Chapter 1:

The sun filtered through the dew covered leaves on the tall oak trees. A small summer breeze blew shaking the dew off the soft green leaves. A small golden she-cat with grey-blue eyes lay crouched on the forest floor and small but decent vole standing in front of her.

You won't get away this time, I thought filled with determination. I took a to where my paws would land exactly on the vole only to find my world disappear and fall back into my soft bedding. I sighed in exasperation and heard a clanging noise coming from the other side of the wall. Standing up and stretching, my collar bell jingling along with me, I slowly made my way toward the clanging noise knowing that it was feeding time and that it wouldn't go away anytime soon. Seeing my tall twoleg standing above me made me feel smaller than ever.

Many cats underestimate me for my size, even though I really don't have much strength didn't mean I wouldn't make it. Make it where exactly? I always thought the Abnegation life was too soft for me. Always being provided with food and homes instead of being able to live like the other factions out in the wild. Many cats would think this is paradise here but paradise is not when you have a curfew and locked inside a limited space. Paradise isn't where you can't feel the fresh air breeze flow through your fur every day. I am allowed to go outside but it's just not enough, I still have limits.

Tomorrow night is my aptitude test day though, I want to leave Abnegation but I feel if I do I won't fit in anywhere else. I'm afraid if I get Abnegation I will be trapped forever, I truly don't know where I belong. I take scarce bites of my food not feeling very hungry today. I leave it behind knowing when I return it will either still be there, filled up, or gone. I exit the house through the little flap in the door seeing my brother sitting at the end of the path of my twoleg home. "Hey Caleb," I say as I walk down towards him with a smile on my face. He is the only relative I really speak to since our mother and father are always so busy helping around as usual Abnegation cats would do. I sit next to him and he looks at me smiling, "Hey Bea,"

"What have you been up to lately?" I ask starting a conversation. "Well thinking about tomorrow night mainly," he replies. I gulp and ask, "A-are you nervous?" His ears perk and his eyes widen, "No not at all," I look at my paws and I still feel his eyes on me. "I am guessing that, that question was more directed towards you than me wasn't it?" I don't reply but I still stare at my paws. I see him out of the corner of my eyes stand up and stand in front of me. I look up to see his green eyes staring into mine. "When you go through the test just remember no matter what you get or choose, think of the family…" He hesitates before adding, "But also think of yourself." That is the last thing I hear him say before I see him disappear behind the fence towards his twoleg home. I sigh and head back into my house...

I stand on the fence that separates twoleg-place from the forest and am there before anyone else. I stare into the forest and swear I see slight movement until I find my brother Caleb and two others behind him. Susan and Robert, I almost forgot they were taking their tests today also. "Hello Susan, Robert." I say dipping my head in normal Abnegation greeting. They dip their head in return and we all balance on the fence waiting for the others. Before we know it there is about 6 others heading our way my mother leading them. Her fur glistens in the moon light almost the same color as mine only a bit more paler and she has the same green eyes as my brother. She smiles at me and my brother before jumping down very agile like. The rest of us jump down not-so agile-like including me. She must have experience from escorting test takers for so long. We head over to Four trees through Dauntless territory since it is the only, and shortest way. It is the only time other than the Gathering when we are allowed to cross through another territory. Half-way there everyone already seems to be trudging tired from the long walk, except for my mother her tail is erect and her legs are still trotting but she slows down so the others can keep up. We make it to Four trees to find everyone there already. I see everyone in their own groups Dauntless fooling around laughing, Candor sitting near the middle of the clearing, Erudite sitting near the trees chatting about knowledge probably, and Amity laughing about something, everything probably. And then we circle back to us the last to arrive Abnegation, standing silently until it is time for all of us to head to High-Stones. I walk next to Caleb and he stands next to me supporting me though I feel as if we are both supporting each other we will find out what our new faction will be. Everyone stands ready to leave but all the leaders step onto a large boulder in the middle of the clearing. I recognize Blackstar on the top Dauntless leader, bellow him is Shellstar Erudite leader, then Clawstar of Amity, Slatestar of Candor, and Marcus Abnegation leader, our leader. Blackstars loud yowl rang through the clearing everyone silencing except the Dauntless took a while of course. "Most of you are here today to take the aptitude test today. That means you have reached the age of six moons and will be choosing to stay at your original faction or to a new one." Everyone nods knowingly. "Your result does not mean you are mandatory to choose it you are welcome to choose any faction but those who fail to follow protocol or initiation will choose the factionless life." Some look undisturbed by this and some cats look nervous. Most are nervous about surviving initiation already but I am nervous of what my result will be. Blackstar explains more about following 'faction before blood' and how much it means which seems to take longer than expected and he finally leaps down as we all follow him to the High-Stones decide our fates...

