If she chose Erudite

Chapter 2

Cara leads me and Jane to the cafetaria to get something to eat, and I can't help it, but admire how beautiful this building is from the inside. When I saw it from the outside, I definitely didn't expect this.

"You can get some food there if you want" Cara mentions, pointing at a long table at the other end of the room. "You can try the Erudite fizzy drinks, but don't expect too much from them. Even though the entire Erudite faction is proud of these drinks, they taste terrible. Or at least, that's what I think."

Cara leads us to the table and points to some round slices of meat. I get one of them on my plate and poke in it with my finger. "Have you never seen a hamburger before?" Jane asks, looking weird at me. "Abnegation," I shrug, and put some salad on my plate.

Cara leads us to an empty table next to a window, so we have a beautiful view over the city. I can see the Abnegation sector far awa,y and I can't help it but feel a knot in my stomach. Suddenly I don't feel that hungry anymore. "Amazing, isn't it?" Cara asks me. I just nod and take a bite of my hamburger. At least it tastes better than Abnegation food.

"So," Cara starts, while she leans with her chin on her hands. "What do you think of Erudite? From what you have seen so far?"

Jane starts talking about how big the compound is and how beautiful the view is from here, but I stare through the window at the Abnegation sector, wondering what's going on there. Apparently, Cara isn't that interested in talking to Jane, because she turns to me.

"What do you think, uhm...?" "Beatrice," I finish her sentence and smile politely at her. "I think it's..." I take my time to find the good word. "Huge," I finish.

"So, and why does an Abnegation girl transfer to Erudite? I mean, Abnegation and Erudite are not the biggest friends."

I start to feel uncomfortable and mumble something. I don't even know what. I don't think I should tell anyone I chose Erudite by accident, that I wanted to go to Dauntless instead of Erudite. Because if I do well in Erudite initiation and they know that it isn't the faction I want, they could discover my divergence.

"You don't have to answer my question, Beatrice. I am not like Jeanine. I respect it when people want to keep their thoughts to themselves. I was just curious, but you don't have to answer." she says with an encouraging smile.

I finish my food and stand up to walk back to the dorms as I hear a faint cough from behind me. "Could you introduce me, Cara?"

I turn around to see the one and only Jeanine Matthews, Erudite's faction leader, standing behind me. I sit quickly back on my chair and look down. Jeanine Matthews is the person where my father warned me for. She is the only not-Abnegation person in the government, selected by her IQ.

She knows how to manipulate people, and I'm determined not to fall for that. I'm Erudite now, but that doesn't mean I have to  believe and agree with everything they say.

"This is Jane, and this is Beatrice" Cara says, pointing to each of us.

"Ah, one of the Abnegation transfers! Prior, wasn't it?" I still don't want to look at her so I just nod. "So, why did you two leave? Why did you go to the faction your former faction hates the most? Did you parents mistreat you, like Marcus Eaton did to his son?"

My eyes grow wide from shock, but I force myself to stay calm. This is Jeanine. I can't fall for her tricks. I look up and look her in her cold, pale gray eyes, showing her that she can't control me.

"Of course not, they are good people." I say calmly, and I can only hope she can't hear the aggresive undertone in my voice.

"I'm sorry I said that, but it could be possible. I mean, Marcus did it, so why couldn't Andrew be as cruel as he was?" she asks. I can see she is testing me, looking for signs that I'm not loyal to my new faction.