Choose Your Own Adventure: Divergent

Choosing Dauntless- 25

Your blood sizzles on the stones, your heart in your ears.

A cheer erupts from the Dauntless section, as you walk over towards them, one guy shakes you and another does some sort of handshake. 

"Welcome to Dauntless!" someone yells, laughing and steering you towards the stairs, and then they're running, pounding, whooping down. Thundering feet crash around you, wild, free, breathless. The crisp outside air hits you. Your chest burns with the rush, but you're laughing anyway, cause you're Dauntless, you're in a faction. 

The blast of the train horn makes you jump, and you see the Dauntless jumping up and swinging inside, until only the initiates are left, running alongside the train, hearts pounding. You grab a handle by the car and roll inside, arm wrenching to the left. Someone catches you, and you smile. 

"Thanks," you say, nodding to him. He's tall, with a prominent nose and a face that looks deceptively friendly.

"You rolled into me," he says, rolling his eyes and shoving you away. "Get out of my space."

You stumble away, brushing yourself off, and sit down next to two girls. 

"That's Peter," one girl with short hair says, raising her eyebrows. "Not the friendliest."

"I'm Beatrice," the girl with long, blond hair says. "And this is Christina."

A shout rings out. "They're jumping off!" 

Beatrice leans forward and gasps, and you stumble over to see black shapes leaping off the train and onto a rooftop. 

"We have to jump off, too."

"Because that makes perfect sense, Molly, leap off a train onto a roof..."

"I'd rather be factionless than dead!"

Shouts ring out among the transfers, and suddenly, Beatrice grabs Christina's hand and they jump, landing with a crash and shh of gravel. 

You're next. You don't think, you just go, because anything would be better than living another day factionless, anything, and you-

Pain slams through your shins, and you stumble, coughing. You roll over onto your back, not getting up yet, staring in awe at the train as the other initiates jump off, all except for the Amity boy.

Peter grins, shoving you. He bends down. "At least I landed on my feet," he says with a self-satisfied smirk, laughing and retreating to his group. What a jerk, you think, brushing yourself off.

Then someone screams. You rush over, and suddenly notice a girl frozen, barely being held back from the edge.

"Rita," a boy says, "Rita, calm down. Rita-"

There's a body on the pavement far below, and your stomach gives a sickening twist. You shake it off. At least you're not factionless anymore, you tell yourself. If it takes some risk, you can do it. You can do it. 

A voice rings out. "Listen up!" A dark-skinned, older man shouts from the other end of the roof. "My name is Max. I am one of the leaders of your new faction. Several stories below us is the Dauntless members' entrance to the compound. If you can't muster the will to jump off, you don't belong here. Our initiates have the privilege of going first."

People protest, look the other way. Even Peter picks at his cuticles and tries to act casual, blinking rapidly.

Only Beatrice, the Abnegation transfer, looks ready to jump.

Do you...

Jump first before Beatrice can? Go to 27.

Taunt Peter and then jump after Beatrice? Go to 28.

Wait until you see what happens with Beatrice? Go to 29.