Thank you to anybody who has read this, especially if you reviewed, favorite or followed. So I didn't actually get the three reviews but I like writing this story so I'm going to keep writing and posting because I want to and I like it so there. I don't own Divergent because I am not Veronica Roth.
"Thank you. For cutting my hair."
She kisses my cheek and slides the panel over the mirror. I think my mother could be beautiful, in a different world. Her body id thin beneath the gray robe. Yeah, our faction could use a lot more color. She has high cheek bones and long eyelashes, and when she lets her hair down at night, it hangs in waves over her shoulders. But she has to hide that beauty in Abnegation. It's a rule in Abnegation to be as modest as possible. I personally think that you should be able to show your beauty if you have it and not hide behind a mask of modesty.
We walk together to our small kitchen. On these mornings when my brother makes breakfast and my father's hand skims my hair as he reads the newspaper, and my mother hums as she clears the table- it is on these days that I feel guiltiest for what I am planning on doing on the choosing day. It is on these days that I feel bad for wanting to leave them.
The bus stinks of exhaust. Every time it hits a patch of uneven, it jostles me from side to side, even though I'm gripping the seat to keep myself still.
My older brother, Caleb, stands in the aisle, holding a railing above his head to keep himself steady. We don't look alike. He has my father's dark hair and hooked nose and my mother's green eyes and dimpled cheeks. When he was younger, that collection of features looked strange, but now it suits him. If he wasn't Abnegation, I'm sure the girls at school would stare at him.
He also inherited my mother's talent for selflessness. He gave his seat to a surly Candor man on the bus without a second thought. I would have if he was older or had a small child. I just …. As I said before I don't have the knack he has when it comes to selflessness.
The Candor man wears a black suit with a white tie-Candor standard uniform. Their faction values honesty and sees the truth as black and white, so that is what they wear. I personally like the color combination.
The gaps between the buildings narrow and the roads are smoother as we near the heart of the city. The building that was once called the Sears Tower-we call it the Hub-emerges from the fog, a black pillar in the skyline. The bus passes under the elevated tracks. I have never been on a train, though they never stop running and there are tracks everywhere. Only the Dauntless ride them.
Five years ago, volunteer construction workers from Abnegation repaved some of the roads. They started in the middle of the city and worked their way outward until they ran out of materials. The roads where I live are still cracked and patchy, and it's not safe to drive on them. We don't have a car anyway. It would be too selfish.
Caleb's expression is placid as the bus sways and jolts on the road. The gray robe falls from his as his clutches a pole for balance. I can tell by the constant shift of his eyes that he is watching the people around us-striving to see only them and to forget himself. Candor values honesty, but our faction, Abnegation, values selflessness.
The bus stops in front of the school and I get up, scooting past the Candor man. I grab Caleb's arm as I stumble over the man's shoes. My slacks are too long, and I've never been that graceful.
Skip to before test
An Erudite boy in a blue sweater shoves me. I lose my balance and fall hard on the ground. "Out of my way, Stiff" he snaps, and continues down the hallway. I quickly look around and see that there are no Abnegation that will see me. Before the boy gets far I stick my leg out so he falls. I get up gracefully and say "Oh, I'm so sorry was I in your way" in a berating voice.
Skip to test
When my eyes open, an instant has passed, but I am somewhere else. I stand in the school cafeteria again. On a table in front of me holds two baskets. In one of them is a hunk of cheese, and in the other, a knife the length of my forearm.
Behind me a woman's voice says "choose".
"Why" I ask
"Choose" she repeats
I look over my shoulder, but no one is there. I turn back towards the baskets. And grab both the cheese and the knife.
The baskets disappear and I hear a door squeak. I see not a "who" but a "what": A dog with a pointed nose stands a few yards away from me. It crouches low and creeps toward me, its lips peeling back from its white teeth. A growl gurgles deep in its throat.
I start to back away but it starts to stalk towards me. I feel terrible but I see no other choice. I throw the cheese. When it turns its back to go eat the cheese I go behind it and slit its throat.
I wake up to sweaty palms and a pang of guilt in my chest. I am lying in the chair in the mirrored room. When I tilt my head back, I see Tori behind me. She pinches her lips together and removes the electrodes from our heads. I wait for her to tell me the results of my test. But she says nothing, just pulls the wires from my head.
I have to say that that was a long chapter. I will update sooner if people review.