Tobias Eaton x Reader

Choosing Ceremony

I'm back home, my mother and father gone to work. I'm sitting on the grey couch, left alone with my thoughts: what will I choose tomorrow? Should i just stay with my family, where it's safe? I don't even know what Divergent means, and why i would be in danger.
The living room it's silent, with its poor decor, my mind on the other hand, is busy and loud going through my options.
What about erudite? No like i could ever put up with those know-it-all.
Amity? I know i would get bored after a week of all the bongos and stuff.
That leaves out two options: abnegation or dauntless.
If i stay in abnegation, i would have a normal life, i would have a partner and some children probably, i would have a work and maybe I wouldn't be completely useless. But after that what? The days would always be the same, I'd grow old barely knowing how i look like; it would be a plain life.
Dauntless on the other hand, would maybe much more exiting, but the only thing I know about them, is that they keep us, the city, safe, and that my parents think they're some kind of freaks always putting their lives in danger. But would i be safe there? I don't know.

Dauntless or abnegation, dauntless or abnegation, dauntless or abnegation.

***

My parents are back home, and I have still no idea what I'm gonna do tomorrow. As per routine, I help making dinner, and set the table, and by the time everything's ready, we are all sitting in silence. I'm not allowed to say my tests results, and no one brings it up.

Tonight's my turn to wash the dishes, but when I go to do so, my mother stops me and says "Tonight I can do the dishes, since tomorrow is such an important day for you" "Sure mother" I reply; "I know you know what's best for you, honey". Why would she say that? Does she not want me to leave?
I just head to my room, but my father stops me before i can do so: "Tomorrow, remember to choose for the family, but most importantly for yourself." I nod and he hugs me before letting me go into my room.
Well, that wasn't helpful.

***

I wake up to the weak sound of my alarm clock, one of the few things I'm allowed to have. I get dressed in a grey outfit that consists in a long boring dress, and a cardigan over it. Nice outfit.

I don't eat breakfast, and as soon as my parents are done, we head out of the house together and take the bus. As good abnegation that they are, they don't even bother to sit, and I simply mechanically copy them. When we get there, there are so many nervous sixteen-year-olds waiting with their e families just like me. Well not exactly: you see, when you're abnegation, you don't use the elevator, you take the stairs, because who knows if there's someone who needs the elevator more than you? And also, when you go up those many, many stairs, you don't complain or let your heavy breaths escape your mouth, that's considered self-indulgence. We finally arrive at the Hub, where the ceremony is held, and start taking our seats in the space reserved for abnegation. Well, the families do that, the teens who need to choose today, seat in a row dedicated to them.
In the center of the big room, there are five bowls, that represent the five factions: broken glass for candor, soil for amity, water for erudite, grey stones for abnegation and burning coals for dauntless.
I sit there, in silence, staring at the abnegation and dauntless bowls that are placed next to each other. When everyone's silent and listening, Marcus Eaton, the abnegation leader, starts talking: "Welcome to the Choosing Ceremony. Welcome to the day we honour the democratic philosophy of our ancestors, which tells us that every man has the right yo choose his own way in this world" he says "today is your turn to choose where you belong, but choose wisely, choose who you are, and not who you wish to be." he continues while staring at our row. That last sentence sticks to me: who am I? And who would i possibly wish to be?
After his speech, Marcus takes out a decently long list of names: our names. He starts reading it, and a short boy,dressed in white and black clothes, stands up and walks towards the podium; he so then proceeds to cut his hand with a knife, and lets his blood fall into one of the bowls: he chose candor. They clap their hands and he goes to sit with them. Then is the turn of a girl dressed in red and yellow clothes: she chose erudite. I look over where the amity seats, and there's a couple of people crying, probably her parents.
Marcus continues reading names, and I stop listening and looking, I just stare at my hands, still unsure about what I should do.
"(F/n) (L/n)"
That's me, that's my name. I stand up and start walking towards those terrifying bowls. What should i choose? I pick up the cleaned knife. What do i do? I cut deep into my skin, deeper than i meant to. What would mother and father do?

What would I do?

The blood is now impatiently sitting on my palm, and so I just shove my hand on top of the bowl and let the blood fall.
The flickering sound is loud in my hears, while the blood slowly boils on those coals.
Screams and encouraging phrases come from the dauntless seats, but I hardly hear them.
My heart is pounding like crazy and my legs feel like they became thin sticks that can barely support my weight, but I still move, I still go seat among them, among my new family.
A random guy stands up and smacks my shoulder while smiling at me, and lets me sit in his place.
I look over to my parents, my mom's crying, but my dad even tho his eyes are filled with sadness, smiles at me.

***

As soon as the Ceremony's over, everyone around me starts getting up and running towards the stairs, and so I follow. We are running up the stairs. Wait hold on, up?
We run and as we do so, a laughter starts growing in my throat, impatient to be let out. I laugh with them even tho I'm practically out of breath, and then we finally stop: we're on the rooftop, next to the railroad. Everyone starts lining up next to it, and so do I. At first is a weak sound, but then I can clearly hear the train whistle approaching. They run, and so do I, and just a second later it hits me, we're jumping to get on.
I speed up my run, and i copy the others, hang on a handle and jump inside, almost hitting the opposite wall.
"That was awesome" I mumble out of breath. "Sure was", says a guy sitting on the floor next to me: his skin is dark, and so are his eyes, his hair is black and short, and his smile is bright.
"My name's Uriah, nice to meet you.." "(Y/n), you can call me (Y/n)." I say as I smile back.
"Oh look, we've got a stiff this year!" says a guy dressed in blu clothes. An erudite.
"Just shut up Jackson. Hi I'm Sam" argues back another boy dressed in blue. His clothes and brown hair are quite messy. He smiles at me and i smile back.
"Well that guy's annoying" this time it was a girl, she's dressed in black and white clothes and looks pretty exhausted. Her skin is tan and her eyes chocolate brown, her hair is short and black, it just touches her chin "I'm Hannah" "(Y/n)" I say as she grabs my hand and shakes it, but after a good three seconds I take my hand back.

Well maybe it's not gonna be so bad in here.

A.N.:
Heyyy, this one is quite long(that's what she said). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and thanks for the reads :)).
I'll write soon, bye<3