Disclaimer: Hello again, people! You should really know, my name isn't Veronica Roth. I don't have the same phone number, or social security number, or great writing skills of Veronica Roth, and therefore, I don't own Divergent.
A/N: Here's another chapter for you all! Hopefully school won't drown me as much in the future, so I can update this story quicker.
When I wake, it takes a moment for me to remember what day it is. Then I remember. Choosing Day. The day I get to join my brother in Dauntless. All my worries from yesterday have dissipated. I have aptitude for Dauntless. I should be able to pass initiation, and I'll also get to see Tobias.
Marcus is gone, as per usual on Choosing Days. Thank goodness for that. I get up, shower, and dress. If I had any Dauntless clothes, I would have worn them under my baggy Abnegation ones, but I don't. So, I just pull on another gray shirt and slacks. At least these ones aren't as boring as all my other ones. These are slightly tighter, and they actually have some sort of a design - gray swirls. I only wear this outfit on special occasions. Not that we have many of those. Celebrating too many holidays would be self-indulgent. So the Abnegation only have a handful, and even those are mostly spent volunteering for long hours.
I plod downstairs, make myself breakfast, then sit down at the dining table. Alone. I still remember how up until a year ago, me and Toby would do everything we could together. Cook our meals. Eat. Walk to school. We were each other's best friends. Of course, after he joined Dauntless, he must have made some new friends. Even though Tobias was quiet, I can't imagine him not having anyone to hang out with. And when I transfer, I'll make some friends, too. I just hope that they'll be good ones, as good as Tobias.
I finish my plain breakfast of scrambled eggs and put the plates in the sink. Marcus will have to wash those later, because I'm never stepping foot in this house again. I pull on my shoes, open the door, and walk out. I don't look back.
I decided to walk to the Hub, because I don't want a repeat of last year's uncomfortable, claustrophobic experience. And Tobias isn't here to snap me out of it, either. As I walk through the factionless sector, I see tired faces peeking out to look at me. They don't seem to care about an Abnegation girl walking alone through their sector, and turn away almost as soon as they spot me.
The Hub is only maybe a quarter mile away when one of the factionless jumps in front of me. I stumble backwards, nearly falling over but catching my balance. At a closer glance, the blur that leaped in front of me is a young girl. She seems vaguely familiar. Her dark hair flows over her shoulders, neat. That's unusual for the factionless. Her face does have dirt on it, though.
I stare at her, racking my brain for when I could have possibly seen her before, and then it strikes me like a lightning bolt. This is the girl who I gave the comb to a year ago, before Tobias' aptitude test.
She just looks at me for a second, then holds out her hand. I take it, awkwardly. Handshakes are a Dauntless greeting. Perhaps one of her parents was once Dauntless. We shake, and I'm surprised at how strong her handshake is.
The girl opens her mouth. "Choose wisely." she says, her voice low and melodic, before darting back into the shadows. I stare at the spot where she disappeared, my mind spinning. How did she know I was the girl who gave her the comb? How did she know I was choosing today?
I shake my head and continue. That encounter made no sense.
Once I reach the top of the stairs, enclosed in a cloud of gray, I feel someone grab my arm. I tense immediately, and turn to see Marcus. On the outside, he looks kind, like someone who you could trust. But I look into his eyes, and see the person he really is. His eyes are technically dark blue. That's where Tobias gets his eye color from. But to me, they always look as black as a starless night.
"You know what to choose, Camilla." Marcus says, his eyes latched onto mine. He tightens his grip on my arm for a second, and I know it will leave a bruise. Then, he lets go, gives me a polite, perfect Abnegation smile, and goes to his seat.
I find my place in line. I am between a Candor boy and an Amity girl. Sometimes I wonder why the choosing age is sixteen. Even though we may feel independent, we are still just kids. We are still trying to figure out the direction we want our life to go, but we are forced to decide before we have it completely figured out.
I scan the Dauntless crowd for Tobias, but I don't see his dark hair. My stomach drops. Was Tori wrong? Does he still care about me?
