Choosing Sides

.01

I never stood out among a crowd. Whether it be at school or within my faction, and thats saying a lot. At school Dauntless are supposed to stand out, you're supposed ot be able to tell them from the rest of the crowd within a second of looking at them. But not me, with my brown hair, blue eyes, slightly tan skin, and short, slender frame. The only thing distinguishing me from the Abnegation is the black clothing I wear with the rest of my faction. I have a few Dauntless friends, but I don't really connect with them. I think that I would belong with the Abnegation but they are so timid and scared of Dauntless it's ridiculous. So I just go through my days being average and blending in. I'm definately not complaing, standing out among the crowd, like my friend Lexie genrally does with her loud pink hair and multiple facial piercings, is not something I can imagine I would enjoy.

Even after school as we are all running to the train tracks to catch the afternoon train I would rather walk and enjoy the view of the city and the Amity fields beyond that, but I know I can't or I would be forced to walk the tracks back to the dauntless compound, not only getting me home two hours later than when I should be home but also getting me in some major trouble with my parents, who everyone knows, so there would be no way the dissapearence of their only child would slide by, unheard of. My parents are Tris and Tobias, known among the Dauntless as Four, Eaton. Everybody knows my parents. My dad is the Abnegation transfer with only four fears, hence the nickname, who finished top in his class despite being the scrawny Stiff nobody thought would last a week, let alone all of initiation. Everyone thought he would choose to be a Faction Leader considering he finished first and could have any job he wanted, instead choosing to work as an initiate trainer, like his trainer Amar, and in the control room with his friend, Zeke. My mother Tris Prior, was also an Abnegation transfer, the first once since my dad, who was small like me and nobody thought would make it past the first day. She was in last place for most of initiation, almost getting cut from Dauntless multiple times but being able to pull through at the last minute. When the second part of initation came and she jumped to the top suspicions were raised, but my mother only has six fears, the second lowest after my fathers. So yeah, my parents stand out, everyone knows them. My mother makes the best Dauntless cake this faction has ever seen (at least that's what my dad says but cake is his favorite and I think he wants my mom to keep bringing home the leftovers) and is the soft initiate trainer who will make you feel better after my father's tough approach to training (however she doesn't baby you, I should know, I live with her.)

So after school, we're running to catch the train, everyone from my faction yelling and screaming shouts of joy, talking about how they did something to the scrawny Stiffs or said some stupid comment to the Erudite. I ran alongside Lexie as she went on about hair or something, I wasn't really listening as I looked out at the fields of Amity and the farmers peacefully working and having quiet conversations, definately something I've never heard, well besides behind closed doors at the Dauntless compund. When I hear the train horn I wait getting ready to jump, Lexie hits my arm, not hard but enough to push me into the guy next to me, who has blonde hair, a lip piercing, and gray eyes, all he did was give me a glance when i mumbled out a "sorry".

"Arizona, what color, pink, blue, or purple?"

" For what?" I asked, basically telling her I wasn't listening at all.

" For your hair!" She practically yelled as the first car of the train roared past us, shaking the ground beneath me feet.

I grabbed my hair, "none of those! I dont want insane hair!"

"Oh calm down", she told me rolling her eyes, " it will only be a few strands under neath, you'll only see it when your hair is braided or in a pony-tail. Whoch for you isn't often so"

"Oh, um, pink or purple, I guess" I replied absent mindedly as I stared at the boy Lexie had pushed me into across the car of the train. He was talking to a blue-haired boy next to him occasinally glancing our way, his friend nodding. I'm sure he was looking at Lexie, everone loved Lexie, she was the perfect mold of what the perfect Dauntless girlfriend would look like. With her pink hair, piercings, and attitude. I however was as bland as the rice that was occasionally served with dinner. I turned to Lexie, who knew everybody, "Who's the boy with the lip piercing to the right of the one with blue hair?" I asked her motioning to him with my eyes.

"Oh,umm, I'm not quite sure, I know he's in my science class, he gets in trouble a lot." She paused a moment looking up, thinking. " I think his last name is Avery,but im not sure what his first is." She turned to me with a huge grin on her face, "Why?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Before I respond, I hear shouts and feet slapping the gound, and everyone in the car gets up to jump off the train and start running to the Pire and down to the Pit. I don't answer Lexie, jump, and hit the ground running.