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    THE ONLY THING Davina could focus on for the rest of the Choosing was the blood pounding in her head, throbbing under the plaster on her hand, her pulse racing at her throat. She barely heard the rest of the names or registered any familiar faces, only standing there with her eyes on the floor and hands squeezed at her side.

Someone had patted her on the shoulder, a Dauntless-born, and someone had called her 'Nose' and called her brave, but it meant nothing through the white noise in her head and the bitter taste flooding her mouth. She could still feel them– her family. They were still too close to her and her leaving, she could still imagine the look on her mother's face as it sunk in, she could still look across the room and see the reflection she would never mirror.

Davina suspected she wouldn't feel better until she left the Ceremony.

Luckily for her, the Dauntless moved first once it finished up, scattered applause filling the room as Marcus announced the ending. Some people were laughing, some were crying, and Davina still did not steal a glance back at her family.

The crowd she had become a part of headed for the stairs, jostling her in the same direction so roughly that even if she had intended to stay, she wouldn't have been able to. She kept her eyes forward, gritting her teeth and moving forward. Focused on anything that would shrink the shadow hanging over her.

She could see Edward was just ahead of her, his hand in Myra's as they walked. Davina didn't care to talk to him yet or try to push through the crowd and catch up to him. He wasn't going anywhere now, she could talk to him later, even if she felt alone as she hurried forward, following the swell of the crowd.

To her right was a girl from Abnegation, one of two Stiffs that transferred to Dauntless, who was short and blonde. She looked as plain as Davina would expect, but she realised she was the one with the brother that had twisted Davina's stomach during the Ceremony.

She tore her gaze away and caught a glance to her left, making eye contact with a pale-looking boy from her own Faction. "William?" she asked in disbelief. He looked different from the last time she had properly seen him and not stolen a glance at in the hallways at school, awkward exchanges on the street.

He gave her a weak grin, as if that would hide his obvious nerves, before the Dauntless around them began to run, breaking out of the crowd. There were whoops and shouts and laughter, a whirlwind of freedom and chaos as they sprinted down the stairs at an alarming pace.

"What the hell is going on?" Will shouted above the noise.

The Abnegation girl just shook her head as Davina kept herself focused on moving forward, one foot in front of the other. She wasn't unfit, but was stronger than she was enduring, and by the time they reached the first floor and burst through the exit, Davina felt her lungs burning from the sprint.

The sun was setting in the distance, casting an orange glow on the land and the Dauntless, who were spreading out across the street. Davina had no idea where they were going as she sprinted after them, suddenly being thankful for her decision to wear pants and not a skirt that night. They continued down the street and around the corner, before the sound of a train horn could be heard. Davina's eyes widened.

"Oh no," Will mumbled, having kept pace with Davina. "Are we supposed to hop on that thing?"

"Yes," the Abnegation girl said, breathlessly, having also managed to keep up.

Davina felt panic swell in her chest at the thought of jumping onto a moving train outright, but quickly applied logic. She'd seen the Dauntless do it enough, and she knew she had the upper body strength to do it. The odds were in her favour, and they had to be. She had not torn herself from the comfort of home just to falter in the first five minutes.

The crowd spread out in a long line up ahead as the train came towards them, lights flashing and horn blaring loudly. The door to each car was open, and Davina tensed her muscles as she prepared. Group by group, the Dauntless hauled themselves in, until only the initiates remained. It lasted a fleeting second, before only the transfers were left, the Dauntless-borns more than used to this routine by now.

"C'mon, lover boy," Davina jeered at Will. "Maybe you'll fall."

He gave her a withering glare as they began to jog alongside one of the cars. Davina was ahead of him, and after a few moments she bent her knees and threw herself sideways. Her shoulder jarred from the impact, but she was largely unharmed as she swung herself inside and rolled away from the edge. Will made it seconds later, brushing himself down.

"Shut up," he grumbled when he saw her looking at him.

"Didn't say anything," she mused, just as she heard a shout from outside.

Davina glanced outside to see a short boy with red hair from her home Faction, trying hopelessly to keep up with the train, the window of opportunity long gone. Myra had reached out a hand for him, fingers stretched out, but he didn't make it. Davina could only watch on as the boy fell to his knees, the train continuing on and away from the city, and then it was quiet.

