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THERE ARE TWO things in life for which no one was truly prepared for: twins.

Vivane Todd had left the womb first, pale and screaming, all the attention and lights on her. The family's first born, wispy and pale hair glossed to her head and lungs that made the doctors proud. And twenty minutes later, Davina had come and been whisked away, no more impressive than the first twin. She would find that much of her life would be spent like that, her feats no more impressive or worth mentioning than the mirror of herself that had already done it.

Because in every facet, Viviane would get there first. The first to start walking, the first to speak, the first to win an award of recognition in school, the first, the first, the first. Davina would roll over the scenes in her head, the moment she had that flicker of hope that for once, it was her turn, followed by the realisation that life was a cycle and Vivane was always a step ahead of her.

"Don't even worry about it," her best friend, Edward, would tell her. "You're both adults now. It doesn't matter."

It sounded an awful lot like giving up to Davina. Like admitting she was the lesser twin, admitting that her mother would never look at her with that pride she coated Viviane in. Davina saw it, she always saw it. It did not matter that once they had turned eighteen their performance no longer mattered, it did not matter that in mere hours they were to take the aptitude test, it did not matter until Davina could stand an equal to Viviane.

Did Viviane even know? Davina wondered, as the pair woke up that morning. Did she even know she was everything Davina wanted to be? That she was the perfect daughter and the perfect student? If she did, she wouldn't look so nervous in that moment, standing in their shared bedroom, staring at herself in the mirror and tugging at her skirt.

The only mirror Davina needed was her twin. They were both blonde, fair-skinned with an upturned nose and wide eyes, square-jawed and hard-eyed. Except Davina's were green as the landscapes she painted, and Viviane's were the same blue as the sky. Not quite identical, not quite different enough for Davina to not see a mirror in front of her.

"Are you nervous?" Davina spoke up as she got dressed, joints cracking as they woke.

Viviane paused, blue eyes widening slightly. They were neatly outlined, and her shiny lips turned down. "What a stupid question," Viviane bit out.

Davina scoffed at the response. "Well, at least we know you won't be a Stiff," she mused.

A beat of silence passed at the thought of Abnegation, the plain and simple grey-coloured Faction that the Todds' own had been attacking in the news reports for months. Davina only kept up because of her parents, otherwise she couldn't care less. Abnegation had never been in the cards for her, but she felt no reason to attack them. Question them, think of them negatively, but physically take action seemed illogical and pointless.

The world had worked just fine under their current leadership, and what better leadership than people willing to give up everything in their power for the greater good?

Her twin didn't look pleased by the remark. "As if," Viviane sneered. She flicked a blonde curl over her shoulder. "God knows you won't be either."

Davina faltered, wondering how far her twin had aimed that, looking at her from the corner of her eye. "And what do you think I am?" she asked, snidely.

Viviane didn't glance her way. The air had shifted with the question, and Davina figured she wouldn't get an answer as she turned her head away and continued to get ready, fingers nimbly braiding her hair down the back of her head.

It was no secret amongst their family that the younger twin was something below Erudite. She accepted the ways of learning and valuing logical thinking, she absorbed knowledge like a sponge and kept her head in a book if it was required. She wore their blue clothes and she spoke when she had the answer, and she sought the answer. But at what point did the blue stop and turn into something else?

Something else lived within her. Jealous and angry, the driving force behind everything she did. If it would take the spotlight of her twin for a second, she would have learnt any skill, memorised any book. She would have been the most cut and dry Erudite ever known if it meant her mother would look at her once.

Viviane was right, her twin would not be a Stiff. She was selfish and angry, she fought tooth and claw to get to the top, to stand and look down at the one she called sister. An Erudite would not do that– an Erudite's only competition was themselves and their notes.

An Erudite was did not combine impulsiveness and spur of the moment decisions with careful planning and logic, an Erudite did not smoke cigarettes because they knew the health risks all the way to the tissue, an Erudite did not waste time with painting and art because it took no brains, an Erudite did not waste time learning to fight.

