If there would have been a place, where I could live without being eyed by the Abnegation members, I would run to it.

But there isn't.

My name is Beatrice Prior, and I'm an Abnegation born. But that is where everything ends. I'm nothing like the Abnegation.

I'm not selfless.

The only reason for me to leave behind this faction is this. But then I think about my family. I don't want to leave my family behind.

I take the aptitude test in two days, which will tell me where I belong.

I fear it will tell me I'm not Abnegation, and I will have to leave my family.

But I'm even more scared that it will tell me to stay.  

"Beatrice, are you ready?" Caleb asks me, peeking into my room, his eyes wandering nowhere but at me.

Our rooms are the same, there is nothing to look at. Plain grey walls with a bed attached to the window wall, a table where my books lay, and a shelf where my clothes are.

There is nothing which would interest him here. He is the selfless one among him and me, and I sometimes envy him for that.

"I'm ready,"

Enviousness is selfish. My dad would say.

I sigh and gram my bag of books and follow Caleb out of the room and down to the hall.

"Good morning Mom and Dad," I greet them, my dad sitting and reading the newspaper while my mom arranging the food, replies together.

Daddy gives me a kiss on my forehead and I sit besides him.

"Erudite are attacking Marcus again." Dad says, to mom I'm sure. We are not allowed to speak on the table. Caleb eyes snap up at Dad's statement but he quickly looks down.

"What does it say now?" Mom asks.

"It says about him and his son, Tobias, that he mistreated him. They think that is why he left." He says.

Tobias Eaton, Marcus Eaton's son left our faction to join Dauntless two years ago. Marcus is the leader of Abnegation and my father works alongside him.

As we are public servants, we are trusted to run the government. But what I hear now is that Erudite can overthrow us. They are all doing this by attacking Marcus with different kind of accusations.

First it came out that he was abusive to his own wife, and now his son, Tobias.

Caleb and me finish our meal at the same time and we bid our goodbyes to mom and dad.

I was about to walk out of the main door when mom calls for me.

I turn and see her coming towards me.

She takes my hand and holds it between hers, "When school is over, I want you to come to me at my office. I want to have a talk with you." She says to me with a loving smile.

"What is it?" I ask her.

She chuckles lightly, "It's nothing you have to worry about sweetheart, I promise. Don't forget." She says and then, she is gone.

I watch her going back inside. Abnegation never have a talk with their children on topics beyond the basics like how was the day and stuff. It is considered self indulging.

My mom, is the most selfless person I've ever known, and this definitely surprises me.

*****************

We reach our school and Caleb and I walk side by side into it.

"What did mom say to you?" He asks.

Caleb and I talk more than the other siblings do in Abnegation. We sometimes break the rules too but it is never which will trouble anyone. Caleb would never do anything like that.

"She asked me to come to her office after school." I tell him.

"Really?" He asks, as shocked as me when I first heard it.

I shrug.

"Tell me about it." he says with a wicked smile and I laugh a little.

"When I'll know." I say and we walk our different directions, to our different classes.

I'm walking into my class when I stumble upon a leg, and fall face first on the floor. Everyone erupts into a fit of laughter and I just hide my face and pick up my books.

I walk carefully after that and pick a corner to sit. My eyes are burning, but I cannot cry, not in front of all these people.

This has been happening since the Erudite has released numerous news about the Abnegation values being corrupt. Every other Abnegation becomes the target of and Erudite somewhere in the city.

I wipe my face with my sleeves and look straight.

*********************

I walk into the plain grey building where my mother works as a counsellor and a manager for feeding the factionless.

"Beatrice!" I hear my mom's voice and I look around and find her face in the crowd of grey clothes.

I walk to her and she smiles at me, I smile back.

"What do you want to talk about?" I ask her.

"Not here. Come with me." She says and starts to walk, my hand wrapped around her forearm.

I nod and smile at the people who look at me and smile as mom walk to her office.

"I don't want anyone inside." She says to the guard.

"Yes ma'am." He says.

