I twined my arm around my best friend, Kaley, on our way to school. The other Amity girls surround us in a cloud of red and yellow, all giggling and skipping like good Amity children should.

I hate it.

For all 16 years of my life I've been waiting for this day. I'm finally 16, which means I can leave my faction behind, but leaving Amity behind also means abandoning my family. I always thought it would be easy, but now that it's almost time, it's not as easy as it seems.

My whole family is Amity. My parents grew up here. They're peaceful and happy, and as far as they know, I am too. An entire family, Amity at heart. Well, except for my brother.

Nick is my older brother. Well, I guess I should say was, faction before blood, right? Anyway, three years ago, during his choosing ceremony, he left us for Erudite. We all knew he would leave us, but it still hurt. Nick was smart; always curious about everything, never content knowing just the basics. For him, the choice was simple.

Not so much for me.

I've always known I didn't belong in Amity, but I never really knew where I would go. Of course, it should be simple. I'm smart and very curious about everything. I crave knowledge, just like my brother. I could choose Erudite; I'd be perfect for it.

But there's another part of me- the part of me that shudders at the idea of living my whole life with my nose in a book. That part of me thirsts for adventure, to feel the rush of adrenalin as I jump off a moving train…that's why Dauntless calls to me.

Kaley and I skip into the cafeteria and sit down with the rest of the Amity children. We all form a circle and start playing "Quack Diddly Oh-ma." I had just slapped Kaley's hand when I feel someone sit down next to me. I turn my head and see Daniel squeezing his way into the circle. I flash him a smile as he sits down. "Hi, Daniel." Daniel and I had been friends since I was born. Our mothers grew up as friends, so we always used to see each other. I think our families expect us to grow up together and get married one day, but I know that won't happen, since I'm leaving Amity.

"So, today's the big day, huh?" He says in that cheerful way all Amity talk. "Yeah, I just want it to be over." I say as he slaps my hand.

After the last of the people have trickled in, they start calling names. Kaley is called in the first group. We hug her and tell her good luck, but she won't need it; she's Amity through and through.

After the first few rounds of people are called, I hear my name. "Elizabeth Heather." Daniel rises with me and gives me a quick hug. "See you in a bit." He whispers. I just nod as I turn and walk away.

When I walk into the testing room, I'm not surprised to see Abnegation gray on the woman sitting there. "Please take a seat." She says sweetly. "My name is Jane." I settle into the seat as Jane places the electrodes on our heads. "Here, drink this." She says as she hands me a vial of clear water. I nod and swallow it in one gulp. Soon after, my head starts to feel heavy, and I close my eyes.

I open my eyes and I'm in an empty room. In front of me is a table with a long, deadly looking knife, and a piece of cheese. "Choose," says a voice behind me. I turn around, but no one is there. I look back to the table. "Why?" I ask. "Just choose." The voice repeats. I turn back to the table. This is an aptitude test, isn't it? So I should do what my instincts tell me to do, and right now, I am feeling fairly stubborn.

I reach out and to pick up both of them, but my hand touches the knife first, and the cheese disappears.

I study the knife. It is long and sharp. I run my hand along the blade, feeling the edges pierce my fingertip. I smile despite myself; I've never been allowed to hold anything dangerous before.

I hear a low growling behind me. I spin around to see a husky slithering towards me. I place the knife in the waistband of my jeans. I don't want to kill the dog. My mind whirls with thoughts. How can I calm down the dog? I need to show it that I'm not the enemy, that he is better than I am, because maybe then he'll stop. I remember something. Dogs expose their necks and stomachs to other dogs to show submission. I slowly get down onto my back. I stretch my limbs away from my body and angle my neck up. The dog comes closer. I squeeze my eyes shut, prepared to feel the sharp bite of a dog.

Instead I feel the dog's wet tongue. I laugh and sit up. The husky is wagging its tail at me. I rub its head. "Not so violent anymore, are you?" He barks with joy and licks my face. "Doggy!" I spin around to see the dog leap at a little girl behind me. I don't think, I just act. I run and push the girl out of the way and the dog tackles me. I reach behind me and grab the knife. "I'm sorry." I whisper as I stab the knife towards the dog.

When I stand up, I see a door in front of me. I wipe the tears from my eyes and open the door. I step onto a bus. I grab onto the ceiling rails as the bus moves along. "Do you know this man?" I turn to the man addressing me. He is showing me a newspaper article on a criminal. The criminals face is on the front. He seems familiar, as if I've seen him before, but I feel that if I were to say this, something bad would happen to me. So I keep a straight face on and ask, "Why do you want to know?" The man gives me a look. "If you know him, you could save my life." I look at him and think. I could tell him the truth, and possibly save him, or I could keep it a secret, and possibly save myself. "I do not know him." I say evenly. "I'm sorry." The man's arm grabs my wrist. "Are you sure you don't know this man?" I yank my arm out of his grip. "I'm positive."

I open my eyes and look at Jane. She's looking at me strangely, as if deep in thought. She quickly types something into a computer next to her. I can hear it beeping as she types. Finally, she looks back at me, but her expression is troubled. "Is there a problem?" I ask. "Yes." Jane says hesitantly. "You're results were…inconclusive." I stare at her. "Inconclusive?" I ask. "What do you mean?" Jane sighs. "Each part of the test factors out a different faction. By the end, four factions should be factored out, leaving only one factor." She says. "But some people don't get every faction factored out. Only two or three factions get factored out." She looks at me. "These people are called…divergent." She says it at a whisper, and her eyes are crazed as she says, "You must never tell anyone that. It is very dangerous. Your mind cannot be controlled and cannot be told how to think." I swallow my panic and, somehow, speak in a controlled voice. "What factions did I have aptitude for?" I ask. "Dauntless, Erudite, and Abnegation." My breath stops in my chest and I listen closely to her next words. "By choosing both the knife, you show aptitude for Dauntless. Then, by submitting to the dog, you showed aptitude for Erudite. When you knocked the girl out of the way, you showed aptitude for Abnegation, and when you killed the dog, you showed aptitude for Dauntless." I close my eye and take a deep breath. "I manually entered Dauntless into your results. I was able to do it so it wouldn't be noticed, so as long as you behave and act as you should, you'll live." I give her a weak smile. "Thank you." I get up and leave the room.

As Daniel and I walk home, he turns to me. "What did you get on your aptitude test?" I keep a straight face on as I say, "we're not permitted to speak of it, Daniel." Daniel bites his lip. "Lizzie, I didn't get Amity." He says quietly. "What should I do?" I give him a long look. "Danny," I start, "you should go wherever you think you will enjoy yourself the most." Daniel gives me a weak smile. "Spoken like a true Amity." He turns and walks away, towards his house.