Chapter One

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"Choose," says a female voice. I look around what looks like an empty version of the cafeteria, but no one was there.

"For what reason?" I ask. In front of me is a table with a hunk of cheese and a knife on it.

"Choose!" the voice says with more force. The voice sounds familiar, but I can't place it at the moment.

I shrug and look at my options. "What happens when I choose?"

"Choose!" the voice repeats.

"Ok fine," I step towards the table. The cheese or the knife. One or the other or neither or... I pick up both.

I hear a deep growl from behind me. I turn around to see a big dog with it's teeth bared. It starts to stalk forward.

Ok think what to do when something's about to attack you? Don't show fear, but also show submission so it doesn't think that you're challenging it.

So I make my face show no emotion just as the dogs starts running towards me. Despite the pounding in my chest, throat, and ears I show no sign of emotion. I get down on my knees to show submission, but I do not break eye contact.

I feel something wet and slobbery rub against my face (the dog's tongue). I look at the panting dog and pet between it's ears.

I glance up and see a little girl. She then yells, "PUPPY!" The dog turns it's head and starts growling. I immediately wrap my arms around the dog to keep it from going after the girl.

"Run!" I yell. The dog wriggles out of my grasp and takes off towards the girl. I run in front of it and stop. "Whoa there." I say in a steady voice. I hold out the block of cheese. "Do you want the cheese?"

The dog takes the cheese. For a second I relax before it begins running after the girl again. I take off after it and hold out the knife. I really didn't want to resort to it, but I really don't have a choice at this point. Besides it's not real, it's the aptitude test.

I jump on the dog and stab the knife into it's chest and the simulation changes.

I'm back in the test room, but it's empty so I walk out the door. Next thing I know I'm on a bus. It's completely full so I stand in the isle.

Someone clears their throat to the right of me. I turn my head to the right to see someone with really scarred hands holding a newspaper.

"Do you know this man?" the person asks. He taps the paper. The headline says, "Brutal Murderer Finally Apprehended!" Below it is a picture a picture of a guy. He looks familiar, but I can't place a name. Despite the vague suspicion that he'll hurt me I have to tell him the truth, it's the right thing to do at the moment.

"Um... He looks familiar, but that's it. So no I don't know him," I say. The man puts the paper down, revealing a face just as scarred as his hands.

"If you know him you can save me!" he shouts his face full of desperation. I have to try and calm him down or knows what'll happen? I want to help him, but I can't.

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't help you because I don't know the guy. He looks familiar, but I can't place a name or when or where I would've seen them," I say my voice staying calm.

Just like that it ends and the simulation is over.

"Um... I'll be right back," says my test administrator, Tori. She has a worried look on her face. "Stay here."

I nod my head as she exits the room. Did something go wrong? Does this happen a lot? More importantly what is going on? A few minutes pass before she enters the room again.

"What happened? Did something go wrong?" I ask. "What were my test results?"

"Look, Ally was it?" she asks. I nod. "Your results were... Inconclusive."

"What does that mean? Does that mean it didn't work or something?" I ask.

"It means you're what they call Divergent, and being Divergent can be dangerous," she explains. "Typically, the test eliminates one or more of the factions with each stage."

"So do I fit into a faction?"

"Not just one, but all of them."

"All of them? How is that possible?"

"I'm not sure. Usually Divergents fit into one, two, or sometimes three factions. I've never heard of a case like this."

"So how is being Divergent dangerous?"

"You don't think the way they want you to. During simulations you're aware that it's not real. You cannot be controlled."

I take a minute to think about this. Divergent. Dangerous. Can't be controlled. More than one. All of them. Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Erudite, Dauntless. I can choose anyone of them. That doesn't make it any easier. I've been thinking and thinking about which faction I want to join. So I decided to rely on the Aptitude Test. Now what am I going to choose tomorrow.

"So if they can't control me they're going to do what exactly?" I ask.

"They'll kill you. They've done it before no doubt they'll do it again," she confirms.

"Wow ok. So what am I supposed to do now?"

"Keep it to yourself. Don't tell anyone."

"Wait won't they be able to see my result?"

"I erased it and manually put in Amity. Now you should get out of here before they suspect something."

I got up and crossed the room and and began to open the door. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Helping me instead of letting me be discovered."

She shrugged. I took a deep breath and left.

I stared out into nothingness on the way back to amity compound thinking about this whole Divergent thing.

Then my best friend nudged me and snapped me out of my trance.

"Are you alright Ally?" she asks.

"Uh yeah. Just thinking about tomorrow," I reply.

"Are you staying or leaving?" she asks.

"I'm not sure. I like life here, but I don't know I want something different I guess," I shrug.

As I lay in bed trying to figure out what faction I should choose the same three words spin around in my head. Divergent. Dangerous. Killed.

I push them aside long enough to think. I immediately rule out Erudite. They always have their heads stuck in a book. I like knowledge as much as next person, but I want a free life of not just researching and a constant pursuit of knowledge.

I'm also going to rule out Candor. I don't want to have to say what's on my mind 24/7. Candors get annoying sometimes.

That leaves Abnegation, Dauntless, and my current faction Amity.

As much as I like helping people out I just don't want to be in Abnegation. They forget themselves entirely and don't have a lot of fun. I wouldn't survive.

Dauntless or Amity. Bravery or kindness.

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