Author's note: Hi! I'm Allison and this is my first story for Divergent. This was a prompt requested by my best friend Elizabeth. I do not intend to write FourTris, so if that's what you're looking for I'm sorry to say that is not what this story is about. I hope you like it!
Chapter One
There are barely any clouds in the sky when I walk to my new school this morning with my brother. My family and I just moved here from Milwaukee for my father's job. Chicago is certainly different, but I see bits of home here and there. Like the houses we pass on our way to school.
My brother, Caleb, and I cross the street so we're facing our new high school. Yay. I just love school. Caleb genuinely likes it and seems annoyed by my sarcastic comments. Okay, school isn't terrible, but I'd rather spend my time doing something else.
The building is brick, like most schools, and stares at me with a menacing face. This year will either be somewhat decent or absolute hell. It's always hard being the new kids when everyone has known each other for so long.
Caleb and I walk through the wide doors to see large groups of like people clumping in the hallway. There are the jocks and the nerds and the loud, happy ones who are laughing and singing. There are even kids loudly debating some topic I try to drown out as I follow Caleb to the office.
Inside the office the noise in the halls turns into chatter behind the door separating us. A woman sits behind a plain and organized desk. She is typing madly and doesn't even look up when we walk in, yet she is observant enough to notice us.
"How may I help you?" she asks, taking a second to tear her eyes away from the screen.
Caleb nervously clears his throat and says, "We're new here and we need our schedules."
"What are your names?" she asks monotonously.
"Caleb and Beatrice Prior."
The receptionist stands from her leather swivel chair and walks a few feet behind her to a filing cabinet and pulls out two slips of paper. She hands them to Caleb who thanks her and passes mine to me.
"Do we have any classes together?" I ask. I look over Caleb's shoulder and scan his list of classes. Unfortunately I will be alone in all my classes.
I give him a disappointed look but he ignores it. The warning bell rings a few seconds later and Caleb hurries into the hall.
"I'll see you at lunch, okay?"
I don't get a chance to answer. He's swept away in the sea of colors and is too far down the stream for me to reach him. My first class is in the opposite direction anyway. I shuffle down the hall until I find room 144.
It's a rather small room with desks facing the blackboard in rows of five. Written on it in white chalk is a large seating chart. Our first names are assigned to a seat. I sit directly in the last seat in the third row, the one closest to the window. It looks like I am next to a girl named Christina. She's already sitting in her seat when I arrive. She's talking to the boy in front of her.
Awkwardly I shuffle through the rows and columns of desks, half of which are occupied. I set my books on my desk and wait for class to start.
"Is she excited to be back?" Christina asks.
"Have you met my sister?" the boy replies. "Cara is even more excited than me." Christina laughs.
I try not to listen in to their conversation because my mother always told me it is rude to eavesdrop, but class hasn't started and there's nothing else for me to do. Christina and Will, apparently-I finally broke down and looked at the board for the boy's name-continue talking about his sister Cara, who is a senior this year. Apparently Christina's sister, Rose, has one more year before she starts high school.
It feels like a decade later when the bell rings and class officially begins.
"Good morning," our teacher says. She stands from her desk and walks to the blackboard and stands beside it. "My name is Ms. Matthews. Welcome to history." The class is silent. Even Christina who seems to be very chatty now sits quietly.
Ms. Matthews takes roll and it seems a majority of the class is already here. There are just a few boys that aren't. Ms. Matthews doesn't appear to be surprised.
A few minutes into class I hear the door open and a young man with dark hair and light green eyes makes his way into the room. He's smiling.
Ms. Matthews remains focused on what she's writing on the board. Without glancing up for a second she says, "Thank you for joining us, Mr. Hayes. Do I need to remind you that it is the first day of school? It will do you well to not be late." Her words are spoken with malice seeping out. She is obviously someone not to get on their bad side. Mr. Hayes does not respond. He sits quietly in his chair, but the creepy spine chilling smile he wears lingers.
I watch as the hands tick by on the clock. When the bell rings, I gather my things and stuff them in my backpack. I get up to go to English when my feet catch on something and I stumble to regain my balance.
"Watch where you're going," an angry voice says. I mumble an apology and look up. It's Mr. Hayes, I see.
"Leave her alone Peter." I glance behind me for a second and Christina has already transitioned from laughing with Will to glowering at Peter.
"Make me," is his reply.
"No fighting in my classroom," Ms. Matthews mutters. "At least go outside."
I hurry out of the classroom in case Christina decides to punch Peter.
"You okay?" Christina says as her and Will walk beside me. "Peter's a jerk, try not to let him get to you."
I nod and say, "Yeah. Thanks."
"I'm Christina! This is my boyfriend Will," she tells me. I don't bother telling her I already knew that. "You're new, aren't you!"
"Yes," I mumble. "I'm Beatrice."
Christina smiles and asks me what my other classes are.
"Well we don't have English together, but we have biology!" I can't tell if Christina is a generally nice person or just very enthusiastic. I'll go with nice since she stuck up for me.
Christina and Will talk to me all the way across the school until Christina turns left to go to health. Will and I walk to English together.
"You're welcome to sit with us at lunch." I smile shyly, letting my hair fall creating a wall between us so he can't see my blush.
"Thank you."
