"Liar!" Her mother shouted at her over and over again as she felt a searing pain on her back. "This is your fault your lies killed him" Her mother growled then she was gone and Catalina felt a burning searing pain lick at her skin.
"Cat!" Christina said shaking the girl awake she had had the same nightmare often, but it wasn't a nightmare not really it was a memory of the night her life started to change. Christina was Cat's only friend she was two years younger and had dark skin and soft warm brown eyes her hair fell in soft curls to her shoulders she had become like a little sister to Cat since Christina's mother Ali had taken her in.
"I'm okay." Cat said her heart was racing and her pale skin was damp and felt clammy.
"Same dream?" Christina asked sitting on the edge of Cats bed. She nodded her head.
"What time is it?" Cat asked when Christina yawned.
"4 a.m." Christina answered.
"Go back to sleep I'm alright." Cat sighed they didn't need to be up until 7 to get ready for Cat's choosing ceremony.
"I don't think I want to I mean I want to spend as much time with you as I can before you leave." The younger girl said shrugging.
"What makes you so sure I'm leaving?" Cat asked raising an eyebrow.
"It's pretty obvious really you don't belong in Candor." Christina said bluntly "And I mean that in the best way your honest but not like the rest of Candor and you don't deserve the stuff people think about you after what happen 4 years ago." Christina was right Cat wasn't candor not since that night and she didn't want to stay in Candor the rest of her life not the with the way they looked at her like she was fragile like she'd snap like her mother and worst of all was the pity.
"So where do you think I belong? What do you think I got on my aptitude test?" Cat asked with a small smile.
"Dauntless. You are the bravest person I know." Christina smiled. She was right that's what Cat had got on the test. Christina yawned again.
"Go to bed Chris." Cat said softly climbing out of bed.
"Are you going for a run?" Christina asked while Cat dug through her dresser.
"Yes go to sleep I'll still be here when you wake up." Cat said changing into her black tights and white t-shirt. Christina nodded and crawled back into bed.
Cat quietly wandered down the stairs knowing that Ali wouldn't be up yet. Once outside Cat took off running she did this every time she had the nightmare it helped clear her head and she liked the burn she felt when she ran. This morning it was colder than usual fall was slowly approaching and the brisk wind bit at her skin but she didn't mind. She let her thoughts wander while she ran thinking about what today would hold. Today was her choosing ceremony the day she would choose where shed spend the rest of her life. She had gotten dauntless oh her aptitude test and that was where she was going to transfer to where she would get her chance to start over where no one would know who she was. That was what she'd wanted since that night.
Cat remembered that night like it was yesterday and not four years ago. She was just 12 years old when she had lost her father he had been attacked by a factionless man. A few weeks later her mother began to drink a lot and blamed Cat then one day she snapped. Her mother blamed her for her father's death saying it was god punishing them for Cat's dishonesty; sure her mother was right Cat had problems with being Candor sometimes she'd lie about her grades and hid disciplinary reports from her parents. Her father often found out and chastised Cat but he was kind and seemed to know that Cat wasn't meant for Candor he encouraged her to be different he would often run with her when she was upset. Her mother was different though she wanted her daughter to be Candor and when her father died and her mother snapped she had fought with Cat calling her a liar and the she hit Cat throwing her to the ground her mother kept yelling liar over and over pulling out a knife she had even decided to caver the word into her daughters back across her shoulders. Cat had passed out from the searing pain and when she woke up the house was on fire. Cat's mother died in the fire but cat had managed to climb through a window escaping with just a burn up her calf. When the sun was fully in the sky Cat ran back home knowing that soon the quiet streets of candor would soon be bustling.
"Catalina I made your favorite breakfast." Ali said and Cat wanted to cringe Ali was the only person she let call her that.
"Thank you." Cat said grabbing some pancakes sitting at the table next to Christina.
"I am going to miss you Catalina." Ali said sitting across from the girls.
"Thank you Ali for everything. I'm going to miss you too." Cat smiled she was so greatful for Ali and Christina they were the only two people in Candor who treated Cat like a normal person.
"You are going to kick so much ass in dauntless!" Christina grinned.
"Christina! Language!" Ali snapped at her daughter.
"What I'm just being honest." Christina grinned earning a glare from her mom making Cat laugh.
"Go get ready girls we don't want to be late for the ceremony." Ali said clearing the table. Cat and Christina made their way up the stairs to get ready.
