𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑻 . Tobias Eaton

*ೃ༄ 3 ༄ೃ*

I reach the building five minutes before I usually do. As I walked into the dining room, both my mum and brother were sitting at the table.

"Rory! Are you okay?" my brother asked.

"I'm fine," I shrugged, "When the test was over, I got sick. Must have been the serum. I feel better now, though."

Parker narrows his eyes at me, the way he does when he suspects someone of duplicity.

"That's impossible, we tested that the serum would cause no side effects." My mother sternly spoke.

I looked back at my mother's already staring eyes, "I guess you tested wrong." I sat down in front of the plate filled with potatoes and vegetables.

We sat in an awkward silence, I grabbed the fork and started moving the food on my plate about but that didn't stop me from feeling the burning sensation of Jeanine's eyes on mine.

"What was that report you released about Marcus in Abnegation?" I questioned, trying to change the subject..

I look guiltily up and Parker nods at me not to continue the conversation, but it seemed like something we couldn't avoid. The report Erudite has made about Marcus was far from friendly rivalry. Erudite and Abnegation never got along, this wasn't necessarily because of their differing values but because of the council being run by Abnegation and in particular their leader, Marcus. There's been rumours that have aired the city for years about Marcus and certain abuse allegations but no one has ever commented on them. Not until now.

"I told the truth that everybody needed to hear." My mum clears her throat.

"What did yous write about?" I was intrigued.

"I stated that Marcus's violence and cruelty toward his son is the reason his son chose Dauntless instead of Abnegation." She bluntly stated.

"And is it true?"

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true, Aurora." she prompted.

In my defence I don't know much about the circumstance between him and his son, all I know is that Marcus' son left abnegation for dauntless.

"Do you know what Marcus' son was like?" I asked her.

"Not personally but I knew his childhood wasn't the best and I think it's important that we shouldn't have Abnegation as the government if their members are evidently unstable." My mum straightens her shoulders back as she takes a glass.

With a final glance from Parker, I knew I needed to stop at a point, and so I dropped the conversation to which seemed like my mother had the similar intention.

Ignoring the awkward tension filling the room, my mother coughed.

"I want you to remember Aurora that no matter what happens tomorrow, we are a family, but remember, faction before blood."

"Are you going to tell me the truth now?" he asks softly.

Now that the awkward dinner was over, mum resumed back to her leader duties at the office while Parker and I went into my room.

"The truth is," I say, "I'm not supposed to discuss it. And you're not supposed to ask."

"All those rules you bend, and you can't bend this one? Not even for something this important?" His eyebrows tug together, and he bites the corner of his lip. Though his words are accusatory, it sounds like he is probing me for information—like he wants my answer.

I narrow my eyes. "Will you? What happened in your test back two years ago, Parker?"

Our eyes meet. He didn't respond to my question. I hear a train horn, so faint it could easily be wind whistling through an alleyway. But I know it when I hear it. It sounds like the Dauntless, calling me to them.

"I'm not telling you." I grinned at him.

His eyes stay on mine for a few seconds, and then he nods.

The test, the walk, and my encounter with the factionless man exhausted me.

I couldn't be Candor. I lie too easily.

My brother could never be Candor either.

When I close my door behind me, I realise that the decision might be simple. It will require a great act of wisdom to choose erudite, or a great act of courage to choose Dauntless, and maybe just choosing one over the other will prove that I belong. Tomorrow, those two qualities will struggle within me, and only one can win.