Forever

Chapter 1: The Test

          As I walked into my school, I caught a brief glimpse of an Erudite boy running down the hall toward me. I tried to get out of the way, but before I could move, he rammed me from behind.

          "Get out of my way, Stiff!" He yelled, running toward his first class. I sprawled forward, my books scattering all over the hallway. Another member of Abnegation walked towards me and quietly started to pick up my books. She looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place where I had seen her before. She handed me my books and looked up at me.  She had big blue eyes.

        "Thanks." I said, picking up the last of the papers that had fallen out of my binder.

        She smiled shyly. "You're welcome. My name's Nicole by the way." 

          I smiled back. "I'm Amber."  I blushed and walked away.

I looked at the whiteboard in the classroom next to me and out of the corner of my eye caught the date. September 9. I looked back at the floor. Today was exactly 12 years without my mother.  Today, I decided, I would make her proud.  Stand up to Marcus. Not in obvious ways, but small, unnoticed ways. Like my test.  I decided to not listen to the days of drilling facts in my head, planning choices to make, and manipulating even the smallest of details.  If I failed, I don't know what happens, but it's better than living with Marcus for the rest of my life.

          My older brother understood. I remember the announcer at the choosing ceremony, Johanna Reyes, calling his name, his nervous look as he walked up front. I think I shut my eyes because I don't remember seeing the blood drop on to the hot coals, only a slight sizzling sound before Johanna's voice calling out "Dauntless!" and the cheering and screaming as he walked over to the section of the black-clad Dauntless faction. I looked at Marcus's face. I saw anger flash over it for a split second. Then, nothing. He sat, stone faced, the whole rest of the way home. Once there, he went ballistic. "You knew!" He screamed, first coming down hard on my face. "He told you, didn't he? That selfish little-"  I cut him of with a cry. "No! I didn't know!  Stop! Please!"  I put my arm up to block the descending fist. One more time and he walked out, leaving me alone. No Tobias to comfort me, no Evelyn to soothe the pain. Alone. For good.

          The ringing of a bell brought me back to reality. I was late for class. Again. I ran to class and to my seat just as the teacher began talking. "Ms.  Eaton, please explain to me why you were late." She stared at me, waiting for an answer.

          "I uh... someone fell in the hallway and I was picking up their books."  I didn't mention that someone was me.

          "That is not an acceptable excuse. If it happens again I will need to report it to the office. Do you understand?"  I heard snickers coming from the class.

          "Yes ma'am."  I said quietly. The Erudite and Abnegation had a lot of conflict, so it wasn't a surprise that she was scolding me, but to tell me not to help someone?  Telling the Abnegation not to help someone was like telling the Erudite not to study. But, I was in enough trouble, so I took my seat quietly.   While the teacher talked about the history of our factions, I daydreamed about my aptitude test.

                                                                                                     ***

          "Amber Eaton"  I rose from my chair and followed a Dauntless woman back to a small room. "My name is Maggie. I'll be administering your test today.  Take a seat."
I sat down in a cold reclining chair and looked around the room. There wasn't much in it other than a chair, a small cart with supplies for the rest on it, and a mirror. I caught my own eyes in the mirror and immediately looked away. Our faction only allows us to look in the mirror when cutting our hair, which is every six months.

          "Just like every other Stiff." Maggie said frowning slightly.

          "What?" I asked, puzzled.

          She just laughed. "What is it with you Abnegation and mirrors?"  She handed me a small vial with a watery, blue liquid in it. "Drink up."

          I took the vial and poured the bitter comments down my throat. I leaned back and closed my eyes.  When I opened them, Maggie was gone. That's weird, I thought. I didn't hear her leave. I stood up and got off the chair to goo look for her, but she the door used to be, there were two small tables, one holding a block of cheese, and the other a knife. That was weird. What were they there for? I suddenly remembered Marcus telling me to pick the cheese over the knife. I was in my aptitude test.

          "Choose."  A voice said, apparently coming from nowhere.

          "Why?  What will I use them for?" I asked the voice, eyeing up the knife.

          "Just choose." The voice said. I stood there looking at the cheese, then the knife, then the cheese again.  As I reached out to take the cheese, the tables disappeared into thin air, if that's even possible.  Now a dog appeared. It looked at me. I got on my knees and motioned for it to come. Instead, it growled and bared its teeth at me. I quickly got up. The dog started to chase me. I stood my ground, confident that I could easily push the small creature off.  It was just a sim, the worst possible scenario was the dog biting me and me going back to reality. I shoved the dog to the floor. It whimpered as a small girl appeared on the opposite side of the room.

          "Puppy!" She yelled and started giggling. She started walking over as the dog stood up. It growled and bared its teeth again, this time at her. She turned around and started running. The dog chased her.  I jumped up and ran after the dog. Just before it sank its teeth into her leg, I jumped on top of it. Then everything went black.

          When I woke up again, I was on a bus, packed tight with people, next to a Candor man. He looked over at me and handed me a newspaper without words, just a picture. It showed a man.

          "Do you know this man?" He said, pointing at the picture. He did seem familiar, but I got the strong sense I shouldn't tell him that.

          "No." I replied. He searched my face.

          "Are you sure?"

          "Yes."

          "If you know him though could save me!" He yelled. "You could save me and my family!"

          I thought over my choices. I could tell the man I knew the person in the picture, or not. It didn't really matter though, since it was just a simulation. Neither choice would have consequences, other than possibly altering my results. I looked the man in the face.

          "Maybe I do know him."