Factionless use to be a title worn with shame, for those who slipped through the cracks of the faction system.
However as the years went on many kids started to be born apart from the faction system.
Soon being factionless was no longer thought of as being rejected by the system but as a group of people rejecting the system.
Our motto is "Blood above Faction." more specifically our own blood. It's the idea of putting ourselves and our own ideals of what we want in life rising above the system.
Never before has anyone transferred out of factionless. It's either because I'm the only one that's wanted to, or anyone that has knew that they'd risk eternal resentment from their families. My parents, John and Evelyn Johnson, are looked to as the leader of this rebellion and I am looked at by every kid as the example of rebellious.
Only I didn't choose this life, I was born into it. So far I've spent my days faking a disobedient attitude because honestly there's no life outside of this for me. Even if I did get into a faction like Dauntless everybody back here would know that for sixteen years I was just acting. Well, I am but if my parents found out they'd most likely disown me.
"Hey look I'm a Dantless." I said hanging upside down by a fire escape.
The factionless don't have houses we have alleyways and each individual family crouches by a certain space by a wall. It's not so bad. Abnegation gives us all the food and clothes we need.
I'm supposed to resent them.
I'm supposed to think of them as self-righteous bone-heads but I don't. I don't see anything wrong with wanting to help people. Without Abnegation the factionless wouldn't even be a community we would just be naked people who you could count on one hand because after a week on our own we'd starved to death.
I'm not supposed to be grateful to them though, so I act like I'm not.
I tucked some of my dress into the leggings they gave me as I hung upside down. I could feel some of the dirty looks they were giving me and I tried to brush them off with a forced laugh. I got down and stood next to my friend Jack. I didn't un-tuck my dress because I knew if I did it might be mistaken for being considerate.
"Hey look, I'm Erudite." Jack said touching his chin and reading a sign on the wall that had our group of friends cracking up laughing.
"I've got one." I said noticing an Abnegation coming toward us with food. Time for another show. "Someone walks into the doctor's office to receive a check up and the doctor tells her, everything is fine except there's an incredibly large stick up your butt. But the person says 'Oh! Keep it there!' What faction?" I asked.
They all yelled "ABNIEGATION!" and then started howling with laughter.
We were interrupted by sound of someone clearing their throat. It was the Abnegation I saw only upon closer inspection he was a teenage boy who I had seen around before. He had brown eyes that kind of reminded me of my own.
He held a tray of food and he looked so mad; so mad that I had to be obnoxious in order to keep myself from feeling bad.
"Gee thanks Stiff." I said sarcastically grabbing a bowl from the tray. "This looks so appetizing I might just swallow it this time." My friends snickered. The boy was quiet as they took their food. Once they did he was walking away.
"Hey Stiff!" Jack called, the boy turned around slowly. "Want a tip?" Then Jack spat in his direction.
The action made my eyes shoot open and my hand go to my mouth. Then when the others started laughing I remembered that I should be too. So I laughed loudly. The boy just turned back around and walked away.
I had never seen someone react so calmly to such a degree of disrespect. And even after that incident no one was reported to the authorities, and Abnegation came back the next day with smiles on their faces as they gave us food and sweaters for the chilly weather.
That's when I knew for a fact that the faction systems were not what I was taught they were; and thus far Abnegation has earned my respect.