Discoveries ✔ (Divergent Fourtris Fanfiction)

Chapter 23

Tris

Over half an hour has passed, and we still haven't recovered from the shock. We moved back over to the sofa, and Zeke pours us the third round of liqueur. It burns in my throat and even in my stomach, like the first ones, a weird sensation, but I get why Zeke offers it to us. It momentarily distracts the mind from the unbelievable truth of an upcoming attack, forcing it to concentrate on something else, something more immediate.

I haven't found the strength to let go of Tobias' hand, and he keeps holding mine, so I assume it's okay not to hide any longer from Shauna and Uriah. They haven't commented on us yet, but I saw Uriah raise his eyebrows at me, accompanied by a short half-smile, before he turned serious again. Shauna nudged Zeke in the side with a nod in our direction, and he whispered something in her ear that seemed to answer her unspoken question for the time being.

I think of things to say, of questions to ask, but I can't come up with anything sensible. I feel as if I got punched and lost my ability to think as a result. My mind wanders to my family, to my parents, oblivious to the danger they're living in, and to my brother. I wonder if he knows about these plans. He's smart. Has he figured them out? Or was he maybe even told about them? Do all Erudite know about it after all?

The inexpressible threat to our society is hanging heavily above all of us like invisible fog.

After a long silence, Uriah's voice pulls us back to the present, "Okay guys, I know this was a tough revelation, but we all have to concentrate now on how to foil their plan. We need to come up with ideas how to sabotage them. We can't wait for them to put it in action, we have to beat them to it! We're Dauntless, it's our job to protect the city!"

His words help us regain composure, and Tobias gets up and starts pacing up and down the living room while giving us a little speech.

"We all have to be aware that it's a dangerous thing to do. Not only do we have to intrigue against our leaders, but against Erudite, too. You all know Jeanine Matthews. In my opinion, she won't stop at nothing to reach her goals. I bet she's the one who wants to lead the new government once they've overthrown Abnegation. I don't know what she promised Max and Eric in return for their collaboration, but they probably won't get it anyway. Apart from that, choosing to work against them makes us traitors. We have to be very careful with whatever we do and especially with whom we trust. Maybe there are more people involved. Eric has friends who admire him, and Max has been in charge for a while, so he has lots of followers within our faction. We can't be sure who else is in on the plans, so we better rely only on ourselves."

So the first thing we agree upon is that we want to try to prevent the attack if we can. It's a pretty basic decision, but I think it's important to make it, deliberately.

Soon, the first shadows of ideas are forming, although it's difficult to find something to start with. There are so many things we don't know, so many secrets unexplored. I listen to the group talking, trying to think of a way to bring order in our plans. Then I stand and gesture the others to fall silent. Everyone looks at me expectantly now, which is unfamiliar. I have to clear my throat before I start speaking.

"Okay, I think we should try to approach this problem more systematically. It's good we all have so many ideas, but we have to find the promising ones and separate them from the rather useless. There's not much time left, maybe not more than a week, so we need to act quickly, but without becoming hysterical or hasty. That would only lead us to make reckless mistakes. We just have this single chance to save Abnegation, so before we decide anything, we should really talk and think things through."

I take a deep breath to brace myself for the criticism that's going to come, but it's unnecessary. Instead, they nod and Uriah gives me the thumbs-up.