A/N: I cannot express my thanks in words to you guys. All these notifications about follows, favourites and reviews are overwhelming. Thank you all so much! I love hearing from you, and to be honest, I was a little stuck with how to proceed but the reviews made me push through it. This one is for all of you. (Also, as usual, thank you so much to Sarah (aka vorazlov28), my beta. If you haven't read her fic Lost In The Echo, you really should. She's fantastic!) Enjoy!


Chapter Eight

I've never been warier of the Aptitude tests than I am now. Jeanine has demanded that any inconclusive or manually entered results be brought straight to her...by me. I know what she's looking for. Divergents don't test well, not in simulations. Most of the children on the list won't know why it's inconclusive. They won't know what's wrong with them or why it is enough to sentence them to death.

"Amelia," a woman's voice calls my name. I look up from my desk to see Catherine striding towards me. She looks formidable as always. Her pale skin contrasts the dark blue dress she wears and her hair is slicked back in a tight knot. She's holding a paper in one of her hands. It must be the results. My chest tightens.

"Catherine," I smile and nod. She doesn't smile back. Catherine is older than me by a few years. She used to be friendly until I became Jeanine's assistant. I would say that she's jealous, but Catherine has always been pure Erudite and jealousy is an illogical, useless emotion. It's possible that she is though. Despite the direct focus of each faction, that doesn't stop people from feeling any emotions...it just changes how they deal with them. This is my biggest problem with my Divergence. Logic, want and emotion remain consistently at war.

"Is Jeanine in her office?" she asks, pulling me from my thoughts. "I have the results she asked for." I reach out for them but she doesn't offer them forward.

"She's in the lab. I'll make sure she gets them," I say. Jeanine's lab is private and no one in Erudite dares to disturb her. Not when she could be making the next big discovery. The light glints off of her glasses and her lips press together momentarily before she hands me the sheet. I don't look at the names. I don't want to know.

"Tell her if she needs anything, I'm happy to assist her," Catherine says.

I nod. "Of course." She stares at me for a moment before turning and leaving the way she came. I wait until she's out of sight before I stand up and grab my tablet and the paper. Jeanine wanted the results immediately.


Jeanine's lab is smaller than the other labs in Headquarters. She'll send out work to other labs, usually the more tedious aspects, but she prefers to work on her own. That way, there's no one else who can ruin her work. She's a little paranoid about it too. It explains why she's been talking about upgrading the security measures, away from the current fingerprint scanner and sealed door.

The hallway is empty and I turn into the lab only to stop suddenly. The way is blocked. The door behind me closes and locks shut. There are lights coming from the blue walls and the floor. My heart rate rises in panic. What is this? Has Jeanine finally found out about me? Is this a new form of torture? My hands clench tightly on the tablet and list as the lights focus on me. They appear to be scanning me. What do they see? I look back towards the door I came in from. There's no way out.

"Amelia Elswood," I jump at the sound of an automated voice. I can't tell where it's coming from though. "8th generation." 8 th generation? What does that mean? "Faction of origin: Erudite. Selected faction: Erudite. Authorized." The door across from me opens and I have to blink at the sudden light. I move out of the room and into the lab quickly. The white walls seem unusually bright with the lighting, making the rectangular room look larger than it is. Everything, from the computers to the beakers, is organized, neat and clearly labelled.

"Jeanine?" I call out. She's staring at a lightbox that's posted on a wall. There are scans hung up on it and as I get closer, I recognize them to be scans of the brain. Jeanine looks over as I get near.

"What do you see?" she asks, gesturing to the pictures. I stand next to her and face them. There's nothing unusual that pops out but I have to drag up what I've learnt about the brain at school.

"The temporal lobe is fairly large, and the hippocampus is larger than usual," I answer. The temporal lobe is in charge of memory, learning, language and emotions. Jeanine is looking at me like she's waiting for something. The hippocampus is also important to memory. I remember her lecture on how the brains of those in each faction differ from each other. "Is it an Erudite?" Jeanine nods and smiles.

"That's right," she says. "Once we find our test subjects, we'll compare the results. Further testing will help decide how the simulations affect the Divergents and how we can overcome them." She sounds pleased. It's another challenge that awaits her.

"I have the results," I say, handing her the paper in my hands. "Catherine brought them a few minutes ago. I would have been here sooner but your new...security delayed me."

