The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity. -Robert Anthony

Mom is screaming again.

Groaning, I roll over, my pillow bending over my ear to muffle her shouts.

It's fucking three in the morning. Is this necessary?

A soft creak of my bedroom door and dull light slithering across the carpet suggests Andi is awake too. Despite how my eyelids feel like they each weigh two tons, I lift my head to meet the lean silhouette standing in my doorway.

"Are you awake?" she asks, her spidery fingers still wrapped around the brass handle.

Dad was yelling something back at Mom, a large fist smashing into the counter. Andi shudders at the muffled crash and further slips into my room.

"Yeah, how could I not be?" I grumble, my irritation difficult to bury.

They're like dysfunctional alarm clocks. No wonder I get no fucking sleep.

Andi pauses and I can tell her lips are pressing together.

"The vents carry the yelling even more into my room. It sounds like they're actually in my room," Andi squeaks. I flop back over to my other side, my hammock swaying over the carpet.

"Feel free to sleep in here then," I mutter, desperate for some shut eye. "You can still hear them, but it's not as loud."

"Thank you."

Andi clicks my door shut once more and makes herself the usual nest in my pile of stuffed animals. I turn back over to look at her as she almost disappears into the mountain of fluff. Her small frame nestles neatly between my large dog and teddy bear, stray tigers and wolves sprawling their limp legs over the rest of her torso and legs. Within a few moments, her breath becomes slow and steady. Enough to convince me she's asleep.

I shift again, resting my hands behind my head, listening to the continuing shouts downstairs.

It shocks me they don't wake the whole city, damn fools, I think bitterly but I strain to listen to the argument anyway.

"…Ceremony…decisions…own person!"

For God's sake. Not this again.

"…never…!"slam "my…daughters to go…"slam.

"Why do I even bother?" I grumble to myself, shutting out the glowing stars on my ceiling. Figures they were pissy about that. How could I not have seen that coming?

Defeated and not wanting to hear more, I stuff my head under my blanket and pillow, Mom and Dad's yelling becoming a little less distracting.

The Following Afternoon…

If there is any serum the Erudite needed to develop, it's one that can keep you awake for hours on end with no side effects.

"Jay! I would love it if you paid attention!" my teacher-speaking of Erudite-huffs.

"I would love it if you would make this less dull," I grumble, crossing my arms.

"Well," Ms. Nose swelled her chest, "I deeply apologize for not doing enough back flips to entertain you."

Still wouldn't make me care about History of Factions, I think.

"You'd have to give this whole lesson while skydiving in order to make it even remotely interesting."

I ignore her accusations, her face contorting into offended shock and lean my head back on the wall, my arms surrounding bunch of Abnegation students shoot me subtle but disapproving glances. Slight defeat etched at me.

"Stop staring at me," I glower, igniting my eyes with as much fire as I can.

"Sorry," one mutters, ducking his shaved head down and diverting his eyes to the board. "But you were being rude."

His fellow faction mates cast him glances as if warning him what I was capable of doing. I lift an eyebrow none the less, thouroghly impressed with him.

"Jay, keep quiet," Nose warns but I uncross my arms.

"No," I defy, "I want to hear what he has to say."

The boy's eyes turn to mine, blue fires contrasting with my own.

He's pissed...I read his clenching jaw and twitching knuckles, he would love to put me in my place.

"I said too much. I'm sorry."

Impressive self control.

"Come on, Stiff," I push, smirking, "say exactly what you think."

"Jay-!"

"I said," the boy starts, anger threading through his voice. He inhales, meeting my taunting eyes again and finishes, "I'm sorry. I offended you."

So close.

I roll my eyes.

"You've got no spine," I sigh and the bell tones before Nose can kick me out of class.

Grabbing my back, I sling it over my shoulder before bounding over desk tops to drop in front of the door, cutting off another Abnegation student. She backs away and allows me to pass through and I disappear into the crowd of students.

"Oi! Jay!" Victoria waves me down and I trot up to her.

"Food time!"

Within minutes, I am picking at my tray near the windows of the dining hall, watching the vegetables tumble over my fork. I click my lip ring on my front teeth, the metallic taste jolting across the tip of my tongue.

"You're awfully quiet, Jay," Victoria glides into the seat next me.

