Sup I'm back

The first day of the rest of your life.

The words echoed in Xisuma's ears as he watched the buildings pass through the window of the bus. Xerexis sat next to him, occasionally glancing over at his big brother. Xisuma would smile reassuringly at them whenever he did. On the outside, he looked calm and collected, but internally, he was in turmoil. His test had been Dauntless, meaning he had two choices. Dauntless, or Abnegation. One would cut him off from his family and little brother completely, and the other would force him to be someone he wasn't his entire life. Too soon, the bus pulled up at the large tower where the Choosing Ceremony was held in. Xisuma filed off of the bus with the others, finding himself between Xerexis and Impulse as Abnegation made their way into the building. Beef, Cub, and Joe slipped through the crowd to join them as they walked up the stairs, surrounded by the members and the kids under sixteen who were there to observe. They were silent except for their breaths as they climbed, story after story, until they reached the top floor. Xisuma's dad held the door open as his father led the rest of the faction into the room.

The room was large, shaped like a semi-circle and sloping down towards one wall, where the podium and five large bowls big enough to hold a thirteen-year-old rested. Each held a different substance, one for each faction. Gray pebbles for Abnegation, water for Erudite, glass shards for Candor, earth for Amity, and smoldering coals for Dauntless. Five sections of chairs surrounded it, each separated by walkways. On the very edges of the room, space for the initiates to stand once they made their choice. Xisuma joined the other sixteen-year-olds in arranging themselves in alphabetical order in the semicircle of space between the podium and the seating places. They would be called in reverse alphabetical order, meaning Xisuma would go second.

Oh boy.

He stood between a red-haired Dauntless girl and Beef, watching as the others arranged themselves. His fathers and Xerexis approached him, Xerexis giving him a big hug, while his dad rested his hand on his shoulder and his father tousled his hair.

"We'll see you when this is over." His father grinned. "I can't wait for you to start your initiation!" He looked so excited, and Xisuma had to fight to hide his uneasy look. Dauntless was where he was destined to go...but he couldn't leave his family. He watched in silence as Amity representative Stampy strode forward, heading for the podium. He took the stage, smiling slightly.

"Welcome to the Choosing Ceremony," he began. "Today, our dependents will take their first steps into the rest of their lives. Today, they will show us their true selves, and start their journey to become accomplished people. Abnegation gives us selfless leaders; Amity gives us nurses, therapists, and farmers. Candor gives us sound people in the law; the Dauntless protect us; Erudite furthers our expansion and gives us invaluable research. Together, we keep this city running at its finest." Stampy paused and looked around the room. Then he glanced at the list on the podium in front of him.

"Zombie, Cleo," he called, and the redhead strode up the walkway. Stampy gently handed her the knife, and she moved to stand at the center of the smallest ring. She drew the blade across her palm, watching the blood gather there. Then she held her hand out over the coals and let the blood drip down. A smattering of applause rose from the Dauntless section as she strode up the pathway to stand behind them.

"Void, Xisuma." X swallowed nervously as he walked forward. Stampy offered him the knife, and he hesitated a split second before accepting it. Then he made his way to the center of the ring. Nervously, he cut the blade gently into his palm. He watched the blood pool for a second, taking a deep breath, before jerking his hand out and wincing at the sound of it sizzling on the coals. He made his choice. Xisuma kept his head down as he walked up to join Cleo behind the Dauntless, terrified that he would catch one of his fathers' eyes.

The rest of the ceremony passed relatively quickly. Their year was one of the smallest in history, anyway. Dauntless had the most with nine, followed by Candor with eight. Erudite and Amity each had five, and Abnegation had three. Beef and Impulse had chosen to stay. Joe had chosen Candor and Cub Erudite. They were the only ones Xisuma kept track of. Other than that, he stood staring at the floor in silence. Only a call of "Dauntless, follow me!" snapped him out of it, and he strove to follow the crowd as everyone started moving at once. X followed the other initiates as they headed for the stairs, joining them in breaking into a run to go down. He wasn't too thrown off by it, as he had been to several Choosing Ceremonies in the past and the Dauntless did this every year. However, a blond Amity transfer tripped as he tried to keep pace, and a Candor transfer had to grab his arm to keep him on his feet.

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