First chapter! I have been working very long on this! Please leave a review, my introduction chapter will follow Stefania from amity. This story is based off the girls from extura productions!
I stand on a wooden stool and reach for the locket on my neckalace on top of the wardrobe. I swore to my mother I would only wear it on very special occasions. I note how calm my mother looks when she puts the neckalace around my neck. She is well practised in the art of peace. I can't say the same for myself. I sneak a look at the blunt knives I have hidden at the back of the wardrobe. I wonder what it would be like to hold a sharp knife, maybe I'm thinking out of curiosity.
"So today is the day" my mother says nervously. "Yes," I reply. "Are you nervous?" she asks. Today is the day we take our aptitude test which will guide me to one of the five factions I will belong in. And tomorrow I will decide a faction at the choosing ceremony "No" I say. "I'm confident you'll stay with us" she smiles. "Let's go have breakfast."
I think my mother is beautiful. Her body is thin under her simple orange dress. She has long cheekbones and long eyelashes, her hair hangs in waves over her shoulders. We walk together to the kitchen. On these mornings when my mother is making breakfast and my little sister is telling jokes I feel most guilty for wanting to leave. For, I don't belong here, I fit in as a member of dauntless.
My sister, Elise and I leave the house with happy smiles from our parents. She doesn't look like me. She has the same blonde hair as my mother as well as her nose, long cheeks and brown eyes. Unlike her my hair is brown and my eyes are blue. We hop onto the bus and receive seats from two gentlemen from abnegation. Although I look up to them, they value selflessness which I believe is important, but I could never live a life like that, stuck in a life of boredom.
My life is boring too, don't get me wrong, I am often told off for not acting like the boys and girls around me. Our faction value peace and kindness, something that does not come naturally to me, but my sister is the opposite of me "Are you not worried what they'll tell you?" Elise asks me nervously. "Should I?" I reply. I could tell her I've been worried for weeks, but that would only scare her, what will the aptitude test tell me? Abnegation, dauntless, amity, erudite or candor?
The tests begin at morning. We sit at the long tables in the cafeteria. I try my best to sit as far away as possible from the chatty boys and girls from my faction. A girl taps me on the shoulder and I assume she asks me to move over.
I'm Melly" she tells me. "Stefania" I reply. "Why aren't you with them?" she asks pointing at the groups of amity. "I'm not like them, I probably won't with them for much longer" I tell her. "I'm leaving my faction too but I try to make friends among us". "Where will you go?" I ask her. "My mother accepted it long ago" she says. Why did she change the subject? Before I can reply her name is called in the next group and her face loses colour "Good luck," I tell her. Its rare to see a candor stuck for words, instead I watch her walk to the testing rooms in silence.
The test administrators are mostly abnegation volunteers, although there is also an erudite and dauntless member in order to test any abnegation members. This is because the rules state that nobody can be tested by someone from their own faction. The rules also ban preparation so I don't know what to expect. My gaze drifts to the dauntless, they are laughing, shouting and playing cards. At another set of tables a group of erudite sit reading. A group of amity girls sit on the ground playing a hand slap game "Would you like to play with us?" a blonde haired girl asks. "No thanks," I reply. "Okay" she smiles. "You must be nervous" and heads back to the game.
My stomach wrenches. I close my eyes and keep them shut until I hear Kelly return looking a tad flustered but soon joins a group of candor deep in discussion. I feel bad for the group of abnegation sitting alone without uttering a word. An abnegation volunteer speaks up for the nest round of names. Two from candor, two from dauntless, two from abnegation, two from erudite and Stefania Olvirsson and Lily Black. I stand up and follow the blonde girl from before who asked me would I like to play with her who I realize must be Lily Black. Lily grins at me nervously and walks into room 2 and I walk into room 1, where an abnegation woman awaits me. She has small brown eyes and brown hair tied in a bun "I'm Natalie Prior" she smiles and shakes my hand.
