My hands shake by my side and I clench them into tight fists. My heart pumps so fast and so loud I'm afraid it'll jump right out of my chest.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

A Amity woman awaits me as I enter the room where I will have my aptitude tests. The tests that will determine which faction I belong with. She smiles at me in recognition and moves around the machine attached to the reclined chair in the middle of the room to give me a warm hug which I gladly return.

'Emily,' I murmur into her hand-made red and orange dress. 'How are you?'

We release one another and Emily smiles, showing a row of perfectly pearly white teeth. 'That's what I should be asking you. Are you scared?' She stares deeply into my brown eyes, seeing my reaction. Emily had always been perceptive, when I was younger I used to believe she was a Candor spy as she would always bring out the truth about where I was hiding.

I nod my head mutely before shrugging my shoulders, tucking my wavy brown hair behind my ear. 'Joanna said that the stimulation might not work on me... because of... you know...'

Joanna was the head of mine and Emily's fraction: Amity. She was a nice lady and was always welcoming. Ever since I was young I wasn't affected by the many serums that Jeanine, the head of erudite, developed out for the factions to use. It was nothing consequential, just that Joanna was very cautious with who knew that information. She would do anything to avoid any aggression even if it means lying to Jeniene.

Emily's eyes widen as she lets out a deep breath. 'Oh yeah, I've forgotten. Don't worry, little baby Freya. I'll enter your results in manually. I won't let anything happen to Livvy's little baby sister.' She ruffles my hair with a grin as I give a squawk in indignation. Emily pats the reclining chair, gesturing me to sit before sitting down in her own chair.

Livvy, her real name Olivia, was my older sister by seven years. Emily had been her best friend since they were five when she stood up for Livvy against some cruel Candor boys. I remember both of them babysitting me when I was younger, tying my brown hair into weird styles and playing childish games with me. Emily had been part of my life ever since I was born and I always know that whenever she or Olivia see me, they always see the small little girl with wavy brown hair and a sweet chipped tooth smile asking them to play hide and seek. The little girl that would tug on Livvy's hair in adoration and prounounce 'Emily' as 'Emmy'.

I sit on the reclining chair as Emily hands me a glass of orange juice. I sip it cautiously. I have to stay in here for at least 10 minutes for no one to become suspicious before Emily enters my results in manually.

'So,' Emily breaks the comfortable silence. 'What faction do you think your results would be?'

I smooth down my sweet yellow dress and shrug, clutching my earthy brown cardigan closer to my shoulders. 'I like Amity. It's nice. Everyone's nice. It's just... too nice.'

I don't meet Emily's gaze. I know she loves Amity, she and Livvy love how Amity has freedom. They don't mind wasting their time and having fun playing in the golden fields. I do. I do mind. I want to do something with my life. Something more than just working in the fields.

'Yeah.' Emily let out a heavy sigh. 'I guess niceties are lost on you.' The dig is there and it's sharp. Her gaze is harsh, accusing but she tries to hide it with a stiff smile, trying to keep the peace through a lie. I understand, she doesn't want me to leave. She doesn't want me to leave her with a Livvy that will be heartbroken. She doesn't want to patch up my family when I know she has problems with her own. She sighs and turns around, fiddling with the equipment. I know immediately she regrets what she says.

'No.' I wave my hands. 'It's not like that. I love Amity. I love my family and friends. I love working in the fields and having fun and having endless days of sunshine.' I shrug helplessly. 'I just want something more out of my life.' My fingers quickly braid a strand of red string trailing from my dress, I only do that when I'm nervous.

Emily turns so I can't see her face but when she turns around she looks tired but accepting. 'Livvy's figured that much out. You being so adventurous and wanting to climb over the wall and all that.' She brushes her black hair out of her face before stroking my hand. 'Don't choose Candor. I don't think you'll be happy there. They hate all Amity folk.'

'Candor!' I scoff. 'As if I will go there. I would teared apart.' Emily shakes her head in relief.

Candor and Amity have always hated each other. Candor thinking that Amity would do anything, including lying, to avoid aggression. This, they can't stand. Amity hates how Candor's way of doing things, how they always have to be truthful, so truthful that small pockets of aggression will always spring up. While Amity never work on their dislike for Candors methods for fear of aggression, Candor will always target Amity for anything.

'How's your job?' I ask. Emily had been promoted a week back and has hardly said a word about her new job of overseeing the new wheat-picking near the city of Erudite.

Emily shrugs, not meeting my eyes. 'It's fine. It's a lot of fun. The Erudite are nice to us. We've improved a lot technology wise.' She looks at her watch before looking at me.

