My heart was pounding stronger than it ever had, causing me to feel light headed as I was led into a small room and sat down in a chair. Across the small table lay another, empty chair. Nervously, I chewed the inside of my cheek, wondering if this was how it was like in the other Fractions, if they always did this for those being faced with exile. Yet I knew I was joking with myself; the Head of Dauntless, and maybe the other Factions as well knew I wasn't sure of my choice, they were testing me, seeing if a family member lost would be enough to break the vow of silence I was grasping so tightly to.
The door opened in front of me, and through it walked a Dauntless guard, his hair dyed a bright purple and his jaw holding a small trace of a tattoo. With the end of the riffle he carried, he pushed another man into the chair across from me. Using all my willpower, I stopped myself from gasping with shock at my once tidy fathers now ragged appearance, it looked as if he hadn't shaved in days, and the piece of blue silk he always had pinned to his shirt was now gone. He had the appearance of a Fractionless already, and I knew what the Head Dauntless had said was true; he was being exiled for breaking the rules.
Carefully, I allowed my wide eyes to settle into a normal width, searching my father's expression while keeping one eye firmly pressed to the face of the guard, who stood frozen in the corner. For a moment, I was silent, struggling with what I could say that wouldn't voice how much I missed my father the moment I opened my mouth.
"So..." I started, then trailed off as I saw the guard twitch slightly at my words, "Finally broke some rules, doesn't surprise me, you never did belong in Erudite." I allowed a sneer to tickle my face, while I felt my heart beat fast and guilt gnaw at me for insulting my father in such a personal way. Yet he seemed hardly bothered by it, and instead gave me a small smile and a wink, showing he understood why I was speaking the way I was.
"It is indeed for the best dear daughter, it seems unlike my child I have been unable to fit into my chosen society," I stiffened slightly at his formal tone, then nodded slightly, agreeing to his words. Out of the corner of my eye, the guard seemed to be paying no attention to us, yet I knew he was listening, and that anything I said would and could be used against me.
Once again my father gave me a smile, one so genuine and full of love that I couldn't help but reach out and grasp his hand, which lay cuffed together upon the top of the table. From the corner came a small cough; the guard was warning me, yet I ignored him, staring into my father's eyes, watching the colour return to his face with every quiet word he spoke; "Never change Veta, never change."
Knowing the time to part had come, I briskly pulled my hand away and stood, knocking my chair to the ground. "I don't need to chance, I'm exactly where I belong," I turned my attention to the guard, "I'm sorry for wasting your time, I don't know why I was forced to speak to my father, I chose to leave Erudite for a reason, Dauntless is my family now."
If the man could smile, I knew he might have given me a smile for my words, and without another word, I turned and walked out of the room, chanting within my head the words I had always been taught; "Fraction before Blood." Yet I couldn't help but think about the statement I had always read in my fiction novels; "Blood is thicker than water," and I knew my family could never include the water I called my Fraction.
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Writer Games: The Final Twist & A Night in Wattpad Manor & Faction Wattpad
AdventureWriter Games: The Final Twist: last updated September 9 2013 A Night in Wattpad Manor: last updated October 19 2013 Faction Wattpad: last updated December 18 2013 Reuploaded with permission by AEKersey 2019