The only thing Davina may have been better at was everything Erudite didn't want. It was nothing that would draw praise to her, only criticism. Sometimes that felt warmer than nothing, but other times she loathed herself for seeking attention the way she had.

The door to their room swung open, and their younger brother stood in the door, looking slightly frantic. His head of dark hair was spiked up at odd angles, and he was already dressed for the day. "Are you two going to take any longer?" Nicolas Todd asked with a huff.

"Nic, knock," Viviane hissed, throwing a pillow at the fourteen-year-old boy.

Despite the Erudite custom of avoiding nicknames, Nic had rarely gone by his full name during his life, and while a majority of the Faction called him by his full name, there were a few who still used the preferred title. Davina had started the nickname out of laziness when she was younger and it had stuck, much to her parents' chagrin.

Nic's cheeks flushed as he turned away. "Whatever. I have a chemistry prac in two hours though. I need to get to school early and study."

Davina frowned at her brother. He was incredibly bright and hardworking, pulling extra hours when he shouldn't have. She might even wager that he was a higher-achiever than she had been at his age, freshly fourteen and desperate for her mother to turn to her as they headed into highschool.

But Nic was not her twin. He did not steal the limelight from her at every turn and haunt her in the mirror. Not once had she looked at him with bitterness or disdain. He was her sibling, she justified.

"At some point there is over studying," Davina told him.

"Don't listen to her," Viviane cut in. "You do what you need to, Nic. We won't be much longer."

Davina shot her a look that her twin couldn't see from the angle. Nic didn't look assured by his oldest sister's words, just as a shadow appeared behind him.

"What's going on?" a cold voice interrupted.

The siblings all paused and turned to the door to the Todd sisters' bedroom, seeing their mother Callista standing there with her own arms crossed as she stood behind her only son.She looked like the twins, with icy ices and light hair, the strands often pulled back tightly to show her gaunt face that Davina could scarcely remember with a smile on it.

Her mere presence drained the room, and Davina felt a few degrees colder. Nic's face had fallen as his mother couldn't see it, and Vivian's shoulders had tensed as she regarded the woman.

"Nicolas was rushing us," Viviane spoke up.

Nic's eyes widened to comedic effect. "I was not," he said indignantly.

Callista clicked her tongue and looked down at her son. He was still shorter than most, having not hit his growth spurt yet. "Perhaps he was right," she said, coolly. "Viviane, Davina," she addressed, "neither of you are dressed and we are meant to be leaving in just under fifteen minutes so that you may take the test to determine your future." The sisters exchanged glances. Callista fixed her gaze on the youngest. "Nicholas."

He finally turned to her, expression dull. "Nic," he corrected. Davina lowered her gaze– it wasn't a smart move on her brother's part.

Callista's jaw clenched. "Nicholas, you have an academic test in two hours. Why aren't you reading over your notes?"

"I was just–" he cut himself off. Protesting was pointless. He fled the room without another word, Davina watching him leave.

"We'll be down in two minutes, mum," Viviane informed Callista when it became clear Davina wasn't going to speak up.

Callista's eyes lit up. "Splendid." And then she, too, left, closing the door behind her to leave the twins to finish getting ready. Davina chewed on her lip, wondering if she'd ever learn the rules when it came to speaking up or keeping her mouth shut.

Viviane gave her twin a lingering look as the silence stretched on. "What?" Davina bristled.

"You encourage him too much," Viviane chastised. "He needs to learn."

"He's going to learn you're false," Davina fired back. "It's Nic when he's around to earn favour but the second mum walks in the door it's Nicolas."

Viviane looked offended. "It keeps everyone happy."

"If you say so," Davina jeered.

Sharing a room for so long had grated on Davina. It had been sweet when they were young and their competition was friendly and childish, but as they had grown older and poisoned, constantly being in proximity to the object of her bitterness had not done her any favours. It wasn't as if she'd never had a chance to split up, the Todds lived in a good part of the Erudite sector, in a white, modern house typical of their faction. It was just large enough for a family of five, plus the two recreational rooms that the three Todd children were encouraged to use regularly to continue to learn and build on their skills, old and new.

