I hope everyone continues to stay safe and healthy. My thoughts are with all of our healthcare workers, as well as families who have lost someone due to COVID-19. That is a tragedy beyond words. I am sorry for how difficult of a time this is.
On a lighter note, I wanted to inform you all that since I have a lot of OCs in this story, I'm also going to make some changes to the pre-war setup of Divergent society. You will see them throughout the story, but I want to mention one significant change below before I get started.
Full confession: I did not enjoy Allegiant. Loved the first two books and Four, but not that one. I found a detailed review on Amazon with all of its shortcomings, which I agree with, and I'm planning to address a major one here, namely: why does no one dare to venture outside the city or question what's out there before the time of Allegiant? Since humans are naturally curious, that was a plot hole in canon.
I do not have to reach very far into my imagination to come up with an answer to this question: climate change is a threat that grows larger every day, and Roth mentions Lake Michigan turning into a marsh, which seems to fit with an environmental plotline. So I will tell you up front that the answers behind the fence in my story have a lot to do with the fallout of our century's climate crisis. Alia will tell the rest.
Enough from me… enjoy!
The day is finally here. The day of the aptitude test. My Upper Levels graduating class is seated by faction in the cafeteria, awaiting the moment where one of the test administration volunteers calls their name.
As the Amity belt out a song in unison and the black-clad Dauntless push and shove each other on the cafeteria benches, my faction sits in a civilized formation, each one of us accompanied by our school materials, which we are now debating what to do with. I look up and down our table. Many of these people are my friends, and I dislike making enemies. But my social life is different from some. Rather than gathering in large groups as the Amity or even some Erudite do, I spend time at different intervals with one or two people only. Even here, when we are all sitting together, there are walls between my friends, walls made of unique jokes and shared memories, but walls that can always be broken down for the sake of intellectual spirit.
I listen to the names called by the Abnegation woman at the front of the cafeteria, watching as each of my classmates disappears into their own testing room. I make it a point to observe and mentally record each person's expression before and after their test, seeing as I know the name of everyone in my class. Even some of the rowdiest Dauntless look a little nervous. I can understand why. The aptitude test is a strange, unpredictable ritual to every sixteen year old in this room but myself.
My friend Bassim, tall, athletic, neat and curly-haired, snaps me out of my reverie with a laugh. He appears to be flipping through his calculus notes, marking some random problem sets to discard and others to keep. Next to him is Skylar, a serious boy with glasses and long hair neatly tied into a low bun. Skylar and I have always been known as the strongest writers in the grade, while Bassim excels in math. I have no doubt that both of them will be choosing Erudite tomorrow.
Next to me sits Kyra, a whole foot shorter than me but a close friend nonetheless. She's currently engaging me in discussion about how her presentation in English class went, celebrating the fact that she earned an A on it. On her other side is Taylor, no taller than Kyra but quite a bit more cerebral. Taylor gets points off for inadequate elaboration in her writing, but her quiet maturity has always made her a teacher's favorite. As is customary for her, Taylor is buried in a book, her glasses hanging off the end of her nose.
"I wish it was more like public speaking, where you can just write a speech about whatever you want," Kyra remarks to me. "I mean, I just wasn't interested in this topic. It was so random. But thank you for helping me. I'm hoping it was actually good and he wasn't just being nice."
"Of course," I say reassuringly, giving her a smile. "I'm sure it was excellent. And, if it wasn't, you don't have to deal with it anymore!"
Kyra definitely held intelligence beneath her grades, but starting at Upper Levels, she had begun to develop a distaste for school. She found it very restrictive and tedious, and it was suppressing the true passion she'd discovered: art. A gifted photographer, she also engaged in drawing, though never competitively.
I wasn't too concerned about Bassim, Skylar or Taylor transferring out; Kyra was another story. Between the fact that she had a sister at Amity who'd fulfilled her dream of becoming a professional dancer and her lack of fondness for rigid learning, I could easily see Kyra succeeding in an environment outside of Erudite. She'd probably pass our initiation, but would she enjoy it?
