Preface
My eyes snap open at the sound of something crashing to the ground and shattering like glass, just a fragment of my dream. A dream I've been having for months now; it has various scenes, but two things are always the same about them. The first is that my family dies. The second is that it always has glass in it. Both appear in varying forms. For example, my family could be shot or drown, and the glass could be covered in blood or just be a water sculpture. Another similar thing about the dreams is that I always wake with fear pounding every nerve of my body.
With sweaty palms I pull myself from my bed, the typical black and white of my faction. All the factions are represented by some colour, and mine, Candor, is black and white. We see things without diversity; it's a yes or a no, black or white. There is no grey to things. Maybe that's why I don't fit in with Candor so easily, because no matter how hard I try? I always find a grey.
My watch, which is plains on my bedside table, informs me that it is 6:00 AM. A little early for my liking, until I recall what today is. Immediately my breath catches in my throat like the air has been stolen from me, and my heart rate speeds up. It can't be Initiation Day already, can it?
Every year, the factions come together to determine the fate of each sixteen-year-old who currently resides in a faction with an aptitude test. Just thinking of it males my palms sweat, and I wipe them on my black pants. I will get Candor, I have to get Candor, to support my family. Somehow, though, there is a girl inside of me who refuses to see things so simply. A girl who knows better than to assume everything can be responded to with a yes or a no answer. A girl with fire.
For the sake of my Mom and Dad, I cannot be that girl.
Swallowing hard, I go downstairs to get ready.