The rooms set up for books and learning were what could have been a third bedroom for the kids, and a way for Davina to stop waking up to her glowing mirror of a twin every morning. But she had missed her chance, and had never felt like she was able to ask to move. After all, Viviane sucked it up and stayed sharing, so she could do the same.

The air in the room that morning was even tenser than usual, Davina moved with a heaviness unusual for even her. It didn't need to be spoken to know that both of them were nervous for the test. It couldn't be studied, or predicted, or prepared for. They had no logic or prior knowledge going in, nothing to base facts or action on. And, to an Erudite, that was terrifying.

Davina pulled a shirt over her head, its shade of blue so light it looked almost white. Viviane had paused, her fists clenched to hide their shaking. Davina looked up at her, own hands steady despite the bundle of nerves building in her stomach.

"What's the worst result you can get, really?" she spoke up, ignoring her twin's annoyed glare at the uninvited advice. "It doesn't affect your actual choice. It's called the Choosing Ceremony for a reason," Davina continued, applying logic to the situation as best she could, pulling her navy jacket on and flipping her blonde hair from the collar, braid trailing down her back.

"I suppose," Viviane murmured. They continued in silence, Davina's words hanging in the air as she finished getting dressed in a skirt and boots, all varying shades of blue.

"You can say I'm right," Davina pointed out.

Viviane looked like she'd rather race to school than admit that. "I said two minutes and it's been more. Let's go."

Davina rolled her eyes and swung her bag over her back. They would only have half the day before the test was taken after lunch so she had packed light on books. Davina swallowed against the lump in her throat, and glanced at Viviane who was still turned away from her, emitting none of the warmth one might expect from a sister in that moment.

The younger twin wondered if she was having the same internal conflict as she was, thinking over all her actions from her eighteen years of life, pinpointing its origin, the cause, and placing it with a faction. Viviane had been a mirror to Davina's most developmental years, but her lashing out overtime and earning attention being untraditional would count for something, knowing her luck.

Viviane would not have that issue. She was the perfect Erudite stressed over a test she could not predict. But not Davina, she was nervous that the results would speak to her greatest fear. That everyone had been right, and she was not Erudite and she never would be.

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IT WAS A GLOOMY Monday, weighed even heavier by the senior students' final week. Regardless of their decision at the end of the week, they would be graduating and passing through initiation in the Factions. Davina imagined a world without Factions, where graduation was not marred by such a decision, and she realised that maybe that was why she did not suit blue.

An Erudite did not daydream about something that could not happen.

As the twins stepped off the curb, having been driven to school by their mother, Davina caught sight of her best friend waiting for them, arms crossed over his chest. The twins stuck together, as Nic departed for the middle school on the same campus.

"You guys are late," Edward chastised once they approached.

"Oh, barely," Viviane scoffed.

"Still counts," Edward said, holding up his wrist with a watch wrapped around it.

Viviane rolled her eyes dramatically while Davina grinned at her friend. "Well, good morning to you, too, Ed," she mused, playfully slapping his hand down.

There was a kind of mania in the building as they headed inside, Davina noted, as kids dressed in every Faction's colour moved around the group of three. Davina rarely interacted with those in other Factions, largely because she saw no need to, and Erudites in particular were branded with thinking they were better than everyone else. Davina agreed. Another strike against her name.

"Where's the girlfriend this morning?" Viviane asked snidely, referring to Edward's recent lover.

In the twelve years that he and Davina had been friends since their first day of school, she had seen many girlfriends come and go, but Myra seemed pretty permanent. Davina didn't care, she had never seen Edward as anything else than a brother, and while she saw less of him now, they were still best friends.

Viviane didn't have such a high opinion of him, but with the amount of time he'd spent at their house she'd gotten used to his presence. Viviane didn't have a high opinion of anything Davina enjoyed, actually.

