WARNING: Characters' physical appearances are in similar to the actors in the film, due to my personal preference of their live action counterparts than how they were described in the book; finding the original descriptions of Roth's characters in the book very stereotypical. Also in accordance to my alternative storyline, Tris' personality has experienced an overhaul, as the storyline alternates between events in the movie and the books. And lastly, in the film they change Four's age to twenty-four instead of eighteen, due to choosing Theo James as Tobias/Four, but Tris remained sixteen, which some, including myself found a little perverted, so I changed Tris' age, so instead of sixteen, the aptitude test is administered and the choosing ceremony takes place at the age of 18.
Chapter I – TRIS
BEATRICE PRIOR POV
There once was a time when there was only one mirror in my house. Hidden behind a sliding panel in the hallway upstairs, our faction, or should I say our former faction allowed me to stand in front of it on the second day, of every third month; the day my mother cuts my hair.
But now, instead of sitting on a hard wooden stool, I sit on a small cushioned bench in front of a small vanity desk in my bedroom as my mother stands behind me with the scissors, trimming, causing strands of hair falling to the floor in honey blond rings.
When my mother is finished, she pulls my hair away from my face, making the appropriate parts before styling it into a half crown braid, her attention never wavering from the task in front of her.
I know how calm she looks, and how focused she is; she is well practiced in the art of losing herself; something she no doubt mastered in her time among the selfless; but even after ten years of living in the constraints of our former faction, I cannot say the same for myself.
I remember a time, when my clothes were baggy and grey; I would always sneak a look at my reflection when she wasn't paying attention. Not for sake of vanity, but out of curiosity; after all a lot can happen to someone's appearance in three months; but even now as I look at my reflection, my eyes do not linger for long.
Even after six years of being completely free to look upon my own reflection as I please, I never allow myself to look for too long. Call it being in touch with my roots, or a rejection of vanity; I never feel the need to gaze at my reflection for longer than necessary.
Looking up at three-panel mirror in front of me, I gaze at my reflection. In it, I see dark green wide set eyes, a straight nose and thin lips upon a pale heart shaped complexion. Granted I may not be the usual definition of beauty; I'm not curvy, or voluptuous, having more of a slim, 5'8" build, with a small 34B chest and toned long legs; but nevertheless, I am beautiful.
Feeling I've looked for too long, I prepare to turn away from my reflection when my mother's eyes meet my own in the mirror.
"There..." She says, smiling at me as she pushes the final pin in place.
"…Are you nervous?" She asks, her eyes never wavering from mine, and I dare not lie; she'll know if I do.
"Were you? The day of your test?" I ask, trying to deflect the question.
"No…" She replies. "…I was terrified."
The reply warrants a smile from me, as it never ceases to amaze me just how perceptive she is. I am terrified; but why should I be? It's just like any other day, but its not. Today is a special day.
Having turned eighteen a month ago; today, like every other eighteen year old within the five factions, my brother included, as he's only ten months older than I, will take the aptitude test, to determine which of the five factions we belong in; and tomorrow at the choosing ceremony, we will decide on a faction; we will decide on the rest of our lives, to stay with our families, or abandon them and join a new faction.
"Thank you, for cutting my hair," I say after a moment of silence.
Kissing my cheek, she begins to collect the discarded strands of hair from my blue-carpeted floor, and I do not hesitate to help her. Standing, I smooth out the crinkles in my dress as I begin collect the honey blond hair that stands out clearly against the carpet's dark surface.
My mother doesn't have to cut my hair, our faction has a facility that caters such needs; but my mother is the only one who has ever cut my hair. She doesn't do it because she's required to; or because to have someone else do it would be selfish, or self-indulgent; she does it because she knows that by performing such a mundane task, it gives me sense of familiarity and safety in a very dangerous place; the very place that just so happens to be our home.
...
REACHING DOWN TO MY knees, I wear a dark blue straight cut dress, with thin straps and a square neckline. With only my legs, shoulders and arms bare, the dress is very modest; at least by my faction's standards; but to my former…this display of my body is disgraceful.
Even my mother's attire, a fitted dark royal blue three piece suit would have been regarded as distasteful for the mere fact that it accentuates her thin body instead of hiding it. My mother is beautiful woman; she used to have to hide that beauty in Abnegation; but here, she's free to be herself, well…almost.
"Breakfast will be ready soon," She says, throwing the hair into the trash bin.
"I'll be down soon." I say as I'm not finished getting ready for the day; but even as I am telling the truth, I suspect that my mother knows that I'm trying to prolong the inevitable; so with an encouraging smile and a loving hug, she leaves me in peace.
Sitting back in front of my vanity, I'm obligated to look at my reflection once more as I apply some black eyeliner, a thin layer of nude beige eye shadow, which accentuates my eyes' natural color, and apply a thin coat of nude cream lipstick to my lips.
My makeup, like my clothes is modest in comparison; and that's the way that I like. I may not be a striking beauty; but I am beautiful in my own way; and so as I turn away from my reflection, my black Mary Janes heels moving across the carpeted floor, I cover my torso with a dark navy blue blazer, buttoning the singular button in the middle of the jacket, above my midsection before I join my family.
