➦ synopsis Aaliyah Hernandez has never been a fan of k-pop. Despite her being surrounded by k-pop stans, and even best friends with an idol, it just never stuck with her. However, when her friends drag her along to an aespa concert and one of the members catches her eyes, and she catches hers, she may find herself deeper into the korean industry than she has ever wanted to be.
SUMMARY: this is after four+eric's initiation and before tris'. this will be the build up of the characters as we got introduced to them as well as maybe the society. not just a love story but we aim for characters' growth and storytelling.
WORDS: 2.8K
A/N: again, letting the story build itself. in this chapter are we surprised there's a lot more rambling and slow building of the world that we know, getting to know our new characters and just building up for the big action to come. Hopefully once we pass our basic well-known start to the story we can start letting it flow and move on from the usual narrative. btw tysm for losing any time of your day to read this if you do, truly every interaction makes my day, i'm really enjoying this process, hope you too<3
As the other people began to jump one by one, you couldn't help but join in on the conversation that was taking place in the group. A Dauntless born was explaining how he tried to help someone from Amity to get into the wagon, but they didn't arrive on time and fell down the rails.
After everyone had safely jumped off the roof, there was an absolute uproar. Many of the curious onlookers started to leave as the last one rolled out of the net. Some were family members, others could be senior officials and others simply curious onlookers, perhaps dreaming of the day that it will be their turn to begin their initiation into their faction.
The two who had been assisting the newcomers the entire time, Lauren and Four, introduced themselves as your couches.
"I can see that we are one less than expected" Four comments, since he was helping newcomers to get off the net all the time, he didn't have time to catch up. "Yes, Anderson has told us how he tried to help a boy from Amity get on the train, but he couldn't" Lauren explained to Four and to the possible companions who hadn't heard. "Yeah, I thought I didn't see Cristian anywhere." Winter whispered to you, "And what will happen to him then?" she asked out loud. "He will be with the factionless, of course." Four quickly replied coldly.
You could feel how Winter's body tensed next to you. And you did too, knowing how easy and for something so simple they lost a potential good member. But nor Laura or Four allowed you to keep still with that thought as they started guiding you inside the compound. "I'd much rather to die with dignity than be with the factionless" a Dauntless born whispered as you agreed with him silently.
"Alright, from this point on. We're going to separate you into groups. Those of you born in Dauntless, please come with me" Lauren informed, pointing to the right for all the black clad to group together. "This is going to be quick" she whispered to her partner who smiled back at her. "See you at dinner." She waved goodbye to the smaller group of transferees and began leading the group towards a tunnel opposite them.
"Okay, you transferees stay with me, come on, we've got places to go before dinner," he ordered as he led the way into a tunnel opposite the one her Dauntless-born companions took.
"Why the division? Have we already started with favorites?" Rose made an accusation, stopping Four in his way and consequently the whole group. "Sorry?" His cold disapproving and disgust face said it all. "Your name?" He demands slowly. "Rose" she replied, holding his gaze. "Well, Rose, I don't know what they teach you in Candor, but you would like to know that we don't waste time here, we have more important things to do. Those born in Dauntless know the way to these passages like the back of their hand" He commented with clear contempt in his voice. Rose stood her ground, but you could see how her gaze had shrunk. "In fact, if you have any problem with us separating you, you won't like to know that you will be trained separately, and you will even sleep in separate rooms. But don't worry, I invite you to run towards there, maybe you'll still catch them, and they might share a few tips with you, let's see how long you last there." Four suggest.
Everyone remained in silence, not knowing where to look. Rose remained still looking confused, not knowing what to do, "What are you still doing here stuck up? Go" he yelled at her. You could feel her frustration, grasping her own fist but knew better to reply. She couldn't hide the death glare given to Four before turning back, trying to find her way out to the start point and to the other group.
And just like that, fear had settled in everyone presence, you could smell tension in the environment in contrast to the euphoria that everyone felt at having jumped down the hole. How soon things could go wrong here.
Four pushed open a set of double doors, and we entered the place he calls "The Pit," a massive underground cavern filled with supplies. People are everywhere, all in black, screaming and talking, children playing. It truly was Dauntless' heart.
"This way" Four announces after allowing a few minutes for them to immerse in what would be their new normal. He leads us to the right side of the Moat, which is much darker, and as we get closer I think I hear water. The road shakes with each step and when I realize it, several floors below there is a river.
"The abyss reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. A daredevil who jumps from this ledge will end his life. It has happened before, and it will happen again." he warned us. "Right this way it's the cafeteria and the tattoo parlor, but let's go the other way to your room first"
When we got to our room, there was a stack of bags waiting for them. "The transferees will all sleep here together till further notice, so get in a line, grab your new clothes from me, and enter. Pick a bed, then get comfortable. When you leave, gather all the clothing you're wearing now and leave it by the door, so we can burn it. There is no room for rags from other factions now that you are Dauntless." he commented as he passed one by one a bag with the same standard black and red clothes for each.