"What did you think?" she asks.

"It surprised me."

"Anyone not authorized is subjected to a simulation and then to death." She says it so matter of fact, like there is no other solution possible. I shouldn't be surprised by her anymore, but I am. It seems rash, even with her paranoia. I don't let my surprise show. Jeanine looks down at the list. "Tomorrow, I want you to take note of who changes their faction and who doesn't. Pay close attention to these," she hands the paper back to me. I don't want it. I don't want to be responsible for what might happen to them, but I take it. "Have the rooms been prepared for the initiates?"

I open up my tablet before I answer her. "Yes. Separate rooms for the boys and girls, close to the study areas. The librarians have been reminded to take note of who remains in the library the longest. The tests should be arriving from the teachers by the end of the day."

"Good. Inform me when they arrive. That's all." I know a dismissal when I hear one. Jeanine turns away from me, heading to one of the computers on the desk. I go back the way I arrived. My stomach clenches when I get into the little blue room. I half expect it to scan me again, even if only in search of stolen work but it doesn't. Instead, I leave the lab with fear settling into my stomach. Jeanine didn't tell me about the new security. It reminds me that she could be hiding anything from me and I won't know until it's too late. It's a sobering thought.

I'm in the elevator going down when I finally look at the list. Four names out of forty-three kids. I hope they're smart.


Choosing day is always the same. A representative or leader of a faction leads the process, saying a variation of the same speech explaining our society's history and the choice that lays in front of them. This year, it's Jack Kang.

"Welcome to this year's Choosing Ceremony; a time when the youth of our city make the most important decision of their lives," he says with a smile. I'm sitting close to the front of the Erudite section, next to Jeanine. The room is quiet, but I can see some of the children shifting where they're standing off to the side, away from their families. It makes the division between them and us so much clearer. "Our ancestors created the factions in search of peace in a time of war. Each faction represents a quality that they thought might be the key to this peace: Candor's honesty, Erudite's intelligence, Amity's kindness, Abnegation's selflessness and Dauntless's bravery." He motions to where factions sit as he lists their qualities. "We are united by this, for while each faction enhances our society with their individual traits, we go beyond that, working together to maintain the peace of our ancestors. Our factions are our life and in them we find our meaning and purpose. I know that you will choose well." He smiles at the group of children. "Let us celebrate this day as we welcome our new initiates, and our dependents make their choice." The hall roars with applause and I clap along politely. There's nothing exciting about this.

Jack moves behind the large bowls where the choice is made and calls out the first name. "Robert Ward." He isn't on the list. The boy moves forward to the bowl, dressed in the black and white of Candor. He takes the knife from Jack and drips his blood in the bowl of glass. Candor welcomes him back.

I look around the room. The first name on the list likely to come up starts with an R. I look at the soon to be initiates, wondering if I can guess which ones are the ones on the list. Are they the ones who look nervous, twitchy as they wait for their turn? Or are they like I was, confident in their decision?

Closest to the group of kids are the Dauntless. A sea of black that cheers and stomps as they welcome an initiate; Derek Taylor. The boy returned to his home faction and blends in perfectly. Continuing my perusal, I can see Eric, recognizing him easily from how often I've spent time with him lately. I quickly look away. I still don't know how to deal with him. He seems adamant in invading my personal space when we're alone and I can't seem to think around him. That's not good. My mind is the key to my survival. The one good thing about welcoming initiates is that it will give me time to think about it.

"Vera Rayne." The first on the list. I watch as the Amity girl walks up to the stage with a smile. She doesn't look nervous. She takes the blade from Jack and slices her palm with a wince. Her hand lingers for a moment before she moves and chooses Erudite. I hold back a sigh and mark it down in my tablet. Regardless of my choice, I don't think anyone who is Divergent should be near Erudite. Nonetheless, I clap as we welcome her into the faction. I half hope she doesn't make it, that she ends up factionless. She might be safer.

The next one on the list is an Erudite. Sarah Mercer. She stumbles as she walks up to the platform and her face turns red in embarrassment as some of the Dauntless and Candor laugh. She takes the blade Jack offers her and doesn't hesitate. She chooses Abnegation. They clap politely and I can see Jeanine's eyes tighten at the sides, betraying her annoyance at one of her people leaving for a faction she dislikes. I mark it down. So far, all of the names on the list have transferred. I don't think it matters though. If Jeanine has her way, no faction is safe.

