(4/6/2019)

Thank you, so much for the reviews from the last chapter. I'm glad you all enjoyed the look into what caused Norton to start his quest to destroy the Divergent. As well as the look into Amanda Ritter/Edith Prior's past.

Characters-

Taryn- Newest member of the trivia team

Charlotte- friend from initiation, leader of the trivia team

Miranda- head librarian

Graham- Initiation mentor, Charlotte's father, Miranda's son

Vanna (mentioned)- school librarian, recruited Norton for the Hidden Archive

Chapter 7

I look at the blank page in front of me. Finding Amanda Ritter's entry in Edith Prior's diary is by far the biggest thing I've had to record.

And I have no idea what to say about it. I have no idea if I should even say anything about it.

I flip the black light on again and reread the entry, focusing on the words that puzzle me, those fragments of sentences that survived.

Divergent

find the Divergent through the aptitude test. They will be the ones who are aware

all our hopes now rest…

Above all…

We need to … wipe out …Divergent

Our only hope.

I pull out the notebook from my back pocket. What can I record? I must be careful with anything I write down. No one can see my notes until I have a better idea of what they mean. If I write this down, I will need to protect this notebook above all else. Contemplating if I can do that takes me a few minutes, but I must have this information. I must understand what these partial phrases and unknown words mean.

First, I copy down the shattered phrases, hoping that when I write them down, they will make more sense, but it doesn't work.

Next, I reread the whole passage, writing down the terms I am unfamiliar with.

Purity war

Chicago O'Hare

Airport

Chicago experiment

Bureau

hotel

damaged people

Divergent

Bureau of Genetic Welfare

Before I start writing in my archive journal, I need to discover what these words mean and organize what I have learned. Only after I have done this will I be able to figure out what is important to actually record.

AmandaRitter

My pencil hovers as I try to decide what to write. Do I commit to paper that she was Edith Prior?

Edith Prior. Anything I write about her will have serious consequences. It will be best to leave her as simply Amanda Ritter. I know who I mean, and it will give a small measure of security to know that no one else knows.

Amanda Ritter was the leader of the organization, the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, which created the idea of our city and the factions in it.

There are damaged people in the world.

Our city was created in response to war. It is supposed to protect us from… Absently I pull off my glasses and reread the damaged part of the entry. After looking at every angle, I decide those that the only logical conclusion is that the damaged and Divergent are the same. The sentence ends with the words that are more secretive: the Divergent.

The Factions are designed to make us better people. They are here to help us identify the Divergent.

So little information. So many questions.

Do I tell anyone about this?

I don't know. I need to know if this is correct before I tell anyone. I have been told I am an excellent researcher, but I don't even know how I investigate if any of what she wrote is correct.

Who are the Divergent? They are people who are aware during simulations. They need to be wiped out.

I reread what I have written, wondering why they need to be wiped out? What is so wrong with these people?

I ponder the mystery of the hidden journal entry until I am in a daze. Even when I leave the hidden archive, I am affected by it. I am unable to do anything except wander around the lower level stacks. Sometimes movement helps me to think, but today, my thoughts just tumble over each other. I lose all sense of self and time, until my stomach rumbles, making me think I should head upstairs and get something to eat.

"There you are!" Taryn sounds relieved. "Where have you been?"

I blink a couple of times, hoping to bring myself back out of the fog of confusion of what I read and back to reality. "What do you mean, where have I been?"

Her face falls. "Did I have the day wrong? I thought you were going to help me with my research assignment from Charlotte."

"I am," I say, "but that's not until seven."

Taryn tries not to laugh at me. "Norton, it's after eight. What have you been up to?"

I look at her, stunned, and then at my watch. She has to be joking. There is no way that it is that late.

But she isn't joking. It really is ten after eight. "I'm sorry, Taryn. I…" My voice trails off. I can't tell her what happened. No one can know about the hidden archive, and not even the other hidden archivist can know what I've found until I have a better understanding of what it all means.

