Poison & Wine [Eric Coulter]

05.

Breaking through the front door of the Hub building in a river of bodies was like breaking the surface after being held under water. As they took off at a run, Olivia breathed the fresh air deeply and let her feet carry her, pounding against the pavement below to keep up with her new peers.

Those in front of her came to a sudden stop below the metal joists that held the train tracks high above the square. Where she thought they'd stopped to let the stragglers lagging behind catch up, the Dauntless natives began to climb, using the metal rungs in the joists to pull themselves higher and higher until they reached the train platform suspended above.

Olivia watched them carefully until it was her turn, grasping the cold, rusty metal, pretending it was a thick tree branch in the woods back in Amity as she pulled herself to the top as swiftly and gracefully as she could.

She pushed her hair out of her face and met the blue eyes of an Erudite transfer, a head and a half taller than herself, standing on the platform next to her. He opened his mouth to speak, but never got the chance as he was interrupted by the deafening train whistle echoing through the maze of high rise buildings that surrounded them. Their heads snapped to the left to see the long silver bullet speeding toward them, glinting in the sunlight.

"Get ready!" a voice amongst them called above the noise, and it was then that Olivia realized the train wasn't slowing down. The group of Dauntless-borns to her right took off at a sprint and she quickly fell into step behind them, shoving the blue-eyed Erudite out of the way without pausing to ask questions.

Silver train cars began flying past as she ran, her hair swirling around her in the wind. She watched as black-clad bodies began hurling themselves through the open train car doors, disappearing inside in front of her. Jaw clenched, she picked up as much speed as she could and launched herself off of the platform and through the nearest open door, landing in a heap of limbs, tangled up with someone else's.

Olivia groaned, touching her hand to the side of her head where it had collided with the wall of the train car when she landed.

"Sorry," she grumbled, her vision clearing to meet a pair of hazel eyes that looked just as dazed as her own.

"Don't worry, I don't think anyone was watching," the girl replied with what was either a grimace or smile as she scooted back and leaned against the wall.

"I'm Natalie."

"Olivia."

"Some ride, huh?" Natalie grinned as Olivia let her head fall back against the metal wall, breathing hard as she came down from the first of many adrenaline rushes she'd be experiencing that day. She let her eyes fall closed as she tried to focus on the clacking of the train along the tracks in an attempt to quiet her racing mind. The handful of people in the train car were silent, too consumed by their own thoughts to speak.

"Oh my god." The sound of a female voice broke through the quiet and Olivia's eyes snapped open to see a blonde Candor transfer leaning halfway out of the car. "They're jumping!"