After Winter, you stepped in line and slowly moved forward to pick up your stuff and enter what would be your temporary accommodation. You were astonished when you first walked in, since there were so many mattresses packed into a little living area. How were you expected to have privacy? Winter was waving to you in the room as you searched for her, alerting you that a bed was free next to her, so you hastily made your way there. It was the first time you had slept in a room with so many people, so you preferred to have acquaintances nearby. "Those in the back say that there are no walls in the bathrooms, not even for the showers" Winter gasped.
As soon as the last one entered you watched how Four followed them, looking around scanning the room "Alright, this bag stays here for your partner's extra clothes that didn't make it to the compound, so feel free to get whatever you need and this will be for our friend Rose, we'll leave it... there, let her keep the bed in the back next to the bathroom" he commented while approaching the bed and looking at one boy who had selected that bed.
"Oh don't mind me, this is the worst spot, I'm doing you a favor, I think there's a free one there," he said before the boy could even speak, pointing to the bed in front of the room. "She won't be with those born here?" Asked a companion. "Oh no, it wouldn't be fair. Trust me when we say we want you to have your best shot, tomorrow when the initiation is explained, you'll understand. Today is the day of the ceremony, don't take it as the threats won't be real starting tomorrow. Today I think the message has been made clear, and for all of you too." He concluded as he walked around the room to the entrance. "I'll let you settle in, we'll have dinner in half an hour, be punctual."
When Four left, everyone was silent, processing everything that had happened to them in such a short time. Four could certainly be very harsh, but he had also shown empathy and created enough respect on your end. "So we'll all have to change and live here together?" Winter asked. "It seems so" you added shockingly as you sat on the bed. Hard mattress, you sighed. "They're just bodies, in two days the nonsense will have passed to all of us" Corinne commented as she approached the group.
"Well, we have half an hour… let's see what they've given us" you added as you didn't want to think about the fact of everyone being able to look at your naked body. You opened your bags to see the clothes to which you will survive these weeks: training clothes, street clothes, some more comfortable, some pajamas all black and red, your new faction colors. You looked around you, most of them in groups, some from the same faction, others from different ones chatting or just simply by themselves as they began to change.
"Who would have thought, Y/M a voyeur" Milan teased you and quickly blushed and looked at your accuser. "What? No!" You exclaimed. "I'm glad to see you Milan, you've been very brave today to jump first" you smiled at your former Erudite colleague, even though you didn't hang out with the same group of friends, you both knew who you were, and you two never had any problems. "Thanks, I was quite terrified, but I thought they weren't crazy enough to kill us all on the first day, were they?" he joked. "Yeah, I realized that when one of Dauntless jumped smiling after you, as if he had been wanting it all his life, nothing bad could have been there… oh girls, I present to you Milan the first jumper, these are Winter and Corinne" you introduced while they were getting dressed.
The four of you talked for a short while as Winter just got changed without a hitch, and you were surprised at how Milan kept his composure. Quickly some colleagues called him to go together to the cafeteria, he said goodbye advising you to change quickly because with all the talking you had not even started yet, and you saw how he picked up his clothes and left them in the colorful pile at the entrance just as Four had requested.
All through today, you've used people's clothing to identify them and learn more about them, but now you wouldn't be able to do so. Despite the fact that you were all Dauntless, you were not all the same even in if in the core you were, and that was a thought you never had before. The burning of the clothing that had been a part of you for so long and served as a reminder of your former home made you feel a little sad. Even though we had to throw it all away, you chose to save a small brooch that you always wore and kept it in the first drawer, so you could always claim that it was familiar and hope that it managed to slip through. Winter tried to reassure you, "They are literally just clothes, it's not like you're burning all your memories with them too," and you nodded because you knew she was correct. As the room became increasingly empty, you rapidly changed, taking care to ensure that no one could see more than they should, and the three of you went to the dining room.
You were taken aback by the commotion of people talking together as if they were one big group, even though you had not yet entered the cafeteria. You weren't used to a cafeteria other than the one at school, but you soon realized it didn't make much of a difference. With all the adrenaline, you hadn't eaten much all day, but those fragrances had revived your appetite. There weren't many options, but they all seemed excellent to you.
With your tray in hand, you mingled with the crowd in search of a table, but everyone appeared to have taken a seat, few people looking at you, you totally felt like you had a 'newbie' tag on your back. You scanned the first floor and smiled at the see what you were looking for. "This way" you indicated to the other two. You approached the table where Milan and other colleagues were. "Hey, do you have three free seats?" Asked. "Only two, I'm afraid" Milan replied with a half smile. "There's a spot here" you heard someone say to you from the table behind, it was Alvin. "Sit down Y/M" he offered.
