Hey, everyone!

Okay, so this is my first story for the DIVERGENT TRILOGY! YAAY! XD!

I hope you enjoy my different take on the many adventures that go through this crazy world!

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

I sit in the apple tree, thinking about what I will choose. I am already pretty sure, but the test might say differently.

I look around to make sure no one is looking, then I pull out my tiny, illegal, home made, miniature cross bow out of my back pocket, and load it with a single dart. I level the bow with my mouth, and I close one eye, and I spot the stem of an apple.

I let go of the small string, and the tiny dart goes flying, and pierces right through the stem, and the apple falls onto a lower branch on the tree.

I am about to go down and grab the apple, when I hear another small snap of a stem breaking. I look up at the branch I heard it from, and another apple falls from the tree, and lands only a few feet from the first one.

Sweet! I think as I climb down to the branch and pick up the apples. Two apples with one dart!

I sit on the thick branch, the rough, black bark trying to scratch at my bare legs. My shorts are small, stopping in the middle of my thighs, and fringing slightly at the edges. They have small pieces blue fabric missing, or pieces tearing, leaving threads keeping the sections held together. They are worn, yes, but they are still my favorite pair of shorts.

I have a couple pieces of red cloth here and there, too, patching up the big or revealing holes. I smile at the thought of my mother's handy-work.

I take a bite into my apple, and allow the juice to run down my chin. I look out onto the setting sun over the horizon, and the colors change in the sky to a gray, light pink, dull purple, and near the sun itself, bright orange.

Colors are really valued here in Amity, but I don't care much for them. I wear what fits. That's all that really matters.

Tomorrow is when I'm supposed to take my test. I finally realize that I want to leave here. I finally realize where my heart belongs. I am not peaceful. I have a short temper, and I hold a grudge.

I am not Amity.

I am Dauntless.

The sun is mostly set now. The sky is mostly gray, with a pink glow next to the surface. It almost looks as if the world is radiating a faint pink. I chuckle at the thought.

"Cynthia!" My mother calls from the green house. "Cynthia Martin, get over here right now!" she calls again.

I climb down, and before I run over to her, I bury my apple cores at the foot of my free.

I run over to my mother. I love to run.

She holds the door open for me, and I walk in, nodding at everyone gathered here. I know what this is about. It's about the same thing we've been talking about for the past couple years after the war with Erudite ended. Whether or not we should allow our sixteen year olds to leave our faction.

No one needs to say anything. We start to talk amongst ourselves. I am saying we do get to go, as are the other sixteen year olds in the group. Most of the adults are with us, but there are the select few that think we shouldn't.

I am thinking about something when someone nudges my shoulder and points to the man standing on the tree roots. They want me to go tell her.

I get up and walk over to the woman and tell her that we want to be able to go this year. She nods, and looks at the size of our group.

As I walked back and sit down at my place in our circle. An elder man walks up and tells the woman what they want.

She speaks, and all falls silent. "The choice has been made. We will allow our kids to go this year, yet again." She steps off the tree, and we all file out of the green house.

A hand grabs my arm while I am surrounded by the people in the mob, and pulls me back. I am yanked through the crowd. I can tell by the size of the hand that it is James, the boy I usually fight with. Either he wants to beat me alone in the green house, or he wants to have me trip over myself in the crowd.

He pulls me harder as I start to fight him. With one final tug, however, I lose my balance and he pulls me through the crowd, and out the back. He shoves it hand in front of my mouth and drags me to a dark corner.

We know Amity is all about peace, but he is just so annoying, talking about how I am so unable to fit in here, and how I have, "social issues," or that I, "need to be put on peace serum for life."

After all the people shuffle out, and the door is closed behind everyone, James lets me go and I jump up and away from him.

When I am at a safe enough distance, I realize he isn't trying to pursue me. I look at him with a confused expression. "What is this about?"

He does not answer.

"If you aren't going to pound me, then tell me what this is about!" I snarl. "Or I will scream. See how you like peace serum in your veins!"

He sighs. "I just thought you should know that I am leaving, too, and where I plan to go."

"How did you know I was going to leave?" I ask.

He sighs again.

"Quit sighing like I'm some stupid child!" I snarl, and I clench my fists.

"But don't you see? You are!" he sighs.

"Look, just tell me where you're planning on going!" I snarl again.

"I think," he looks down at the floor, "I'll head to Candor," I barely picks his head up enough for him to look at me. "What do you think?"

"I'm not going there, and you like to express you feelings about me truthfully, so I think you should go for it. Why do you care what I think?" I ask, unclenching my fists and leaving them hanging at my sides.

He does not reply. He only picks up his head all the way and walks out of the green house, leaving me there to think about what I want.

I hate James.

I am sitting in my bedroom, wearing my dad's red shirt for pajamas, and thinking about the upcoming test. I'm pretty sure I know what I want, but am I? What if I end up in Candor, like James? That could be my worst nightmare! At least we could fight there, though.

I thought about some other things that could scare anybody. What if I'm recommended for no faction?

I lay down on the bed, not even bothering to wash my face or get under the thin covers.

I start thinking about anything other than the test. I start to think about the war.

I know it isn't over. I can't be. The Erudite don't just retreat after their leader dies. No, they take action and strike again. I wonder who will be leading the attack this time when the water starts running in the bathroom.

"Mom," I whisper hoarsely, and I realize that I haven't used my voice since I spoke to James so many hours ago.

The water stops. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Would you please bring me a glass of water? My throat hurts," I whisper.

