Normal (A Divergent Fanfiction)

Chapter Nine

I wasn't paying too much attention, except for the fact that Jeanine stayed in Erudite and John moved to Dauntless.  The roaring from that section was overwhelmingly loud.  It now made sense why he was so bold yesterday towards Jeanine.  He was brave.  It must have been so hard from him to cover that up in Erudite.

        I sat down next to Arthur as all the other factions got up and left.  Dauntless took off running down the hall.  They would most likely be gone by the time we made it out there.  Each of the factions then left before us.  I looked into the sea of blue.  I saw my mother and father and brother.  They smiled at me before walking away with the rest of the Erudite.  I turned away before I could start to cry.  I couldn't be sad with my decision.  It was my choice to come here, I should be happy with it.

        "A lot of kids have a hard time leaving their parents.  Mostly Abnegation ones too.  We feel that we should be with them at all times, taking care of them.  But, you also need to take care of yourself.  It's hard to find a happy medium at first, but you'll find it."  A boy said behind me.  I turned and saw that he was wearing black and white, a transfer from Candor.

        "Thanks."  I said, wiping my eyes.  I could see all the adults behind start to stand and move towards us.  We all stood up too in the front.  Then we began to walk.  I noticed that we were now the last to leave the building, except for the few Dauntless guards that were made to stay behind for today's shipment.  

        All the Abnegation went out the back doors.  Two cans were put into my hands as I exited out into the sunlight.

        "Here's the beginning of your initiation."  Said a man, he looked to be younger than Arthur but older than all of us kids who are now forever in Abnegation.  I looked out in front of me.  We had walked out into a sea of factionless.  I knew that they were starving, so without  a second thought I ran over and handed both my cans to two younger children.  A woman, their mother I hoped, came over with a can opener.  She opened both the cans for the children and they began to eat.

        I walked away smiling.  I was happy that they were able to eat and not be hungry.  I had never known that feeling, and I hoped that one day the factionless wouldn't either.  Many thoughts ran through my mind to help with a plan like that, but I would need friends here for that.  I was only one of three children who came from Erudite.  Another girl and a boy.  I recognized the boy, it was Andrew Prior.  He had spoken to me before my test, helped make the Candor boy stop pestering me about Erudite's plans for power, if those were even real.

        "Glad that I know someone here."  He said, appearing behind me.

        "It is.  Have you given all your cans?"  I said, looking up at the sun.

        "Yes, an elderly couple.  They each had tattoos on their arms.  They must have been from Dauntless."  I looked over to where his gaze went.  And there, sitting side-by-side, sat and elderly couple eating beans.  You could see their tattoos from here.

        It made me sad to see them there.  It also made me sad that children were in here, with no chance of getting out and into a faction of their choice.

***

        After each of us had fed the factionless around us, we followed our leaders to our new home.  There was just gray buildings.  All of them were the same.  The only way to tell them apart were the numbers next to the door.  We passed all the happy eyes watching us and into a larger building towards the end of the lane.

        A nice man ushered all the initiates onto a bench.  Everyone else crammed into the rows of seats behind us, except for a few of the older members who sat off to the left of us.  I moved over slightly so that a girl from Dauntless could sit next to me.

        "Hi," I said to her, "I'm Nicole."

        She took my hand and shook it. "Natalie."

        The man who had ushered us in stood in front of us.  "Welcome new members of Abnegation.  Today was just the first day of your journey.  For the next twenty-nine days, you will do all you can to help out those around you.

        "Also, you must look the part.  All of you will enter one of two rooms on the left, and change into a gray outfit.  Another way you are now a part of us."

        We all stood and walked over, I knew that I was to go into the room with a young lady standing beside the door.  I stopped and held the door for Natalie and the few other girls behind us.  They all said a nice little "Thank you." before entering the room.