Tobias POV (Choosing Ceremony)
Today is the choosing ceremony. The one day in every 16 year olds life where your choice determines the rest of your life.
Yesterday I had to take my aptitude test. My results still confuse me. My test administrator, Bud, told me I received Abnegation…. and Dauntless. Divergent is what he called it. I was not allowed to ask questions, I was just sent home.
It's cold out today so I wrap my jacket around me tightly as I head downstairs. Marcus is sitting at the table, drinking his coffee.
"Good morning, Sir." I say to him like I say every day. It is honestly a force of habit. "Tobias." He says not bothering to acknowledge his only child. I just grab my plate of scrambled eggs and coffee and sit across from him at the table. By the time I am about halfway through my breakfast; Marcus closes his paper and places it down on the table.
I look up from my plate, careful not to make full eye contact. "Tobias, do you know what today is?" I nod. I wish I hadn't. "Tobias, you will answer me in full word, not gestures." He yells and slaps me across the face. I bring my hand up to my cheek and stare daggers at him.
"Now I am going to ask you again. Tobias, do you know what day it is?" he asks sharply. "Yes Sir. Today is Choosing Day." I say dropping my eyes. "Good. Now I expect to see you back here tonight. If not, there will be hell to pay." He states and I flinch at the curse word. We aren't supposed to use them here in Abnegation but when I am at home with my father, he doesn't care.
I grab both of our plates from the table, balancing the coffee mugs on top. As I take them over to the sink, I must have tripped because the next thing I know, I am on the ground with shattered dishware all around me.
Oh no.
Marcus turns around slowly, taking in the sight of his son on the ground with glass everywhere. His face goes stiff and he rises from his seat. I know what is next, I expected it. Marcus grabs me by the collar and throws me in the biggest pile of shattered glass. My hands and knees have glass embedded in them and I scream out in pain but he shows no mercy.
Marcus takes off his belt and pushes me into a kneeling position, ripping the back of my shirt up so that my skin is exposed. "This is for your own good, Tobias." He says and the first whip comes causing me to yelp. Whip after whip comes with no sign of them stopping soon.
Finally once I get to the point where I am barely conscious and am lying on the ground like a rug, he stops. Puts his belt back into his loops and walks out the door. Slamming it as he goes.
I don't try to get up. I know that I am going to have to soon but I am still very dizzy.
I am about to get up when I hear the front door being knocked on and opened. A short blond girl, who looks to be about 14, walks in the door with a pan in her hand. I try to move so that she won't see me but it's too late. She sees me lying on the floor surrounded by blood with slash marks across my back and rushes toward me.
She must have dropped the pan in the doorway because it isn't with her when she makes it over to me. I know I am going to have to explain what happened. Maybe she won't even question what happened but if she does I am just going to have to tell the truth.
Before she checks on my body, she goes over to where the broom is stored in every Abnegation house and moves all the shards of glass that aren't inside of me away from me. She put it back in its spot and hesitantly makes her way over to me. She crouches down next to me and gently places a hand on a part of my shoulder that isn't too bad.
"Who did this to you?" she asks in a whisper. "Marcus." Is all I can manage out. Her face shows pure terror but I know she believes me. "Can you move?" I nod. She tucks a stray hair from her face and wraps her arms around my shoulder and tries to pull me up. I assist her as much as I can and she manages to get me on my feet and over to the couch in the living room.
"I'll be right back." She says and I can hear her faint footsteps around the hallways and up the stairs. When she returns she has more medical supplies than I thought we even had in this house. She looks over her pile and grabs a small vial of something that I recognize as morphine from Erudite. Abnegation only uses it when absolutely needed so we only have a vial or two in each household.
She hands me the vial and I take it gingerly and down it. Thanking her as I give it back. The medicine immediately begins to kick in and the pain subsides to a dull throbbing sensation.
I turn towards the small girl and finally see her face for the first time in full. Her features are small but very strong. She has striking grey/blue eyes that could capture a soul if you looked long enough. She also looks very familiar for some reason I just can't put my finger on it.
"Beatrice." She says snapping me out of my thoughts. "What?" I ask trying to understand. "Beatrice. My name is Beatrice." She repeats. The name brings recognition to my mind. She is the Prior's daughter, Beatrice. I have seen her at the small amount of social event I have been allowed to attend and I have also had dinner with her family a couple times.
"Tobias. My name is Tobias." I say imitating her. A small smile plays at her lips but she immediately suppresses it. She reaches out to touch the middle of my back which causes me to wince. "May I cut the rest of your shirt? The only way I am going to be able to bandage your whole back is if I do." She asks timidly. I nod and she slowly uses a pain of medical scissors to cut off the rest of my shirt, allowing it to fall around me.
She makes quick work of my back. Cleaning out all the new and reopened cuts and then spreading a healing medicine on them before covering my whole back in bandages.
When she is done with my back, she asks me to turn over and sit up on the couch. I push myself into a sitting position and allow her to assess the damage to my knees, hands, and face. "I am going to have to remove all the shards of glass. Are you going to be okay or do you need more medicine?" she asks searching around for another vial of morphine.
I lean forward and place my hand on top of hers and she looks up at me. "I'll be fine. Just, we need to hurry. I need to be at the ceremony in 30 minutes." I say removing my hand from hers. She nods and again, makes quick work of my injuries on the front portion of my body.
By the time she is done with everything, my whole body feels stiff from being wrapped in so many bandages. She goes over to throw out all the trash and runs upstairs to deposit all the unused supplies in the bathroom where they were to begin with.
When she returns, I am standing by the door waiting for her. Right before she slips out, she looks up and meets my eyes. I know what she is asking without her even having to say it. Are you staying? I shrug my shoulders and she nods. We bow to each other and she reaches out her hand to take mine. She turns it palm up and places a small object inside of it then closes my hand into a fist around the object and slips out the door without another word.
I open my hand up that revels another vial of morphine along with a note with a tiny word scribbled on it.
Why?
If only I knew the answer. If only I did.
PAGE BREAK
I sit next to my father in the section for Abnegation. Candor is holding the ceremony this year so only moments later, Jack Kang walks to the stage and begins to addresses the crowd of people.
I have heard this speech multiple times, so I just ignore Jack and think about my decision.
Divergent. Abnegation or Dauntless. Bravery or Selflessness. One will set me free. This other, entrapping me forever. Would I be considered a coward if I left? Cowardice is extremely frowned upon in Dauntless
I the name of the first person snaps me out of my trance. A small girl with brown hair walks up from Amity and up to the bowl. Jack offers her the knife and she cuts her hand. Dripping her blood on the soil of Amity. The Amity get up and cheer and welcome her back home.
I watch as each 16 year old walks up, one by one dropping their blood into the respected bowls. The name Eric Brown is called and I see a tall Erudite boy walk up to the stage. He takes the knife from Jack and cuts his hand. Dripping his blood onto the sizzling coals. He is the first to transfer.
A few other names are called out before I hear "Tobias Eaton." I hands begin to shake as I walk toward the stage. I look over my right shoulder at the Abnegation and my left at the Dauntless.
I take the knife that is handed to me and place the tip in the center of my hand, applying slight pressure until I see blood. Abnegation and Dauntless are both on my left. I need to choose. I can already feel the blood pooling in my palm.
I take a step forward and hold my hand over the bowl with the grey stones and open my hand up to allow the blood to fall.
I am selfless.
I am Abnegation.