Chapter Text
Marc
Marc can see them from far away. The Factionless, their wild faces and torn, dirty clothes. He can see them come out of the shadows like ghosts, creeping closer and closer to the boy who is standing alone against them. He doesn’t fight back when they encircle him and push him around, just raises his hands as if trying to calm them down.
It’s more or less instinctive by now, but Marc still recites a line from the Dauntless manifesto in his mind. We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.
He is not carrying any weapon because he is not yet allowed to, but his clothes and sharp voice are enough to make most of the Factionless back up. Only two bolder men don’t start running immediately, but Marc doesn’t need weapons if he has his fists. He doesn’t even need to do much, just to show that he can use them. Soon they are alone in the alley. The boy is looking up at Marc with a mix of fear and admiration.
“You better keep your distance from those,” Marc says and hauls him up.
“Keeping distance from people just isn’t among my traits, I’m afraid,” the boy gives him a shaky smile.
Only now Marc realizes what clothes the boy is wearing. It explains why he didn’t even try to fight back. “You're Amity. What are you doing in the city?” he asks.
“Are we not allowed in the city?” the boy laughs like Marc just said a good joke, while Marc almost blushes – it’s not like the city belongs to the Dauntless, after all.
“I didn’t mean...”
“I know,” the boy smiles before Marc can really start defending himself. “I just wandered a bit further than my friends. We are here for the aptitude test. It’s tomorrow.”
“Yes, I know.” Despite Marc’s curt answers and the distance he keeps, the boy is still smiling at him like he is ready to chat with him all night. Marc definitely has no time for that. “Well, I have to go,” he says. “They will leave you alone now.”
“Thanks.”
Marc blinks when the word is accompanied with the boy holding Marc’s hand in his. His hand is warm and the touch isn’t uncomfortable, it just feels odd.
“Do I make you nervous?” the boy smiles. “I thought it was impossible since you’re Dauntless.”
“I guess I’m just not used to people from other factions showing their affection to me.”
“They should be glad that they have you. I’m glad, at least.”
Marc nods and twists his hand free of the boy’s grip. He rolls up the collar of his leather jacket and turns away.
“Wait!” the boy calls.
Marc turns back.
“You're taking the aptitude test tomorrow as well?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe I'll see you there, then.”
“Yes. Maybe.” He realizes that he’s probably being rude, but in his faction, they don’t do much talking. Amity, on the other hand, seem to be very talkative. “Well, don’t get into more trouble until tomorrow,” he says then.
The boy laughs. “I’ll try. Good night.”
When he’s about to turn the corner, Marc can see a group of boys in yellow and red run up to the boy, hugging him and talking one over each other. He smiles involuntarily. At least he now can be sure the boy is safe.
Álvaro
The breakfast consists of plain porridge and black tea. It’s not like Álvaro isn’t used to it, but today he has no appetite whatsoever. His sister eats in a hurry and looks at the watch on her wrist several times.
“Are you going somewhere?” Álvaro asks.
“I’m helping at the orphanage today,” she says and gets up from the table. “Gotta run. Good luck, Álvaro.”
“Thanks.”
He does feel nervous, despite his family trying to calm him down. His sister took the aptitude test a few years ago and she was okay, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be. Still, when he walks out of the door, it feels like he’s stepping out into a world he doesn’t know.
The bus is packed with people wearing mainly grey clothes. Álvaro notices a group of boys a bit older than him in the front. All are wearing grey clothes, much similar to what he is wearing. There is also Nacho, his neighbor. He had his initiation last year. Álvaro kind of wishes it was all behind him already.
“Are you all right?” someone asks right next to him and Álvaro jumps up.
A boy in a black suit with a white tie, the traditional uniform of Candor, is looking at him with concern.
“Yes, I... thank you.”
“You look terrible, you know,” the boy states. Of course. The Candor never lie.
“I’m just nervous,” Álvaro says.
“The aptitude test?” the boy smiles. “I’m taking it too.”
Álvaro couldn’t even tell. The boy looks like he is going on vacation. Then the boy holds out his hand: “Jesé.”
Álvaro doesn’t take the hand, he just bows his head. “Álvaro.”
