Allegiant (Continuation)

Chapter 19

(Natalia's POV)

"I'm home!" I yell. Mom comes out of the kitchen and greets me with a hug. She is stained with flour, along with various other colored stains streaked across her clothing.

Christina walks out from behind Mom, a large grin spread across her flour covered face. "Did a flour bomb go off?" I joke. "No, we were just attempting at making your birthday cake, your turning 16!" My mom is really enthusiastic about my 16th birthday. I don't know exactly why, maybe it had to with something with the factions when she was growing up.

I walk towards the kitchen to get a drink, but am stopped. "No peaking." Says my mom. I smile, "I just want a drink." Christina goes and gets me a cup of water, I go to my room after that.

I sigh as I stare out the window, the dance is tomorrow, and my birthday is the day after that.

We don't have factions anymore, but the aptitude test is still distributed at age 16. I don't exactly know why, but it's supposed to be very important. I'm scheduled to be tested at 10:00 am on my birthday.

I am so deep in thought, that I don't even hear the first knock. When I hear the second, louder knock I am forced out of my daze. "Come in." I yell, without turning away from the window. I feel the weight shift on my bed, and look over to find Dad sitting next to me. "Hi, Natalia." He and my mother are the only ones who call me Natalia anymore, I much prefer Tessa. "Hi." I sigh. "What's wrong?" He asks, I can hear the deep concern in his voice. "Nothing, just thinking." I turn and smile. I definitely cannot tell about the Noah/Jason mess.

After a few minutes of staring at the golden horizon in silence, Dad stands, kisses the top of my head and leaves.

My eyes start to get droopy, I fall back onto my bed and fall asleep instantly.

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I wake up when my Mom enters my room. "Your father told me that you have been 'thinking'" she says it while making air quotes around 'thinking'. I smile.

"What's on your mind? And you can't fool me, I'm not your father." I laugh a little bit and then say, "It's my friends, or more specifically, Emily, Noah, and Jason." Mom takes a seat next to me and I lay my head on her shoulder. "What about them?" She asks. I sigh, "Noah made a 'gesture' today, and then said that he didn't like me. So, out of frustration I asked Jason to the dance. Which evidently got Emily pissed at me. But, she never told me she liked him, or I wouldn't have asked him!" Anger, regret, and agitation are present in my tone.

"Well, what does your heart tell you?" I can hear the serious tone in my mothers voice. I think hard. "My heart says that I made a mistake, and my brain is telling me that their is no way way out of this situation."

"Life is hard sometimes, but I know that you can work it out." She squeezes my shoulder, smiles, stands, and leaves the room.

I am left alone to think.

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