But Then I Met Her | ✓

Chapter 52

I lose Tris in a crowd of people that are congratulating her. I walk out into the hall, deciding just to go back to my apartment and wait for her there. If it's that important, she'll know where to find me. But of course, Zeke meets me in the hall.

"Dude, what the hell was up with you and Tris in there?" He asks. He doesn't sound angry, just extremely confused.

I let out a sigh and grab his arm, dragging him to my apartment. I shut and lock the door. "You know that I have absolutely no say in the rankings, right?" I ask. "I just administer the tests and such."

Zeke nods. "Yeah, of course. That's common knowledge. You're just the teacher."

"Okay. Then you understand that no matter what, I did not choose Tris's rank."

"Four, what's this about?" Then he seems to get it. "You're dating Tris, aren't you?"

I look away from him, at the ceiling, and shrug. "Yeah, I guess." I rub the back of my neck.

"How long?"

I shrug. "The day we took the initiates into Lauren's fear landscape, I guess. I'm not really sure."

He lets out a low whistle. "I knew there was something going on with you two. I knew it."

"You can't tell anyone. Got it? At least, not for a month or so. I don't want anyone thinking I had some sway over her ranking."

He nods. "Yeah, got it. Night, Four."

"Night."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I wake up to the pounding of footsteps in the hall. I groggily toss on a T-shirt- like normal- and pull on my sneakers. I open the door and see Zeke, and grab him by the sleeve of his jacket.

His eyes are blank, his face slack and emotionless. My hand releases him in shock, and I suddenly feel numb. It all comes to me in a flash- Tris wondering how they're going to control us, the tracker, how I learned that colored serums have a transmitter in them, Tris pulling away at the banquet and looking at me with wide eyes.

Oh shit. I think. Everyone's freaking zombies. I grab a jacket and fall into step with an emotionless Lauren. I mimic them with ease, and for once I'm happy that I'm Divergent. But that happiness fades, replaced by fear. Not only for my own life, but for Tris's, too.

We head to the Pit, and are armed. Of course. We're supposed to not know what we're going. So they're going to arm us and control us, though what they want to do is still lost to me. I see a familiar flash of blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail, and see her easily scoop up a gun and holster and a belt. 

Dread fills me. Tris is under the simulation, I think. She's just as far gone as the rest of them. I think about the Erudite hating the Abnegation, and I realize that we're going to kill them. Oh shit. I hope that I don't have to kill Andrew or Natalie Prior, and I kind of hope that I'm the one to kill my father, though at the same time I'd rather not. I really don't want to have to pull the trigger on anyone.

I climb into the train car and carefully make my face and eyes blank. I reach down and help some kid into the car, and then a familiar hand slides into mine. I look down and meet a pair of blue-gray eyes, flat and without any hint of life. I pull her in, and we end up standing next to each other in the four shoulder-to-shoulder rows.

I take a risk. I reach down and lace our fingers together. She squeezes my hand, and I squeeze back. Her shoulder presses against my bicep, our arms lined up. I want to look at her, to do something, but instead I keep my gaze flat and forward. I move my thumb in a slow circle on the back of her hand, trying to let her know that I'm here and, more importantly, awake.

We move to jump out of the car, and I glance around before leaning a little closer to Tris. She glances back at me. "Run." I say quietly.

"My family." She turns away from me and stares forward. I silently curse her damn selfless impulses and walk in front of her. I feel her staring at the back of my head, following the streets of Abnegation easily. The officers are stationed ever hundred yards or so, not under a simulation. They talk quietly amongst themselves or watch us carefully. Are we really here for a war, or just intimidation?

I hear popping sounds, like a pellet gun, and then realize with slight horror that they're gunshots. A Dauntless soldier shoves a gray-clothed man- a counsil member, no doubt- and fires it into the man's head. I recognize her as Tori.

I see Eric up ahead shoot two adults and a girl no older than nine, with light brown hair and tanned skin. Then I see him go into their home, and a few moments later he comes out dragging a gray-clothed girl of about thirteen by her hair. She kicks and struggles against him, her dark brown hair tangled around his hand. He fires the bullet into her head and she grows still, her eyes open. Blood runs down her neck, looking oddly fake against her olive skin.

I see Eric poke Tris's cheek and say something, and I use all of my self control to stay still. He then leans close to my face, grinning. I want to punch his dumb ass into next Tuesday. "Now, this is a happy sight." He says. "The legendary Four. No one's going to remember that I came in second now, are they? No one's going to ask me, 'What was it like to train with the guy who has only four fears?" You are so lucky that I'm pretending I'm under a simulation, you asshole, or you'd be dead. Wait until I get my hands on you after this. He draws his gun and points it to my temple. He tilts his head. "Think anyone would notice if he accidentally got shot?"

"Go ahead." Says Maria, another Dauntless leader, in a bored tone. "He's nothing now." You'll be nothing when I shoot your ass. 

"Too bad you didn't just take Max up on his offer, Four. Well, too bad for you, anyway." He clicks a bullet into the chamber. I am not afraid- if he starts to pull the trigger...well, everyone'll know that I'm Divergent and he'll be dead.

I feel my hand twitch, to grab my gun, but Tris is faster. She presses the barrel to Eric's forehead. His eyes widen, and Tris's finger hovers over the trigger. She looks deadly. "Get your gun away from his head." Her voice is scarily calm.

"You wouldn't shoot me." Eric replies.

"Interesting theory." She says. She grits her teeth together and lowers her arm, firing at his foot. Once the threat is gone, I whip out my gun and shoot Maria in the thigh. Tris grabs my arm, and I kick Eric where Tris shot him before we sprint away. There are footsteps behind us.

I grab Tris's hand and squeeze, and we run faster. There'a a gunshot. and Tris collapses. Blood runs from a hole in her right shoulder, and I stop and kneel beside her. "Run!" she yells.

My voice is quiet. "No." I'm not leaving you. In seconds we're surrounded. I help Tris up, supporting her weight. She looks ready to faint. The Dauntless around us point their guns at us. Take me, I want to say. Let her go and take me. But I think Tris would kill me if I tried.

"Divergent rebels." Eric says, standing on one foot. I almost laugh at his face, which is milk white. "Surrender your weapons."