That night, as Isabelle drifted into a peaceful sleep, her subconscious couldn't help but replay the events of the Choosing Ceremony some six in-a-half weeks earlier...
Isabelle glanced in the mirror as she fixed her long, dark hair into a side braid so that it was out of her face, placing it over her left shoulder. Her eyes flickered up so that she stared at her own reflection in the full-length mirror, examining her outfit carefully. She had picked out a white, button-up blouse that seemed simple but she dressed it up with a navy blue blazer and matching pencil skirt. Her navy flats would provide some comfort for her walk to the Choosing Ceremony at the Hub.
The girl took a deep breath, watching her own chest rise and fall in the mirror. Today was a big day, the most important of her life and yet she didn't know what to do. Isabelle's mind was racing, remembering the results of the aptitude test from the other day—Dauntless. Dauntless, how could she have possibly gotten such a result? Thinking back on the choices she was presented with during the simulation, Isabelle realized that she had chosen the knife over the cheese, but she was hesitant, resulting in the rabid dog appearing out of nowhere to attack her. Of course she chose the knife, she thought that her life was in danger when she heard Janine Matthews voice telling her to choose. If she would've known that the entire thing was simply a simulation, something that wasn't real and couldn't harm her, Isabelle wouldn't have chosen the knife… or would she?
Now as she thought about it, Isabelle wasn't sure if she would choose the cheese over the knife if she knew the simulation wasn't real. It wasn't just that choice though that made her question her own actions. After the dog had appeared, so did a small child—a crying boy in raggedy clothes. The dog spotted the boy and ran after him, causing the child to run for his life. Isabelle called out before slipping her shoe off and throwing it at the dog. The canine turned his attention to the Erudite girl and sprinted towards her, but Isabelle didn't back down. For some odd reason she stood with knife in hand and waited for the attack; just as the dog pounced on her, Isabelle raised her knife. As the blade penetrated the dog's fur and flesh, she jolted awake from the simulation.
In the real world, Isabelle could never imagine herself having enough courage to kill a rabid dog that was attacking anyone, so why did she do it in the simulation? She had read a study once that explained how a person's first instinct to do something was a reflection of who they truly were—that if someone was pretending to be someone they weren't, that in a life and death situation, they would show their true colors due to automatic, natural behaviors and instincts. So did that mean that Isabelle's test results were accurate when it said she was Dauntless?
Did Isabelle had what it took to be brave? In all honesty, she didn't think so. Isabelle wasn't known to be the brave one—she never spoke out of turn, she didn't defy orders, nor did she partake in rowdy activities; she wanted to, when her friends and peers had asked her to join in on some fun, but she always refused, not wanting to get in trouble with her mother. Ever since her father was killed in an accident some few years back, Isabelle never wanted to disappoint her mother. Isabelle figured that her mother had suffered enough already and that by doing what she really wanted to, she'd only add to the hurt that her mother already felt. But now that her mother had passed earlier in the year, Isabelle was ready to start living her life the way she wanted to.
A small smile crept on Isabelle's lips as she thought about her mother, her beautiful, smart, mother to whom she was very close. Her death was sudden, from a well-kept diagnosis of some illness the girl didn't quite understand, even at her age; Isabelle's mother hid her failing health from her only child for as long as she could because she didn't want sweet, kind Isabelle to worry about her sickly mother when in less than a years time, Isabelle would probably not even be with her in Erudite. Her mother always knew that Erudite was not the faction for Isabelle, thinking that one day she'd be an Amity or an Abnegation because of her kind and caring nature, but she didn't really know Isabelle—not entirely, at least.
Isabelle found out eventually about her mother's condition, but couldn't do anything to save her. Now Isabelle lived with her aunt Patricia, the sister of her deceased father. The woman worked as a teacher in the city's best school, which was conveniently located on Erudite soil. Patricia wasn't particularly warm and welcoming when she became the legal guardian of the orphaned girl. Finding her brother's death suspicious, she didn't trust her sister-in-law or her niece, so ill-feelings were harbored against the girl. Isabelle didn't seem to mind though since she'd only be staying with her aunt for a few months up until now when she'd choose her new faction.
"Isabelle!" The woman's voice ran throughout the apartment, "it's time to go."
Looking at the mirror one last time, Isabelle made sure that she looked decent enough—presentable to represent her faction for the last time. Turning, Isabelle made her way out of her room and into the foyer of the apartment where her aunt stood, also in blue although the shade she wore was a bit lighter than that of her niece.
