Chapter One
It was Choosing Day. the stress was up and emotions are high, everyone buzzing about the chances of leaving this peaceful place. Which people would get different factions on the simulation?
Because who wouldn't want to leave Amity.
I can answer that. Me.
Yeah, maybe Amity is non-brutal and a relaxing life, but it is just not for me. I am just not suited for Amity, because of my constant defensiveness, my inability to keep calm. I've been under the peace serum more times than i could remember.
To me the answer is obvious what faction i will be placed in. Dauntless, of course.
I look around at the people surrounding me. Girls with braided hair, playing some sort of hand game as they laugh about something that had happened yesterday. I sit with my sister at out normal table. Her name is Nina, and she is 13. she is sitting here, tapping her heels on the ground. This is not her day, it is mine. This is the day i would choose my life.
I knew as i stepped out of my room that morning that today would not be an easy day for me, and i was right.
My father comes storming out of the hallway, though to anyone not in his family he seems completely calm. He heads towards Nina and me.
"Annemarie, can i speak to you?" He asks. I raise my eyebrows.
"Can we reschedule the lecture?" I ask dryly, looking at his blue eyes. "I'm in the middle of lunch." i gesture to my plate of food, which consists of bread, chicken, and water.
"Now." He growls, low enough so no one else would hear. It sometimes surprised me that he was a transfer to Amity, because he seemed to dislike this life so much. I never asked what Faction he transferred from, but i had a theory that it was Erudite, from the way he would talk about things. He was never outspoken or bold, the way i would expect a Dauntless transfer to be, so i ruled that one out.
"So, what?" I ask, leaning against the wall.
"Listen," he says. "I already know that you will not be staying in Amity. You know that too."
I wait for him to get to the point.
"So what i want to say is, just...don't make your choice based on what you think. Listen to the results." He looks at me, his blue eyes hard. "Do you understand?"
"Yes," I say. I knew how it worked for years, I didn't need the lecture again now. "I know."
"All right." he nods and straightens up. He is very tall. "Well, its almost time,"
I nod. "Is that all?" I am starving. He nods back to me, and i walk back to finish my lunch before we are called to gather for the beginning of the testing. I have to admit that though the thought of it makes me excited, my stomach is rolling with anxiety.
"You okay...?" Nina notices me picking at my food but not really eating.
"Of course," I said, immediately stuffing food in my mouth to show her. She raises her eyebrows but doesn't say anything more. I jump when someone appears next to me, startling me.
"Hey guys!" a cheerful voice says.
"Oh. Hi Kira," I said. Kira is a nice girl. She is in my year at school, though i don't hang out with her much. She throws her long dark hair over her shoulder.
"Aren't you just tingling?" she says, nearly bouncing. "I can't believe its finally happening!"
"Yeah, sure..." I say, nibbling on my piece of bread.
"You don't seem very excited about it," Kira's twin brother, Sam, sits down next to me at the table. "Or your just nervous but too stubborn to admit it." he grins
"I'm excited," I glance at him. We'd always been better friends than me and Kira.
"Well, you'd better be. Because its time." The Head of Amity had hit the bell, sending out the alert for the 16 year-olds to make the way to the main corridor. I slowly stand up.
I looked at Nina. She looked right back at me. "If you leave..." She said. "I'll miss you."
"Me too." I say, even though i know today wouldn't be my last day here. Tomorrow would be. I give her a hug before walking down the hallway next to Sam and Kira.
Kira is still babbling on about how nervous she is. I amcertain that she would stay in Amity. Sam i wasn't so sure about...
I'm not really paying attention as i get into my line. I know I'll have a while to wait, my last name being Trill. I sit down on the ground, not caring about getting dirty.
As all the last names ahead of me are called, i sit there, impatiently waiting. i tap my hands on the ground every few minutes. Will i get Dauntless? what if i get Amity again? or Abnegation? I shudder at the thought. Not that i have anything against Abnegation, but i would never want to be a part of it. All those rules and requirements...I'd end up being a factionless. I wouldn't make it through the first week.
