A/N: Maybe my baby is too honest at times....as always, let me know what you think!! Also, a glimpse of what's to come!
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8LW6BCp/
That night, Bellamy slept fitfully. Maybe it was the fact that Four's mother wasn't that far from her. Maybe it was the fact that she had her own room and it all just felt so out of place and wrong.
Either way, when dawn came, Bellamy was not rested. She found herself worrying about Griff and Vi—wondering if they had come together sooner and gotten past their differences, if they could have prevented all of this.
After all, they knew things that no one else knew. And the simple fact of the matter was that they needed one another.
Hair in a braid hanging down her back, Bellamy trekked across the rocks. Four led the way, as always. She stuck close to him, occasionally glancing back at Caleb, always in the back. He just wasn't cut out for being a fugitive.
As they climbed towards the top of the wreckage, he came to a stop. "I'm not coming with you guys."
At that, the trio spun, eyes landing on him. "What?" Tris asked.
"To Candor. I'm not coming with you guys." Caleb explained.
Bellamy really couldn't say that she was quite surprised by the turn of events. "What are you talking about?" Tris backtracked, coming closer to her brother.
Caleb let out a deep sigh. "What's your plan? You guys are going to find the rest of Dauntless, and then what? Attack Erudite? Assassinate Jeanine, start a civil war? I'm sorry—I'm—I'm just not cut out for that. I'm not like you guys."
Bellamy's eyes flicked to Four. He didn't seem all that surprised either. Tris got close to her brother, murmuring a few things to him.
Whatever her pitch, it didn't work. Caleb turned the other way, taking off on his own. Honestly, in Bellamy's eyes, that wasn't a bad thing. He was a liability. Something dangerous to the rest of them. As long as he was with them and couldn't take care of himself, it would have been like that.
It took the three of them a while to climb through the rest of the wreckage and get out of the underbelly of Chicago. Tris was tense the entire time, a determined look on her face.
Finally, Bellamy piped up. "You okay?"
"We need to get to Candor," Tris replied shortly.
Grabbing her arm gently, Four brought her to a stop. "Tris, I know you think that Caleb is your responsibility. But he made his own choice. You can't protect everyone."
"I can't protect anyone."
"Nobody can." Four said in a gentle tone.
Bellamy watched the two of them speak in soft tones, a slight pang reaching her chest. She had no one who cared for her selfishly, the way that Four cared for Tris.
"It's not your fault." Bellamy cut in. "You have to just move on from that."
It was easier said than done, but Tris finally gave a nod. They continued on, finally reaching the actual city. Bellamy's eyes were wide as she walked around. She hadn't really ever left Dauntless before.
To have been in a farm literally less than a full day previous, and then to have grown up in underground buildings in Dauntless—it was really quite amazing to see. Bellamy wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she wasn't aware that the world, or even the city, was quite this big.
They passed by people in nice clothing, skirts and dresses, purses, and suits, and all Bellamy could do was stare. Four nudged her arm. "First time, right?"
She just gave a nod. "I'm a little overwhelmed, honestly."
"It's always like that. It'll pass." He promised her.
They approached the Candor Hall, a large white stone building. Bellamy's eyes immediately locked onto a group of people dressed in black and her heart could've leapt right from her chest.
"We found them—" Four breathed out.
The crowd erupted in chaos when they locked onto the trio of people. Bellamy just hung back, apprehension on her face. Then, in the midst of it all, came Griff and Vi, pushing past people to get to her.
Her face lit up in relief at the sight of them. She hurried towards them and they almost all hugged. Coming to a stop, the trio of teenagers just looked at each other in shock.
"Holy shit, you're alive!" Bellamy blurted.
Griff just had his permanent smirk on his face. Glancing over at Vi, he had a smug look. "Told you she'd make it."
"Obviously," Vi breathed out. "She's too stubborn to die."
Vi had a sling around her arm, and looked a little worse for the wear, but then again, they all did. Bellamy just put her hands on both of their shoulders.
"Thank God. I wasn't sure you guys were going to get out."
"I wouldn't have, if Griff didn't come back for me." Vi admitted.
Before Bellamy could respond to that revelation from the dark-haired girl, someone had come up and pulled her into a hug. Bellamy froze, fight or flight instincts almost kicking in. She relaxed as soon as her fingers found the green piece of hair.
Tori.
"I was so worried about you," Tori breathed out, eyes searching over Bellamy.
"I'm okay. I shot a few people though." Bellamy admitted with a small shrug. "I'm glad you're okay too."
Tori nodded, a tense look on her face. "Come on, we have to get you all inside."
Moments later, Bellamy was walking behind Four with Griff and Vi. "Is this everyone?" Bellamy asked, concern on her features.
"There's like—179—" Griff started.
"175." Vi corrected in a sharp tone.
"But we're the only ones to make it from our year. Everyone else is still with Eric." Griff added in a bitter tone.
"And...your families?" Bellamy asked, eyes flicking between the two of them.
All at once, they seemed to sober and she understood. She knew the feeling better than anyone else in the world.
"Shit. I'm sorry." Bellamy murmured in apology.
"It's okay," Vi croaked out. "We've got each other."
"Right." Griff added hollowly.
Just as they crossed into another room, she heard the click of a gun. Bellamy turned, gun immediately cocked in her hands. Her eyes fell on Four and Tris, both of whom had guns trained on them too.
"Drop your guns!" A Candor soldier commanded.