Without another word, the two were off to the Hub for the ceremony. The walk was silent, but Isabelle was grateful for it since her mind was still racing with the decision that she would soon have to make. Growing up Isabelle knew her mother had wanted her to remain Erudite, but towards the end of her mother's life, Isabelle started to question the truth of what her mother wanted for her only daughter. Isabelle was willing to stay in Erudite in order to take care of her mother, but when she knew the inevitable—that her mother would soon pass—then Isabelle started to question herself and what she wanted to do for the rest of her own life.
Now that her mother was gone, there was nothing left for Isabelle here in Erudite, only painful memories of her past, so this faction was no longer an option. It wasn't so easy to try and eliminate any other faction from her possibilities as Isabelle was unsure of who she was. Being sixteen, nearly seventeen, the world hadn't offered many options for the girl to discover what she wanted to do with her life. A heavy feeling burrowed itself within Isabelle's stomach, the overwhelming sensation of dread coursed through her at the notion that she would have to make a single choice that would ultimately determine her future. The girl was torn, not knowing which faction to choose from. Even though she was born an Erudite and her test had resulted in Dauntless, she still had the choice to pick the other three factions if she so desired—but what was it she desired? Isabelle didn't have a clue.
The two women had made it to the Hub in no time and they quickly found their way to two empty seats at the end of the aisle amongst the sea of blue where the rest of their faction sat. As Isabelle took her seat, her eyes wandered over the space of the large room where representatives and kids around Isabelle's age sat according to their faction at either side of the Erudite section. The space in front of her was open in a semi-circle, as a small table was stationed in the middle with five bowls to represent the five factions; there was also a podium besides the table for the coordinator to conduct the ceremony.
This year it was Erudite to host the ceremony and it was none other than Jeanine Matthews who would conduct the entire thing, a great pride for the faction. The year before it was Candor and Isabelle had heard rumors that the ceremony didn't go as smoothly as it normally did since the people from that faction liked to open their mouths. It was needless to say that there was some drama and tension last year between Candor and the other factions, especially Dauntless.
Speaking of the devil, Jeanine appeared at the top of the aisle as she made her way down the aisle. She observed all the soon-to-be initiates as they took their seats in their respected factions, a clipboard in her hands as she slowly took step after step. As she reached the middle of the Erudite faction, Jeanine's blue eyes found themselves at the attention of the brunette girl and her aunt.
"Patricia, it's good to see you—and Isabelle," she said softly, but there was still an eloquent poise to it, making the girl look up at the leader. Both Isabelle and her aunt stood, showing respect for the most revered leader of their faction."I almost forgot you are of age. I'm glad to see that you're here."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Jeanine—please." She reassured with a sly smile.
Isabelle smiled back, "Jeanine, thank you."
Jeanine's smile fell slightly as she spoke quietly, but steadily, "I'm sorry about your mother. She was a good woman and she is greatly missed by those at the Archives—especially by Mrs. Lowenthall. Your mother was an essential member to our community and her loss is noted in the department. It seems that your mother kept that place in order and without her they are falling quite behind on their duties."
The girl lowered her head as her eyes began to water slightly, "thank you, Jeanine. My mother enjoyed working for the Archives; it brought her much joy and pride to work for the faction in such a respectable department."
Quickly the woman changed the subject, not accustomed to such sentimental feelings, "So, are you excited about the ceremony? I assume your test went smoothly, yes?"
Isabelle hesitated for a moment, thinking of an appropriate response to the leader's question. "It did, but I'm not exactly confident in my results."
The blonde woman furrowed her brows as she slightly tilted her head to the side, "what do you mean? Nothing went wrong I hope." Jeanine looked very concerned as she spoke, her eyes never leaving the brunette as she watched for any changes in the girl's facial expressions and body language. They had been hunting divergents for a few years now without the public knowing, so Jeanine was always trying to stay aware of any potential signs of them.
"No," Isabelle reassured, "I'm just surprised by my result is all—and because of it I'm pretty conflicted on which faction to choose."
Jeanine's expression softened, a small smile gracing her pretty face as she placed a manicured hand on the girl's shoulder. "Believe it or not, this is extremely common, Isabelle. In a situation like this, all you have to do is make a choice that will benefit you the most based on what you know about yourself. The aptitude test is simply a guide to help lead you in the right direction—it is in no way a test that dictates what you have to do. And just know that whatever choice you make, your mother would be very proud of you."
