*

The room she sat in was small. A metal chair was placed in the middle, along with a computer on a table. A Candor woman with short blonde hair glanced at Annabella when she came in before motioning to the chair.

"Sit down."

Annabella sat, smoothing out her skirt as she did. Beside her, the woman filled up a small cup. "I'm Holly. I'll be administering your test today. Once in the simulation, you'll be be offered a series of options to see which faction you best fit in to."

Holly looked up Annabella's outfit with a grimace. "You'll be fine. 95% get their original faction, so don't be surprised or upset if you do to."

Annabella rolled her eyes at the woman as she held out the cup. Annabella grabbed it, holding it up to Holly before tipping it back. "Cheers."

She heard Holly snort at her as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she was in a room full of mirrors. Annabella sat up in the metal chair, furrowing her brows as she looked around. The room was endless, and she could see every angle of herself.

She stood, walking towards the front of the chair to try and see what else was in the room. However, she jumped when she heard a voice behind her. "Choose."

In front of her now was a version of herself, dressed in the same Amity clothes she had on. In between them was two small tables. On one sat a knife and on the other was a block of cheese. Annabella eyed herself warily before she picked up a knife.

The other Annabella disappeared and the sound of a dog barking echoed around the room. Annabella spun on her heel, noticing a large dog inching toward her, growling menacingly. She curled her fist around the knife tightly, crouching into her own attack position. Annabella had never attacked anything before, but she was determined to defend herself.

"A puppy!" Annabella looked to her left, eyes widening at the little girl who had appeared there. She was young, obviously from Amity from the clothes she was wearing. The child began to run to the dog, causing the animal to switch its attention from Annabella to the girl.

Annabella acted fact, lunging toward the dog before it reached the girl. Annabella jumped, the hand that held the knife was outstretched and she wrapped it around the dog as she reached him. Just as her hands gripped the dog's fur, she was pulled backwards.

She opened her eyes with a gasp, shooting up from the chair to a sitting position. Her chest rose up and down heavily, and she took a deep breath to settle her nerves. Annabella looked to Holly, who looked impressed.

"Congratulations." She told her. "Your result was Dauntless."

---

Annabella sat on a table outside of the school building, waiting on Naomi. She was ecstatic - her test results were exactly what she wanted and now she could leave Amity without any doubts about where she belonged.

Naomi exited the building shortly, throwing her friend a soft smile. "That wasn't too bad."

The two girls began the walk back to their homes as Annabella agreed. "I was expecting something ten times harder, honestly."

Naomi hummed and the two girls walked in silence for a few moments. Naomi suddenly grabbed Annabella's hand and pulled the two to a stop, before wrapping her arms around Annabella. "I know we can't talk about our results, but I know what you want. You'll always be my best friend - no matter where we end up."

Annabella hugged her friend tightly, smiling into her neck. "You'll always be my best friend too, Naomi."

Naomi pulled away and squeezed her hand with a smile. "Now come on, let's go home."

Annabella nodded, and the two walked back hand in hand. When Annabella arrived home, her family sat inside waiting for her. Her mother was hunched over the stove, stirring a pot of food for dinner. Her father and brother sat at the dinner table, her dad reading a newspaper and her brother drawing on a piece of paper.

Her father was the first to greet her when she came in, gently kissing her forehead when she passed him. "Did you have a good day?"

Annabella hummed. "Yeah. How was everything here today?"

"We got a lot of stuff done." Her mom said to her daughter as Annabella began to wash her hands. 

Annabella pulled her sleeves higher up and grabbed a potato to help her mom cook. The kitchen was silent now, but she couldn't help but notice the subtle glances her parents were exchanging. She knew they were curious what her test results were, but rules were rules. Plus, they would find out at the Choosing Ceremony anyway.

The scraping of forks against plates filled the kitchen that night. Chandler made small noises as he ate his food, and Annabella couldn't help but smile as she watched him. After dinner, Annabella helped her mother with the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen.

Her mom sighed beside her as she put the last plate away and wiped her hands on a towel. Her mom leaned against the sink, looking at her daughter. Annabella raised a brow at her as she put up her plate. "Yes?"

Mrs. Beckett laughed softly, grabbing her daughter's face and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I love you, Annabella. Don't stay up too long. You want to be rested for tomorrow."

Annabella nodded her head. "I won't."

The two told each other goodnight and Annabella sighed as she placed her head in her hands. 

---

Mrs. Beckett ran her hands through her daughter's honey-blonde hair, gently pulling the tangles free. Annabella sighed, letting her eyes flutter shut as her mom's fingers grazed her scalp. "Are you nervous?"

