Rat (A Divergent Prequel and Eric Love Story)

Prologue- The Story of Rat

I remember my life before I was trapped, vaguely, but I do remember. I was stubborn at five years old, never wanting to research or sit inside of a laboratory all day like the other, normal Erudite children. Oh no, I wanted to explore, stretch my legs, and see what the outside world had to offer. If I had known that I was an embarrassment to those I loved, I would've stopped, or at least tried to obtain my curiosity.

I remember the day that things changed forever. I had just come in from another day of exploring, dirt covering my scraped knees, my fist full of flowers that I crushed with my grip. My sister was such an intelligent woman and she wanted everyone to know it, everyone to bask in her glory. But, I apparently held her down. You see, Jeanine wanted the position as the leader of our faction. The old leader Mr. Hughes passed on. I liked Mr. Hughes. He used to smile at me as I ran past him, embarking on my latest great adventure. He occasionally stopped me, to place one of those sweet little butterscotch candies into my small hands, you know, the ones old people like to keep in their pockets.

As you've probably guessed, I was a curious child, more curious than probably healthy. So, I couldn't help eavesdropping that day, although I'm partly glad that I did. I could hear Jeanine's dainty voice through our paper-thin walls, slightly muffled.

"I've worked hard for all these years, staying night after night at the lab, scratching my way to the top, and she's bringing shame to our family. Mother, the Matthews have always been so hardworking and intelligent. That one bad egg is ruining my chances!"

"Jeanine, darling, she's so young. How can you possibly put all that blame on a 5-year-old?" my mother's frail voice replied.

"I can turn her into an ideal Erudite! Just let her stay with me at the lab! She can get first-hand knowledge and then maybe, just maybe, she can learn something." Jeanine almost yelled.

I never heard what my mother decided. I didn't need to though, for Jeanine came to collect me not a minute later. I wasn't even allowed to pack my things, not even the blanket that grandpa had given me before he passed.

Jeanine drove a sleek, black car and at the time, I couldn't contain my excitement, anxious for the adventures that we would soon undergo, together as sisters.

I realized after I was taken to my new room, on the tenth floor of this monster of a building, that Jeanine wasn't really embarrassed of me, nor were we going on a humongous adventure. No, she just needed a lab rat. And that's what I was then known as, the Lab Rat. My room was all white, save for the blue bed sheets.

It's been eleven years now and I'll be damned if I didn't live up to my reputation of my nickname. I was the test subject for everything from new perfumes to this horrific simulation that made demons crawl all over me, harvesting on my blood. I had needle after needle break the surface of my milky white skin.

I was in absolute hell, so when I was around seven, I tried to escape. I had to run away. I had this crazy idea that I was going to get past the fence, once I escaped the building, and to leave this torture behind. I had the schedule memorized. An assistant would bring me a sandwich at 9am, then experiments until 5pm, then dinner, and lastly bed, just to repeat it the next day. I was ready. I sat on the edge of my small, metal bed and waited as the clocked ticked by, easing closer and closer to 9am.

When the time arrived, the assistant entered. He was an old man, maybe around sixty, possibly near retirement, with balding silver hair. I exploded off of my bed, running at the man, and nailing a swift kick to his knee. He fell to the linoleum floor with a soft thud. I leaped over him, before he could get up, and ran down the halls, getting lost. It wasn't too long until the guards found me, and although I kicked and screamed, I was hardly a match.

Jeanine came to my room, not too long after. The second she entered, I knew what was coming. She liked physical punishments a little too much, and knew I'd never fight back. But, this time was different. Her teeth were grinding together and her eyes were so furious.

"You...rat.." she spoke through gritted teeth. "You broke Horrace's leg. You ungrateful, pitiful...rat."

I put my head down, unable to make eye contact with my sister.

"How do you think that makes me look, huh? I can't let situations like this happen underneath my watch! You can't ever forget about this and do things like this again. So, I'm going to punish you in a way that will stick with you for the rest of your miserable life. See how nice I am? Now you won't forget."

She grabbed me by my hair and jerked me to the cold, hard floor. I felt her knees press against my back, as if she was trying to hold me down. She has no need to hold me down. I wouldn't dare to fight back. Not with Jeanine.

My shirt was pulled up, leaving my bare back exposed. The cold air chilling me, sending goose-bumps all down my back. Jeanine's knife brought a sharp pain, hurting me all over, not just my back. I cried out, hot tears pricking at my eyes. My dull nails scratched at the smooth floor as she carved "R-A-T" between my shoulder blades. The carving must have only lasted for a few minutes, however, time ticked by ever so slowly. I felt the blood trickle to the floor, as my tears trickled down my cheeks.

She left me there, weeping on the cold floor. I must have lain there for hours, my cheek still pressed hard to the ground. Jeanine was right. I'll never forget this.

The only thing that kept me sane in my eleven years of imprisonment was the beautiful stories of fine literature. I loved following each character into a new adventure, going to a new world every night. The new assistant that brought me food would sneak in a new book every day, which I consumed in only a few short hours. I learned so much and probably actually became the ideal Erudite that Jeanine wanted eleven years ago.

I loved reading books that were saved from before the war. But one day, as I was delighting myself with Gone with the Wind, my former curious self began to emerge once more. I heard Jeanine conversing with a man outside of my room. I couldn't quite make out their words, so I pressed my ear to the cold, metal surface of the door.

"She has to go, Jeanine. You know the Abnegation have records of every person in the city. They'll realize that she didn't show up and come looking for her. You can't just fake a death or something." The man argued.

"But what if we didn't fake it?" Jeanine suggested eagerly.

"Jeanine! Even if I would resort to such measures, how would you cover something like that up? Are you out of your mind?"

"Yes, yes. You're right. But, we can't send her. She'll reveal us!" Jeanine replied.

"It would be worse if you didn't send her. Just have a talk with her. The girl's obviously terrified of you. Talk to her about the system, about staying in Erudite. You could even be really nice to her and talk her into it. Maybe then it will all work out." He pleaded.

Jeanine sighed an exhausted sigh. The door handle began to turn, so I sprinted to the bed, pouncing on the now faded blue blankets, hiding Gone with the Wind underneath my pillow.

Jeanine walked over and sat on my bed, taking a deep breath before she began speaking, "Rat, tomorrow's a big day for you. I'm sure you know the gist about the Aptitude Test and the Choosing Ceremony. The test is tomorrow. And as your dear, loving sister, I could not bear to let you live your life without taking a huge step like this. The scientists didn't want to send you because we need you so much, you're such an important part of our research and... our lives. But, I told them right off because my baby sister deserves it!" she paused here as if she was trying to think of more lies, "I know that I can trust you to make the right choice. After all you're a Matthews."

I gave her a weak smile and a slight nod. It must have been good enough for her, because she rose from my bed and headed towards the door.

"Sleep tight, Ra-" She stopped herself. "um.. Rose."

She left with a forced smile. Finally, a chance of freedom. A chance of adventure, I thought as I opened the yellowed pages of my book.