...
COMING DOWN THE STONE white stairs, my eyes are immediately greeted with the familiar sight of shelves upon shelves of books, covering every wall except one; for on the far side of the room, there stands a wall of glass allowing the natural light of the sun to illuminate our home during the day, and effectively conserve energy...simple Erudite logic.
Living in one of the finest penthouses that our faction has to offer, we have a clear view of the entire compound; even the Hub can be seen in the distance from the dining room table, where my family currently sits for the breakfast that Caleb has prepared.
The standard bowls of warm oatmeal with fruit rich in vitamin C, which is the customary brain food of the morning, are laid out on the table in front of me as I sit down in my usual seat, adjacent from my brother with my mother and father on either side.
Leaning over to kiss my father's cheek, his fingers briefly skim my hair, as he returns the affectionate gesture, and with the whole family seated, we eat; for as my father would say; we eat together as a family; we did it then in Abnegation, and we do it now in Erudite.
Eating in silence, I wonder if anyone ever picked up on these little traits of Abnegation that we still practice in the privacy of our home, which is undoubtedly a betrayal of our current faction; but then again…we never really loyal.
...
CALEB AND I WERE born in Abnegation, the faction of the selfless. Raised in a faction that blamed selfishness for the mistakes of mankind; Abnegation believed that it was only through selfless actions that peace could maintained, and so we were raised in the doctrine of forgetting oneself and serving others.
Then suddenly when we were twelve, our family left behind a life of forgetting oneself for the sake of others, and defected to Erudite, the faction of the intelligence; now dedicating our lives to the pursuit, and preservation of knowledge.
"The aptitude test is today," I whisper quietly to my father, a half hour later as we sit in the backseat of our family's solar powered car.
We never use to have a car in Abnegation, always taking the bus or walking to and from school; but upon our defection as our father became Jeanine Matthew's second-in-command, we had more privileges than others within our faction, including an opulent home and our own private car. I can't say I miss taking the bus; giving up my seat to someone else, or walking so I didn't inconvenience anyone; but then I'm selfish like that.
"There's nothing to worry about," My father assures me quietly, monetarily looking at my brother who was seated in the front seat.
He doesn't say anymore for the remainder of the drive; he can't. Not with the driver in the front seat capable of overhearing us. The words we really want to say are too dangerous to be said out loud; instead he intertwines his hand with mine, and I do not pull away; I only grip his hand tighter, my nerves only get worse as we draw closer and closer to the school.
Abnegation frowns upon public displays of affection; in fact it is downright discouraged. I remember when the most I ever saw my parents do was hold hands at the dinner table; but that's different now. Can't say I'm comfortable watching someone trying to devour someone with their mouths; not that my parents do that; at least not in front of me or Caleb; but this simple gesture of love gives me more comfort than words ever could.
I am worried. Not because I'm afraid of what the aptitude test will tell me; I know where I belong. The only problem is, I do not belong in just one faction. I am a danger to the faction system, just as I am in danger within it; and like my mother, I am divergent.
...
SOCIETY IS DIVIDED INTO five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue. The faction system has conditioned the city's populace to think, and act a certain way, making their members find a pattern of thought that works and stays that way. If you're Abnegation, you're selfless; if you're Amity, peaceful; if you're Candor, honest; and if you're Erudite, intelligent; and if you're Dauntless, brave.
A divergent however, cannot conform to just one faction as our minds think in several different ways; and according to Erudite, that means we can't be controlled. What makes us unique; makes us dangerous. How do I know this?
Two years after our defection to Erudite, the previous leader of Erudite was actually my own grandfather, William Prior. Over the age of fifty-five and still holding his seat of power, began suspect that I was divergent and secretly administered an archaic version of the aptitude test.
What happened then is all according to my parents, because after the aptitude test, the only memory that followed was the memory of my mother standing over my grandfather's lifeless body on the living room floor as Caleb slept upstairs.
My parents claimed that William had died of a heart attack, and Jeanine the new ruler of Erudite did nothing to argue the claim as his death allowed her to rise to power; but I knew the truth. My own mother had murdered William, her own father-in-law; and not long after his funeral, my father sat me down one evening an explained to me why.
Living in Abnegation, I never would have guessed, that my selfless father, once a prominent member in the city's government was Erudite born. Coming from a long ling of Erudites, with exceedingly high IQs, during his youth, he and Jeanine were friends, as their parents were.
Although, according to my mother, once upon time, my father and Jeanine were more than friends; but from the way my father tells it; he met our mother at school and was immediately smitten with her, and regardless of her being dauntless they found a way to see each other secretly; I guess he thought best to gives me the romantic version of the story.
Nevertheless as parents fell in love over time as their choosing ceremony approached, they both agreed to be in Erudite together; but then my grandfather having high hopes for my father decided to let him see some of the more covert work that Erudite was conducting…human experimentation.
