The Decision

Chapter 13: no good comes without bad

Later on, Chloe, Maya and Sora told me what happened during my absence; the presentations were good and we got the  first place. Sora even told me, Hannah and the other testers were planning to mass-produce our protheses, just a little bit modified, of course.
Before our final examen, we learn together, all five and wishing everyone good luck, we start our tests two days later, opening the booklets we are given. Thanks to our learning sessions, I can easily answer all questions, wishing and begging for my other friends to stay in Erudite and don't get factionless.

The next day, we are called to see the results of the tests and Maya, Chloe ,Ruben and I got through. Sora, however didn't do quite as good as we thought; she is only  place 25 and way below us, which we can't understand; during our project and learning, she knew most of the answers to questions, without even hearing their start.

We wait another day, before we are called to the dinning hall again, where Hannah and Edward are standing at the very same balcony, they stood on a month before. The screens awake to show our final results and what they show, shocks all of us; I've got a score of 120, Maya got 98, Ruben 100, Chloe 111 but Sora just got 89.

"Oh No! Sora didn't make it. How can this be?", Maya whispers horrified.
"There must be a way to keep her in Erudite.",says Ruben.
"I'm sorry, but there isn't. The rules are set and nobody can change them, not even Edward and Hannah.", I answer coldly.
"Then we must have the greatest time of our lives before Sora has to leave.",Chloe shouts and pulls all five of us out of the dinning hall, leaving cheering as well as crying initiants behind.

She leads us to the Spa and as we enter, we all feel relief from all bad. It's warm but still comfortable. Starting with a massage, we all loose any worry. Next we enter a very hot room, where workers from Abnegation massage us with foam and Oils and hot stones. The last step is a sauna session, cooling and heating our bodies.

Well treated we exit the spa and aim at our dorm, as Ruben suddenly has an Idea:" I don't know how you're going to live in the future, but maybe there are books at the library that ease you live out there."
"If we'll have the opportunity, we will help you with everything,we can.", Maya nods and we all agree; we have to help Sora, surviving outside as well as each other, surviving inside.
"I appreciate your help and I'm very thankful to have you as friends but I'd like to talk to my family before I leave.", Sora speaks for a long time.
„Take your time, you know where you can find us.", Chloe says calmingly and we return to our dorm, leaving Sora on her way to her parents' apartment.

„She must be scared. How will she survive outside the factions ?", I ask while we stroll down the hallways.
„Maybe she can find Abnegation and gets help from them.",Ruben answers and Maya adds:" She could go to amity too; maybe they will give her excessive food from time to time, if she asks politely."
Chloe stops walking with us and is now standing in the middle of the hallway. She waits until we've noticed and turned our head to her, her facial expression angry but at the same time a horrified one.
„Could you please just..don't talk about Sora. You talk like it's normal that she has to leave us but it's not, it's terrible." a single tear rolls down her cheeks and I realize she's right.

„I'm sorry, we didn't mean to.", Maya apologizes.
Both of them look each other in the eyes and say nothing for a while.
„Let's just go to bed, we don't have to be awake as early as usual tomorrow, we all could use a little sleep,I guess.",I send Ruben a thank-you-smile, for saying that - and he's right.