Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations, though. :3 I'm just sort of making these up as I go, with just a few plans at the back of my mind, so even I might be surprised, lol. :)

Chapter 3

The Transfers

I wake to a low buzzing sound somewhere above me. I open my eyes slowly and see Susan sitting up on her bed, folding her sheets. She sees me staring and smiles at me, pointing her finger at the ceiling. I hadn't noticed a vent their last night. It was right beside the light and has what looks like a communication remote attached to its inner wall. I'm guessing an alarm was activated from somewhere in the building and transmitted into this speaker, producing a sort of vibrating sound trough the echoes in the vent.

I sit up and walk out of the room, straight into the bathroom to wash up. Then I realize my selfish mistake. I should have fixed my bed first. For an Abnegation-born, I was setting quite a bad example.

I make gagging sounds before leaving the bathroom. Since the bathroom door and the door to our dormitory are adjacent, I bet they could hear me. I cough and clear my throat as I step into the room, and smile at the initiates looking at me. I rub my throat and make a face, as if I rushed out of the room because of it, then I go ahead and fix my bed.


During initiation, meals are held on the third floor of our dormitory, where we are served typical Abnegation food. I doubt other factions eat the same thing, so I am not surprised when the transfers find the food strange and apparently lacking.

In our cafeteria, there are only two long tables that extend from one end of the room to the other. For now, it depends on us who we sit with; meals at the end of the week will be different. It is when the initiates eat with the leaders. It's like an informal gathering, but instead of a celebration, it is like a class, teaching the initiates Abnegation manners. By the end of the initiation, the gathering will be bigger; every Abnegation is invited.

I sit in the middle of the table to my right, the one closest to the windows, with Susan right beside me. Tina also follows and sits across from me, and another Amity transfer sits beside her this time. "Susan, Beatrice, this is Diane," she introduces. I see Diane's hand rise from her side, but Tina pulls it down and holds onto it beneath the table. I smile and bow my head to her. Susan, who stopped associating herself with students from other factions since Mid-Level, tries her best to project a smile as well.

Others who have taken their seats immediately lift the covers from the trays laid out in front of them to eat, but those of us who were Abnegation-born wait until everyone has taken their seats. Susan watches them indifferently, probably curious of their reactions, though. Diane and Tina eye the food curiously, but when the transfers realize they are being watched, they stop playing around and set down the covers in front of them and begin to pick up their forks, poking at their food. For now, their non-Abnegation ways may be accepted, but they will soon need to adapt and learn how to live like the faction.

A few minutes later, the boys arrive and walk into the cafeteria boisterously. Is it natural for boys to get along so easy so fast? Robert is among them, talking to a boy from Amity. From the looks on their faces, their conversation seems animated. He grins at the boy before looking away to scan the cafeteria. When his eyes fall on me and Susan, he smiles widely and pats his new friend along. Robert sits beside Susan and the Amity boy on his other side.

"Susan, Beatrice, this is Charlie. He's from Amity," he says, his eyes glinting. We exchange smiles then introduce Tina and Diane to Robert.

"You're both from Amity? Do you three know each other?" Robert asks. The two Amity girls look at each other and giggle but shake their heads.

"From school, yes," Charlie says, "I see them occasionally, but I don't think I've ever seen them at the compound, or even interacted with them, have I girls? I don't know how I could've missed them." The two laugh.

A charmer, I think. Given his good looks, his dark hair complimenting his light skin, the bits of visible freckles on his left cheek emphasizing the dimple on his right, and eyes in a blue I don't think I have ever seen on anyone else's, he has the right to be one. And his voice, so deep yet filled the mischievousness of a young boy, I bet, has made several girls swoon over him at school. His smile, even, just a slight upward turn of his lips, can make you smile, his cheeks pushing upward against his eyes.

I continue scanning his face before I realize that if I don't stop, I will probably start swooning, as well. I sit up and pick up my fork, swallowing my thoughts and an apple.


