This story has some reference to the books, with a couple of original characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent or any of the characters, or actors portrayed in the books or movies.

Her blue eyes regard me with patience, but I see it waver as I pick up the unloaded gun.

It feels strange in my hands, the metal is colder than normal against my slightly hotter skin, it's light when there is no ammo, almost as though I'm holding a cup of coffee, maybe a bit more but I've never been accurate with those kinds of measurements.

Left on the table is the magazine, already loaded with precisely 7 bullets. All I have to do is click it in, flip the safety and pull the slide.

Max reminds me to check the safety, his voice is hollow in my ears and his smile is expectant. I listen and check it again for his sake.

The room is broiling and I've already unzipped my jacket to get cool air on my neck, breathing is a bit difficult, the air is thick and my lungs starve with hardly any relief from inhaling or exhaling. I force myself into a calm and collected posture on the outside so that no one can see my internal struggle.

They say it gets easier with time.

Falen holds the faction-less man down by the shoulder, I know he is faction-less by the way that he is dressed, mixed colors, dirty hair, unshaven. Everything about him looks defeated and worn except his eyes, his expression. They never leave mine because I am the one holding the gun.

I want to ask what his crimes are, but I already know and to ask again just to hear, would be failure. He doesn't fit. He is flawed. A virus. An infection to society.

Divergent

Falen releases him and goes to stand with the other two Leaders, he doesn't need to be held down, his hands are bound behind his back and he's on his knees.

I don't look back to the others because I already know what I'm expected to do, but their reminder that he is nothing, that he's already dead does not make it any easier, neither does the way his brown eyes bore into mine, unblinking and very much alive. The fact that he is faction-less crosses my mind again, he's already been excommunicated, sterilized and muted and yet it isn't enough to them. The proper disposal for contaminates is complete eradication.

He will not talk and he will not beg, his tongue was removed. I can tell though by the way he holds his head high, with his back straight that he would not have begged, he is fearless and in a way I wonder if it's because of the fact that they are already dead. The dead couldn't possibly fear death.

I do not know this man but after tonight I will never forget him, his face will be added to my bank, imprinted into my brain, so he can visit me when I am alone.

When I raise the gun to the middle of his forehead pressing the barrel against his skin, with my finger curled around the trigger, his lips move, as he mouths words. They are garbled and sloppy because his lack of a tongue, making him unable to form them properly on his lips.

But the message was conveyed.

'I forgive you.'

The apology was probably all over my expression.

Tori's entire face frowns, angular features all turning down as she tilts her head at me.

For the past hour today all I've done is spin in the receptions leather chair, mark up the corners of the sign in sheet and stare out the doors at the concrete wall counting the scuff marks. In my defense I'm not getting paid in currency for any of my time here.

I tap the pen in rapid succession against the concrete slab. My eyes always flick back to the watch on my wrist constantly and it almost seems like time is going backwards, or slower. 3 more hours of today's 4 hour shift. I don't particularly look forward to free time but I don't prefer the latter either.

I sigh deeply and lean back in the chair, the squishy flatulent noises don't entertain me anymore, they used to. I'm still privy to some petulant notions.

"It's only been an hour, Gene." Bud responds from somewhere in the shop, having heard my third sigh of the day. His loud steps sound off as he stalks over to me, and because I have nothing else to do for the moment, I watch as Bud, with tattoos all over his hairless cranium, neck and arms goes through putting up the new designs and stencils.

"Could I g-"

"No." Tori sighs loudly cutting me off as she walks back in from the storage room to drop a box in front of me. Her mood is sour from having little sleep last night and forced to go for a morning run with Bud, she had complained that he was a 'psycho fitness nut'.

I don't get to work with any of the machines, but for the next few months I am to clean, watch, instruct people on proper tattoo care, and whatever else they need me to do for the shop. Mainly I'm just the receptionist and they want me to "keep my ass in the chair."

I have to admit, I like this job.

