Shots in the Dark (A Clintasha Divergent AU)

Two

Was Natalia nervous for today? The short answer was yes. Nervous didn't describe what she felt. Turbulent waves and winds of fear, apprehension and the small wisps of independence that she was desperately trying to capture. She supposed that's what all initiates felt on Choosing Day. Her emotions were just more drastic, the situation more threatening.

She had decided to leave Erudite, of course. She hadn't planned where to go, and as she walked up metal stairs Natalia realized she had still not picked a faction. It was a sudden notice; others usually had a heads up. Others usually were not part of an organization disguised as an orphanage that trained young girls to kill, seduce and lie. But now it was time to pay attention. They were taking their seats. She was sat on the edge of the Erudite group, by an Amity boy. He couldn't seem to stop running his hand through his blonde hair, and she sent him a look.

The slight tapping on a microphone brought both of their attention. The person speaking this year was an Abnegation woman, who introduced herself as Maria Hill. She started speaking about the history and traditions about factions, but Natalia honestly couldn't bring herself to listen very long until names were being called up. Seeing as it went from Z-A, last names, she would come up soon.

Natalia tapped her foot nervously, staring at the individual bowls of glass trying to decide which faction would benefit her, if she would like it, if it was a good hiding place and various components. Abnegation would never be a choice - even with being directed all of the time she felt as if she was too selfish. It was the same with Amity, though they would be very good hiding places. Dauntless would be risky, but she could improve so much in the physical skills department and would be surrounded by tons of other vigilante-trained members. Candor was even riskier in some points, seeing as they were all big mouths and would rat her out if Voloshin ever found her.

"Romanova, Natalia. Erudite." The woman called. Her legs felt like they were metal poles unwilling to move but she forced herself up, walking confidently up with a face set in stone as if she knew exactly what she was going to do. Really, if she didn't have a grip, she'd be shaking and balking. The woman handed the small silver knife to her and her blue eyes pierced Natalia's own green ones. There was something frightening about that woman. It was like she knew something about herself that even she didn't know.

But it was time for the star of her show. Not wanting to bleed out heavily, the current Erudite nicked her palm gently and made sure the blood was going before she let it drip into one of faction's bowls. Her eyes scanned over them again. Stone. Earth. Coals. Glass. Water. Lifting the pale hand with her blood on it, she watched as it dropped into the coals and sizzled wildly. It had been done. No longer was she Natalia Romanova, hidden orphan of Erudite. Natalia Romanova, member of Dauntless.

»»»

Only a few minutes into the ceremony and Clint was very surprised. The woman from his Aptitude Test was the spokeswoman and the strange girl he had seen had chosen Dauntless. She was the first one to transfer to Dauntless, but there was still many more. The girl sat down by him and he smiled, but either she didn't see it or the girl - Natalia, her name was - ignored him. He wasn't surprised by a reaction like that. But Clint's interest faded again. He only listened to see if he was any closer to being called. It seemed like two hours, in the least, before he was called. "Barton, Clinton. Amity."

The moment he had been waiting for years, ever since he was little. Clint's chance of escape, wide open with nothing that could stop him. He bounded up the stairs and the woman handed him the knife, already stained with other teenager's blood. Some of it went almost past half of the blade. He carefully laid the tip on the center of his palm and sliced. It stung like the dog bite in the simulation , but this was purposeful. As soon as the first drip fell, it fell into the coals. His blood sizzled, the clapping almost drowning it. It was a sound of victory.

By that time there was very few people left, so he only sat for a few minutes until they left. When the Choosing Ceremony was done Clint jumped out of his seat, watching as all the people from Dauntless proceeded to get up and run. He quickly joined his group. Though the stairs were rickety they ran up them like bulls. Adrenaline was like a drug in the air here and he soon ran with them, laughing. This day had to be the best of his life, a final turning point in all the bad he had received.

Clint had heard the train before. It was hard to shut it out when the piercing whistle twisted through the city. He could hear it at night when he tried to fall asleep. But the faraway shriek had nothing on hearing it up close. It was like one of the birds that sounded like it screamed, but not just one. Hundreds, possibly thousands if he added the bustle sound of the city to it. He felt as if his ears were going to bleed. Some other transfers from Abnegation and Erudite seemed startled but kept running regardless, and so did he.

The whistling was nothing compared to the train. While the others were climbing a ladder onto a platform some people pointed to a small cloud of smoke . He looked to where they pointed and almost gasped. A huge grease black machine was hurtling towards them on the tracks. An actual train. It was actually terrifying for him. They were supposed to get on it? Yes.

The Dauntless children were already streaming up the ladders and running on the sides of the tracks. The people in front started to run and he joined them, almost too transfixed to watch where he was going. "Watch it!" A girl snapped - the redheaded girl again. How many times had she popped up? He mumbled an apology that she couldn't have possibly heard with the locomotive's noise and continued on. He took the ladder rungs by two, not wanting to be left behind and watched people ahead. How did they swing so easily into the cab like that? He needed to hurry up though, before he was aligned with the door.

The redhead swung in with such ease he could think that she was born doing it. There was no more time. Grabbing the rusty handle he practically threw himself into the cab - earning lots of laughs from the ones in there already. He managed to laugh along too and pulled himself to sit along the wall. He looked to his side - Redhead Girl. Who are you? She snorted and smiled - he supposed it was a smile, really the edges of her perfect lips just lifted a bit.

"Natalia." she paused as if saying her last name was like finding the right wire to activate a bomb. "Romanova. You?" Oh, so he had said that out loud. Aw, mind. he silently cursed himself. "Clint." He paused like her, really smiling. "Barton."