Mirrors cover the inner walls of the room. I see my reflection from all angles, my long brown hair, my fists red, as well as my cheeks. I am ready, I say to myself silently. "I'm going to have to ask you to drink this" she hands me a vial filled with a clear fluid. "Why?" I ask. "Can't tell you that, just trust me." I take a large gulp and close my eyes.
When they open an instant has passed, but I am somewhere else. Behind me a woman's voice says "Choose." On the table in front of me there are two baskets. "One." she says. "What do I do with them?" "Now!" she bellows. Quickly I grab the knife. I hear a door squeak hear a door squeak and I turn around to see who it is. It is not a 'who' but a 'what'. It crouches low growling and I see its large, white pointed teeth. I must kill it. The knife suddenly feels cool in my hand. I close my eyes as I plunge the knife into his back, I soon hear a yelp of pain. Eventually I re-open my eyes to another sight. I'm on a crowded bus and I watch a boy on crutches hobble onto the bus, stare at me and walk to me. What do I do? I ask myself. He hobbles pass me muttering about my rudeness.
When I turn around to look at him he is gone, I am in the amity headquarters. A scarred face man walks up to me and asks "Do you know this guy?" he asks while tapping the front page of the newspaper. 'Murderer on the loose' is the headline. "Do you?" My heart pounds. If I tell him I know the man I feel something awful will happen to me, I know its a bad decision to tell him the truth. "No" I respond. "Your lying," he screams. "I am not." I say plainly. This has attracted a few peoples attention and I go red with embarrassment. "I can see it in your eyes." "No you can't". "If you tell me the truth you can save me!" He grabs me and in an instant I send my leg to his stomach and he falls back. b When I tilt my head I see Natalie behind me. Is it the strange loom she's giving me about to tell me what a terrible person I am? "That" she says "Was amazing". I bury my hands into my face and feel like crying. Eventually Natalie speaks again. "Well you have a big decision to make because only 1% of amity get the result you got today" what does that mean? She can't tell me I'm factionless? "Sweetie, you're dauntless."
I decide not to take the bus, I need to proccess everything from today. Ill need to have an explanation for my parents for coming home late. We are forbidden to share our test results with our family. Can Elise keep a secret from my parents? I arrive home after dinner and receive hell from my father "We were worried sick, you could have run into trouble! Sorry I must calm myself, I hope your tests were OK." "They were perfect" I reply, so not to worry them. My family and I engage in conversation until we are sent to bed. Before I can enter my room, my sister stops me. "I'm not as convinced as our parents" she says "Look Stefania, when you choose, you must think about yourself". I breathe a sigh of relief, I really needed to hear that. Tonight my mind will struggle within me and in the end, I will have one choice.
The bus my family and I take to the choosing ceremony is full. I follow my parents off the bus as it comes to a stop, Elise seems calm. We take the lift to the top of the building and I grab my sisters hand "I know where you want to go, I am of age in two years and then, I will join you as a member of dauntless." I want to ask her more but I am ushered away from my family.
The room is arranged in concentric circles. On the edges stand the sixteen year olds of each faction. We arrange ourselves in an orderly fashion. This year the erudite representative, Jeanine Matthews will be our host. She explains the history of our people and the importance of the roles of the factions. "After the war we split into five factions" she says. Those who blamed aggression formed amity. Those who blamed ignorance formed erudite. Those who blamed selfishness formed abnegation. Those who blamed deceit formed candor and those who blamed cowardice formed dauntless. These are the main points I hear a few minutes later she finishes and the crowd burst into applause and I join in, though I have no idea what she just said.
One by one each sixteen year old steps out of line and makes their way on stage. I see a mother crying as her son switches from candor to erudite. Next I see the girl Anna and I await her to choose amity but I am surprised as she doesn't do as I thought, she joins abnegation. "Stefina Olvirsson" I hear. With the knife I slit the side of my hand, it doesn't hurt as bad as I thought. Then with a grasp I can't contain the blood of my hand falls onto the burning coals, I am brave, I am dauntless. I catch a glimpse of my mother as the dauntless cheer, her face is white and my father holds her tightly. My sister on the other hand is hiding a grin. "Melly Eriksson" I hear.