I know what her gaze means. I have to go otherwise I would be in here too long. I stand up as Emily gives me a tight hug.

'I'll miss you if you leave.' Emily's voice cracks. She strokes and threads her hand through my wavy brown hair. 'I won't have the little Freya sproglet that would beg me to play tag with.'

'Or climb up apple trees with.' I quip back.

Emily laughs, her eyes wet, she shakes her head. 'Only you ever found that fun. The apple trees were too high. Only you were ever brave enough.'

I nod. Emily releases me but her hands still holds my shoulders. 'I'll still see you at dinner tonight.' I reassure but Emily doesn't seem to hear. She seems to be drinking up every last drop of me, as if this is the last time she'll see me.

'I'll put the results in manually as Amity.' Emily turns me around to face the door. 'Bye Freya.'

I wave. 'Bye Emily. See you soon.'

—

I walk back to Amity in silence. A group of my friends hang infront of me, laughing and cheering, playing with a small plastic water gun someone had sneaked into school.

My feet trudge along as I stare at the tall erudite buildings. How much vast knowledge is contained within those walls?

'Freya!' Shouts a voice. I turn around. It's my friend, Toby. He had big red rosy cheeks and he looks happy. 'Hey! How was it?' He asks.

I force a smile. 'It was a bit scary.' The ordinary Amity answer with the ordinary Amity smile.

Toby winces in sympathy. 'Yeah. I was half terrified half excited.' He perks up as he sees the people infront, playing with a water gun. 'Freya, you want to join them?'

I shake my head, ruefully. 'Not really.'

Toby looks at me and realises I want to be left alone. He pats my shoulder and gives me a one-armed hug.

'Well,' he says brightly. 'Tell me if you need anything. I'm always here.' He squeezes my hand before running off and joining the people ahead. I see them welcome him with open arms as he engages in a water fight with them.

I see a group of Abnegation children stare at mine and Toby's interaction. I smile. It's funny the way they think that physical motions have so much weight behind it. I have never seen an Abegnation person actually welcome touch. It's common in Amity to hug a stranger in greeting, it's natural.

A hand grips my shoulder. My Maths partner grins at me, his teeth white and blinding, his shaggy blond hair obscuring his green eyes. I know immediately who it is.

'Will.' I smile happily. I give him a light nudge on the shoulder as he smirks. I never mind Will coming over to see me, even when I'm unhappy or frustrated. His Erudite logic always makes me see the best of a situation.

I pull out an apple I plucked from the orchards this morning and toss it to him. The apple bounces off his shoulder and nearly hits the floor before he clumsily grabs it and wipes off the small speck of dirt with his blue shirt. I met Will last year when we were partnered up for Maths. Ever since the first day when he complained about how his meals were so bland they could be considered a Stiffs food I had brought him fresh fruit which I plucked from the fields and orchards. In exchange, Will brings little gadgets from Erudite he makes when he's bored.

'Mmmm.' He closes his eyes and takes a bite. 'Freya, how I've missed you and your charming company.'

I roll my eyes. 'You just miss the fresh fruit.' The Abegnation people look over at us with curious eyes before looking down again. Gossiping or curiousity is self-indulgent by Abegnation standards.

Will looks over to where I'm looking. He grins and waves a few fingers to the few that are still staring. I see a small pale faced blonde with a long nose look down as a blush creeps along her cheeks. She looks up quickly and curiously at the apple in Will's hands. Fresh fruit is a luxury here, only the Amity farms it.

'Will, stop. You've embarrasssed them.' I laugh. Will was currently doing anything to get their attention, including waving his arms around his head like a maniac. I pull his arms down with an embarrassed grin.

He smirks at me. 'I thought I would attract their attention as they seem to be looking.' He speaks as if quoting a book. 'Abegnation values selflessness above all else and rejects a life of vanity and self-indulgence. Gossiping as such.' He gives me a smug look. 'Which means they, according to their own rules, are being selfish.'

'You are so an erudite.' I tease, pulling the hair out of my face. I take a bite out of my own apple.

'I am not. At least I don't pretend to wear glasses.' Will's green eyes are earnest. So earnest in fact that they look comical.

He looks curiously at the Abnegation group walking away with a hint of suspicion. Abnegation and Erudite have a long standing one-sided hateful relationship. While Abnegation have no opinion on them, Erudite claims that the Government run by the Abegnation is corrupt.

'Hey.' I pat his shoulder, I always know what he's thinking when he has that look on his face. 'Abnegation is not corrupt.' I say, I look behind me and see only a couple of Candor kids behind me. We're the late stragglers heading back home, to busy messing around to be early.

