Before the Choosing

[Edwin Hyde]

    School had just ended and I was now walking home. It was only a month until the Choosing Ceremony, and a week before my birthday. I was sure I was going to pick Dauntless even though I hadn’t had my aptitude test yet. I was still nervous though, I had been training in combat for a while but I didn’t really know what to expect.
    I turned the corner into an alley, a shortcut that I took every day to get to my Erudite home. Out of the shadows three boys approached me, they where taller than me and heavily built. I stopped. “I heard you only got a ninety on the physics exam,” sneered the taller boy. I shifted my bag up my shoulder. “Well I didn’t study for it.” I replied under my breath. “You don’t need to study idiot, its just physics anyone can pass it.” I glared at them “I did pass and I still got an A.” They looked at me as if I was a five year old “Good for you, you got an A everyone else in the class got higher that a ninety six.” The taller on laughed and shoved my shoulder “You are never going to make it in this faction,” He stopped and smiled “As a matter of fact you probably won’t make it in any of them.” They all began to laugh. Anger swelled up inside me. They had no idea what I was capable of. I pushed my way past them trying to ignore them but as I was leaving one of them called after me “You little factionless” That was it. I dropped my bag next to me and turned around. “Ooh is the little boy going to get messy now?” they jeered at me as I walked towards them. Suddenly one of them grabbed me and shoved me against a wall “Are you even old enough to go to the Choosing Ceremony?” he asked laughing.
    I kicked him in the stomach sending him toppling onto his friends. They growled “You’re going to pay for that shrimp!” They ran towards me one swung a fist aimed for my face. I grabbed his arm and kicked his diaphragm knocking the wind out of him. Another charged I grabbed his head and slammed it against a crate. He yelped in pain and then passed out. Finally the third came I jumped at him knocking us both over and then after pinning him to the ground, punched him in the back of the head leaving him unconscious.
    The boy I had kicked earlier had fled so after dragging there unconscious bodies behind some crates, I picked up my bag. I was shaking I had never actually attacked a person before, I found it exhilarating. I was almost thankful for them being there, they had confirmed to me though I was born Erudite, I was meant for Dauntless.

[Nadia Amber Rilley]

i look at to the dauntless boy from a distance. as amity born, i never fit with violence. but as usual, I actually approach these guy because my curiosity is unstoppable.
"is that necessary?" ask me.
I examine a bit messy appearance and give a smile typical of those of amity.

[Edwin Hyde]

I looked over my shoulder to see an Amity girl approaching me. "Probably not for them." I said shakily, I hadn't really thought about what it would look like from the outside it probably looked like a couple of dauntless because of the violence. I thought back on the incident. "But it was for me it was." I pushed my school bag onto my shoulder sadness filling my face, I glanced up. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

[Amelia Dezame]

I walked into the alley just as two figures left. looking around I saw two boys moaning in the corner. I ran over to them and helped one up. They where from my faction, actually this one looked like my neighbor Howard. He moaned rubbing his head. "What happened to you?" I asked. Howard glared and watched his friend whom I recognized as Trevor get up. "It was just a little pest." he growled "A little insect with has a sharp bit." He brushed some dirt of his pants "But its no matter. He is irrelevant." Trevor groaned "Where did Randal go?" he asked I looked around "I don't know I only just got here." He scowled and then winced in pain. "Don't tell anyone about this okay?" I nodded "This would greatly effect our popular status among our classmates." I pulled my glasses out of my pocket and put them on "Don't worry it will be as if nothing ever happened."

[Edwin Hyde]

I looked back into the alley to see a dark haired girl helping the idiots. She could have seen me and would probably report me to the authorities. She began to head towards me and I panicked. I crouched behind a crate and waited until she closer. I pulled out my smudged glasses and put them on to hide my identity somewhat. Not that she would recognize me anyway I was kind of a recluse. She rounded the corner and my leg shot out kicking the back of her knee bringing her down. I grabbed her shirt collar and picked her up causing her glasses to fall off and shoved her up against the wall. I probably wouldn't have done this normally but my thought process had been impaired due to a recent episode of insomnia that had occurred over the last week. "You where never here." I whispered coldly looking around I said "There are a lot of fun places to hide bodies here." I smiled then returned to my cold stare. "You don't want to test any of them do you?"

[Amelia Dezame]

My heart quickened and my life flashed before my eyes. I shook my head and wimpered. His eyes where so cold even with his glasses smudged I felt as if I was looking into an iceberg. "Please, just lets me go." My voice cracked as I spoke. I tried to swallow but my throught was too dry. I slowly and carefully placed my hand on his shoulder. We where about the same hight but he looked younger than me it was hard to tell with his glasses on. "I promise it will be as if this day didnt even exist." I tryed to look into his eyes to maybe convince him I was telling the truth, but it was painful so I fixed my eyes on the black rim of his glasses.

