Prologue
A slow exhale. A quick gulp. That was it. And then the test would begin.
As the glass was taken from her, she felt herself gnawing on her bottom lip in both fear and anticipation. She knew that most stayed within their faction, but she also knew that some left. And she, in all honesty, did not want to be a part of the few that left. She quite liked Dauntless, and living life filled with daring acts that challenged death to a staring contest.
So how, how could she be expected to be totally nonchalant? She knew most kids went in confident and collected, but she also knew that those were the kids that came out with their eyes filled with fear. "Are you ready?"
The words drifted into her already-dimming mind like an echo off a cave wall. The girl nodded weakly, and then closed her eyes. The world went dark for only a moment, and then she bolted awake. She was standing now, and a voice – indifferent, calm, and collected – came from behind her. "Choose."
However, when she turned around, no one was there. She did, however, see two baskets. One with a knife, and one with a large chunk of cheese. "But... why? What will I do with them?" The girl asked.
"Choose!" The voice screamed. The girl, feeling fear flutter in her chest, lunged instinctively for the cheese. She didn't know why she chose the cheese, as most people would go for the knife, but she didn't have time to change her mind – the baskets disappeared as soon as the food was lifted from its container.
"Well... now what?" The girl questioned. There was no answer. She turned around to see a snarling dog, approaching her slowly. A yelp of fear was drawn from the girl's lips before she could silence it, and the dog let out a harsh bark. It advanced slowly, menacingly, looking like it would lunge forward at any moment. But it didn't, it simply kept crawling along at its slow and steady pace, closing the gap between itself and the girl slowly, slowly, slowly. Before she had even realized what was happening, the dog was a foot in front of her, and still advancing. Drool dripped from its mug, its yellow incisors were exposed, and its claws were stained with dried blood.
The girl held out the cheese, and it stopped. It looked at her, tilting its head slightly. "S-sit." She said, trying to make her voice commanding. But she couldn't stop the quivering of her bottom lip. The dog sensed this fear, and growled lowly, but did not continue its advances. It just stood there, staring at her. "Sit!" She ordered, voice strong and stern. The dog did as it was told. She tossed a bit of the cheese at it, and it immediately swallowed the small morsel of food. The dog sat back again, looking at her as if it expected more. She tossed a slightly larger chunk, and the animal swallowed it down once more.
Suddenly, the dog was disintegrating. The cheese was disappearing. The girl fell to her knees, and then everything went black. But not for long. A moment later, she woke once more. This time, sitting down in the chair she had begun in. "Well, how was that?" Asked the woman. She was from Erudite, and her name was Laurie. The girl shrugged. "Your results are ready. Would you like to hear them?"
A simple nod.
"Very well then. Your test results came up as Erudite."