The suspicious look doesn't fall from his face. 'Yeah, well...' He kicks a stone. 'You should hear how my sister speaks of them.' He shudders. 'Cara is really passionate.'

I shrug and pull out a bag of blueberries from my left-over lunch, tipping some into Will's outstretched hand. 'Abnegation believe in selflessness. Putting people before others. We would have figured it out by now if they were corrupt.'

Will grins at me. His teeth dotted black by the blackberries. 'Look at you. A true Amity pacifist.'

'I wish.' My laugh trails off. I do wish that I was more peaceful. I remember, when I was younger my family and friends were content with keeping quiet when someone with different views came along. I was the only one that liked a challenge, the playful banter that borderlined on a argument that challenging someone beliefs could bring, even if it wasn't very considerate.

'Freya?' Will asks in the comfortable silence.

'Yeah?' I suck the black juice from my fingers. Will was looking in the distance, as if in his own little world.

'At the choosing ceremony tomorrow, do you think I'll make a good Erudite?' He asks. We're at the Erudite headquarters now. I know he has to leave at the next turning so we walk slower to stretch out the time we have left.

I shake my head, 'I think you can pretend to be a good one but I don't think you'll ever fully enjoy being in Erudite.'

Will purses his lips and frowns. 'Yeah, I had that same feeling.' He looks over at me, looking at my red and yellow dress, the colours of Amity.

'I don't think you'll be happy in Amity.' He says brashly. 'You argue to much.'

The words sting even though I agree. 'Your truthfulness may lead you to Candor.'

Will shakes his head firmly. 'Candor's are too honest. I'll never get past initiation. I have to keep some secrets to myself.'

He looks down the road, it's his turning. Will gives me a smile and tugs playfully on my hair. 'Good luck for the ceremony, Freya.'

He's about to walk away but just before he does he hands me a pen. I look at him quizzically. The pen is nice—it is slim and black with a small red dot at the top—but what is it supposed to do?

'Press the red dot at the top.' Will explains. 'It will record anything you want it to as long as you keep pressing it. You can only have one at a time and it only repeats once. Press the red dot once to hear it.' He winks at me. 'I made it in Technology class.'

'Wow. Thanks, Will. It looks really cool.' I flip the pen over in my hands. It does look really cool.

Will grins and rubs the back of his neck. 'It's nothing. See you later Freya.'

He disappears down the road and I am alone again. My Amity friends that were once ahead of me have disappeared although I can still hear their faint laughter on the wind. I rub my brown skin, tanned by the sun as I work in the fields after school.

I continue to sludge along. Only people from Candor and Amity use this path now. All the Erudite's have left, Will's house was the last turning, the Abegnation have long since turned off and Dauntless doesn't use this road. It's only Candor and Amity on this dirt path left.

I walk in silence for a minute before a shadow joins mine on the path. I turn around. It's a Candor boy around my age, he is tall but my willowy frame means he doesn't loom over me by a lot, he has angelic features and black hair. His eyes are big and dark green. If it wasn't for the scowl in his face I would say he was attractive. Behind him are a snickering girl who was decisively unattracted, seemingly both inside and out, and a boy who was built like a boulder.

I turn to glare at him. Candor are never pleasant to Amity and most believe they never will be.

'Yes.' My voice is short and stilted. The boy puts a hand to his heart and has a mockingly shocked look on his face.

'Did you hear that? Molly? Drew?' He calls out from behind him, a glint in his eyes as he looks at me.

'Yeah,' snickers Molly, 'I heard that Peter.' She looks at Peter with adoration in her eyes

I roll my eyes. 'Even I know that it was a rhetorical question.' I snap. Everything about this boy annoys me. I shift my bag to my shoulder and pick up the pace. I can see the Candor towers ahead of me.

Molly fumes red as Drew, in a sing-song voice, goes 'ooooh.'

Peter keeps up with my change of pace easily. While our legs are the same length, his take longer strides. I feel that if I take longer strides I'll look like a giraffe, an animal that only exists in story books now.

'And I thought Amity was full of a bunch of push-over pacifists.' Peter grins, showing of a row of pearly white teeth.

While Will says the word 'pacifist' in a teasing loving way, Peter speaks it as if it were a curse.

'There's nothing wrong with wanting peace.' I say. 'What's wrong is everyone knowing everything about you. Being completely vulnerable in the hands of a stranger that could be your destruction.' I spread out my hands. 'Which, in a sense, is everything that Candor represents. Honesty to the fault.'

