𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍 | E.C

TWO

ALEXANDRIA

My lungs burned as they desperately heaved for oxygen but I ignored them, keeping at a steady sprint along with my new faction members. The sizzle of my blood against the coal sealed the deal, the horrified expression etched onto my mothers face brining a smile to my face as I was cheered and welcomed into the sea of black that was Dauntless. I tried my best to stay at the heels of the dauntless-born, determined to give a good impression before they began hoisting themselves up the rusted, yellow iron legs that held the train tracks steady above.

It had thrown me off and before long I was one of the last left on the ground. Jumping into action, I found a secure placement for my hands and feet and pulled myself up, ignoring the gnawing anxiety in my stomach. 'Don't fall'. I repeated in my head, steadying my breathing. I had always had an unparalleled fear of heights but I was Dauntless now, I didn't have time to be scared.

With one last pull, my leg hooked onto the platform and I rolled until my entire body was touching it. As a crowd formed nearer the edge of the platform, I quickly rose to my feet and stared as the train came hurtling round the corner with no intention of slowing down. A few dauntless-born began to run and I quickly caught on, sprinting after them as fast as my screaming legs would take me.

A girl infront of me grabbed the handle of the first cart as it flew by, smacking the glowing button and pushing herself into the cart. 'Easy enough', I thought. It was, in fact, not easy- at all. I clung to the side of the door with all my strength, my figure battling with the wind as I desperately flung my legs inside before the rest of me toppled in behind them.

Resting against the cart walls, I inhaled as much oxygen as I could as my heart pounded in my chest. The faint sound of giggling travelled from the other side of the cart, two other transfers dressed in white snickered to themselves after watching my struggle. I sent them a glare before leaning my head back and brushing my hair out of my face.

After around five minutes, a dauntless-born girl loudly announced, "Get ready!", alerting everybody in the carriage. Peering out of the open door, black silhouettes hurled themselves out of the cart before landing smoothly on the rooftop below. 'For fucks sake.' I thought, pushing myself from the wall as a few readied to jump. I ran out of the carriage as fast as I could, gathering momentum before pushing my foot down and throwing myself forward.

As my foot lifted from the train, it slipped and the gathered momentum dissipated. I held my hand out to grab the edge of the wall and a piercing scream left my throat, my stomach dropped as nausea began to swirl inside of me, my body was jolted downward before I could comprehend my mistake and my palm scraped against the building ledge. My body slammed against the wall, my worst fear had come true, I was left dangling on the side of the building with nothing but my slipping grip keeping me alive.

A pained groan left me, my arms beginning to ache from the wight of my own body. "Please! Help!" I screamed, silently praying for somebody to notice my desperate state. Large hands suddenly wrapped around my wrists, the rough callouses scratching against my skin before a face came into view.

A familiar pair of deep, blue eyes locked onto mine and for a moment I had forgotten the situation I was in. I was pulled in by his gaze, my mind swarming with memories of us. I lived through every touch, word, feeling that he had ever made me feel again before I was snapped out of it by the force of being pulled upward. My body was thrown against the floor, the impact knocking the air from my lungs.

As I heaved, Eric looked down on me with cold eyes, his body rigid and unwelcoming. "Get up, initiate." He commanded, his voice sending a ripple of familiarity through my body. His expression was stone, any trace of shock and realization gone and replaced by a hard exterior. 'What happened to him?'

I obliged, lifting myself up with the little strength I had left. My anxiety still stirred inside of me but I tried my best to ignore it, focusing on the nonrecognizable man I had once loved. He turned away from me and walked toward the forming crowd, stepping onto a ledge as I joined the others. "Alright, listen up!" He announced in a deep, authoritative voice.

"My names Eric, I'll be one of your leaders here at Dauntless." He continued, his gaze roaming the crowd but seemingly always coming back to mine. 'Leader?' Pride swelled in my chest at his words, he had accomplished so much in such a short time. He had changed so much over the year, his body almost twice the size as when he left, with defined muscled that showed beneath his tight-fitting jacket. His hair was shorter now, shaved at the sides with tattoos creeping up his neck. Two black studs rested above his eyebrow and wrinkles on his forehead were more prominent than before- he had clearly been through a lot.

"If you want to get into Dauntless, this is the only way in." He concluded, motioning behind him into the abyss of black. He radiated power as he spoke, each word dripping with dominance as his glare shit throughout the crowd. It was clear he was not somebody to be messed with, but deep down I knew the old Eric was still there. The one who would wait for me after class, who would bring me a new book each week, the boy whom I had fallen in-love with.

Seemingly reading my thought, his eyes met mine again. There was so much emotion in them, sadness, anger, confusion, all framed by blue irises and a frown. The crowd was silent for a while, unanswered questions lingering in the air. Was this a trick? Is there something at the bottom to catch us? Why is he looking at me like that? He looked me up and down like vermin, as if I was disgusting to look at, and my heart almost broke all over again- he hated me. Before long, somebody finally spoke up.

"I'll go." A soft voice travelled from the back of the crowd. It was a girl dressed in a long orange skirt and a pale yellow shirt, her auburn locks thrown into a bum in the top of her head. She looked no more than 5'1 and was a little chubby in all the right places. Eric stepped down off the ledge with a bored expression, though I knew he was just as surprised as any of us. The girl cautiously climbed into the ledge and peered over the edge, her chest rose as she took a deep breath before stepping off the ledge. A small yelp echoed down the hole but no sound followed.

"Alright, who's next?"