Author's Note: Hi, so I'm new here and this is my first story. When I was reading Divergent, I noticed there wasn't much of a back story on him so here I wrote about Tobias and his initiation process. If you like the story and want me to add chapters, tell me in the comments. Please also review it and don't worry, I can take the criticism. Enjoy! (BTW: remember this is in Four's POV. If it starts to sound like a teenage girl, it's because I'm a teenage girl and I wrote this ;)
"This is for your own good" I hear him tell me as he hits me with his leather belt. It burns, like when I was 6 and touched a hot iron. My mother applied a burn salve and kissed my finger. That was before she died and left me with this terrible excuse of a person. That was 11, one more to go. Again, I feel the sharp, burning pain across my back as my father says, " your done, get out of here."
I quickly walk out of his room, keeping my face as placid as possible. I hate that man, hate him with a passion. tomorrow I will take the aptitude test that determines what faction I belong in and the day after that I choose. Anything but abnegation I keep saying to myself, but I really can't imagine myself in another faction. Not that I'm the most selfless person in the world, but I just don't really fit in.
I wake up that morning to the sound of my alarm going off. I get out of bed and go through the Abnegation-style process of getting ready: get up, shower, get dressed, make breakfast for someone else, clean for someone else, and leave. When I look at my faction from the outside, I think it's beautiful, people always helping others and putting them before yourself. It's not that I have trouble being selfless, just that I don't think there's a point in life if you're living for someone else.
I lost track of time and by the time I awaken from my thoughts, I'm already on the train. I have to stand because there are only two seats left and I see 2 Erudite, a man and a women. Wouldn't want to inconvenience them. By the time I reach school, I see the Dauntless kids jumping out of their train. As usual, I watch them, making sure no one gets hurt. I don't realize I've just been staring into space when some Dauntless girl, Lauren I think, bumps into my shoulder and mutters, "Move it, Stiff." I'm not sure where 'Stiff' came from, only that it's slang for Abnegation. I usually get a lot of respect around, because my dad is the most influential leader, but ever since the Erudite released a report on Marcus physically abusing his son (that would be me), people try to avoid me. It's not like it isn't true, but I don't want people to know.
I go to my usual classes, calculus, advanced literature, faction history, science, and computer programming. They're cut in half today to for aptitude testing. On my way out of computer programming, I accidentally bump into a kid, about 14. He's by dad's coworker's son, Caleb Prior. He drops a book called The History of Aquaculture. Who would want to read that? I bend down and pick up his book.
" I am sorry" I say
" It's fine, thank you" he replies
I walk into the cafeteria and sit down at the Abnegation table. I look around and see the Candor arguing about the treatment of prisoners or something. The Erudite playing some game called chess, the Amity all talking about their day and giggling, the Dauntless screaming and arm wrestling, and lastly, the Abnegation sitting quietly and looking down. In our faction, bringing attention to yourself is considered self indulgent and vain. I'm in the middle of reviewing what I learned in math when some Amity woman says,
"from dauntless, Lauren and Aaron, Amity, Jessie and Daniel, Erudite, Cassandra and Matthew, Candor, William and Clara, and Abnegation, Johnathan and Tobias."
I slowly get up and walk to the testing room. The woman who read the names tells me to go to room A12. I walk in there to find a Dauntless woman with a hawk tattoo on her neck.
"hello, Tobias. My name is Tori and I'll be your test administrator."
I watch her, fascinated, as she hooks up a bunch of wires to herself and me.
"Drink this," she tells me "the stimulation will go into effect in 60 seconds. Good luck"
I drink it and close my eyes. When the open, I see a table with a knife and cheese.