We walk into the room silently. There is no seating chart, so we're allowed to sit wherever we want for now. I follow Will to the back of the class. I throw him a grateful half smile when I can. He doesn't seem like the type of person who likes to sit in the back, but I do prefer it. I become less noticeable that way.
The bell rings signaling the start of class. Our teacher, a man who has dark blue eyes and is an average height, smiles at us pleasantly. He appears more amicable than Ms. Matthews, yet no one speaks when he stands in front of the class.
"Welcome to English," he starts. "My name is Mr. Eaton."
When Mr. Eaton starts telling us about what we'll be doing over the year, Will leans across his desk to whisper to me, while keeping his eyes on our teacher.
"If the rumors are true, you best stay away from Mr. Eaton."
"Why?" I whisper back. A thousand reasons why fly through my mind, trying to find the right one. "What rumor?"
"The rumor that he mistreated his son." I turn to look at him. Will glances at me briefly but doesn't look away from Mr. Eaton for more than two seconds.
"What?" I try to keep my voice low. Will shushes me.
"Beatrice?" I jump in my seat. At first I think Mr. Eaton is going to yell at me and Will for talking, but he's really taking roll.
"Here," I say meekly. I try to smile but I can't smile at the image of him beating anyone. And that thought distracts me for the rest of the period. Every time I catch myself thinking about it, I try to shake it off. The bell is what snaps me out of my thoughts.
"Do you want to sit with us at lunch? You could get to know a few other people." While his offer does sound enticing, I politely decline. I think I'll attempt to find Caleb.
"All right, but if you change your mind we eat in the cafeteria." I smile and nod and stop in the hall while Will keeps walking. I pull out my phone and text my brother.
Do you want to eat lunch with me?
It takes him a few minutes to reply.
Oh um, I was going to eat with one of my friends.
You made friends already? That's great
Did you?
Uh yeah. Don't worry I'll eat with them.
I wait a little while longer, but Caleb doesn't reply. I toss my phone into my bag and walk into the cafeteria.
The cafeteria is a large room with tables full of kids. It looks like every student in the school eats lunch at the same time. Somehow I manage to spot Will and Christina. Christina licks salad dressing off her lip when she sees me. She waves me over excitedly. I walk over nervously.
"Guys," Christina says. "This is Beatrice. She's new here." Everyone looks at me with a look that tells me they're excited to have new blood.
"This is," Will starts, "Uriah, Marlene, Lynn, and Al." Marlene and Uriah were the ones that greet me first.
"Where are you from?" Marlene asks.
"I'm from Milwaukee," I reply.
"That's not far from here," Uriah says. "Do you have siblings?" I nod.
"I have an older brother." I guess Caleb isn't that much older than me. He's not quite a year older, but we're not twins.
"Does he go to school here?" Marlene wonders. I nod.
"I have an older brother too," Uriah adds. "Lynn has an older sister, and so does Will." I nod again. I tend to do that when I don't know what to do or say in response.
"How's your first day so far?" Al asks quietly.
"I guess the first day of school here is the same as it is everywhere. You sit and listen to teachers talk for ninety minutes and try not to fall asleep." Christina chokes on a crouton. Will, Al, Marlene, and Uriah smile. Lynn remains unaffected. I get the feeling she doesn't like me.
For the rest of lunch, I listen to the others talk and answer whatever questions they have about my past school. I'm not an interesting person, but I have to be interesting enough.
After lunch ends, Marlene and I walk to math. She seems to be an okay person. I like her. She's very friendly, that's for sure. Maybe a little too loud, but she's nice.
In math not only do we get the course syllabus, but we actually have to do work. The other classes didn't make us do work. And to make the class harder for me than math already is, Mr. Kang has a seating chart made out. I am across the room from Marlene, but I have no problem hearing her. Instead I sit next to a really quiet girl named Myra and semi quiet girl, Jamie.
After the hell class-as I now call it-ends, Marlene points me on the direction of the biology classroom. I thank her and walk in that direction.
Christina sits on the table playing on her phone when I walk in. When she sees me, she sets it down and smiles.
"Are you ready for a really boring class?" I chuckle and sit in the unoccupied chair next to her. As the bell rings, she takes her seat in the chair.
Again, all we do is go over the course syllabus and get permission slips handed out. The first day of school is always boring. Christina was right.
At the end of the day, I gather my stuff and follow Christina out of class.
"Hey," I say, catching her attention, "I'll see you tomorrow." She smiles and says goodbye. I walk downstairs to the main floor and out the front doors. I wait until I see Caleb and then we walk home together.
"How was your day?" I ask. He turns to me and tells me everything from start to finish. I have never heard words spill out of his mouth so fast.
"So who's the friend you had lunch with?"
"Oh, his name is Rick. He's in my math class." After an awkward silence Caleb asks me how my day was.
"Fine," I say. "My classes seem fine. I met some nice people."
"That's good."
The rest of our walk is fairly quiet. The house is just as quiet, which is pretty usual. Mom and Dad don't get off work until after we've come back from school.
I take a turn into the kitchen to grab a snack before it's time to make dinner. Caleb sits down at the kitchen table and begins reviewing his syllabuses and then takes out a book and starts reading.
That's just one difference between us, I guess. Caleb always liked school. I have always tolerated it.