Five cats from each clan are taken in at a time and are each watched by the medicine cats as they follow them in their dreams. I shuffle my paws as I sit next to Caleb nervous and he sits close to me to comfort me and I comfort him. Before we know it five cats exit the cave and walk back to their factions to think about their results and Caleb is called next along with four other cats. I give him a small smile hoping to comfort him only to get a strained smile in return. All five cats go in once again and we wait for a while before they come back out again in about five to ten minutes. I smile again to greet Caleb and I want to know what his results were even though they could obviously be Abnegation, and we aren't allowed to share our results. But he comes out with a shocked look, looking down at his paws. He looks up at me with a blank face and touches his tail to my shoulder before heading back down to Abnegation. "Bea" I hear my name being called by a slim brown she-cat with slanted brown eyes. I gulp and stand my tail tucked between my legs. We make our way into the cave and it seems a bit more cramped than I thought it would have been. The space is so narrow my whiskers touch the walls beside me but I exhale once we reach open space which is beautiful. There is moonlight filtering through a hole in the ceiling reflecting a small piece of water in the center of the cave. In the middle of the water is a small but tall boulder stretching toward the hole in the ceiling. Each cat separates into their own secluded area with their medicine cats and I stand with mind. "Lay down next to the water," She says softly I nod and obey as she said. "My name is Hawkflight and I will be your test administrator." I nod and look into the water to see my reflection, my first time seeing what I look like and I see well, me. "Touch your nose to the water," I look at her my eyes wide, and she seems to be amused by this, "It's alright you won't drown," I look back down at the water take a deep breath and slowly dip my nose toward the water...

I wake up but I don't find myself in the cave anymore I find myself outside the cave. I hear a noise coming from the cave and my Abnegation senses tell me to stay away but my curiosity says to go. I gingerly step forward and walk through the entrance. I keep going and find myself in a different place than the original cave. I am in a cavern and there are five paths. One has fire, one has water, one has rocks, one has a dirt path, and one finally has shards sticking out of the walls. I step toward them and wonder what I am supposed to do now. I almost leap out of my fur in surprise when I hear a familiar voice behind me. My voice. "Choose" the other me says. "W-what will happen?"

"Choose" She says once more. I shake my head, what is the purpose of this? I turn toward the paths then back but she is gone. I then hear a growling coming from behind me. I turn to the growling and find it's a dog and then turn back around to find a tiny kit crying. My eyes widen in alarm wondering what to do, Fight? Escape and leave the kit behind? Escape with the kit? The dog lunges, but not at me, at the kit. Before I know it I am clawing and growling at the dog scratching whatever I can. I land a hard blow on its muzzle but it only does little help, I can't fight this dog on my own! I give all my strength into my final blow but it only gives me enough time to escape and grab the kit. I grab the kit by its scruff and it continues wailing and wiggling in my jaws. I don't let go and I run into the flames knowing the dog wouldn't follow me in there. I run with an extra burst and disappear in the flames...

I gasp as I lift my head from the water panting my eyes are wide and I look at Hawkflight she is staring at me with a bewildered look. She scans the cave and I do too but I see everyone is still asleep. "What's my result?" Is the first thing I ask. She doesn't answer and only looks into the water. "Hawkflight?" I ask. She looks at me with a blank look in her eyes, "They were…" She looks around as if someone was watching or hearing, "Inconclusive," She says it so quietly I almost don't hear her. "What?" I question bewildered. "But the test is supposed to tell me what faction to choose the test-"

"The test. Didn't. Work on you," She says emphasizing each word. "You were supposed to choose a path but instead you stayed in the same spot. The path you chose was supposed to determine which one will be your faction and you would be put into another simulation but you stayed and I decided to put in the next simulation to rule out some factions," She pauses making sure I understood what she was saying. "You fought the dog which made Dauntless an obvious choice and ruled out Amity. But then you stopped fighting and kept Abnegation by taking the kit with you and Erudite stayed because when you stopped fighting, you knew you couldn't fight the dog."

I look at her confused she still hasn't explained clearly what she means but she still hasn't told me about Candor. "So is Candor my result?" She shook her head, "No it was ruled out when you argued with 'yourself'."

"So what am I?" She leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "Divergent,"