Beatrice Prior's POV
When I was younger, I found an old book at a factionless persons' home. My mother and I were bringing food and clothing there because we are always supposed to be selfless, always putting others before ourselves. When we entered the home, my mother told me to place the items we brought in the kitchen. After I set them down on the table and walked out of the kitchen, I saw a bookshelf. Books are viewed as past time and that was self indulgent, which we are never supposed to be. I never saw as many books as I did on that bookshelf, I wanted so badly to take one down and read every word on every page. My eyes skimmed over the titles on the bindings and then I saw one that read, United States History. I reached for the book when suddenly a woman appeared, I snapped my hand back and looked down at my feet.
"I like to read too," she said while reaching up to grab the book and placing it in my hands. "Don't let anyone see this, you know people from Abnegation are not supposed to read outside of school." She looked at me sternly and then smiled.
Later that evening, I opened that book for my first time and read, just like I did almost every night now. At school we learned that we live in a city that used to be called Chicago, and years ago, wars broke out leaving people broken. Out of all of that chaos and confusion, the city was split into five different areas called, factions. When people reach the age of sixteen, they have to choose one of the factions to live the rest of their lives in. The faction that is chosen has to coincide with themselves, their personalities and abilities. The factions are Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite, each one focuses on a different skill or trait. Abnegation is the faction where people give up themselves to help others. Amity focuses on gentleness and kindness. In Candor, the truth is always important. Dauntless is full of people who are brave, while Erudite is where knowledge seekers live. The factions were created to bring the people together and give them a place to belong, but reading that book that the woman gave me, it brought me to a whole different place. It told a story where there was no factions and people were united and sometimes, I wish I lived there instead.
It's terrifying how fast time passes. I wish that I could make the clocks turn back and live in the past and at the same time I wish I could jump into the future, but I guess everyone feels like that at one time or another. I glance at the clock again and see that only a few second have passed from the last time I looked. These last few minuets are what is left of my schooling.
After sixteen years of waiting, tomorrow I will finally take my Aptitude Test. My parents and teachers have told me the test consists of a series of simulations that will determine who I am and where I belong. The test opens with all five factions available to me, but by the end of the test, three will be ruled out. The remaining two factions are for me to decide where I want to be for the remainder of my life. Tomorrow I have to decide if I want to remain in the faction I grew up in and stay with my family or leave to build a life of my own and never return.
I get out of my seat and see my brother, Caleb Prior walking to me from across the room. We were born only a year apart from each other, I always think that that's the reason we're so close. I have friends, but no one is as close to me as my brother. He's always been there for me and I don't know what will happen if we live in different factions. Ever since we were children, we've been taught that our fellow faction members come before blood and I know that will be the hardest factor to cope with.
"I can't believe it's over Beatrice, we're all grown up," Caleb smiles grimly down at me.
I take a deep breathe and exhale loudly. "It's so overwhelming."
"I know," Caleb says barley audible. "What we've known for all of these years is all about to change."
We walk outside of our school, which is also know as The Hub. Our school is located in the tallest building for miles, it used to be called The Sears Tower. Caleb and I walk in a comfortable silence and once we get outdoors we look up and at the building. By looking at it, we're looking at our childhood, remembering all of the moments we shared with each other and the children we grew up with. As we turn our backs and start our journey home, I see another one of the Abnegation sixteen year olds, Tobias Eaton.
Follow BeatricePEaton on Twitter and Instagram. Thanks for reading! Please don't leave any harsh comments, much appreciated. I do not own the story Divergent.