Adelaide Prior has had a tough life; she grew up with her single father, Caleb. She used to always ask about her mother, like any other inquisitive Erudite would do to gain more knowledge. All her father had told her was she was a brave woman who kept fighting until the end.
When she was younger she never thought of the meaning of 'until the end'; it never occurred to her that her mother had died. But, as she got older and wiser she began to know more about everything-including her mother.
Now sixteen, Adelaide is going to be taking the aptitude test, to help determine which faction to be in. Erudite, Amity, Abnegation, Candor, or Dauntless. It should seem like an easy decision for anyone normal, but as Adelaide found out, she wasn't quite as normal as she thought.
"You're results… they were inconclusive. Erudite, Dauntless, and abnegation…. They call it Divergent. You can't tell anyone, not your parents and especially not anyone else. Do you understand, Adelaide?" Tori, her test distributor told her.
"This was supposed to tell me what to choose!" She says shocked as she is ushered out of the back door.
"Follow your gut, kid. The test didn't work on you." Tori slams the door in her face.
What was she supposed to do now? She wasn't clueless about anything, except this. What path should she chose? She began walking home as she pondered over her five choices.
Not Amity- she wasn't into growing crops or being peaceful with others, she liked a fight just like anyone else would. Abnegation seemed too… easy. She didn't want to take an easy route for her first option. That was now at the bottom of her list. Candor wouldn't make the cut. She had heard rumors that they use the truth serum on you as your final test to get into Candor, she wasn't about to tell a stranger any of her secrets. Now knowing she was- what did Tori call it?- Divergent, she wouldn't want them to find out. Erudite would be predictable, because it is all Adelaide has ever known. But did she really want to stay? Dauntless was the last option she came to. The wild hellions. They were crazy- at least that's what everyone has said about them. They jump on trains and shout all the time. Could she handle it?
The day of the choosing ceremony came quickly. She goes with her father and once her name is called she walks up to the five bowls and ponders her choices again quickly.
Amity Soil? No- next bowl.
Abnegation stones? No- next bowl.
Candor glass? Definitely not- next.
Erudite water or dauntless coals?
She slowly drags the small knife across her palm and lets the blood collect in her hand. She hovers over the erudite water when suddenly she jerks her hand to the coals and in the silence she hears the sizzle of her blood hit the lit coals.
Whoops and cheers erupt from the dauntless she glances back to her father. He's smiling and tears were in his eyes. He looked… proud. She is welcomed into the arms of dauntless.
Once the ceremony is over the dauntless begin to run, then they begin to jump and climb- man was she out of shape.
She just barely make it onto the train and she bumps into a girl. This girl had long brown hair that fell in waves. She was dressed in Red and yellow- a transfer from Amity.
"Oh! Sorry!" The girl squeaks, "I'm Daisy."
"Adelaide," she says smiling.
"Well, Adelaide, I think we just passed our first test!" Daisy says happily.
She smiles at her new and unlikely friend. They were approaching a roof and Adelaide looks out.
"They're jumping." She says dumbfounded.
"Again?" Daisy says bracing herself as she looks.
They glance at each other than shrug before jumping too. They land with a thud on the hard, gravel covered roof. They dust themselves off before going toward the rest of the group.
"How many times do we have to jump?" Adelaide mumbles under her breath.
"Who's first?" The head dauntless, Eric, says with an evil grin.
Everyone just looks around until, "I'll go," slips out of Adelaide's mouth.
Everyone parts to make a path for her. Some stare open mouthed. She carefully gets up onto the high edge, takes a deep breath and leaps to her uncertain fate at the bottom of the hole. When suddenly the breath is knocked out of her as she bounces back up when she falls again she tries to catch her breath before someone comes along and yanks the net toward them making her come rocketing up. The man helps her off the net.
"What's your name?" The man says with a bored expression on his face.
"A-Adelaide." She says with a strange confidence in her voice.
His eyes snap back to her as a sort of recognition passes over his face.
"Welcome to Dauntless. Adelaide- First jumper!" He calls to the rest of the dauntless that were waiting to hear who had the guts to jump first.