The outfit I was told to wear for today was far nicer than anyone else at the school, a deep red pencil skirt paired with a soft yellow shirt my mother picked out for me. It felt so strange to be inside the school, I hadn't been anywhere near it since third grade when my family hired tutors so I could be away from any 'poor influences.' And by poor influence they meant friends who taught me how to have fun. My parents are the richest in Amity and couldn't afford to have a daughter who would misbehave, that's why they took me out of school and that's also why they dictated everything I wore and owned. I have never picked out my own outfit or styled my own hair. If I could I wouldn't have my hair in the most annoyingly formal up do possible. The other students eyed me with distaste as I was escorted in to take my test with the rest of the test applicants. Now that I was 16 I had to pick a faction to live in, this test was supposed to tell you which one you are best suited for.

The five factions are Amity the peaceful, Erudite the smart, Candor the honest, Dauntless the brave, and Abnegation the selfless. I knew I wouldn't fit into either Candor or Abnegation, I lied too often to even be considered Candor and I definitely wasn't selfless. I could have my moments of selflessness of course but they were too far between for me to be Abnegation. I was smart for my age so Eurodite wouldn't be too back except that learning wasn't exactly enjoyable for me. Amity wasn't much of an option, I would spend the rest of my life with my parents breathing down my neck.

I hated sitting here waiting, I am normally a very patient person but the candor students around me had already told me they don't like me, that they think I look snobby, and I don't blame them. My mother is the queen of snob and if she heard that I had just talked to someone without her permission she would have my head, I could still feel the bruises her and father left from the last time I disobeyed them. My sister was very good with make up and used to help me hide the bruises. Unfortunalty she had moved out two years ago so I was on my own, not that I did a bad job.

"Carnelian Palmer and Eithan Que of Amity" I stood and was led to my testing room where an Abnegation woman waited. She wore a plain grey robe like dress and had the same shoulder length hair as the other Abnegation women, the only difference was that her hair was a soft shade of red. She gave me a wan smile and eyed my clothing with distaste, probably thinking about how my selfishness will be the downfall of the world blah blah blah. How if I bought cheeper clothes I could donate more to the factionless blah blah blah. See, im not Abnegation material.

"hello Carnelian, my name is Maridith and I will be performing your test today, do you have any questions?" I glanced around the glowing white ceiling and my many reflections in the mirror walls, the machine she was sitting next to was like nothing id ever seen. I wanted to ask what it did and what would happen but I knew my mother would disapprove so instead I just shook my head no and sat in the chair that I hoped was the right one. she gave me another wan look before she hooked me up to the machine with wires. She could see I was nervous and she kindly patted my hand, telling me it would be over soon, as she gave me a vial of what looked kind of like water but tasted nothing like it.

I found myself in the school cafeteria and in front of me was a knife as long as my arm and a hunk of cheese, "choose only one" a voice called out of nowhere, I hesitated trying to think of which would be best and soon reached for the knife. The second my fingers brushed it the room dissolved, transforming into a library before my very eyes. An old woman sits in front of me angrily tapping a thick leather bound book, "have you read this book?" she snarls, I glance at the cover and I recognize the title and author, but looking back up at her I feel like admitting I know it wont make her a very happy camper.

"no, I haven't" I lie and again the room melts away until im in water, churning water that tastes salty in my mouth as it washes me onto a deserted beach. As I cough up the ocean water I notice a bottle next to me, a note teasing me from the inside. I lunge for the bottle ripping off the cork and reading the message,

'you're never getting off this island. Would you rather have fresh drinking water or a companion?'

I snicker to myself, as if I would want my mother or father here, they would only make it worse. I couldn't drag my sister, Liz, into this and take her away from her fiancé Matt. I have no friends, so that horse is shot in the face.

"…water…" I murmur and a huge wave washes me back into the ocean, I guess the bottle lied and the water soon runs into an invisible drain and im left dry and panting on a park bench as squirrels chitter at my feet.

"shut the fuck up!" "don't tell me to shut up!" a couple guys around my age shout at each other, getting in the others face and raising their fists as if to punch one another. I glance around and see people strolling through the park enjoying the nice weather and completely ignoring the boys. I do the same, its not my problem and its not like I could break them up if I tried, I was too small to take both boys.

