I look down towards the grey pathway of Abnegation, my shadow towering to my right, my robed figure mirroring onto the ground. My name is Beatrice Prior, I'm 16 this year and in a few days I have to decide which fraction I want to live in for the rest of my life. Should I leave my fraction, Abnegation or is my selflessness and loyalty towards my family not strong enough to hold me here.

It's Sunday today and I'm taking the time to think about what I'm going to choose. They said that the aptitude test results shouldn't really change our choices. But is the loyalty towards my family strong enough? Can I really live in a life full of selflessness, discouraging everything that will give me personal enjoyment, can I really stand only looking at my reflect four times a year?

I look up towards the grey houses all lined up neatly with a lawn filled with crabgrass and a dull metal mailbox. I look towards each house, silently calculating how many more houses I have to pass till I reach mine. I hear a car behind me, riding over the cracked and uneven patches of Abnegation roads. I move closer towards the houses as I hear the engines slowing down, knowing that they are going to turn soon and one of these rectangular houses belong to them. I look inside the car and smile at the driver. It's a common curtsy for us, we might hide at school and try to blend in, but at home we're free and fun and games come right at us, calling us towards them as we've spent so long without them. I watch as the car turns into a driveway. I stop and wait patiently as I wouldn't want to get hit. The driver is a stranger but wears the same grey robe as I do, her hair neatly in a bun hidden from the world. I watch as she moves towards the back of her car and open the trunk. I see the slightest of glimpse of a grocery bag and I swiftly move towards to help her. Caleb would do it, so must I. I have to be more selfless. I need to be surer, like Caleb. I approach the stranger and ask, "May I please help you with your groceries?" I smile as I said this. The stranger nods and hands me a few bags to bring inside her house. This isn't an uncommon scene in Abnegation, we are believe that time spent in self-indulgent can be better used serving someone else. I carefully balance the bags in my arms and maneuver my fingers to open her front door. The door is unlocked, like most of the houses, if not all. We trust our fraction enough to know that no one would come in and steal anything. All the houses here and built the same, with the same rooms and the same halls, it would be selfish to have a house different from everyone else. I know exactly where the kitchen is and I put down the bags on the table and move back towards the front door to help her again. From the corner of my eye I look around the house to see if there is anything different from mine. But there is nothing different. In Amity, perhaps there would be more drabs of colour, more decorations, more unique. But we don't believe in decorating, art is seen as impractical.

On my way out I pass the women who is carrying the last few bags that she has. There are only a few bags because most of what we eat is frozen or canned. The farms are too far away these days and the we can only eat what we are provided. I take a bag from her arms and help her carry it to the kitchen. We put the bags down simultaneously, "Thank you for helping me carry the bags." She says with a smile. I can see how gracious she is, her eyes light up with courteousness. I smile from the look in her eyes, Caleb would be proud of me. I know it. I walk out of the house and continue on towards back home. I look at my watch, the only "accessory" that we hold because we see it as practical. There's only twenty more minutes till we have to cook dinner. I say we, but even if it's my turn I know that Caleb will help me. It's part of his nature, I know that he will, I don't even have to ask him. Today he'll be at Susan and Robert's house, I think he's doing a project with Robert, he mentioned it before I left the house to clear my head. I should listen more; this is practice for my future.

I look at the houses and I know that I'm nearly home. If an outsider came in here, they would wonder how we could tell each house from the next. I remember when I as little and I wasn't completely selfless as the rest of Abnegation so I continuous asked questions for my own desire, I ran when I wanted too and just did what I wanted. I ran so fast that I didn't even count the houses and I had no idea how many more houses we had left to go before our own. I stopped abruptly and just waited for Caleb to calmly walk next to me. My eyes trailed down as I noticed the disapproval in his eye when he reached me. We walked side by side for another few houses and Caleb suddenly turned into a walkway. I followed behind like I didn't know any better. When we got home I asked Caleb how he knew that was home, he said he just knew. Well I didn't want to be embarrassed anymore, and after that time I tried again and again to see if I got the "feeling" that Caleb got. But I couldn't. One day at school I decided that I couldn't rely on Caleb to tell me where the house was, I couldn't show my shame towards the rest of my fraction. So I bought home a sharp rock. On the bus I could feel the sharp unusual edge poking through my bag onto my back. Caleb and I got off and started joking around like we normally did. I remember thinking Just be normal, Beatrice. He won't suspect a thing. We walked home and when I heard Caleb's room door close I sprinted down the stairs towards our dull metal mailbox, clutching the rock in my palm. I looked around to see if anyone would notice me and when the coast was clear I made a small and subtle line across the side of the mailbox. You couldn't even see it if you just glanced at it from a distance, not even if you were standing a few meters from it. This is how I differentiate my house from the rest at least. I've kept the rock ever since.

I notice a group of three robed forms around my age walking across the street, it's Caleb, Susan and Robert. They're laughing and joking around, slightly hitting each other's shoulders as a joke. I see their heads tilt up towards the sun as sign of joyfulness. I smile brightly as I slightly jog towards them - I'm not a child anymore, if I'm caught running I'll be severely punished. "Beatrice!" Caleb called out as he noticed me walking towards them. He has a wide smile on his face, his dark features gleaming in the light. I smile brightly at them. Maybe I can live like this forever.

Hey guys! This is my first fanfic in a long time.. My first one was ages ago and I just wanted to start something new! Tell me what you think of it! Please Review!