Convergent (A Divergent Trilogy Parody) [On Hold]

Divergent ~ Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

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So I'm stuck the next day on a bus filled with Selfless people on the way to the Choosing Ceremony. Sure, I'm a bit nervous about having to choose, but I still take Augustus's advantage and use his support to get off the bus.

The lift is filled with people and I try to shove my way through, but my father chides me and makes us all take the stairs to the very top of the tallest building in the whole freaking city: the Bob. I want to smack him in the face for this, but I just take a deep breath and follow him wordlessly, telling myself that it's an hour or two more, maximum.

Twenty fudging floors. That's how much the shithead makes me climb.

The room has chairs arranged in concentric circles and the seating is divided into five parts for each faction. Sixteen-year-olds aren't technically 'members'. Once we choose our faction, we become initiates and if we survive initiation (yes -- survive) then we get to become members. The world is cruel and harsh and fatal, but I love it.

They arrange us in alphabetical orders and we sit down, Augustus and I behind this bright Serene girl. I sigh.

There are five bowls on the stage. Once they call out our names, we get a knife, cut our wrists and let our blood flow like a river into one of the bowls -- each corresponding to one faction. Then we need to bandage ourselves before bleeding to death. Quite simple, really.

My mom grins and winks at me before going, and I'm immediately sure that she knows what I'm going to do.

My father's colleague is conducting the ceremony: Marcus. He starts explaining the factions to us, as if having Adjectives for names wasn't clear enough.

Slowly, one by one, teenagers of 16 start moving towards the stage and start choosing their factions. Anyone who changes factions is murmured about. I bite my lip nervously. I don't want to be murmured about: it's the only downside to this bullshit.

Augustus's name gets acalled out before mine. He squeezes my hand and I let him, reasoning that this is the last time we'd ever be this intimate. 

When he finally gets called out, he picks up the knife with a shaking hands and cuts himself. The blood starts flowing and it goes into... into the Smart bowl.

Shit. Seriously?! Augustus is Smart? That gets me by surprise.

He goes over to the guys in blue -- the Smart colors -- and stands behind them with that disproving look, like he's telling me to stay with our parents. The guy's got guts. When my name gets called out, I stand in front of the five bowls. I'm not going to Smart for sure because Augustus will be there, and Selfless has already had me for sixteen years. It's time to get the hell out.

I slice myself and the blood from my wrist bleeds into the Strong bowl.

I am selfish, I am strong.
I am gone.

Hasta la vista baby!

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