Transparent: A Divergent FanFiction (Book One) ©

Chapter 48

                In candor, the initiation ceremony was always an important and long awaited event. The initiates, who’d already had to go through days upon days of telling the truth while attached to lie-detectors, would get ready as they prepared themselves to face the final test. They’d head to the large auditorium in the Merciless-Mart, along with the rest of the candor community, and then under the effects of the truth serum they’d divulge the darkest of their secrets. Then all the members would stand and thank them for their honesty; accepting them into their faction with exuberance and high spirits.

                That wasn’t exactly how the dauntless went about doing things. Initiation day had sent the dauntless compound spiraling into disarray and all-out pandemonium. People everywhere were preparing for the big day by stocking up on booze, food, and fireworks.

                I could hear the noise of chaos and hectic energy as it reverberated back into the chasm. I was sitting on the floor, leaning my back against the stone wall, and just trying to gather my thoughts as much as I could. After a week of going through our landscapes, I’d just about perfected it all to a T, even if I were to panic I knew how to work things so that no one would suspect of my divergence. Of course, it still always helped to go into it with a peaceful mind.

                I was still taking slow cleansing breathes when I heard the sound of footsteps at the entrance to the chasm. I opened my eyes, and saw that Dan was walking towards me.

                “Hiding?” He asked; grinning his cheesy smile.

                “Nope, thinking.”

                “Uh-oh, that’s never good,” he smirked.

                I waited until he’d sat down next to me to wrap an arm around his neck and pull him down so I could mess up his hair.

                “No! Not the hair! It took me a whole ten seconds to style it just right!” Dan laughed as he swatted me away.

                “Oh Danny boy, what would I do without your incredible sense of wit?” I mused aloud.

                “Die an incredibly tedious and mind-numbing death,” he quipped. “Seriously though, what are you doing here all alone? Randi was searching for you this morning.”

                “Oh, I didn’t know,” I said, unable to hide the guilt in my voice. “I’ve just been trying to psyche myself up for today.”

                “Yeah, I get what you mean,” Dan nodded as a wide grin spread over his features. “Can you believe it man? We’re, like, this close to being official members of dauntless. It seems like just yesterday we were chasing down the train and jumping off the building you know?”

                “And fighting in the ring, playing paintball, base-jumping and stealing dauntless cake for a midnight snack,” I added.

                “Good times man, good times,” he agreed as he let out a content sigh. “And after today, we’ll be able to do that whenever the hell we want.”

                I nodded, and as we both sat and stared out into the dark recesses of the chasm, I couldn’t help but ask something that had been on my mind for a while.

               “Do you ever miss home?” I said quietly.

                Dan visibly deflated, and I felt incredibly guilty when I realized just how sad he was. He didn’t answer, and as he played with his fingers, I tried to backtrack and fix the situation.