curiosity killed the cat

Day Of | T-5 hours

"Anastasia Matthews, come down at this moment." Her mother's shrill voice penetrated the embrace of Anastasia's dreams. She stood up from her bed, her eyes immediately locking onto the red circle on the calendar across from her. Today was the day, the aptitude test. The test that would tell all, well, all . (Whatever all meant to society at this point in time). Anastasia had always questioned the test, out of sheer curiosity or perhaps simple suspicion of her mother's creation, but she had to admit that it did serve its purpose well.

"Anastasia! I will not wait any longer, young lady." Anastasia let out a sigh as she reached for her glasses, a pitiful gesture of intelligence her mother always forced upon her, - though Anastasia found it quite pointless with her perfectly decent eyesight - and hurriedly stepped into her jeans and navy sweater. Walking down the stairs of her apartment, she found her mother pacing in the kitchen.

"Mother, the aptitude test isn't until the afternoon. I still have class first." She couldn't seem to understand what exactly her mother was frustrated about this early in the morning.

"Anastasia, when will you learn. If you aren't prepared in the morning, how will the rest of your day go? I want this day to go as proper as it statistically can, and having a daughter wake up late to her own aptitude day is not in our favor." Her mother nodded at the oatmeal and greek yogurt resting upon the table, "Eat. You don't have much time, now that you decided to spend so long asleep."

Anastasia let out a sigh. Her mother's obsession with time and hating dreams would never be understood by her, but, nevertheless, she sat down and dug her spoon into the simple meal in front of her. "Even Abnegation probably has a more complex meal than this," she muttered under her breath as she struggled to swallow the dry breakfast.

"And Abnegation is 'probably' also stealing from the other factions to better themselves," her mother huffed and continued pacing until she found another fault with the day, "hurry up Anastasia - you don't have all day."

She finished her breakfast as quickly as she could, letting the busy Chicago air drown out her mother's complaints and critiques. Anastasia raced through the crowds of children and parents and cars and buses, letting the wind brush through her hair and erase all of what had happened this morning. She let herself be embraced by the tall, dark walls of Chicago's city as her footsteps met the paved floor. Logically, she shouldn't have to run to school every morning (her mother made her very aware of this), but the state of serenity it brought her and, perhaps even more so, the satisfaction of her rebellion against her mother, greatly outweighed any desire to sit in a cramped bus. Or worse, sit in a car with her mother's voice droning on and on.

Anastasia knew her mother's intentions were pure - towards Anastasia at least. But even then, she couldn't help but scowling at every word that exited her mother's lips. The taunts about Anastasia's stupidity mirroring Amity's. The complaints constantly filled with what Anastasia assumed of as simple Abnegation hate propaganda. Everything was about the factions to her mother. Everything. And somehow that meant that everything her mother ever told her was always in regard to the factions. Never about Anastasia herself.

The tall brick walls of the school come into view, and Anastasia slowed down, catching her breath. The Upper Levels building was the oldest of the three schools in the city: Lower Levels, Mid-Levels, and Upper Levels. Like all the other buildings around it, it was made of glass and steel. In front of it rested a large metal sculpture that the Dauntless climb after school, daring each other to go higher and higher. One time, one of the kids had fallen off - he had been so stupidly determined to make it up with one hand - just as Anastasia had been entering the building. She locked eyes with the boy and hurried into the building with her mind echoing with "told you so's." The boy was a bit older than her, but she had told him in class just the day before to not be so foolish. Anastasia shrugged, people always end up learning, whether it is before or after they end up making mistakes.

Mathematics was first today, thankfully, and Anastasia passed through the front doors with quick, short steps. The sound of children's voices bombarded her as she entered, talk of the aptitude testing and all of the sort surrounded her immediately.

She had only made it a couple steps in until the doors burst open once more and a swarm of black-clothed students flooded into the school, shouting and leaping across the halls. Anastasia ran a hand through her dark brown hair as she stepped aside before she could be trampled on by the hoard.

"Sorry, Ana!" A Dauntless girl came from behind her, almost toppling into Anastasia.

"Shea!" Anastasia let out a smile as the short, pale girl came into view. "Do you all really have to do this every time?"

"This is the last time we'll ever have to see it, so come on, just enjoy it!" The girl brushed her thick black bangs to the side as her eyes shined with excitement, "Aren't you excited for the aptitude test today?"

Anastasia shrugged, "Somewhat, I guess."

"Come on, Ana. You can't be serious? Not one part of you isn't excited to see what the aptitude test is?"

Anastasia bit a smile back, "Okay, just maybe I'm curious about the test itself. But it's honestly just a test. We'll all be placed in our same factions - nature vs nurture or whatever they tell us."

"Do you want to -- "

"Hey Shea! Quit staying with the Noses for once!" A Dauntless boy shouted from ahead and after a few exchanges of quick profanities, Shea gave Anastasia an apologetic smile and hurried over to the boy.

Anastasia let out a sigh and pushed her way through the crowd and into the mathematics room. All this buzz of excitement for something so pointless.