Taryn tips her head and studies me. "Are you okay, Norton? If we were in Amity, I'd say you've seen a ghost."

I look at her, surprised. I didn't know she knew I transferred from Amity. Before I respond, my mind replays the sentence. If we were in Amity. She doesn't know. "Ghosts aren't logical," I answer as an Erudite.

"Exactly!" Her dimples show as she smiles and looks at me expectantly.

"I'm having problems with a research assignment," I lie, thankful we are Erudite and not Candor. My stomach rumbles again. "Let's get started on your research. We may not get it all finished tonight, but we should be able to make a dent on it, despite my tardiness."

Taryn puts a gentle hand on my arm. "I have a better idea. I managed to find a few books on my own. We can finish tomorrow night. If you are like most the single men in this faction, you have nothing in your apartment to eat. Why don't you come back with me to my apartment, and I'll fix you a sandwich? It won't be as good as a dinner in the cafeteria, but they are closed for the night."

"You don't need to do that for me. I can…" I trail off, trying to think if we have anything to eat in our apartment. My stomach picks this time to rumble again.

Taryn laughs and puts her hand in the crook of my elbow. "Come on, Norton. That stomach of yours is going to keep you awake tonight. Let me feed you."

"I'm sorry it isn't more," Taryn apologizes, putting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a cut apple in front of me, "but we don't keep a lot of food in the apartment either."

"It's great," I tell her after I swallow the first bite. "Thank you."

Taryn smiles and blushes. "Are you allowed to talk about what this research project is that you are having problems with?"

"Most projects I can talk about, but this one, I can't." I've never been assigned a project that I couldn't talk about, but I'm not allowed to talk about my work in the hidden archive.

And I may not even tell them.

"Okay." She folds her hands serenely in her lap and watches me eat.

Feeling self-conscious, I pick up an apple wedge. "Would you like one?"

"I don't want to take your food from you," Taryn declines.

I put the apple wedge to her lips and she opens them without thinking. "Take a bite. It's really your food."

She takes a bite and slowly chews it, her cheeks turning a little pink. She jumps at the sound of someone knocking at her door. "I'll be right back."

I take another bite of the sandwich she fixed me, wishing I had milk or some kind of a drink to go with it.

"Now really isn't a good time, Charlotte," Taryn's voice is firm.

"It won't take a minute, I just need to ask you…" Charlotte's voice trails off when she sees me at the table eating. "Hi, Norton. I didn't expect to see you here."

I quickly swallow the bite in my mouth. The bread sticks in my throat causing my voice to croak. "Hi, Charlotte."

"What are you doing here?" Charlotte sits down at the table in the seat next to me, the one that Taryn vacated to answer the door.

"I got wrapped up in some research and missed dinner. When Taryn found me, she offered to feed me."

Taryn sits down on my other side. "Norton is helping me do some research. The least I can do is feed him." She reaches over my plate and takes the apple wedge that she had already taken a bite from off my plate and takes another bite, before setting it down on my plate again.

Charlotte looks at my plate. "You didn't get him a drink?"

Taryn springs up heading back to her kitchen. "Norton! Why didn't you say anything?"

When she is out of the room, Charlotte leans in and speaks low to me. "Don't play with her, Norton."

I feel my brow pull in with confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"She's my friend, Norton, and she likes you. I don't want to see her hurt. Don't play with her emotions."

I try not to laugh at Charlotte since I can tell how serious she is, but what she is implying is ridiculous. "Charlotte, Taryn and I are friends, just like you and I are. There's nothing more to it."

Charlotte gives a choked laugh as Taryn walks in. "What's so funny?" She puts a bottled lemon-lime drink in front of each of us.

Standing quickly, Charlotte leaves the unopened bottle on the table, "Nothing. I need to go."

Taryn doesn't try to stop her, but walks her to the door. "I thought you needed to talk to me."

