"For goodness' sake, Edward Clermont, pick up the pace!" My voice grew sharper with irritation. "I have a deathly serious dilemma on my hands right now, and you aren't exactly helping by not responding!"
Eddie sneered at me from the other side of the sleek white vehicle parked between us. While he was without doubt annoyed just as much as I was, if not more, his voice held a tone void of emotion. "What?"
"My sweater is stuck." My sheepish reply earned me a look filthier than the factionless sectors. The fuzzy blue material of my favourite sweater was caught in the handle of Ansel's car. While I was fully capable of getting it out one way or another, my overpowering laziness rendered me unable to do it myself. The most innocent look I could summon would have to do. Defeat echoed through Eddie's sigh as he trudged over to my side of the car. With ease, he pulled it free.
"You're too much work."
"At least I have some redeeming qualities. I put up with your bagel addiction, and I'm the only one macho enough to fight you."
"Okay, Jax. We both know I only put up with you because, without me, you'd have no friends."
"Wow, I thought this sweater was going to be enough to withstand the elements today, but it really is colder than I thought with all this shade." Eddie scoffed as I sank into the car seat. The bumpy ride was courtesy of relentlessly damaged pavement. It was littered with craters to the point of resembling pubescent acne breakouts. It had been poorly maintained over the years, but only the Erudite and the buses used them; it wasn't worth fixing when there were much more important things for us to do. The car rolled to a stop outside of the measly building we called our school. Although the teachers intended for different factions to mingle, we just learned what we needed to learn, and tried to avoid anything that wasn't familiar – including people. The blue fuzz of my sweater remained far away from any handles as the door of the solar powered car swung open. I turned again to gather my possessions before slamming the car door shut once again.
I waved to Ansel from outside the passenger seat window as I took a few steps towards the school. Behind us another Erudite car pulled up, obviously belonging to the Roberts'. I acknowledged my music teacher sitting in the front. Myra had grown so easy for me to ignore that I barely noticed her petite frame sauntering onto the sidewalk. With eyes inexplicably wide and bright, Eddie retreated to Myra in lieu of following me. Accepting my lonely fate, I took off on my own with fed-up grumbling. While I understood the importance of spending time with his girlfriend, why he would without exception blow me off whenever Myra showed up would always be incomprehensible. He always assured me that I was more than welcome to tag along - well, most of the time anyway - but I preferred not to be the third wheel.
I glanced around at all the other people at the school. A group of Stiffs (the Abnegation) jittered about as they huddled together. The Candor were less snappy, the Amity less cheerful – something I didn't think was possible. The Dauntless were rowdy as usual, of course, but the air indefinitely reeked of tension and angst. It then hit me that today was Aptitude test day. Despite my abnormally good memory, forgetting about the event did not come as much of a surprise. It wasn't a big deal, since I already knew I would get Erudite. That's where my family was, where my home was, and logically, where I would stay. I wasn't nervous.
• • •
Since Aptitude tests normally lasted for an eternity and a half, the teachers and dean agreed each year that only classes during the first half of the day would take place. For me, they passed by in no time; it was the last day of school as we would all be Choosing tomorrow, so the teachers gave us nothing but small reviews.
By the time lunch rolled around, I was starved to the point where I could eat a train if the opportunity presented itself. I had to forego eating breakfast as I would have been late for school, but it slipped my mind to pick up a muffin or something (it didn't help that I didn't eat dinner last night either). My journey to the cafeteria was brisk; I bolted into the line and ravenously scavenged for food. My tray found a temporary home at a secluded corner table, where Eddie, Myra and I, plus a few other Erudite I didn't know very well, ate everyday. The unforgiving surface of the bench didn't even compare to the incessant grumbling of my stomach. I complied happily with my stomach's commands and took a Mapusaurus-sized bite out of my sandwich. Based on the fact that my last name began with a T, I concluded that I had quite a bit of time to finish my food. I pulled out a book I snagged from the library a few days ago but didn't have the chance to read. Books from before the war held a special place in my heart for their uniqueness – they always took place in a society without factions. Their universes were so different from the world I lived in, but that's what made them interesting.
I managed to finish just over half of the book – without the name calling interruptions for the tests, I would have gotten to at least three quarters – before I heard my name. My sandwich was long gone, my tray already in a pile by the front. I stuffed the book in my bag after carefully marking my page and tossed it to Eddie.
"Sure, I'll watch it for you. Thank you for using your manners!"
I walked up to the eighth door out of ten. An Abnegation boy stood on my left and a Candor girl on my right. The latter was being consumed by her nerves; her legs shook like the ground during an earthquake and struggled to hold her up. I couldn't understand why everyone was so anxious. Most people would get their home faction anyway. The defect rate was only 15%. I already knew I would get Erudite.
I glided confidently in through the door to see a chair similar to that of a dentist, but with small metal details and a less sterile vibe to it. A woman with salt and pepper hair pulled tightly into a bun and dressed in modestly long grey slacks stood next to the chair whilst typing something into a computer nearby. The door ominously slammed shut behind me, causing the woman look up in my direction. She sent me a warm smile and came closer.
"Good morning," she addressed me politely. "My name is Marie Jameson. I assume you are..." she checked a list on a tablet nearby before continuing, "Jaqueline Taylor?"
"That is correct," I replied. Marie's smile grew.
"Please take a seat in the chair."
I walked towards the chair, wanting to get the test over with as quickly as possible so I could return to my book. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Marie pouring a blue substance into a small glass. It looked like a serum to me. Erudite scientists were always looking to develop new technology and such; many of their newer serums included nano-transmitters that were able to relay data from the brain to a computer. I suspected that was how they'd be testing us. Marie handed me the glass.