"pick one" I hear a woman say. I quickly grab the knife, thinking it will help me later. I've never liked weapons though, they seemed to just cause violence. Huh, maybe I do belong in Amity. I turn around and to the right see a large animal emerge from the shadows. A greyhound, I think. To the left a young girl, about 10, is crying and backing away. Oddly though, I don't feel worried. I know this is just a stimulation, and I'll be fine. I know what I should do, and what my faction would tell me to do: sacrifice myself for the girl. But they wouldn't know I had a knife, which I'm holding behind my back because the thing just noticed me and is starting to come up to me. I throw the knife to the side, good, I'm not holding that disgusting weapon anymore, and stand right in front of the dog, staring him down. This is staring to feel really real...Get a grip, I tell myself this isn't real, just a stimulation. Before my eyes, the dog shrinks down to the size of a puppy, barking happily and walking away. What the...I think. I look around and see the room fading away, no definite edges. I close my eyes and sink to the ground.
My eyes fly open and I sit there, gasping for air, looking around, making sure everything is real. That was just a stimulation, this is real, that wasn't. It felt real though, REALLY real. I notice Tori staring at me wide eyed.
"What did I do?" I ask her
"um...I'll be right back" she says as she almost runs out of the room.
I sit there for about 5 minutes before Tori returns.
"Tobias, listen to be very carefully: Your aptitude tests were inconclusive."
"Inconclusive...why? how?" I ask
" Can't explain it. It means you have the aptitude for 2 factions: Dauntless and Abnegation. When you picked the knife over the cheese, you were put in a scenario to confirm your aptitude. If you had killed the dog, Dauntless would have been confirmed. But you didn't kill the dog right away, and so we put the little girl there to confirm Abnegation. But to didn't sacrifice yourself to the dog so the girl could run away and the dog wouldn't get hurt. Your response to the dog was very Erudite, but you didn't think to do that right away, which takes Erudite out."
I stare at her, unable to comprehend what she just said. Inconclusive? How can my results be inconclusive?
"You are Divergent. This is very dangerous, and you must not tell anyone. You hear me?''
I nod
"I logged your results in manually as Abnegation. It's time for you to leave. Good luck"
I walk out of the room in a trans-like state and sit back down at the Abnegation table. We sit there till the bell rings and leave for home. Great, just what I need. I walk into my house and start on dinner. It should be my father's turn to do it, but he never does, I'm his servant. We eat in silence, I clean up, and excuse myself to my room.
" Tobias, wait"
I turn around, scared out of my mind. What's he going to do this time?
"yes?" I respond
"Remember, no matter what happens, you are my son."
I almost burst out laughing right there. He of all people, showing me a sign of love? ridiculous.
" yes father" I answer in a monotone.
That night I do an instant replay on my life: born on September 12, had a great childhood till I was 9 when my mother died giving birth to my brother, who died minutes later, being whipped and put in a closet for hours at a time, spending after school and weekends volunteering at the hospital, and now this. Somehow, my thoughts go to the fence guarded by the Dauntless. What were they guarding us from? From the few times I've been near the fence when I volunteered at Amity. It was about 50 feet high, and topped with barbed wire. What's outside the fence? I think, how are we here?
I wake up that morning, a little jumpy from the dream I had. I can't remember it, all I can think about is the the choosing ceremony. Right before we leave though, I open my second to last drawer on my dresser and pull out a small blue sculpture made of glass. My mother gave it to me when I was 8, telling me to hide it. I don't know where she got it, though. It resembles the ocean waves I've seen on a painting at Amity headquarters. I set it on my desk. There, if my father ever comes into my room after this, he will see it. I don't know how, but to me it's a small act of defiance.
My father and I take the train to Candor headquarters, the faction that is holding the choosing ceremony this year and listen to their leader, Jack Kang, read all the faction manifestoes. I'm too worried to listen. The only one I even slightly pay attention to is the Dauntless one, We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another. Beautiful.
"Today we will see these children become adults. They will choose between Candor, the honest, Erudite, the intelligent, Amity, the peaceful, Dauntless, the brave, and Abnegation, the selfless and began the rest of their lives." Jack says. His voice is strangely flat, no emotion or dimension.