I shake the thought from my head. This year, the Erudite are leading the Ceremony. As Jeanine Matthews, their leader, steps up to the podium, the sound in the hall drops to quiet murmurs. Jeanine is tall, with blonde hair cut in a no-nonsense bob. She stands ramrod straight, like a soldier. She has a cold, commanding presence around her, like you better follow her orders or else. She gives the crowd a warm smile. I'm not sure if it's genuine. It clashes with the rest of her visible personality.
"Welcome to the Choosing Ceremony," she begins. "Welcome to the day we honor the democratic philosophy of our ancestors, which tells us that every man has the right to choose his own way in the world."
This line has never really made sense to me. They are giving us five options. If they really wanted us to choose our own way, then there should be millions of options, or, better yet, no options. Let us make our own.
"Our dependents are now sixteen. They stand on the precipice of adulthood. It is now up to them to decide what kind of people they will be. Decades ago, our ancestors realized that it is not political ideology, religious belief, race, or nationalism that is to blame for a warring world. Rather, they determined that it was the fault of human personality - of humankind's inclination towards evil, in whatever form that is. They divided into factions that sought to eradicate those qualities they believed responsible for the world's disarray."
I've heard this speech so many times, I practically know it by heart. I've been to every Choosing Ceremony since I was born. It's expected of you, as the children of an important man like Marcus.
"Those who blamed aggression formed Amity."
The Amity girl next to me smiles at one of her friends on the other side of the Candor boy. I could never fit in with the Amity; I would punch something within the first day.
"Those who blamed ignorance became the Erudite."
I hate to admit it, but Jeanine is doing a good job at keeping her voice level and even. But I'm good at reading people. I have to be, with a father like Marcus. That way, I know when he's angry and how angry he is. I can hear the pride in her voice, however well she's hiding it.
The Erudite are arrogant geniuses. I'm no genius, and I don't think I'm arrogant enough for them, anyway.
"Those who blamed duplicity created Candor."
Just because they tell the truth doesn't mean they have to be rude about it. Anyways, I have too many secrets.
"Those who blamed selfishness made Abnegation."
Abnegation's intentions are good, but it's stifling. I would consider staying if I had a wonderful family, but, right now, my only family is in Dauntless.
"And those who blamed cowardice were the Dauntless."
Good thing that's where I want to go.
The Dauntless let out a short cheer. The other factions all just look at them. I suppose the Dauntless don't really care that all the other factions think of them as crazy.
I realize my knuckles have turned white from gripping the hem of my shirt so hard.
"Working together, these five factions have lived in peace for many years, each contributing to a different sector of society. Abnegation has fulfilled our need for selfless leaders in government; Candor has provided us with trustworthy and sound leaders in law; Erudite has supplied us with intelligent teachers and researchers; Amity has given us understanding counselors and care-takers; and Dauntless provides us with protection from threats both within and without. But the reach of each faction is not limited to these areas. We give each other more than can be adequately summarized. In our factions, we find meaning, we find purpose, we find life."
I think back to that factionless girl. What is her meaning and purpose? Does she have none, just because she is factionless? That can't be right.
"Apart from them, we would not survive."
Bet. I think. Maybe my thoughts should be deeper, but all I can think is that she has already been proven wrong.
"Therefore, today marks a happy occasion - the day on which we receive our new initiates, who will work with us toward a better society and a better world!"
The room bursts into applause. The Dauntless pump their fists and cheer. Jeanine calls the first name. One by one, all the sixteen year olds walk to the platform, cut their hand, and seal their future. And then it's my turn. My name echoes throughout the room as I walk toward the podium, trying to look confident. How Tobias managed to get up here without any signs of nervousness other than shaking legs dumbfounds me.
I take the knife from Jeanine's hand, and stare at it. It is strange that this knife has played a role in the lives of so many people. It is like I'm holding a piece of history in my hands. Well, technically, I guess I am.