The bus stops in front of the school building. They get off, passing a group of Amity who apparently walked – or rather danced - all the way there, and go inside.
Marc
The hall is full of people. Candor, dressed in dark suits with white ties, are talking quietly. The Erudite, each of them wearing at least one item of clothing in blue, are arguing with each other. Abnegation, resembling a grey smudge in their plain, baggy grey clothes, are keeping to themselves as usual.
Marc turns around and looks to the other corner, where a group of people dressed in red and yellow clothes are sitting, laughing cheerfully and singing. He spots a familiar face crowned with fair curly hair. The boy is playing the guitar and someone in the group has a tambourine.
“Can they be more annoying?” Iker Muniain rolls his eyes.
“Maybe they think that we are annoying,” Marc shrugs. “I think they’re... nice.”
“They have to be nice,” David De Gea laughs. “It’s the main trait of their faction. I don’t know about you, but only idiots can grin at everyone twenty four seven.”
Marc wants to say something, but in that moment, the Abnegation woman overseeing the aptitude test for the Dauntless calls his name. He gets up and follows her.
He has a faint idea of what the test is about and it doesn’t scare him because nothing ever does. He takes the glass of clear liquid from the woman without asking, and downs it.
The room stays the same, but the woman and the chair disappear. On the floor, there are two baskets, one with a knife, one with a piece of cheese. Choose, a voice says. He grabs the knife without hesitating. Knife is always the better option, unless there’s also a gun. A huge dog appears next, baring its teeth and looking generally unfriendly. Marc grips the knife tighter and approaches the dog. In that moment, a child appears, drawing the dog’s attention. Marc lunges forward, determined to kill the dog in any way possible.
That is when he opens his eyes and is back in the room. The woman turns to him, her face emotionless and eyes peaceful, without any glint like he knows from the other factions. "Your result is Dauntless,” she says. “No surprise, is it?"
“No,” Marc smiles.
“Well, we’re done,” the woman says.
Marc walks out of the room and heads back to his group. He passes the group of Amity who are now discussing something vividly. The boy smiles at him. Marc nods curtly, then attempts a smile. When he’s already a few steps away from them, he can hear someone laugh loudly. “What charms do you possess, Sergi?” a voice asks. “I’ve never seen a Dauntless smile at anyone.”
Álvaro
Álvaro keeps chewing on his lower lip. There seems to be some commotion near the rooms where the test is supposed to take place, and it takes long minutes before the Dauntless woman calls his name, despite the last person leaving the hall a long time ago.
“Álvaro, right?” she asks, looking a bit distracted. “I’m Bea. Sit down and make yourself comfortable.”
He resists the urge to jump up when she touches him. Physical contact is discouraged in Abnegation. He could count on one hand the times someone else than his family touched him. The woman doesn’t seem to pay attention to his discomfort, though, nor is she embarrassed by the way he blatantly stares at the tattoo on her arm, a jet black ink rose blooming on her shoulder with the stem wrapping around her elbow and forearm, ending at the wrist.
Staring at people is impolite, his mother’s voice sounds in his mind. He averts his eyes.
“Ready?” she asks.
He doesn’t think he will ever be ready, but nods nevertheless. When she hands him a glass, he has to reason with himself that she doesn’t want to poison him. After all, everyone has survived the test until now.
He drinks the contents of the vial with a silent prayer.
When he comes back to his senses, Bea is sitting behind the computer, looking at him calmly. It reassures him a little bit.
“What... was my result?” he asks. Speaking without being asked has always been his problem, as in his faction and mainly before his initiation, he is not supposed to do it.
Bea doesn’t smile nor frown, which hopefully means that he didn’t offend her by asking a question. “Abnegation.”
Álvaro nods and then bites his lip. “I have a question.” A ton of them, actually.
“Yes?”
“Can you change factions even though… the test tells you that you belong to your own faction?”
The woman leans back in her chair and folds her arms. “Of course. The test tells you where you belong because of your traits, but the final choice is yours. You should choose the faction you truly belong to. Not because of your family, but because of you. Only then you can give the best of you to the society. Faction before blood.”
Álvaro nods and gets up, his legs still a bit wobbly. He now knows the answer to his question. What he doesn’t know is his answer to the one he will be asked the following day.