Alexander Eaton || A Uriah Pedrad Love Story

Chapter 2

I woke up in a room full of mirrors. I was staring at a plate with a knife and a second plate with some meat on it. I didn't pick up either. I waited, just like my dad told me.

The two plates disappeared and a small child appeared along with a very angry dog. I jumped on the dog as it lunged for the crying kid. I knew exactly what to do and how to do it.

Next up was a test of pure selflessness. Something as easy as giving up your seat on the bus to a kid who you know is trouble.

“Here, have my seat. I'd rather stand anyways,” I said, giving the boy the seat I had been sitting in. He couldn't have been older than me and he definitely didn't need the seat more than myself, but this is all part of being Abnegation.

The final test was staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.

“Which one of you was it?” The Dauntless man asked.

“I don't know what you're talking about, sir,” I responded.

“Which one of you stole the money from the factionless?” He asked. I made eye contact with the boy and knew it was him.

“It was me,” I said before the gun went off in my face.

I woke up, startled and in a cold sweat, but okay otherwise.

“Alright, perfect Abnegation score.”

“I figured,” I said, wiping my eyes.

“Let me guess, Marcus prepared you for this,” he said.

“Um, yeah,” I said. “But you can't tell anyone.”

“I won't,” he said. “He did the same thing for me. You do know you don't have to stay there just because that's what you scored, right?”

“Yeah, I was kind of thinking of transferring to Dauntless,” I said.

“I train transfers, so you will be fine if you decide to,” he said.

“Thanks,” I said. I headed back out to the waiting room where I had to sit for another two hours before they dismissed us all to go home.

“Hey, Alex,” Caleb said, jogging to catch up with me.

“Hey, what can I do for you?” I asked as we walked back to our faction.

“Have you seen my sister?” He asked.

“No, but I heard they sent some people home because the serum made them sick,” I said. Beatrice wasn't the only one that I noticed had been missing.

“Alright, thanks,” he said.

“You're welcome,” I responded as we reached our faction.

We were almost back to our homes when an older woman was struggling with her groceries.

“Here, let us help you,” Caleb said as we both rushed forward.

“Oh, thank you,” she said as we carried the bags into her house before heading our separate ways.

After dinner that night, my father sent me to my room. It beats getting beat so I didn't care. Technically, I was supposed to spend all afternoon in my bedroom trying to decide on which faction to join, but I had long ago made that decision.

I ended up falling asleep before I could shower, so the next morning, my hair was a wreck and I didn't have time to fix it. I brushed it down as best I could and went downstairs to breakfast.

“You're lucky today's the last day you'll be living here,” Marcus said.

“Why?” I asked as I made the normal breakfast of plain oatmeal. It's gross and I hated it, but it beats going hungry.

“We have to cut our food supply back to feed any initiates,” he said.

“I'm sorry to hear that,” I responded. It was quiet throughout breakfast and I knew my father was up to something.

“If you transfer, I will find you and it will not end well,” Marcus said before pushing me out the door. His words didn't change my mind any as we walked toward the hall where the ceremony was taking place.

“Go get in line. I'm in charge today,” he said. That worried me for a moment before I remembered that he couldn't do anything to me now without outing himself as the abusive man he is.

Standing in line, watching it shrink person by person, I grew more and more nervous. What if I wasn't fit for Dauntless? My decision was easy, but now that I had to actually execute my plan, I was starting to get anxious.

“Alexander Eaton,” my father said, ushering me forward. He handed me the knife that I would use to slice the palm of my hand and drop some blood onto the symbol of which ever faction I choose.

I pressed the knife to my skin, clenching my teeth as the knife eventually pierced my skin. I held my hand out over the coals of Dauntless and forced my father to say the three words he'd never dreamed of saying.

“Alexander Eaton, Dauntless,” he said. The Dauntless started to hoot and holler as I made my way over to them with the biggest smile in the world on my face.