ring in his nose. He kind of reminds me of a bull. I feel a little out of place, and dread joins my excitement as my cheeks burn. "Hey, give them a break man, they saw that new guy get stabbed in the eye, and well, look at her." he says, gesturing to me. I blush a little. I didn't see Edward get stabbed, but Tris did. Am I supposed to tell the truth when someone asks me what happened? Tris and I receive a few sidelong glances, sizing us up, but they don't say anything. I feel like I'm on guard, like one wrong move and they'll pounce on me. I become very aware of how I must look, holding my ribs, my arms and hands scratched up with scabs, bruises on my head and jaw, a black eye. We turn a corner to another hallway, and there's a group of Dauntless-born. Are they really all related?

"Was training really that bad for you?" Asks Uriah, sliding up beside Tris and I and pointing at my ribs, which I'm still holding. I shake my head. "Nothing I can't handle." "Right, I may be pretty but I'm not stupid" He stares at my face "I know you were the one jumped by the pit the other night. Knew it as soon as I saw you." "Nothing happened." I say, beginning to sweat. "You don't have to lie. After you beat two people single-handedly, no one's gonna mess with you." He says, and I can't help but return his smile. "Lets go." Says one of the members, and he turns through a dark doorway. I don't know how he knew about that, but he did. We follow, and I grab Tris's hand as we're swallowed into the darkness. It's a strange fear, I know. Thankfully, she doesn't let go. We stay closely behind Uriah, and, in unison, Tris and I trip on the same step. We catch ourselves, blushing into the darkness. Well, at least I am.

"Back staircase," Uriah mumbles, "usually locked." I look up past the sea of heads, and see a doorway letting in light at the top of the stairs, distantly. When we reach it, we emerge a few hundred feet from the glass ceiling that hangs over the pit. I feel a small stab of guilt. We're close to the train tracks. I let go of Tris's hand, and I feel the familiar vibrations in the ground from the train. They hurt my ribs, and the pain must show on my face because Uriah says "You've caught the train before right?" I nod, blushing. I see the light attached to the head car. Thrill rises in me, and I become a little shaky with excitement. Tris cracks her knuckles and gets ready to run. A smile plays on my lips. We begin to jog alongside the train, the pain grows, but I push through it, and at the first chance, I jump onto the side and hoist myself in. Uriah comes in after me, and then Tris. I find a space along the wall and slide down with a soft drawn out groan until I'm sitting, sucking the air in between my teeth. Uriah and Tris follow me.