Forgetting Tomorrow 1
Author Note: Hello, my fellow initiates. :) Now, while I am obviously not new to the world of fanfiction, this is my first fic for Divergent. Please don't judge me too harshly to begin with or be too terribly rough; feel free to criticize, but I'm going off not having read Insurgent and my own take on some things. This story will be taking place about the time Divergent begins and will eventually merge with those characters as well.
Enjoy! ^^
"Come on, you little wimp." A cruel face sneers at me bitterly, shoving the burning cigarette to my tightly sealed lips. "Just take a drag, it's not like one will kill you."
"But it does contain nicotine," I whisper hoarsely after guarding my mouth with my palm turned toward him. "And that will lead to an addiction as bad as yours."
He sneers, obviously displeased with my decision. Behind him, our peers begin to snicker as they take puffs of their own cigarettes, the smell filling the bathroom heavily and bouncing off the tiles. Since honesty and truthfulness is the most valued thing among the faction members, my classmates often mix when smoking or doing other secret things in the bathrooms, not really caring on the assigned gender. It was just pure inconvenience they chose the girls' room today, and I couldn't wait until the bell to go to the restroom today.
This, of course, has landed me into being harassed by the other Candor students.
The boy continues to smirk as he flips his cigar around, the sizzling end sinking into my flesh carelessly. I yelp, stumbling backwards and nearly knocking over the Abnegation girl trying to work her way through the crowd. She steadies me instantly, looking concerned, but it seems too forced. I merely duck my head and push away from the laughing crowd along her side, wanting nothing more than to tell those students how I feel about them.
Honesty is our main focus, but that doesn't mean we have to always say what we think. At least, I try not too.
"Are you alright?" the Abnegation whispers in my ear as we're rushing down the hallway, color lighting up both of our faces.
I sigh quietly. "Of course not, but I will be. Thanks for asking, though."
That's that for our meeting, since she takes the turn for the Math hallway while I scurry to English. The burn on my hand is minor but painful, though I've grown used to be shoved around by the more blunt and cruel students. Most of them, I imagine, while stay in this faction, and have a grand time going through initiation. It wouldn't be that challenging for them after all; they never hide anything, even without the truth serum.
"Cicely," a familiar whisper greets me from behind. "What happened?"
"They tried to force me into smoking again," I admit reluctantly. "One of them burnt my hand a little bit, but it's not worth getting upset about."
"Yes it is." I can hear the frown in her voice but am grateful she doesn't say anything after the bell has sounded. No matter how caring or worrisome Carrington is, she simply doesn't have it in her nature to press someone on anything.
Three bells later, school has finally ended for the day, and all of the factions are piling into the buses. Though we're not considered members yet, everybody sticks with the kind they were raised with, though it's unfortunate that means I'm with the Candor. I do not hate them or resent them- I merely don't get along with them and they have always disliked me. There's always been a part of me that knew I didn't belong in this faction, but now that tomorrow's the day of the aptitude test, I hardly feel ready for it. I'm hesitant to venture into new territory just like anybody else would be, but I'm even more terrified for what will happen to my sister when I'm gone.
I stick close to Carrington's side as the bus begins making it's usual rounds. As usual, the Eridute sit toward the front while the Amity/Abnegation sit in the middle, leaving us Candor and the Dauntless crammed in the back. Most of the children are the stereotyped 'bad kids', though, so I suppose it's fitting enough. Cari and I are just forced to breath in the sweaty, poisoned air throughout the journey back. Out of all of the faults I see in this particular faction, it's the rawness that all of the obvious future initiates have about their true colors and behavior. They honestly do not care about the consequences of their reckless actions, and that is accepted in the faction neighborhoods.
"Do you think they'll ever straighten up?" Cari asks me as somebody yanks the back of her school tie, probably to offer her some drug she doesn't want.
I shake my head, letting my auburn hair curtain my face. "Hardly."
As we do everyday, though, we are finally freed from the noisy crowd and are able to walk toward our respective homes. We live a couple of houses apart, which is one of the main reasons we became friends when we were so young. Our silence lasts only until about halfway to our respective homes.
"Are you nervous about the next couple of days?" she inquires.
I consider the question. "Well, yes, I am," I admit.
She offers me a weak, empathetic smile. "I understand where you're coming from. Where I plan on going is practically the bipolar opposite of this faction."