"Henry Foster," Jack calls the next on the list. A boy in Candor black and white struts forward, away from the remaining dependents. He takes the knife quickly from Jack and drips his blood onto the hot coals. The Dauntless cheer but my heart sinks. It's the second most dangerous place for Divergents and I don't think he'll survive. Not with Eric and Max there. The only place more dangerous would be Erudite where Jeanine would have a closer eye on him. I write it down, feeling like I've just signed his death.

The last is Charles Chu. He moves forward carefully, as if aware of all the eyes on him. He takes the blade with a smile and pauses before he cuts his hand. He waits, looking over the bowls. I want to tell him to choose Abnegation or Amity, but instead the young Erudite chooses Candor. There are murmurs through the Erudite faction around me. They've lost another one and to Candor of all factions. Candor is well known for their use of the truth serum, forcing your secrets out into the daylight. I hope he knows what he's doing.


The Ceremony is over and the Dauntless leave in a rush, yelling and running out of the building. I stand with Jeanine and watch as the new Erudite initiates talk to one another. It's a small group this year. I move forwards with Jeanine, close to the stage and face them. Jeanine nods to me.

"Erudite!" I call out and watch as they all turn towards me. The Abnegation sector is quietly talking amongst themselves as they wait. Amity is greeting each other with hugs as they leave through another entrance. "Follow me." We save the introductions for when we're away from the other factions.

The group follows Jeanine and I out of the building to Erudite headquarters. It's a short walk but it doesn't stop the new ones from talking. Once we are in the Erudite building, Jeanine stops to face them. The families who came to the Ceremony drift off, going back to their work. If their children stayed, they'd see them on Visiting Day.

"Welcome," Jeanine says with a smile. The group quiets down. We've received about thirteen initiates this year between the transfers and those that were born into Erudite. "I am Jeanine Matthews, leader of Erudite. You will have separate sleeping quarters arranged by gender." Her voice goes hard, "these are not to be changed. The library will be open to you at all times. You will be required to submit an independent study project at the end of the initiation as well as pass the tests given. Those who do not pass will be sent to the factionless."

Some of the initiates mutter between themselves but no one speaks up. Behind them, I can see Riley Givens appearing from the elevators. One of the top educators, he would be leading the initiation. I lean over slightly towards Jeanine.

"Riley is here, ma'am," I say softly. She looks above the initiates and motions him forward. Some of them look back, looking for who she's motioning for. Riley walks around them. He's tall and gangly, with sandy blond hair that is cut just short enough to be neat. His glasses are large, obscuring his face and the keen intellect behind his eyes. He smiles at us both as he arrives, stopping on the other side of Jeanine.

"This is Riley Givens," Jeanine says. "He will be leading you through your initiation as well as through the rules of Erudite. You have chosen to be the new generation of Erudite. I expect only the best from you," she pauses and looks over the initiates. It's enough to cause some of them to look nervous. "I look forward to hearing your results. Good luck." She turns away from the initiates and heads toward the elevators. I follow, hearing Riley introduce himself behind us. She waits until we're alone in the elevator before she speaks. "What are the results?"

I open my tablet to the file where I've marked down the names and chosen factions. "All of them have transferred to Erudite, Dauntless, Abnegation and Candor."

"I want reports on the Erudite transfer. I want to know what she's researching," she says. I wonder if she did the same when I entered. Had I been under watch without knowing, or was it different since I was Erudite born? "Inform Max and Eric to keep a close eye on their transfer. When is the next meeting with Candor?"

I open the agenda quickly. "The next council meeting is in a month." Jeanine's lips press together. She's not pleased but she doesn't demand anything sooner.

"How is the construction going?" she asks instead.

"It should be done within the next week and a half. I've asked them to inform me immediately once it's finished so we can start getting everything moved in."

"Good." The elevator doors open and we step out towards her office. "I want to see it when it is completed."

"Yes, ma'am," I say. We get to her office and she pauses at her door before facing me.

"We may be in luck," Jeanine says. "If that girl is what we think she is, this will increase the pace of our research that much faster." My heart feels like it's stopped. Our research? "I'll be in the lab this evening. Hold all my calls." Jeanine goes into her office and closes the door. I have to stop myself from collapsing into my chair. I heard her right. Our. She said our.

[tbc]