Digging Holes - A Divergent Fanfiction

Every Candor Enjoys a Lively Debate

“Why did you buy a gun, Emra?” she asks.

I look my mother in the eye.

“I already told you. The Dauntless are all armed. I want to feel safe. I don’t want to get shot, like father was.”

            She shakes her head.

“Why now? That was years ago. And because he got into a stupid argument. That won’t happen to you. You’re not like that.”

I shift in my chair uncomfortably. I hadn’t expected her to grill me like this over dinner. I hadn’t planned to tell her everything.

“Two Dauntless pre-initiates attacked me and Frank on our way home. We didn’t do anything, they just jumped us.”

            “Are you hurt?” she asks, anxiously.

I shake my head. It’s a white lie. She doesn’t have to see the bruise on my shoulder; it doesn’t hurt that much, anyway.

My mother stands up and picks up the pistol from the table. She puts it in the top drawer of the big cabinet by the door to the kitchen. She turns the key and locks it in.

“Even if people attack you, I don’t you carrying around weapons. Leave that to the Dauntless,” she says.

“How do I know you won’t use it since you can open the drawer?” I joke.

She smiles. “I swear as a Candor that I won’t.”

I wake up suddenly. It takes me a few seconds to be brought back to reality because that dream was exactly as what actually happened. It seems a little ironic now. That’s the only time in her life she lied.

I remember how hard it was to get the gun; you have to be over eighteen to buy one, unless you are Dauntless. The Dauntless can buy a gun aged thirteen. I had to pass myself off as Dauntless to get it. I have a lot of black clothes since we wear black and white, but it was difficult finding any garment that didn’t have white on it somewhere. I eventually turned a shirt inside out so it appeared completely black. I still didn’t look Dauntless and I know the man at the store was suspicious, but he sold me the gun anyway.

Frank sticks his head down over his bunk asvhe did yesterday morning.

“Did you just wake up?”

I nod.

“I actually woke up earlier than you for once!” he exclaims. “Are your dreams gone then?”

I shake my head. “This one wasn’t very bad. I’ll probably have a horrible one tomorrow, that’s how it normally works.”

            “Oh,” he says. “I’m still getting used to this,” he adds.

It takes me a moment to realise he isn’t talking about my nightmares. He is referring to my recent confession of homosexuality.

“It’s okay, I don’t expect you to adjust straight away,” I say. I don’t expect me to ever adjust, though.

We make our way to the same hall as yesterday for debating after breakfast.

We are all split into groups. Frank and I are separated. Clarity is put in a group with Frank. I get stuck with Rose. She hasn’t said anything yet. However, she does keep giving me knowing looks which makes me feel awkward.

A lawyer comes to help our group. There are about fifteen of us, a mixture of both Candor-borns and transfers from other factions. The lawyer mostly works with the transfers. The Erudite boy and girl are both very good. A lot of their arguments are based around intellectual facts. Our Candor arguments are generally based on the plain truth; these two people manage to educated guesses based on the truth.

After half an hour or so, the lawyer decides that we should try a few one-on-one debates as a short practice exercise. He puts a Dauntless boy against a Candor girl, and it turns out that the boy is better than we would have expected from the Dauntless. I suspect that a lot of the transfers may have practiced secretly before they came here.

A few other short debates go by. After each one, we are given the chance to tell the initiates what they could improve on. The lawyer gives them tips as well.

“Emra, Rose,” he says. “Why don’t you two give it a try?”

Before I can say anything, Rose says excitedly, “I’d love to! May I choose the subject?”

            The lawyer nods. There’s no reason she shouldn’t.

Rose looks me in the eye.

“This house is against gay rights,” she says.

He nods again. It’s a pretty commonly debated subject.

“This should be easy for you,” Rose directs this comment at me. “Considering you are gay.” I shiver internally.

            We start.

“If someone is gay then they are not following the Bible.” The Bible? No one reads that nowadays. Our factions double as our religion. It’s a weak argument. “In those ancient times, homosexuals were not considered human. In my opinion and many others’, they still are not.”

            Am I the only one that can see that she is being offensive?

            “Permission to speak?” I plead.

“Granted,” she looks amused.

“Gay people are human. They’re as human as you or I.”

            “”Gay people”? “They”? You’re distancing yourself from them. If I’m not mistaken, you are gay. You should feel passionate about this. You should have a defence argument that you can make up on the spot, because it’s you we are talking about. Hell, if someone told me I didn’t deserve rights I’d have an automatic defence for it. In fact, I don’t believe you actually are gay. If you were, you wouldn’t have kissed me last night.”

This is getting out of hand. It isn’t even a debate anymore. The only reason she did this was to publicise my lie.

“That’s enough,” the lawyer saves me. “Rose, continue the debate with Paz,” he points to an Amity transfer who steps forward nervously.

He pulls me aside.

“Is that true?” he asks sternly.

“What?”

            “That you kissed Rose. Were you lying yesterday?” He must have been among the adults.

“Sort of,” I mumble.

“I’m sorry,” he sighs. “But this is very serious. I’m going to have to take you to Jack Kang for questioning.”

This chapter is dedicated to the person who made the amazing cover ^_^ Thank you!