Just as I start pulling out the specialized pads to replace ink cartridges someone finally walks in.

"Amar." Tori greets without looking at him. "Come to hang out?" She asks conversationally, becoming distracted. Her dark sleepy eyes turn away from me as she crosses her arms over her chest, leaning against the desk to face him instead.

"Psshh, with you guys?" Amar jokes, Tori shrugs like she didn't care anyway. I give him head tilt, questioning if he is maybe here to pull me out of work. "Not today kiddo, besides you've got the best job ever." He sounds a tad sarcastic.

I nod my head slowly in agreement, all the others are currently in jobs like entertainment, laundry, food service, janitorial positions, the other mundane tasks that they give to keep us all busy and teach us to some measure of responsibility, patience, maturity and also help us decide what we want to do in our future here in Dauntless.

My future is already pre-determined.

Amar however is 18 now and he's going to be training initiates this year, I know that job suits him, just like how tattooing people suits Tori.

Even though he said he wasn't here to hang out he does. He and Tori talk about how he's going to instruct, what he should wear, how he should talk, if he should get a haircut. He's really excited. It's obvious in the way he can't stop smiling and checking the time.

"Was it transfers you're in charge of or. . ." Tori asks curiously, trailing off.

"Oh uhm, transfers." Amar says before checking his watch for the 3rd time. "I've gotta go, but i'll see you guys tonight." He says quickly and before Amar leaves he tosses me a fizzy water, gives me a playful noogie and offers his parting goodbyes to Bud.

"I bet he has get's more than 4." Tori says to me, with a sly smile. "Majority Candor."

"I'll bet when you guys start paying me." I reply evenly, while wiping the stray drops that get sprayed onto the desk when I twist open the cap of my drink, forgetting to pacify the bubbling fizz inside first. Bud laughs from somewhere else in the room, and Tori sighs trying to fight her smile with an eye roll.

"Get back to work." She says with mocking sternness, swiping my drink before I can take a sip. "We leave in 2 and a half."

When I check my watch again. Sure enough there is only 2 and a half hours left.

The auditorium becomes dead silent, save for the gasps that came before, silently dying out and I glance up to see a tall boy with slightly large ears, dressed in Abnegation grays makes his way off the stage towards Dauntless side. Max looks displeased.

The Abnegation rep, Marcus stands in the back near the bowls with total bewilderment on his face, while the other important individuals just look mildly surprised, Jeanine Matthews looks mildly happy. It's not till everyone up front starts cheering and yelling that I ask what just happened. I was hardly listening cause I was fiddling with the jacket zipper that got stuck on my shirt fabric. I was distracted.

I heard his name though, Eaton.

"Fuck if I know." Kat responds with her usual tone. "But Dauntless just got another transfer, so that makes like. . .4?" I nod my head absently and flick Gabriel in the back of the neck. He leans all the way back with his head in my lap to look up at me with a dull expression, he had taken Tori up on her bet but said less.

When we look back towards the front Tori smiles at us and points at Gabriel to gloat.

"I can't wait till it's our turn to choose." Jackie complains, she has her chin in her hands, elbows on her knees and gazes longingly at the stage. I sigh contently and stretch my arms above my head, and straighten my back.

"At least you only have a year to wait." Lynn snaps, she's been fuming in front of us between Gabriel and Joseph, her sour mood is because Shauna 'Bitched' at her. Lynn should have expected it. They're sisters, constantly bickering.

"By the time this finishes we'll all be choosing. . ." Joseph complains. He throws an elbow back to brush Kat off when she starts making dirt footprints on the back of his shirt. Jackie and Kat laugh but they both agree that they would rather be in school. This is our first and only observation of the choosing ceremony.

"Eric Coulter." Speaks Max, I watch with little interest when a tall Erudite boy with light brown hair stands to make his way to the stage. He walks with arrogance, but most Erudite do. I glance back down towards the front of our section to watch the others continue to greet and slap the new transfer from Abnegation, he's bleeding a lot more than the rest, he cut himself a little too deeply.