Since my name starts with and 'E', I will be one of the last people to choose. I'm barely conscious of whats happening. Only aware of the cheering. After what feels like forever, Jack says, "Tobias Eaton of Abnegation."
I quickly walk to the stage. Everyone's in for a huge surprise. I take the knife from Jack's hand and slice it across my own. I never understood that part, putting your blood on a faction's emblem. I guess it's to symbolize you'll be with them, but it's still physical. I go stand between the Abnegation stones and Dauntless coals. I shoot my father a look, containing all the anger I've built up over the years, an put my hand over the Dauntless coals. I hear my blood sizzle and the sound of gasp. Faction transfers are hardly this extreme. Erudite going to Candor, Abnegation going to Amity is normal, but Abnegation to Dauntless is about as common as a five legged horse. Without making eye contact with anybody, I walk down towards the Dauntless initiates and stand there with them. My new faction.
The rest of the ceremony is a blur and when I see people running, I follow. An Erudite boy with ashen skin and ink black hair asks me, "where are we going?" Obviously we are going to to the Dauntless compound, but to salvage his Erudite pride, I say, "I don't know."
We stop in front of the train. It's moving. They expect us to jump on a moving train. I take a running lead an jump on, using the handle to hoist myself in. I'm the first transfer in the train, all the Dauntless born are staring at me stupidly. I walk to the corner and take a seat. In about 5 minutes, all the initiates are on. Well, with the exception of some Candor who was too scared to jump. Coward.
"Hello, I'm Eric." the Erudite boy who I talked to earlier tells me.
"I'm Tobias" I tell him
"hey, aren't you Marcus Eaton's son?"
I roll my eyes. I hate questions, especially that one. Stupid Erudite and their curiosity.
"yes" I answer anyway.
"Hey, they're jumping off!" Screams some Candor. I've always hated them, they just don't know how to shut up.
I stand up and look over the edge of the train. It's still moving, faster than ever, and there is about a meter long gap between the building and the train. Not to mention the train is about 6 meters above the buildings' roof. Now or never, I tell myself and jump without thinking. I land on my feet, but my momentum pushes me forward and I fall to my knees. I stand up and brush myself off.
"HELP!" I hear someone scream. It's Lauren, the Dauntless born who told me to back off on aptitude testing day. I doubt she remembers that. I see her holding onto the edge of the building and run over to her to help her up.
"thanks" she tells me. A flash of recognition crosses her eyes.
"no problem" I reply.
"Alright, listen up!" I look up and see some big guy with bronze skin and beady eyes say. "You just passed the easiest part of initiation. Welcome to Dauntless"
All the Dauntless born cheer.
"Several stories below is the members' entrance to our compound. If you can't muster the will to jump off, you don't belong here. Our initiates have the privilege of going first."
"We have to jump off a ledge? Whats down below?" Eric asks
" I suppose you'll find out." answers Max.
My pride is the only thing keeping me from crawling into the fetal position and crying right now. Actually, I have too much pride. Which is why I walk up to ledge first like the idiot I am. This is safe, I tell myself If we die, they have no members. Without another thought, I jump off. There's a strange sensation to falling like that. It's barely been a second when I hit something hard. When I recover from the fall, I look around. I'm sitting on a net. I almost laugh out loud because of this. When I see someones hand reach out, I grab it. For a second I think about the Abnegation symbol: two people are holding hands, like someone helping someone else up.
"Well well, look here. A Stiff the first to jump."
I look up at him. He has brown hair, green eyes, and is about two meters tall. Seems nice enough, if not just teasing me.
"What's your name, kid?" The man asks.
"Tobias" I answer as firmly as possible.
"Well Tobias, I'm Amar and I'll be your trainer. Welcome to Dauntless."
I see a dimly lit room with people smiling at me, but sizing me up, trying to figure out how to beat me in a fight. I look up and see the Dauntless symbol. My new Faction. My new home.
Thank you so much for reading! How was it? Did you like it? Should I make another chapter? This whole thing started out as a book report project thing for english class, but came to this. Thanks again!
