Becoming Determinant - Tobias' Story

Divergent Chapter 6 - Tris Arrives at Dauntless

"Divergent" Chapter 6 - Tris Arrives at Dauntless

At least the platform isn't high enough to trigger my fear. I don't stand by the edge, but it's not a problem to look at the crowd gathered ten feet below. In their black clothes, they blend into the darkness around them, hidden in Dauntless' usual dim lighting. But metal flashes here and there as they move, as the jewelry in their many piercings catches bits of light and reflects it. The effect is eerie, or it will be for the initiates anyway. I've gotten too used to Dauntless to give it much thought anymore.

The huge net stretches out beside me, waiting for this year's group of frightened teenagers to drop into it. As I look at it, I think about Zeke and Shauna. They've been debating all day which of their younger siblings will be the first jumper. I've been careful not to take sides. Zeke is my closest friend, so it's tricky to admit that Shauna's probably right.

It's not that Uriah isn't brave enough to do it. He is. But after the veiled warnings I gave him before his aptitude test, he probably knows by now that he's Divergent – assuming I'm right about him. And if that's the case, he'll know to stay under the radar as much as possible.

So, no, I don't see Uriah jumping first. Lynn, on the other hand, is constantly trying to prove herself. It's easy to imagine her leaping off the building first, though I suppose it could be one of the others. There are several I barely know, and a couple I've never even met.

There will be transfers, too, of course, but they almost never jump first. I can't blame them; I was the last jumper in my class. Launching myself off the roof without knowing what waited below wasn't something I wanted to do my first day here, or anytime, really. I'm still afraid of heights.

Max's voice filters down from the rooftop overhead, barely audible over the noise of the crowd. I know they're trying to be quiet, trying to keep a low profile as they wait to cheer the new initiates, but they're Dauntless – loud by nature.

After a short time, Max grows silent, and I know he's presenting the initiates with the opportunity to prove their courage by being the first to jump. We still have a few minutes to wait. Even those who grew up in Dauntless, and know there's a net to catch them, need some time to gather their courage.

My fellow trainer, Lauren, starts to say something, and I'm turning toward her when I'm startled by a flash in the corner of my eyes, followed by the sound of someone hitting the net. There wasn't even a scream.

At first, I think Max must have jumped for some reason, since I can't imagine an initiate jumping that soon or that quietly their first time. But then I see the form in the net – a small, slight girl dressed all in gray, in Abnegation clothes. For a moment, I simply stare at her in surprise. Almost no one transfers from Abnegation to Dauntless – I'm the only one in the last fourteen years – and I doubt any of the others jumped first. She may be unique in faction history.

She looks up, realizing that she's safely on a net, and laughs, covering her face with her hands for a second. When she emerges, I'm caught by her eyes. They flash with energy, with the wild enthusiasm that represents Dauntless at its best, and it's easy to see why she chose this place.

Hands are reaching into the net, offering to help her climb out, and I find myself extending my own hand among them. I'm not quite sure why I do that, since I generally avoid touching people, but there's something compelling about those eyes, and about the idea of someone from my former faction being here.

The girl reaches out, grabbing my hand from among all the choices. That feels right somehow, the only two "Stiffs" here finding each other. I pull her from the net onto the platform, trying to remember how I got out of the net when I arrived here two years ago. The memory doesn't come – I must have been too filled with fear to notice anything beyond it at the time.

She stumbles, almost falling as her feet try to find a hold on the poorly lit platform, and my hands catch her automatically, steadying her. For a moment, our eyes meet as she gains her balance, and again I'm startled by their intensity. They radiate fiercely, wide and gray-blue on a narrow face that's framed with long blond hair. She has it pulled into the classic Abnegation bun, and abruptly I'm struck by the simple beauty of that tradition. I wonder how long she'll continue to wear it that way.

Once she's standing, I let go of her promptly, knowing she won't want to be touched any more than necessary. She'll have the same Abnegation habits I did – still do, really. It's strange to think of seeing those traits in someone else again, but I have to admit, it's kind of a nice thought. I hadn't realized how much I've missed that.

"Thank you," she says, her voice unusually low for a girl's, particularly for one so small.

Lauren's voice rises from behind me. "Can't believe it. A Stiff, the first to jump? Unheard of." Lauren's a decent person, but I find myself annoyed that she's applying that term to someone who just proved herself Dauntless at heart.

"There's a reason why she left them, Lauren," I respond without turning around, my gaze still drawn by the newcomer's eyes. I lean toward her so she can hear me over the noise of the crowd and ask, "What's your name?"

"Um…" she begins, and then hesitates, clearly considering her options. I remember my Choosing Day, refusing to give my name, wanting to break from my past and redefine myself, and I smile a little.

"Think about it," I tell her. "You don't get to pick again."

She must come to her decision, because she answers firmly, "Tris."

Lauren repeats the name and then adds, "Make the announcement, Four."

I look over my shoulder and shout, "First jumper – Tris!" The crowd roars its approval as only Dauntless can – pumping their fists in the air, cheering, shouting, clapping, stomping. She seems uncertain how to respond, but at the same time as if she likes the chaotic enthusiasm. Then, a high-pitched scream pierces the air as another initiate falls, and the crowd laughs. I turn automatically to look and see another girl in the net, also a transfer, but in black and white clothes this time. She's from Candor. Two transfers in a row as the first two jumpers…. Tris must have started a trend.

And then the name clicks, and I realize who she is: Beatrice Prior. Our fathers work together on the city council. I used to see her walking with her family sometimes, though we never spoke, never met. For a moment, I can't help but wonder if she's here for the same reason I came, but then I think of the look on her face as she lay in the net, and I think it's more likely she chose Dauntless because it's who she is. Either way, this is her home now.

My hand reaches out on its own, resting on Tris' back for a moment, and I lean close again so she can hear me. "Welcome to Dauntless," I say.

Lauren pulls the second girl from the net, and I see her gravitate toward Tris. They must be friends from school, or perhaps they simply bonded on the way here in that immediate manner new initiates sometimes do. There's nothing like facing the unknown together to make people close.

There's no time to announce the second name, because the other initiates begin to fall in rapid succession. Uriah is third – the first of the Dauntless-born initiates as it turns out – with Lynn right behind him. I girl I know a little, Marlene, follows next. Most of the others are unfamiliar. I catch brief impressions, noting some of them more than others, but it's too early to judge much about them.

Max jumps last, his appearance indicating that all the initiates are safely in the building – well, the ones who made it this far, anyway. If this year is like most others, there will be at least one or two who didn't make it onto the train, or off it, and are now factionless. Dauntless isn't an easy faction to join.