The First Divergent

6

Dauntless-born initiates flutter into the room next morning and my watch reads 3:58 a. m.

I reach for Kori's hand but find that other boy smirking at me. He's my friend. And his name is Rohan. Calls himself Ro.

"Ro," I say, "Do you have any idea about what's going on?"

"Nope." Ro replies and Kori gets up. "What'd I miss?"

Dauntless-borns who were young as 14 and old as 19 search the dormitories for something, someone. The transfers wonder what's going on and why. I, too, am curious. Then a Dauntless girl about 15 asks a horribly terrifying question.

"Who here is Divergent?"

I gulp. Then I remember why I chose to be a Dauntless, why I chose to leave Candor. I am legally, factionally permitted to tell any lie I want. If they ask me, I will be fine. But everyone keeps saying no and it appears that I don't have a choice. Until Ro confesses he got Dauntless and Candor.

"Right, come with us," the same girl says almost robotically, and she handcuffs Rohan. I see the gun in her hand. Finger on the trigger. She's going to assassinate my friend! I don't think so! Not on my watch.

I kick the girl in the head and her gun turns to me. I grab Ro and push him behind me and I grab the gun and point it at the girl. "It doesn't have to be like this," she says. "I would choose Abnegation or Amity, but - but - but I just want peace and they would kill me if I didn't get rid of the Divergent."

I purse my lips together. I believe her a little bit, but not more than that. The consequences for almost murdering my friend. "How do I know that you're telling the truth?"

"My mom was Candor." She said. "So was everyone in her family! It's in our genes."

"You seem like quite an Erudite person," I tell the 'Candor' girl. Maybe she is sixteen but rather small. My height. She looks thirteen, to be honest, but a fifth-grade Abnegation boy eleven years ago looked three. I don't care though. Unless I am threatening to kill a girl who didn't get to Choose yet.

"Maybe, I am rather genius, but please, that doesn't mean anything! Just give me mercy!"

"I'm a Dauntless. Dauntless don't do mercy!" I say back. In reality I do want to give her mercy, but not after Rohan happened. "Walk away and get out of my life. I will kill you joyfully if you come back into my life, though," I tell the girl.

She walks away. By now all the other Dauntless-borns are gone. Oh well. Four more hours of sleep for the rest of us.