"Dagmar," the girl reaches out her hand for me to shake. "But I go by Mara, so you should call me that unless you have a death wish." Cautiously I take her hand and shake once. I hope she's not serious, but you can't tell with the Dauntless. No, she's Candor now. Faction before blood, and she chose Candor.
Still, I hope that was sarcasm.
"Justine," I smile. Just be open, I tell myself. Say what comes to mind. "Don't call me Tina unless you have a death wish." I joke, repeating her introduction, and I see her smirk too. My family called me Tina sometimes, and I'd always hated it. Now, I hate it even more.
"Alright Not-Tina. What made you choose Candor? I see your old faction was Erudite."
Why? Well, I was always cut out for it. But how do I explain that?
"I never felt right there." Is all I say. I can't find a way to put it in words. It was just my choice, that's how it is. No explanation needed.
"I chose Candor because I don't want to get kicked out of the party when I get old. You know, once you reach a certain age in Dauntless, they get rid of you. Either by death or exile to factionless. And I'd kind if like to live a nice full life, you get me?"
I nod. Dauntless was never one of my choices anyways. I'm a coward, and Mara's information just confirmed my thoughts.
The tall doors open and reveal the main room of the building. The floor is covered in black marble floors with the white Candor symbol in the middle. The symbol I belong to now. No more eye. The eye that stares at you, watching your every move. Here we have the balance, tipping truth over lies. That's how it is, there's no doubt to truth unlike the questionable knowledge.
Our guide is named Bianca. She is pretty and small and I love the way her voice sounds. It's angelic but loud at the same time. She keeps our attention by simply uttering directions to the dorms.
I'm afraid for this new life, I am. I'm afraid of being alone and not knowing what to do.
Before I can travel too far off into thought, Mara grabs my arm and turns me around a corner. "S'matter, lost in your Erudite thoughts?"
"No!" I snap back. How dare she think I'm still loyal to my old faction. How dare she. "I'm Candor now, just like the rest of you."
"Not until initiation," chimes a voice from my right. It's a lanky boy who wears black and white. He stayed loyal, stayed at home. His tone makes him sound superior, and that makes me mad. Just because he grew up here doesn't make him any more Candor than us transfers.
"You still have to pass initiation too, smart mouth." Mara scolds him. Maybe she's not that bad. Maybe this place isn't that bad. I hate maybes. Maybes aren't right, they are grey areas with no definite way. I wonder is my whole life is a maybe, something destined to be unsolvable no matter how hard I try.