I bring the knife down on my palm. It stings, but it is nothing compared to what I have gone through.
As blood pools in my palm, I turn so I'm staring directly into Marcus' eyes. I move my hand so it is over the Dauntless bowl, and I hear my blood sizzle on the lit coals.
His eyes flash, with both astonishment and anger. I hear murmurs fill the room. Both his children transferred to Dauntless. He has been abandoned.
He deserves it.
The Dauntless make their way out of the Ceremony hall. You better keep up, or you'll get trampled. That's a lesson me and my fellow transfer initiates learned pretty quickly.
I expect them to pile in the elevator, but instead, they start running down the stairs. We were the first faction out of the Hub. I follow, enjoying the burning sensation in my lungs from running. It has been so long. The wounds on my back hurt a little, but I put Marcus and what he has done to the back of my mind as I run with the Dauntless, towards the train tracks.
The sound of the train horn piercing the air, along with the yells and cheers of the Dauntless, make my heart beat faster. We have to jump into the train. If we can't, we're factionless. It's dangerous and foolish and Dauntless.
The Dauntless gather near the train tracks, in more or less a straight line. I see the train approaching by the flash of sun on metal. The doors are open, inviting us to get in, as our first act of bravery.
As the train gets closer, I start running. The other faction transfers haven't caught on yet, but they do quickly, sprinting after me. Before I can let my mind linger on all the horrible outcomes of this, I reach out, grab the handle, and pull myself into the train car. I'm the first initiate on the train.
As the others pull themselves in, I get up and poke my head out the open train doors, to help the others on. I see an Amity girl in a red dress, which is adorned with yellow trimmings, struggling to reach the handle. I grab the handle and reach out my hand as far as I can. The girl, with one last push, grabs my hand and swings herself in. I let go quickly, because I've noticed another initiate struggling. It's a Dauntless-born, and I remember seeing him trip and fall flat on his face earlier. He's running after the train desperately, but he's clearly exhausted. I reach out my hand again, and his fingers graze it. Before he can grab it, however, the platform ends. The boy abruptly stops to avoid plunging to his death, and watches the train in tears. I feel sorry for him. Now he's factionless.
"Hey!" A hand waves in front of my face. I blink, trying to clear the image of the Dauntless boy, now factionless, out of my head. I turn to see the Amity girl who I helped onto the train. She's sitting right behind me with a smile on her face, her long, dark hair waving in the wind. Her brown eyes dance with excitement. "Thank you for helping me in." she says.
"No problem. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. My name is Lavender." She holds out her hand to me. I get a flash in my head of the factionless girl, doing the same, but I push it away.
"I'm Camilla." I respond, taking her hand. It feels just as awkward this time.
"A stiff and a hippie. Wonder if they'll last." I whip around to see a boy standing right behind me and Lavender. He has blonde hair, a slightly crooked nose, and gray-green eyes, like swamp water. He's dressed in black and white, a former Candor. He would be cute if he weren't smirking nastily at Lavender and I right now.
"Wait! I don't have to wonder!" He laughs at his bad joke, slapping his legs. I narrow my eyes at him. Ten minutes into being Dauntless, and I've already made my first enemy.
"Is that a bet, Candor?" I bark at him, raising my eyebrows. I don't know when I became so hostile, but it's a welcome change from being polite and considerate all the time.
The Candor boy raises his eyebrows in an expression of surprise. "A feisty stiff, don't see many of those."
"No, you're right." I smile at him, sickly sweet. "You also don't see many Candor that fail so miserably at insulting someone."
He turns bright red. I hear Lavender burst into laughter behind me. He takes a step closer. I don't budge. I refuse to be intimidated by him.
Just then, two more Candor boys walk over, from the other side of the car. One stands behind the one who insulted us, his arms crossed. The other moves to stand beside us.
"Back off, Zayden." He growls. His tone is irritated. I feel bad if he had to deal with him every day in Candor.
The boy in front, presumably Zayden, laughs at him. "Why should I? Do you have a thing for them, Ethan?"
