Divided

:Chapter One:

*****

It's a quiet morning, not even the birds sing from their perches in the trees. A minute ago I woke to the sound of water crashing in small droplets on the roof. The rain has begun to slow now, only lightly dripping down the outside of the wall. I sit up in my bed and stare out the window. The sun is coming up, casting shadows along the ground where the light can't reach. Small glimmers of sun reflect off the recently wetted grass brilliantly and I look away. We don't get much rain here, just enough to keep plants growing and fairly healthy. I stand up and walk across my room and through the hall to the bathroom.

We only have one mirror in the house, which stands above the sink in the bathroom. It has a large crack starting near the lower left corner and stretching across diagonally to the other side, but other than that it's in almost new condition. My hair is a tangled mess today, covering the sides of my face almost completely. In this lighting it almost looks black, not it's usual dark brown, and it's still knotted and tangled from sleep.

When I brush it out it looks closer to how it usually does, thick and wavy reaching just past my jaw line. It used to be straighter and coarse, but after I got it cut shorter the shape began to show a little more. I carefully put the brush down and walk back to my room, not wanting to wake my mother. Today is the day that will determine the rest of my life. My mind says blandly, Dividing day.

The day the officials split us into groups, depending on both our test results, and their judgment. There are only four groups available: The Farmers, who stay here (the division I was born into), to pick a job either in a shop or on one of the fields and finish their life as one of the lower class workers. The Tech's, who leave to go to the second division, and work in technology. They mostly design and code things for the officials, luxury items for their everyday life. The Soldiers, though there's very few people picked for this group. It is designed to find people with promising talents in leadership or special physical abilities, such as being an extremely fast runner or especially strong. They are taken to the 'privileged land' as we refer to it, to be trained, pampered and eventually given a job in our government. A while back they discovered that voting for a leader lead to fights and riots, and the easiest way to fix that was to get rid of choice all together.

Lastly, The Outcasts, they are sent to the third division to work in factories making all sorts of things; tools, furniture, and high-end gadgets for the government workers. I don't know exactly how it works because only the people who are testing that year are allowed to be there. That's me now that I'm sixteen, so I'm about to find out.

I push my door shut as quietly as I can manage and change into my clothes for today. Everybody in the division gets a certain number of points depending on their rank to spend on food, water, and clothes. All the female clothes cost more, and are either dresses or skirts and blouses designed to show too much, so I get the men's clothes. Today I'm wearing a faded azure T-shirt and black jeans that don't fit perfectly around my thighs. I'm right between the men's sizes, where either they are way too big, or a little too small. When I got these, I figured small was better because they wouldn't fall off. I tore holes in the lower thighs and knees so I had a little more room, but overall I think they fit fine.

My wavy brown hair floats around my neck and the sides of my face, making my chin look more subtly curved, and less pointed then it actually is. It frames my pale green eyes in such a way that almost makes me look pretty. Almost. My nose is far too thin and oddly shaped to be pretty, and my shoulders are far too broad to be feminine. I'm not ugly - I'm just average.

Not someone you would remember if you bumped into at the store. Short with a petite build, honestly I'm surprised I haven't been stepped on. I tuck my shirt half way into my pants and slip on my running shoes. They are white with thick black laces and pretty worn, also men's. Girls only have heeled sandals, heeled sneakers and boots... Also with heels. I don't understand how anyone survives here without bending the rules.