Tempest AUs

Divergent; part ii.

Reese wasn't afraid of heights. However, he wasn't sure anyone could jump from twenty stories into a pit to land onto a net and not feel queasy. When he was sure he was alive and not in limbo, waiting for the sentence he deserved for his sixteen boring years, he hopped off the giant net.

He was met face-to-face with the girl who had jumped first. She didn't seem to be as surprised as he felt. Her black clothes meant that this wasn't too unusual for her. Maybe she had gathered intel from the Dauntless before her.

The only light came from the giant hole in the ceiling above the net from where they came from. Otherwise, they were underground. The floor was a pale, smooth concrete and the room must've been bigger than it felt since the light only reached a small portion of the rocky walls. Reese could hear dripping hitting the concrete.

A heavy weight hit the net, dipping it close to the ground near the center. Reese immediately recognized the jumper as Alex, no initiate jumped that height with a huge grin like he did. Alex pulled himself over the net and his two boot-clad feet hit the concrete with a powerful thud. He gaze dragged over to Tessa, the first jumper.

"Typical," he said, unamused. Either the two had bad history or he was disappointed that a Dauntless-born had jumped first. Maybe he had been expecting a hilarious show from a poor Amity transfer who would scream loud enough for the whole city to hear.

"Less typical," Alex said as he landed his gaze on Reese, and raised his chin at him. Reese felt like he was being analyzed by the Dauntless instructor, and his suspicions were most likely true. Alex turned his back to them, tattooed hands gripping the side of the net.

"The two of you move, I have wimps to catch," he barked at them over his shoulder. And their moment in the spotlight was over. He had a feeling this was as much individual attention he would be getting from Alex.

Tessa and Reese stepped back into the darkness and watched as an initiate seemingly fell from the sky and into the net. Alex hoisted them out. He looked like the angriest tattooed fisherman the world had ever seen.

"Tessa," Tessa finally spoke up as the third jumper made their way towards them. She held out a hand to the blond boy.

"Reese," Reese replied and shook her hand, his large hand engulfed hers but their grips were equally strong. First impressions, right?

"Nice jump," she said to him. No 'for a stiff' was added to the end of her sentence. No 'at least your short time here will have been memorable.' No mention of his drab, gray clothes that were basically a Kick Me sign on his back. Behind her stony glare, he was hoping she was kinder than her fellow Dauntless.

"Thanks, I used my legs," Reese said without thinking. What. The. Hell. There was a reason why he usually kept to his quiet, serious demeanor and telling girls he jumps with his legs seems to be it.

Tessa laughed, throwing her head of long, dark hair back. Reese did not find himself funny, he found himself humiliating. There was a difference.

Reese would never have imagined his savior to come in the form of Nova but he was beyond grateful when the curly-haired instructor jumped down from the net, swatting Alex's hand away, and sashayed past the half dozen of initiates already standing in the dark by Tessa and Reese.

"Follow me," she said without turning her head. Her voice echoed as her silhouette disappeared into a dark hallway on the other side of the grand room. The initiates all shuffled after her.

-

Nova pushed open a heavy door with her shoulder and started making her way down a few steps before calling from the inside, "Welcome to your temporary home, initiates!"