Reawakening

Chapter Fifteen

Myra

Al and I left Dauntless together. We were each provided a backpack, packed with our few belongings, and were basically pushed out the door by Eric himself. Then we just stood there for a while- Al, me, and two Dauntless-borns whose names I don't even remember. They set off together while Al and I just sat on the cracked concrete sidewalk wondering where we should go next.

Eventually, we began walking. Dauntless is the city's southernmost sector. Al wasn't too familiar with the city's layout, but this was one place that my Erudite background was an advantage; I have studied the city maps enough to have a good idea of where we were and where we were going. The common areas of the city are between Dauntless and Erudite. North of Erudite is Candor, and the Factionless sector, where we were headed, was to the west of Candor, just to the south of Abnegation.

It was dark by the time we finally arrived. We both struggled with our emotions as we walked along the outskirts of the factions we were born in- Erudite for me, Candor for Al. I held it together by not thinking about Edward as we crossed from Erudite into the edge of the Factionless sector, Candor just across the murky riverbed right there in our view, and that is when I collapsed on the sidewalk sobbing. It was all just too much. The rest of my life hopeless, stuck in this depressing mess we had just entered of grime and abandoned buildings, from which we would never escape. Even worse, the ghost of every dream I had for a future with Edward played at my memories, compounded by the images of him laughing happily with his arm wrapped around that Dauntless girl.

I cried until my tears ran dry and I was empty, and Al held me the whole time. It was very late by then, so I climbed through the broken out window of the nearest abandoned building and unlocked a door from the inside to let Al in. Al was a really big guy, much bigger than Edward even, and would never have squeezed through that window. Then we found a room toward the center of the building, on the third floor, and huddled together as we restlessly faded in and out of sleep. Al kept his arms around me the whole time and he felt like a big teddy bear, but one that was determined to keep me safe.

For most of the next day, we wandered the factionless sector, moving gradually toward the center and eventually closer to the Abnegation sector. We had decided that because the Abnegation feed and clothe the Factionless, it was likely that more of them were congregated further to the north.

Now, a day and a half after being turned out into the streets, we find that we were right: the northern part of the factionless sector, near Abnegation, is in fact where the Factionless gather. In fact, the farther north we go, the more dirty, mis-matched figures we see creeping through alleyways and down side streets. We are meandering down West Grand Avenue, Al's arm protectively around my shoulder, kicking at broken glass and chunks of concrete, when a tall woman in black Candor pants and a baggy gray Abnegation shirt approaches us.

"Cut from Dauntless?" she asks bluntly. We both simply nod. The woman sticks out her hand. "I'm Therese. I can help you get settled in here," she says.

I look at Al. We sort of communicate with our eyes, then he shrugs, and I nod at Therese. She leads us down a few blocks of side streets, then through a narrow, dingy alleyway, until she stops at a door that I wouldn't be able to distinguish from a hundred others around here and ushers us inside.

I was always told that the Factionless live alone, without community, without relationships, just... lonely and desolate. What I see in this building, though, is anything but people living all alone. There are makeshift cots all over the floors and in the center of the room is a big metal fire pit. Unkempt people in mismatched clothing pass around cans of food, each taking a bite then handing it off to the next, so everyone seems to get a little of each available food. We follow Therese down a dark hallway and she holds up her hand to wordlessly communicate that we should wait here, then she disappears behind a door at the end of the hall.