Tobias' POV (Age 15)

It's been six months since the first time I had dinner at the Priors. Six months, and I've still never spoken one word to Beatrice. We see each other around school and the Abnegation sector, and Sunday dinners at her house. My father, for some strange reason, has never found a way to get out of me going. I think it's because Natalie never invites him until right after church, which makes it more difficult for him to make an excuse since it's in public. After all, he has an image to uphold.

My "relationship" with Beatrice is just us grinning at each other in passing or exchanging winks. I think it's a friendship, but can you really be friends without ever talking? On the other hand, I don't think she has any idea how much her smiles mean to me. Her smile and her brilliant blue grey eyes brighten even my darkest days. It gives me hope for a future I'm afraid to even dream.

I'm ready for Dauntless initiation. I'm the best fighter at The Clubhouse, according to Charlie and Zeke. I don't know how true that is, as I only ever spar with those who are there late at night, which isn't many. I've sparred with most of the sixteen and seventeen-year-olds who come to The Clubhouse to train midgets. I've never lost a fight, so that must mean something. It took me a while to accept that I would have to fight girls, but the Dauntless girls can be very convincing. They don't hold back when fighting and it really pisses them off if they think you are, so I try to at least hide that I'm holding back.

It's December, and my 16th birthday is next month. I only have six months left until my Choosing Day. Only six months left of enduring my father's beatings. He only beats me maybe once a week now. I think now that I'm over six feet tall, the realization that I'm bigger than him is beginning to settle in. That or he's found some other poor fool to take out his frustrations. I hope not. If I were braver, I would make sure he never hurt anyone ever again.

These are my thoughts as I sit in Faction History class, waiting for the final bell of the day. It's a snowy day and the bus isn't running. I'm looking forward to the walk home in the fresh snow. Some fresh air will help clear my head. Later tonight I need to meet Lauren at The Clubhouse for some testing. Zeke said his dad wants everyone in our group to go through some additional testing. He can't do it, so he's having Lauren administer the test. I have no idea what it's going to be, so I'm feeling anxious.

The bell finally rang, and I grabbed my bag and coat and ran out as soon as possible. As I exited the school, I saw Beatrice up ahead. I'm considering catching up to her and striking up a conversation when I notice Peter, an arrogant Candor punk, following her. This can't be good. Peter is a bully, and his favorite meal is tiny, Abnegation girls. I've heard some of the foul things he's said to Beatrice, and they make my blood boil. She headed down an alleyway and Peter followed. I'm still a good distance behind them and with the snow it's difficult to walk, let alone run. Abnegation boots aren't the best for snow. I take off down the alley when I hear a high-pitched yell or scream. I see blood in the snow as I'm about to go around a corner. I must say, the sight I came across wasn't what I expected.

Laying on the ground, with a broken nose, is Peter. Beatrice is nowhere in sight. Peter seems a bit dazed and muttered something that sounded like, "You'll pay for this, stiff!" He must be really confused, or some factionless stood up for Beatrice and he finally got what he deserved. I just hope Beatrice is okay and decided to stop by her house just to be sure.

When I got to her house, I spent five minutes trying to talk myself into going to the door, and another five minutes trying to talk myself out of it. I finally knocked and her brother, Caleb, answered. I'm frozen and can't seem to be able to speak.

"Is there something you wanted?" Caleb asked with his brows raised.

I cough to clear my throat and mumble out, "I thought I saw a boy try to attack Beatrice on her way home and I wanted to make sure she's okay."

Caleb laughed, "Yeah, she's fine. She's not one who really needs a hero or knight in shining armor."

I furrow my brows. What the hell does that mean? Caleb closes the door, leaving me on their doorstep wondering what just happened. I guess she's safe, so that's all that matters. I turn around and head across the street to my house.

I make dinner for him and do all my chores, then shower and go to bed. I guess he's working late tonight. As long as he's home and asleep by 11pm, I can make my appointment at The Clubhouse. Lauren said not to be late and that it's important. I set my alarm for 10:45pm and fell asleep.

I woke up right before my alarm went off and got dressed in Dauntless black. I listened for Marcus' snores and heard them loud and clear. Great, time to sneak out the back door and head for The Clubhouse. It's a cold night, so I'm grateful I'm wearing the Dauntless clothes Zeke gave me, instead of my threadbare Abnegation coat. The thick, black, hooded sweatshirt is much warmer, and I tied the hood to ward off the chill of the wind.

