Chapter 40

The transfers and the Dauntless borns all stand together in the Pit. Half of us will have their lives beginning today whilst the other half will live among the factionless. Max takes centre stage besides Eric. "Initiates you have reached the final stage of initiation. Those who will pass will be part of Dauntless those who have failed will be factionless. Half of you will leave us here today." Max says with his loud voice. Connor grabs my hand and he almost crushes my fingers, but I don't care I feel kinda flattered that he's kinda confining in me. In fact I am surprised he acknowledges me after what happened earlier. I close my hand around his, "Ya know when I told you that I have never been as scared in my life, well I take it back now is the time I have never been so scared in my life. And that is after the fear landscape."  I whisper to Connor. His hands are warm and wet with sweat but his skin is still horrendously soft. I'm a little envious. This guy is perfect, nearly too good to be real. But he is real that is the thing, we have kissed, we have hugged, we are holding each other's hands. I am his and he is mine that is the way it goes. No matter what happens I have met him.

"Weird how a board with a load of names on it can determine the rest of your life. But as I have said we are here too stay." Connor says.

"Now we reveal those who have passed." Max says. I pick my head up and I tighten my hand which holds Connnor's. Tight enough his knuckles begin to crack but he isn't faced by it. The board behind Max lights up with red names that go down the screen. Time slows and so does my brain one by one I read the names;

1. Ruby

2. Connor

3. Aspin

4. Keira

5. Shayne

6. Ryan

7. Olivia

8. Jason

9. Ramone

10. Naomi

The crowd shatters like a mirror with each shard being a different reaction; crying, laughter, cheering, shock, some stand still and take everything in like me. I still have a tight grip on Connor's hand but the realization slowly sinks in through the pores of my skin and into my blood stream and into my heart causing it beat faster. I smile and so does Connor and underneath the shouting we kiss infront of Olivia and Shayne for the first time. His warm lips taste sweeter than usual and I find it hard to draw away from his pull. We both smile as we stare into each others eyes. I see the reflection of my face in his dangerous eyes. We turn to face Shayne and Olivia who are still in shock. I have come first in initiation, my friends have all passed, I can srill be with Connor a little longer and Jessica, Oliver and Lewis have all failed making them factionless. Three victories in one. "As you can probably tell me and Ruby are an item." Connor says with his arm around me. I nod my head to his words.

"Well about time." Shayne says.

"Well done you two for passing. Ruby and Connor the power couple." Olivia says as we all hug one another.

"Thanks. Same to you." I say. We all walk out of the pit still high on our victories. I walk hand in hand with Connor who has kissed me at least a dozen times from the small distance from the Pit to the hallway that leads us back to the dormatories. But I am grateful, because with each kiss our relationship gets stronger. Tobias runs over to me, luckily too happy too notice that me and Connor are holding hands. He practically hugs me and picks my light body up from the ground. "Haha well done kiddo. My little sister all grown up." He says joyfully.

Shayne and Olivia stare in shock again. "He's my brother guys." I say. They nod their heads. And Tris greets me with a smile, "Well done Ruby welcome to Dauntless." She says as she cups Tobias's hands in her's. "Thank you Tris." I say. I guess now Tris and I are practically family now her and Tobias are engaged to be married within a matter of weeks. I'm kinda excited to see a Dauntless wedding. To see how the bride looks. To see the cake and of course the celebration. I see Aspin, Ryan and Keira walk over to us and like we are now they are also wearing smiles.

"Well done you guys. Officially Dauntless you're lives start now." Aspin says as he lights up a blue cigarette.

"Thank you and well done to you guys as well." I say.

"We were just wondering if you would like to celebrate with us. Our treat and of course a surprise." Ryan says with a cheeky grin, The mention of celebrating with the Dauntless draws me in. When I was younger I used to always want to be them and now I am I should start acting like them. I wonder what is in stock for us. Paintballing, rifle shooting skydiving even any of them is enough to bring the adrenaline to a powerful flow.

"Yes sure." I say quickly. I want to enjoy my first night as a Dauntless. I have the chance to do so many things I could have only dreamed of doing in Abnegation and I intend to do them all. Tobias grabs my wrist to hold me back. "Nope you're not going sorry." Tobias says. He still has the over-protectively he has always had. Any chance of telling him about me and Connor tonight have definitely gone of of the window. "But why? It is only a little bit of fun." I ask in defiance.

"Because as your older brother it is in my best duty to protect you." He says like a patriotic soldier. I sigh like a little child who can't have their toy to play with. He breaks a smile "I'm only joking after weeks of hell you deserve a treat but I want you back early. We still have things to talk about. I'll meet you back here at 11:00." He says, I smile and nearly run away. "Oh and Ryan, Keira and Aspin keep them outta trouble I don't want the newbies to already be kicked out on their first official night." Tobias adds.

"We won't Four we promise." Aspin says jokingly crossing his fingers.