She could feel Will's eyes on her eyes, once a familiar sensation but one that now felt uncomfortable under her skin. "Did... did you know him?" he asked quietly. Davina just shook her head, feeling uneasy now at how easily someone had failed initiation. "Me neither."

The train had begun to pick up speed, to the point those closest to the open doors were thrown back by the wind, but Davina pressed herself against the back wall, standing steady in silence with Will.

He looked like he wanted to say something, that pathetic look in his eyes she had found endearing once but now found annoying. They weren't friends, they both knew that, but there was a familiarity there neither could ignore. That, and Davina didn't feel like being a third wheel to Myra and Edward as the pair headed over.

"Fancy seeing you here." Davina glanced away from the glowing sunset to see her best friend. The blonde couldn't help the smile from forming on her face as she looked up at the one true piece of her home. Maybe the best piece of it.

"It's good to see you," Davina breathed. She meant it, even if she had never seen him as a Dauntless.

"William," Edward greeted, acknowledging the blonde somewhat callously.

"I prefer Will," the boy in question replied quietly. They both knew Edward knew that.

Edward only narrowed his eyes at the blonde boy, giving his best friend a pointed look. Davina ignored it– she didn't need that reminder or the judgement on that day for her choice in company.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked abruptly, eyes on Davina.

Myra and Will were both looking at them. "Fine," Davina replied.

To prove she wasn't lying through her teeth, the blonde girl lazily glanced around the carriage, studying the other transfers.

The Stiff girl seemed to be napping, curled up against the back wall beside a pretty Candor girl. Davina's eyes drifted curiously to the other Stiff, a boy who was scrawny, with a messy head of hair and a scowl on his face. He sat alone, and no one tried to talk to him.

There were a lot of Candor transfers, Davina noted. Plus the girl from before, there was a burly boy who was bigger than anyone else there, and a trio of already established friends, it seemed. Standing amongst them, almost looking down on the other two, was a boy.

Davina narrowed her eyes when she realised she recognised him from only earlier that week. The Candor boy she had passed in the gym hallway, sneering at her as they passed each other. She hadn't really looked at him aside from the forests set in his eyes, but he was a farcry from his attitude.

Lean, with dark hair and wide eyes, high eye-brow placement making him look innocent in a way she suspected wasn't accurate. He had an olive complexion, catching the glow of the sunset, and a long, narrow-bridged nose.

She had been staring too long, when she was elbowed in the side. Davina sent Edward a glare. "What're you looking at?" he whispered, playfully. Davina turned back to the Candor boy.

"Him," she told Edward. "He's pretty."

Edward just snorted but didn't say anything, earning an eye roll from Davina. She quickly glanced back at the Candor boy, their eyes meeting. Davina held the eye contact confidently, giving him a small but smug smile, before turning back to her friends. She wondered if he remembered their brief encounter.

"What do you think we've gotten ourselves into?" Will spoke up.

"Suppose not knowing is the charm," Davina told him dryly. He didn't look impressed or reassured by her answer in the slightest. "Why're you even here?" she asked directly.

Will's face shifted, and to her left, Myra and Edward's eyes widened, but they didn't intervene, likely their own curiosity hooking. Davina watched her old friend mull over the question. "Wanted something new," he answered. "Maybe people who'd use a stupid nickname once in a while." Davina only nodded, accepting the answer. "What about you?" Will added.

"What about me?" Davina fired back.

"Why are you here?" he said, pointedly.

"Something new," she replied mockingly. A lie.

"We all chose to be here," Myra chimed in. "Hom– Erudite doesn't matter anymore. Please can we just be friends? I have a feeling we'll need that."

Myra's plea hung in the air, Davina scoffing slightly. "We're friends."

Will sneered at her, but didn't dispute the claim as the train jolted over the tracks, rhythmic beating in their carriage. Davina lowered her gaze with a frown, aware that she was being watched but ignoring it. She slid down the wall of the carriage and sat down, knees to her chest, the wind occasionally picking up pieces of her hair.