Bellamy just sneered. "How about you first?"
"They're with us!" Tori exclaimed.
Next to her, Vi and Griff were tensed and ready to throw hands at a moment's notice. "We know who you are. Last warning. Drop your guns." The soldier commanded.
Bellamy's eyes strayed to Four, who finally gave a nod. "Alright." He stated.
Reluctantly and slowly, Bellamy lowered her gun to the ground. All three of them, Bellamy, Tris, and Four, were escorted to the office of the leader of Candor. Jack Kang.
"I'm Jack Kang, leader here—"
"We know who you are." Four cut in. "And we're not a threat to Candor." He insisted.
"That may be your truth, but it's certainly not mine." Kang stated cordially. "All I know for sure is that you three are wanted for criminal activity and conspiring in the attack on Abnegation."
"I was there to stop the drugged soldiers from killing Abnegation," Bellamy cut in, raising her cuffed hands. "And also, sir, if I may?"
"Please."
"Truth is seen on individual basis. Therefore if all truth is relative, then doesn't that make your job irrelevant?" She asked innocently.
Kang's jaw ticked and he slowly looked to her. "If you were Candor, I would take you at your word. But you're not, so I'm obliged to hand you over to the council."
"What, and you think they'll give us a fair trial?" Bellamy continued. Four watched her carefully, suppressing his surprised expression. "
"Jeanine would never supercede the council."
"I never mentioned Jeanine." Bellamy deadpanned, a gleeful expression on her face. "So the fact that your mind immediately went there makes me wonder why it did."
"Who would stop her?" Tris picked up. "You?"
"Faction of Law must be upheld." Kang finished, gesturing for them to be taken away.
"Wait, can I ask you one question?" Four demanded. "Jeanine believes that Erudite are most fit to govern because they're the smartest. Do you believe that Candor is most fit to judge since you're the most honest?"
"I admit...I do hold that belief."
"So wouldn't a trial here at Candor be more fair than a trial at Erudite?" Bellamy cut in.
"The answer...is yes. In my opinion, a Candor trial would have the highest chance of achieving true justice." Kang said slowly. "Are you asking me to petition the council to allow Candor to have sole judiciary power?"
"No, as part of Candor's initiation, you administer truth serum, correct?" Four questioned.
"We don't typically discuss such matters out of Faction."
"Evasive, much?" Bellamy retorted.
"Evasion is not dishonesty."
"It's not honesty, either." Four insisted. "Use the serum on us instead. If we're guilty, we'll surrender to the council. If not, you just saved three lives and made some allies."
Kang considered the group for a moment. "Alright...but the serum can be quite brutal. It was designed for Candor applicants who are already predisposed to honesty. Not everyone finds it so easy to share their secrets."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watching Four go through his truth-serum spill session had been hard enough, but now that the serum was in her system, she felt like she was hyperventilating.
It was like she was totally and completely buzzed. Bellamy had gotten drunk, exactly once. It was at a party the year previous, and Four had kicked her ass afterwards for being so stupid. She had deserved that.
But this—
It felt wrong.
"You are accused of conspiring with your fellow Dauntless in the attack on Abnegation. Is this true?" Kang's voice echoed in her ears and Bellamy's fingernails dug deeply into the skin of her arm.
Looking up, Bellamy managed a breath and calmed down. "Hell no. My fellow initiates, Vi and Griff will testify that we were trying to stop the attack. I was not in a simulation like Four, mostly because I have no place in Dauntless. No real place, anyway."
The words spilled out of Bellamy's mouth before she could stop them.
"I followed the initiates and others, and then attacked the soldiers that were harming Abnegation. I tried to free both Four and Tris—we fought our way out."
"So you agree with your fellow Dauntless, Four, that Jeanine orchestrated the attack?"
"That bitch wants control." Bellamy spat out. "She's power hungry, just like all leaders are."
"And if you suspected Jeanine had corrupted Dauntless, why didn't you just leave?"
Bellamy's stomach twisted unnaturally and she wanted to violently throw up. Clutching her arms around her, Bellamy looked at the ground. "Because it's all I have. No family. No one who cares if I disappear—I—I—I don't belong anywhere. And no one will miss me if I'm gone. I couldn't just leave. It's the only place that I knew." Bellamy choked out.
It was silent for a long moment. "Thank you for your Candor. You are absolved of your guilt in the attack on Abnegation."
Bellamy didn't stick around to find out what Tris said. She hurried from the building, falling to her knees on the grass outside. Her stomach's contents emptied onto the lawn and she shook for a moment, forcing back the tears.
She would not cry. She would not.
Flinching violently as someone's hand came into contact with her back, Bellamy jumped at the sight of Vi and Griff sitting behind her. "Hey, just breathe." Vi insisted.
Bellamy wiped at her mouth, shaking her head. "You don't have to—"
"Just shut up and accept the help." Griff commanded, an annoyed expression on his face.
For a moment, Bellamy just sat there and breathed, gaze locked onto the ground. "You know," Vi said in a quiet tone. "I don't know when we all became friends, but I'm really glad we did."
"Me too." Bellamy murmured.
"And me." Griff added.
"Do you really mean to kill Jeanine?" Vi asked.
Bellamy's gaze sharpened. "Hell yes."
"So you meant what you said? That you'd kill them all?" Vi asked, voice cracking.
Bellamy interlaced one hand with Vi's, and the other with Griff's. "I meant that. And I swear to you, it's going to happen."