"From Erudite, Kyra Brussels and Bassim Sharma," calls the woman at the front of the cafeteria. Kyra looks a bit nervous as she rises from her seat. I offer her a reassuring grin. "Good luck, Kyra," I say, and she nods, walking away.
"You're not going to wish me farewell, Alia?" Bassim jokes, but he was enough of a rule-follower that he didn't linger in time for me to retort. My friends disappear behind their respective doors, their future laid out in that small space.
"Are you prepared?" Skylar asks me quietly, his perceptive eyes resting on mine.
"Chapter 57 of the Adolescent Guidelines Compilation states that it is not possible for one to prepare for the aptitude test. You are aware of that fact," I tell him with a slight smirk.
"It is obvious, Alia, that my intention was not to see if you had a secret test preparation strategy," Skylar replies formally. "But tomorrow is an integral day, not just in terms of faction but in terms of how our generation will interact politically going forward."
He's implying that I am next in line to lead Erudite, just as Dennis did, only in a much more polite manner. He's not wrong. But it is not as if tomorrow and only tomorrow will I feel the weight of all that I am expected to take on. I have been preparing enthusiastically for it my whole life.
"I am ready for all that my future will bring. The hardest aspect is deciding what I will study following Upper Levels. I'm considering double majoring because I don't feel it's realistic for me to relinquish my passion for either the sciences or the humanities in favor of the other."
Skylar nods. "I am sure we will receive further assistance in making that choice."
It seems like a very short period of time before Kyra and Bassim return, Bassim looking satisfied and Kyra a bit shy. I'd have to reassure her later about transferring, but I am waiting for my name to be called first.
The woman at the front rattles off two names from every faction, then, "From Erudite, Skylar Tiffen and Alia Rushton."
"Best of luck," Kyra whispers softly to me as Skylar and I approach the doors.
Nothing inside the small room surprises me, but seeing as Jeanine instructed me to feign unfamiliarity, I do so. I turn to the aptitude test volunteer with a questioning look. My first thought about her is that she is rather attractive, with long, brown hair flowing down her shoulders. Her Abnegation-gray dress helps her look a bit more ordinary, though.
"Hello. My name is Natalie." She greets me with a warm smile and gestures towards the sole chair in the room, which bears resemblance to a dentist's chair except that the headrest is metal and boxy, with electrodes attached. "Please have a seat."
"What does this do?" I ask her, trying to appear curious as my faction dictates. "In what format is this test administered?" Natalie looks unsurprised as she secures the electrodes to my forehead, then to hers, and then to a computer next to her. I stare at myself in one of the many mirrors, my blue shirt smoothed out and my expression inquisitive but not fearful.
"I can't tell you that," says Natalie soothingly, handing me a small vial of clear liquid as I sit down. "It doesn't hurt, though. Please drink this; it will begin the test."
Not one to disobey orders, I raise the vial to my lips. It helps knowing exactly what will happen, seeing as my greatest fear is that of the unknown. I have little to be afraid of here: the serum in the vial contains a microtransmitter approximately 200 nanometers wide. The transmitter will wirelessly connect to the room's computer, preparing itself to share the combination of electrical signals inside my brain. Natalie will be able to see the image of the simulation induced through the serum's other ingredients, which stimulate many parts of the brain that I lack the time to name.
There are only two questions I truly have: what will the simulation scenario be, and will I be aware during it?
It is true that Jeanine shared quite a bit with me, yes, but she drew the line at revealing the exact details of her signature project to someone underage. "It is not that you would fail to understand, Alia," she had told me factually, "it is that I still wish to observe your response to the simulation as it is delivered, even though I can reasonably predict the outcome with a small margin of error." As a result, I am in the dark as to what image my brain will project.