We went back to the dormitory at least an hour later and, at least an hour before noon, the transfers are asked to change into their Abnegation clothes and we are all called down by some of the members. We travel back to the Hub in groups to clean up after the factions' meeting. Everyone was still in the meeting when we arrived, so we got to use the elevator, and we stayed at the back of the room as the meeting convened. We watched quietly as the leaders and representatives of the factions shook hands and exchanged greetings with each other before they left. Others, though, left with frowns on their faces, most from Erudite. I can't help but look at the only transfer from Erudite, the nervous boy from the Choosing Ceremony—he was at the other end of the wall we were all sitting or leaning against, his head bowed down as he stared at the floor. I don't know if his position was intentional, as he was with two more transfers hiding behind the door.

Everything seemed lighter today: the workload, the atmosphere, the mood. It was probably because the initiates have all made friends by now. We cleaned quietly, what with the presence of the members and some of our leaders, but we exchanged grins and snickers once in a while.

Robert and I introduced Tina and Diane to Michael, his cousin whose sister transferred to Amity. According to Robert, he's been fretting about his sister since the Choosing Ceremony, so he wanted the reassurance of the other Amity transfers that his sister is in good hands.

I also met Bryan, a transfer from Dauntless, and Riza, who he transferred with. Based on the looks they give each other, they transferred together, and most likely together as a couple.

At the back of my mind, I tell myself that when I get either of the two alone, I will ask them why they transferred from Dauntless, why they would leave the faction I was about to transfer to and join the faction I was about to leave.

We are given rice and beef stew for lunch today, brought to us in styrofoam packaging by some of the Amity that join us. Some take their seats on the floor while others, mostly the elders, on the chairs that were taken out of the pile at the side of the room. Father and mother sit on opposite sides of me. We were arranged in a big circle and the food was passed around clockwise, the members pointing out instructions to the confused transfers. The Amity form a separate circle.

At informal meals like this, we are allowed to speak. Ones spent with family or ones held during formal gatherings are different, where the children must only listen and respond when addressed. This was explained to the initiates during the meal by the old man, Henry Yeng, who accompanied me to my room last night. Everyone was quiet while listening to him, even the Amity who were eating behind us, watching us, even.


We take the bus back to the dormitory and, as we pass the Factionless area, the member standing in front announces a trip early tomorrow morning into this part of the city, probably to distribute help to the Factionless, which I tell Tina when she asks. She shudders at the idea. They maybe Amity and peaceful, but the thought of even coming close to the Factionless can disturb some people new to the idea.

When we get home, the boys and girls divide as we enter our respective rooms, and bow our heads to the members assigned to us as they ascend to the third floor. I go to the bathroom to wash up a bit and lay back on my bed, falling asleep almost instantly. I hear Susan waking me up for dinner a few minutes later, or at least I think it was a few minutes, but I ignore her and turn to my side, covering my head with my pillow. I blink a couple of times, intending to wake up for dinner eventually, but I see a couple of the girls on the other side sleeping as well, and I find myself incapable of getting up.

I don't really know what exhausted me, though. There wasn't much work, not much to think about today. Then I realize I just love the feeling of rest. It's been a while since I was able to sleep peacefully at night, and this was the perfect opportunity to make up for lost sleep: tired enough to turn in early, but with a clear enough mind to sleep with disturbing thoughts tonight. The last thing I actually think of tonight before sleeping was today's lunch, which was most likely the first I've spent with actual friends, other than Susan, Robert and Caleb at least.

Then there was Robert, his smiles and grins directed at me today at the Hub were different. For an instant, I remember the Choosing Ceremony, my thoughts before choosing Abnegation. That glimpse of my future with him, and for a while, I feel good. I might live through Abnegation happy, with these people, with this lifestyle, with my parents… and maybe even with him.

I smile one more time before finally drowsing off.


So I kept this short, sort of intentionally. I have big plans for the next chapter and I'll start working on it as soon as I post this. I'm pretty excited for it, really. :D So yeah, please review. Thanks.