Chapter 3

The ceremony had come to a close, and everyone was leaving. Riley was still debating her actions and processing the choice she had just made. She had chosen to be Dauntless, and she was just now realizing what that meant. Riley didn't regret picking Dauntless, she was happy with her choice. What she was worried about the repercussions of leaving her faction. Riley walked with the other Dauntless towards the exit and couldn't find it in her look back at her father. She didn't owe him anything and wanted to show him that.

There was the other girl she had met from Abnegation, Beatrice. The two stood by one another as they followed the others outside. They didn't talk much during the ceremony, only a small introduction. It was a comfort to Riley knowing that someone else was going through exactly what she was.

Once they were outside everyone began running. Riley hadn't run in a long time but managed to keep up. She held the ends of her dress in her hand as her feet pounded on the concrete. There was a broad smile evident on her face as she followed the Dauntless through the city. Several Dauntless born were screaming and jumping around as they ran. The people in front began climbing the railing that the train passed on and others followed. Riley felt her heart drop momentarily in her chest but pushed her nerves away. Since she was at the back of the group, she watched everyone in front of her climb. 

When Riley got to the metal beam, she hesitantly wrapped around her hands around a ledge. She looked over her shoulder and watched as a few others climbed the rafters without a problem. Taking a deep breath, she began attempting to climb the pole. It was much easier said than done, but Riley was able to get her footing. Once she was in the air, it became easier and she was able to get to the top in seconds. Her hands touched the flat surface above, and she hoisted herself up onto the platform. The other Dauntless were all standing around laughing while Riley stood off to the side. She noticed Beatrice the other Abnegation girl climb up onto the platform and smiled at her. Riley felt relieved when she smiled back. Behind Beatrice, she saw the train flying around the corner. She stepped back onto the yellow beam and off the track. Then she noticed that the other Dauntless were beginning to run as the train flew past them. Riley swiftly began running behind them.

Ahead of her people were jumping onto the train and opening the doors to get on. Riley glanced next to her as the train flew past her and found herself hesitating. She knew she had to get on the train and before she could overthink it, Riley went for it. She grabbed onto the metal hanger and jumped into the train. Once she was inside Riley felt calmer than she did before. She walked towards the back of the train, barley missing a Dauntless boy as he jumped in and sat down next to another girl. 

Riley lowered herself to the floor just as Beatrice jumped inside nearly hitting her and another girl in a Cador jacket. "Sorry," Beatrice spoke to them.

"At least you made it," the girl smiled. "I'm Christina."

"Beatrice."

The girl looked at Riley for her to introduce herself, "Riley."

"I mean, is it just me," she began leaning onto the train, "or are they trying to kill us?"

"I think they are trying to kill us," Riley laughed, running a hand through her hair as she looked at the other Dauntless. There were a few others she noticed that were wearing other factions clothing. 

"Come on," Christina said nodding for them to stand up. Riley sighed but followed her lead and pushed herself off the ground. Beatrice did the same standing beside them. 

The train ride to Dauntless wasn't a long one, and the three stood together for the entire trip. There wasn't much to talk about, and Riley was more occupied with her thoughts. She was thinking about her father and how angry he probably was at this very moment. About ten minutes into the train ride her thoughts were interrupted, "get ready."

Riley glanced up along with Christina and Beatrice. Beatrice walked over to the open door and glanced out of it. The train was racing through the outer parts of the city and they were high up in the air. The view was one that Riley enjoyed. "They're jumping." This caught Riley's attention.

"What," Christina spoke what Riley was thinking. She looked out the door and noticed that the others were jumping from the train and onto a roof. 

"You have got to be kidding me," Riley spoke to them nervously. The others in their cart were beginning to jump out. 

"Together," Christina asked the two girls. Riley looked back at her and nodded. 

"Yeah," Beatrice agreed and they stepped back, "one, two three." When she said three, Riley tried not to think about jumping, but she did. Her feet carried her out of the train, and her body went soaring through the air. 

Her body hit the ground roughly, and she rolled onto the rough gravel. "Ah," Riley hissed, feeling small scratches on her knees. Beside her, Christina was laughing, and Beatrice soon followed. Riley gave them both confused looks but couldn't help joining in.