The second question is far more ominous. If I am aware…
I have no more time to think. I plunge into the simulation rapidly, both of my questions about to be answered.
My consciousness surfaces in the same cafeteria that I just departed. The room is empty, except for two items on the table behind me. Not even a second passes before I hear a familiar, detached voice. "Choose."
The items are very ordinary: a sharp knife, and a block of cheddar cheese. I quickly analyze the benefits and costs of my choice. The knife might be useful if I am about to face an attacker, but I am too paranoid of my lack of physical skill. Plus, even though I'm not Amity, I have a strong dislike and fear of violence.
The cheese, on the other hand, represents one of the vital ingredients to human life: an energy source. It is far more logical to choose that. I pick it up.
Suddenly, I hear shouting from behind me. I whirl around to see two unfamiliar people, a nondescript boy and girl, hurling insults at each other without any thought whatsoever. A third glimmer of color catches my eye: in the corner of the room sits a hunched-over, sad-looking girl. She keeps her head bent and seems to take no notice of the argument.
Be logical, I tell myself sternly. I ignore the girl and instead approach the two shouting individuals, listening to their words as best I can. Once I have an idea of the situation, I jump in.
"You do realize," I shout, my voice climbing over theirs, "that it is completely illogical to be arguing about whether your dog has rabies when you can simply look up its vaccination records."
"But we lost them!" the boy protests, throwing his hands up in the air, while the girl interjects, "No, you lost them!"
"Call the vet, then. If they somehow have misplaced all of the records, the dog can be sedated and tested in the lab. It's not that difficult," I insist, annoyed at how ignorant these people are.
The boy's face finally relaxes. "Okay, okay. I'll do that. Thanks." He pulls his phone out of his pocket, but even as he does that, his face begins to fade.
I come back up with a start in the testing room, only surprised for a split second by the equipment. My eyes snap up to Natalie, who gives me a pleasant look, her face betraying none of her deeper thoughts, if she was even having any.
"Congratulations," she says, "your result is Erudite."
I nod, unsurprised, and thank her briefly. It's her turn to be surprised- Erudite courtesy toward the Abnegation is quickly disappearing.
The part that I am surprised by is that my Erudite result was elicited by little more than an expression of simple logic. I had expected a riddle or math problem, or perhaps even a practical quest-like scenario, something more difficult than what I had faced. But then I remind myself of Jeanine's intelligence: she knew that it would be impossible for anyone from another faction to solve some of the problems that Erudite-borns are trained to, and she desires to encourage everyone with mental fitness to transfer to our faction.
"You are dismissed. Best of luck tomorrow," Natalie offers, opening the door back to the cafeteria. I nod at her once again and exit the room.
The thought then returns to my head. Simulation awareness! Was I aware during the test? I went through it so quickly, I could barely tell.
It did seem as if I were aware that going to the girl would be very Abnegation of me, breaking up the argument and asking the two to calm down would have given me an Amity result, and talking about finding the truth would have led straight to a Candor one. I made my choices knowing they corresponded with my faction, just as I did in real life. Perplexingly, I wasn't sure if that indicated awareness or not.
I do know that I failed to resist the simulation in any way, as I generally see little point in breaking the rules. I enjoy asking questions, but not to the point where I irritate someone.
I decide that I was likely not aware, which is desirable given Jeanine's sour expression of distaste whenever she talks about them. I've always wished that I could know the scientific difference between the aware and unaware, or perform experiments on them, but asking Jeanine for such favors is out of the question until I pass initiation at the top of my class.
Skylar emerges from his testing room only a few seconds after I leave mine. He gives me a questioning look, and I only smirk and nod once. He returns the smirk, and we both congregate around my table of friends. Not wasting any time, I occupy myself by pulling out my calculus textbook, which Bassim eyes with something like adoration.
