"Did she call you 'girl' or 'person'?" asks my brother, River, scribbling away in his green notebook. His handwriting is surprisingly neat for someone who writes as fast as he does. 

I look down at my brother. He got the smaller genes in the family and he hunches his back when writing, making him look even smaller. "Honestly, Riv," I sigh, "Does it really matter?"

Hurt flashes across his face. He straightens up and looks me seriously in the eyes, "It matters to me," he says, "I want to record it exactly so I can use the conversation in a book I'm writing."

My brother and I are sitting at a table in a school Cafeteria, surrounded by other Amity-kids. It's a normal school day. I've had four mind-numbing lessons and come lunch, I'm exhausted. 

River is spending his lunchtime writing down an argument I had with an annoying teacher in one his books, whilst I sit beside him, picking at my food and trying to ignore the conversation of my fellow Amities. The topic for their discussion is focussed solely on Abigail's bright yellow dress. 

"I love the way it moves when you walk," squeals our triplet, Mazie, a true Amity through-and-through who also happens to be Abigail's best friend. I do my best not to groan. All I can think of is how ugly it looks on her. Their conversation topics are always boring. 

Abigail beams at Mazie, flashing all her teeth in just that one smile.   

"I love yellow," gushes Felix, a neighbour of ours who happens to be wearing a yellow get-up himself, which clashes with his sandy-blond hair, "It reminds me of the sun."

"Me too," smiles Abigail, "Do you like yellow April?"

I sigh. A while ago I would have racked my brain for an 'Amity' answer. Maybe I would have looked at what I was wearing for inspiration (not that I'm wearing yellow anyway), or tried to pretend how happy 'yellow' made me feel. 

But not anymore. I'm tired of being anyone other than April Dexter Meadows. So I just say the first thing that comes into my head: "Yellow's ugly."

The other Amity kids stare at me like I have two heads, but I'm used to that by now. 

"Oh," says Abigail, conveying all her disappointment in that single syllable. Mazie whips out a comb from her dress pocket and focusses her attention on combing her long brown hair as if it will help her forget her embarrassment of a sister.

River, as usual, cuts in and draws their attention away from me. "I like that shirt you're wearing Farhad," he comments. 

"Do you?" Farhad looks down startled as if suddenly remember that he is in fact wearing a shirt, and then practically glows with happiness, "Thank you! I like yours too!" And the attention is shifted to the boys' shirts. 

I sigh and turn my attention back to River, "I think she said 'girl'," I say, bored.

"What? Oh-thanks!" He says, a smile beaming across his face. He grabs his pen with his left-hand and scribbles it down, "You know, that would go really well with-"

But whatever my brother was going to say, I don't get to hear it, because a hand lands on my skinny brother's shoulder. Looking up, I follow it to its' source and see a tall dark-haired Erudite boy standing next to our table, flanked by a boy on either side. 

"Well, well, well," he says in a surprisingly high voice, "If it's not River Meadows." 

"Uhhh," my brother stutters, quickly and not very subtly trying to cover his practically luminous green notebook with his arm, "H-hello Isaac," he says, addressing the ringleader, "C-Can I h-help you w-with a-anything?"

Isaac leans forward so that his pale blue eyes are inches away from my brother's brown ones, "How did you get that score?"

My brother blinks, once, then twice, "What score?"

Isaac rolls his eyes to the ceiling and keeps them there for a few long seconds before rolling back down to stare at River. Though unable to see what is happening, the two boys behind him snicker as they gather that their leader is doing something funny. 

"Oh I don't know," Isaac finally says, before adding patronisingly, "That score in Mathematics? Ring a bell?"

"Oh...that, "says River terrified. At this point, I am unaware of what 'that' is as River tends to keep things to himself, but I've got thankfully enough brains to figure out that it isn't good news.

"Yes," says Isaac slowly, as if he's talking to someone ten years younger than River, "That. Care to explain?"

"Beginner's luck?" hedges River, cautiously. 

"Beginner's luck, and you got 100%?" asks Isaac. It's evident that cold fury is seeping into his voice now. 

"Oh, well..." River begins, and then trails off. His voice is so small that I'm surprised that I can even hear it. But then I realise why; the entire Cafeteria has gone silent and is watching us. 

This thought seems to occur to Isaac as well because he quickly looks around the Cafeteria, and glares at all the stares. He flushes and returns his gaze to River. Clearly publicity isn't what he was after. 