Edward watched her warily, in the way someone might watch a timed bomb, but she ignored that, too. She was not stupid or violent enough to attack Will for simply being a part of her past, but she could hate him all she wanted. Stupidly and selfishly, but in her mind, fairly. He was not her friend. He never had been.

All she could do was hope for a fresh start, somewhere far away from the Erudite and her mother and the mirror and its shadow. Will was a piece of that broken mirror, somewhere down the line, but she'd simply have to move past it as she got further and further away. That seemed easy after she had torn herself from everything she had ever known as an Erudite just for a semblance of her own identity.

A half an hour passed quickly, the train rhythmically running along the tracks, scattered chatter echoing every now and then as the initiates tried to make sense of their new situation. Davina had stayed quiet, watching from the floor. The burly Candor boy, larger than anyone else there, was standing close to the edge of the carriage, watching the city blur past and standing strong against the wind rushing past.

"They're jumping off!" he shouted abruptly, pulling himself back into the carriage with wide eyes.

"Are you kidding me?" Will huffed above Davina.

She rolled her eyes but got to her feet nonetheless, their small group of Erudite transfers moving forward to see that the boy who shouted was right.

Ahead of them, Dauntless were jumping out as the train passed a rooftop. The tracks were seven stories up, Davina counted, and she swallowed as she realised what she was about to do. The transfers were now lined up on the edge of the car, the rooftop growing ever closer. Davina was stuck with Will; Myra and Edward positioned somewhere else. She was too preoccupied to pay much attention.

"So, we have to jump off too, then," the Candor girl with crooked teeth remarked.

"Great," the pretty Candor boy replied. "Because that makes perfect sense, Molly. Leap off a train onto a roof."

"This is kind of what we signed up for Peter," the girl, Molly, retorted. She was right, of course.

"Well, I'm not doing it," a voice piped up. It belonged to a boy with a tear-streaked face, the only Amity transfer.

"You've got to," the other Candor girl insisted, "or you fail." Davina hated those words. "Come on, it'll be alright."

"No, it won't! I'd rather be factionless than dead!" the Amity boy exclaimed, shaking his head.

The rooftop was only getting closer, and Davina knew the risk and reward of taking the leap was greater than just giving up and becoming factionless. She had not come so far just to give up. Davina clenched her fist at her side as the rooftop approached.

"Want me to hold your hand, Todd?" Will asked, giving her a mocking frown.

"Shut it, lover boy," she snapped, just as she realised they'd reached the rooftop.

Davina didn't think, just acted, bending her knees and leaping forward. For a moment, she was weightless, before she hit the gravel on the rooftop. Her body instinctively rolled, taking the pressure off her legs as she ended up on her back, staring at the orange sky.

She heaved in a few breaths, processing what she just did, eyes wide as she scrambled into a sitting position, checking her knees and her palms were intact. All the initiates had made the jump, except the Amity boy who was sticking his head out of the train as it trailed off. Davina shrugged off any sympathy– he had made his choice, same as everyone who had taken the leap.

Davina searched for familiar faces, met by Will standing above her, his blonde hair ruffled in a familiar way. She ignored his offered hand and got to her feet, seeing Molly and Peter to her right, and two flecks of blue on the other side of the roof where Edward and Myra had made it.

Before she could even think to head over and away from Will, there was a loud wail. Davina frowned at the sight of a Dauntless girl standing at the edge of the roof, staring down at the ground below. She was screaming, held back by another Dauntless, as if she would throw herself off, too.

"Don't look," Will told her, moving to block her view.

Annoyance flashed across her features as she turned away from him and the scene. "No, I was planning on taking a big, long look," she said sarcastically.

"God, you haven't changed," he said with a huff as she led the way to join up with Edward and Myra, the latter's eyes lighting up at his best friend.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked immediately, pointedly glancing at the girl who had been reduced to sobs.

"I'm fine," Davina insisted. Edward looked like he didn't believe her.

"Ooh. Scandalous! A Stiff's flashing some skin!" someone exclaimed. Davina turned her head to see Peter pointing at the Abnegation girl who had lifted her sleeve to examine the scraped skin on her elbow. He was smirking, and some people around them laughed.

"Go figure," Davina sighed.

