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Disclaimer: The plot belongs entirely to Veronica Roth, and the characters belong solely to Richelle Mead.

Chapter 2: Aptitude Tests

I sit at one of the long tables in the Cafeteria, munching on a slice of carrot, waiting.

The test admins call ten names at a time, one for each testing room.

I sit next to Eddie, and opposite our next door neighbor Meredith.
Meredith's father's job takes him all around the city, so he has a car and drops her off to school every morning. He offered to take us too, and I was all up for it, but Eddie said that we prefer to leave for school later, and wouldn't want to inconvenience him.
Yeah, right.

The test admins are mostly Abnegation, but there are also Erudite and Dauntless admins for us, because you cannot take the test from a member of your own faction.
Believe me, I have no idea why.
The rules also say we cannot prepare for the test in anyway, so none of us know what to expect.

Bored, I look around the Cafeteria.
The Dauntless kids are laughing loudly, playing cards. The Erudite are all either reading or writing something. The Amity kids are sitting in a circle playing an unusual game that involves singing rhymes and slapping hands. The Candor are arguing heatedly about something, but its probably not serious, because half of them are smiling.

And us?
The Abnegation even has to follow rules of solitude and idle behavior. We aren't allowed to make individual preferences, so no games.
I was bored to death.
I mean, its not like the Erudite always want to study, or the Candor always want to debate.
Even the Abnegation do not always want to be selfless.
But we are all powerless.

Suddenly, Eddie's name is called, and he moves confidently towards the exit.
I don't have to worry about him, I already know which faction he's destined to be in.
I still remember him scolding me for using the swing and not offering it to the little lone boy on the seesaw.
I remember his look of disapproval every time I don't offer someone my seat, or don't offer someone the last bit of food.
He is Abnegation, through and through.

But I am not.
And I'm sure of it.
I never feel that instinct, to offer someone my seat, to give someone something that's mine.
Selfish, especially for Abnegation, but I've begun to realize that I don't belong.

I feel sick, as I wait for Eddie to return.
And when he does, ten minutes later, he looks sick too. He is pale, and his hands shake as he wipes them on his legs.
I'm worried. What happened in there?
But I don't ask. i'm not allowed to, and he's not allowed to tell.
A volunteer from Abnegation calls out the next set of names. And in the end:
"Meredith Black, and Rose Hathaway-Mazur."

I'm stuck to my seat, and only a slight push from Eddie makes me get up off it.
Eddie gives me a wan smile, and turns back to staring at the ground.
How reassuring.

My hands shake, I feel like I'm going to throw up, and my breath catches in my throat, as I make my way to Room 6. Meredith gives me a small, nervous smile, and walks into her own room.
A Dauntless woman waits for me inside.
She doesn't have the severe, reckless air of the younger Dauntless, but she also cannot be mistaken for someone of another faction.
Her hair is cropped short till her chin, and her sharp eyes assess my every move. When she turns to close the door, I see a tattoo on her neck, a black X, made out of two lightning bolts.
I'm curious as to what it signifies, but too nervous to ask. The interiors of the room don't help. There are mirrors everywhere, showing me my scared reflection, and in the middle of the room is a mechanical reclining chair, and it looks really scary.
The kind of chair Frankenstein was made on.

As if she were reading my mind, the woman guides me to the chair. "Don't worry, nothing's going to happen."
She bends over the chair, and in the bright lighting, I see that her thick black hair is streaked with grey.
"Have a seat." She gestures towards the chair. "My name is Alberta."
I seat myself, reluctantly, as Alberta busies herself with the wires.
"Why the X?" I ask her.
She tapes an electrode to my head. "Never met a curious Abnegation before."
I cringe inwardly. I just gave away that I wasn't that inclined towards my faction.
Luckily, Alberta continues. "It's a Molnija mark, it symbolizes Lightning. I got it to remind myself that lightning is nothing to be afraid of."
"You're scared of lightning?"
"I was. Now I'm not, and the tattoo serves as a reminder that I overcame my fear."
She hands me a vial of liquid. "Drink this."
"What is it? Is it harmful?"

"I can't tell you. Don't worry, its safe."
And so, putting my entire trust in Alberta, I drink it.

When I open my eyes, I'm in the Cafeteria.
Two baskets lay in front of me. One is filled with fruit, and the other contains a dagger.
A voice behind me says, "Choose."
"Why?"
"Just choose."
My stubbornness gets the best of me.
"No."
"Well, your bad."
The baskets disappear, and a door appears. It opens, and I see not a 'who', but a 'what'.
A huge dog stands there, its mouth pulled back in a snarl.
Uh-Oh.
I suddenly realize the importance of both the dagger, and the cheese.
Too late.
The dog walks towards me, looking ready to pounce. What was that I had learnt...don't look the dog in the eye. Immediately, my gaze rivets to the floor. I can feel the dog's breath, it was so close.
Having no other choice, I move slowly, crouching on the ground, waiting for my impending doom.
It never comes.

The dog pants, licking the side of my face, slobbering drool all over me.
"Oh, ew. You're not the kind of beast I expected!" I laughed slightly, as the dog put its paws on my shoulder.
More drool on my face.
"Quit it, you!"

I stand up, nuzzling the dog's face with my hand, careful not to frighten it, or provoke it.
Suddenly, a loud squeal fills the room.
"Puppy, it's a puppy!" A small girl wearing a frilly dress starts running towards the dog, her arms outstretched.
"Wait, no!" I shout, but too late, the dog jumps.
Not thinking of the consequences, I threw myself on the dog, holding the beast tightly around the neck.

When I looked up from where I am sprawled on the ground, both the dog, and the girl were gone.
I stand up, surveying my surroundings once again. This time I'm in a bus, a completely occupied bus.
I hold a pole, noticing a man sitting in the seat next to it.

His face is hidden by a newspaper, and his hands are burned terribly, covered by scars.
The man taps a picture on the front page.
"Do you know this man?"
I look at the picture. A man with short cropped hair, and a french beard stares back at me. The headline reads 'Brutal Murderer finally Apprehended'.
He looks familiar, but I'm not going to say.
"Do you know him?" The man sounds impatient now.
I shrug.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! I don't know who he is."
The man stands up, and I finally see his face. He wears dark sunglasses, and his scarred face is twisted into a menacing scowl.
"Lies."
"What?"

He takes off his sunglasses, and I recoil slightly.
His eyes are completely white, and surrounded by crimson scars.
"You're lying."
I muster the courage to speak. "No, I'm not."
"You know him. Please tell me who he is. If you know him, you can save me!"
Something inside me snaps.

I stand up straighter.

"Well," I say, looking straight into those terrible eyes. "I don't, and I won't."

And there's Chapter 2. I know, its almost a xerox copy of the book, but I've made some very significant changes, one that completely mixes VA and Divergent together. Any guesses on what that change is?
R&R!