Within ten minutes Cat was ready to go her pale blond hair was tied back into a bun she had chosen to wear black dress pants and a nice white blouse everyone except for abnegation dressed up for the choosing ceremony. Cat was extremely nervous in a matter of hours she'd be in a new faction starting a new life. When the girls were ready the met Ali downstairs and made their way to the ceremony. The trip was silent sadness seeped into the air Ali and Christina would truly miss Catalina and she would miss them but they were excited for her. The Ceremony droned on the leader of Amity was conducting the ceremony Cat wasn't paying much attention to what was going on she just listened to the people whispering about her from behind.
"Hey how about you shut up and pay attention to the ceremony." Cat said turning around and quietly snapping at them. They looked at her in shock with fear in their eyes. She sighed and turn back around Christina grinned at her.
"Catalina Belore" Joanna the Amity leader called her name this was it; it was her turn to choose her future.
Cat walked up to the stage looking around the room filled with people and color Erudite's clad in blue, the bright reds and yellows of amity, the clean cut black and white of candor, the grays of abnegation and the black of Dauntless. Her gaze focused on Ali and Christina in Candor smiling at her. She was handed the ceremonial knife and looked at the bowls in front of her she cut her palm feeling the familiar sting of a blade and held her hand above the Dauntless bowls hearing her blood sizzle as it fell.
"Dauntless." Joanna said and that was it Cat could finally free herself of Candor she could start over. The cheers of Dauntless rang out and she quickly joined her new faction excited. When the ceremony ended everyone in the dauntless faction started running out the door an Cat followed her heart pounding she moved easily with the dauntless crowd coming up to the train. She followed them on the train. Standing on the edge of the train car Cat leaned over and helped one of the other girls on she was Amity in a bright red dress.
"Thank you!" The girl said with a grin she was shorter than Cat with a soft round face, long black hair and tanned skin. "My name is Amelia, but I might change it." She said holding out her hand.
"Phoenix." Cat said grinning she was excited that she'd never have to be Catalina again she could finally be someone different.
"That sounds dauntless as hell!" Amelia said grinning. "You're from Candor right?"
"Do you ever stop talking Amelia?" An Amity guy said coming up beside her Phoenix grinned he stood about a foot taller than she did he looked a lot like Amelia with his back hair cut short and his tanned round face. He was definitely taller than her and looked stronger looking too.
"Oh shush Stage!" Amelia said "Phoenix this is my twin brother Stage."
"Stage that's a very Amity name if I've ever heard one." Phoenix said chuckling.
"Maybe but Phoenix isn't a very Candor name." He said with a shrug.
"That's because it's not, but neither am I" Phoenix said.
"Hey guys it looks like everyone's jumping." Amelia said glancing out the door. Phoenix looked over and saw they were approaching a roof top and the dauntless members were jumping out of the train. Phoenix was excited.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Stage groaned.
"What are you scared?" Phoenix said preparing herself for the jump. Stage shook his head no but he looked terrified. Phoenix smiled at him and Amelia before jumping, the amity twins followed suit. Phoenix hit the roof her heart was pounding as the rest of the initiates hit the roof a man called them over to the ledge. He was tall dressed in all black he look strong and was a little intimidating with maze like tattoos on his neck and his arms several piercings adorned his ears and two above his brow. His hair was short and shaved on the sides slicked back with gel.
"Alright listen up I'm Eric one of the leaders here at Dauntless. If you want to enter Dauntless this is the way in and if you don't have the guts to jump you don't belong here." Eric said his voice deep and indifferent.
"What's at the bottom?" an Erudite girl asked.
"I guess you'll find out or not." Eric shrugged. Phoenix knew there had to be something at the bottom they wouldn't just kill all their initiates not that it mattered she wasn't afraid of heights. "who's first?" everyone looked around but Phoenix grinned.
"Me" She said walking up to the leader who if she was being honest with herself was handsome.
"You sure candor it's a little harder than running your mouth." Eric said smirking at Phoenix as she stood up on the ledge.
"I'm not candor and it seems like dauntless have no problems running their mouths either." Phoenix said shrugging before diving into the hole the last thing she saw before hitting the net at the bottom was Eric's face that looked deadly. Maybe pissing of a leader wasn't the best idea she'd ever had.
"Here" A man said holding his hand out to her. He was almost as handsome as Eric he was a little shorter with short brown hair and dark brown eyes. Phoenix rolled out of the net with his help. "What's your name?"
"Phoenix." She said like it's the name shed always had. The man smiled warmly.