"Listen up! My name is Max!" a man shouted from the other end of the roof, and the crowd slowly silenced and focused their attention on him. He looked older than most on the roof, with dark skin and greying hair.

"I am one of the leaders of your new faction!" He continued once he had their attention, standing on the edge of the roof casually, as if one tremble wouldn't mean certain death. "Several stories below us is the members' entrance to our compound. If you can't muster the will to jump off, you don't belong here. Our initiates have the privilege of going first."

"You want us to jump off a ledge?" Myra asked, lips parted in surprise.

Max merely looked amused. "Yes."

"Is there water at the bottom or something?" The other Abnegation transfer, the boy, spoke up. His voice was like a drawl– bored.

"Who knows?" Max raised his eyebrows.

No one made any move forward. Initiates looked anywhere but Max, and Davina exchanged a look with Edward, as everyone apprehensively waited for the first jumper. Of all the initiates, the Abnegation girl walked forward first. Some people snickered, but Davina just watched on, perplexed. Max stepped aside to let her pass as she stood on the edge and stepped up.

She undid her overshirt and balled it up to throw Peter, hitting him in the chest. All he did was stare, and some people catcalled and shouted, bursts of sound in the otherwise silence. And then she jumped. Davina watched her disappear over the ledge, to whatever awaited them at the bottom. A few moments of silence passed, Davina's heart thumping in her ears.

She chose this, she chose this life. She had to be brave, but she also had to be smart. They wouldn't send them straight to their death, it wasn't logical. Something must be at the bottom to keep them safe.

Confident in her logic and thinking, Davina stepped forward. The crowd parted to let her through, and she knew she couldn't back down now. She stepped onto the ledge, teetering on the edge. Down below, a hole in the concrete awaited her. She breathed deeply, her trembling hands slipping her dark blue blazer off to throw it over the edge first, and watched it float down into darkness. It left her in dark blue pants and a white dress shirt.

"Ah, shit," Davina said, loud enough that some initiates heard and laughed, just as the blonde girl jumped.

For a brief moment, she was weightless, falling through the air towards something she didn't know. Had she just killed herself? Had her judgement failed her as it so often did? Was this all some terrible mistake?

Her stomach twisted as she fell into darkness, just as she hit something hard, bringing her fall to an abrupt end.

She coughed, wheezing from the impact. The surface gave way beneath her but bounced back. It was a net. Davina let out a gasp and then a small laugh as she scrambled across the net, noticing hands reaching out to her from the edge. She grabbed whichever one came first, which was a woman with dark hair and three silver rings through an eyebrow.

"What's your name?" she asked as Davina's feet hit the ground.

The blonde sucked in a breath. "Davina."

The woman smiled and clapped Davina on the shoulder. "Welcome to Dauntless." As she stepped away, Davina was vaguely aware of cheers and claps around her from a crowd. She glanced back at the hole above. She'd jumped off a roof and survived.

Davina spotted the Abnegation girl off to the side, looking breathless but wearing a thrilled smile as she approached. "Not so Stiff, are you?" Davina asked. The girl looked momentarily caught off guard, before shaking her head.

"That was fun," was all the other blonde said in response.

Someone else jumped down, their screams following them all the way down. It was the pretty Candor girl who had been sitting with the Stiff the whole train ride. She stumbled over a few moments later, looking as exhilarated as the other two had moments after their leap.

"Who's this?"she asked. She was taller than both Davina and the Stiff.

"Oh, I'm Davina," the taller blonde introduced. She was used to being on the shorter side, but she still managed to have inches on the Stiff.

"Christina," the Candor girl responded. Davina glanced at the Stiff, whose eyes widened a bit, as if she didn't really know her name.

"Be– Tris," she got out.

Davina furrowed her brows. "Beatrice?"

The girl shook her head. "No. Just Tris."

The rest of the initiates joined them steadily over the next few minutes, all wearing similar looks of exhilaration and amazement as they were helped off the net and came back to stand on solid ground. Davina's shout of 'you didn't die!' earned her Will's middle finger, but it only made her laugh.

When they had all jumped, the woman who had helped Davina off the net – Lauren – led them down a narrow tunnel, accompanied by a tough-looking man with deep-set eyes and a tattoo peeking out from under his collar. The walls around them were made of stone, and sloped in such a way it felt like they were descending underground.