"Early music lesson," Edward answered, as Myra was the musical prodigy of their grade. He either didn't notice Viviane's jabbing tone or had chosen to take it in stride. "We still on for tonight, Davina?" he asked, turning to the other twin.

Now that was something she was interested in: the study of hand-to-hand combat and self-defence.

It had been Davina's idea to try it out when they were only ten years old, as she was bored and needed something new to try, and Edward had agreed. In her quest to outsmart and outrank her sister, she had taken paths many Erudite didn't, and martial arts was one of them.

She was still credited with wasting Edward's time, but he had always managed to maintain his standards in other areas while still throwing himself around five times a week training with Davina. Their sessions had lessened over the years, but they still kept at it and recently it had been their main form of staying connected amongst their senior year and Edward's relationship.

Why did she care about learning to fight? Her mother had demanded that of her when she was eleven and she had shown no signs of abandoning the hobby. She had been covered in bruises, her knuckles bandaged, blonde hair frizzy and falling out of her braid, but it was maybe the first time in her life – after training and learning for a year at that point – that her green eyes had glowed.

But her mother had not seen that. Her mother had only seen what she didn't want. Davina thought maybe that was the day she realised if she was not Viviane then she was not worth her mother's time. That it didn't matter how hardworking she was or how creative she was or how she could be passionate about things she enjoyed– if it was not Erudite and not what Viviane was doing then it wasn't enough.

Davina had screamed back that she had wanted to be good at something. Her mother had only looked at her.

An unknown amount of strikes against her name.

"Yes," Davina replied finally. "Good way to release stress after the test."

"One of you is going to get seriously hurt one day," Viviane chastised.

"We train so we don't get hurt," Edward said to her with a shrug.

Viviane scowled, pulling away from their pair's side. "You guys are so reckless it's insane."

Davina was prepared to ignore her twin, knowing the critiques were only skip deep and after so many years, well, she was getting used to it. But Edward, always more in tune than people assumed, chimed in, "Just because you're not good at it doesn't mean it's stupid."

Viviane pouted. Once she had tried to learn but within a few minutes had proven to be too uncoordinated and had given up in a huff. It was one of the few times Davina had grinned genuinely at her twin.

As she watched her twin disappear into the crowd, Davina couldn't help but think she was the lucky one for having a friend like Edward. She figured she deserved one thing to come naturally to her in the way everything did for Viviane.

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THE APTITUDE TESTS began after lunch. Davina was sat at the Erudite table in the cafeteria, with Viviane on her left and Edward and his girlfriend, Myra, sitting across from them. Viviane held a book in her hand, exchanging words with one of her friends, while Myra and Edward held hands on top of the table. Davina was deep in thought, chin resting on her palm, zoned out to the rest of the world.

All she could think about were the test administrators at the front of the room, ten of them, calling ten names in rounds, to test them for their future. Davina knew she shouldn't be afraid, as she glanced at the other tables in the large room. Each table was alive with its own energy, and Davina couldn't help but feel envious of how easily some fit in.

Myra's name was among those in the next group called up, and kissed Edward before leaving. Davina had a bet with Viviane that Myra would go to Amity. Viviane disagreed and said she'd stay in Erudite.

The girl gave away no signs of anything as she returned to her seat beside Edward, their hands finding each other again. Davina wondered, briefly, if their close relationship would affect their choice. She had already gone over the thought of leaving those she knew, multiple times over the years whenever she had stuck out like a sore thumb in Erudite. But then she would look to Viviane, and know she would never, and so she would not.

Seeing Viviane get called next, however, formed a hard lump in Davina's throat.

Eventually, the words "From Erudite: Davina Todd and Edward Díaz" were announced, and Davina got to her feet, exchanging a look with her friend across the table. Myra looked more nervous now then she had for her own test, and Viviane only briefly glanced at her twin.

Davina and Edward headed for the exit, walking close together as if for comfort. Anxiety clutched Davina's insides, no matter how much she tried to think her way through the feeling. Outside the cafeteria stood a row of ten rooms, used only for the aptitude tests every year. They were separated by glass, and Davina felt even more sick as she walked up to one of the doors able to see her pale reflection.