"Bet he's gonna choose Erudite." Gabriel mentions over his shoulder, the boy he's talking about is just as lanky as the rest, clearly nonathletic. I decide I shouldn't get in on such a bet but I see the Erudite boy's brow twitch from the corner of my eye like he heard, even over the other hushed conversations in the room.

"I don't have any points." I reply flatly to inform them that I won't be taking part. Gabriel laughs, Kat bets Amity but I don't pay attention when she offers up a different kind of currency, Jackie says she'll go for Candor cause he looks 'like a douche' and she doesn't want to bet the same as everyone else. Joseph grunts, clearly not interested, he's lost enough bets today and Lynn 'gives the Nose the benefit of the doubt' and says he'll choose Dauntless even though she wasn't really included in the bet.

He spills his blood over the lit coals and the crowd goes berserk down in front, while the rest of the room is silent and brooding as Dauntless welcomes him as the 5th transfer, we now have 1 Abnegation, 2 Candor boys, an Amity and an Erudite.

"Ha ha, fuckers." Lynn gloats throwing her arms up in triumph.

"How about we all not turn her in for truancy, and we call it even?" Kat asks the others, Lynn turns in her seat to gape at us and punches me in the shin when everyone else laughs and agrees that they don't owe her anything. I don't see why she had to hit me though. I had no points to give her anyway.

We all sit in the dimly lit cafeteria, everyone is chattering animatedly, voices and laughter echo off the concrete walls. I spear my peas and pop them into my mouth one by one, crushing them between my teeth and listen to the excited conversations.

When Amar finally files into the room with his initiates all lined up neatly behind him over to the benches, I notice how most of them look pale, shaken but they all wear Dauntless clothing now, the only thing that signifies their freshness is their expressions and posture.

Uriah waves over at his brother enthusiastically and to his extreme embarrassment Ezekiel scowls at him. I pinch the bridge of my nose and cringe when they all glance over in our direction.

The transfers all look around the room with rapt interest and wonder, all except the Abnegation and the Erudite boy who look calculatingly at everything. Both of them have grim expressions, not unusual from individuals of their origin. The Candor's look overly excited and the Amity looks unsure.

None of them start eating and I know its because they're all either shy or intimidated by all the stares, meanwhile the other table already has laughter and joyous conversation, they're Dauntless born.

The leaders walk up on the second floor balcony and the clanking of cups starts, on impulse I also clatter my cup noisily onto the table top and gaze up at them. Reid scans the room and hardly looks over our table before her intense watery-blue eyes stop in the obvious corner of the room.

Max and Falen flank her, this year she's going to do the welcome. "Initiates." She speaks loudly and clearly. Her voice cuts through the soft chattering, silencing all noise. "Stand." She commands, I look back at the table of hesitant transfers. The Dauntless born stand immediately. They know how this goes, this happens every year. The leaders call attention to the initiates, praise them and wish them luck in their upcoming training.

Everyone looks at Reid with admiration. She's well suited to be a leader, she's strong, tall, and always commands attention, she has a presence, stern but inspiring, she's not too old but at the moment she's the youngest of the 3 leaders.

"You have chosen to join the warrior faction, tasked with the defense of this city and all of it's inhabitants. We believe in ordinary acts of bravery and the courage that drives one person to stand up for another." A few people whoop and call. "Respect that." She says. "Do us proud." Her eyes almost look glossy but hard, like she's filled with emotion but her voice doesn't have any.

We are tasked with the defense of this city and of it's inhabitants. We stand up for all people.

When the speech concludes everyone begins cheering and welcoming the transfers, wishing all initiates luck and starts picking them up to carry around the room, we stay seated and clap, most of us. I take a bite out of a dinner roll and watch as the transfers get tossed into the air.

I sigh and clasp my cheek, while Reid's harsh voice resound in my head, echoing off my skull but soon enough it fades out like everything else.

