Eric Coulter Imagines

Top Initiate

You had always had a fiery temper for an Amity. You weren't sure how long you'd had this heated frustration, but it had simmered behind your mind every time you were forced to put on a smile, pretend the world was happy, and grin like everyone had your back.

It frustrated you to no end that every Amity was so naïve, so trusting. They would let anyone walk all over them, believing every lie without having to be a Candor. They were just so placid, so lacking in genuine character, so- pretentious, maybe.

You suppose it wasn't a surprise that you found yourself in the middle of the Choosing Ceremony, unflinchingly slicing open your palm and casting your blood onto the smoldering rocks of Dauntless. When you look back up at the crowd, you can barely see the disappointed looks on the faces of your family, too focused instead on the black-clad arms welcoming you into your new faction. This is where it all begins.

As you take your place among the other Dauntless trainees, you can hear whispers behind you. It's rare that an Amity would transfer to Dauntless, even rarer than the odd Abnegation that somehow makes the same decision you did, so you've already managed to garner a fair amount of attention. Before you know it, the Choosing Ceremony is over, and you're running free with the Dauntless towards the trains. Sprinting out of the darkness of the building into the bright glow of daylight, hearing the whooping and hollering of the Dauntless around you, everything culminates in this amazing feeling bursting out of your chest that tells you that you made the right choice for your faction.

Your first test comes after everyone has made their way to the rusting train tracks and you're told that you'll have to jump onto the train. The wind blows your hair back from your face, and your feet are pounding as you try desperately to keep pace with the quickly departing train. A split-second decision, and you throw yourself onto the train, grabbing gratefully onto an outstretched hand and pulling yourself inside. You give yourself a few quick breaths to calm down, then turn around in a slow semicircle to get your bearings.

The rest of the initiates are clustered around you on the train, all in the same state of ruckus and disheveled chaos as you. Slowly, you feel more and more eyes on you, taking in your bright yellow garb and status as a former Amity. So you're not exactly blending into the crowd, fine, but at least you're here. That's a start.

You're distracted from thoughts on factions when someone shouts out from a distant corner of the train car that you'll be heading out once more. You watch as some of the other Dauntless jump from the train, landing in a controlled roll on the gravel-carpeted roof. Before you can psych yourself out, you leap from the train, reveling in the moment of free fall as you hang suspended in the air. Your heart feels like a bird caged in your chest, let out only when you hit the ground in a stumbling run.

As the rest of the initiates start to jump out of the train as well, you all shuffle into a circle around the Dauntless leaders. One of them, an arrogantly confident man with tattoos slicing up his neck, begins to speak. "I'm Eric, one of the leaders. You wanted to join Dauntless? This is the way in." He gestures to chasm behind him, an empty pit spanning the gulf between the rooftops. From what you can see below, there's nothing there save a broken hole at the bottom.

Eric turns back to the group. "So, who's first?" Around you comes the sound of nervous muttering, and no one steps forward. A thought comes to you- this is the way to prove yourself. Everyone's already singled you out as the weak one because you're Amity, right? Let's change their minds.

If people weren't already staring at you, they are now, as you make your way to the rooftop edge. Eric raises an eyebrow at you, but says nothing. You climb onto the ledge of the roof, forcing yourself to stand tall despite the gaping distance below you.