Momentarily, she glanced across at Edward, who gave her a smile. "See you on the other side."

The remark brought a smile to Davina's face at least, as she walked into one of the rooms. Mirrors lined the walls of the small room, making it impossible for Davina to avoid her reflection, and white light glowed from the ceiling, showing off a reclined chair in the centre of the room. It reminded Davina of the dentist.

"My name is Sarah Grayson and I'll be administering your test today," said a woman, and Davina finally focused on the administrator in the room. She was from Amity, wearing a yellow top with red pants, and she looked young, maybe a few years older than Davina herself. "Take a seat, please."

Davina obliged, sliding into the chair and reclining backwards, moving her head until it was comfortable in the headrest. To the right, Sarah was busying herself with a machine, one of her hands holding wires.

"So, how're we feeling today?" Sarah asked good-naturedly as she attached an electrode to Davina's forehead. It was cold but she ignored it.

"Okay. All things considered," Davina answered, as honestly as she could with someone she barely knew. Sarah just hummed and attached another electrode to Davina's forehead.

"You won't feel a thing, okay?" Sarah assured her as she pressed the next electrode to her own forehead. Davina furrowed her brows, wondering what it could mean for the aptitude test.

"I'm not worried about that," she told the woman, as Sarah began to attach more wires to herself, Davina and the machine to the right. If Davina wasn't so convinced that if the test hurt or was dangerous they wouldn't administer it, she would've been panicking from how it appeared so far.

"Worried about failing?" Sarah asked, a teasing note to her voice. Davina didn't answer. "You Erudite hear the word 'test' and I swear it activates your fight or flight mode," Sarah mused, and Davina couldn't help her lip turning up slightly.

Sarah finally seemed satisfied with her work and handed Davina a vial of clear liquid. Davina stared at it cautiously. "Really?" she asked, unable to hide the disappointment from her voice. The aptitude test was just drinking something?

"You'll see," Sarah told her. Davina narrowed her eyes and accepted the vial. She held it up to the light, as if that would help her figure out what it was. "You're supposed to drink it."

Knowing if she waited any longer she'd lose her nerve, Davina downed the suspicious liquid before closing her eyes, falling into a world of the unknown.

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DAVINA came to with a gasp in the chair, senses still on high alert from the simulation. She had heard plenty about them, but being in one was a completely experience. It felt like an out of body experience. It felt real, and yet she knew it wasn't happening. She saw things, impossible things, happen in front of her, things she couldn't apply logic to. The phrase about it being a test you couldn't study for seemed almost amusing to Davina now.

She looked in one of the mirrors, being able to see Sarah, and waited for her to say her result, but the woman had gone stiff and Davina sensed something was wrong. She began to silently remove the electrodes from Davina and herself, and her increased silence only made the blonde more anxious.

"What?" she finally snapped. Sarah didn't even blink at her hostility. "What is it?" Davina hated the desperation in her voice as she sat up in the chair.

Had she failed the test? Had she been deemed Factionless? Was she to return home and add another thing to the list of failures in comparison to her twin?

Sarah sighed and wrung her hands in front of her. "Your results... are inconclusive."

Davina didn't register it at first, having been too focused on hearing whatever Faction she said she belonged to. "What does that mean?" Davina asked. "And not the textbook definition. What faction does it say I'm supposed to be in?"

"Erudite," Sarah answered. Relief flickered in her. She had wanted that. "And Dauntless," Sarah added, and Davina furrowed her brows in confusion. "You...you have equal aptitude for both."

"Why?" Davina questioned immediately, her need for knowledge and understanding coming forth. "I thought that was impossible?"

"No. It's– it's very rare," Sarah responded, her voice hushed. "Listen, you can't tell anyone about this. Especially anyone from Erudite." It sounded more like a warning than advice, and Davina was still confused, watching the woman with increasing puzzlement. Sarah's eyes were wide as she spoke. "You're considered dangerous."