"Oh, yeah." Charlotte pauses with her hand on the doorknob. "I just wanted to let you know that Mother invited Ian and me to breakfast tomorrow morning, so don't wait for me."

My gut twists at her announcement. Her mother barely looked at me the few times I've met her. She fawns over Ian. I don't like the idea of them going over there for breakfast. It's entirely too… cozy.

I start with the dictionary. I don't really expect to find anything there, but I don't have much time before Taryn will be here and I want to feel like I am doing something towards finding out about the mystery I uncovered last night.

Purity War-

I don't find the first phrase as an entry, so I put the definition of each word next to it.

The condition or quality of being pure; freedom from anything that debases, pollutes etc.

A state or period of armed hostility or active military operations.

Chewing on the arm of my glasses, as I reread the definitions. Obviously, there was a conflict, a war that caused the creation of the factions. Well, since we have always been told that the factions were created to end conflict that makes sense. It's the purity part that doesn't make sense to me. Freedom from anything that…

"HI, Norton!" I snap the notebook closed at the sound of Taryn's bright voice. "I'm sorry, is now not a good time? Were you working on something important?"

"No," I lie, sticking the notebook in my breast pocket, "I was just reviewing some notes while I waited for you. Let me see your list."

"The ones with stars next to them I found answers for yesterday when I was waiting for you. I listed the resource that I used…" Taryn looks unsure as she hands me her list.

I look over it. She finished just over half her questions by herself, something she wouldn't have been able to do in the hour that I was late when we first started. Looking over her resources, I realize she checked the same places that I would have. "Nicely done."

Taryn's cheeks turn a light pink. "Thank you. I've had a good teacher."

"You're getting good enough that I don't know if you are really going to need my help much longer," I try to encourage her.

She panics. "No! These next ones I don't have any clue on. I still need you."

"I'm not going to quit until you are ready," I reassure her.

She relaxes. "Where do you want to start?"

"Norton?" I look up to see Miranda, the head librarian standing there. "Are you working right now?"

"No, I'm helping Taryn do research for our Trivia Team."

Miranda rubs her palms together like her son, Graham, does. "Can I borrow you for just a minute or two? I certainly don't want to interrupt your studying for Trivia. My granddaughter would never forgive me."

"Sure, give me just a second." I look over Taryn's list. "Start with 638 for the question on bees. There are a couple other places it could be. I'll meet you there."

"I'll see you there," Taryn responds as she walks off.

As soon as she is out of earshot, Miranda turns to me. "One of the archivists is retiring from the position due to health reasons. I have a short list of candidates that I'm thinking of replacing her with. Would you be interested in the position?"

I am stunned into silence. Graham had mentioned that in a couple of years, he hoped I would be chosen for the Archive, but I certainly didn't expect anything this soon.

Evidently, Miranda takes my silence as being unfamiliar with the job, so she starts to tell me about it. "The archive is a restricted collection. The job is twofold. One part is to research items that are requested from the archive. The other part of the job is to decide which items we should retain for the archive and to categorize them."

"Yes, I'm interested," I say as soon as she pauses, afraid that she took my shock as being disinterested in it.

"Great. I'll be meeting with you and the two other candidates tomorrow at one. Does that work for you?"

"Yes, absolutely." I try to stay calm.

"Good. I'll see you then." Miranda heads toward her office.

Waiting until she is out of sight before I smile, I head off to find Taryn.

"What did she want?" Taryn asks as soon as she sees me.

"She has a job opening in a restricted collection, and she wanted to know if I was interested in interviewing for the position." I can't keep the pride out of my voice.

Taryn beams her dimpled smile at me. "Norton! That's wonderful! Congratulations!" Her excited whisper would be just a shade too loud if there was anyone else in the area. "We need to celebrate!"

I shake my head with a silent laugh. "I don't have the job yet! That might be a bit premature, and anyway, we need to get your research finished so you will be ready for practice."

