Venus Eaton is desperate to escape the abuse of her previous faction although she is unaware and unprepared of the ordeals of Dauntless initiation. She is a stranger to her own brother until he accuses her of murdering their mother, and finds out th...
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VENUS
SHE WAS air.
Her body was weightless - like a bird, gravity didn't exist.
She was nothing.
But then reality hit her, landing somehow awkwardly on her ankles and throwing her hands up in front of her face. It was a bad decision, and Venus rolled and rolled, the gravel ripping apart her long grey dress. She came to a halt moments later, body rigid and curled like a fetus, hands squeezed together in front of her face like she was being held hostage.
She laid there for what felt like minutes, the cool air consuming her body, her wrists stinging and her ribs throbbing from the previous beating her father had given her. Someone prodded her shoulder and she heard Emily's soothing voice, telling her to open her eyes.
"You did it," She spoke softly, "We both did it!"
Venus opened her eyes at the same time Emily opened her mouth with a gasp. She gently held Venus's wrist in her fingertips, eyes narrowed.
"Oh, God! Are you okay? Does that hurt? Shall I get someone?"
"Please, enough with the questions." Venus quickly spat, getting to her feet and brushing down her destroyed dress. She shrugged away Emily's hand when she tried to comfort her and glared at Eric, who was now standing on the edge of the building.
"Listen up!" His voice boomed. Venus wiped her wrists on her dirty dress, however much they stang and clenched her ribs with her hands.
"The only way into Dauntless in down. Who wants to jump first?"
Everyone glanced at each other. Some cowered, others picked their fingernails nervously and others shrugged, scuffing the gravel with the toe of their boots.
Emily glanced across at Venus. "Are you gonna do it?"
Venus blinked, squinting. She chose Dauntless. She knew these challenges were a part of Dauntless life, and she didn't want to be a coward and back away from them.
"I'll give it a go." The corners of her lips curved upwards in a smirk, and she nudged her way through the crowd of transfers before Emily could say a word. Once she reached the front, she glared at Eric as he stepped down from the ledge with a dour expression.
"You? The stiff?" He ridiculed, crossing his arms behind his back.
Venus rolled her eyes, shifting uncomfortably in the way he stared at her. "I'm happy you're surprised." She placed her hands on the ledge, glancing over. The ground seemed extremely far away, like a black hole in the middle of space. Venus wasn't afraid of heights - she enjoyed the way her stomach felt. It was more of the anticipation of what was beneath her.
Venus was aware all eyes were on her as she carefully climbed onto the ledge. Her fingertips shook as she held them out, trying to balance herself. Her breathing came fast and short however long she concentrated to slow it down; it just picked up.
"By this rate, we'll be here for the next year's initiates." Eric bellowed, his voice gravelly. "Hurry the fuck up, initiate."
Venus was taken back by the tone he used, probably because she'd only heard him use a placid, quiet voice in front of her father. So taken back, she tripped, although managed to have enough time to yell, "Fuck you too!" back at him for good measure.
The wind ripped through her grey dress, piercing her skin like tiny sewing needles. Her ribs were on fire and every individual bruise knawed at her bones like a savage animal, until she felt the blood rushing to the fresh scars on her body. Tears flew from her eyes and her screams were blocked out by the fierce wind that whistled in her ears.
Subsequently, her back collided with a net. Her fingertips scurrying for something to grab onto, finding nothing but the weaved net to curl them around. Her breath slowly recovered, although her bruises did not. The throbbing reduced as soon as the net shuddered once, and the pain all started again.
A hand reached out from the darkness and out of instinct, she grabbed it. The stranger hauled her from the net and Venus let out a yelp of pain as she slid onto the platform below them.
The man before her raised an eyebrow, blue eyes glistening. She could've called those eyes oddly familiar, but his hairstyle and low voice made her think otherwise.
"I'm Four, what's your name?" He spoke in a husky tone, and Venus stared into his eyes for a moment before glancing down at her feet. "Choose wisely. You can only choose once."
Venus adverted her gaze. There were a thousand things wrong with her name, and her past was one of them. Venus was the strong girl that survived on her own without the need of her brother, who suffered from the wounds and the ache and the suffering by herself at the lowest times. Venus had always wanted to be that girl, and she was. There was no point changing her name to hide from her past - the past she defeated that left traces of proof in her mind and on her body. But every moment was worth it, and it wasn't worth changing.
She took a trembling breath. "My name's Venus." She affirmed, clenching her fists. "Nice to meet you."
