Damaged

Trust the Test

We have a certain way of living, a way that helped us survive for years after the war. A war that practically destroyed everything and left nearly nothing. It was called Factions.

There were five. Five factions that everyone was apart of, based of specific personality traits they had shown.

There were Abnegation. They were extremely selfless. Helping the factionless and the other factions at that. They ran our Government due to their beliefs about being selfless. It was crazy how people could be so caring and not put themselves first.

Next there was Amity. They were all about peace and love, hating the idea of violence. They had dealt with the crops, farming and providing food to the city. They had worked on the other side of the wall that was put up after the war. They lived a peaceful life, something most people would love to live.

There was then Candor. They valued the truth over everything else. They couldn't lie. It was like it was laced in the DNA to never lie, like ever. We normally held trails there since they had a special way of getting people to speak the truth. I found them extremely brave, since they said the first thing that came to their minds.

There was also Dauntless. The soldiers of our city, that protected us with their lives. Many people thought they were crazy, I don't exactly blame them. They were so unkempt and all over place. They would run through the streets and climb buildings, marking it with the dauntless symbol. They were free compared to the rest of us.

Lastly there was Erudite. They valued knowledge over everything else. There was no room for feelings, only logic. They provided many equipment to the other factions, as well as making the city run smoothly. They had an thirst for knowledge, something that they worked extremely hard to gain everyday. You had to have an high IQ to even live in one of the apartments.

I grew up in Erudite, it was really the only thing I knew. It was always about knowing all the answers, figuring out solutions to a problem, and always studying. Everything was about logic and it was just the way things were.

But I didn't belong in Erudite.

Yes I was smart like an Erudite, but something felt wrong whenever I told people that I was apart of Erudite. I wanted something more than to just have my nose stuck in a book for the rest of my life. I would normally find myself looking at the wall at night wondering what was out there. Wanting to explore, wanting adventure in my life.

There was a test that tells you what faction you belong in and I was taking it today. The fear that bubbles in my stomach only grew the more I thought about it. I was scared that it would tell me that I was stuck in Erudite for the rest of my life but, I was also scared that it would tell me that I had to leave. Tell me that I truly didn't belong in the one place that could call home.

I soon found myself climbing onto the roof of my house. The fresh air entered my lungs causing the fear to settle down. Being outside calmed me down, the way the wind blew through my hair and how I could see everything.

I won't lie. I needed to leave Erudite. I couldn't stay here for the rest of my life. Knowledge is important yes, but there was more to life than just having answers.

"Ashley can you hurry up with your work so you can take this test!"

I let out a small sigh as I heard my father call for me. My father wasn't excited for me to take the test. He thought it was stupid for me to take it and didn't want me getting any ideas. He didn't want me to deflect and give our family name a bad reputation. Especially since my mother is one of the head scientist and my dad works for Jeanine Matthews, head of Erudite.

I got up and dust off my dress pants. I quickly went down the fire escape and climbed back through my bedroom window. I opened up my textbook on an random page, just in time before my mother walked through the door.