I can remember the Choosing ceremony like it was yesterday even though it was exactly two years ago. Every faction, Abnegation the selfless, boring; Amity the kind, weird; Candor the honest, annoying; but Dauntless, the brave? that's what I wanted to be so bad. I was born Erudite, the intelligent and I guess they are the least annoying other than Dauntless. But the look on my parents face when I placed my sliced hand over the coals instead of the water, priceless! So when me and a group of the other Dauntless members jumped off the train and entered the ceremony stage I avoided their gaze, like always. But I didn't need to. My mother was talking to some Stiffs and my father wasn't there. I sat down next to Max in the Dauntless section and Marcus from Abnegation, a Stiff, began to talk. " Welcome, Welcome to the Choosing ceremony. Welcome to the day we honor the democratic philosophy of our ancestors, which tells us that every man has the right to choose his own way in this world." Everyone shared gazes with others and I ignored the sight of my mothers face in the corner of my eye. " Our dependents are now sixteen. They stand on the precipice of adulthood, and it is now up to them to decide what kind of people they will be. Decades ago our ancestors realized that it was not political ideology, religious belief, race, or nationalism that is to blame for a warring world. Rather, they determined that it was a fault of human personality-of humankind's inclination toward evil, in whatever form that is. They divided into factions that sought to eradicate those qualities they believed responsible for the world's disarray." He motioned to the bowls in the center of the room. "Those who blamed aggression formed Amity," everyone looked at the bowl with dirt in it. "Those who blamed ignorance became Erudite," everyone looked at the bowl with water in it. " Those who blamed duplicity created Candor," I switched my gaze to the bowl of glass shards. " Those who blamed selfishness made Abnegation." Huh Stiffs, I thought as I glanced lazily at the bowl of stones. " And those who blamed cowardice were the Dauntless." Everyone in my faction Whooped and Hollered as we looked at the burning coals filling our bowl. "Working together, these five factions have lived in peace for many years, each contributing to a different sector of society. Abnegation has fulfilled our need for selfless leaders in government; Candor has provided us with trustworthy and sound leaders in law; Erudite has supplied us with intelligent teachers and researchers; Amity has given us understanding counselors and caretakers; and Dauntless provides us with protection from threats both within and without. But the reach of each faction is not limited to these areas. We give one another far more than can be adequately summarized. In our factions, we find meaning, we find purpose, we find life." He paused and everyone is probably thinking the same thing. Faction before Blood. The most important motto. More important than family, our factions are where we belong. "Apart from them, we would not survive." I think of the factionless, no symbol, color, or importance only to survive, they got kicked out of their factions or failed initiation. To be factionless is worst than death to a lot of people. Marcus continues, "Therefore this day marks a happy occasion-the day on which we receive our new initiates, who will work with us toward a better society and a better world." People clap and cheer. I don't. Marcus starts naming off names and the first is a girl from Amity, she choose her home faction to stay in. I watch as a few of Dauntless-born initiates choose to stay, Uriah, Lynn, and Marlene as well as a few others. Then my faction gets a shock. James Tucker, from Dauntless stumbles up to the 5 bowls and cuts his hand. But his blood drips onto the Candor glass, mumbling comes from his family and spreads throughout the faction. He looks back at his family but no one will make eye contact with him. He walks with his head down and stands behind the Candor members. "Caleb Prior." Argh a Stiff, probably doesn't want to leave mommy and daddy. But to my surprise Caleb's blood drips into the Erudite water, making it murky with blood. "Beatrice Prior". Another Stiff, great. I watch her as she walks up to the bowls and looks between two. She finally picks up the knife and drips her blood into the sizzling coals. No way. A Stiff? Choose Dauntless? She wont make it past initiation.
