I was born into a world of black and white. Everything seemed corrupted, everything seemed...fake. Amity was supposed to be the faction of peace, but everyone was too happy here to be real. Dad told me about the peace serum in the bread, and I actively avoided it. Maybe that's why everything seemed so bleak and fake to me. Or maybe I'm just different. Difference is not tolerated well here, so I hide it.

Everyone in my family knew I was turning 16 soon, and it was the tradition to remain in Amity even if our test results should say different. The bulk of us mostly stayed in our faction, and the ones who are defiant were disowned. Nobody recently committed that crime, but I was sure preparing myself for it. Amity is full of fakes, and I am not one of them.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" I lurched up, my head pounding and throbbing from last night. Today was my first official day of being 16, but it felt like I was middle aged. For many days now my head has been wracked with fears of choosing between the factions, and it was soon causing me worse and worse headaches. Not to mention, the Amity lifestyle certainly didn't help me. How could I be peaceful when I was in so much pain?

The day started off like any other. I slid out of my bed, dressed myself, combed what hair I had, and walked out the door. Hygiene was mostly done at night, but all the necessities were things I never forgot to accomplish. My room was rather simple. There was a bed, a dresser, a desk where many pictures hung along the bulletin board, and a closet where all my clothes were. It was simple, but I liked simplicity.

As I descended the stairs into the kitchen, the smell of breakfast filled my nose and caused my mouth to water. My mother was exceptionally good at making breakfast, for most her time was spent as a cook for the whole Amity faction during public feasts. I inhaled slightly, and began to walk towards the table, where my father and younger brother already sit, waiting.

It seemed, even with his head stuck in the paper, my dad was aware of my presence before I even sat down, and his brows furrowed as he spoke in his gruff voice; "Good morning, Dominik."

"Good morning, pa," I reply, my voice monotone due to the early morning. Today was the day of the aptitude tests, and it was something I dreaded the most. My younger brother, Wren, still had two years to go before he would have to choose, and my father has already given me the talk to set a good example for him. No matter what I got on my aptitude test, I was set for Amity. But what I really wanted.. I wanted something different. I wanted something new, something that could draw me in.

I was always the smartest kid in my class, and the most agile in the field. I was both selfless and kind, as well as honest. In me I saw all five factions, but of course we could only be one. I was nothing special. I just blew up everything little thing I did. Life wasn't hard within the walls of Amity and I didn't mind spending my time here, but it wasn't the lifestyle I desired.

Every day was the same, nothing ever changed. In Abnegation, nothing ever changed. In Candor, nothing ever changed. The Dauntless were reckless and stupid, and the Erudite were cocky. Everything appealed to me, but so did nothing at all. Maybe I'll just end up being factionless, I thought with a roll of my eyes. However, a voice caught me off guard, "Son, answer your father."

I glanced towards my mother, who took a break from her cooking to turn her gaze towards me. My brows quirked, and I glanced towards my dad who even took his paper down, staring at me as if I were crazy. I glanced to the side, my face heating up slightly. "I'm sorry, I was thinking."

"No thinking is needed, son." My father chuckled, but there was a haunting edge to his voice. Despite this being Amity, it seemed he was the complete opposite. His demeanor on the outside was jolly, but I could always sense the hidden animosity in his voice. "We already know you're going to choose Amity, I mean, who hasn't? You belong here with your family, Dominik."

Yeah, right. I bite my lip and nod my head along with his statement, but I continued to drift into thought. What will I choose? Maybe I could avoid drama if I stayed in Amity; but oh, how I desired so much more.

As soon as breakfast was over, Wren and I went out to do our normal daily duties. Our family owned a garden near the outskirts of the Amity compound, and we tended to it every day. Both of our parents worked day after day, all day long. My father worked for the government, and our mother worked for Amity's higher-ups. During these days, even the day of the Aptitude test, we were consequently alone. That is, until it's time to head to the city.

I leaned over to look at Wren, who was busy plowing into a new field that we had harvested just recently, preparing it for the next crop. My hand reached out, and grabbed his shoulder. He shuddered at the touch, as if scared, but turned his head towards me, "What is it, Dom?"