"Alright," a man shouted, "listen up." Riley pushed herself off the ground and helped Christina stand up. The three made their way over towards the small crowd that was gathering. "My name is Eric, and I am one of the leaders." Riley stood in the back and squinted to see the leader who was standing on the ledge. For a leader, he was much younger than expected, barely older than her. However, he looked the part of a Dauntless leader. The sides of his head were shaved, and he had a tattoo on his throat. "If you want to enter Dauntless, this is the way in." His words rang out, but no one responded. He was standing on a ledge without anything else in sight. "And if you don't have the guts to jump then you don't belong in Dauntless." Riley couldn't believe his words.

"Is there water at the bottom or something," someone asked curiously. 

Eric smiled, "I guess you'll find out." He paused, "or not."

"We just jumped," Christina whispered, "and they want us to jump again?" Riley smiled at her thinking the same thing. She felt Dauntless was putting them through a lot of work, and they hadn't even entered the building yet.

"Someone has to go first," Eric crossed his arms, "who's it going to be?"

The crowd was silent as they waited for someone to volunteer to jump into the unknown. Riley wondered if it was just a test and there was nothing at the bottom. "Me," Beatrice spoke up from beside her. Riley watched as Beatrice seemed to process her own words, but after a second, she began walking towards the ledge. 

Eric jumped down from his spot on the ledge and allowed Beatrice to pass him. Riley nervously rolled her lip between her teeth as she watched her friend look over the side. Beatrice slipped off her jacket and threw it on the ground. "Yeah, Stiff take it off," someone said causing everyone to laugh, "now put it back on."

Riley stepped closer out of habit and caught a few peoples attention, but she didn't care. Beatrice grabbed the end of her dress and stepped onto the ledge. "Come on, Beatrice," Riley spoke, "I'm right behind you." Beatrice glanced at her before looking back at the edge.

"Today, Initiate," Eric snapped growing impatient. Riley watched as Beatrice stepped forward and off the ledge into the unknown leaving everyone standing there in silence. Riley let out a shaky breath that she didn't realize she was holding. No one spoke for a moment as they waited for Eric to speak. "Okay," Eric smiled looking at Riley, "the next volunteer." 

Riley sucked in a breath as she looked at the ledge. Her mind was clouded with nerves that she unwillingly volunteered to follow Beatrice. She took a hesitant step forward and placed her hands on the ledge. "Look, we have two Stiff's," the same voice from before joked. Riley ignored him and looked at the hole in the middle of the floor a few floors below, but anything inside of it was hidden in darkness. Placing both her hands on the ledge, she grabbed her grey dress and hoisted herself up. Her legs wobbled as she tried to keep her balance. Riley let out a nerves breath as she tried to calm her racing heart. She tried to convince herself that they wouldn't kill initiates. 

Riley heard the man behind her suck in a breath to speak, and before he could yell at her as he had done with Beatrice, she jumped. Riley pushed off the ledge with shaky limbs and found her body plummeting into the unknown before her. She tried to scream, but no voice came out. 

Before Riley knew it her body hit a net and she bounced upward. She felt all the fear leave her the second her body hit the net knowing that she wasn't going to die. Once her body stopped bouncing, she laid limply against the net. Her mind was catching up with her actions. Suddenly the net shifted, and her body rolled to the side. Riley gasped as she rolled onto her side and made eye contact with the person holding the net. 

Her entire body froze as she stared into familiar brown eyes. The ones of her brother, Tobias. Riley had dreamed of seeing her brother, but she never imagined it like this. Tobias hard look changed in an instant recognizing the girl in front of him. She had changed and aged in the years, but it was the same girl. "What's your," Tobias coughed, "what's your name, initiate?"

Riley gave him a confused look, but her eyes flickered to the several other Dauntless behind him. "Riley, I'm Riley." She took in his features noticing how much he had changed. He had grown, and his features had hardened, but he was the same Tobias.

"Well, Riley," Tobias smiled grabbing her arm and helping her out of the net. "I'm Four." Riley stood on the ground and glanced at her brother, but didn't question him. He had changed his name and was pretending as if he didn't know her. Riley figured that there was a reason and she wasn't going to uncover it. Tobias, or now Four nodded at her to stand with Beatrice. She smiled at him, giving him one last glance over before making her way over to her friend.