Divergent Fan-Fic: Liz Aldridge

The Test

Life as a Candor teaches one how to become one with the truth. It shows you a way to enjoy your life in a peaceful, yet truthful manner.
But soon I know that I will be forced to take a different path; a different faction. If I choose that.
I walk to the bus stop alone and wait for the Candor bus. My knees are trembling in fear; today is the all important Aptitude Test. The day I take a test that predicts a recommended faction for me. But it's tomorrow I'm more nervous about. Tomorrow is the Choosing Ceremony; when we all choose the faction we want. Candor life doesn't seem for me though. There have been times I have lied to my parents. And I've always admired the bravery of the Dauntless.

+++

Every 16 year old is gathered in the cafeteria, on separate tables for our factions. I, of course, sit with the Candor. An Abnegation woman walks out from the hallway holding a clipboard as she starts calling out names.
"From Candor..."
I pick up my ears for the names in my faction.
"Elizabeth Aldridge and Christina."
I follow the Abnegation woman into the room areas.
I take my place in room 2, where another Abnegation woman waits for me.
"Hello," she says. "My name is Jessica. Please, take a seat."
She escorts me to a metal chair and straps me in with her right hand. In her left hand, she holds a syringe.
"It doesn't hurt, does it?" I ask her.
"You won't feel a thing," Jessica replies. "Trust me."
I nod. She injects the needle and presses down on the plunger. I close my eyes.

+++

When I wake up I find myself somewhere else. It looked like the cafeteria but it wasn't.
And before me are two bowls. One with a slice of cheese, the other with a knife.
"Choose," I hear a voice say.
It might be for a fight or something.
I walk to the bowl containing the knife, and look at it.
"Choose," I hear again.
I pick up the knife and clutch it tight in my hand.
The bowls are taken away as a door opens, releasing a wild dog.
I aim the knife at the back of its head, where the skull and spine join, and throw. The dog falls motionless to the floor within a few seconds. It makes me feel guilty that I killed something like that.
The dog then evolves into a puppy, as a little girl walks in.
"Aww, a puppy!" She picks up the puppy, skipping in her steps, but the puppy starts to growl back. I take the knife again and lunge towards the dog. When I pin it to the ground,I stab the dog in the body with the knife.
The whole image then fades before my eyes, and I fall into the floor.

+++

It is just me and another man in this room. He holds a newspaper, the title reading "BRUTAL MURDERER FINALLY APPREHENDED!" The man then notices me.
"Do you know this guy?" he asks, pointing to the picture on the front cover. I look closely at the picture. I have seen a murderer before.
But he didn't look like that.
"I saw A murderer before," I reply, "but he didn't look like the man on the cover."
"What did he look like?" he asks.
I try to remember the murderer's appearance from my nightmare when I was 7 years old.
"I... He..." But I couldn't remember him. I couldn't remember the image.
"Well?"
"I don't remember," is all I can say.

+++

I then wake up in the chair again. And there stands Jessica.
"Your results are rather interesting. You act brave, truthful, AND selfless," she tells me. "Put simply, your faction results are Dauntless, Candor, and Abnegation."
3 results?
"It's very rare to get a result of 3 you know, Elizabeth," Jessica says. "I can't tell you why it is, but I can say this." She walks up to me, her hands shaking. She bends down to my ear and says "It's called being Divergent."
Being what now? What the hell is Divergent?
"You can't tell anyone, Elizabeth. It's dangerous."