I turn to look at Peter and for a moment he looks shocked before a distasteful look coming over his features. 'As if Amity is any better. All you do all day is sit around and play games. You do nothing worthwhile. If one of you disappeared no one would care because you're all worth nothing. There's no value to you. You belong with the factionless which is even worse since all they do is spy on people better than them and beg for food.' He looks at me harshly. 'Especially to you as considering to fraternise with another faction discussing forbidden is considered immorally wrong.'

Peter quirks a sharp eyebrow at me and I could tell the last comment was about Will and me discussing our are choices for the choosing ceremony tomorrow.

'Well, if you've got nothing better to do than eavesdrops and spy on other people's conversation then I guess you really do belong where you think you do, factionless?' I smile in triumph even though I feel guilty at using the factionless as my insult. Peter looks shocked. Clearly he hasn't worked through his argument, he must have had confidence that he'll win this discussion.

I can hear Peter start struggling beside me, my pace to quick for him to keep up. In Amity there's always movement, either I'm climbing a tree, mock wrestling, playing games with the children or helping out in the fields. Excersise is mandatory. We nearly excersise as much as Dauntless but we do it in a much more gentle manner. In Candor and the other factions—especially Abegnation where running is considered selfish—people don't do as much excersise, preferring to sit down all day and discuss their life that way.

I look behind me. While Peter only has a light pink flush to his cheeks, Drew and Molly have laboured breathing, their large bulk not helping them.

I know I am going to be in a world of trouble for disagreeing with them as Molly looks at her with narrow hate-filled eyes.

'You seem to be struggling. Clearly Candor needs to do more exercise.' I laugh and Molly's expressions looks murderous. I sprint away before Peter can grab hold of my swinging brown bag.

My feet pound on the hard road track and as soon as I pass the road turning off to Candor I slow down. I jog all the way to the group of my Amity friends ahead of me and give them a wave. They're soaking wet and full of laughter and happiness. My heart twinges at all the fun I missed out on when I was busy moping. I see Toby in the crowd giving me a smile.

'Hey. I had to... run away... from... some Candor boys.' I spit out, panting hard. My hands rest on my knees and my chest burns. I oook up at my friends with a tired grin. 'Anyone got any water.'

My friend Ella gives me a mischievous look before cocking something behind her back, realisation hits me.

'Don't you dare- argh!' A face full of water hits my mouth as Toby joins in. They start laughing, myself included. Water from all directions squirt at me, covering me until I'm soaking wet.

I bat the water away as Ella laughs and says, 'I'm sorry Freya, but you were asking for it. You knew how we had water guns.'

I give her a wide grin and she backs away nervously. I tackle her on the grass lying beside the road, roaring with delight. There is a mock struggle for the water gun as I hear the others start spraying themselves all over again, playfully fighting for the win.

As I grab the water gun off Ella and start squirting her I realise what I would be missing behind if I left Amity. All these cheerful long lost days would be long over. I can no longer be in the sunshine all day, getting tanned a halting the children. No longer do I have the freedom to run in the fields and climb the trees whenever i feel like it. I know what faction I want to be in. I look at Ella as she laughs and she tackles a water gun of Evan, a boy with curly red hair who is currently spraying water at Toby.

I want more purpose out of life than just only doing my part. I want to protect. I want to protect my family, my friends, the people that I love.

I want to be dauntless.

—

Livvy squeezes my hand tight and hugs me tighter. My parents stand a little way off, my mother with tears in her eyes as she looks at me. She knows I'm going to go. She knows I'm not going to choose Amity. My father still looks hopeful. I see Ella walking up the steps with her parents and she gives me a weak grin, her hand is clenched so tight around her father it's turning white.

Livvy whispers in my ear, 'I know you'll do the right thing, no matter what. I love you Freya.' She holds me out and she looks me up and down, carefully smoothing out my loose red jeans and patting down my dark yellow top.

My sister looks exactly like me. Both of us have a slight frame and a willowy figure, although Livvy is slightly taller. We share our mothers brown wavy hair but while hers is long and reaches the middle of her back mine is short, just at that awkward stage around the shoulders. We have tanned skin, browned over time by working out in the sun like all people in Amity, and big brown eyes.

Only Livvy has tattoos. While Amity is unlike Dauntless in the fact it resents violence which Dauntless excels in, it is similar in the ways that tattoos are used to express hidden emotion. But, unlike Dauntless, we use the rocks lying at the edge of the forest. We grind up the rock with dirt before mixing it with tree sap. Livvy has a tattoo of an elephant, a animal that only exists in books now, on her collarbone and a sparrow on her back. She says it represents things lost a long time ago.