I blink and find myself not in the park but in a packed auditorium, "carnelian? Carnelian!" a middle aged and professional woman on the stage calls searching the crowd for me, a clipboard in hand. I glance around at the others but they're just watching her. I hate public speaking but the woman seems kind of important. So I stand and work my way to the stage but on my way up the few stairs onto the stage the room starts to spin and I find myself back in the testing room, Maridith giving me a slightly disapproving look as she hands me a glass of real water.

"your test is clear, you are best fit for dauntless." She tells me, the disappointment never leaving her eyes, I guess she was hoping for another Abnegation. But wait, did she just say dauntless? I thank her as I leave the room and my escort drives me home, still in a happy daze. Tomarrow I get to choose and I know ill choose dauntless not because I hate my life in amity but because I finally have somewhere I might fit never though of myself as brave, but id never really had a chance to. the dauntless always did what they want without caring about what others think and that's something I want to do too. They're independent and strong, that's how I want to live.

At home my mother is immediately in my face, father not far behind.

"tell me your results!" she barks out, maybe it was my newfound dauntless attitude or something I had in me all along but I stood up straight, looked her dead in the eyes and said

"that is none of your business, you aren't supposed to discuss your results." And I turn on my heel to head up the stairs into my room not bothering to see their reactions. Before I get more that 3 steps a hand is in my hair angrily yanking me to the ground.

"tell me you little bitch!" mother snarls, father simply watches with little interest like he always does.

I try to stand but my mothers pointed red shoe is kicking me in the side over and over again, I don't cry out. I wont give her that satisfaction anymore, this only seems to make her madder though as the frequency of her kicks increase. It may have been seconds, minutes, hours later I don't know but eventually she tires herself out and I could finally get up. Without a word I walk to my room, bloody head held high and slam the door behind me.

I hate my room, my mother designed it of course so it is all soft yellow and white with fancy paintings and sculptures covering everything. I don't like anything I own because she baught it all for me, the only thing I like is the art set that Lizzy had given me for my birthday one year. I had made so many paintings and pictures of radom things from plants to jewelery but I never drew people. The only person I ever wanted o draw was Lizzy and I wasn't good at all, so I stuck with just making still lifes or imagining my own jewelery and clothing. I still painted with reds and yellows, mother could never make me hate the colors but that doesn't make them my first choice. As I went into my bathroom to take the art supplies out of the cupboard under the sink I saw my reflection in the mirror.

My long brown hair wasn't waving down my back the way I liked, it had fallen out of the up do only to become matted and bloody thanks to mother. My light grey blue eyes where now blood shot, my once pale and freckled face mottled with forming bruises and blood. I sighed and washed my face, putting ointment on the cuts before I lifted my shirt to check the rest of my body. My torso was even worse than my face, red and black splotches covered more of my stomach then pale skin but she hadn't drawn anymore blood, a plus. I sighed again deciding to just jump in the shower to wash away the blood and ease the aches.

At dinner no one spoke, mother giving me hateful glances and father acting indifferent once again. The only look I got that wasn't pure evil was an accomplished smirk from mother as she admired her handiwork. This was even worse then the hateful glances so I hurriedly ate my food and went to bed, imagining the look on my parents faces when I picked dauntless at the choosing ceremony.

The ceremony was the same as it always was, most picked their own factions and a few switched but nothing too scandalous. No dauntless leaders' children switching to abnegation or anything like that, atleast until I went up. I walked up proudly despited the embarrassing dress my mother forced me to ware. It was a floor length yellow gown with so many ribbons and bows I wanted to vomit. I kept my head held high as I took the knife and slit my long fingered hand. It stung but I ignored it and searched the crowd for my family. Liz and Matt where giving me encouraging smiles, liz with her hands delicately folded over the small bump that is her first child. Mother and father on the other hand had equal looks of determination as if they could will me into doing exactly what they want. I gave them a small smile and held my bleeding hand over the burning coals that represented Dauntless, listening to my blood fizzle. My parents' faces twisted in outrage and my mother even had to clamp a hand over her mouthy to hold in her scream. We all heard it anyway, a majority of the crowd turning to stare at the rich family. Liz gave me a proud smile before I turned to join the other new Dauntless.