To feel alive -El Eaton

Chapter Three

"Please take as seat," The woman was older with streaks of grey at the roots of her pink hair.
Eleanor walked forward and sank in to the big chair it was almost a dentists chair and made her feel under inspection and vulnerable.
Eleanor studied the women she was wearing all black, a leather jacket and close fitting trousers with boots that were clearly made for being active.
"Is it true that dauntless end their life when they grow old?" She had always wondered about the rumours but it seemed like an incredibly selfless deed not something that dauntless are known for.
"A curious Stiff this is a first. But yes it is often done but not mandatory. Why do you ask?"
Eleanor was surprised that she had been given an answer Dauntless traditions were normally not exposed.
"I was just wondering if the rumours were true." It was a truth but not the whole one, she didn't want to insult the lady who would soon be in her head by calling her faction at all similar to the faction of grey stiffs.
The woman nodded at her answer and went back to organising things that Eleanor could not see.
The room was covered in mirrors which was disconcerting for someone who was only allowed to see her self twice a year and with Tobi gone that her dwindled down to maybe once a year if she was lucky and he was in a good mood.
Eleanor observed her self, she had light almost white blond hair the opposite of her brother and father and from what she gathered mother  too. It was in loose waves and reached down to her lower back, not out of choice but rather lack of alternatives. It was mandatory for Abnegations to have it up but as soon as she arrived at school she removed the bands, her own show of distaste for her faction. She had her mothers face she knew that she had been punished for it enough times. Some people would consider her beautiful but at the moment no one saw past the grey.
"Drink this," Said the women giving her a vile of blue liquid.
"What is it? What does it do?" Eleanor disliked the idea of ingesting an unknown substance.
"Have you never heard the saying curiosity killed the cat? Just shut up and drink it."
Eleanor was not used to bluntness and surprisingly liked the directness. She brought the vile to her lips and tipped it back.
The room blurred and her head rolled back.

The lady had gone but she was still in the room, the mirrors seemed to never end, they reflected themselves making the image infinite. She pushed of the chair standing up and walked around aimlessly, she walked up to a mirror and pressed her hand against it to her surprise it just went through. She walked through the mirror and found an identical room still with mirrors everywhere it was like stepping in to the reflection, she was in the mirror. She turned around and found suddenly plates surrounding her, they were raised of the floor, half had meat on them and half had knifes.
A voice echoed through the mirrors "Choose," was all it said.
"Choose what? Why?" But she revived no response other than,
"Choose!"
She walked over to pick the knife up because there was nothing that she could do with a raw slab of meat.
As soon as her hand touched the object the plates disappeared.
There was a bark behind her again she turned around, and there was a massive dog, snarling and barking. She understood the decision that was presented to her, and the path that she had unknowingly chosen. Eleanor was not opposed to violence but only in cases were it was completely necessary and this didn't feel like one of those cases, it was only a dog. So she threw the knife away and knelt, dogs can sense fear and often respond to it accordingly which humans then mistake for aggression which only leads to more, she closed her eyes and put her hand out, the dog nuzzled in to it. A small child appeared, they were dressed in all different colours, not representing any particular faction but instead a union of then all, they walked over to try and pet the dog, as Eleanor looked back at it, it was no longer the calm dog but the aggressive snarling dog it was to start with, it started towards the child, Eleanor jumped on it willing to sacrifice her self for the child. The scene disappeared and a old man was visible sitting on a bench reading a newspaper. He looked up from his paper, directly at Eleanor.
"Do you know this girl?" He asked forcefully and help up a picture on the front of his paper.
Eleanor couldn't place her but she definitely recognised her. But there was something odd about the old man something that compelled her against her better judgement to lie.
"No I have never seen her before. Why do you ask? You seem as though you know something, or want something." It wasn't all the truth but it was blunt and straight.
The old man said nothing to answer. He stood up and turned to walk away, he then paused, "Do you have any food that you would give to me, please?" He asked her.
She suddenly noticed the tightness of his skin on his bones and the darkness around his eyes. She felt a weight in her pocket and reaching in discovered an apple, her apple, "No, sorry I have nothing that is to give you."
He started to run towards he shouting, Eleanor turned and ran.

Eleanor gasped as the light blinded her. She was back in the chair surrounded by mirrors with the old dauntless woman.
"No, no, no, it can't be I don't under stand," she muttered facing away from Eleanor typing rapidly.
"What? What's happened?"
"I don't know." Was all she replied.
"Please just tell me my result,"
"It's not as simple as that, have you ever heard of people who are divergent?"
"Yes vaguely, I didn't realise that they were real."
"Well they are real but that's not what you are, I have no idea what you are." The woman said.
"Okay but I don't understand please just tell me my result."
"Fine I will try and explain. The first decision eliminates Amity because you chose a knife which shows Dauntless. But you chose them not to use the knife showing a distaste for violence which shows Amity. You used your knowledge to tame the dog, which shows Erudite. When the dog then attacked the girl you sacrificed your self showing Abnegation but also eliminating Erudite. You were honest yet not with the old man which shows but then eliminates Candor, he asked you for food which you refused which eliminates Abnegation. He ran at you and you ran away which eliminates Dauntless."
"What does that mean, I don't understand?" Eleanor asked.
"To be honest I don't know your test is inconclusive, it didn't work. You are all factions yet none, you have the aptitude for every one but you also eliminated every. I have to enter something though what would you have like to receive?"
That was the ultimate question the one she had hoped to be answered but was not, to stay in a prison or to take a leap of faith. She was bored, all she wanted to live feeling alive, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
"Dauntless..."