Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent or any of its characters, they all belong to Veronica Roth.
A/N: This is my first Divergent story, please read and leave a quick review to let me know what you think.
Chapter One
Cassandras POV
"My name is Tori I'll be administering your test today." a tall brunette woman clothed in black says as soon as I enter the small room. "Take a seat in the chair and we'll get started."
"What's going to happen?" I ask climbing into the chair which reminds me of one you might find in a dentists surgery.
"You will be faced with a series of options, your job is to choose which one you think will be most helpful and use it to navigate your way through as quickly as you can." she says handing me a small glass of bluish liquid. "Drink this."
"What is it?" I ask taking the cup from her and looking at it suspiciously.
"Bottoms up, I don't have all day." she says.
"Not until you tell me what it is." I reply defiantly looking her straight in the eyes.
"A combative Amity. That's not something you see every day." she says a hint of amusement lacing her tone.
"Yeah well I'm not your average run of the mill Amity member." I say. "and I am not drinking anything if I don't know what it is so if you're not willing to tell me then maybe you can go find someone who will."
"It's a serum that will take you into the simulation where the test is administered. It won't harm you in anyway and will wear off as soon as you complete the test." she says.
"Thank-you." I say picking the glass up and drinking the contents in one gulp.
A short time later my eyes open and I blink a few times while my eyes adjust to the light. "Was that it?" I ask glancing at Tori who is standing in front of a computer tapping away at the keyboard.
"That's it." she confirms.
"So I can go home now?"I ask just to be sure.
"Yep." she replies still tapping at the keyboard not even bothering to look in my direction.
"Ok. So umm...what was my result?" I ask slowly crossing my fingers and getting out of the chair.
"Dauntless." she replies.
I let out a sigh of relief "Thank God it wasn't Abnegation." I say before I can stop myself.
Tori turns from the computer and looks at me with slightly narrowed eyes "What's wrong with Abnegation?" she asks.
"Oh umm nothing, I just umm don't want to have to wear grey the rest of my life. It doesn't go with my hair. Anyway I should go, I'm the last Amity and they'll be waiting for me in the truck." I respond forcing myself to smile before hastily exiting the room and making my way to the waiting truck outside.
"So what was your result?" my best friend Alana demands the second I sit down next to her. Alana is tall, and blonde with dark brown eyes and an easy going attitude. Always happy to help and always smiling.
"You know we aren't supposed to discuss our results." I reply inclining my head slightly towards the back of the truck to where an Amity leader is ticking our names off on a clipboard.
"Ok it looks like we're all here. Take time on the ride back to think about your results, you are exempt from your duties for the rest of the day, use that time to consider your options tomorrow and remember the test is just a guide you can chose to join any faction you want to. But once that decision is made it can't be changed so choose wisely" the leader Todd says before jumping back out of the truck and climbing into the driver's seat.
"So, what result did you get in your test?" Alana demands the moment the truck starts moving.
"Dauntless." I say quietly.
"Huh? I didn't quite catch that. Can you say it a little louder?" she asks.
"The result of my aptitude test was Dauntless." I say a little louder.
"D-dauntless? Are you serious!" she exclaims sounding incredulous.
"That's what my tester told me the results were." I say.
"But you're not actually going to transfer to Dauntless are you? The Dauntless are insane, they jump off trains, climb buildings and who knows what else, the test is just a guide we don't have to transfer if we don't want to." she blurts out her words tumbling over each other in her haste to get them all out.
"I know." I say.
"Ok good so just...stay here in Amity, we'll get move in together, spend our days making clothes or working in the vegetable fields, or learning to cook. It'll be great. We'll have so much fun together." she says.
"Alana! Stop! I don't know what I'm going to do ok?" I snap.
"Oh come on! You're not actually thinking of switching to Dauntless. You and I both know you don't have what it takes to make it in that faction. Only insane people join the Dauntless and you are not insane." she says as we pull into the Amity compound.
"Well then maybe I'm insane because according to the aptitude test I'm suited to that faction." I say jumping down from the truck as soon as it stops and running to my room before she can follow.
The next morning we all pile back into the trucks that will take us to the city for the choosing ceremony. I take a seat near the back and rest my head on the back of the seat closing my eyes with a sigh. I still don't know what I'm going to do when they call my name in a couple of hours, do I stay in Amity with my friends and family, or take a chance and transfer to Dauntless?
"Hey." Alana says softly bringing me out of my thoughts. "Can I sit next to you?"