Annabella opened her eyes, meeting her mother's through the mirror in front of them. "No."

It was silent for a few moments as Annabella studied her mother. "Were you nervous? On Choosing Day?"

"Not really." Her mom shrugged. "I was more afraid than anything. Afraid that I was making the wrong choice."

"Choice?" Annabella frowned. "It's not a choice. The Aptitude test tells you where you belong."

"It does." Mrs. Beckett agreed. "But you still have the choice to pick where you go. It's the beginning of a new life, Annabella. Choose wisely."

Annabella nodded her head, letting her mother's words process. It was the beginning of a new life. She knew what faction she was going to pick - she had always known and her test had only confirmed that Dauntless was the right fit for her.

After her mother placed the last pin in her hair, she patted Annabella's shoulders, motioning her to stand. She turned her daughter to face her and grabbed her hands tightly. "Wherever you choose, know that you'll always be my daughter. I'm proud of you, Annabella."

Annabella pulled her mom into a tight hug, burying her head into her neck. This would be the hardest part of the Choosing Ceremony - leaving her family. Though her mother's words reassured her that her family was still going to love her - at least her mother would. 

Mrs. Beckett pulled away from her daughter and smiled tightly. "Now go get ready. We have to leave soon."

Annabella nodded again, turning away from her mother and grabbing the yellow shirt she would be wearing, along with a black skirt that she had bought a while back. She hadn't worn anything this color before, but she decided today would be the perfect day to wear it.

When she met her family outside, her father looked at the color of her skirt, raising his brow. She stood straight, not allowing his expression to shake her confidence. Her mother smiled at her while Chandler took her hand. 

"Let's go." Her father took the lead, his family following behind him in order. Annabella could see Naomi walking with her family in front of them, and she pulled her brother over to her friend. Naomi grinned when she saw Annabella approach, and wrapped the girl in a hug.

"Today's the day!" Her friend's black hair was tied back into a tight braid, her skirt the same yellow of Annabella's shirt, with an orange top to match. "The start of the rest of our lives."

Annabella laughed with her, grabbing her hand with her free one. There was already a line outside of the building where the Choosing Ceremony would take place. When the two families made their way inside, they could see the five factions interacting with each other. The room was loud and crowded but they managed to push their way through to their seats.

A shrill noise made its way through the crowded room, causing people to groan and slap their hands over their ears. "Everyone sit in your assigned section, please."

Annabella saw an Abnegation man standing in the front of the room, recognizing him as Marcus Eaton, the leader of the Abnegation faction. In front of him was a table with five bowls. In each of the bowls represented a symbol of each faction - stone for Abnegation, soil for Amity, glass for Candor, water for Erudite and coals for Dauntless.

Marcus started off with a speech about the Choosing Ceremony and each of the factions. He spoke about how important it was for teenagers to make the right choice. Then he began calling names. Unlike the Aptitude test, the Choosing Ceremony started with the letter 'z' and went from there. 

Annabella would be one of the last people to choose. 

Naomi was one of the first. When her name was called, she squeezed Annabella's hand tightly, causing the girl to look up at her. "Remember what I said yesterday."

Annabella nodded, watching as she whispered to her parents before she descended down the stairs. Her friend stood in front of the bowls and took the knife. She raised her hand, holding it in the air for a few moments, before slowing sliding it to the stones of Abnegation.

Annabella wasn't surprised, but her heart ached at the sounds of Naomi's parents crying. 

More names were called. Most people chose the faction they were originally from, but when someone transferred, you could hear the cheering of each district, along with the cries from their families. Annabella looked at her parents, who smiled at her reassuringly. 

Her father grabbed her hand. "I know you'll make the right choice, Annabella."

She stared at him, wondering what he meant. He didn't look at her again, but kept hold of her hand. 

Some of the transfers had surprised her. Two people from Abnegation - Beatrice and Caleb Prior had left their faction for Erudite and Dauntless. Most Amity kids had either stayed or went to Abnegation. Eventually her name was called. She took a deep breath, smiling at each of her parents and Chandler before she stood. 

"We love you." Her mother whispered as she walked past. "No matter what."

Annabella proceeded to walk down the steps, careful not to trip on her way down. She reached out and grasped the knife in her hand, similar to her simulation. She held it against her palm, cutting deep enough for blood to appear. 

She took a deep breath again, raising her clutched fist over the Dauntless bowl, and waited for her blood to drop inside.

It sizzled when it landed and the sound of Dauntless cheering caused her to fill with happiness. It was done.

***

I am so exciteddddd.

pleuvoirx