"Drink this please."
I grew hesitant as the blue liquid swirled around in the cup. I supposed I trusted the government enough to not poison us with anything or kill everyone off. I downed it in a few seconds.
"The serum will be in effect in 60 seconds..." Marie confirmed my suspicions. I tuned out the rest of her words and focused on the task ahead. I hadn't realized the overwhelming drowsiness until my eyelids started to droop. I attributed the side effects to the serum. My eyes closed effortlessly in compliance.
• • •
The sleepiness left me instantly, allowing me to open my eyes without a hassle. I was still in the room, but Marie and the computer set were not. I sat up in the chair suspiciously. After turning my head around to survey my surroundings, I pushed myself off the chair gingerly and inched forwards. Two bowls appeared in front of me– one with a knife, and one with cheese.
"Choose." The word rang out around the room as I skeptically turned around. The voice sounded somewhat like Jeanine Matthews, but there was no other person in sight. I swivelled around again to face the bowls. Aside from eating or feeding something, I saw no point in taking the cheese. The bowls were probably two different takes on the same situation. If there was a knife, something would probably turn up to attack me or put me in danger. Cheese certainly wouldn't help me then. Rowan had also taught Eddie and I how to use a knife sometime last year, so there was no harm in picking it up anyways. The bowls and cheese vanished as soon as my fingers grazed the blade. The dingy light from above me gleamed in the metal.
An unnerving growl echoed throughout the small room, catching me off guard. I flipped around swiftly. My alert eyes couldn't have deceived me as they settled on an enormous dog about half my size. My first instinct was to try to avoid meeting its gaze. The dog would probably take that the wrong way and definitely pounce. I glanced around at the rest of the room to see if there was anything else I could use. The growling began to amplify, hitting off the walls and onto me. I diverted my gaze from the walls to the dog and waited for something to happen.
The dog broke into a sprint towards me, apparently seeing me as a threat. Think, I told myself. I could have shown a sign of submission, but there was no guarantee the dog would even think to consider my actions. The only reasonable option left was to kill it, if it came too close. I stood my ground against what my instincts wanted me to do. Knife in hand, I hoped I wouldn't have to stab the dog. As it leaped into the air bearing its razor-sharp teeth, I waited until the last second to dodge out of harm's way and plunge my blade into the dog's body. What a great day to be a dog person. Unable to bear the sight, I shut my eyes. When I finally managed to pry them open again, I had a hard time believing what I saw. The rabid dog, half my height, was nowhere to be seen. In its place stood an innocently minuscule puppy. I peered at it with furrowed eyebrows, looking then at the blood-stained knife in my right hand. I sank to my knees, hesitantly stroking its pillowy fur.
"Puppy!" My head snapped up to see a young Erudite girl, with features strikingly similar to mine. The soft smile on my face was short-lived when I heard an all-too familiar growl. My head violently whipped back to see the dog just as it had been moments before, alive, and taking off towards the girl. Her face was plastered with fear as she sprinted away as fast as she could. I gained speed quickly as I flew after them. The dog got closer and closer to the girl as I somehow got farther and farther. As the wall approached, I ran out of options. Rather than leaping in front of the dog to protect the girl, I decided to take a logical approach. With impeccable aim, I flung the knife back at the dog.
Just as the blade pierced the dog's mangled fur, I find myself on what seems to be a bus. Beside me stood a man with a scraggly beard and torn up clothes. Factionless? He held up a piece of newspaper in front of me.
"Do you know this man?" He questioned. Printed on the paper is the face of a man that looks somewhat familiar. I tried to pin down where I had seen him before, but I couldn't put my finger on it. My eyes flickered back to the man in front of me. From the ice in his glare, I deducted with certainty that he would hurt me if I said yes.
"No, I'm sorry," I replied. The man lashed out at me then.
"Liar! You know him!" I kept a straight face, my hands clenched and ready in case he tried anything.
"I don't, I'm sorry," I repeated. He glanced at me pleadingly, thought the menace in his gaze was still overpowering.
"You could save me," he whispered.
"I'm sorry," I said, for the last time, "I don't know him."
I scrambled for breath as I sat up in the dentist chair. In for seven, hold for four, out for eleven. In for seven, hold for four, out for eleven. I calmed down as I waited Abnegation woman standing next to me to speak. I looked at her expectantly. My impatience was bluntly evident through my restless fingers.
"Your results, Jacqueline, were Dauntless."
"I'm sorry," I laughed, shaking my head. "Did you say Dauntless?" Marie nodded. "How can I be Dauntless? It must have been wrong. Can you do it again?" She shook her head.
"Jaqueline, the results can't be wrong. You especially should have an idea of how the serum was formulated. No mistakes." I sighed. Dauntless?
"But," she continued, "you still have the right as a dependant of our society to choose whatever you want, regardless of the test." I stood up from the dentist chair with a cold nod.
"Thank you, Marie," I grunted sullenly.
"Have a good day, dear."
With much angst I pushed out through the door and rushed back to the sanctuary of my cafeteria table.
"Thanks for holding my bag, Edward," I said mindlessly. My mixed emotions were masked with a smile. I took the ocean blue bag back into my arms. After a quick unzip I dove in to find my book. Reading was my escape. I always thought I was a perfect Erudite; impeccable grades, natural curiosity, thirst for knowledge. I belonged here.
At least, I thought I did.