Amar gives me an 'ouch' look before handing me an ice pack, I take it gratefully and press it to my cheek. The slap doesn't hurt and neither do the words, it was only for a brief moment and it's not the first time. I almost always tilt my head up to give her access to my cheek when I see her coming near or towards me.

As far as Dauntless families go, our relationship is hardly unusual to an outside perspective.

We regard each other with stoicism, our conversations lasting never more than 10 words unless it's to receive orders, no gentle touches or reassuring hugs, and no shared meals. We are blood, but we come as faction first. Leader before all else.

The apartment is empty and quiet as usual, the only person who sleeps in here is me even though there are two rooms. Occasionally a group of other delinquents stay over but tonight is a special occasion, choosing day, so I get to be alone.

"This years batch seems really promising, it's gonna be fun as shit!" Amar starts excitedly, drumming the table with his fingers. Last years batch was the same. Although there are some exceptions, it is never fun.

"That's nice." I reply with little interest, I can tell he wants to talk about them, that's why he came. I know he's excited about the training because it's his first year doing it, and I know what they're going to go through. Amar always tells me because I don't 'gossip', the point of a secret is to keep it.

"You know you're really bumming me out." Amar chastises, not happy with my lack of enthusiasm or questioning about his initiates. I sigh deeply and apologetically, I should be more accommodating, especially because he brought me drinks and Amar is my favorite person.

"I thought you weren't supposed to talk about initiation." I reprimand, he rolls his eyes and goes on to say that initiation has hardly started yet and he just want's to talk about the initiates. "So who jumped first?" I ask with fake curiosity, steering the subject in his favor.

I remember the train ride where they all jumped onto the roof, the Stiff was in the wrong cab which was kind of surprising but not more than the amount of transfers this year. 6 in total and only 1 girl. Instead of jumping off with them to watch I was coaxed into inconspicuously sneaking Lynn back in. Max noticed, but he hardly cared, I don't need to know the order in which they jumped.

"Zeke, of course." Amar replies and he shifts in his chair, clearly pleased. It seems like Ezekiel shortened his name, Zeke sounds less mature but it suits him.

"What about the Abnegation transfer?" I ask curiously. They don't usually transfer, especially not to Dauntless.

"He jumped second." Amar replies proudly but he leans forward in his chair, with bright eyes and a grin. "We call him Four."

"What about the Candor's?" I ask next, keeping the conversation going. He frowns like he wanted to talk about the Abnegation boy, Four.

"Well, you know Candor's." Amar sighs exasperatedly, leaning back with his hands behind his head and kicks his legs up onto my table.

"How was school?" Tori asks with a mocking tone and matching expression when I get into the shop 3 minutes early, Kree and Marlene disappear down towards the Pit. This is probably going to be a new normal for the next few months, the new routine. These are the times that I get used to.

"Shitty." I reply, but I always use that response whenever someone asks me about it, it's usually finalizing. I take a seat in the leather chair behind the reception desk and the first thing I do is check my watch. Shifts are shorter on school days.

The same routine goes on for the rest of the week. School, work, recreation and then sleep. It's easy to fall into.

Wednesday is the only exception, no work, no school, just basic training.

We do the usual, warm ups, then bags, then run until our trainer Travis thinks we've gone long enough. He'll then tell us to stop and pair up so we can spar. The older kids with older kids and the younger ones with the younger ones.

"So did you hear about the initiates?" Jackie asks me, while I block one of her punches.

"Yeah, I heard." I reply patiently. Amar already told me about his favorite initiate, the surprising Abnegation being 'one of the best and funnest transfers Dauntless might have seen in years', he's excited about being the one to train him, it's a challenge. He took my comment on favoritism and instead told me that he thinks the Stiff could "kick my ass."

"Alright, switch." Travis barks and we all change partners.