"You'll get it," Taryn says confidently showing me the book she has selected to find her next set of answers. "We'll celebrate then."

Miranda gives us four days of access to the archive. Since she doesn't have a research project for us to work on, she assigns us the task of creating an idea for the library's lecture series and develop the first lecture.

My fingers pause after her name. Edith Prior. I know what I want to put in on the search. I want to type in the Chicago, but I haven't told anyone, not even Vanna, what I found in the hidden archive yet. According to her, they erased my parents from the real archive. That makes me wonder if they keep track of the searches. I don't know what would happen if I put in a nonsense word like "Chicago." And yet, if I don't get the job, this is my only chance to try to find out more about it.

Edith Prior Chi

That would bring up any mention of Chicago and also children. If I'm going to do a lecture series on the leaders of Erudite, starting with Edith Prior makes sense, and looking up her children would be expected.

I look at the results on the screen. Edith Prior had two children with her husband. I make note of their names and how old she was when each of them was born.

I still don't have any idea who, what, or where Chicago is.

Miranda looks up from the report I turned in yesterday to start my interview. "How did you decide what to do your research project on?"

"I didn't have much time, but I took a quick poll of my friends and the people that I helped during my floor time the day before we got access to the archive. I had three different ideas for lectures that would involve research in the archive. I asked them what they would be most interested in learning about. The history of how the factions were set up, learning about the Erudite leaders through the years, or the steps for accessing family tree information from the archive. The leaders were the most popular answer. It's a lecture series, I figured it would be best to make sure that it is something that people would come to." Truthfully, although, I asked people what they would like to learn about, I picked those three ideas because they are the most likely to help me discover more about either my past or what I learned in the hidden archive.

Miranda smiles at me, and continues on with her questioning. "Let's talk about your research."

"Norton," Graham catches me walking between the library and the cafeteria the day after my interview, "I'm supposed to meet with Dauntless tomorrow. I know you've been busy getting ready for your big interview, but do you have any suggestions for the lighting in the Dauntless compound?"

I stop dead in my tracks. How could I have forgotten? I talk my way through what I found in my research and my trial in the hidden archive that led me to the discovery of the hidden entry in Edith Prior's Diary. "Red is the best color to preserve night vision, but it is the toughest one to actually be able to actually be able to see to be able to do anything. Yellow isn't that much different than white light. Purple has a tendency to be dark, like red it is harder to actually be able to see details. Green and blue are very similar. You can see better than red, and it preserves your night vision better than white or yellow. Orange is a mix, as we both know, of red and yellow. It tends more to the yellow it doesn't preserve night vision as well as it allows you to see."

"So, is orange your recommendation." Graham doesn't wait for my answer, but starts to walk off.

"No." I stop him with a word. "Blue."

Graham turns to me, surprised. "Blue. If orange has the best of both worlds, why blue?"

"Two reasons. You have to watch the shade of orange: too dark and it's like red, hard to see; too light and it's like yellow, no preservation of night vision. Blue," I remind him, "causes the mind to release calming chemicals, and if any faction can use calming, it's Dauntless."

A slow smile spreads across Graham's face. "And how would you present the information to the Dauntless Leaders, if it were up to you?"

"After researching your question about the best light to use in the dark areas, my recommendation is blue."

Graham looks at me expectantly, like he is waiting for me to go on.

When I go on, it is for him only. "That's all. I wouldn't say any more than that. They are Dauntless, not Erudite. They aren't going to question why. They are going to take your recommendation. If they do ask why… tell them that it is the best compromise between preserving night vision and being able to see in the dark."

Graham is quiet for a moment, long enough that I'm expect him to tell me that won't work. Instead, he laughs. "You know, in all the work I've done for Dauntless, I think you are right. They never have asked me to explain why I gave a recommendation. I'll try it." He walks off again, and then suddenly turns around. "Congratulations."

"For coming up with a color?" I ask perplexed.

Graham grins at me. "No, you'll know why soon enough."