Isabelle nodded, understand what Jeanine was saying as she thanked the leader for her kind words. Jeanine looked down at her watch and excused herself, stating that the ceremony was so start shortly before she made her way down the aisle and towards the stadium to go over her notes. Isabelle and her aunt sat as they waited patiently. Jeanine's words did comfort the girl a bit, but she was still unsure of what decision she should make.
The ceremony was now underway as Jeanine welcomed everyone for this special day. She gave a grand and elegant speech about how the journey that each initiate was about to embark on was a unique one; some might find the transition into their faction an easy one, others might struggle, but the key was to remain confident and positive in oneself. She then spoke about how they were all so privileged to be taking apart of such a tremendous tradition. She wished the soon-to-be initiates the best in their future training as well as the factions to be role models for everyone else.
She then spoke briefly about how important it was to choose the correct faction that was best suited for each individual that was of age. She explained how even if you were born in a faction, that if you felt that it wasn't the best place for you, that you felt you couldn't reach your full potential there, then that faction wasn't right for you. The best way to choose a faction was based on how well it would help you grow to be the person you were destined to become; making the wrong choice now would only pull you down and eventually it will become too overbearing to deal with.
"We begin with Erudite," Jeanine spoke clearly to the crowd, making sure to make eye contact with certain people in the sea of blue. "Erudite was formed by those who blamed human ignorance for the faults of society. The founders of our new society formed Erudite as a way of eliminating ignorance and darkness from human minds. Our manifesto states: 'Ignorance' is defined not as stupidity but as lack of knowledge. The lack of knowledge inevitably leads to the lack of understanding. Lack of understanding leads to a disconnect among people with differences. Disconnection among people with differences leads to conflict. And finally, knowledge is the only logical solution to the problem of conflict. Therefore, we propose that in order to eliminate conflict, we must eliminate the disconnect among those with differences by correcting the lack of understanding that arises from ignorance with knowledge."
After the manifesto was read, Jeanine Matthews started to read the list of names in reverse alphabetical order. Warsan Verma was the first Erudite to be called. He approached the table and picked the shining, chrome knife from the small place before he sliced the side of his palm and letting his blood drip over the hot coals of Dauntless. Jeanine announced his decision to the audience and Dauntless cheered, standing up and giving a loud round of applause as Warsan made him way over to them.
Jeanine then called his sister, Navea Verma. She stood at the table and just as confidently as her brother, drew blood from her hand and allowed it to fall into the bowl of water. Jeanine smiled and announced that the girl chose to stay with her faction. The Verma parents looked very pleased with their daughters result. Name after name was called; most of the kids stayed with Erudite, with only a small portion choosing a different faction, mostly deciding to go to either Candor or Amity. With each person called up to the table, the feeling of dread had returned, creeping into her bones once again. Jeanine's words of advice were encouraging, but as her time approached, it became harder and header to believe them.
"Isabelle Lujan," the Erudite leader announced suddenly, causing Isabelle to snap out of her pondering. The girl stood slowly as all eyes in the room landed on her. She took a deep breath before descending down the aisle, walking up the small set of stairs until she was on the stage before the table with five bowls.
Analyzing each bowl and their contents, Isabelle tried to quickly decide which faction would be the best choice for her. Despite being born and raised here, Isabelle knew that Erudite was not right for her. Candor was a good option, seeing that they valued honesty above all and Isabelle thought herself to be a truthful person. Amity was another good choice since they despised war; Isabelle had study plenty of wars in school and like the people of Amity, she hated the destruction it caused. Being from Erudite, Isabelle had heard the rumors about Abnegation and how "selfless" they really were; she grew up harboring an inherited distrust towards the faction, so Abnegation was out of the question.
And finally, there was Dauntless. As Isabelle stared at the hot coals that burned fiercely in the bowl, she couldn't help but feel strangely drawn to the faction. There was something intriguing about the idea of protecting people, of being brave in the face of danger when others coward in fear. There was a certain amount of respect that was given to the people of Dauntless for the crazy things they did to ensure the safety of the city. Suddenly, Isabelle understood why she had received the results she did. It started to make sense.
Isabelle grabbed the blade from the plate and pricked her finger, watching the crimson blood ooze from her small wound. With her eyes still strained on her bleeding finger, she raised her hand above the bowl and watched as the droplet of blood fell from her wound as it landed on a single coal, the liquid quickly evaporated due to the intense temperature of the fiery coals.