Using factionless, especially those believed to be divergent, Erudite's immoral human experimentation led my father to become disenchanted with his faction, and even more so, fearful for my mother's safety, as she possessed an aptitude for both Erudite and Dauntless, for mother's protection, they decided to defect to Abnegation.
However when Caleb and I were ten, William had learnt of my mother's divergence. How? Even they don't know; but using the information as leverage against my father, William blackmailed him to return to Erudite, to which my father had no choice but to agree.
And then two years later, when William suspected and proved my own divergence, having an aptitude for Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless, which according to my parents is a rarity even among divergents as I tested into three factions, instead of two like the majority. William suspected that I actually have an aptitude for all five; but the circumstances of the simulation caused those the three aptitudes to be the most prominent, and as such, my results.
It was then; William made it quite clear to my parents that their deal had only guaranteed amnesty for my mother, but not for me. Knowing that William intended to experiment on me, my mother killed him…and not wanting to risk William telling Jeanine or one of his many supporters, she did it in front of me; and it was in that moment, I realized just how much danger I was in.
Although it is easier to hide my divergence in Erudite than in Abnegation, at least in Abnegation, I didn't have to worry about putting my family in danger, and being killed in my sleep, or being made into one of Jeanine's human test subjects, one would think, having taken the aptitude test before I would know how to go through the simulation undetected, right? Wrong.
"Thank you," Caleb says to our driver as we finally arrive at school, I say nothing as he exits the car, while I say seated with my father with our hands still intertwined; and I honestly have no desire to let go.
"The administrator is an ally," My father reminds me quietly as he pulled me into a brief hug, his voice too low for anyone else to overhear as he squeezes my hand, before kissing my cheek.
Getting out of the car, I find Caleb waiting for me. Waving to our father as our driver takes him to Candor headquarters where he has a meeting with Jack Kang, Candor leadership.
Walking into school, past the front doors, I feel my muscles tighten in anticipation, as if I'm waiting for something to strike me as we pause at the split in the hallway, where he will go one way to advance mathematics, and I will go the other to faction history.
"Have a good day," He says, smiling at me as we part ways; but even after his and my father's words of encouragement, I still don't feel assured of my safety, because according to my father, Jeanine modified the aptitude serum three years ago; and with no way to administer it to me beforehand without arousing suspicion, there was no way for me to prepare for the test, where I will more than likely reveal my divergence; but my parents assured me that someone trustworthy would administer my test; or at least by someone who won't report me should I fail to hide my divergence.
...
THE HALLWAYS ARE CRAMPED, although the light coming through the windows make them see bigger than they actually are. I see many eighteen year olds from every faction, rushing to greet their friends, almost as if they're saying their goodbyes; because after we choose tomorrow at the choosing ceremony, it is likely we won't see each other again in these hallways, as the faction of our choice tomorrow will be responsible for finishing our education.
I have no one to rush to. In Abnegation, I had two friends; well if you could even call them that by Abnegation standards; our neighbors, Robert and Susan Black. I still see them from time to time in the hallways at school; but we do not speak. The Prior family has been deemed traitors by Abnegation; and in Erudite, to associate with Abnegation or any other faction would be an act of betrayal.
In Erudite, I have only one friend. Well maybe that's not completely accurate; I have friends, more than I ever did in Abnegation, but there is only one I regarded as my true friend; his name is William Delevingne or Will for short.
I met Will my very first day at school in Erudite blue, and we've been friends ever since. His older sister, Cara and I don't get a long very well; that's due to the fact that Cara absorbs everything Jeanine says, like a sponge does water. Will's different; he has his own mind and doesn't believe everything that Erudite tells us, especially about the divergents, who according to Erudite are rebels looking to overthrow the faction system, or the false information they've been spreading against my former faction, Abnegation.
"Out of my way, stiff," An Erudite boy snaps, jostling me from thoughts. I don't know his name and I care not to as he shoves an Abnegation girl out of the way, causing her to fall to the floor as he continues on his way down the hallway.
I want to help her. It would be so simple, just to reach out my hand and help her to her feet, but I can't. A few others stopped when she fell, but like myself, none of them offered to help her; their eyes following her as she dusts herself off with warm cheeks and continues on her way down the hall.
This kind of behavior towards Abnegation has been happening for a while now. Erudite has been releasing agonistic reports against Abnegation and it has begun to affect the way they are treated at school. The grey clothes, the plain hairstyle and the unassuming demeanor are supposed to make easier for them to forget themselves and easier for everyone else to forgot them to; but now they are like a beacon, making them targets.
...
AS I CONTINUE ON my way to faction history, I pause by a window in the E wing and wait for the Dauntless to arrive. I've never been on a train before, but there are tracks all throughout the city, but only the Dauntless ride them. I do this every morning, even when my clothes were baggy and plain. I used to believe it was a foolish practice as I could never be like them; but I can and I will.
For tomorrow at the choosing ceremony, if I live long enough to make there, I will choose Dauntless. I am selfless, but I will not return to Abnegation; I am intelligent, but I'm smart enough to know that I cannot stay in Erudite either, and although I do not wish to be parted from my family, I am brave.
Brave enough to leave my family and join a new faction. I am Dauntless.
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