She takes me to her office.

"Sit, Beatrice." She says and I sit on the chair in front of her desk. I expect her to sit in front of me but she sits besides me on the other chair.

This feels....unnatural.

"I have some things to tell you, which will help you in your life Beatrice. So listen to me very carefully." She says to me.

I smile a little and nod.

"There are things which you don't know, my child. The world looks like a normal place but it is way more complicated than it looks like." She says.

"Is everything okay?" I ask her. 

"Beatrice, I do not know for sure, but I think you are divergent." She says, looking into my eyes.

My face contours in confusion and she smiles a little.

"What am I?" 

She chuckles a lightly and asks, "What do you know about the aptitude test, Beatrice?"

"Um, they told us at school that there are some simulations which are activated by some kind of a serum and we rule out faction by faction until one remains." I tell her.

"What they don't teach you at school is that it is possible that all the factions might not rule out." She says.

I frown, "What do you mean? It's the test, there cannot be any errors in that."

"It's not an error Beatrice. It's you." She says, "The aptitude test is purely based on your reactions in the simulation."

My mind is spinning now. Is she telling me that I am..what did she say again..divergent?

What does that even mean?

"Divergents are the one who can get more than one faction in their aptitude." She continues, "I think you are one of them." She says.

My eyes widen.

"How can you tell?" 

"You are my daughter, Beatrice. I have observed you for sixteen-years." She says, "It is my duty to save you." She says.

"To save me?" I ask.

She nods, "Divergents are considered dangerous. People are afraid of them, and I'm telling you this because I want you safe."

"How do you know all this?" I ask.

My mother is a very simple person, always helping everyone and all this information is just too much for an Abnegation to know.

It's wrong of me too ask questions like this to her too, but I cannot help it, and it's just my mother.

"That doesn't matter. I am not sure if you are one of them or you're just reluctant. But if you are, then I need you to be safe." She says and stands up.

She walks to the other side of the table and opens a cabinet behind it and takes out something. She turns around and I see a knife in her hand. 

My eyes widen, "Oh my god! Mom!" I jolt up from my chair but she, very calmly, walks to me.

She comes and stands in front of me. I look at the knife and then at her, a look of horror on my face. But all she does is take my hand and put the knife in it.

"I want you to protect yourself." She says and by the look of her face, I don't think she is joking.

"Mom, what is all this?"

"When you take the aptitude test two days from now, I want you to protect yourself if the results are inconclusive. The test administrator may attack you if that is the case, so you need to have something to protect yourself."

"I cannot use that Mom!" I say backing away from her, "How can you expect me to use it on someone!"

"Beatrice, I'm not asking you to use it! It is just for your safety if anything happens." 

"You're technically asking me to use it!"

"I will not take any chances with my children, Beatrice, even if it makes me selfish." She yanks my hand and keeps the knife in it.

"Mom, I cannot do this!" I say.

"You don't have to if you don't see any threat. You don't understand right now, but the Divergent problem is very dangerous. They won't hesitate to kill one." She says.

"I have something else for you." She says and then reveals a silver locket with a chain, "This is for you."

She hands it to me. I take it and notice it can be opened. I look at her and she nods. I keep the knife away and open the locket, and it has a picture of her, my dad and Caleb in it.

I gasp at that.

She knows.

She knows I don't fit in here. She knows I'm thinking of leaving.

"Mom.."

"Beatrice, I love you, no matter what." She says and my eyes water.

She picks up the knife and hides it in my dress.

"Remember, it is not bad to protect yourself from the evil. But in that process people seem to lose their sense of thinking and become cruel. That should never happen. You should always have kindness in here." She says keeping her hand on my heart.

I nod at her and she smile.

"Now go home, and don't tell Caleb what happened here." She says and I look at the locket.

"Here, let me put that on." She says and I turn around so that she can put the locket on.

When she is done, she hides it inside my dress so that no one could see it.

Abnegation will never allow any kind of jewellery on a person's body.

But today, my mom broke all the rules, to protect me.

**********************