"The question is, do you, Zayden? Or you, Dante? After all, you pick on the girls you date plenty."
The room fills with laughter. I hadn't even realized that a majority of the initiates were watching. The two Candor boys storm away, barely concealing their rage. The three transfer initiates who embarrassed them are going to have to pay, I'm sure. But, for how, I'm happy to laugh at them along with everyone else.
The Candor boy who defended us turns back to me and Lavender. "Ethan Schultz, at your service." He introduces himself, grinning from ear to ear. He has blond hair, a square jaw, and blue eyes. "I assume they chose to pick on you?"
I see Ethan's gaze on us, studying us. I notice his eyes linger slightly longer on Lavender, and smile.
Lavender laughs and sticks out her hand again, this time for him. "Yep. Chose the wrong people to mess with. I'm Lavender."
"Camilla." I say, nodding at him. I don't stick out my hand and he doesn't comment.
"Yeah, definitely. I wouldn't want to mess with either of you, in a battle of words or fists. Especially you, Camilla." He says.
I'm confused, and I'm sure my face shows it. I'm just a scrawny, slightly-taller-than-average girl from Abnegation, of all factions. Why wouldn't he want to mess with me?
"Huh?" I ask.
"I heard that the last Abnegation transfer to Dauntless became a prodigy." He replies, the volume of his voice dropping.
The last Abnegation transfer to Dauntless - well, actually, the only Abnegation transfer to Dauntless in the last decade, other than me - was Tobias. I hadn't heard anything about him since he transferred. Marcus wouldn't let me see him on Visiting Day. So, that means... Tobias is a Dauntless prodigy?
I want to interrogate Ethan, but he's in a conversation with Lavender. I'm about to join in when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around, and my breath catches in my throat for a second. There's a boy standing there, dressed in all black. Dauntless-born. He's strikingly handsome, with light brown hair, sharp features, and hazel eyes that have flecks of gold in them.
I shake my head and accept his outstretched hand. He's handsome, but I'm here to pass initiation, not initiate a relationship. Besides, he could turn out to be a total jerk. Although that's not the vibe I'm getting from him.
"Hi, I'm Rowan. You're the girl who just sent Zayden's ego down the toilet, right?"
I laugh. "Yep, that's me. I don't think I'm even going to need a name anymore. Everyone should just call me 'That girl who kicked Zayden's ass'. That'll make him even more pissed off."
Rowan seems surprised at my use of words, but, thankfully, doesn't comment. I don't think I could have handled him going on about how he didn't know an Abnegation could swear. He just laughs with me.
"That's a bit long, but I'll be sure to call you that whenever he's around. I'd introduce you to my friends, but they're playing a card game right now."
I swear I've spent half of this train ride in confusion. I've spent the other half destroying Zayden, but that's besides the point. Why would he want to introduce me to his Dauntless friends? Whatever I may have done to Zayden, I'm still just a Stiff, until I can prove myself in initiation.
Rowan must have read the confusion on my face, because he adds, "Zayden is a huge dick. When we were in school, he would try to randomly punch Dauntless kids in the face to initiate fights. Anyone who can kick his ass, verbally or physically, is a friend of ours. And you did exceptionally well in that."
I nod at him, still processing all that he said.
"Well, see you around, That Girl Who Kicked Zayden's Ass." He says. He turns and starts walking toward the far corner. Before he takes ten steps, though, he turns around again. "Oh, and when it's time to jump, don't be afraid." With that, he continues on to his friends, who are sitting in the corner and laughing about something. I stare after him for a few seconds, before turning back to Lavender and Ethan.
I've already made three friends, and more are to come. Most of the people here seem amazing.
For the first time, I have complete faith that I can actually make this my home.
A/N: Thank you for reading, all of you who are here! It makes my day to know that people want to read what I have to offer.
Next time, I'll be bringing to you the jumping-into-the-net scene. Still time to guess how brave Camilla will be... :)