Divergent from Four's POVs I own nothing…

Chapter 1

I move through the halls toward the cafeteria thinking about what lead me here. Two years ago I made the choice to come here. I chose a new path in life for myself. I loved the idea of this place. Dauntless was supposed to value true bravery, the small acts of bravery that test who you really are on the inside. Not the adrenaline junky, attention seeking kind of bravery. That isn't bravery, it is idiocy. True bravery is found in everyday acts. I believe this, but I don't know how many Dauntless do. Sometimes I wonder if I still belong here. Sometimes I think it might be time for me to move on and become factionless. Guess that is a decision that I'll need to make after initiation.

I decided to stay through initiation this year because I'd promised myself that I would do this for Amar. He was my trainer, mentor, and my friend. He once told me that he decided to be a trainer so that he could watch over people and help them to find out who they really are. Amar really watched over me through initiation. He guided me and helped me to become the best initiate of my year. Without him, I may already be dead. So after he died, I promised myself that I would take over for him. But I soon became more and more annoyed because Max just won't take no for an answer and Eric is freaking out because if I agree to do what Max wants me to do, I will take his position as a Dauntless leader. The thing is, I don't want it.

I enter the cafeteria and Zeke calls to me. He is probably my best friend. He is fun and funny. He has a good heart and isn't like some of the adrenaline junkie Dauntless. Don't get me wrong, he enjoys the occasional zip line trip, but he doesn't seek the rush in his day to day activity. He's a good guy, and a great friend.

He sits at the table with Shauna and Lauren. I smile and walk over to them. Shauna is also a good friend. She was Dauntless born, like Zeke, but she didn't do so well with the fighting part of our initiation. Things were done differently then. The first thing we did was go through our fear landscape, and then we learned the physical part of our training. That is what Shauna had trouble with. She was too ashamed to ask Zeke for help, so she and I would meet at night and I would teach her to fight. She got good enough that she was able to score in the top five in our initiate class. Lauren is a year older than we are. She is also a great person. She was a transfer, but I never really asked her from where she transferred.

I go and get my lunch, a burger and Dauntless cake. No meal is complete without Dauntless cake. I make my way over to my friends. Shauna is comforting Zeke, he looks distressed. Lauren is reassuring him about something.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Zeke's worried about what Uriah," Lauren whispers.

Today choosing day for the sixteen year olds throughout the city. They will all go to the hub in the city and will each choose one of the five factions, Dauntless, Abnegation, Amity, Erudite, or Candor. If they choose to leave, they are choosing their faction over their family. If they leave, the Dauntless will look at them like they are traitors and will shun them. I know why Zeke is worried. He worries because he knows that his mother is Divergent, so there is a good chance that Uriah will be. Uriah refused to tell Zeke what his results were for his aptitude test which makes Zeke worry even more. He confided this information to me a few weeks ago when I agreed to train initiates. He wants me to watch out for Uriah, just in case.

Divergent is someone that has aptitude for more than one faction. Being Divergent is considered to be very dangerous. The leaders, especially the Dauntless leaders don't like the idea of Divergent people being in their faction. If they find out that someone might be Divergent in Dauntless, they tend to disappear or meet a violent end. That is what I think happened to Amar. He watched out for the Divergent throughout initiation. He helped them to assimilate and hide themselves from the leaders.

"Zeke, Uriah will be fine. Do you have any idea what he is planning as far as what faction that he intends on choosing?"I say.

"No, he has been very tight lipped about the whole thing. He was really nervous when he was leaving with our parents earlier. I'm afraid he is going to choose to leave," Zeke says.

"Uriah isn't going anywhere," Shauna reassures him. "He would never leave you and your parents."

"He would also never leave Dauntless cake," Lauren says giggling.

Zeke smiles, "He does love his Dauntless cake."

He pauses and looks at me, "What time will they be here?"

I look at my watch, "In about three hours. It takes time to go through the ceremony.

We finish eating our lunch in silence.