"Do you think Kat might like me?" Joseph asks, while hooking his leg around mine. I retaliate quickly, turning around to elbow him in the gut and he staggers backwards, I know how Joseph fights. He will always attempt to get his opponent on the ground, somewhere I do not ever like to be.

"No, she's taken an interest in the blonde guy. . .I think he's a transfer." I respond evenly but with distaste, conversations like these are in abundance among my small circle, drama, infatuations, feuds. Joseph nods slowly as we stalk each other, both with guards up.

I haven't gotten to meet any of the transfers personally because my schedule, the initiates interactions with the rest of us is minimal throughout the day though so it's not like I'm missing out on much concerning them. I'm not supposed to get friendly with them anyway.

Not to mention rules already strictly forbid any sort of relations between us and the initiates during times of initiation.

"I guess the pretty boy take-over has begun, huh?" Joseph scoffs. I have found myself scrutinizing Four's grim determined expression the past few days, he's definitely growing in popularity especially among the betting pools.

The underdog. And I was told his name was from only having Four fears. Impressive.

"I've got dibs on the brunette." Jackie calls over to us.

"Too late." Gabriel yells from further down in a feminine voice. "I called them all."

"200 push-up." Travis snaps, speaking over everyone in his raspy voice, and we all drop.

The weekend finally arrives and with it does the shipments from Amity for summer, it's the same every year. Every month they come once to distribute among the factions. I'm required at these inter-faction crossings, it's part of my experience.

"Aye there Genie!" Says the usual sing-song voice of Amelia one of the truck drivers, her long curly red hair and worn freckled face smiles vibrantly over at me. I take in all the Amity wearing their incredibly red, brown, orange and yellow random clothing before offering her a curt nod. Such disharmonious colors. "I brought you a little somethin'." She tosses me an offering and without looking I catch it reflexively.

It doesn't bother me too much that they all familiarize themselves with me, know me by name, or that they add their own Amity to it, or even that they occasionally bring me gifts, but it does bother me that I know almost all of them by name too.

The worst thing about people is getting attached to them. Sometimes it's inevitable.

"Thanks." I reply, wiping the apple on my jacket before biting into it. I hold it in my mouth by the teeth and get to work immediately, carrying the first few bag loads over to the loading pallets. The apple helps to keep others away from conversing with me, but obviously not well enough.

"Nice weather today." Says Germaine, an Amity man with long brown hair, pulled back into a loose ponytail. He wears a straw hat which he tilts downwards to me in greeting. His slightly tanned leathery skin suggests long hours in the sun. Crows feet in the corners of his deep brown eyes are due to his constant smiling.

"Hnnn." I mumble through the obstruction in my mouth, I remove the apple without taking a bite. "Looks like rain to me." I reply properly, taking a break from the heavy lifting. In actuality there isn't a cloud in the sky, the blue literally stretches over the city with an almost awful smugness as the summer heat sticks to everything in sight. My jacket is unnecessary.

"Well that would be dandy!" Germaine replies with a widening smile. "We could use some of that rain, if you know what I mean." He goes to pat me but takes his hand back before he can make the connection. "Well I'll be!" He gushes, looking past me, his attention span lasting mere seconds. "Graham?"

"Oh fuck this." Says the blonde initiate under his breath before he gets enveloped into a tight embrace by the overly enthusiastic Amity man.

I toss the uneaten apple over my shoulder and reach for another sack, this one looks like grains, they poke out of the rough fabric sack. "You're the Dauntless leaders daughter, right?" Says an intimidatingly loud voice, I proceed to lifting the bag before turning towards the source. "Genie?" The Amity version of my name is only slightly grating from someone who isn't Amity.

Behind me stands Eric the Erudite and between his boots he kicks the apple back and forth, like he wishes to initiate a game. "It's alright for you to just toss your trash all over the place?" He asks with a slightly harsh undertone and raised brow.