[Edwin Hyde]

My chest was heaving I was so angry. She touched my arm and I flinched. I looked at her and realized that she had no idea what was really going on. I quickly let go of her my eyes burned and I stumbled back "I'm so sorry," I whispered almost choking on my own words. I grabbed my bag which had fallen and then darted away. I hoped to god that I didn't start crying, I was such a wimp. After a good distance and the occasional turn I stopped. My vision was burly and I tried to keep my balance but failed and I fell to my knees. I was seventy percent sure I was going to pass out. I slowed down my breathing and curled into a ball. Rocking back and forth I began o laugh. This must have looked extremely strange to the person who approached my as I blacked out.
When I came to I was in my room on my bed. I stretched and looked around I was alone and the room was dark only lit by the setting sun. I sat up and took my glasses off, putting them on my nightstand I was about to leave my room when I noticed my bag on the floor. It's contents where spilling out. I sat down and began placing my things back in but something was missing. my heart stopped when I realized my graded test was gone. I jumped up and bolted down the hallway to the top of the stairs. I got there just in time to see my mother crumple it up then throw it into the incinerator. She was infuriated I slowly quietly backed up and went to my room locking the door behind me I sat on my bed. This wasn't going to end well.

[Amelia Dezame]

I watched the boy run away and I sighed. That was one of the scariest moments of my life. But something about it I enjoyed the exhilaration maybe or the chance of harm. I pulled down my shirt a little bit and began to walked home. If I saw that boy at school again he was going to be sorry he did that to me, and my friends. I brushed my fingers threw my dark curled hair and I remembered that my sisters birthday dinner was tonight. My pace quickened and I reach my house before my father did. I ran inside and up to my room where I put my bags away smiling this was going to be great.

[Edwin Hyde]

I scratched my head and then began to pace around the room. My score on the test wasn't even bad why would this be a problem. If I was in a different faction I would be at the top of my class my parents would be proud, but this is not how this are here. The average score is a ninety six for a introductory physics exam. We where all past intro level but it was just a required test that all the students in the school had to take. I heard the my mother coming up the stairs and I began to panic. I sat down on my bed and closed my eyes. Just breathe I still got an A everything will be fine, wont it? My mother knocked on my door, slowly i got up and opened it. It was clear she was trying to hide her anger with a cold blank stare probably because I passed out today but she was a terrible lair just like myself. "We need to talk about your grades." She said smiling then returned to her cold stare.

[Harvey Stewart]

Harvey walked along the edge of the wall. This was a temporary assignment that he had taken on when Omar had fallen off and broken his legs. Harvey shifted his gun on his shoulder, he had been doing this for three hours now and was beginning to grow sick of watching the Amity survey the farmland. He turned to look back onto the city it was quiet. Just as it has always been thousands of people living in it and not a sound came from it. This annoyed Harvey so he turned again to look at the Amity farmers. He was hoping to get this job at some point so that maybe he could see his parents or maybe they would see him. He didn't want to go back but he still loved his parents and wanted them to be proud of him. He sighed and looked over at the other Dauntless with him Jacke "Dude when is this shift over?" He asked Jacke who was examining his nails contently "Two more hours." Harvey rolled his eyes, he couldn't wait til he had to train the initiates in almost a month.

[Edwin Hyde]

"Mom, I can explain," I started but my mother would have none of it. "You scored bellow average on a introductory physics exam, introductory Edwin!" she shouted her anger plain on her face now "How could you do this to us Edwin? We know you are better than average." she was very distressed now, I was actually afraid she was going to cry "Mom I didn't study, I didn't even know we where taking the test that day." I said pleadingly hoping to calm her down. "Excuses Edwin I don't want to here them." She turned away from me, not being able to stand the sight of me. She sniffed and looked up at the ceiling. "Your brother aced that test you know." She murmured. Hatred filled my heart. How dare she compare me to my brother? We aren't the same people! I clenched my fists, I must not react she was just playing with me I must not react. "You are lucky your father isn't up here, he would have sent you to the factionless!" She turned to face me. We looked at each other in silence our cold stares paralleled each other who would react first. She sighed "You know I blame myself for this, my father transferred from Candor, you probably inherited his genes." She finally said and then smiled. "Its okay to have a dumb child." She stroked my face and then left the room.

As soon as she left the room I slammed my fist into the wall. The drywall cracked and broke underneath my hand. I growled and walked over to my window ignoring the pain. Dumb? I wasn't the only idiot in my family apparently. I slowly inhaled everything was going to be okay a month from now I would be free from this idiocy, and where I truly belonged. I felt along the border of my window until I found my hidden knife I used for practice. I spun it around in my hands and then threw it at my door. Only a month? The finish line was in sight.