Allegiant (Continuation)

Chapter 25

(Natalia's POV)

I hear the click of the seat belt, and hear the engine of Noah's car moan to life. My father is dead, and I am on my way to take the aptitude test. I am nervous, terrified, and miserable.

We ride mostly in silence, only exchanging a few words of idle chit-chat. I watch as the dark silhouettes of trees and other figures pass by in a blur, illuminated by the glowing moon.

Finally, I see a bright, bustling building. It stands out against its dark, peaceful surroundings. We have arrived at the Hub.

With shaky hands, I open the car door and slip out. My breathing becomes quick, so I try to focus on calming it down.

In, out. I walk toward the building, with Noah at my side. In, out. I open the heavy metal door. In, out. I walk toward the elevator and press the up arrow. I can feel my heart beat pounding in my ears, I feel light-headed.

I hear the creak of the metal doors, and find the elevator empty, Noah and I walk in. Noah presses the fourth floor button, and then to my surprise clicks the the stop button. "Noah..." He presses his lips to mine. We part, and he says, "Tessa, you are incredible and you'll be fine. Just do what your instincts tell you." I nod, and he gives
me a reassuring smile.

I am scared that I won't be Divergent, but at the same time, I'm scared that I will be. As a Divergent, you are treated slightly different then someone with an aptitude for only one faction. You are normally moved into a different class, and kept under special watch, it's supposed to be an honor, but I don't know if I want that.

Noah clicks a button and I can feel the elevator moving again.

The doors slide open to reveal a large, white room lit by hanging blue lanterns. With sweaty palms and a pounding heart, I walk in.

The room is fairly empty, with the exception of three other nervous sixteen year olds sitting scattered around the room. I recognize two of them from school, but the third looks unfamiliar to me. Noah and I take a take a seat in a corner far from the others.

A tall, tan women opens a door across the room and calls out the name 'Joanne', one of the girls I recognize stands and follows the woman through the door. Her face is slack and nervous, much like my own.

I can't help but stare at the women, she looks so familiar, yet I know that I have never met her before.

The door closes and both the women and Joanne disappear.

Approximently thirty minutes later, the women returns, but Joanne is nowhere to be found. She probably just went home, I tell myself, but it does not stop the bubble if growing worry and fear in my chest. Once a again the women calls out a name and this time a boy named Liam stands up and leaves.

This process repeats, until Noah and I are alone in the vast room. Knowing that I am next, my anxiety is overwhelming. Finally the women returns once more and calls out my name, "Natalia." Her voice is harsher and colder then when she called the other names. I must just be paranoid. Noah squeezes my hands, gives me a reassuring look and stands up with me. We walk towards the door. "Only Natalia." Spits the women. Noah turns to leave, but quickly kisses me on the cheek before returning to his seat in the corner of the room.

I draw in a shaky breath as I follow the women through the door. A small room painted a dull beige awaits me. I stiffen when I notice the flat metal table in the center of it, machinery and varies wires lay by its side.

"My name is Nita, I will be administering your aptitude test today." I swallow hard, and feel a cold hand push me toward the table. Slowly and shakily I lie down upon it, the cold metal feels like ice on my exposed skin, it seems to seep into my bones.