I'll Be Good

1

Sometimes people are like stars, far away and untouchable, but can still bring you some light in dark times.
George, my brother, left erudite three years ago. He went to dauntless. My parents were devastated. They didn't went there on visiting day, even though I plead so many times.

'So, you get to choose between a piece of cheese and a knife. Choose the cheese,' dad says. I nod. This is the thousandth time he said this to me. Tomorrow is my aptitude test and for some reason he thinks something different than erudite will come out, so he's been training be since I turned fiftheen. 'Ellis... Ellis... are you even listening to me?' He asks irritated and snaps his fingers in front of my face.

'Yes,' I say loudly. Mom enters the room with two cups of tea and hand them to us. I thank her, my dad doesn't and just goes on with telling me, what I should do.

'Honey, isn't Ellis ready? It is tomorrow, they need to rest. After the choosing ceremony there will be no time to rest,' mom says and I smile at her.

I drink my tea. Dad stands up and leaves the living room.
'Don't mind him,' my mom says. 'He's just copying his father.'

'Grandpa did the same to him?' I ask.

'Yes, he didn't want your dad to leave erudite, because outside erudite he couldn't protect his son. Since you and your dad are very similar, he thaught that you also need protection.'

'Do I?'

'I don't know, honey.'

'I also look alot like you, on the inside I mean.'

'Yes, and I think that's why your dad wants to protect you.' My mom leaves the living room and me behind. I stay there, full of questions.

-

'Feather, Ellis,' is being called with other names. I stand up and go to one of the doors. My heart's beating really fast right now. I put my hand on the doorknob and push it open. An older abnegation woman welcomes me in. One side of the room is covered with mirrors and in the middle is a chair, like the one you have at the dentist.

'Sit down,' the woman says calmly. I do as she says so. She hands me a cup with a weird liquid in it.

'What is it?' I asks.

'Drink it and you'll go into the simulation,' she explains. I drink it and feel sick for a second.

I wake up with sweaty palms and I bit hard on my lip. I did everything my dad told me to do.
'Where you aware that it was a simulation?' the woman asks then. I frown at her. Dad told me a lot about abnegation and he never told me that they were curious.

'Since when is abnegation so curious?' I ask. I didn't meant to say it like that, so I immediately apologize. 'I'm sorry, that was rude of me to ask.'

'It is not about me being curious. It's about you,' she says. 'Did you know what would happen?'

'No,' I say. I'm a good lier.

'Where you "awake" during the simulation?'

'I don't know what you mean,' I lie again.

'Your result is erudite,' she says then. I nod and leave to room to sit with the others. I grab my book and act like I'm reading. Something was wrong. I knew that I was in a simulation and I don't think it's supposed to feel like that. Is that why dad kept teaching me what to do?

My dad picks me up from school and looks happily at me. 'I've seen your results,' he says when I step into the car and sit down in the backseat.

'You did,' I say in a monotone voice. We wait for Lily, my little sister, to come here.