Tris kicked at a pebble next to her foot, as she watched the train pass by for the millionth time. She liked to watch it in the afternoons, because that was when she could see the Dauntless. Some of them would be hanging out of the train – as if they were going to fall any moment; others remained inside, but were too far in to see. Part of her longed to be with them, but the longing wouldn't remain for too much time. She had made her choice – or rather, the choice was made for her. Her life was with the Factionless.
After choosing Dauntless a year ago, she never would have imagined being factionless. Wouldn't you know after years of restlessness in Abnegation, a simple train ride would decide her fate? Tris had watched the Dauntless jump on and off the train a thousand times, so it should have been a breeze. But her small frame and little muscle tone made hoping up into the car impossible. She can still remember watching the faces of the other Dauntless transfers and member slowly disappear into the distance, as she stood on the platform all alone.
Now, she lived in one of the many abandoned buildings closest to the Amity Compound.
The sound of footsteps behind her caused her to stand up quickly, and hide herself in the shadow of the alleyway. She wasn't afraid of who it was – no, she had gotten used to these people deemed unworthy by society. She simply was preparing herself for what may come. On more than one occasion, she had seen a Factionless member attack their own kind for something as small as an article of clothing or piece of bread. Thoughts of helping the Factionless with her mother flooded through her mind, and the ache for her company returned.
Tris was certain that her parents knew she was Factionless. Of course they knew – they were Abnegation and Abnegation knew everything about the Factionless. It was one of the reasons she chose to live in a sector far away from the Abnegation Compound. There were other reasons as well, but she didn't care to think about them.
"Tris, is that you?"
Tris stepped out from the shadows at the sound of Margaret's voice. Margaret Hemmings was the only person who welcomed her when she arrived in this area of town. When people found out she had been Abnegation, no one wanted anything to do with her. Yes, Abnegation helped the Factionless a great deal, but there was still animosity between the two groups. There was only so much you could do for a person who had nothing – especially when you had everything. That was the vibe between them, and no amount of charity was going to heal that wound.
"Yeah, Margaret; it's me."
She smiled at her friend and held out her hand. "I snagged you a can of chicken soup. Someone just left it for the taking."
Tris smiled softly, taking the can from her hand. "Thank you – I haven't eaten in a while." In fact, she hadn't eaten in about two days. The thick soup slid down her throat with ease, warming her body despite being ice cold. A shiver of delight coursed through her – a sign her body was drinking in the nourishment.
"Are you watching the Train again?"
She nodded. "Old habits die hard."
Margaret shook her head and sat down next to her. "You shouldn't torture yourself like that – why don't you just ride it around the city and put yourself at ease?"
Tris shook her head before eating her last bit of soup. "I don't do it because I wish I were Dauntless." She paused when Margaret gave her an unbelieving look. "Okay, maybe I wish I was Dauntless a little bit, but really, there's much more to it than that."
She wasn't lying by saying that, either. The Train signified much more to her than her tumble into the Factionless. It gave her hope that, when everything was falling apart, this was constant. The Train made it's rounds every single day, without fail. If only other things in life could be like that. Suddenly, the second part of her friend's comment struck her. It never occurred to Tris to ride the train – even if just for one circle around the city. She always saw the train as a part of the Faction system, and off limits to her kind. But the idea of riding it grew more appealing in her mind as the moments passed.
"Thanks," She said, throwing the can into a nearby dumpster. Maybe she would ride the train, just to prove she could.
Natalie Prior sat at the kitchen table, drawing invisible marks on it's surface. The image of her daughter popped into her mind, and a pool of sadness spread through her. It would be almost a year since she found out her daughter became Factionless. The pain from that day still haunted her like a fresh nightmare.
She had been standing in the kitchen, folding laundry when something caught her eye. Sitting on the counter top, propped up against the back wall, was an envelope. It was off white with no markings on either side of it. Her Dauntless bravery had gotten the best of her, and she ripped it open without her husband. As her eyes scanned the page, she felt something akin to a knife being shoved through her heart. The leaders of Dauntless had just informed her that her
daughter, Beatrice Prior, had failed initiation and was Factionless. The emotions which tumbled through her were powerful. Anger – at the Dauntless for being so cruel as to just throw away her daughter's future. Fear – at the reception Beatrice would receive from the Factionless. Joy – Natalie would see her daughter again. That last emotion caused a wave of guilt to wash over her. She never wanted either of her children to become Factionless, but with what she knew about the Faction system, she knew it was the best place for Beatrice. Divergent's needed to remain under the radar anyway, and being a member of the Factionless was the perfect place to do just that.
Natalie hadn't needed to see her daughter's test results to know she was Divergent. From the time she was a little girl, she knew. There was a struggle going on inside Beatrice that only a mother could see. She knew she was trying her best to selfless, like the Abnegation idolized, but the evidence was there. Moments of selfishness so small, no normal person would notice, mixed with moments of curiosity, honesty, and bravery, were the perfect Divergent cocktail.
"Natalie, are you alright?"
She looked up from the table to see her husband, Andrew, standing before her. She smiled softly and walked over to him, taking his hand. "I'm fine, dear."
He smiled and looked around before wrapping his arms around her. "You are a terrible liar. Always have been."
She sighed before smiling weakly. "I miss her, Andrew."
"Me too, sweetheart; me too."
They stood there like that for awhile, just holding onto one another. Affection like this was a rarity in Abnegation. Even married couples kept physical contact to a minimum, and when Caleb and Beatrice were still living at home, both Natalie and Andrew stuck to the rule. But it was always just a show. Their love for one another was stronger than it ever had been, and enjoyed being near one another – holding hands, kissing, and being overall love struck. Now that their kids were gone, they could let loose and just be themselves.
"Hey Nat," Andrew whispered, putting his lips to her ear. "Let's go see her."
Natalie giggled a moment before focusing on what he said. "Can we?!"
He kissed her softly before nodding, and pulling her over to a corner of the house, where the camera's couldn't see. What most people didn't know is that cameras were hidden
all around Chicago – not just outside, but in the houses as well. Once they were out of view of the camera, he smiled wildly.
"I wanted to surprise you, but I can't contain myself," He whispered. "I found her about a week ago, in one of the Factionless sections on the other side of town."
Her eyes widened with joy before she pulled him into an excited embrace. "You did?! Oh Andrew, we're finally going to see her again. Praise God!"
He laughed at his wife's joy. "The quickest way to get there is by train, but we'll need to go at night."
She nodded. "Of course."
A look of uncertainty suddenly clouded his face. "There's just one problem."
"What?"
"I've no idea how to hop onto a moving train."
Natalie laughed and kissed him softly. "Don't worry; I can take care of that."
Hello Lovelies!
It was only a matter of time before I started a "Divergent" fanfiction. The scene is set with Tris being Factionless. Yes, Factionless. She chose Dauntless, just as she did in the series, but unfortunately, she missed the jump. And we all know what that means when you can't get on the Train. Anyway, this is one year after her missed jump.
I can't wait to get this series going and dig deeper into the plot and the characters. Hopefully you all are as excited as I am!
God bless,
LovedLik3WildFire
