It's my twelfth birthday - the only one who seemed to even notice was Caleb. I guess I don't mind, though, because at least it means we don't have to pretend to be a happy family for the day. Dad shot off at 8 in the morning as usual, I noticed he came into my room, but for the sake of avoiding his awkward goodbyes, I laid with my eyes tightly shut, as if today was just another day. I've always hated birthdays - maybe it's something to do with my sudden age growth. Since Mum left it's as if the childlike innocence they so often talk about is just a tiny speck in my pretty boring life.
For a Sunday, it ran like clockwork. We were expected to help the factionless - for others, it would be a drag, but for the Abnegation it's the only thing we know, however, it was my only opportunity to see Caleb, the boy next door who always put others before himself, nothing like his delightful sister who always seemed to forget her smile when she saw me. Of course today was like every other day. He greeted me with the biggest of grins but unusually dragged me aside and cupped my ear with a hand.
"Don't you think that I have forgotten, today is the only day worth remembering." He whispered with a cheeky smirk. His charming efforts to make today seem special were wasted on me as today is Sunday and nothing more.
"You know Caleb, as flattering as it is that you wish to make today so beautiful, we have mouths to feed and the more time we waste speaking of my invisible birthday, the less people we are saving," I shrugged and straightened my grey tunic.
His laugh seemed effortless and stunning, the same as every other time. "Susan, your stupidity does send my head spinning but I'm not going to waste the possible last few birthdays of yours we have together pretending that today is just Sunday."
"Unfortunately Mr. Prior, you do not have a choice in the matter," I raised my eyebrows and scooped a sticky lump of porridge into a ceramic bowl. "Now - chop chop, get feeding."
I was like a machine - repeating the same motion over and over - a pile of oats into one bowl, and another, and another. My arm started to ache, it was like I had porridge running through my veins instead of blood. I hated porridge - it wasn't the taste or the texture (however vile it may be), it was what the porridge represented. I hated the fact that we were forced into helping the factionless - why couldn't Erudite or Candor or Dauntless or Amity do it? I hated the War - why should we just be one thing? Why can't I be intelligent, kind, selfless, honest and brave?
The whole day flew by like a dove soaring back to its young. That's one day gone I will never get back. Another strike of a clock, one more day lost. An inch closer to the day most wish to remember but one I prey to forget. I hate this time, every evening, lying in bed with the whole world in my mind, millions of questions and barely half of an answer.
Hello! This is Alice (readmeonemorepage97) and Mae (mallowmarsh4) and we are writing a fic together yay! This our first chap with (hopefully) more to come telling the story of Susan from the Divergent trilogy! woop woop!