I forget how fragile he is sometimes. Wren was born sickly, and did not often take well to surprises. His heart condition worsened whenever he was in the city, in the fumes and in the hectic life. That's why he commonly stayed in the Amity compound, home schooled by out mother and tested by an Erudite teacher, who traveled to our faction specifically for him.

I was jealous of him. He never had seen life outside of Amity save a few times, and it would not be difficult for him to make a decision. But then again, I wasn't him, and I didn't know what goes through his head. With a gentle sigh, I shake his head, "Today is the test, and I want you to know, that whatever I get and whatever I choose, I will always love you."

Wren gave a slight smile. Despite our closeness, he was completely ignorant. What I said seemed to be reassurance for him, but it was mostly me trying to tell him that I wasn't going to be in Amity anymore, most likely. That I was going away and betraying my family. But was I just going to say that to him right then and there? I could be considered a murderer if I did such-perhaps by giving the poor boy a heart attack just from my bluntness.

Instead, I shake my head, and offer him a grin of my own. We get back to work, and soon I forget about everything I just said. Or tried to say.

Soon, the time to leave was upon me, and my parents waved me off as the bus came to pick me up. The road was dirt for the most part, and kicked up dirt behind the bus as we headed towards the gates. On our sides I could see many Amity members plowing in the fields and playing with one another, occasionally waving us off as we went by. Then we got to the gates. The drive checked with the guards, and they let us in-the Dauntless ruled this territory. Their gruff appearance normally made me sick to my stomach, but it also intrigued me. I certainly was not cut out for that faction.

As we began to ventured into the city, the landscape changed. The fields of grass began to turn into concrete, and buildings began to spring up from the ground, getting taller and mightier as the bus continued on. I knew this area well, I rode it every day, but because we were the outer faction we had to stop and pick up Erudite as well. Abnegation and Candor rode one bus together, and the Dauntless took the train. Although it was crowded, I was thankful we weren't all riding one bus together.

The bus came to a slow stop at Erudite's headquarters, and the teens began filling up the bus. As of late, many of the factions haven't had many kids due to an outbreak of diseases; parents feared for their young infants and thus temporarily stopped. However, Erudite soon found a cure and it was demolished. Our generation was the smallest recorded generation in all of the faction's history. And even as Erudite began to fill up the bus, there were still a few empty seats shared between the two factions.

A bright-haired Erudite girl sat next to me, her nose stuck in a book. My eyes couldn't help but wander on the pages, sneaking in every word I could. I watched it for a good ten minutes, but for the past ten minutes she had no turned a single page. Were Erudite slow readers? However, a cough caught me off guard, and I glanced as the girl crinkled her nose, "Done yet?"

My hand cautiously tugs at the collar of my yellow shirt, tugging at it slightly and grunting lightly. My reply was slow yet shaky, "Y..yeah. Sorry, I was curious as to what you were reading."

At first she seemed skeptical, but then she offered a smile and flipped to the cover of the book, keeping her finger wedge between where her place was. Her eyes glinted with a desire to suck in knowledge-it was a glint I rather enjoyed. On the cover read "Psychology of Human Emotions", which was certainly something that caught my attention. Perhaps she was looking into becoming a doctor, or perhaps one of the scientists working in the aptitude test department.

With a slight chuckle, she brushed her hair behind her ear and caught my eyes. The shine in her glasses threw me off but I could tell that her eyes were a glassy gray, but attractive nonetheless. No, I would never be attracted to an Erudite girl. I was Amity, I could not let infatuation alter any decision I might make. Her voice was surprisingly soft, and held a deep tone to it, "My, my.. you seem like someone who belongs in Erudite. Your curiosity certainly extends past most of my classmates."

I chuckle slightly, trying to sound interested. Although I'm sure someone as smart as her (or at least she looked very smart to me) would be able to see the lie I hid in my choking voice. Yet, I continued on to say, "Perhaps so. We will see what the Aptitude test has to say, aye?"