It's Friday, so The Clubhouse is more crowded than usual. Kids are fooling around and instead of the usual sparring, there's a makeshift dance floor and loud, thumping, music. I guess I'm usually here on weeknights, so this is new to me. I make my way up to the second floor and find Zeke and Charlie sitting on the floor by one of the rooms that is usually locked. This is where we're supposed to meet Lauren for the test we're taking.

We're joking around about how Lauren lectured us on being on time, but she herself is late. She finally showed up 45 minutes late. She had us all follow her into the room. There's a small waiting room and then a door that leads to an even smaller room with a metal recliner. I started to feel even more anxious because it looked like a dentist's chair. Lauren had us all sit in the metal folding chairs in the waiting room. She folded her arms and looked serious.

"Look, you're here because Max has certain suspicions about you. I'm not going to get into that unless it's necessary. Basically, do the test and you'll either get more info or you're done and can move on with your life. Don't share this information with anyone. Not even that you had the test." She explained seriously.

We all nodded our heads. She motioned for me to go in first.

She had me sit in the chair and she strapped me in, then she handed me a liquid vial and told me to drink it. I tilted my head back and drank it fast, then the room began to fade. Next, I was in the school cafeteria being told to choose an item from in front of me. It was weird and I could tell it wasn't real. Then I was back in the room with Lauren.

"Well, stiff, you're Divergent. The test you just took was the Aptitude test. Your results were Abnegation and Dauntless. You'll find out more from Max himself. He'll get word to you for a place you can meet him, probably through Zeke or Charlie." Lauren says like she has it memorized.

With my brow furrowed, I asked, "What do I do now?"

"Now you walk out the door and send Zeke in. Don't say anything else, and leave. Go home." She said, sounding annoyed.

I do as I'm told and leave. There are even more kids crowded into the bottom floor of The Clubhouse. Grateful to be out of there, I began walking home. There's more fresh snow and the sound is muted. I love it. It's like walking in a dream. Except a peaceful dream. My dreams are usually nightmares of my father beating me or my mother. I have nightmares that I'm at her funeral and open her coffin to find it empty. That dream always leaves me a shaking, sweat covered, mess.

I shook my head to clear it of dark thoughts. My mind turns to the Aptitude test. What is Divergent? What did my results mean? Abnegation and Dauntless? Is it normal to get more than one result? What does this mean for my Choosing Day? I got home, changed and went to bed. Hopefully I'll get answers tomorrow. Exhausted, it doesn't take me too long to drift off to sleep.

After a restless night of sleep, I got up and got ready for another long day of school. I peeked out the window to watch for Beatrice and Caleb. I decided today I would walk with her and speak to her. I could ask about Peter, that would at least get a conversation started. I may only have six months left with her. Maybe talking to her would make the separation worse. I can tell she loves her family. She would probably never leave them, especially not for me. Finally, their door swings open and Beatrice steps out, alone. She looks back to the door and Caleb is standing there.

"Bye Caleb, feel better." She called back to him. He smiled and closed the door.

I stepped out of my house and caught up to her.

My voice broke as I stumbled through my words, saying, "Hey, what happened with you and Peter yesterday? I saw him following you and tried to catch up, but when I got to him, he was a bloody mess, and you were gone."

She stopped walking and just turned to look at me, her eyes wide. She looks shocked. She shook her head as if she were clearing it.

"Hey, Tobias. I, umm... well, if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm not gonna tell you." She snickered at me.

I don't even know what to say to that. Figured out what? I finally got a chance to talk to her and I've blown it, and I don't even know how. We walk the rest of the way in silence. She smirked the whole way and I just felt stupid and confused. When we finally got to the school, I felt relief. All I've wanted since I was ten was to get to know Beatrice and the first conversation, I had with her was just weird.

Then she did something I really didn't expect. She reached out and grabbed my hand and squeezed it. The electricity I felt every time we had to hold hands for prayer, during Sunday dinners, shot straight up my arm. I've only ever felt it with one person other than Beatrice and that was Trissy, who I think is one of Zeke's cousins. I looked down and she was blushing, so I know she felt it too. She gave me a dazzling smile and ran off, leaving me, grinning like an idiot in the hallway.

That's how Zeke found me a few minutes later. Somehow, he knew it was because of a girl, but I just told him I didn't want to talk about it. It just felt too special. Anyway, Zeke said we're meeting his dad at Yellow House tonight. I guess I'll be finding out more about being Divergent and my aptitude results.

I thought my first conversation with Beatrice was a complete bust but remembering Beatrice grabbing my hand made it feel like a huge success. That girl just has to be part of my future!