I don't like going to new places and being in new situations because it only means I needed to pretend to more people. Meaning I dread testing day with my entire being.
"A fruit fly could tell me I'd get Dauntless so why waste a walk going to validate it." I complained, half acting but half voicing my true frustration.
I silently hoped that my parent's petition for factionless teens to skip the test would get approved. It didn't; meaning all the factionless teens stand in a line for hours getting more irritable by the minute.
I was dead in the middle of the line faking boredom; which consisted of exaggerated eye rolls, and obnoxious groans as I sat on the floor, my back leaned up against the wall.
"Olivia Johnson." I looked in the direction of where my voice was called. My hands clenched the dark gray sweater I was wearing. I then smirked at the relieved and annoyed teens around me.
"This won't take long." I breathed then walked into the room. I saw a woman who was wearing black, touching a machine. Her back was to me. Dauntless. I assumed then turned to the mirror pretending to fix my hair. Pretending to look at myself. I heard her clear her throat.
"Are you done?" I felt a shiver run down my spine and nerves fill my stomach. But let out a chuckle and looked at her reflection.
"Why bother? It's not like I'm going into a faction anyway. It's a waste of a test really." I said crossing my arms.
"I couldn't agree with you more." She said. That surprised me. "But it's a required waste of a test." I forced myself to roll my eyes.
"Fine." I said turning my heel. "Let's get this over with." I picked up a small cup from the table she stood in front of. "I drink this, right?" she quickly took it away from me.
"Sit down." she ordered. I shrugged and took as seat leaning back in the chair. She gave me the cup. I raised my eye brows.
"Really-?"
"Just shut up and drink."
"Someone's on a power trip." I muttered before drinking up the liquid. She took it from me and went over to look at her machine.
"I really hope all the factionless aren't like you." That was the last thing I heard before everything became fuzzy and I found myself underwater.
I looked up seeing a light, I tried swimming towards it only my feet were caught in some kind of kelp. I tried pulling my feet out but the more I struggled the more I was caught. I could feel myself running out of air. I looked up again to see two things drop into the water one was a knife and another was a slab of meat.
I watched the knife carefully as it sunk closer towards me. I grabbed it and cut myself loose. I looked up and started swimming towards the surface.
Once I did I took in a deep breath of air as I climbed onto dry land. As I caught my breath I looked around to see that I was in the middle of a jungle with tall grass and taller trees with low branches. I stood up and looking around my eyes landed on a lioness crouching down in the grass. It growled a low growl and her eyes were fixated on me.
I realized I had the knife still in my hands and dropped it. Upon hearing the thud of it hitting the ground the lioness growled and started running towards me. I quickly ran towards a tree and started climbing until I was high above the ground. The lioness pawed at the trunk of the tree and roared up at me.
It stalked around for what seemed like hours before it finally walked away. I stayed in the tree looking at nothing really until a girl came up from out of the water. She wore blue clothes, had red hair, and even from a distance I could tell she looked just like me. Suddenly her eyes met mine.
"I know you're up there." I didn't move. "Please. I'm hungry." She said tears welling up in her eyes. I looked at her face for a moment. It wasn't like we had the same features or anything. Her chin was pointier, her nose was smaller, her eyes were bigger and a completely different color. Yet she looked exactly like me.
I looked around and for the first time saw apples around me in the tree I was in. I plucked one from the branch and tossed it in her direction. She tried catching it but it fell into the water behind her. I sighed.
Grabbing another apple I put it in the pocket of my sweater and carefully climbed down. After I was on the ground I walked up to her and pulled the apple out of my pocket giving it to her. She smiled, that's when I heard the thundering roar of the lioness.
I turned back to see it charge then quickly covered the girls mouth before taking a deep breath of my own and pulling us both into the waters.
My eyes shot open and I was back in the testing room. I breathed in and out a few times thankful to be alive and nowhere near water.
I quickly sat up from the chair I sat in.
"Are we done? Great." I said not waiting for an answer. I got up from the chair and walked in the direction of the exit.
"Don't want to know your result?" she asked. I kept walking but made sure to put a smirk back on my face.
"Why, so we can talk about bravery and braid each other's hair?" I said shooting her a smug look as I opened the door.
"You know for an Abnegation you're a piece of work." I stopped dead in my tracks. Then looked back at her.
"Abnigation?" Now it was her turn to smirk. She shrugged as she cleaned up for the next test taker.
"I know, I definitely wouldn't have pegged you for that one." I walked out of the room. The nervousness that I had felt before was nothing compared to the confusion and unsettling feeling I had in my stomach now.
"Hey Olivia!" I looked up to see Jack still waiting in line. "What'd you get?" Fake it. I told myself as my signature smirk took over my lips.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"C'mon!" Jack pleaded at which I rolled my eyes.
"Please, by now I've already forgotten." I lied looking over all the factionless teens and giving some high fives "Besides, what does it matter anyway?!" I raised my fist in the air as I walked toward the alley. "Blood above-"
"FACTION!" the rest chanted.