I water turns back on, and shortly after, the water is turned off and my mother comes out of the bathroom with a small glass cup nearly filled with water, and I take on her appearance.

She has long brown hair, like mine, straight, like mine, and hazel eyes, like mine. She has a golden brown tan, like mine. Her eyes are almond shaped, but mine are more circular, like my father's.

She is also wearing a long shirt for pajamas, and I sit up when she hands me a cup. I smell the liquid first, as I always do, just to make sure it's really water.

Satisfied with my investigation, I tip the glass, and the cool liquid pours down my throat. I close my eyes and smile as I finish the contents of the glass, and I hand it back to my mother, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand. "Thank you, Mom."

She nods and walks back into the bathroom, and the water turns back on, the faint rushing sound filling the room.

I lie back down and close my eyes, and I fall asleep by the sweet sound of the running water.

My dreams are polluted and cold. At first, I have just finished my test, and the man tells me I am recommended for factionless. I scream, and the man simply repeats my name. "Cynthia, Cynthia, Cynthia…"

I wake with a start, my mom repeatedly shaking me and saying my name.

"Sorry," I mumble as I sit up and wipe my eyes. "I was just…dreaming."

"Of course you were, but you only have a couple minutes to get to your test!" my mother says frantically, and I jump off my bed and find my shorts on the floor. I run over to our small family dresser and find my formalist shirt that my mom says, "works with my gorgeous tan."

I pull off my shirt and I find a peach colored strapless bra in the shirt drawer I share with my mother and I quickly pull it on, then I follow it with my shirt. My shirt is a tank top that loops around your neck with brown wooden beads laced near the bottom. It is mostly white, but there are peach colored hibiscus flowers all over it. Hibiscus is my favorite flower. And I don't care much for flowers, so that must mean something.

I find my peach flats by the door (Mother insist peach is "my color") and I run down the hall.

I'm surprised to find myself walking down the wrong side of the hallway. The side I never walk down. The side that I consider dangerous. James's side of the hallway.

I walk for about five minutes, and then I start to run, until I am standing at James's door. Before I can even think about it, I am knocking on the door, holding my flip flops in the other hand by my side.

I am relieved to see him, which surprises me. Half of his head is askew, and I can tell he just woke up. He is wearing shorts and a yellow t-shirt. I have never seen him in yellow before. Yellow is considered a girl's color by both of us. I stifle a laugh at his whole appearance.

"Did you just come here to laugh at me in the morning," he asks dully, scratching his head, "or is there something that you want?"

I don't have an answer. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes. I think of something quickly, and I whisper, "I am going to the Aptitude Test, and I was hoping you would come with me. Will you?"

The question obviously catches him off-guard. He looks at me, shocked and out of place for a moment, then he nods. "I guess that's what I was trying to tell you yesterday. I'd really like that." He smiles meekly.

"Change." Is all I say, and I turn around, my back to him and the door as it closes behind me. I place my shoes on the floor and step into them. I walk over the opposite wall, which is only two steps away, and put my hand on it. I tap my short fingernails on the wall at a rhythm, but I only use my index, middle, and ring finger. One, two, three. One, two, three.

I am still tapping, my eyes following the rhythm of my fingers. Index, middle, ring. Index, middle, ring.

"What are you doing?" Came James's voice behind me, but I stayed calm. "Well?"

"I," I said slowly, stopping my rhythm and moving my hand to my side, "am realizing what life is really about, and the rhythm of everything." I turn and look at him.

"That's a load of crap," he turns and starts walking down the hall toward the doors of the compound.

Amity had moved every family into compounds, a family in each room, incases of aftermath from the war, which I know will come, and is coming.

I follow him down the hallway, jogging to reach him. "I guess you know me better than I thought."

"Yes," he calls back to me, but does not slow down. "I also know that you would never wear that top on your own free will, you'd prefer to go barefoot, and that you're hoping to leave Amity. That's a nice shirt on you, but the shoes don't work on your feet, so the white must have something to do with it."

I finally catch up to him, and I speed walk next to him, because I am not tired. I love to run, feel the wind on my face, and the freedom that comes with it.

"I can't believe I'm taking style advice from a guy," I scoff.

He does not stop, be he goes silent.

I suddenly feel bad for no reason. "Hey…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, no, I'm not mad," he says. "I'm thinking about my Aptitude results. Do you think I'll make Candor?"

I know the answer. I do not tell him. Instead, I say, "I know the answer. I'm positively sure of it. But, I won't tell you unless you race me to the school. We have to run for eight miles, and we only have twenty five minutes to do it. Ready?"

"You're on," and we sprint out the door.

I beat him by a sweaty half mile, and I am five minutes early. I stand outside the door and straighten some of the wrinkles in my shirt and brush some of the fresh pieces of drying mud off my shorts and take off my shoes and hold them in my hand. If I go in, I am going in as Cynthia as I can.

I am about to open the door to the building, when James comes up, huffing and puffing, barely jogging, and wheezing my name.

"Cynthia!" he finally makes it, and he is catching his breath next to me. He stands up and looks over at me, and wipes some of the sweat off his face. "I know I didn't win, I had no chance, but…where will I end up?"

I do not look back over at him. I smile, and I whisper, "You are definitely going to Candor. No doubt about it," and I push open the door and step inside.

"I think you're going to Dauntless, Cynthia! I know you want to! Good luck!" is the last thing I hear from my old rival, as the door close behind me, and I hear a girl's name go by. Then, I hear, "From Amity; James Jefferson and Cynthia Martin."

DUN DUN DUUH! What will she get on her Aptitude test? Only I know! :P!