Despite my valedictorian status, I am not the strongest in my grade at math. That honor would go to my friend, who knew from an early age that he wanted to pursue a career in pure mathematics. The second-strongest student in math is Kimberly, a polished, popular girl sitting a few paces away from me. We never became compatriots in any sense but an academic one, though I respect her strong desire to help the city's populace by becoming a cardiac surgeon.
Thankfully, I am third-best in math. Taylor and Kyra tease me about my subjectively "poor performance" on a regular basis. They fail to realize the implications of life in Erudite with a hyper-advanced mind. With great power, it is said, comes great responsibility.
Soon enough, it is time to depart school for the day. We are reminded not to share our results, which is a wise guideline, I think, but probably not one that the Candor ever follow. Among my group of friends, it would be pointless to share results- we are all intelligent enough to infer who is part of the Erudite-result majority and who is not.
I wave farewell to Bassim and Skylar in the parking lot of the school. As the Dauntless jump on a train and Abnegation board buses, we Erudite commute home in solar-powered, self-driving cars. I admire my faction's adherence to the motto "knowledge leads to prosperity," but sometimes, I think of how unnecessary it is for me to have a car when the factionless children my age lack even basic biological needs. Of course, this opinion is rather unpopular in my faction, so it takes much coaxing for me to voice it out loud.
Taylor, Kyra and I climb into my car, broaching our usual subjects, partially in denial that today is the final day for our friendship trio. I smile in amusement as I recall Kyra's initial reaction on the day I changed my car's settings.
I press one of the many buttons on the dashboard, and the car greets me with its usual, "Bienvenue, Alia." That day, I had changed the language of the car's voice-recognition system, as had been recommended through the online Erudite Forum, to give myself more practice on my French accent. My teacher, Madame Rose, always ranted and raved about my language abilities, but I found my accent rudimentary at best.
"You seriously are speaking to your car in French now?" Kyra had demanded jokingly. "Gosh, what an overachiever you are."
"Right, but now I'm not going to get a grade less than a hundred on any speaking assignments," I'd countered, earning myself a mock glare.
My friends had long gotten over that change, though, and were now ignoring my navigational plotting.
"Qu'est-ce que tu voudrais que je fasse ?" the smooth female car voice continues, asking me what I want to do.
"Suivez la route du retour du lycée," I reply, trying to imitate the teenage girls I'd listened to in videos from Marseille, the city where Madame Rose had grown up. Without missing a beat, the car begins to reverse, pulling itself out of the parking space, and I relax against the seat as I laugh along with my friends. It would now follow the preprogrammed return route from school, first passing Taylor's house, then Kyra's, and finally mine.
No other faction but ours really held foreign languages in high regard. But then, we were the only faction to harbor a Department of International Affairs, a committee that worked on diplomacy and promoted tourism in our city. Chicago had been one of the first climate-controlled cities following the fallout of the 21st century climate crisis, and foreign citizens were often curious in regards to our history. Well, foreign citizens from allied nations with ours, anyway. We learned very little about enemy nations other than that they had failed to adopt the policies of peace established by our nation's leaders in the 22nd century.
France was a prosperous ally of ours, so there would always be demand for those who could speak their language well. I had considered applying to work at the DIA multiple times, but Skylar was right- I excelled in too many subjects to truly determine which I wanted to pursue.
My friends' voices startle me a little as I come out of my thought process. I try my best to restrain my thoughts. Adrenaline courses through my veins. These next 24 hours were to be a time for extroversion and action, not reflection. I was getting ready to become an initiate, and there were three groups who needed me at my best: my friends, my family, and my faction. I wouldn't let them down.
I keep one careful eye on the road, ensuring the car's system wouldn't malfunction, as I savor my last car ride home.
Yikes… for some reason I'm terrible at deciding whether I want to write in past or present tense! I have decided on present, but I apologize that the last chapter is in past. I will fix that soon. Sorry for the long wait; I hope to have the next chapter posted a little sooner. Stay safe and please review!