Dangerous?

"Okay... what does that mean?" Davina asked, slowly, trying to process what had happened. This wasn't normal, she wasn't normal. Her result was split in two.

This was worse than a failure. This was worse than getting another result. This confirmed everything she had feared for years with a test result.

Sarah just shook her head. "If anyone else finds out about this... I'm sorry. I'll log your results as Erudite."

The word of her home Faction, the safe option of the two, brought a surprisingly bitter taste to Davina's mouth. Hadn't she been the one to say the test didn't matter? That the results were just recommendations that didn't affect her ultimate choice? It suddenly didn't feel that easy, nothing did in that moment.

She went to question again. "But–"

"Why don't you head back out?"

"You can't just–"

"Doesn't class start in half an hour?"

"No, b–"

"There's still dozens of–"

"What am I?" The desperation in Davina's voice seemed to bring Sarah to a halt, as the blonde girl stared at her. From the look on Sarah's face, Davina expected a remark about how Erudite had to know everything, but instead she spoke softly.

"They call it Divergent." Davina's face shifted at the word, enough so that Sarah was prompted to ask, "You know?"

"Almost nothing," Davina replied, keeping her own voice quiet. "But my parents have talked about them before. They're...a danger to the system?" She had no idea what that meant, but the tones her parents had used during those few conversations were severe enough that Davina feared this... Divergence being discovered.

Sarah nodded, and Davina swallowed against the lump in her throat. "You can't tell anyone about it." Sarah's voice was as desperate as Davina felt, and she got the feeling it surpassed the whole 'don't tell your results before you choose' general rule. "Do you feel alright to return or do you want to go home early?" Sarah's voice was gentle now, and Davina saw the Amity in her.

"And draw attention to myself being different? No," Davina said, immediately.

Be smart, she told herself, while another voice told her that facing the world after how she felt now was to be brave. The bitter taste in her mouth didn't go away.

"Clever girl," Sarah said, a hint of pride in her voice. Davina just frowned. "Now, go."

The girl slipped off the chair and patted down her skirt and flattened her hair as she headed for the exit. She risked a glance over her shoulder to see Sarah watching her with an unreadable expression. She still knew as little about herself as she had when she entered the room.

"Thanks for nothing, I guess," Davina said without thinking, leaving the room before she could be reprimanded for her harshness.

Davina returned to her seat in silence, trying to keep her posture as relaxed as possible. But it was near impossible, as her mind raced over the logistics of what just happened. She had a split result. And it made sense. That was the worst of it. If she had been able to predict it, would others? Just how dangerous was she considered to be?

"Are you okay?" Davina looked up to see Myra sitting across from her. Edward was sitting beside her but they weren't holding hands, and the boy looked more shaken than Davina had ever seen him. Beside her, Viviane was quiet, but looked the most relaxed.

"I'm fine," Davina lied.

She felt sick to her stomach with nerves. Of what she would choose, of what being Divergent even meant, of her future. She felt sick about what it meant, as she looked at her twin through hooded eyes, wondering if she had gotten the shining result they both wanted. Pure Erudite. What would make their mother proud.

Myra didn't seem to believe her but accepted the answer and turned away, and Davina zoned out again as the tests continued. It would be over soon and they'd have to spend the rest of the week interacting with people they may never see again, she would have to go home after the first test where she couldn't share and compare her results.

She hadn't failed. She wasn't Factionless. She didn't not belong anywhere, she belonged in too many Factions. The choice was up to her, right? Davina had said it herself. But choosing seemed terrifying now.

A final strike against Davina Todd.

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welcome to the rewrite of davina !! many character dynamics and traits are changing along with some timeline and age changes so please be aware of that.

first edition davina:😉🤭😑
second edition davina:🙄😡🤬

also davina clearly has a lot of issues she must work through lmao she'll get there eventually. next chapter dives a bit more into davina's inferiority complex and her relationship with viviane before dauntless