Divergent

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

TRIS:
We're lucky to be in The City. They say the war was terrible. That the rest of the world was destroyed. The founders built the wall to keep us safe and they divided us into five groups, factions, to keep the peace.

TRIS:
The smart ones, the ones who value knowledge and logic are in Erudite. They know everything.

(YELLING INDISTINCTLY)

TRIS:
Amity farm the land. They're all about kindness and harmony, always happy.

TRIS:
Candor value honesty and order. They tell the truth, even when you wish they wouldn't.

(CHEERING)

TRIS:
And then there's Dauntless. They're our protectors, our soldiers, our police. I always thought they were amazing.

TRIS:
Brave, fearless and free.

TRIS:
Some people think Dauntless are crazy, which they kind of are.

(IMAGE SHOWS A YOUNG BEATRICE RUNNING AT THE BACK OF A GROUP OF DAUNTLESS WEARING HER GREY ABNEGATION DRESS)

(LAUGHING)

(VIEW OF YOUNG BEATRICE LOOKING OVER AT DAUNTLESS BOYS AND GIRLS RUNNING AROUND)

ANDREW:
Come on, Beatrice.

(CUTS BACK TO PRESENT)

TRIS:
My faction is Abnegation. The others all call us "stiffs." We lead a simple life, selfless, dedicated to helping others.

TRIS:
We even feed the Factionless, the ones who don't fit in anywhere.

TRIS:
Because we're public servants, we're trusted to run the government. My father works alongside our leader, Marcus.

TRIS:
It all works. Everyone knows where they belong. Except for me.

(SNIPPING)

TRIS:
My mother says there's an art to losing yourself. But I haven't figured it out yet. I'm supposed to never think of myself, to always help others. To never look too long in the mirror.

NATALIE:
Are you nervous?

(INHALES DEEPLY)

TRIS:
No. Were you? For your test?

NATALIE:
Mmm-mm. No.I was terrified.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

NATALIE:
But I didn't have any reason to be and neither do you.

(SHUTS AWAY MIRROR)

NATALIE:
That's all you get. Rules are rules.

TRIS:
Today I take the test. I'm scared it'll tell me I'm not Abnegation. That I have to leave my family. But I'm even more scared that it will tell me to stay.

TRIS:
For my brother Caleb, it's easy.

CALEB:
Let me help you with that.

(HE SAYS AS HE RUNS TO ELDERLY WOMAN AND GRABS BAGS AND POTS)

TRIS:
He's a natural.

CALEB:
Beatrice, do you wanna get the other bags?

TRIS:
Sorry.

CALEB:
What if she'd been blind or an amputee? Would you have helped her then?

TRIS:
I was thinking about helping her.

CALEB:
It's not that hard.

TRIS:
For you, maybe. Just relax, Beatrice. Take a deep breath and trust the test.

TRIS:
Trust the test. Test will tell me who I am, where I belong . Am I smart?

Kind?

Am I honest?

Selfless?

Or brave?

PETER:
Hey. So, all the food that we're not getting, you guys are giving away to the Factionless

(GROUP OF ABNEGATION LOOK NERVOUS AND SCARED AND NOD ALONG)

PETER:
Right? Yeah?

GROUP OF ABNEGATION: Yeah.

PETER:
You're a liar. Why are you lying to me? Everybody knows you keep it for yourselves. So why don't you just admit it? Huh?

PETER:
I'm talking to you. Are all you stiffs deaf or somethin'? Hey!

(PETER SHOVES ONE OF THE ABNEGATION PEOPLE)

(TRIS STEPPES FORWARD BUT IS QUICKLY HELD BACK BY CALEB)

CALEB:
Beatrice... Don't.

(SIGHS)

(TRAIN APPROACHING)

(SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)

WOMAN:
One hundred years ago, after the war, our founders created a system they believed would prevent future conflict and create lasting peace. Today, aptitude testing based on your personality will assign you to one of the factions. While it is our belief that choosing the faction indicated by your test is the best way to ensure success within the faction system, it is your right tomorrow at the choosing ceremony to choose any of the five factions, regardless of your test results. However, once the choice has been made, there will be no change permitted.

(WOMAN ON PA SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)

TORI:
What is it with you

Abnegation and mirrors?

-TRIS:
We reject vanity.

-TORI:
Yeah. I know. Sit down.

I'm Tori. I'll be

administering your test.

You'll be offered a

series of choices

to test your aptitude

for each faction

until you get one result.

I wouldn't sweat it.

95% get the faction

of their origin,

and from the looks of you...

-TRIS:
What is it?

-TORI:
Bottoms up.

(SIGHS)

Choose.

Now. Before it's too late.

- Why? What will I do with them?

- Choose.

Just tell me.

(DOG BARKS)

(GASPS)

(DOG SNARLING)

(DOG WHINING)

LITTLE GIRL:
Puppy!

(SNARLING)

(BARKING)

(GASPS)

- TORI:
Get up.

We're going out the back door

before a supervisor comes.

- TRIS:
But what was my result?

- TORI Come on!

- TRIS:
What happened?

- TORI:
You're going to tell your family

that the serum made you sick

- and that I sent you home. All right?

- TRIS:
No, but what was my result?

- TORI:
Abnegation.

And Erudite. And Dauntless.

- TRIS:
Dauntless...

- TORI:
Your results were inconclusive.

- TRIS:
That's impossible.

It doesn't make any sense.

- TORI:
No. Not impossible. It's

just extremely rare.

They call it "Divergent."

You can't tell anyone about

this. Not even your parents.

As far as the world is concerned,

you received an Abnegation result because

that is what I manually entered.

- TRIS:
So what am I supposed to do

at the choosing ceremony?

I was supposed to learn what to do.

This was supposed to tell me what

faction to choose, the test.

- We're supposed to trust the test.

- TORI:
The test didn't work on you.

You have to trust yourself.

(MAN COUGHING)

(DOOR CLOSES)

- CALEB:
What happened to you today?

Where did you go after your test?

- TRIS:
I got sick, so they

sent me home early.

- CALEB:
Did you finish your test?

- TRIS:
Mmm-hmm.

- CALEB:
What was your result?

- TRIS:
What was yours?

- ANDREW:
Why did you just leave

without telling anybody?

- TRIS:
I was sick.

- ANDREW:
Beatrice...

I don't think you understand the

level of scrutiny we're under.

- NATALIE:
They're doing everything they

can to discredit us right now.

- TRIS:
Who is?

- NATALIE:
Erudite.

They believe that they should be

the governing faction, not us.

Andrew- So you have to be careful

right now, okay?

- NATALIE:
Even Marcus is under attack.

TRIS:
For what?

- ANDREW:
It's an old accusation.

That he mistreated his son

and that's why the boy defected.

- TRIS:
Is that true?

- NATALIE:
No.

'Course not.

Children defect for

all kinds of reasons.

- ANDREW:
Don't take too long in here. You

need a good night's sleep...

For tomorrow.

I, um...

We love you.

Good night.

NATALIE:
(SOFTLY)

I'm so proud of you, honey.

(SIGHS)

- CALEB:
Beatrice?

- TRIS:
What?

- CALEB:
Tomorrow when we choose...

You have to think of the family.

- TRIS:
Yeah.

- CALEBE:
But you also have to

think of yourself.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

(WOMAN ON PA SPEAKING

INDISTINCTLY IN DISTANCE)

(ALL SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)

(MAN ON PA SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)

(INDISTINCT TALKING)

MAN:
(ON PA) Factions, please

gather in your assigned areas.

ANDREW:
Morning, Jeanine.

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