Erudless

"4! The answer is 4!" I shouted.

The problem only taking me 30 seconds to solve. A new record!

"Good job dumbass. Except we all figured it out 20 seconds before you did."

I gritted my teeth, my jaw clenched.

"Mother, father, would you kindly tell Beatrice to stop calling me an inferior animal."

"She's right though Eric. You must hurry up when solving these simple questions if you wish to make it past initiation."

Beatrice started chanting the word 'dumbass' over and over again. Where she even heard of such vulgar language at the age of 10 I'll never know. Most likely from the Dauntless or Candor in her age group.

It irritated me so much. That my 10 year old sister, who took after my parents in having a higher IQ, hated me. I did so much to help her, to protect her. She hated me because I didn't have the mind of a 20 year old at the age of 10 like her and the rest of my family did. Yet my parents still expected me to stay in Erudite when I choose my Faction in a couple days. The only person who didn't think I was stupid was my twin sister Emma. For some reason she never called me things or scolded me for answering wrong. She was my tutor, my best friend, my sister.

Beatrice's chanting grew louder and louder. She wasn't gonna stop, so I left. I walked silently up a set of clear blue stairs that led to the second story of our house. As I went into my room the door closed shut behind me with a large 'thud'. My bedroom was cluttered with books, most of which I have never read nor planned on reading. I've only ever been interested in reading one book, a work of fiction by a man named John Green. I like to think he would've been Erudite.

I could still hear her singing. Louder, louder, louder. "Dumbass, dumbass, dumbass." I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed at my hair, nearly pulling it out of my scalp. "Dumbass, dumbass!" My hands flew away from my head and I knocked over the pyramid of books with my forearm. I heard knocking on my door.

"Go away you little bitch or I swear to God the books won't be the only thing no longer standing!!"

Erudite don't normally threaten people, but I'm fairly sure I'm not a normal Erudite. Emma entered my room, hands held in the air defensively.

"So I'm a little bitch now?"

I immediately looked at my feet,

"I-I'm sorry. I thought you were Beatrice."

Emma walked over to the fallen books and knelt down to pick one up.

"You shouldn't call Tris that." she said,"And you shouldn't treat these books this way. You're-"

"Erudite I know." I said interrupting her. I drone on,"Our main goal is the pursuit of knowledge. Books contain knowledge. If we destroy books we destroy knowledge."

She gave me a reprimanding look.

"What?!" I snap at her.

"Nothing." she replies, "Nothing. It's just, you seem different."

Emma got to her feet and stood in front of me.

"What's gonna happen in two days when you choose?"

I shook my head and pointed to the door.

"Okay." she muttered as she turned to leave.

"Hey. You shouldn't call her Tris." I said,"True Erudite don't believe in nicknames."

She pulled off a slight grin then left me to the privacy of my room, closing the door behind her.

I love my sister, I really do. I just need to be alone right now. I sat on my bed and let out a long sigh. My bed, like the rest of the room, was a mess. The thick blue cover was only on one half of the queen size bed. The sheet that usually hugs the mattress is untucked in various places. I hate it here. I don't seem to fit in. My little sister hates me. My parents barely see me. As much as I want to leave this Faction I'm not sure if I can.

I removed my glasses, set them on my nightstand, and rested my head on the soft pillows. I didn't even bother to change before I drifted off into a restless sleep.