I somehow make my way back to Natalie's house by myself. I slowly walked there so it didn't seem to suspicious that I left early. I can't be Divergent, it's impossible. That thought repeats itself in my head over and over again. I eventually turn up outside the house and I try to open the door but it's locked, I pull out the key that Natalie had given me this morning and Unlocked the door.
I didn't want to do something I shouldn't so I just sat in my room thinking about tomorrow. Am I going to choose Dauntless? Of course I'm going to choose Dauntless, that's why I'm here. I take a deep breath and lie on my back on the bed that I will sleep in only once more. I must of fallen asleep, I feel someone shake me.
"5 more minutes," I grumble. The person that was shaking me started to chuckle.
"Not even a minute. Come on get up, we need to make dinner." I hear Caleb say. I grumble then trudge my way down the stairs to the kitchen. We set a system, Caleb chops while I cook. Cooking was one of many things that I could do well. When I was bored back home, I would go visit cook and she will teach me how to cook new meals which I would then cook once in the cooks kitchen, then I would go back home and practice. I had gotten that good, I had started making my own recipes and teaching them to chef instead. I remember the once where me and cook had a cook off, it was pretty intense. I had won of course but I gave the prize to cook, I could never forget the look on her face. It was priceless.
"Where did you go today?" Caleb asks out of no where.
"hmm?" I say, not really paying attention.
"After the test, I came to look for you but you weren't there." He says. He was worried about me.
"The serum made me sick so they sent me home." I say simply, not giving anything away. He nods his head then goes back to chopping whatever it was he was chopping. We fell in a comfortable silence, until Caleb's curiosity got the best of him.
"What were your test results?"
I was stunned for a moment. I'm not even from Chicago and I know we are not allowed to share our results with anybody.
"What we're yours?" I challenge him, knowing that he would just drop it. He gave me a crooked smile and as I predicted, he dropped it.
When the food was cooked, I had told Caleb to put the portions on the plates while I set the knifes and forks out.
I set the knifes and forks at the table and put the spare ones back into the draw. During dinner, nobody spoke. I didn't really mind, it gave me more time to think about tomorrow. There is no backing out of this assignment, trust me I looked. Like Caleb had said, there are two ways I am getting out of here: Dead or factionless. I occasionally seen the factionless on some monitors back at the Bureau, they looked exactly like the homeless. Only difference is that they get food and clothing off the Abnegation whereas the homeless don't even get that. After dinner and we had washed up and dried up, Natalie and Andrew send us upstairs to think about tomorrow. Well, Caleb mostly even though they did try to assure me that I still had my own rights to choose whatever faction I want. Yeah right. Even though I didn't really have a choice, I was up most of the night thinking about it before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.
...
The next morning past in a blur. One minute I was in the shower and next thing I know, I'm sitting here listening to a woman talk about the 'History' of the five Factions. I tune out, I look as if I'm listening but honestly, I couldn't give a flying monkeys. After what felt like most of my life, We was being led into a round room. In the centre is Five large bowls. I could hear the almost silent sizzling of the coals that were in a bowl. I quickly took a look at the front of the bowls to see which one is the correct one then walk off into the direction I had seen Natalie walk in. As me, Natalie, Andrew and Caleb was walking to take a seat in the Abnegation section, we was stopped by a woman with short blonde hair and was wearing a blue suit and skirt.
"hello, Jeanine." Andrew says, Monotone.
"Good morning, Andrew. How is Marcus holding up?" She says politely, A little too politely.
"As well as expected." He replies, I was getting bored super fast. For fast walkers they are sure slow talkers.
"Mmm. We need to find out who's behind these rumours." She says, trying to look thoughtful but failing terribly. So much for being an Erudite.
"I think we know who it is." Natalie puts in, clearly trying to stop herself from snapping. I could feel the tension in here rise dramatically.
"If it was anyone from Erudite, I promise I'll find out who."
"And these must be your kids." She says, looking at me and Caleb. By the looks Andrew was giving this woman, I was starting to believe that this is the woman he was moaning about to Natalie at almost 3 o'clock this morning. Guess again, bitch. "I don't think I knew they were choosing today"
"What's your name?" She asks, looking directly at Caleb. I didn't like it. At all.
"I'm Caleb it is a pleasure to meet you." He says eagerly, shaking her hand like a non Abnegate would do.
"Jeanine Matthews." she says.
she looked at me expectantly but I made her say it.
"And you are?"
Before I could even open my mouth Caleb had already answered for me.
