Initiates (New Cover)

One: The Test

Beep beep beep.

I feel around for my alarm clock. I find it, and hit the snooze button. As soon as that is accomplished, I start to fade into a peaceful sleep, until my mother notices that I'm not up. "Rose! Get up! It's aptitude test day!" I groan and shout back, "I don't wanna!"

As I hear her footsteps approach, I put a pillow over my head to protect my eyes from the light that she'll turn on. When she comes in, she says "Rose, get up! You'll be late and if you're late again, you'll miss seeing the Dauntless jumping off of the train." She knows I like to watch them. Of course she does, she knows everything about me, and I know everything about her, and we both know everything about Dad and Uncle Felix.

This is Candor after all.

I groan, and roll out of bed, hitting the floor with a thud. "Good girl, now get dressed and grab something to eat before you go." "School is stupid." I say. She nods. "I know."

I change into my black jeans and black and white checkered sweater. I slip on my black and white sneakers, and run through the dining room, kissing each family member on the cheek and stealing some of their bacon. "Rose, did you steal some of my bacon?" Uncle Felix asks. He's my dad's older brother, and is a pretty cool uncle, most of the time. "Yes." I shout back at him as I leave the apartment. As I walk through the halls, I catch up to Scarlet. She's my best friend, my only friend, actually.

If you call me antisocial, you'd be partly right. My social skills are fine. It's my tolerance of idiots that needs work.

"You nervous for the test?" I ask her. She shakes her head. "I know where I belong." She says. I nod. If not in Candor, she belongs in Erudite. She's been working in the tutoring program enough times for me to know that.

We reach the bus stop just as the bus comes on, and look for a seat. An Abnegation girl gives up her seat, and I smile, and sit down. If you want something done, you ask the most compliant person to do it, or in this case, an Abnegation.

The bus ride wears on and on, and I find myself looking at the people around me. Several Erudite are sorting through papers in the seats in front of me, and some Candor boys are arguing about something. I sigh. That's the thing with Candor, we argue.

A lot.

I may not be Amity, but I don't like when people argue around me when I'm trying to do something. Most of the time I just shout at them to shut up and to argue about stupid things somewhere else within the first minute, but those times when I let slide at first... those times give them about half a minute more to argue.

When the bus stops outside of school, I get off , waving to Scarlet, who is always the first in the classroom, and head to the lone tree in front of the school. Mostly the Amity hang out in the shade and the lower branches of the tree, but I like to climb to the very top to watch the Dauntless get to school. I reach the base of the tree when Parker and his two lackeys come up to me. I can't even remember the names of the lackeys.

"Whatcha doing Rose? Singing songs with the Amity?" I roll my eyes. He's one of those bullies who aren't hurtful, but just annoying. "No, I'm climbing the tree. Now I'm pretty sure I speak for everyone when I say I find you annoying and I don't like you." I hear the train whistle, and smile. "Oh look, the train is coming." I look at Parker. "Why don't you get under it."

I start climbing, and reach the top just as the train comes close to the school. As I watch, I see the Dauntless jump of, their bodies a blur of black. I see a bunch of Dauntless girls shoving each other's shoulders, and laughing as they shove them back.

I wish Candor girls acted like that. Candor girls tend to be either drama queens, emotionless drones, or just extremely serious. I'm serious, but I know how to loosen up, and I may not show much emotion, but I'm not emotionless. Scarlet is practical at times, but most of the time she is silly and just wants to have fun. Deep down I want to be Dauntless, but I know I could never fit in there.