Daring to be Divergent

Chapter 7

Author's note: Sorry for the later update!! My goal is usually to do around 2 chapters/ week. Not sure how long this is going to work because I tend to procrastinate.... BUT hopefully this goal will stick. Again, I dont own the Divergent series (Veronica Roth does)! Thanks!

~~~~~Chapter 7~~~~~~

Collin is shaking me awake.

We've only been here for three days but I'm already exhausted.

"Ella, Get up! We're gonna be late! We've already missed breakfast!" he yells at me. I groan and finally stand up, making my frizzy hair fall into my face. He grab the clothes I sat out last night and throws them at me.

"Hurry up slowpoke!" he yells again, shoving me into the bathroom. He leaves while I get ready. When I finish I run to catch up to the group.

After a few minutes of looking, I find the room we have been training in for the past few days. I try to walk in quiet so no one will notice I'm late. As soon as I open the door, everyone turns to look at me, including my father. My father gives me a look.

"I'm glad you finally decided to join us Ella." he says.

I quickly walk over to Collin and try to ignore the stares from everyone else.

"Nice job." Collin whispers to me. I elbow him in the ribs and listen what my father is saying.

"As I was saying earlier," He clears his throat. "Today, we are going to learn how to shoot a gun."

Beside me, I see Collin smile. He's always loved guns since we were younger. When he was little, his parents gave him a toy gun and he still has it even though he doesn't play with it anymore.

My father picks up a gun from a table in the back of the room and shots it, hitting the middle. Luckily, Jake has healed enough to come back to training and doesn't move and stays in line this time. My father demonstrates and explain to us how to shoot.

We all go to the table and grab a gun and pick our targets. I raise the gun and point it at the target, but stop to think.

Why are we training to use guns? When am I ever going to use it? Am I going to have to kill someone with this gun at some point in my life? I can't ever imagine having to kill someone. I won't ever be able to make myself kill someone. I imagine a man's pleading face but it makes me sick thinking of it so I push away the thoughts. I focus on the task again.

I fire the gun but miss horribly. I hear a gun go off beside me and Collin is shooting his gun, too. I hits the middle perfectly and he smiles. It makes me jealous, so I try again. I fire again, but I am still completely missing the target.

Focus, I tell myself. I aim my gun again and fire. It barely hits the target. I continue to miss the target several more times. This makes me frustrated, so I ask Collin. He gives me tips but they don't help.

I practice more, but I still can't hit the middle. The day seems to go by slowly, but we finally get to leave. I walk out slowly, feeling defeated and head back to the dormitory.

Other than the first time I talked to Aden, the boy with green eyes, in the Pit I haven't seen him anywhere lately. I'm not sure why but I've wanted to talk to him again. I decide quickly where to go and leave the dormitory without anyone talking to me.

I walk around in the Pit for a while, looking and waiting to see if Aden came back. I wait longer then

I planned to so I decide to head to the cafeteria for dinner alone. Hopefully, this time I'm not late.

I turn around and head back, quickly losing myself in thought of today.

Suddenly, I run into someone.

"Sorry, I-" I apologize immediately.

"You have a bad habit of running into people, don't you?" a familiar voice says.

I smile and look up at Aden.

"Come to take me up on that offer, didn't you?" he says, smiling, his eyes bright.

"No. I was just walking around before dinner." I lie.

"Uh-huh. Sure. Come on, let me walk you to dinner." I sigh and we begin to walk beside each other.

"So," I begin the conversation, " Who is Aden Fisher? What was it like at Abnegation?"

He sighs, "That... is a really long story for another day." he says, avoiding the question. "What about you? What's your story?"

"Ummm, well, I guess I can start by saying my parents are Tris and Four Eaton. I've grown up-"

"Your dad is FOUR?" he asks with wide eyes.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I'm so sorry. He is terrifying."

I laugh. "You think he's terrifying?"

"Yes!"

I laugh again and continue talking. "As I was saying, I don't have a great life story but, obviously, I've grown up here my whole life..." I say and, as briefly as possible, tell him about my life here. Before I can finish, we get to the cafeteria.

"Aw man," Aden says sarcastically. "I guess you will have to finish tomorrow when I walk you to dinner again."

"Hey! I never agreed to-" I say but he is already walking away. He turns around once again to wave and smile. He reaches some of the other transfers just as my stomach growls.

I didn't realize how hungry I was. I get in the cafeteria line and I pick up a hamburger with a bottle of water. Quickly, I pick an empty table near the back and soon enough my friends Amy, Savannah, and McKenzie sit down with me. We are joined by Collin and few of his friends.

I smile when I see Collin's friend, Josh, immediately sit next to Amy. They've both had a huge crush on each other since they were little. I'm pretty sure everyone knows it and I'm surprised they aren't already together. Amy blushes and pretends to be interested in the food in front of her.

"I wonder what the transfers are doing." Collin says as another Dauntless-born table busts out laughing beside us.

Josh looks at Collin. "I think they are all gonna fail the initiation." he says.

Savannah laughs. "I bet they are all terrified of Four."

Everyone at the table laughs. No one can take my father seriously even though he comes off mean and strict most of the time.

I look around the table as everyone is laughing. This is why I'm here. This is why I choose Dauntless. Not to make fun of the transfers, of course, but this feeling of freedom. All I have to do is pass initiation and I can have this life everyday. This makes me even more determined to win. One day at a time, I tell myself. First, I need to figure out how to shoot a gun.

I wake up early the next morning. Everyone is still asleep, thankfully, so I get up quietly and sneak out of the dormitory.

I decide to go to The Chasm first. This time my father isn't here to stop me.

The wind is strong and I notice the sun is starting to rise. I think back to the day of the Choosing Ceremony and how it feels like this moment. I close my eyes and breath the cool air. The water is misting on me from the wind and this gives me chills. I walk closer to the edge and look over into the water. The height makes me dizzy and afraid that I could fall so I step back. I stand there for a few more minutes till I think I should move on before the others start to wake up.

I get to the training room and it's empty. I notice the table in the back of the room still has the guns on it from yesterday. I walk to the back and grab a gun. I stand in front of my usual target and fire the gun. Like yesterday, I miss. I shoot several more times, making no progress. I sit down, in frustration.

"What are doing in here?" a demanding voice I know all too well asks.