A/N: It's finally hereeeee! We get to see Tris!!!
I will admit, this chapter did not turn out as well as I had hoped it would. I'll definitely have to come back and edit it at some point. But it'll have to be good enough for now, because I am absolutely bursting with excitement, and I cannot wait any longer to post this.
And, for anyone who wants to know, this chapter is aligned with the last half of chapter 6 in Divergent.
Hope you enjoy!
Standing here, by the net, with the Dauntless crowded all around me, brings back memories.
Tobias and Lauren stand on the raised platform, along with a few other people whose names I don't know. Rowan and I stand on the ground, as close to it as we can get.
I forgot how spooky the atmosphere must seem - in the dim lighting, the black-clothed Dauntless will be nearly invisible from the platform where the initiates will get off. Even from my vantage point, on the ground with them, the only sign of people beyond a couple feet away are the metallic flashes of their piercings and jewelry occasionally catching the light.
Despite all of that, I can't contain the smile on my face as we wait for the initiates to arrive. Rowan clearly notices, because he takes one look at my face and laughs. "Someone's really excited."
I laugh it off, not bothering to try to explain my giddiness to him. Truth be told, even I'm not sure why I'm so excited for the new initiates. I won't know any of them personally, and I'll likely be busy with ambassador duties for most of initiation.
Maybe it's just my nostalgia. Initiation was tough, but there were so many good parts, too.
Somehow, even over the din of the crowd, we're able to hear Max's voice when he begins speaking. Apparently, the rest of the Dauntless can hear it too, because the room grows somewhat quieter than before. It's not completely silent, of course - I'm not even sure the Dauntless are capable of that - but they're clearly making an effort.
Max's speech is short, and soon, there is only silence from above. I remember this moment from my initiation; the moment when Max stepped aside, daring all of us to prove we could survive the first true test of the faction of the brave.
We'll likely have to wait a bit more, then. I remember how it took even Juniper, our class' first jumper, at least twenty seconds after Max was done to gather her courage and leap off herself.
Rowan starts to say something, and I turn towards him, but abruptly whip my head back towards the net when I see a flash of movement. At first, I think I'm mistaken, but the sound of someone hitting the net confirms my suspicions - someone has jumped. They didn't even scream.
Who jumped? I stand on my tiptoes, trying to catch a glimpse of our first jumper. They've already made a good impression, jumping so quickly and so quietly.
But there are too many people, all doing the same thing I am. It's impossible to see over their heads and to the net.
Abruptly, the sound of laughter rings out. It's short, stopping only a moment or two after it began, but it's laughter.
Even without a glimpse of them, the laughter is enough to tell me why they chose Dauntless. They just jumped into danger, and they'd do it all again. It's a reflection of the Dauntless spirit.
And just when I think this initiate won't be able to surprise me any more, they tumble out of the net, nearly landing on their face.
She's dressed in gray.
I stare. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised; it's not that people who have grown up in Abnegation aren't capable of surviving in Dauntless. My brother and I have certainly disproved that. Perhaps it's the timing - she's the third Abnegation in a row to transfer to Dauntless. After over ten years of not even one.
Or it's maybe what she just did. She jumped first - an Abnegation proved herself to be braver than every other initiate on that roof. She did what neither Tobias nor I could.
Rowan jabs me in the side with his elbow, breaking me out of my gawking. I yelp softly, jumping away from him (well, as much as I can, in the limited space), and send him a glare.
"What was that you were saying, about there being no Abnegation transfers?" Rowan's smile is teasing.
"Shut up." I shoot back. "You can't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing." With that, I turn my attention back to the Abnegation transfer.
She's small - really small, actually. She'll definitely struggle in the first stage of initiation. Currently, she stands next to Lauren and Tobias, talking mostly to my brother - he's probably asking for her new name. I can't help but wonder what she'll choose.
It's right then that the thought strikes me; Tobias was the one who helped her out of the net. He was the one who kept her from falling.
Tobias generally doesn't touch people. It's an ingrained habit in the two of us, both from our time in Abnegation and with Marcus. I wonder what compelled him to do so; maybe it's our shared roots? Does Tobias feel the same connection with her that I do?
Before I can ponder about it any longer, my brother's voice rings through the room. "First jumper - Tris!"
The crowd roars in approval, and I find myself joining them.
Tris. It's clearly not an Abnegation name - she must have shortened it, or changed it altogether. It's a good first step to becoming Dauntless, and something tells me that this girl, despite her size and the Abnegation habits that will be ingrained into her, despite the fact that she looks a bit uncertain right now, is Dauntless.
A high-pitched scream interrupts the cheering, and a blur of black and white falls from the gap and into the net. Another transfer, a Candor. Laughter from the gathered Dauntless fills the room, and transitions back into cheers within a few seconds.
It's only thanks to my relative proximity to the platform that I notice when Tobias lightly rests his hand on Tris' back, leaning in slightly to say something to her. Although the words are lost to all the cheering and celebrating, I have a feeling he's saying exactly what I'm thinking right now.
Welcome to Dauntless, Tris.
A/N: So? SO? What did you think?
Yes, I'll admit this chapter is pretty short - barely crossing the 1,000 word mark - but the reasoning for that is because I'm going to try to line up my chapters to the chapters in Divergent as closely as possible. Of course, not everything will line up - Cammi isn't going to be there all the time, after all - but I'll try my best. If you want to know where we are in relation to Divergent, I'll be putting the chapter in Divergent that each of my chapters correlates with in the A/N at the top of the page. This chapter aligned with the last half of chapter 6, which meant I didn't have nearly as much material to work with.
Come back next time for the initiates' tour of Dauntless - and some interesting conversations! :)
Gracias por leer, y hasta luego, mi estrellas!
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