"Long day," I murmur, leaning back in my chair and allowing my back to crack. "Feeling like crap from this morning is not mixing well with the whole "Abnegation people all hate you whether they admit it or not" thought. Not that it matters what a bunch of Stiffs think, but it still hurts me, to a degree."

"I don't see why you care so much."

I slick a stray strand of hair behind my ear, the piercings slightly pulling as I do so.

"You of all people should understand my thinking by now," I sigh. "And God damn, if I don't get any sleep tonight..."

"Parents arguing again?" Victoria inquires through a mouthful of vegetables.

"At three a.m. sharp this time. Poor Andi had to sleep in my room," I finish through a yawn.

Victoria raises an eyebrow and then begins to rummage around in her backpack.

"I wonder what she's going to do when her sister decides to leave," she says.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I snap, shocked.

Victoria only shrugs.

"What makes you think I want to leave Dauntless?"

She shrugs again and slides her history text book from her pack.

"I don't know. You…well…I don't know. It was stupid of me to say…you have enough to worry about."

Victoria flips through the thick book and I cross my arms again.

"Damn straight I do. Now I get to worry about you thinking…whatever it is you're thinking," I pop the cap off the water bottle and keep a steady eye on her. Victoria doesn't flinch, like I was hoping she would, and tosses her black hair behind her shoulder.

"I just blurted something out. I said I was sorry."

Second time I've heard that today.

"Maybe you should switch to Candor," I retort and Victoria's face contorts in disgust.

"I'd beat the hell out of all them."

I shrug and sip my water.

"You're still as loud mouth as they are," my eyes diverting away from her.

"Look who's talking!"

Though she sounds as if she's accusing me and her face expresses shallow anger, her emerald eyes are laughing. I laugh too.

"You know it's funny," I tease and chug the remaining beverage.

"Oh shut up," Victoria snaps but I catch a twitching smile as she whips her head out of my view, onyx hair covering her shoulder.

I shrug again as the bell tolls. Victoria is the first to stand and we toss the remaining garbage into the can before gripping the metal railing across from us.

"I dare you to do a flip," Victoria sneers playfully.

"Don't I always?" I purr, quickly double checking no one was directly beneath me. I hoist myself over the rail, my body parallel to it for a moment before I let out a carefree shout and spin myself around, midair. Landing in a crouch I shudder in delight and Victoria mirrors my actions.

"My flip was better," she brags as she begins to skip off to our class.

"Please."

I roll my eyes and shove her into a locker.

"Hey!" she shoves back, trying not to laugh. "You did more of a turn anyway!"

"It counts," I smirk and refocus my vision back down the hall. Other Dauntless students give me nods while in the midst of their own play fights and jumping over the railings from floor to floor. Victoria's loud laughs weave in with other boys of our faction as they pass us, not heeding Abnegation students pressing themselves against walls to stay out their way.

For people that try so hard to stay in the shadows, it's the Abnegation students I notice most often. Something about them…how they were so quiet and suppressed...it makes them the most interesting to read. It's intriguing to see how some of them are genuinely all into their faction, soft smiles and nods, the way they glide in and out of the path of others. With people like them, it's more of a dance. There's a certain grace to the genuine Abnegation, the ones that I know will choose to stay with their families when the day comes.

Then there are the ones that don't want to be a part of Abnegation anymore. Those people only go through the motions. Something they have to suppress. How rigid their bodies are when they move out of my way while I run and laugh through the hallway. The almost frightened look, as if I'll punch them out if they don't move and yet I can see glittering respect as well. How free we Dauntless are, some of them want it.

Victoria nudges me, snapping my train of thought and jerks her head to the left.

"Do you know him?" she asks.

I glance over her shoulder to briefly meet the gaze of the Abnegation boy from History. His blue eyes lock on mine, the familiar fire returning to them.

"Oh," I remark, almost surprised, "well, sort of. All of them look the same."

Victoria stares at me in disbelief.

"Jay! You don't just say that!"

I cock an eyebrow and break the awkward eye contact with the boy.

"God are you a bitch today," Victoria hisses at me as we walk away.

"It's not as though I go out of my way to be nice."

"Well, you could try a couple times!"

I shrug.

"Not our faction's job, my dear."