Erudite was always her home, following her mother around in constant agitation, but when she had the chance to leave, to escape the control, Ashlyn took the chance and now she is Dauntless. She dares to dream of adventure and freedom but what if tha...
Ashlyn Athena Matthews was a simple girl. With her blonde hair, brown eyes, brains, and obedience she was the perfect Erudite, at least in her mother's eyes. Jeanine Matthews was a strict woman, who forced Ashlyn to follow her around every day, to wear blue suits and have her hair pinned back in the perfect way, to follow all of the rules. But what Jeanine didn't see was the empty bed of Ashlyn every night, the slightly open window as the curtains blew into the room in the breeze, revealing the constellation of stars in the sky.
As the moon and stars shone down on the girl, her hair glistening in the light, Ashlyn ran. She ran towards the wall, not stopping until she got there and stood, leaning against the metal pole, her hair pulled into a loose plait as she breathed. Her usual blue suit had been replaced with a red hoodie and loose black pants, allowing the girl to just feel the breeze and feel free away from the eyes of Erudite, they allowed her to feel as though she belonged.
The teenager had never really belonged to Erudite, yes she was born to their leader but she knew she should be somewhere else. Her mind wasn't made for knowledge, yes she was able to retain the information and she knew how things worked but her mind wanted adventure, it needed creativity. As her hazel brown eyes scanned the horizon, they slowly panned up to the ink spill of the sky, going past the amity farms and towards the speckled stars, focusing on Andromeda, the constellation placed in the sky by Athena, the girls very name-sake.
The choosing ceremony would take place in a few hours, having had the aptitude test the day before. She knew where she was going, she had known since she was a little girl being dragged around the halls of Erudite. Ashlyn Matthews was making her great escape, she was becoming a Dauntless. Yes, her mother would be disappointed but when wasn't she but that didn't matter, after all the motto of the world was 'faction before blood'. Besides, the mother and daughter would still see each other, what with Jeanines regular visits to the dauntless compound, and the schemes she had pinned up all over the pair's apartment.
Seeing the sun slowly begin to rise over the farms and the Amity groups begin to get to work, Ashlyn pulled her hood over her hair before taking a slow jog back to Erudite. Her mother would be waking up, not thinking to check her daughter's room before she made her own breakfast, not thinking to utter the three words that Ashlyn had never heard come from her mother's mouth. No, her mother would be getting dressed and it was time for Ashlyn to return to her emotionless shell, to not care about anybody but herself and to dress in her blue suit, to pin her hair back and prepare for the ceremony, the ceremony of her freedom and many others.
Running through Abnegation, she sent a smile to Tris Prior, who was sitting on top of her home, before she continued running, finally making it back to the ledge outside of her window and climbing through before turning and sliding the entrance shut. She quickly went over to her wardrobe and pulled out a blue suit, making sure to choose the one with pants, before she got changed and sat in front of her mirror, pulling her hair back into a high ponytail and applying a light layer of makeup, making sure her eyeliner and lipstick were clean and orderly.
Walking into the small kitchen, Ashlyn's mother turned towards her with two cups in hand, a fake smile on her face. "are you ready for today?" she asked, her eyebrow risen slightly as she sipped her coffee. Ashlyn gave a short nod, bringing her cup to her lips as she blew the steam away slowly, "yes mother". Her answer was short, like always. The two never had been able to hold a conversation for more than ten minutes, yet today it seemed only one sentence would be said by each, the tension in the room too thick to let any words through. Ashlyn wanted to say goodbye to her mother, she wanted to thank her for all of the years she had looked after the girl, they may have never gotten along but this was her mother and she would be leaving.
Moving over to the sink to place her cup below the tap, the girl looked out onto the street seeing the car awaiting them. "Mother, the car is outside" she hummed, as she tightened her ponytail, a nervous habit she had lived with for as long as she could remember. "well then, let's go and we can both get back in time for lunch" Jeanine hummed as she stood, smoothing her skirt before walking towards the door, Ashlyn following her, sending a glance over her shoulder at her home which she knew she would not be returning too.
The journey was silent, Jeanine checking her emails and important news articles and Ashlyn watching the world go by through the glass when they finally arrived, not a word was spoken, they just walked into the centre and up to Erudite, taking their seats before her mother left to go and speak to the priors and Ashlynn was left picking at her nails and observing the factions surrounding her.
The Erudites, an ocean of blue, smart, the ones who value knowledge and logic, the faction that would no longer hold a home for Ashlyn. The Amity's, a rainbow of colour, the ones who farm the land, their key beliefs being kindness and harmony, always happy, there was one boy in Erudite who Ashlyn was sure would transfer. The Candors, a blinding streak of white, those who value honest and order, the ones who will always tell the truth no matter the consequence. The Dauntless, a black mass in a sea of colour, our protectors, soldiers and police, but they mainly held freedom and creativity. Then finally Abnegation, a bland blob of grey, the 'stiffs', the selfless one who dedicate their lives to helping others. As Ashlyn observed the room her eyes constantly made their way back to Dauntless, and as if she had been in a trance before she knew what was happening, her name had been called and it was time to choose her fate.
"Ashlyn Athena Matthews"
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