Reticent

ONE

Percy Attaway is a contradiction, quiet and Dauntless. Everything happens in her head and what comes out is limited. 

It wasn't uncommon for Percy to leave Dauntless before everyone else, catching the train before light. As much as she loves dauntless there's only so much that you can take. So, she would leave, ride the train for a while with her legs hanging over the edge and a cigarette hanging from her lips. Not today though, she woke up and went with the rest of the students that would be going to take their aptitude test that day. 

The students were sat in the cafeteria all day waiting for their turn to enter the small rooms, to find out their placement. Percy actually thanked her father for her name that day, the "A" in Attaway was the only thing that saved her from intense anxiety. Though as one of the first students to go in to be tested she had no idea of what to expect what was going to happen and how everything happened, it brought about anxiety and excitement, and curiosity.

When she stepped in the room only contained a chair, a table off to the side, and the abnegation woman that was going to give the test. The door closed behind her and grabbed the woman's attention, "Hello Percy," her voice was soft and timid like she was scared to say the wrong thing, "My name is Alice. If you would you have a seat please." Alice kept her back to the mirrored wall and her head down, she looked trapped. Percy sat in the chair and watched the young woman for a minute as she worked at the table. "Alice, you can look in the mirror, I'm not going to tell anyone." She looked upstartled at Percy not knowing what to say or do. She set down the vial of clear liquid and stood in front of her reflection, she stood there for a few minutes before shaking herself from her daze and returning to Percy's side. "Drink this", her tone had changed, it was more comfortable.  Percy tilted her head back and downed the vial. As her vision faded Alice whispered thank you with a small smile on her face.

***

Percy came to standing in front of two tables, one with a knife and one with a piece of meat. A voice sounded around her, "Choose." 

Percy stepped forwards and grabbed the knife, tucking it into the waist band of her pants. She turned around to see a puppy sitting with ears perked up and tail wagging. Percy walked over and squatted down holding her hand out in front of her letting the up smell her hand before bringing it up to scratch behind its ear. A young girl's voice caught her attention, she was running towards the dog screaming puppy the while way. When Percy turned back to the dog it had transformed from that sweet puppy to a snarling mess. The little girl kept running though, even when the dog charged her. Percy pulled the knife from her waist band and threw it at the dog, sighing as it lodged in the back of its head.

Percy blinked and she was standing on a bus. A man was holding a newspaper to her face, "Have you seen this man?" 

The man was clearly agitated, "Yeah, I did when you shoved his picture in my face, excuse me." She brushed past the man to watch for the next stop. The man walked over and grabbed Percy's shoulder, spinning her around and shoving the paper in her face once again, "Don't be smart with me girl, I know you've seen this man!" 

The agitation in the man's eyes had morphed to hold a burning intensity. She pushed the gnawing familiarity to the furthest corner of her mind."Look I don't know that guy, so please leave me alone." 

After that diplomacy went out the window, the man shoved her back against the doors of the bus raising the paper to her again, "I won't ask..." He didn't get to finish his sentence, Percy had smashed the heel of her hand into the man's face and blood was dripping from his nose as he bent over in pain.

***

She sucked in a breath as she came out of the simulation. Percy looked to Alice, who simply looked at her and smiled, "What was my result?" 

Her smile grew, "What do you think it was?" A whole new Alice had arisen since the beginning of Percy's session, "Dauntless," She stood from the chair, ready to leave. 

"Alice, can I ask you a question?" the abnegation looked hesitant but obliged nonetheless, "You chose the wrong faction didn't you?" 

To say Alice looked shocked and offended was an understatement, "No, I didn't, now miss Attaway I'm going to have to ask you to leave, I need to bring in the next student." She ushered Percy to the door and held it open for her. Percy looked at her one last time before whispering a soft apology and walking out of the cafeteria. She knew she was right but there was nothing she could do.

Percy made her way to the back of the school and to a fire exit that went almost all the way up to the roof. From the end of the ladder, she climbed the side of the building and made it onto the roof. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from the waistband of her pants and a lighter from the edge of her boot. 

She sat for hours, cigarette hanging from her lips and her hair shading her face from the sun and she would have sat for longer if the bell hadn't rung for the end of the school day. So, she scaled back down the building and the fire ladder and sprinted across the campus. That is until they all spread out and scaled the beams leading up to the train platform. From there Percy took the lead jumping onto the side of the train when it came around and opening the doors for the rest of the students piling on.

Everything aside from the testing was normal that day, she spent the day in the pit watching the hoards of people milling about from up on a walkway. Percy had always enjoyed people watching; sometimes she would go down and join them if her few friends invited her, but even then she wasn't close to, she wasn't close to anybody. Possibly the only person she was close to was Max, one of the leaders at dauntless.

Max had been a family friend for years, even before Percy was born her parents had been close to the leader. When Percy's father went missing her mother fell into a depression so deep she still hadn't recovered, and that was twelve years ago. Max raised her until Patricia came back demanding to have her daughter back. Neither Percy or Max wanted her to go back but Max had no say in the matter Patricia was still her mother no matter how useless she was.

As the night wound down and students went back to their family apartments nausea swept over Percy, if she went back to her apartment there would surely be questions, drunk questions. Of course, the week that her mother was back from the fence was when the aptitude test and choosing ceremony happened; she would have much rather have gone through this alone.

Instead of going home, she went where she always does when she wants some sort of peace. A couple of hallways and a knock on the door later Percy was standing in front of Max who looked down at her with fatherly compassion, something she so often missed.

"Didn't want to go home, huh." She shook her head as the leader opened the door wide enough to let her in.

"You know I like it here better. I've practically moved in any way." She kicked her shoes off and sat with her legs crossed on the couch.

Max sat at the opposite end of the couch with his feet on the coffee table, he looked tired and like he was about to fall asleep before he spoke up, "So, you knew I was going to ask this when you came here, are you leaving or staying?"

A smirk played at Percy's lips before she spoke up, "Max you've known me my whole life, do you really think I would ever leave." He smiled but still looked tired.

"You haven't looked this tired since I discovered alcohol. What's in your head?" The leader laughed, shaking his head to himself.

"Nothing I need to worry you with, baby girl."

Of course, like anyone at least mildly clever would, Percy didn't believe him. She didn't push it, though if it worried Max it probably would have played her anxiety up, not that the choosing ceremony that was looming from tomorrow wasn't already.