Chapter One

Beatrice (Seven years old)

I jump out of bed excited because today is when my mom cuts my hair. That means I get to look at my reflection today. I get to see what I look like.

I make my bed and get dressed. I don't put my hair up because it will just have to come down anyway. I sit down with the rest of my family at the table. We bow our heads and say a pray. Then we begin eating. When I am finished I clear everyone else's plates and take them to caleb to do the dishes. My mother comes in moments later helping us.

We don't talk to much while we are cleaning up because it would be to selfish. No matter how hard I try I just can't seem to be completely selfless, instead I pretend to be brave like dauntless when I am alone. It comes easy to my perfect brother Caleb. He never has second thought about opening a door or giving up a seat.

When we are finished I tell my mom that I will go and set up for her to cut my hair. I say it a little to egar and find Caleb silently scolding me with one of his looks.

My mother has always been what I think is the perfect abnegation. She reaches the top of the stairs and comes over to me. She enters the code to open the cover for the mirror as I sit down. I try to contain myself so it's not to obvious when I look at myself but it doesn't work to well. My mother notices immediately. I look at the ground and she says "With your hair down you look like a dauntless." That comment makes me smile.

"When I get to choose, I am going to dauntless," I say confident in my choice still smiling.

"Well, that would suit you very well. Dauntless would be lucky to have someone like you." She gives me a hug. At first I don't recognize what she is doing so, then I relax so I'm not so stiff. Maybe that's where we get the name stiff.

She then grabs the scissors and begins cutting so it an inch or two below my shoulders. Before she closes the mirror I catch on last glimpse of myself and try to remember it.

Next day

It is the day of the choosing ceremony and this year it is abnegations turn to lead it. The choosing ceremony is when you decide if you want to stay in your faction or if you want to become a traitor to your old faction. I don't understand why you are viewed as a traitor. They tell you it's your choice but then judge you with the rest of your old faction, doesn't make sense to me.

Since abnegation is hosting and my father is the leader of abnegation we will be going to watch and help clean up. We get up and eat breakfast as any normal day in abnegation. But what none of us knew is that it wouldn't be just any normal day.

We get to the bus stop just as the bus is pulling up. We all get on and find seats. Even though we all sit down it's only until someone needs a seat or the seat where we are sitting. That happens pretty soon and every abnegation except for me all get up and out of their seats and stand up to let people sit. (rework) Caleb sits back down and waits until the next stop to get up and let someone on. The bus pulls up to the edge of the curve and then it is like everything starts going in slow motion.

I can sense something wrong but I can't figure it out. As we pull away caleb notice's someone is standing so he offers her a seat. She has two boys both around my age. My mother notice's her and says hello like they are old time friends which I don't really understand. But I don't have anytime to think about it because the bus is toppling over, glass is shattering, people are holding on for dear life. This woman next to me grabbed me and saved me along with her boys. I don't hear myself screaming but i know it's happening. I am yelling for my family, like it would help. I don't remember starting to cry but it's happening. I don't remember making the decision to cling on to the woman next to me for dear life but I don't let go and neither does she. I don't remember much other than the fact that I was told everyone in

my

family

died that day.

I didn't go to the choosing ceremony with my parents because they were no longer alive. I didn't go and see my father host the choosing ceremony because he wasn't here. I didn't go and sit with the abnegation and see who the new people are. Instead I went to the hospital and was tended to for my wounds. Everything else was really a blur. I remember that the women that my mom knew from dauntless on the bus, was always there for me. She sat by my hospital bed 24/7 and would always make sure that I had food and was healthy.

I later learned that her name was Hana, and she was my mom's best friend when she was in dauntless. I never knew that about my mom. I guess I really didn't know much about my parents history and where they were from.

I was allowed to leave the hospital but I had nowhere to go. I didn't have any other family that I knew of. Only thing left of the prior family was me. We didn't have that many close friends in abnegation so no one knew what to do with me. Even though abnegation are selfless no one wanted a broken child, especially me and how terrible I was at being abnegation.

Hana didn't hesitate a second when she saw some CPS agents (child protective services) from candor in the hall talking about my situation. She responded immediately.

"Her mother and I were very close friends just a couple of years ago in Dauntless. Natalie was a transfer to abnegation from dauntless, even after she transferred we still got in touch with each other every few months or so just to catch up. Recently she brought some legal work saying I had legal rights over her children if anything were to happen to Natalie and Andrew. I signed them without second thought," I heard her say through the cracked door. I teared up thinking she was going to say she didn't want I was going to be a burden.

"She lost the papers and never turned them in. We were planning on me signing new ones but we never go to do that," She takes a breath and gets really serious, I am still fighting back tears not knowing what to think. Uriah notices and comes to hold my hand also listening on the conversation outside. "I will do anything to keep that child. Her mother would want me to have legal custody. I have a steady job with good income. I can provide for her. I will have legal custody."

The candor agents sound a little scared when they say they will have to talk with the leader or something and that as of right now she has temporary custody of me for the next few months until they figure some stuff out. Uriah squeezes my hand and I can't hold back the tears anymore. I start whaling. I just let everything out. I cry for caleb. I cry for my mom. I cry for my Dad. I cry because Hana wants me, I'm not a burden to her. I cry because her family cares about me. I cry because everything will be ok even if it's not right now.