It's not question that Cari was meant to be an Amity; everyone who met her or so much as saw her knew it. Among the blacks and white our our standard community, she would dare to wear slightly brighter colors, and to even grow a garden in front of her home. Her parents permitted it, though they constantly talked down to her for it, and tolerated her typically upbeat nature. I was compelled to it, unlike most of the other Candors, and I easily found myself wearing a couple of bright ribbons of holidays and helping her with her gardening. Unlike her parents, my mother didn't permit it and nearly everything I did with Cari was kept from her, but it still proved satisfying.
I chuckle softly at her comment. "It'll be worth it, I'm positive."
She fixes her curious bright blue eyes on my own brown ones now. "What about you? Where do you want to go?"
"That's a tricky question," I say quietly, plucking my gaze from hers and studying the colorless sidewalk instead.
She seems to catch onto my reluctance fairly quickly and grows silent herself. I'm sure I'm not the only one unsure about what faction I'll choose in a couple of days, but among the other Candor, it seems like I'm the only one. It's such a simple choice for them and any of them would tell me I should feel the same, but I've never fit in or particularly enjoyed this lifestyle. If I leave, though, I'll be leaving her to suffer for another five years.
"See you tomorrow, then." Cari's voice brings me back to reality. I offer her a weak smile as she does the same to me; she's the only one who gets why the decision will be hard on me, especially after what happened last year.
I pull her into a gentle hug, a sign of affection that not many Candor use. She gratefully accepts it, and I savor the moment. Though Cari and I are not interested in each other in a romantic way, I do love her and consider it to my sister. If I stay here, losing her will be as hard as losing my biological sister.
The second I walk through the front door, rapid footsteps pound down the stairs excitedly. A huge grin instantly spreads across my face as I throw open my own arms, even before she can fling her small form against my body. Despite the drama I face with my fellow pre-members of the Candor faction, I still have her in this often bleak place, and that keeps me going more than anything else.
"How was your day, kiddo?" I ask affectionately to the small eleven year old clinging onto my uniform.
"It was good!" she chirps cheerfully, her classic smile making her large dark blue eyes shine. "How about yours?"
"Decent enough, I suppose," I say gently, moving to sit in a kitchen chair and allowing her to re-position herself comfortably in my lap. Despite being a preteen, she still looks about seven or eight, which makes her all that more adorable. "Is Mom home yet?"
She shakes her head before resting it on my chest. Both of us know that 'Mom' isn't our biological mother, but we've grown used to calling her that despite it being the truth. Our real parents were both killed in the same factory accident that killed her husband, and the council assigned for us as well as our older brother to be cared for by her. My little sister was merely three when that happened, so she has the benefits and disadvantages of not remembering much about them, unlike our brother, who was ten at the time, and myself, being seven.
"Cicely?" she inquires softly.
"Yes, Leslie?" I gently stroke her sandy-brown hair that matched our real mother's.
"Are you going to go on Choosing Day?"
This question has been asked many times and I have failed to respond with total truth. When I do reply, the Candor typically can tell that I'm not certain about my choice, and that I'm lying when I say I am. It's embarrassing, but the reality is a lot worse.
"Do you want me too?" I inquire quietly, already knowing the answer.
She does manage to surprise me slightly, however. "Of course I don't want you to go, but if you do, I totally understand."
I look down and meet her wide-eyed gaze. "That's very mature of you, Leslie. I respect that."
My sister responds with a gentle smile that reminds me of Cari's and buries her face into my chest. "I understand kind of like you understood why Casey left. He seems happy, right?"
"That's right," I muse, stroking down her hair softly further. "But won't you be lonely here?"
"I bet I can handle Mom," she cuts to the point, though with a small, soft giggle at the end. "I'll knock her block off if she tries to hurt me."
I can't help but laugh myself. She's just repeating what our brother used to tell us before he chose the Eridute faction, and yet how she says it is so much more cute than the protective way he said it.
"I just want you to stay safe," I remind her gently, also echoing the words of my brother as I hold her a bit tighter to my form. "You're one of the most important things in the world to me, you know."
I feel her smile in my chest and can't help but feel sad I as do the same into the top of her head. I'm completely Candor-like in my bond with my siblings and friends, but one by one, I've managed to lose them. Now I'm going to potentially lose the last two people I value out of the original two, and nobody truthfully knows what that will do for any of us.
It's practically time for my choice already, but to be honest, being factionless sounds the most appealing right now.