A Song of Knives and Crowns

II: School

Rev stepped off the school bus and through the gates of Divergent High School, crunching the pavement (that their second cousin twice removed had actually repaved last Saturday) under threadbare shoes that hadn't been replaced in fourteen years. The sun beat down hot and sticky on her forehead (they couldn't afford hats or sunscreen in Abnegation: hats were selfish and capitalist and half of them were dying of melanoma from completely unrelated causes), just like the dinner slop that their mother had donated to the homeless.

Her mother was a bitch.

"Hey bitch," Rev's friend (Rev1) called, running up to them. "Are you excited for the Aptitude Test?!"

"Yeah," Rev2 chimed in, "I can't wait to know what the authorities think what personality trait I, a sixteen year old, will have for the rest of my life!"

Rev3 joined them. "I bet Rev isn't nervous at all! They've always known exactly what they want to be: Abnegation, like the perfect daughter everyone expects of them! They wouldn't be anything else, that would just be a completely ridiculous notion!"

"You've got a point, Rev3," Rev 4 said, sneaking up behind them. Damn, Rev just had so many friends. It was super weird, because Rev was actually super unpopular and, like, really introverted and kind of quirky and not like the other girls. In case you haven't noticed, Rev was weird. Rev was a weirdo. Rev didn't "fit in" and Rev didn't WANT to fit in. Have you ever seen Rev? That's weird. "It's completely improbable that anyone from the family would ever choose a different faction to their family, which is why it's so rare!"

Rev5 nodded. When had Rev5 gotten there? Ahaha, Rev was so unobservant. "Yeah! It's so rare, dude! You'd have to be so quirky to do that. You'd have to be seriously different."

"You'd have to be such a hipster."

"A real quirky girl!"

"They'd have to be quirkier than avocados on toast!"

"AVODCADOS ON TOAST??! TAKE IT EASY, REV22!"

"Yeah, Rev22. That was a bit..."

"You're going too far, Rev22. Tone it down."

"...Alright, sorry, Rev31. I know that went a little too far."

"Seconding what Rev18, 7, and 12 said. It's literally 8.30 on a Monday. Babe. Chill."

"Alright, I said I'm sorry, man! I'm sorry!"

"It's too late, Rev22."

"The damage cannot be undone, Rev22."

"Guys - Guys - no, no, put that down, listen, okay, I didn't mean it, I know nothing could possibly be quirkier than - ARGHHHHHH!"

Rev frowned, ignoring the agonised cries of Rev-on-Rev violence as Rev31 was stoned to death and wheeled away to the hospital in a screaming ambulance while the local adults cried and panicked and begged to God. "What? The Aptitude Test? Huh? Not gonna lie, I'd completely forgotten about it. I'm such a ditz."

"Ah, that's our Rev. Quirkier than -"

"NO NO NO-"

A/N: HELLO ADORING READERS. HELLO. HELLO. I HOPE YOU ENJOY MY "STORY". I AM "FLEXING" MY "WRITING SKILLS". THANK YOU FOR "ENJOYING".