Delirium (A Divergent Fanfiction)

Chapter Two: Faction Before Blood

I tapped my finger of the armrest of my seat until my Father put his hand on my wrist to stop my behavior. We were seated in a building called the Hub-- once called the Sears Tower. We had arrived at the building on a bus, which was the only form of mechanical transportation I had ever been on. Train tracks stretched throughout the city, and trains often occupied them, but the only ones who rode the trains were the Dauntless. They enjoyed showing their bravery, hurling themselves out of the moving train cars. In all honesty, I had always wanted to try it, but I knew I never would. I was my Father's daughter and I was Amity.

Out the windshield of the bus, I could see several Candor families stepping off another bus that had been driving in front of us. Our's pulled to a stop and I swung my feet off the bus, jumping onto the worn roads. If I looked hard enough, I could find the remnants of the yellow paint that once dotted the streets, but the lines were of little use now since there were so few cars that drove up and down the roads. I looked to my right where my father stood. Worry was written all over his face. He was much more nervous than I was. I glanced to my left and saw an Abnegation family stepping off another bus, this one having been behind us. I waved to a blonde girl dressed in a grey long sleeved dress that skims the ground. Beatrice gave me a small wave in response. I could see she was using her brother, Caleb, for support as she looked as if she was about to pass out. She was more nervous than I had ever seen anyone, and I wondered why she was so nervous. I assumed she would be staying in Abnegation since those born into it rarely left.

Two years ago, however, I had heard rumors revolving around an Abnegation boy who had been desperate to leave. When my sister turned sixteen, I attended her Choosing Ceremony as families always did. I sat next to my father as I watched her slit her palm, allowing blood to drip into one of five bowls before her as she chose to transition to Candor. Before Erin had stepped onto the stage, an Abnegation boy had caused a chorus of gasps from the audience as his blood dripped into a bowl of steaming coals. It wasn't until I remembered his name when I understood the surprise from the other faction members. The boy was the son of a political leader that was part of a fifty member council. All the members were from Abnegation, chosen for their character, one of which being the girl, Beatrice's, father.

Marcus Eaton was the boy's father's name. The room broke into whispers as the name "Tobias Eaton" had been announced. I watched the sixteen year old boy walk onto the stage, but I was too far away to make out any of the features of his face. All I could tell was that he had brunette hair and seemed tall compared to the other Abnegation members. As soon as he had chosen Dauntless, the room was silent in shock before secrets began drifting among the factions. Rumors began being exchanged regarding the way in which Marcus treated his son, saying Marcus Eaton lashed out with violence towards his son after the two had been left alone when the boy's mother, Marcus' wife, had died giving birth to a second child. Some faction members scoffed at the rumors, others leaned forward to feed on the dramatic stories. The truth was yet to reveal itself as I arrived at the Hub for my own Choosing Ceremony, but it was obvious in what direction the Erudite were leaning.

Jeanine Matthews was no doubt a brilliant woman, chosen as Erudite's representative based on her outstandingly high intelligence quotient. Recently, she had released her point of view in which she reported that Marcus Eaton had, in fact, thrown his anger at his son. There were still mixed feelings on the matter but my father liked to give Marcus the benefit of the doubt. Amity was, however, founded on the basis of peace and forgiveness.

"Welcome to the Choosing Ceremony." Marcus Eaton greeted from the center of the stage. "Here before you stands our dependents who have all reached the age of sixteen. All on the precipice of adulthood, they have been gathered here today to honor the democratic philosophy of our ancestors, which tells us every man--"