Hi guys! Thanks for still reading! Special thanks to divergentlymuggleborn for being my first commenter! Hope you guys like the chapter. Tori still monitors the test, but there aren't any serums involved. Hope you guys enjoy! XD
Chapter 1: Tris POV
The warning bell has rung. Being an Abnegation, my brother, Caleb, made sure that we were both in class before the bell rung, so we would be unnoticeable, because being selfless apparently meant being unnoticeable and not vain at all costs. I was sick of this kind of life, and I think this life was sick of me. Kids slowly trickled in, most of them from our year. As everyone gets into their seats, I notice that this will be the last day all of us wear multicolored clothes, that symbolize that we don't belong to any chosen life yet. Even though we are not supposed to be segregated by lifestyle, that is sadly the case. If you were born an Abnegation, you mostly stuck to yourself and other Abnegations. Same goes for everything else. No one marries outside of their chosen school. If you did, everyone shunned you, even my own faction. This is because everyone thought their school, their lifestyle, their choice, was the best option, at least compared to the other ones.
As soon as everyone settles down, our teacher, a Dauntless, says, "Hey guys. Don't bother getting your school things because we're taking your aptitude tests today."
At this, the kids with Dauntless parents roared and cheered, most likely because that's how they react to everything. The Noses just looked at each other with a knowing look, they knew the test would tell them to join Erudite Advanced. I just look at everyone's varying reactions, taking it all in. It was amazing how just one class could be nervous, excited, worried, overjoyed, upset, and happy all at the same time.
Soon, we are going to the testing rooms, waiting for our turns. There are rumors about what the test is like, but no one knows for sure. All we know is that it will tell us which school we should join, but we don't have to. Since our founders were humane, they gave us the choice to choose which school we would attend, so we would have happiness, as well as productivity, in life. To have a choice helps us, gives us power over ourselves. It's something that we need. Well it's something that everyone except Abnegation needs. My parents say that the main thing they teach at their school is that having power over ourselves means lending ourselves to vanity, something that should never be done. I can't stand it. I can't be as selfless as Caleb, or my parents, or any other Abnegation Academy attendee. Even before I take the test, I know that I cannot attend Abnegation Academy.
Soon, students are called, one by one, to start their aptitude test. But before they let anyone in, Marcus Eaton, a local government official walks out of one of the rooms.
"Students," he announces, "Andrew and Natalie Prior are stepping down as principals of Abnegation Academy. I, Marcus Eaton, will be taking their place in that role."
Why wouldn't anyone tell me? My parents even?
Tris looked away angrily, upset that she didn't know and had to learn with everyone else.
"Isn't Marcus Eaton the guy who abused his son?" Some smart mouth, said. I bet he's going to get Candor.
"Did you know that Caleb?" I asked my brother about Marcus. This is a very strange announcement, because principals have the same, if not greater power, than the government.
"Of course I did!" Caleb replies, like someone had just insulted him, "Have you even listened to our parents at dinner, Beatrice?"
"And you never told me?" I retort.
Before he can reply, my name is called to take the aptitude test. As I walk in, I notice the administrator. By the looks of it, I'd assume she went to Dauntless High, because of her tattoos and black clothes. She is Asian with long black hair. I am about to greet her but she cuts me off.
"I'm Tori, you aptitude test administrator. Take a seat at the desk, and wait until you receive further instructions."
Tori seems a lot different than other Dauntless High administrators and teachers. She seems much more down to earth.
As she turns around to grab the paper and pencil test, I notice a tattoo on her back. It is a hawk, or something of the sort.
As she turns around, I advert my eyes, but she already noticed, like she knew I was watching.
"It's a hawk," Tori told me, "It symbolizes overcoming fears."
I have no idea why a hawk represents that, but I just want to start the test, so I let the topic drop.
Tori puts a testing packet on my desk. I am not prepared for this...
She hands me a pencil, and I open the test packet.
The first questions was "You can choose one item: A knife, or food. In front of you is a homeless. What do you choose, and using that item, what do you do to the homeless?"
Homeless. Those are the high-school dropouts who couldn't graduate high school and become what we refer to as "Homeless". I know by inner Abnegation wants me to take the food and give it to him, but I don't want to. I could never kill him with a knife, and I wouldn't use a knife to harm myself, too. I can't decide what to write, so I write down something unthinkable. I wrote, "I would not chose either. In doing so, I save both mine and the Homeless's life."