We make our way out of the compound I hold hands with Connor as the cool air makes his loose t-shirt blow all over the place. We walk to the Hancock building and take an elevator along with several other Dauntless borns, Uriah, Marlene, Zeke, Shauna, Lynn and a few others I don't know the names too. A few of them congratulate us the transfers for passing whilst others give us a cold shoulder. But I'm too ecstatic to care about what they think or don't think. Uriah presses for the elevator to ascend up the tower. "So where are we actually going?" I ask to whoever will listen. There's a low laugh among-st the people in the elevator. My face reddens with embarrassment. Aspin grins with his white teeth on display. They are like beads of light in the dark despite his smoking. I remember a Candor a few years ago who smoked and they had teeth a similar colour to custard. And his breath was a grey cloud which nearly suffocated me. "I told ya, it is a surprise." He simply says looking at his reflection in the small rectangular mirror.

I get an un-easy feeling about where we are headed and it lodges itself in my throat. I try to speak but what ever it is silences me. "Are we going skydiving without parachutes by any chance?" Shayne asks. Partly joking and partly for relief I think. The small space again erupts with little chuckles. "Close but no, though that does sound like a fun idea." Aspin replies. Slowly and eventually the elevator stops moving and the doors open allowing us to look at the top of the city.

This high up the lights look like settled glitter. The orange sun sets over the navy pier and the marsh. A few other Dauntless are here already. Shouting and laughing, whilst drinking out of red cups. I see a thin line which runs from the rooftop of the Hancock building to the floor. My heart rate picks up when the lodged nerves escape my throat and I smile.

I have had dreams about this, for so many years I have watched the Dauntless do it. Ziplining. Me and Connor rush out together and we are soon followed by the others who were in the elevator. The other Dauntless stop to stare at us before they all smile. I try to smile back, but I can't I feel as though they are smiling out of sympathy, like I will only be here temporally. But I'll prove them wrong that I am one of them. Zeke whistles loud enough that it pierces my ear drums.

"Ok ladies and gents. Enzo and his gang are at the bottom-" Zeke begins to speak. But Shayne interrupts him. "Why are they at the bottom? Too scared?" He asks in a childish tone of voice. A few Dauntless turn their heads and impale him with daggers by the way they all look at him.

"No! Idiot. Someone has to be at the bottom to catch us otherwise we will be scrapping you up off the floor." The black haired male replies sharply. He has a tattoo of three blue stars behind his ear. He flicks a silver lighter on and off. Shayne looks to the floor and sweep a bit of dust across the rooftop. Zeke whistles again though my ears can actually put up with it this time. "All right keep your wigs on, ok everyone line up." Zeke shouts. Everyone forms a straight line and Zeke and Uriah stand beside the front of the line by the zipline. Olivia ties up her hair into a messy bun. 

"I think the Stiff should go first. Considering her rank in initiation." A deep female's voice says with disdain. A shaved head turns to face me, she has big lips and glistening eyes and a ring in one of her eyebrows. Lynn. The bitter Dauntless born who by the sounds of it doesn't like newbies. "Hey C'mon Lynn she isn't a stiff anymore. She is one of us." Uriah says. She turns her back to me and I smile at the fact Uriah defended me. Maybe I am liked here, maybe people will no longer see me as the damsel in distress. Eventually the first person in line goes first a girl with a purple blaze hair. She goes down in silence, the second person to go is that black haired male who again goes in silence, the third person is a bulky male with a hair in a not he screams going down. The line eventually goes down to Olivia being in front. Nervously she walks up to the zipline and is stiff when Uriah ties her skinny body up into the harness. They launch her off and she screams and laughs going down, the same as what Shayne and Connor does.

Then it is me. My turn to go ziplining. My palms sweat and my body shakes. I walk up to the zipline and Uriah ties me in the harness tightly. He tips me over the edge and I see the empty the empty streets of Chicago and some of the buildings are like specs of dust. I begin to feel sick. Uriah taps me on the shoulder "Don't worry Ruby the first time is always the best." He says.

"3..2..1." Zeke shouts and they pull me back and push me down the zipline. I am streaming through the air like a bird taking its first flight. My body feels weightless and the buildings are whizzing past me like a blur. I nervously let go of the harness and I hold my hands out and feel the air rush through my fingers. I am breathless but I have never been so alive before. I try to scream but there is no air left in my lungs and I have goosebumps on my skin. I have everything I need now in my life; my brother, Connor, my friends a new faction and a new life. My life is complete and I forget about Marcus and for the first time in my life I can say I am looking forward to tomorrow.

I nose dive and and accelerate faster than before and I close my eyes then I stop in the air bobbing up and down. I open my eyes and I listen to the shouts below me. I look down and see a group people with their faces looking up to me and they all hook their arms with one another. They all shout the same thing, they all want me to jump. For some reason I don't think twice about jumping and I unhook myself and let myself fall through the air. The arms and hands net me against the concrete floor and slowly the put me down onto the cool floor. I blankly look up to the sky for a few moments and try to register what just happened to me. Connor helps me stand to my feet and he hugs me. It is finally official I am Dauntless now. I have had a glimpse of what will be included in my new life.

I have done it. I have done it.