Her giggle was sweet, feather-light on my ears, and it drew me in. My hand so desperately wanted to reach for her own, but I reminded myself; Erudite are known for their manipulative behavior. Don't let her get to you. She adjusts her glasses and pulls her hand from the book, before shifting it into my lap, "Here, I think you'll like this better than me. But you'd better not let your Amity buddies see it, they might think you're betraying them."

We both laughed on that one, and I shuffled the book under my bag, which I brought with me occasionally and filled it with food to give to anyone who felt hungry. It was part of Amity chivalry. I whisper a slight thanks, before grabbing an apple from my bag and sliding it into her own hands, "And have this, too. Picked fresh."

She gratefully accepted it, and placed it in her own bag. We neared the Hub, and my attention was diverted from her towards the tall building. No matter how many times I visited this place, it was still new to me. The height she sheer and it seemed to touch the clouds, and it impressed me even after sixteen years of coming here. I was interrupted from my viewing when the girl tugged on my shoulder sleeve.

I turn back and stare towards her with quirked brows, but her face held an innocent look to it. It was completely different from before; she could change within a second, and it not only caught my attention and sparked curiosity, but it also frightened me. He lips moved in unison, a perfect dance as her words sang off her lips; "My name is Jeanine Matthews, by the way."

Shaking off my apparent worry, I grin and scratch the back of my head, chuckling softly. Ah yeah, names. Although my voice wasn't as nearly as grown-up as her own, I reply back with a certain low tone in it: "Dominik Alrekur."

Jeanine and I had to depart when we got off the bus, and were respectively grouped with our own factions. We lined the tables that kept us with our own groups, and we began our normal games and such. The Dauntless were rowdy as usual, the Candor debating god knows what, the Erudite reading and discussing, and the Abnegation quietly staringamongeach other.

It was weird, how each faction could be so different although each one of us were all the same in a sense. Well, we were all human. I had glanced over to Jeanine, who had her nose in another book-she must have brought two, I thought quietly to myself with a chuckle. However, hands clapped in my face and caught me off guard. Before me stood an Amity boy I hardly knew, smirking lightly, "Hey, Stiff, stop making googly eyes at the Erudite!"

The people are our table gave a slight laugh; they had insulted me in two ways. A Stiff was referred to as a member of Abnegation, and of course I'm betraying my faction by taking interested in the Erudite. Nevertheless, they were just teasing, and I was never bothered by that. I grin, turning back towards the boy, "Perhaps you need to start learning from the Erudite soon, mister failing-math-class."

The crowd gave a slight 'ooh', and the boy chuckled and backed off. There were no hard feelings between Amity, as peace was kept between us and any hard feelings and fighting never went without punishment. Boys will be boys, no matter what faction. My eyes wander over to a group of Abnegation boys, who quietly prod at their lunch, offering it to anyone who seemed hungrier. Well, I thought slowly to myself, most boys.

Time had passed by and I didn't even notice my name being called until someone tapped my shoulder, telling me to head up. I stood up, fixed my shirt, and began to walk towards the testing rooms. Abnegation did all the testing, and I was thankful for that, because I would much rather be with Abnegation than the Dauntless or Erudite testers-Abnegation seemed the softest when it came to things like these.

I walked into the room and saw a young woman there, her lips curved into a welcoming grin. The room was covered in mirrors, and I could see myself from all different sides. My body was well-built from being in the field all day, but a few scars flawed my skin, and my chin was a bit too stubby. My ears were big, too. Ignoring my appearance, I turned towards the woman and quirked my brows somewhat. She was.. extremely young. As if just a year ago she had joined the faction. But maybe I was underestimating her.

I saw a chair, and I hesitated to get into it, but the woman silently coaxed me into it, reassuring me with incoherent whispers. Maybe my head was spinning to hard, or my heart was pounding my ears and blocked my hearing, but as her lips moved, no words came out. This is it, I get no second chances. This will be the decider of things. I settle my back against the chair, and the last thing I hear before the lady hands me a liquid is: "Drink this, and do your best."

I nod once, and I pour the liquid into my mouth, swallowing it in one large gulp. I twinged at the taste, but before I could complain my eyes began to flutter closed, and I drifted off into a light sleep. Then, the test began.