The gong rings out.
This is when it starts.
I ignore the bloodbath and all the precious supplies and run towards the rocks; at least I can hide a little between them. My clothes are still grey, just as the other tributes are wearing their faction's colours. I feel sorry for the Amity tributes. They have no chance of hiding wearing bright colours like red and yellow.
I can't help myself. Just as I am about to hide amongst the rocks, I turn back to see the bloodbath. I turn just in time to see my fellow Abnegation tribute jump in front of the two Amity to protect them. The knife belonging to the person in black stabs them each, one by one. Trust an Abnegation to try to save people in the Games.
I don't know if their black-clothed killer was Dauntless or Candor, and I don't wait to find out.
Dauntless almost always wins. I don't think anyone from Abnegation has ever won. There is no way to really: if you win, you have to kill someone. Not very selfless. You would be frowned upon when you got home; I wouldn't be surprised if you got kicked out, to be honest. It makes me wonder if I would rather be factionless or die.
One rock has a little hollow bit, so I curl up into a ball inside. At most, there can be seven left now. Only ten go in, which is way more than in the Games that these are based on. They had twenty four each year, and there are rumours that once they had forty eight tributes (I don't believe these rumours. No government would feel the need to kill almost fifty teenagers at once).
I hear footsteps. I try to make myself smaller by squeezing my arms to my knees tighter.
A boy walks a few feet away from me. If he turns around, he'll see me. He is dressed in blue. Erudite. If a Dauntless doesn't win, it's normally an Erudite. Our factions don't really get along, so I don't expect this to end well.
He does turn around.
"Hey Stiff," he says softly. "Want to be allies?" He holds out his hand.
I look up at him, confused.
"Sorry. If we're allies, I won't call you a Stiff." He doesn't seem to understand that that wasn't what confused me.
There is a shriek from not too far away. He looks up, startled.
"We don't have much time. Both the Dauntless tributes are combing this area, judging by the scream they're coming this way. If you don't come with me, you'll probably die."
I'm probably going to die anyway.
"Why do you care?" I ask.
His voice lowers. He doesn't want any cameras to hear.
"You're Divergent, aren't you?"
How does he know?
"I am too. I saw your hand move when they put us under that sleep serum on the helicopter."
At that moment I decide. My best chance of survival is going with him.
I take his hand, and he immediately starts running. Practically sprinting. I can barely keep up, but he pulls me along whenever I slow down at all.
He only stops when we got to a fence. A tall one, at least ten metres high. Barbed wire and electrically charged.
The boy grins at me.
YOU ARE READING
The Faction Games
Hayran KurguRoger and Alison are two Divergent teenagers from Abnegation and Erudite. They have been thrown into the punishment inflicted on what was previously the Capitol, the dreaded Faction Games. Will they choose to be victors or try to escape instead?