I hope that I don't sound too much like one of those adult Erudite. My father always rants about him, so it gave me an impression that you did not want to be them.
The next question is "Someone is blaming you for something you didn't do. When he shows you a picture and asks you if you knew who the person was, would you tell them?"
If a random person came up to me and said that, would I tell them? Probably not.
I check no as my answer.
"Part 2: What if they said it would save their life?" The next part of the question asks. This one is a bit harder, mostly because I know it might help someone. But still, why would I? There really isn't a point.
I check no again.
As I go through the questions, I start daydreaming. I start thinking about Caleb, and why nobody told me about Marcus Eaton. I know those rumors about him aren't true. I mean he is an Abnegation that was a high ranked government official.
Soon, the test is over. I wait as Tori leaves the room, to calculate which high school I should attend. After a little while, I observe the room, seeing if there is anything worth noticing. I notice all the mirrors, placed at random places.
After 20 minutes of just me and my thoughts, Tori returns. Mom and Dad told me that my answers would be delivered by paper.
Why is Tori here?
"Your results were inconclusive." Tori states. "As far as the system knows, you received you could thrive at Abnegation Academy, Dauntless HIgh, or Erudite Advanced. Do not tell anyone you have been considered by more than one high school. If you do, you are sent to Divergent Prison."
"Wh- Why?" I ask nervously. I don't understand what's going on.
"Inconclusive results, or those meant for more than one school, are called Divergent. That means because they aren't meant for one school and one place in society. That means if the government tells you what to do, you might second guess. Divergent Prison is basically a death sentence, if not worse. This is why you should never, not even your parents, tell anyone about your results."
After this, walking home is a haze. I think Tori might have said something else, but I don't remember it. She sends me off on my way, and I feel light-headed and dizzy. I walk home and I am overjoyed to see that my parents nor Caleb are home right now. If I returned home to quickly, I'm afraid I would appear suspicious. I sit on one of the generic seats of our house, and wait for Caleb to arrive. When he finally does, he looks flustered, and has a black eye. I'm not surprised. Kids make fun of Caleb and I a lot, especially because our parents used to be the Abnegation Academy principals. He looks outside of the door and makes sure no one followed him. When he finally decided everything was safe, he turned to me.
"What happened, Caleb?" I asked.
"You knew what happened."
I knew what happened. The neighborhood bully, Peter, was harsh to everyone, especially Caleb. Although I wish I could do something, Caleb always seemed to get hurt when I wasn't there with him. I feel so bad for him, but right now, all I feel is rage.
"Why didn't you tell me about Marcus?" I screamed, after making sure nobody could here us.
"If you weren't so ignorant, you would have known that Mom and Dad hinted about it all the time!" With this, Caleb stormed off.
I cannot believe that Caleb would just leave me like that. It isn't like him. Maybe he isn't going to choose Abnegation Academy like I thought he would.
Later that night, I eat dinner with my family, not knowing if we would still be together this time tomorrow.
I don't talk at all, hoping that I wouldn't have to. After we finish eating, we all help clean up, mostly because I have to, and that my parents still want me to be selfless. Once again, I know that I cannot live this life, life the "perfect Abnegation" life. After cleaning up, I go to bed. I know tomorrow is choosing day, the day we choose our high schools. Even with that unnerving thought, I manage to fall asleep quickly.
I wake up in a room full of mirrors. For some reason, the room reminds me of the room I took the aptitude test in, even though there are way more mirrors, and no furniture, either. Suddenly, a dog appears in front of me. I inch farther away from it, but it comes closer and closer. After I suck up my nerves, the dog comes over to me and starts panting.
It just wanted to be my friend!
But then, the dog growled, and turned his head towards a stranger. It was a young girl, who I did not know. Before I could do anything, the whole room morphed to a dark room with a spotlight. In the spotlight are two options. Food or a knife. Just like my aptitude test. I waited so long that the room morphed, yet again to a bus. Trusting my extincts, I get on the bus and see a man. He accuses me of some weird thing, something I could not make out. He pulls out a picture of Caleb, and asks if I know him.
"Do you know this boy?" He asks.
"No I don't" I reply, forcibly.
"It will save me if you do." He says, yet again.
"I TOLD YOU! I don't know him!" I yell.
I wake up with a cold sweat. The dream reminded me eerily of the test I took yesterday. I know it wasn't real, but I couldn't take it, I started to sob into my pillow. Today was choosing day, and nothing was going to get in my way.