"When I said it was like they just popped out of the ground, this isn't exactly what I meant," Davina heard Christina say in front of her, and couldn't help but snicker quietly. She had stuck with the girls after the jump, too stuck on following instructions to worry about regrouping with Edward and Myra for the moment.

The tunnel was only lit in intervals by dim lamps, providing a dark space between them. The group stopped abruptly, Davina managing not to bump into Christina, while Will sharply ran into the back of her. Davina let out a hiss and Will murmured a quick 'sorry' as the leaders in front of them stood to face the group of initiates.

"This is where we divide," Lauren told them. "The Dauntless-born initiates are with me. I assume you don't need a tour of the place." There were scattered laughs, as she beckoned towards them. The Dauntless-born initiates practically disappeared into the shadows, their steps and voices bouncing off the walls, and left behind only the transfers. There were only eleven transfer initiates, an odd number.

The man spoke now. "Most of the time I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor," he informed them. "My name is Four."

Christina scoffed. "Four? Like the number?" Davina wanted to ask, too, but she had the common sense not to.

"Yes," Four responded, staring Christina down. "Is there a problem?"

Davina elbowed the Candor girl in the back. "No," Christina said.

"Good. We're about to go into the Pit, which you will someday learn to love. It–"

Christina snickered. "The Pit? Clever name."

Davina sighed as Four walked up to Christina, leaning down so his face was close to hers. There were a few beats of silence. "What's your name?" he finally asked, quietly.

"Christina," she got out.

"Well, Christina, if I wanted to put up with Candor smart-mouths, I would have joined their faction," he hissed. "The first lesson you will learn from me is to keep your mouth shut. Got that?" She simply nodded. Four just turned and headed toward the shadow at the end of the tunnel. The crowd of initiates moved on in silence.

"What a jerk," Davina heard Christina mumble, but didn't respond as Tris fell into step with her.

"I guess he doesn't like to be laughed at," the blonde said to her friend. At the end of the tunnel, Four pushed a set of double doors open, and the initiates piled into the place known as the 'Pit'.

"Oh," Christina whispered. "I get it."

Davina found herself in an underground cavern, so massive the other side wasn't visible from where she was standing. Rock walls rose several stories above them, and places for food, clothing and other supplies were built into the stone at dangerous-looking angles. The only way to get to them was up narrow paths and steps carved into the rock, yet there were no barriers to stop from falling. The roof of the Pit was formed by panes of glass, and there was a building above that let in sunlight, which was currently dim from the dusk.

Davina felt someone next to her and glanced to see Peter, who sent her a small smile, just as Four spoke again. "If you follow me," he said, "I'll show you the chasm."

He led them to the right side of the Pit, which was noticeably darker. The floor creaked under Davina's feet and she looked down to see they were now standing on an iron 'bridge', which was lined by railings– perhaps the only ones she had seen so far.

Davina swallowed thickly as they headed forward and the sound of water became apparent. She risked a look over the side, immediately regretting it as she saw fast-moving water crashing against the rocks. The floor dropped off at a terrifying sharp angle several stories below, showing the rippling surface of a river. One side was calmer, while one was water racing against rock and sending up a cool spray.

Davina pulled away from the railing, but the rushing of the water still rang in her head. "The chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy!" Four shouted over the noise. "A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It has happened before and it will happen again. You've been warned."

Four led the group of initiates across the Pit toward a gaping hole in the wall. The room beyond was well-lit enough that it was possible to see where they were going now: a dining hall full of people and clattering silverware.

When the group walked in, the Dauntless inside stood up. They applauded. They stamped their feet. They shouted. Some around Davina grinned, but she could only stare blank-faced at the place she had chosen to be her home, worlds away from Erudite and their customs, worlds away from the shadow and the mirror.

Maybe, Davina thought as she grabbed an empty seat, maybe this could be home.

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i started uni so this was a little late but here it is!

this chapter originally wasn't going to end here, but it felt draggy. in saying that, the next one will be a bit shorter and may have a flashback if i feel so inclined

thank you for the warm response to this book so far, i appreciate all the support <33 more peter content coming soon i promise