Dauntless transferee

Choosing Ceremony

I have to tilt my head back to see the top of the Hub, and even then, part of it disappears into the clouds. It is the tallest building in the city. I can see the lights on the two prongs on its roof from my bedroom window. It's my second and maybe the last visit as an Erudite here. 

We have traveled here in a black solar car. By 'we', I mean mother and I. Before leaving she wasted an hour to keep me in a tip top shape. Now my black hair is nicely shampooed and in a smooth curtain around my face like my mother and my face is a little less brutal looking as she decided to give me a spa treatment. 

The blue jeans and the blue vest on top of the white shirt is neatly pressed and spotless, just the way it should be. I had to wear a pair of fake glasses, but mother doesn't worry about them much. 

When we first arrived at the Hub we walked towards the other leaders from the other factions because mother was to greet them and I was to accompany her. 

We meet the Abnegation leader, Marcus Eaton. I admired the way he can keep his cool even in some pretty tardy situations. But still, he has something ugly in him that makes me want to step back from him. 

"Good day Marcus, hope you are well," my mother greeted him.

"Good day to you as well Jeanine, I'm doing well, thank you. What about you?" he replies politely and his hard eyes land on me. "Good day to you as well Sofia," he says after a while. 

"Not much actually. The workload is rising and Erudite is trying to develop a new way of treating a crisis in the Amity fields. And my daughter's Choosing is today," she replied as her eyes landed on Max, the Dauntless leader, who was making his way towards her. 

"Max, how are you?" Jeanine asked him as he got within earshot. 

"Jeanine, I'm feeling Dauntless, thank you," he gave a short laugh. 

My mother laughed politely too along with Marcus Eaton, a look of disdain passed over him as I watched him. He then excused himself and went back to the Abnegation area where the other Abnegation representatives were seated.

The five bowls were in plain sight. The Candor one with glass pieces, showing if you become a Candor then you'll as clear as glass, nothing to hide, everything on display. The Abnegation one with grey stones, representing their selfless way of being by your side, like rocks in the river which provides a handhold and a bit of support when you are carried by the deep current. The Amity have soil in their bowl, the peace-lovers, like the soil they root for peace, funny, I made a pun. The Erudite is represented by water, the infinite knowledge, the depth of knowledge, like the sea. The Dauntless have burning coal, fiery like their nature and unafraid to burn, I always thought, the brighter you burn the faster you ebb. 

Today all I have to do is slit my palm and drop my blood in the coal bowl. But that uneasy feeling of doubt is eating away at my resolve. I was taught to not doubt anything from a very very young age, possibly from when I was able to say my name. But I know that you can never be sure that the thing you planned will go  that way. At least it never perfectly went my way. 

I sit in the row where the sixteen year olds who will choose are asked to sit. All the factions form a circle around the dias and the bowls. Most of the representatives along with the leaders of the factions are sat in the circle. The only other people besides the faction leaders and representatives are the children who will choose today.  

This year the Dauntless will conduct the Choosing Ceremony, that is  why the whole faction is present today. But I don't look anywhere except straight ahead, chin up and parallel to the ground, head a bit tilted the left, glasses in the right position, increased dress, neatly folded hands on my lap and legs crossed at the ankles; just how every Erudite female should look. We are sat in reverse alphabetical order so I'm after Klen and just before Oren. 

The Amity don't have a leader, they consult together and send representatives for every opinion they managed to collect and debate on that, the concluded matter is then conveyed by heir mouthpiece Johanna Reyes. She's beautiful, even with that scar running across her face hat she hides it with her hair sometimes, like today. 

To me Amity looks pathetic with their smiling faces and cheery merry times. I lost my ability to smile years ago. What did you expect? Like getting burned and abused from a young age makes it easier for smiling without any problem whatsoever? Like hell it does! Apologies. I shouldn't have blown up like that.  But it is a sensitive topic for me, so I rule Amity out. Abnegation? I'm way too much selfish, happens when you have a selfish mother, so that one is out too. Besides, I don't like the grey color anymore, it reminds me of my mother's judging stares when I don't get the perfect golden A. Candor? I can consider that but............. laying yourself clear like daylight? I've done some pretty bad things and I don't want them out there in the open, so I rule it out. Erudite? Like hell I'll be coming back after mother made it clear that I am no longer needed here and it won't matter to her. That goes out. So I can either be Dauntless or factionless. Dauntless it is then. 

What  do you say I choose?