"This is Beatrice." He says, using my full name instead of my preferred name. I grimace.
"Mm. You both have a big decision to make today. I'm sure your parents will support whatever choice you make." Jeanine says.
"I thought it wasn't supposed to be a choice. The test should tell us what to do." My damn curiosity getting the best of me and besides, It's true. I thought you had to choose the Faction the test put you in.
"You are still free to choose."
"But you don't really want that." I tell her, narrowing my eyes slightly.
"Beatrice." I hear Caleb say in a warning tone. What is it with everyone and using the warning tone with me?
"I want you to choose who you truly are and where you truly belong. Not on a whim, not because you wish for someone you're not, but because you honestly know yourself. I want you to choose wisely. And I know you will." She says. Then decide it was a good idea to smile at me before walking off.
When everyone was seated, Jeanine addressed the crowd. She went on talking about the Faction system which I had quite frankly at this point, began to get really sick of. Then a man roughly in his 40's walks up to the front and I recognized him as Marcus Eaton.
"When you leave this room, you will no longer be dependents, but full fledged members of our society. Faction before blood."
the whole crowd repeats them exact three words all together. Faction before blood. Who came up with that? I would love to meet him and give him a medal and a certificate for being the world's stupidest idiot. Marcus starts to read names out and one by one, after the first person had chosen and sat with their new faction, they would go up and choose theirs.
"Jonathan Ziegler," Marcus's voice booms around the room.
The named boy makes his way down the stairs and up to the front where the bowls are and Marcus is standing patiently with a Knife in his hand. Jonathan looks at the bowls in turn but it looks like he had already chosen the Faction he wanted, he cut his palm and let his blood drops fall onto the glass inside the Erudite bowl.
"Erudite." Marcus announces to everyone, who then claps for the young boy as he sits with his new faction.
"Jeffrey Yates,"
The same process happens again, he walks down the stairs, looks at the bowls, gets the knife, cuts his palm. The only difference is, he drops his blood on the lit coal In the Dauntless bowl.
"Dauntless."
the Crowd Roars with cheers, no doubt mostly from Dauntless.
I start to get nervous and start jiggling my leg up and down nervously. Natalie takes my hand in hers and for some reason, it calms me down.
"I love you. . . no matter what." that comment triggers something in my mind but it was doing my head in trying to think straight so I stopped trying and totally forgetting what Natalie had actually said to me. I just stare ahead and wait for the sound of my own name.
"Morgan stokes,"
A blonde Candor boy nervously makes his way down the stairs and grabs the knife off of Marcus. He cut his Palm with shaky fingers and let his blood drop into the deep rich soil in the Amity bowl. As Morgan was sitting with his new faction I heard a loud sob escape someone from the Candor section. His mother for a guess. Nobody really noticed and the names and the factions they choose kept coming.
"Claire Satron, Candor."
"Sam Robertson, Abnegation."
"Caleb Prior," I look up. Apart from my own, that was the only other person's name that I cared about being called up. I see him give us all a glance before walking down the steps. I seen how good he is forgetting himself and helping others, he clearly belongs in Abnegation. But what about them on-off occasions when he acts differently? His curiosity, His Knowledge. That sound more like-. . .
"Erudite." Marcus announces to us and I hear everyone in the room gasp. I know what they are thinking, he's from Abnegation, why would he want to leave? My question is why didn't he tell me? I had told him so much about my past but he keeps his mouth shut about something like this? unbelievable.
"Quite everyone. Beatrice Prior,"
I wince. There is that name again. I slowly stumble my way down the stairs. Who is going to look after Natalie and Andrew if both Caleb and I aren't their? What is everyone going to say? going to think? Then I remember just last week, I was a girl who didn't give a care in the world to what people thought of me, I don't know what has changed from then to now, but it has. I take the knife and professionally cut a line into my hand. I Let the blood run freely across my hand as I stare between the two bowls. Abnegation or Dauntless? Dauntless or Abnegation?
Being Divergent is dangerous. What makes it even more dangerous is being Divergent and being in Abnegation. Why? I have no idea..but what I do know is that most Divergents are Abnegation born, why? that again I can't answer but that is the reason they are so scared.
who? who is scared?
Everybody.
I snap out of memory lane, not bothering wanting to remember who ha told me that and just as a drop of blood was about to fall, I quickly move my hand so instead of my blood dripping onto grey stones, I was welcomed to my new faction by the sizzle of hot coal and tiny flames. Dauntless.
