Divergent (Fanfic)

Chapter 13

Today, it was unusually hot in the Merciless Mart, so we all wore our shorts. Chelsea and I were wearing white shirts and black, very short shorts, and it felt weird. Back in Erudite, I wouldn't have been comfortable with bare arms and legs, but here - I don't know how honesty related to showing your skin, but it did. It seemed more like something that you would get in the Dauntless compound - if you'd seen the clothes the Dauntless wore, you'd understand. But here in a Candor, it was related to the fact that we had no secrets, everything about us - our personalities, our insecurities, everything - was on show.

And it wasn't always a bad thing.

Ross and Nathan's shorts went to their knees, and their shirts were so similar to mine and Chelsea's that they decided to wear black tops and white shorts.

We went to breakfast, and we had a lesson in the morning. I had to read Tristan's body language as he told a story, and decide which one happened and which one didn't. After staring at his golden hair, angular cheekbones, blue eyes, muscular frame...

God, I have to stop looking at people like that.

But, anyway, after five minutes of watching and listening to him speak, I chose the correct story as the truth and the lie.

This was getting quite boring now.

Then, Visiting Time came. We all went into the dining hall, where the Candor-born Initiates were already talking with their parents.

I scanned the room for my mum or my dad, but I was right - they weren't here. Nathan was the same.

Chelsea and Ross went off to meet their parents, whilst Nathan and I sat at the end of one of the long tables in the dining room.

'You surprised your parents aren't here?' He asked me.

'Not really,' I said. 'We were never really that close. What about you?'

'No,' he said. 'Amity and Candor really hate each other.'

I smiled. 'Then, why did you come here?' I asked.

'I don't know,' Nathan replied, pushing some of his long, brown hair back. It had grown out so that it almost covered his eyes in the time that we had been here.

'Do you regret it?'

He stopped to think for a minute, looking into my eyes, his brown eyes pouring into mine. 'No,' he said finally. 'I don't.'

Just then, Chelsea bounded over. 'Mum, dad, you know Mel,' I waved to Chelsea's parents, 'and this is Nathan.'

'Hello, Nathan,' said Mrs Morell, shaking Nathan's hand awkwardly.

'Hi,' he said as he shook Mr Morell's hand.

'So, how are you three finding Candor initiation?' Said Mrs Morell, sounding slightly awkward and uncomfortable.

'Oh, it's great,' said Chelsea casually.

'How are the lie detector things?' Said Mr Morell.

'We haven't had any yet,' I replied. 'They start next week.'

'I thought you did lie detector tests, all day, every day?' Said Mr Morell.

'So did we,' I replied.

We sat in an awkward silence for a few moments, even though the rest of the hall was buzzing with noise. 'Well, we should let you three catch up,' said Nathan, and I nodded.

'See you soon, Chels,' I said, and I got up with Nathan before she could complain. Best let them catch up without our awkwardness.