Dauntless erupted in applause and cheers, glad to add another initiate to their faction. Isabelle smiled hesitantly as she made her way over to the faction who wore black. Before she made it to her new seat, Isabelle looked up at her aunt who was grinning down at the girl, happy to be finally rid of her niece of whom the root of her suspicions lie. As Isabelle took a seat amongst her new faction members, she was welcomed with pats on the back, high-fives, and hand shakes. Never in her life had Isabelle felt so welcomed by complete strangers—it was slightly refreshing.
After she had chosen her new faction, the ceremony seemed to continue rather quickly. It was over with a few hours later and Isabelle, along with the other initiates, were ushered out of the building as they made their way towards the train that was rapidly approaching. This was her new life, Isabelle thought with a small smile, and now she had to make the best of it.
There was a loud commotion outside of the initiate's living quarters, coaxing Isabelle out of her sleep suddenly. She rubbed her eyes as she yawned, the sounds of hurried footsteps rushed past the door, their boots stomped heavily against the stone floors outside. She looked up at the clock on the wall and saw that it was nearly two hours before the initiates were to get up, and nearly an hour before she and her three friends would get up for their own early morning training. Slowly, the girl stood and made her way up the small set of stairs, but the guard that was stationed in the room, because of Avicus, called out to her quietly. She just told him that she was going to see what was going on. He hesitated, but allowed her to do so, instructing her not to interfere with the soldiers. She agreed before opening the door only a crack to peer outside.
She saw the large group of Dauntless in their swat gear: bullet proof vests, knee and elbow pads, and holsters for their multiple guns and other weapons, which included knives and grenades. Group after group of Dauntless soldiers and guards rushed down the halls as leaders trailed in front and behind them.
Isabelle got a glance of the tall, blond leader as he approached with his group of soldiers, leading the pack with an automatic weapon in hand. Of course he was, she thought to herself as she stepped out from the living quarters and into the hall, closing the door behind her. As Eric passed by, Isabelle stepped forward and followed at his side, much to his surprise.
"Eric, what's going on? What's with the swarm of soldiers this early in the morning?"
He sighed heavily, grabbing Isabelle by the arm and pulling her to the side as he ordered his group of soldiers to continue up to the surface, instructing them to wait for him up there. They did as they were told and continued their march up out of the Dauntless compound. Eric looked down at the girl, seeing the concern in her eyes.
"There was an incident near the edge of the city, so we were called to sort it out. That's all I'm allowed to tell you, Isabelle."
"How long will you be gone?"
"No idea," he replied honestly. "But just in case we don't come back in time, training is cancelled until further notice. Inform the other initiates."
"What are we to do while you're away?"
"Do whatever you want, just stay on the compound; I know some of you are curious little shits, so ensure no one leaves or else I'll have your head. I'm leaving you in charge of the transfers until we return. Got it?"
Isabelle nodded, unsure if she was ready for such responsibility. Eric nodded in turn as he dismissed Isabelle. For some odd reason she wished him to stay safe—as soon as they words left her mouth she regretted it, feeling a blush appear on her cheeks before she turned around and made her way back to her living quarters. Eric, needless to say, was a little taken back by her words, but found them amusing in a genuine way. No one had wished him to stay safe since he left Erudite in order to join Dauntless nearly two years back.
As Isabelle closed the door behind her, she found herself at the attention of nearly every transfer as they sat up in their beds, their eyes glued on the brunette.
Mattie was the first to question the girl, "What's all that about?" She asked, nodding towards the door.
"There's been an disturbance in the city, so the soldiers of Dauntless were been called to respond to it."
"How do you know that?" a voice called out from the back of the room.
"I just got done talking with Eric. He says that training has been cancelled for the day and he wants everyone to stay on the compound until the leaders and soldiers return. Eric said you can do what you wish, but the leaders demand that you don't leave the premises for your own safety."
"When will they be back?"
"I don't know."
The other initiates continued to ask questions and Isabelle answered them the best she could, but after a few minutes they had run out of questions and Isabelle had run out of answers. They all went back to bed, enjoying the freedom they had to sleep in for once. Isabelle slipped back into her bed, but found that sleep would not come to her. As she lay with her arms behind her head for support, Isabelle thought about what she'd do with her free day.