I take in his posture, he's still slightly lanky, only taller than me by a few inches. His jaw is beginning to get a little more pronounced, sharper after having trained a little, it's amazing what doing a little physical activities can do for those that don't usually do anything. He's starting to look a little older, still Erudite though even without the glasses.

I reply by tapping the side of my nose with my finger twice, before swiping the apple away from his feet with my own boot, and then crushing it against the ground.

His expression becomes dark and brooding at my casual underhanded gesture to how he's a Nose and hopefully he gets the implication that he should keep his out of other people's business. I'm always highly suspicious of Erudite transfers.

"See that one over there?" Kat asks, pointing over at Helen, a dainty woman with long blonde hair, a flowing yellow dress and a hideous brown vest. She's an Amity obviously and I already made the connection between her and Graham by the way he stands near her unhappily. There is only one Amity initiate after all. "That's Graham's mother." She adds. I nod slowly and lean back, pressing my palms into the ground.

We sit on the upper level in the Pit, kicking our boots against the concrete, sitting on the edge as we look down on the families filing in for visiting day. An occasion pressed by Reid, and always followed.

"The Candor girl is Mia." Joseph says taking a seat next to me, he holds a bottle of water out in front of me and Kat takes it without a thank you. It turns out that the Candor's parents seemed thrilled, even though she transferred. Normally the parents of female transfers come crying and bawling.

Graham gives us a slight wave and Helen beams up at us, I give her a tight half smile because I actually know the woman, although I can't recognize the babble of smaller children and some older boys all with the same blonde hair, they must be Amity's relatives. The older ones that must have stayed in Amity and younger ones that haven't chosen yet.

Kat waves enthusiastically before getting up to descend into the chaos. I already reminded her several times the rules against relations, they are for our own protection, for her protection.

"Over there is Sean." Joseph continues, he motions over to where another initiate is getting clapped on the back by his proud father dressed in Candor colors. "Next to them is Henry, also Candor." I could've guessed as much.

"Your parents aren't coming?" I ask without any real interest, I continue to scan the crowds taking in the lack of any real faction mingling. There's really only a hint of yellow and then the Candor colors, I see no Abnegation gray or Erudite blue.

"No." Replies Four, I turn my head and glance sideways at him leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Abnegation are good at lurking quietly without drawing attention. Their gray is to blend, he cannot blend anymore though, not with all the attention he's brought to himself.

I already knew the answer. I wonder how many people know he's the son of the 'deceased' Evelyn Johnson-Eaton and of Marcus Eaton the man that currently represents Abnegation as their leader. This year may turn out to be a bit different after all.

I admit that I was watching him, I wasn't at first till I saw his harsh expression when he must have realized today was visiting day, by the way he decided hesitantly to come higher up to get away from the families down below when he first entered the Pit.

He leans against the wall in a way that's too tense to seem casual and relaxed. With eyes that look both bright but forcefully uncaring, maybe he would rather be distracted by fear than face the fact that no one came to visit him, or maybe afraid someone would visit.

"Don't fall, Stiff." Says a harsh voice, the Erudite in Dauntless clothing takes a seat at the edge next to me taking the place of Kat, with one knee bent and his arm slung casually over it. His boot heel starts tapping against the concrete, like ours.

Eric offers us no greeting and we don't greet him either. I don't need to ask if his parent's are coming, I wager that no one from Erudite misses him and the way his blue-gray eyes glare down at all the families, he doesn't miss them either.

"What're you looking at?" He asks harshly, tilting his head at me with furrowed brows and a frown. In my defense, I was wondering why he came and sat near us, maybe he's not feeling too happy about not being visited. I also wonder why he's here in Dauntless.

I tap the end of my nose with my pointer finger, twice without answering and look away before I can see his expression change.

LMK what you think. This story will be a bit dark. It's from the point of view of a villain that has good intentions. A moral obligation to the city and her faction but obviously it's not a good thing. Think about the killer Dexter, only killing villains.

Rated M for future violence and dark themes, and a bit of romance. Slow burning.