I stand in the entrance to the Hub with Livvy, the tallest building in the city, and watch as people flow in. The choosing ceremony is up at the top floor. Our parents walk over to join us.

'I remember when it was Livvy's choosing ceremony.' My father says. He looks reminiscent as he points up at the top floor of the Hub.

People walk past talking and chattering but we ignore it. They ignore us. I see a crowd of Abegnation walking towards us, contrastingly silent against the chatter of the Amity, they walk past us and into the building.

'Come now.' My mother says, hugging me close to her side. 'Let's get you up there.'

We walk towards the elevator. A Abnegation family gives up their place for us to be there. We take the elevator with thanks. I watch them walk up the stairs in silence. I shudder at the thought of going into abnegation. A place which is too tranquile. The easy life. I could never have an easy life.

We reach the twentieth floor and my father leads us to the section of the crowd covered in red and yellows. How can we all be peaceful when we're dressed like fire? Fire which represents anger and aggression. The very thing we stand against.

Soon the crowd of 16 year-old Amity teenagers split and we arrange ourselves in alphabetical order. There is hubbub and babble as friends and family say their goodbye's or their see-you-soon's. My family each get their turn to hug me and I to them. My fathers eyes are wet and my mother seems to be fanning her face, only Livvy seems to understand that I want my last memory of them to be happy. She gives me a tight shirt hug and a ruffle of my hair. She hands me a bar of chocolate, a delicacy that she and Emily have saved for me. I smile in thanks at their gift and tuck it into my bra which earns a laugh from her.

I move away and soon I stand next to Evan Wilson from Amity and Stanley Wright from Erudite. I stand in between them as Freya Williams. On the other side of the circle stands Will, he gives me a small wave. A few people across from him is Ella, she doesn't notice me and continues to chew on her hair.

In the middle of the room stand Marcus Eaton from Abegnation. He begins his speech, welcoming all the factions into the choosing ceremony hosted by Abegnation. I don't listen. I remember it well enough when i was nine, listening with rapt attention as my sister chooses which faction she would like to be. I remember feeling relieved as I realised she would stay in Amity, I am not giving her the same gift, I am leaving and I think everyone knows.

I don't listen. I don't listen to whatever anyone is saying until Marcus calls out my name.

'Freya Williams.' The voice sounds as if it's far away in the distance, not close enough to have any real meaning or attachment to me but I move anyway as if I were in a dream.

When I get down towards the bowels my hands are sweaty, my heart thuds in my chest so loud and so powerful I'm afraid it'll break out. I look at the Amity section. They're all covered in red and yellow. I see Joanna, the spokeswoman, and she gives me a nod, so does Livvy. I look down at the bowels again.

Earth for Amity. Lit coals for Dauntless. Water for Erudite. Glass for Candor. Grey stones for Abnegation.

I know I don't belong in Abnegation or Candor. I can never truest see myself in Erudite. I can see myself in Amity but I won't see myself fulfilling my life there. I can see happy days but nights where I'll regret my choice. In dauntless I see myself brace and courageous, protecting all those I care about, missing my old Amity life but embracing my new one.

I flick the knife over my palm and drop it over the hot coals of Dauntless. I don't hear accusation muttering from Amity, they are considerate, they always knew I wanted more out of Amity, something they couldn't give and because they are kind and gracious—too kind and too gracious for me to fit in—they let me go without a cruel word. There are a small smatter of applause from Dauntless before the next person is called up.

I sit next to a boy with dark skin, skin not tanned by the sun but skin he was born with, he gives me a smile and a cheery nudge. I smile back and stare forward determinedly. I see Livvy giving me a thumbs up as my mother and father give a small wave. A wave of goodbye or hello I don't know.

Suddenly a figure drops next to me. It's Will. He brushes his shaggy blond hair out of his face as he looks at me.

'Never knew you wanted to be Dauntless.' He quirks his eyebrows up and crosses his arms.

'Never knew you wanted to be Dauntless.' I copy him, raising my eyebrow with a little difficulty and crossing my arms.

Will grins and shakes his head. 'Of course you knew I wanted to be in Dauntless. Acting as if I wasn't hinting yesterday.' He flops around in his chair quietly before whispering, 'you could never be in Candor. That is a proven fact.'

I roll my eyes and we continue to watch the ceremony in silence. Only a few more people join Dauntless before it's over.

—

Hey guys! It's fanaticfudge.

I read the Divergent series in the past and it was just too good so I had to make my own story. My main character is called Freya Williams, her older sister is called Olivia—otherwise known as Livvy—Williams and her mother and father. Emily Anderson is a very close family friend. Will and Freya is nothing but friendship, he belongs with Christina.

I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading!