Divergent - True Love Knows No Limits

New begginings.

"Beatrice!"

My eyes flutter open, I groan and sit up.

"Beatrice!" My mother calls me from downstairs. "You'll be late!"

I clasp my hands together and stretch my arms above my head. Sighing, I swing my legs over the edge of my bed.

I can't believe this is my last day in Abnegation. I take in the bland surroundings of my small square room. It's white painted walls, single bed in the corner and plain dresser have a simple elegance that I've grown to love. The small window lets the morning light spill in, and a wave of sadness comes over me.

I shake my head. I can't keep letting these thoughts creep in, I can't let nostalgia cloud my thoughts, I need to decide wisely. After the aptitude test told me I was divergent, I had been up all night antagonising over what to do at the choosing ceremony. I have aptitudes for Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless, how do they expect me to choose!

I love my family and I don't want to leave them. But I know I can't stay in Abnegation... I just can't live the way they do. And I can't go to Erudite, the politics between them and my family is too messy. I know that my decision to transfer will hurt my parents, but choosing Erudite would destroy them.

That leaves Dauntless. It wasn't a horrific option, and evidently the only one left. I tell myself this is my final decision, and I try to convince myself it is the right one. I just can't let my feelings about leaving my family sway my judgement. It is a hard goodbye, but I'll  soon be saying hello to my new life, in my new faction.

I have a shower and brush my teeth, hurrying to finish in time to get on the bus. I meet my brother Caleb and my parents downstairs. My mother clasps her hands in front of her. "Your father and I... we just wanted to tell you that we love you".

"No matter what you choose today," my father adds. They open their arms and hug us. "I love you Mum. Love you Dad," I say, fighting back tears. I pull myself together and step back. "Um, we're going to be late," I say, looking at Caleb. He nods in agreement.

"Okay, we'll see you at the ceremony," my mother calls after us as we head for the door.

I'm lost in thought on the walk to the bus stop, and don't notice Caleb trying to talk to me. "Beatrice?" My head snaps up.

"Beatrice were you even listening to me?" My brother asks. I raise an eyebrow at him.

"As I was saying, today, when we choose, we need to think about what's best for the family," he said. Classic Caleb. "But we also need to think about what's best for ourselves," I was shocked by this, Caleb's always been a natural Abnegation, taking on the selfless ways of the faction easily. I always assumed he would get abnegation on his test, and wouldn't defect. But maybe not, who knows.

My thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of the bus. The ride to the auditorium is short in distance, but the combination of heat and and an overpacked bus full of idiots make the trip unbearably long.

Finally the bus comes to a halt in front of the ceremony auditorium. People start filing out, pushing and shoving as they go. As usual, all the Abnegation wait for everyone to leave before they do. I'm standing, waiting impatiently and tapping my foot when I feel someone slap my butt. I jump and turn around in rage.

"Sorry Beatrice, must be one of those involuntary muscle spasms I get," Peter says, grinning smugly. Peter is in Candor, and ever since I rejected him, he has been tormenting me in a pathetic attempt to regain his dignity.

I open my mouth to retaliate, but stop when I feel Caleb's hand on my arm. "Beatrice, don't," he says looking Perter dead in the eye. "He's not worth it".

He's right, I wasn't about to throw away 16 years of conforming to the Abnegation standards just to throw it away on my last day. No matter how angry he makes me, or how disgusting his hands felt on me, I'm not going to loose it.

•••

I struggle to keep my eyes open during Jeanine's speech about the importance of the faction system. Blah blah blah follow your instinct. Blah blah blah founding fathers. Time ticks on slower than it should until Jeanine announces the first name. I jerk back into concentration and start to feel nervous all of a sudden. Do I really want to leave the safety of Abnegation?

My peers are called up one by one to make their decision. Most stay in the faction of their origin, but there are a couple of transfers. I bite my lip as the mother of a boy who just defected starts to sob.

"Caleb Prior," Jeanine calls. I sit up straight and watch Caleb hug our parents. He walks down to the podium and reaches for the knife on the table. Before him are five marble bowls, with the different faction symbols on each. He slices his hand and balls his fist in pain. He hesitates for a second before hovering his hand over a bowl and letting the blood drip in.

A collective gasp ripples through the audience and my parents' jaws drop. It takes me a second to realise that bowl he chose is Erudite. Erudite? Caleb? My brother Caleb? But he's a textbook Abnegation!

"Quiet, please," Jeanine ushers, probably secretly smug with Caleb's defection. "Tris Prior". My throat tightens. How can I choose Dauntless now? Everyone's going to think that Caleb and I defected because of our family and Abnegation! The situation between Erudite and Abnegation is already tense enough without us making it worse.

I smile at my parents uneasily, then make my way down to the podium. Jeanine hands me the knife and gestures towards the bowls. I swallow. I slice my hand, probably a little too deep, and cup my hand to stop the blood pooling out. The Abnegation and Dauntless bowls are next to each other and my hand hovers between them.

I look back up to the audience and meet my mother's eyes. She gives me a look that says "I understand. I love you". I take a deep breath in and bite the bullet. I let my breath out as my blood sizzles on the coals in the Dauntless bowl.

I hear cheers and woots from the Dauntless crowd and feel someone pat me on the back. They guide me towards my seat in my new faction, and my new beginning.

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Thanks for reading my first chapter! It isn't very juicy at the moment, but it gets more interesting, I promise!

Xx Kealie