I wake to a cry, and for some reason, I'm in my room. Dad probably brought me up here last night. I dart awake, to barely see Ashlen sobbing at my bedside, holding her finger.
"What happened?" I ask, my voice frantic but groggy.
"I-I went potty, and g-got a spinter!" She sobs.
No idea how she got a splinter from going poop, but it could be worse with those cries. "You've got to be Dauntless, okay Ash? We don't want to wake up Sissy and Bubby."
She nods, sniffling, "Otay."
I grab some tweezers and a bandage, and sit her on the edge of my bed. "This will only hurt a little, but you can be Dauntless!"
She smiles a little, "I Dantus."
She bites her lip as I pull it out, and then clean it off. Ashlen is strong, and makes sure not to cry anymore. I wrap a small bandage around her tiny cut, giving it a kiss for her sake. Finally, I relax a bit, and glance at the clock. Three in the morning?
"How about you go back to bed, as I will, and in the morning, I'll make you heart pancakes for being such a good girl!" I exclaim, hugging her.
She nods stiffly, wiping her red eyes. I lead her back to a bedroom, and give her a goodnight kiss. Finally, I'm able to lay down for an uninterrupted sleep.
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As hoped, I wake peacefully this time, to the song of my alarm. My eyes are still a bit heavy, so I grab some clothes and wake up in the shower. The warm water is relaxing, but is keeping me awake. I rinse out my tangled hair, and wash off my body.
After drying off and putting on some undergarments, I grab some clothes that won't get ruined by cooking for the girls, as it's always a mess. The top is just a black crop top, and the bottom is some dark blue denim jean shorts. I've always dressed more Dauntless than anything, just because of how I've grown up, but a little color never hurt anybody.
Once my hair is pulled back in a high pony, which still reaches midway down my back, my face is done with some easy makeup, pink lips gloss, light eye shadow, and of course mascara and eyeliner. Shailene came over last week and gave me all of the makeup she and Jennifer used to play on my face when I was in a coma, which would've been annoying if my body wasn't an actual potato with nothing to do.
As my door is swung open, Ashlen yells for me from the kitchen. I rub down the steps, almost tripping on a doll, and bound into the kitchen. She is sitting on the island counter top for some reason, playing with a toy computer.
"What do you need little monster?" I tease, giving her a tight hug.
She giggles, pushing me away, "You make me heart pancakes!"
I let out a sigh, "You're a stubborn little one aren't you?" She giggles, kissing my cheek.
After getting Ash off of the island, I pull out the ingredients to make some pancakes. It isn't hard, just a few key ingredients and a pan. Everyone is home today, Dad doesn't have to work, so I make the full bowl of batter.
Having made a commitment, I shape the heart pancakes first, only two for Ashlen. She wastes no time grabbing them from the plate, and eating happily. I laugh, watching the syrup get all over her arms. Soon enough, the others make their way downstairs, grabbing food as they mosey through the kitchen.
Everybody gets a few, but I just eat some muffins. I'm meeting up with our group, which mainly consists of Nadia, Mark, Rebekah, Samantha, Shaylee, Blake, Cameron, Shailene and Jennifer. Cameron is Nadia's boyfriend, so he just tags along so Blake and Mark aren't the only guys.
"I'm heading out in a minute, call me if you need me!" I call into the living room, while climbing the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Dad asks. Mom probably forgot to tell him.
"Just out with the group." I respond, closing my door before he can add anything.
All I need is my bag, which has my charger, money, phone, and a few other little things in it. There's a loud honk from downstairs, which means Blake must be here to pick me up.
"I'll be back by nine, probably." I tell Mom, while hugging the girls on my way out. Carter is still asleep after a restless night, so he is left alone.
"Alright darling, stay out of trouble." She responds, kissing my cheek.
I walk out, where Blake is waiting in his all black car. "Morning loser." I tease, plopping down in the passenger seat.
He gives me a short kiss, before pulling out, "Morning nerd."
I punch his arm, and he smirks, "Are we going to that ice cream place again?"
"No, we're going to Dauntless Diner, it's downtown but run by some old Dauntless." I explain, buckling in.
Blake nods, "That place is the best, Mom and I go there on Sundays."
The car ride is silent, but we don't need to talk to just enjoy being with each other. It takes a while to find a parking spot, but we finally do a few yards away from Dauntless Diner. Blake opens my door for me, which I thank with a kiss.
"Ew, they're doing it again!" Nadia laughs, coming from behind us.
"What?" I ask innocently.
She scrunches up her nose, "Being the perfect couple."
We both burst out laughing, "We're not the perfect couple!"
Cameron kisses Nadia's cheek, "What about me?"
She cocks her head, "You're perfect for me, but like, those two never fight. Ever."
I shrug, "We've been through a lot, there isn't much to fight about."
The four of us grab a seat in the diner, waiting for the other six. The Pedrad's are last, those three are always late. Samantha is only fourteen, but like before, we still include her.
"So how many kids is your mom up to?" Mark teases, punching my arm.
I roll my eyes, kicking his shin, "Four, which is perfect, I guess."
"They're all cuter than you'll ever be," Samantha snorts, earning a few cheers from the rest of us.
"You're all losers, get over yourselves." Shailene sighs, rolling her eyes at our banter.
"What, do you have something better to talk about?" Nadia pesters.
She grins, "Actually, yes. My parents have been talking to yours, and we've been setting something up for the rest of summer break. Like, it's super fun, you won't believe-"
"What is it?" I groan, knowing she has a tendency to babble.
"Oh, yeah my uncle has this beach house in the Bahamas, and we're all going for two weeks!"
YOU ARE READING
Divergent Elements
FanfictionI had a request from someone that they missed this book. So, I'm going to rewrite it with same characters, and probably alter the plot because I think it was not very good last time. it will be the same premis though. Her name was Natalie Eaton. Da...