Winter was staring at you as Corinne was already seated at the other table with Milan. You would have to ask one of the two at some point what happened that they seemed to dislike each other so much, "Sure," you said smiling at Winter indicating that nothing was wrong. "Thanks Alvin, I'm Y/M" you said, introducing yourself to the group. "Anderson" "Ember" added those around you who were listening to you. "You're also a transfer, right? From where?" Anderson asked. "Erudite and you?" you responded. "We're both from here, what do you think of the compound?" Ember replied "Well, I don't know what I was expecting, but this is great" you replied while you started to eat. "God I was so hungry, how delicious" you gasped, making everyone laugh.
As you were chit-chatting with the Dauntless born learning more about their lives in here, people began to bang their feet hard on the ground, the atmosphere was livened up, people hit the metal cups with their spoons. "He's coming," cheered Ember. "Who?" You and Alvin asked at the same time. "Max, our highest ranking leader." Anderson explained "Shh, he's here." he requested pointing at the second floor, so you fixed your gaze to find Max leaning into it ready to speak out.
"Initiates, stand up." Max paused as you all rise. "You have chosen to join the warrior faction, with the assignment to protect the city and its citizens. We believe in the simple acts of bravery and courage that drive one person to stand up for another. Respect that. Make us proud." he concluded, people started to cheer on as he left. You look at your fellow initiative acquaintances and smiled. You felt part of something important. Everything was so novel and dissimilar to your previous experience, it made you so excited to see what the future held for you.
All the initiatives returned to their respective rooms in a group. You hurried to the restroom to freshen yourself a bit and change into some more cozy pajamas for bed. And despite the fact that you were all brimming with enthusiasm for what lay ahead, you all silently agreed that it would be wise to attempt to get a good night's sleep. Your first day of training was tomorrow, so you needed to get plenty of rest. Your mind was racing as you laid there in the silent with all the lights off. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since the Choosing Ceremony this afternoon.
All of these individuals, who in the past would not have ever crossed paths, were now getting along and feeling like a part of something greater than themselves. Not everything, however, had been lovely since today; in just one day, you had experienced so many bizarre things, such as getting on and off a train multiple times, plunging into the abyss, losing your only possessions and privacy, and the icy manner in which Four revealed that Amity's weak initiative would cause Factionless status since she lacked the necessary bravery. What if the ability to be emotionally strong and emotionally detached came at the expense of not feeling pain when catastrophes like these occurred?
You understood that this was just the beginning of your new life. This was only a preview of what lay ahead. And now, you could see it. Dauntless was incredibly well-organized and accustomed to taking risks: listening to instructions, putting mutual trust in one another to lead you securely, and acting without giving it any thought. They had to be tough to withstand not only the physical pressure, but also the emotional pressure of losing everything they have because of it. They forced you to perform all of these tasks today for that reason. You weren't sure if you were simply interpreting things too literally. Your mind was trained to think logically and rationally and gather all the information you could. Was it your overthinking alone, or was there something else at play?
Although it would take you some time to get to it and forget your old patterns, you were certain that you would figure it out, or else you wouldn't have been selected as Dauntless. But you had never thought so much about them in that way to realize the sacrifices that had to be made, and you felt stupid for not realizing before, that just like in Erudite, that was much more than intelligence, here it was not just about being brave and fighting.
And with that thought you began to close your eyes unconsciously and fell into a deep sleep as tomorrow impatiently arrived.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
I FINISHED THIS!! YAY!! :D (I’m happy it’s finally over)
It’s the amedot epilogue. COMPLETELY AMEDOT, kind of a continuation of the previous fic Falling For You. But it’s still the epilogue of the main connverse plot xD
PS: I FINALLY LEARNT TO USE THE “SHARE” THING!! XD
Aaliyah Hernandez ‘03 liner. Huge Beyoncé fan, like it is that serious. Yunjin’s best friend since middle school, only moved to Korea because she asked her to. Currently at Yonsei studying to become a doctor.
Andrew Joseph Venegas or just Drew. ‘00 liner, studying fashion at Yonsei. Biggest aespa fan ever, like he will fight over them.
Meret Manon Bannerman or just Manon. ‘01 liner, studying prelaw at Yonsei. Huge SM stan as well as an Ariana Grande fan.
Hanni Pham ‘04 liner, studying veterinary at SNU. Runs a stan acc for 1D and 5SOS, however she loves aespa. Met Aaliyah when she fell down at the subway station and messed up her knee, Aaliyah, being a med student, was the only one to help her starting their friendship.
Sohee Lee ‘03 liner. Studies engineering at Yonsei, but as a backup. Is beginning to rise in the skate scene and is endorsed by Redbull. Met Aaliyah when he tried to ask her out, was rejected but still wanted to be friends anyways.
Yunjin Huh ‘01 Liner. Part of Le sserafim. Is the reason why Aaliyah moved to South Korea. Became friends with everyone through Aaliyah. In a situationship with Giselle.
