divergent-excerpt

And then Christina says, “What”
“There are eleven Dauntless-borns, and nine of you,”
Eric continues. “Four initiates will be cut at the end of
stage one. The remainder will be cut after the final test.”
That means that even if we make it through each stage
of initiation, six initiates will not be members. I see
Christina look at me from the corner of my eye, but I can’t
look back at her. My eyes are fixed on Eric and will not
move.
My odds, as the smallest initiate, as the only Abnegation
transfer, are not good.
“What do we do if we’re cut” Peter says.
“You leave the Dauntless compound,” says Eric factually,
“and live factionless.”
The mousy-haired girl clamps her hand over her
mouth and stifles a sob. I remember the factionless man
with the gray teeth, snatching the bag of apples from my
hands. His dull, staring eyes. But instead of crying, like
the Erudite girl, I feel colder. Harder.
I will be a member. I will.
“But that’s . . . not fair!” the broad-shouldered Candor
girl, Molly, says. Even though she sounds angry, she looks
terrified. “If we had known—”
“Are you saying that if you had known this before the
choosing ceremony, you wouldn’t have chosen Dauntless”
Eric snaps “Because if that’s the case, you should get out
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