I look up as the person in front of me is called. How is it already time? I'm not ready! Now i amsure about anything like i was an hour ago. I glance around me and see that no one else is panicking, so i work on slowing my breaths. In...out...in...out.
I take a last deep breath as i am called. I stand up and walk into the testing room. My eyes travel over the white walls, then i look at the woman standing in the center of the room, by the chair. I slowly approach her.
"Hello." She says, smiling pleasantly. "My name is Diane, and i will be monitoring your simulation. You are Annemarie Trill?"
I nod. "Yes." I wince at how i sounded like I am about to cry.
"Don't worry." Diane says. "Its okay to be nervous. I had a young lady burst into tears earlier. You're doing well."
I don't respond, just simply approached the chair and sit down. it isn't very comfortable, and i feel as if i am about to be operated on.
"Drink this," Diane appeares at my side, holding a small vial of liquid that looks like water, but I'm sure it isn't water. I drink it obediently.
"Now just relax." He voice fades out as I close my eyes, submitting myself to the simulation serum.
I open my eyes to a confusing scene. There is a table in front of me. On it are two items. one is a piece of cheese, the other is a sharp and shiny dagger.
A woman stands behind me. "Choose." Her voice is emotionless and demanding.
I narrow my eyes. my hand slowly moves towards the knife. I grasp its handle and pull it to my side. i turn to look back at her but she has disappeared. I look back at the table but it has disappeared too.
A fearsome growl sounds behind me. I jump around, braced for a massive wolf, or maybe a bear, but instead i see a snarling dog.
My reaction confuses me. I raise the knife in my hand, but i quickly put it down. I love dogs. I can't bring myself to hurt a helpless animal, even if said animal wants to rip my head off.
"Good dog," I hesitantly set the knife down next to me, showing the dog my open hands. It's growling grows a bit quieter. I slowly stretch my hand out to it and it snarls again but doesn't move. It knows that I am not afraid of it. We sit quietly and size each other up. I think that its decided that we are not enemies.
Just when I'm about to try and pet it again, a young girl comes running around the corner. "Doggy!" She yelps, running to hug it or pet it or something.
"No- Wait!" I try to stop her, but the dog growls and starts to lunge towards her. Though it pains me, i pick up the knife and slash the dog on the side. It stops and looks at me.
"I'm sorry," I say to it, wishing that i didn't have to hurt it. It confuses me, i don't feel this way when i hear that a human had gotten hurt. I only feel terrible when an animal has been hurt.
I close my eyes, and then open them expecting to see the dog in front of me, but the setting has changed. Now I am sitting on a crowded bus. My eyes are drawn to a hooded man sitting, reading a newspaper. he stands up and walks towards me. He shows me a picture.
"Do you know this girl?" he shoves the picture in my face, and i hold back flinching. Its a picture of my sister. "Do you?"
"No, I don't." I lie with ease.
"Are you sure?" he pleads. "You could save me! I need to know if you know this girl!"
"I said i don't!" I snap. "But, ah, You see that woman there?" I point to random woman. "She does."
"Thank you!" The man hurries away and i once again am moved to a new place.
But wait, it isn't new. I've been here. Its the simulation room. I look around wildly until I find Diane.
"H-how did I do?" I ask, not sure what was supposed to happen.
"Hmm...Well..." she pauses, and looks through something that I cannot see. "It would seem that though you have an aptitude for Dauntless..."
My heart lifts.
"...Though the main result is Erudite."
And my heart drops like a stone.
"Erudite?" I try not to act too horrified. "How? I'm not one of them1 one of those-!"
"Shhhh, dear." Diane said. "I'm not sure why you have qualifications for two factions...so i suppose you'll have to think it over and decide which one you think you'd do best in."
She seemed a bit perplexed, like she'd never heard of someone getting two factions.
"Is something..wrong with that?" I ask
"No, dear." Diane says, looking at me. "Its just unusual. I'm sure its fine." She then sends me off, and i gratefully get up from the chair, walking out oft he hallway to my next class. I'm glad I don't have to walk past everyone again.