"Who are you two training this year?" Shauna asks Lauren.

"I'm training the Dauntless born, Four is training the transfers."

"So you will both be around to take care of the initiates then?"

Even though Shauna is encouraging Zeke, I know she's also worried about Lynn. Her younger sister Lynn is also sixteen years old. Although I don't know why she worries, just after getting home from the aptitude tests yesterday, Lynn went to the hair salon and had all of her hair shaved off. She basically had nothing left of her long strawberry blond hair but a quarter inch of stubble. Lynn basically declared herself Dauntless, she isn't going anywhere.

XXX

Lauren and I stand around the net at the members' entrance of the Dauntless compound awaiting the initiates arrival.

The train whistle echoes above us, the initiates will be jumping from the train and onto the roof seven stories up. Some will not have made it onto the train in the first place. This is another place where some will not make it. Some will refuse to jump, some may try but fail. This is where the Dauntless find out if you are really going to be one of us.

The net is located at the bottom of the seven story drop from the top of the building above. Initiates will be expected to take a leap of faith without knowing that there is a net at the bottom to catch them. That part terrified me when I was an initiate, but I managed to face the fear and jumped.

A shrill scream can be heard from above. It's the sound of horror and desperation. Someone obviously didn't make the jump onto the roof. Dauntless won't stop or let anyone dwell on the death. They will be forced to continue.

Above me, I hear Max, one of the Dauntless leaders, shouting instructions to the initiates. I can't make out his words, but I know what he is telling them. He is letting them know that to enter the compound, they will have to jump. They are gathered around the ledge above the entrance where they will be expected to take their first leap of faith as Dauntless.

"Who do you think will be the first jumper?" asks Lauren.

This is an impossible question to answer, we have no idea who is returning and who has transferred. "Probably a Dauntless born or an Erudite," I say. Dauntless borns know that there is no real danger for them at the bottom. Erudites are usually the first of the transfers to figure that out. They just have to decide who is going to have the nerve to make the first move.

"You're probably right," says Lauren "Looks like we're about to find out!"

I follow her gaze up into the darkness. A dark shape has separated itself from the rest of the initiates and is on the ledge looking into the blackness. The figure stands on the ledge, for a few seconds. I try to figure out if the shadow is male or female. It looks too small to be male, so it must be a girl.

Suddenly, we hear catcalls and shouts from above. The figure jumps and silently plummets, quickly coming into view. If I'm not mistaken, I think I saw a flash of grey as she fell. She lands on the net seconds later. A laugh escapes her as she covers her face with her hands after she lands. Half relieved, half hysterical.

Several hands reach out to the jumper to help her off of the net and onto the platform. She grabs my hand and pulls herself across the net and stumbles. I grip her arms to stop her from falling. She says, "Thank you." She's wearing gray clothes, the clothes of Abnegation.

She is very small with blond hair and blue/grey eyes. She is pretty, nothing extraordinary but she has a classic beauty about her. Her eyes are full of a knowing, like she is much older than her 16 years.

"Can't believe it," remarks Lauren, smirking. "A Stiff, the first to jump? Unheard of."

"There's a reason why she left them, Lauren," I say. An Abnegation transfer is rare, that is definite. Hopefully she will be able to find a place in Dauntless much like I have.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Um..." She hesitates. Possibly wanting to create a new identity apart from her Abnegation roots.

"Think about it." I say, a faint smile curling my lips. "You don't get to pick again."

"Tris." she tells me, with confidence clearly evident in her voice.

"Tris." Lauren repeats, grinning. "Make the announcement, Four."

I look over my shoulder at the crowd hiding in the shadows and shout, "First jumper - Tris!"

The crowd comes out of hiding. They erupt into cheers and pump their fists. Suddenly a scream erupts from above, another jumper drops onto the net. Her screaming sends the crowd into fits of laughter followed by more cheering. I turn my attention from the crowd and turn back to Tris, placing a hand on her back and say, "Welcome to Dauntless."