Roles Reversed (Divergent No War)

Chapter 2 (Tobias)

I grip the handle of the doorway so tight that my fingers start to go numb. I can sense Beatrice near me. Does she still use her Abnegation name? I didn't think to ask. The guy who was talking to me earlier called her Tris, is that what everyone calls her?

Ahead of us, I can see where I'm supposed to jump as the Dauntless in the cars ahead are already jumping from their cars to a roof. None of the people ahead of me miss, but that doesn't mean that I won't be the first. When it's my turn to jump, I fling myself foreward hoping that I don't make a fool of myself in front of her.

The impact shudders through me, and I fall onto my hands and knees, the gravel digging into where I had to cut myself for the ceremony. I stare at my fingers. I feel like time just lurched, the actual jump disappearing from sight and memory.

"Damn," someone behind me says. "I was hoping we would get to scrape some Stiff pancake off the pavement later."

"Gregory," I hear a voice say warningly behind me. "Do you forget who saved your sorry ass from falling off this very same roof last year?"

The voice almost sounds like Beatrice, but I've never heard her sound so scary.

"Sorry, Six," the person, Gregory, replies.

A hand reaches in front of me to help me up. I don't want to take it and look weak, but I do anyway. When I stand, I see that the hand belongs to Beatrice.

"Sorry about him," she says. "He was one of the transfers from last year, and apparently none of them got the hint about saying that word in front of me."

"Six?" I ask her.

She shakes her head before heading over to a ledge.

"Welcome to Dauntless," Beatrice yells loud enough that I'm sure people on the ground could hear her, if there was anyone down there. "Where you either face your fears and try not to die in the process, or leave a coward."

Beatrice looks around before continuing. "The only way to get into the Dauntless compound from this rooftop is to jump off this ledge." She stretches her arms out and leans back on her heels a little like she's going to fall. I'm worried that she will until she straightens herself with a giddy look on her face.

"As usual, I offer the opportunity to go first to our initates, Dauntless-Born or not." Tris hops down gesturing towards the ledge.

The cluster of Dauntless-Borns exchange looks. Standing off to the side are the other Transfers, five Candor, three Erudite, and me. There are nine of us.

After a few minutes, one of the two Candor girls, a dark skinned girl who seems to have a lot of energy, steps forward and climbs onto the ledge. She looks nervous, but she follows through with the jump screaming the whole way down.

After the Candor girl, all of the initates line up with me hanging at the back of the line. The Dauntless guy from the train, I think Beatrice called him Zeke, gets behind me.

"Don't worry, there's a net," he whispers so only I can hear.

Why is he trying to calm my nerves at jumping off a building? "Why are you telling me this?" I ask just as quietly.

"Tris is my best friend. Don't need her boyfriend dying of a heart attack before initiation even truly begins," he replies to my question.

I smile slightly at the word boyfriend. I guess she really does still love me, at least a little bit. My turn comes far sooner than I want, but I know that I have no choice but to jump off this building. I can't be with her if I don't.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Beatrice give me a small smile. It gives me the courage to jump off because I know it won't be long before she follows after me.