"Sure." I respond smiling at her.
"Sorry about yesterday. I was just surprised. I mean Dauntless? They're practically our polar opposite, other than Candor." she says.
"It's ok. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have snapped at you the way I did."I say turning to look her in the eye.
"So umm do you know what you're going to do?" she asks.
"No idea. I stayed up most of the night trying to make a decision but I just couldn't. I probably won't know till I'm standing up there on the podium with the knife in my hand." I reply.
"Well...whatever decision you make, even if you chose to transfer to Dauntless I will be happy for you." she says with a smile.
"Thanks." I say wrapping my arms round her in a hug. "I really appreciate that."
"You're my best friend Cass, I just want what's best for you. And if that's transferring to Dauntless then go ahead and transfer to Dauntless. We can come see each other on visiting days and after initiation." she says.
"I'd like that." I say. "you're like a sister to me Alana, I would hate it if we were to fall out over something like this."
"I will definitely come and visit you if you decide to transfer, I mean I would prefer it if you stay here with me, but if you go to Dauntless then that's fine to. Although I must admit I would think you're a little crazy." she says with a grin.
"Well you've always known I'm a bit crazy, so it wouldn't be that much of a shock now would it?" I say.
Tris POV
"Welcome to the choosing ceremony. In a short time I will be reading out your names, when you hear your name you are to make your way up here, pick up the knife cut your hand and drip your blood into the bowl that corresponds to the faction you are choosing to join. Once the decision is made it is final so be sure that you are making the right one..."
I sit in my seat surrounded by a sea of black and zone out letting the voice of the person on stage wash over me, I have heard this speech so many times I could probably recite it myself. Four years I have been coming here and every year it's been the same every time, the only difference being the person who speaks it. "Wake up, they're about to start choosing." the person to my left whispers elbowing me in the ribs.
"I'm awake." I say rubbing my eyes and sitting up straighter in my chair.
"Yeah, right. You were practically on the floor." she says with a chuckle.
"The speech is the same every year. It's boring." I protest.
"It's tradition Beatrice, they've been conducting choosing this way ever since they built the fence." a male voice says.
"Yes Mr know it all I am well aware of that fact, doesn't mean I can't be bored by it." I reply.
"So how many transfers do you think we'll get this year?" Christina asks.
"Your guess is as good as mine." I say.
"I bet you and Four hope there won't be any so you can just spend the next few weeks making out." she comments.
"We should be paying attention, he's just about to call out the first name." I say.
"Ooh trying to change the subject. Did you and Four have a fight or something?" Will asks.
"What? No, we didn't have a fight and if we did it's none of your business. Now quit staring at me and pay attention to the stage or you're not going to know how many Dauntless borns you'll be training." I snap.
"Save your scary instructor voice for the initiates." Christina says with a grin.
"Faction before blood" the Candor man hosting the ceremony says signalling the end of the speech.
"Speech is over now, we should probably pay attention on." I comment turning away from the other two and focusing my attention on the stage where the first initiate is standing in front of the five bowls.
Cassandra's POV
"Miranda Ziegler" the man on the podium calls and a short blonde girl from Candor makes her way to the front of the room to the podium "Candor" he says a few moments later.
"Not long to go now." Alana comments from beside me.
"Nope, are you nervous?" I ask.
"Not really. You?" she asks.
"A little, I still don't know what I'm going to do." I reply.
"Alana Nielson"
"That's you! Good luck!" I say giving her one last hug before releasing her.
I watch as she carefully makes her way down to the podium, she picks up the knife, cuts her palm and drips her blood into one of the bowls. "Amity." the man says and I feel a smile spreading across my face despite my nervousness and apprehension at still not knowing what I am going to do when my turn comes. I sit back and watch as the other sixteen year olds choose their future not really paying attention to any of their choices.
"Cassandra Harris." I shake myself at the sound of my name and look around momentarily unsure of where I am. Surely it can't be my turn yet, Alana just picked and there are at least twenty people between us. I must have heard wrong. "Cassandra Harris." the voice repeats a little louder this time and the person sitting next to me pokes me in the ribs. "That's you, its your turn go."Todds voice urges .
I stand up and walk still slightly dazed down the stairs and across the floor to the podium. I climb up, take the knife and stand in front of the five bowls representing the five factions. Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite. Taking a deep breath I cut my palm watching the blood pool before holding it out over the bowl and watching it drop, and with that simple task completed my future is set.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Please R and R to let me know what you think and if you want me to continue writing this story!