His voice drops to a whisper, rather surprising considering his high voice, and he snarls, "Everyone knows that Amity is just a faction full of brainless idiots. What do you think would happen if word got around that an Amity had beaten an Erudite?"

"Look, Isaac..." my brother tries. 

"Listen Meadows, "Isaac says contemptuously, as if he finds our very surname offensive, "if you ever, and I mean, ever, get a score like that again, I'll..."

And it's then that I finally snap. 

"Oh I'm sorry Isaac," I say, loud enough for the whole canteen to hear, (and yes I am literally shouting), "you're upset because River here got a higher score than you in Mathematics?" 

Isaac goes ashen, "Now, you listen here you..."

There's the familiar sound of scraping of chairs behind me and I know that literally every Amity has recognised the signs of an upcoming fight and is leaving the Cafeteria. 

"No," I growl at him, "you listen to me, Isaac," I try and say his name as contemptuously as he said my surname, "Calling all Amity 'brainless idiots' is one thing but no one-I repeat- no one threatens my brother and gets away with it. And unlike most people, I'm not afraid of you."

A group of Candors detach themselves from a table and begin to make their way towards us. With a sinking feeling, I recognise that one of the girls is Brooke Kang, my arch-nemesis. 

"Dex," River begins, "It's ok. Please stay out of this. It's fine. Trust me,"

"No it's not fine," I hiss back, "I'm not going to let you get bullied by a know-it-all Erudite!"

"Oh dear, " drawls the familiar voice of Brooke, and I now see that she has reached our table, "What has the failure of an Amity April Meadows got herself into this time? What are you doing now, starting yet another  fight?"

"Shut up Kang," I scowl at her. 

"How Un-Amity of you Meadows," she smirks. Her Candor friends behind her giggle and I glare at her, wishing I could punch that smirk right off her face, "But it's the truth, you know. We all know that trouble follows you everywhere you go."

Before I can retort back, River finds his courage and desperately intervenes, "Look, Brooke, Dex, please, this is between me and Isaac. Isaac, maybe we could go outside and-"

"So you can run away?" Isaac finishes, "Not a chance. You started this Meadows. I'm finishing this here and now," Isaac leans forward and grabs my brother by his shirt, "An Amity never gets the better of an Erudite."

And with that, Isaac, almost casually, punches River right in the face. There's a gasp that ripples like a Mexican wave around the cafeteria. And then there's more scraping of chairs-this time Dauntless, who are eager to watch the upcoming fight. 

Although there's a black-clothed tsunami heading in our direction, I see nothing but red. Isaac has dared to hurt my  brother- mine- in front of the entire school. 

"An Amity never gets the better of an Erudite, you say?" I shout, climbing from the bench I'm on and standing on the table. 

The Dauntless stop in their tracks. Isaac looks from the blood dripping from my brother's nose to me towering above him. 

"What-" he begins. 

River has only got time to shout, "Dex! No!", before I'm throwing myself onto Isaac with a strangled yell and punching him right in the face. At least, I attempt  to punch him in the face that is.

For a moment, time seems to pass in slow motion. I see Isaac's right eyebrow slowly rise on his forehead, his arm slowly coming to meet mine... and then time speeds up and, faster than I can ever process, he's chucked me on the floor. 

I gasp, winded and roll over onto my back, staring at the boy that's towering above me. At first, I think I'm seeing black spots in front of my vision and hearing white noise, but then I realise that the Dauntless have formed a circle around us and are yelling 'Fight! Fight! Fight!'

Isaac bends over me as I stare at him in shock, and whispers, "You say you aren't scared of me? Well you should be."

He straightens up and nonchalantly raises his right foot, ready to slam the black sole of the shoe he is wearing right into my face. 

"Wait!" River gasps, and suddenly, he's there on the floor, crouched in front of me between me and Isaac, his arms behind him, protecting me. 

"Please!" Riv begs, "Both of you! Stop! Please!

I gasp. The idiot. Doesn't he know that getting in the middle of a fight is the worst thing to do?

"Riv! You moron!" I shout, "Move!" But it's too late. Isaac's fist slams right into my brother's windpipe and he's collapses onto the floor. 

I jump to my feet and glare daggers at Isaac, whilst springing towards him "That's. My. Brother!" I scream, enunciating every syllable with a punch to his chest, "you sonofa-"

But I don't have time to get in one last punch, or even finish my sentence for that matter. Because the last thing I remember is Isaac's fist smashing into my face and my head hitting the floor.