My Allegiant Life-- A Divergent Fanfiction

Chapter 23 Storm

The clothes Stella picked out for herself fit, and look like clothes she would've worn back in Dauntless. Black shirt, black pants, black jacket. I realize that I have done the same thing.

"Where are you guys going?" Alice asks when I put my hand on the doorknob.

"Out," Stella says, she doesn't want to tell anyone, she doesn't want them to follow us, but Stella also doesn't like to lie.

"Just tell me, Stelly."

"I did, we're going out."

"Stormy, where are you guys going?" Alice asks me.

"Isn't it obvious?" Faith says. "They're going to that thing Stella has to do."

Alice stands. "I wanna come with you guys," she says. Stella shuffles her feet. "If something happens . . . I want to be there when it does."

"Alice, I'll be fine," Stella starts.

"You don't know that!" Alice almost yells. "I wasn't here when Anthony died, and I don't want the same to go for you, so just let me come."

"I would let you come," Stella says. "Nathanial is already upset about Lamar going, he'll be even more irritated if you tag along. Just stay here so we're sure he won't have a bullet put in someone's skull."

"I'll see what he has to say."

"Alice, I don't think you'll want to do that," I say. "I wouldn't risk it if I were you. If you walk in there, he'll most likely have you killed, or he'll inject you with something just because he knows what happened to you."

She sighs. "You know, I'm really tired of stuff like that being used against me. I'll stay, but if either of you come back without the other, I'll be even more depressed. Make sure you both get back here alive."

"We'll be back within the next hour," Stella confirms, she turns and opens the door and walks out.

I follow her, closing the door behind me.

***

Stella is lying down on the chair with her hands folded over her stomach. Her eyes are still open, they still have that look in them that indicates life. Nathanial is not here. He went to go get the syringe.

I decided to bring the thumb drive along with us in case something like this had happened. I remove it from my pocket and stick it into the tower of the computer and begin searching the screen for useful information.

Plans. How convenient for a file to be labeled something like that. I open the file and find a few paragraphs, separated into sections and stages of plans, roles needed to be played to make them work. I scan the first few before Stella gives me the signal that I only have a few moments before Nathanial will be back. I close the files and retrieve the thumb drive from the tower, shoving it back into my pocket just before he walks in.

I stand next to Stella, almost trying to block Nathanial from injecting her. I shouldn't be. Stella is confident that she'll be okay, I should believe her. But I can't, it's death serum, I can't let myself trust anything anyone says about conditions after it reaching someone's bloodstream. I notice how much my hands are shaking, I shove one of them into my pocket, I take Stella's hand with the other.

"I hope you're ready," Nathanial says. "And immune, I'm not in the mood to have a corpse disposed of at the moment. And you're the first I've seen get through the truth and memory serum." He holds the syringe in his hand, I resist the urge to slap it out of his hand onto the floor, or use it on him.

Nathanial is careful when he injects Stella. More careful than he has been the last few times. Stella's eyes remain open for a moment, then they close. I panic inside, but I don't move. Nathanial reaches to check her pulse, but I beat him to it. For a moment, I feel nothing, just my heart pounding against my chest. Then, I feel a small thump against my fingers. I exhale heavily, suddenly aware I hadn't been breathing.