Burning Sunflowers

Chapter 3

For a moment there's a shocked silence. Then the room explodes.

Dauntless rise to their feet, cheering louder than any noise I've ever heard. I feel the boom of their claps and stomps in my chest, the excitement making me come alive. My feet automatically pushing me to my new people, my new home.

Home.

I stare back at my parents, easy to spot even through the commotion. Tears stain their faces, looks of outrage and concern uncharacteristic of the faction on the faces of those seated near them. My heart breaks as I see more than hear the racking of sobs from my mother, hands being placed on her in condolence.

"Silence, everyone!" Marcus calls from the front, but even then my past and present factions only waver slightly. "Quiet!" He yells with the most emotion I've seen from an Abnegation in all my years. A few people in the crowd flinch, the noise ending all except for muffled cries.

"Thank you, we will now proceed."

At this, I finally turn my gaze from my family to the people I am now to live with. To fight beside. I take an open seat, getting clapped on the shoulder quietly, some going as far as to tussle my hair. I give them all hesitant smiles.

"Quite an entrance." A boy next to me whispers, a smirk playing on his lips. His hair a deep brown, matching the color of his skin.

"Yeah, I know," I reply, cringing when a twinge of embarrassment hits me. "Think anyone will remember this tomorrow?" I let sarcasm play in my words, allowing myself to use it freely for the first time in my life. Amity find it to be a rude mock to the other person in conversation.

A chuckle escapes him, and though it is louder than it should be, granting us a few looks, it makes my chest warm. "No, I think this will all blow over."

"-od luck in your futures." Marcus closes off his speech I was unaware he was even making, the choosing ceremony coming to a close.

As one, the Dauntless around me rise, as if set in motion by an unheard alarm. Cheers yet again erupt from the group, wild smiles racing past me as I'm pushed around by bodies. A hand grabs my arm lightly and I'm met again by the boy's smirk. With a gesture of his head, he speaks, "Come on!"

I find my place amongst the crowd, rushing downstairs and into the streets. Concrete slaps against my feet, my thin sandals doing me no favors, but I could care less about the pain. For the first time in my life, I feel alive.

My hair flows behind me, and I let my arms spread wide, open to the world. Random cheers ring out around me and I let one out myself.

"Come on, Amity" I hear someone yell from above me.

Above me?

People begin to climb the rungs of the train platform and I smile. I let my body do its job, maneuvering myself up to where a group of dauntless stand.

I'm the first transfer to make it to the top and I thank my childhood spent climbing trees.

The group smiles at me, clearly surprised at my entrance.

"You should start running." One of them says to me as the rest of our group makes its way to the platform on which we stand. Before I can respond he's gone and a loud train horn fills the air around me.

I push my body forward faster than I have in all my life, my mind shutting out any pain that I may feel as I watch the Dauntless before me easily grab the handles and throw themselves in.

Okay. Okay. I can do this.

Lurching forward I don't give myself time to think as I grip the hard metal in my hand, my arms burning slightly. Wind rips at my ankle length skirt and for a second I pause, enjoying the feeling. As I turn my head to look out at the city a hand roughly grips my arm and waist, pulling me into the train.

My heart beat pounds so hard in my ears that it takes me a moment to realize that someone is speaking to me. It's the boy from the ceremony.

"Huh?" I ask, a wide grin on my face.

"Did you get stuck out there? What happened?" He has a look of concern and confusion in his eyes as he speaks.

I laugh. "No," my head shakes with my reply, brown strands of hair falling into my vision. "I was just admiring the feeling of it all."

At this a few more heads turn, each of them belonging to people clad in black as well. They all look shocked and I can't help but feel my face warm slightly at the attention.

"What do you guys not do that?"

One of the confused faces in the crowd speaks up. A girl, at least 4 inches taller than me with enough piercing in her ears that it looks painful, says, "You just might be more of a daredevil than all of us, Amity."

Before I can respond I hear a person from the front of the cart yell, "They're jumping!"

"It's our time, Amity," the boys speaks again, his grin back. "If you liked that you're going to live this." Then I see it. Bodies flying from the train onto a rooftop feet away. My hands shake but it's not from fear, no, it's from excitement.

"Care to join me?" he says, offering a hand to me as he positions himself farther back in the cart in preparation for the jump.

I grip his fingers tightly and take a deep breath.

"On three?" I ask.

"One." 

I bounce on my toes and bend, getting ready to run.

"Two."

I see the rooftop in front of me and feel my heart beat faster.

"Three."

We run full force, hand in hand from the train and I'm free. Wind surrounds me and for a split second I feel like I'm flying.

It doesn't last long.

We crash to the ground in a heap together and I laugh despite the pain.

"That was the best feeling I've ever had." I rise to my feet, dusting off the stray pieces of gravel from my arms, mentally cursing myself for wearing a tank top.

"You're insane, Amity." The boy says, but he doesn't say it with malice, instead he grins at me like he feels the same.

"Alright gather around, we don't have all day." A deep, commanding voice beckons from in front of me. And as I look at him I feel my body go to puddy.

God he's hot.

His hair is blond, shaved on the sides and slicked back in the middle. Down his neck run solid black blocks and he has eyebrow piercings to complement it. But this isn't what makes him so attractive, rather it's the tight black shirt that clings to his every muscle. And boy does he have a lot of them. My eyes rack over his body, coming up to look him in the face.

My cheeks burn as I see him staring back at me.