CONVERGENT - [Divergent] ADOPTED

Chapter Two

[ELIZABETH]

I was nervous, sure, but I was confident. I stepped into a mirrored room with an inclined chair and a Dauntless member moving around with precision and speed with practiced hands. I made very sure to avoid looking at myself; my upbringing was intensive and burnt into my mind.

"Sit down," she said abruptly.

I took a seat, not asking questions. Questions are curiosity, to be curious is to indulge in selfish desires of the mind.

"I'm Mika, I'll be administering your test today," she said as she was attaching wires to me and to herself.

She gave me a vial with a blue liquid. "Bottoms up," she said, handing it to me. Although I would've loved nothing more to ask her what it was, I opened my mouth and tipped the contents down my throat. I figured, if everyone did this, it couldn't hurt, right?

Instantly, I was no longer in the mirrored room—I was in a much larger room. I looked around for a moment before I realised that it was the lunch room without the tables – save for one – and the people. But it was definitely it.

The table held three items: a loaf of bread, a pistol, and a calculator. I frowned. The Abnegation part of me said, "take the bread" and another part said, "take both, leave the calculator."

"Choose," an ominous voice said from nowhere. I discreetly looked around, not seeing anyone.

"May I take two?" I dared to ask.

"No. Choose," it said again. I realised it wasn't female, or male for that matter.

The bread could be useful, to feed myself or someone else, it could prove valuable. I was about to take it when something inside of me stopped. Instead I reached for the gun. I've never held a firearm in my life, and admittedly, I didn't think I ever would.

It was heavier than it looked. Before I'd even realised, the scenery around me changed. There was a man, a factionless man, skinny and looking like he hadn't eaten for days. I was instantly worried, but then I saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks. He had a knife.

True, with the gun I could put distance between us, he wouldn't be able to hurt me. But the bread could've brought a peaceful outcome. The gun was all I had, so I had to make do. I could defuse the situation before it can came to blows. Even though I've never fought anything in my life, not even a mental battle.

"Whatcha got there, missy?" he snarled.

"What do you mean?" I asked, keeping my voice even and unafraid, even if my heart was pounding in my chest, saying something completely different.

"That gun! You're gonna' hurt me, aren't ya?"

"No," I said, firmly. "Not unless you give me a reason."

"Don't ya see I'm holding a knife?"

"Yes, but I do not believe in unnecessary violence."

"You afraid, littl' girl?" he sneered.

"Not at all, because you won't hurt me," I lied, but I tried very hard to hide my shaking.

"I think differently," he said with a mocking sing-song tune.

"If I was," lie. "I would not let that small, irrational, insignificant fact sway me," truth. "I will not hurt you, unless you give me a reason to."

Before I even blinked, he came at me, his hand with the knife raised, his face filled with unmatched rage and filled with a bloodthirsty look, demanding blood.

He screamed intangible and incoherent things at me, waving his knife dangerously close to my body, I held the gun out, pointing the barrel at him.

"Don't make me do this, please! I don't want to hurt you."

He just continued screaming at me, seemingly not even realising that I said anything at all. All of a sudden, an innocent appeared, about maybe ten in Abnegation grey. He saw her and turned away from me, raising his knife, he stalked predatorily towards her.

I raised the gun with newfound purpose. "Don't touch her, I'm warning you."

He continued to the girl, who was frozen in fright. I knew it was unavoidable now. He was going to hurt her, and he wouldn't regret it. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. I didn't want to, but to protect that girl, I knew I had to. I swallowed my fear and doubts. I cocked back the hammer of the gun, aiming the barrel to him, and I took a deep breath.

And pulled the trigger.

I gasped, sitting up in my chair, shaking from the adrenaline. I looked around for the man who meant harm. But seeing only the Dauntless volunteer, Mika, I relaxed. It wasn't real.

It was the aptitude test. I looked at her expectantly.

She pulled the electrodes off my forehead. And she smiled.

"Congratulations, Elizabeth. You got Dauntless." I smiled, letting out a little nervous laugh. "I have to admit, though. I didn't expect you to."

"Yeah, well." As if it was an explanation, I shrugged.

"Yeah." Mika's previous smile was now more of a polite twitch of the lips. "Well, off you go, I have a lot more people to get through yet. Have a good day, and good luck with the Choosing Ceremony tomorrow."

I smiled and said my thanks. I opened the door, closing it behind me, I leant against it for a second. Although I'm happy with my results, I know I'm still Abnegation until tomorrow. I relaxed my smile, thinking of nothing but calming, neutral thoughts.

Once I was happy with my composure, I made my way back to the lunchroom to the corner where the Abnegation were sitting. I sat next to Gertrude, who gave me a look that seemed to say "Congratulations, I knew you wanted it." I tried to say my thanks without saying anything. I think she got it, but at that time, her name was called and she left to take her test.

I sat, trying my hardest not to fidget, remaining as calm and collected as I always was. I waited for about ten minutes, four of the ten had returned, and as each minute passed, more exited and took their seats. Then when nine of them had returned from their tests, the Abnegation volunteer called the next ten names.

Where's Gertrude? Why hasn't she come back yet?

I couldn't ask, I couldn't stand up and walk over to the lady. I couldn't, yet I really, really wanted to – no, needed to. She's my friend. There has to be a reason she isn't here. I had to wait, though. I'd see her later. It'd be okay.

A/N: I'm in the process of updating the chapters as my lovely beta is editing them!!

Lots of love 

~wolf-gabby23 <3  

[edited]