Courage (Divergent)

Mornings

The next morning Myla was woken up by the sun blaring through the windows. She squinted her eyes as she allowed them to adjust. When everything got a little less bright and blurry, she turned her head to the clock on her bedside table.

10:37am.

Usually she wouldn't allow herself to sleep in so late, but she had been exhausted. The past week had been composed of endless meetings and she didn't know how long that would continue on for. She stretched as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She jumped out of her bed and jogged across the room to the bathroom, briefly stopping at her wardrobe to pick up some clothes. The concrete floor was cold against her bare feet. She quickly undressed and jumped into the shower. If she was given the option, she would happily spend hours under the warm water. But alas there were restrictions she had to abide by. So, reluctantly, she stepped out and dried herself off.

Once dry Myla dressed for the day. Her clothes weren't anything special, just the standard Dauntless clothes. She wore a black tank top which she tucked into a pair of black, ripped skinny jeans. She dried her hair with a towel and brushed it to get rid of any knots. She decided to leave it down today as she had nothing physical to do that day. It fell just past her shoulder blades in small waves. She then placed the usual snake and leaf earrings into her ears. She put on some mascara, a little bit of eyeliner and dark purple lipstick. It was an attempt to distract people from realised how tired she felt. Also, she enjoyed putting on makeup. She had worn it from a young age, but the makeup style in Dauntless made her feel more powerful. Her entire outfit made her feel powerful. Like no-one could touch her.

The dining hall was relatively empty when she entered. Most people had come for breakfast hours ago. They were likely all in work or training by now. Lunch wouldn't start for at least another hour either. There wasn't a huge variety of food left so she just picked up a few pieces of fruit and headed to one of the far tables. There was plenty of space, but she preferred to sit out of the way and in the quiet. Although this was Dauntless, and nothing was quiet for very long.

"Myla!"

She winced as she heard her name echo across the almost empty room. She looked up to see a group of three making their way towards her. The girl who had called her name was Sky. She had fiery red hair which stuck out in every direction. She was pale and freckles adorned her round face. Her features were soft and child-like. She was very short, no taller than five foot and had the energy of an exited six-year-old. Next to her was a boy who was over a foot taller than her. His name was Felix and he had tanned skin with almond shaped eyes. He had a sharp jawline and a long nose. He was very muscular due to almost constant training. His brown hair was long but was tied back into a bun. His tattoos covered his neck and behind his ear and disappeared underneath the collar of his black t-shirt. Beside him was another guy who was a few inches shorter. He was equally as muscular. His hair was blond and slicked back. His eyes were a piercing blue and he always looked like he was judging you. He always held himself as if he was on duty, his back straight and hands behind his back. That was Griffin. They were some of Myla's closest friends. They had all survived Initiation together after all.

All of them were grinning as they approached her table. Felix and Sky took seats opposite her whilst Griffin sat in the one next to her. They all watched as Myla popped a strawberry into her mouth to give her an excuse not to speak to them straight away.

"A little birdie told us you knocked out an initiate yesterday" Felix said with his head on his hands, feigning innocence. Myla swallowed and sighed.

"I forget how quickly gossip spreads. And I didn't knock him out. I just taught him a lesson about respect" she said. They all laughed at her response. "What?"

"What happened to the girl in Initiation who refused to fight?" teased Griffin.

"The one who kicked your ass, you mean?" Myla retorted. Griffin stuck his tongue out at her.

"What's this?" Sky asked picking up the black binder Myla had on the table next to her. She immediately snatched it back.

"Private information. I have another meeting in about half an hour"

"Ooh. Is Eric going to be there?" Sky joked whilst making kissing noises. Myla gently hit her over the head with the binder.

"He's training the Initiates, remember? And stop teasing, everyone knows. It was the big gossip a few months ago" Mya grumbled, her face going a little red. The other three laughed again.

"You're cute"

"And you're lucky I like you".