A/N - I know this is far from my best chapter, but it just needed to be in there.
Disclaimer - I don't own Divergent or Insurgent. All rights belong to Veronica Roth.
Chapter 7
The train ride to Erudite felt so much longer that it actually was. I was in the cart with Max and two other Dauntless members, the silece was painfull. As if Max's thoughts were burning though me along with his stare. I know he is suspicious of me, of what exactly I do not know.
Max was not the only thing making the train ride long. Arriving at Erudite is something I dread. Finding out if my own father hates me so much he couldn't come. And if that is the case, I have to be in the same room as Marcus. A sadistic, abusive father, that everyone in Abnegation seemed to adore. They are all so clueless, naive and ignorant.
No matter how much I dreaded the point we had to jump off, I could see the Erudite glass skyscrapers. My clue that I had to leave the train in favour of the blue sterile confrence rooms. Without any hesitation I bend ny knees and jump. A roaring sound continues as the train never stops.
In. Out. In. Out.
I have to tell myself to breath, not thinking it would be this hard. With my fingers I trace the three ravens on my collarbone. My mom. My dad. Caleb. Birds flying away. Being let go. However I know that I will never be able to let go, not really.
Us four Dauntless representatives are greeted by the Candor leader. Jack Kang. He is surrounded by three people dressed in black and white. One of the three is a very short, round lady. She looks irritated, almost angry when I shake her hand.
"Shaking hands is only normal in Dauntless, I prefere if you don't do that" she says. Defidently candor. I cruse her under my breath. Hating people who say everything they think, and think they are better that everyone else.
Erudite people show us where we are supposed to be. We end up in a big room which has only a large table and sixteen chairs. At the very end of the table is Jeanine Matthews. Her blond hair falls perfectly around her face which is dominated by two blue eyes. They do not reflect the big smile she is wearing. Jeanine's eyes have something else. Evil, lust and a great hunger for power.
Slowly and without tearing my eyes from hers, I sit down. Soon also Amity joins us. When the door opens for the second time, I look up.
It takes all I've got to prevent my mouth from hanging open in suprise. At the door stands my father. His big gray clothes hiding him. Making him blend inn amongst the people surrounding him. The blue eyes simular to my own hard when they see me.
My father seems to have drowned in his faction, his position.
Thoughts of my father are still running though my head when someone starts to speak. How he would look at me disapproving if I talked without being asked to. When he would read the paper in the morning at breakfast. Even those times when he bad mouthed about Erudite.
Max seems to notice my distant stare. He elbows me in the arm. Hard. I give him a glare before consentrating on what is being said.
"They need to stand on their own legs" I know they are talking about the factionless. Some people seem to believe they don't need all the supplies they get. Also some Erudite accuse the Abnegation of keeping some of the stuff themselves.
A soft voice, I know all to well speaks up. "Are you really saying we need to stop helping the poor and helpless?". Johanna, Amity leader, agrees with my dad that we don't stop helping them.
People start to get in heated arguments, but I space out again.
Why would the factionless still portray themselves as starving if they, like some say, do infact have enough food. Then I think about the faction system. Even how low some might think about the Abnegation or any other faction, they are still beneath that. I, like so many others, was prepared to die rather than being factionless.
Factionless are people that in the eyes of society don't belong. But if so many people don't belong, is there not something wrong. Aren't we the people who don't belong. They, the non divergent people in each faction. Able to do what your faction says without thinking.
Brainwashed.
The meeting seems to be everlasting. After not agreeing to anything on the factionless matter, they moved on to the next subject on the list. And so forth.
It isn't untill at the very end that something catches my attention. People are discussing something that seems odd.
"They are forming groups" Jeanine says. Who, who are forming groups? "I don't think they'd do that Jeanine, not to they factions." Jack Kang replies. Who are they, are they hurting us?
"Don't you get it Jack, they don't belong in a faction, they belong in more. They can fit in two different factions. Who is to say they don't choose that faction over the one they are in? We can't have their unpredictable brains in the system!"
Divergent. They are talking about divergence. Is that why we are dangerous? Because we have a aptitude for more than one faction? It's not like Tobias, Uriah and I are forming a rebellious group. We just don't want to be killed.
"We need to find them, Separate them from the rest of the faction." Jack Kang finally agrees. No, no I will not be killed.
Then Max speaks up for the first time "We need to put something in them that will make them noticeble." "Serum, it wil not kill them, but it will lead us to them" Jeanine comfirms.
My fathers voice speaks up again "How will we be able to get it in them. I will not inject my people with something." "You don't have to, we will put it in the water supply" Johanna smiles. I always thought people from Amity would be nicer to everyone, even divergents.
"But when we find them, what will we do?" I don't see who speaks, but it can't be someone from Erudite or Dauntless. They already know how they deal with it.
"Bring them to Erudite" That must be the worst part, Erudite is propably going to experiment and then kill you.
With a few nodds the meeting is adjourned. I make a point of getting out of there fast so that I don't have to see my fathers disapointed eyes again.
Hundreds of divergent people are going to de discoverd soon. I have to make sure that is not Tobias. Or Uriah.
But how, how do I keep people alive? We have to drink water. I need to make sure they don't take Tobias. The thought of what they will do with him in Erudite makes it hard to breath. Torture. Rather me than him.
As I jump off the train, that is what I promise myself. I will give my life for him. Sacrifice myself so that Tobias can live.
Be selfless for once.