Divergent: A Retelling

Face Your Fears

Tris and I break off from the Dauntless-born once we get to the cafeteria. I run my hands through my hair and Tris and I laugh as she tries to fix the damage the wind has done to her.

We talk animatedly about the death defying adventure we just had. "I can't wait to be Dauntless," says Tris, and we make eye contact. I genuinely believe her. "Me too," I say, biting my lip. "How hard do you think it'll be? The second stage." Tris shrugs. "I haven't heard anything about it." I nod as we reach the table with Christina, Al and Will, who are staring at us, gaping. "Hey," I say as we sit down. "Where did you guys go? Em, we've been looking for you everywhere!" Says Christina, a hint of anger in her voice. I blush, embarrassed. "I just sat in the hallway for a little, thinking, and then I went walking and found Tris talking with this guy-" "Uriah," Says Tris, cutting me off. "Remember the guy that was on our team during capture the flag?" Christina nods and I keep talking. "Well, he told us he wanted to bring us to an initiation ritual or something. Apparently only members get to go, but he asked us to come." "Right," Says Christina, chomping on her food. "I wish you guys could've seen it, Townes threw up after!" Says Tris, explaining the zipline and the terrifying anxiety that paralyzed me. I look over at the members table and see them all sitting together, laughing and throwing food at each other. I stare at Uriah for too long though, because he looks over at me and we make eye contact. I give him a small smile and then turn back around. I feel a new sense of longing. Not for my old faction, but my new one. I desperately want to stay here. And that means I have to survive stage two of initiation. "Well you missed Christina almost punching an Erudite." Says Al eagerly. I raise an eyebrow. "What was an Erudite doing here?" "He was asking for opinions about the Abnegation leadership, and Christina told him there were more important things he could be doing." "Which she was actually right about," interjects Will. "And he got testy with her, big mistake." "Huge." Says Tris, nodding and smiling. It does little to soften the jealousy brewing in Christina's eyes. "Yeah, while you two were off having fun, I was doing the dirty work of defending your old faction, eliminating interfaction conflict..." "Come on, you know you enjoyed it," Says Will, nudging her with his elbow. "If you're not going to tell the whole story, I will." Will launches into the story and we all listen along, enjoying it, but Tris is nodding at the wrong times and it looks like she's lost in thought.

Stage two of initiation now includes the Dauntless-born. We sit in chairs lining a cold and pristine hallway. There's a door at the end of the hallway, and Four and whatever happens in stage two is behind it.

"So," Says a Dauntless-born named Lynn with a shaved head, scuffing the floor with her boots. "Which one of you is ranked first?" I look up at Uriah, who's sitting across from me, and he raises an eyebrow, as if asking if it's me. I gently shake my head, and Peter clears his throat next to me. "Me." "Bet I could take you." Says Lynn casually, twisting her eyebrow ring. "I'm second rank, but I bet I could take you, transfer. I could take any transfer." I let out a small laugh that's been building up since I got here. Lynn looks at me, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry," I say, crossing my legs. I'm wearing tight black nylon shorts that reach just above my knee, a black crop top and long black socks and black boots. Peter ignores me and stares at Lynn. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." He says, narrowing her eyes. "Who's first?" I roll my eyes. "Uriah. And I am sure. I could take you." My eyes widen at Uriah when Lynn says that. He gives me a shy smile, shaking his head. "Do you know how many years we've spent preparing for this?" I bite my lip, suppressing my smile. For some reason, everything seems funny to me. Before Peter can retort, Four opens the door. "Lynn." he beckons her and she gets up and struts down the hallway, disappearing behind the door.

"So you're first?" Asks Will, slouching in his chair. "And?" Says Uriah with a shrug. "And you don't think it's a little unfair that you've been training for this your entire life and we only have a few weeks?" Says Will, sitting up and narrowing his eyes. Uriah gives a slight head shake. "Not really. Stage one is about skill, sure, but no one knows about stage two. We're not allowed to prepare. Or so I'm told." No one says anything. I look down at my hands on my lap as the silence takes hold and the minutes pass by. I glance up and make eye contact with Uriah. He winks and my smile breaks through. I look back down, smiling to myself. The door opens about twenty minutes later and Four calls another name, "Peter."