Brooke:
The look of shock on Dex's face is comical. She probably would have stood there for the rest of eternity if it weren't for the other Divergents.
"Come on Dex," a Dauntless-Lyra-says from behind her, "Tick Tock. We're wasting time here." She, Plato and another Dauntless move past Dex out of the room.
"Thanks," says the boy, who smiles at me gratefully. Plato, quiet as always, gives me a nod. The other boy turns to Dex, "Dex, we have to go."
"I think you've broken her." Lyra grins.
"I do my best," I smirk.
"You-" Dex begins-and my smile widens as I realise that she's stuttering. It only adds to her cute factor. Dex falters and then tries again, "You called me Dex."
"Yeah," I'm grinning now, "Yeah, I guess I did. Dex. " Her name feels unfamiliar to my mouth, but it fits the girl I see in front of me.
"But you hate me," she whispers. The confusion is clear on her face. It's not surprising. Everything is black and white to her. Truth and lie. Friend and enemy. This happening to fast for her to comprehend.
My smile fades, "No. I never hated you. I always respected you. In fact, I-I rather like you." I flush, embarrassed.
"You-what? " Dex asks, bewildered.
I smile, "You were always bad at reading people."
Callum coughs awkwardly, "Guys, I'm sorry for interrupting the moment, but we really don't have much time. We have to go. Like, now."
I nod and turn to the others, "Take care of her, will you?"
"Roger that," Lyra smirks. She nods to Plato, who's picked up a gun from one of the guards on the floor, "Lead the way."
Plato nods and runs off, with Lyra right behind him. Callum grabs Dex by the arm and they follow. I watch until they're round the corner and then, with a sigh, I lock the door and step over the fallen guards.
If all goes well, I will never see April Dexter Meadows again. But I can't think of that now: I have a key to return.
Dex:
We race through the corridor, my mind still reeling from the fact that not only did Brooke save us, but that she also doesn't hate me. Plato leads the way, checking that the next turn is empty before leading us past the Pit and towards the Chasm.
I don't understand. Brooke has always hated me. Ever since we started school, she hated me, picked on me, teased me. And now, she says she never hated me. She even likes me. My feelings are in turmoil. Is it possible to hate someone even if they don't hate you back? I want to hate Brooke. It seems only natural to hate her after all the hurt she's caused me. But now I can't because she's done a decent thing and rescued me.
Callum grips my arm and jerks me to a stop, bringing me back to reality.
"What is it?" I hiss.
"Guards ahead," Plato whispers, "By the Chasm."
"How many?" Callum asks.
Plato risks a look, "Two. But they're armed."
"What do we do?" Callum murmurs.
"We're going to have to make a break for it, right Plato?" Lyra whispers urgently.
"Please tell me you have a plan," I say to him.
Plato studies the gun in his hand, and turns to the rest of us. "We run as fast as we can. If things get bad, I'll use this." He holds up the weapon. We all nod.
"Let's do this," says Lyra.
Plato takes a deep breath and then sprints out from the corner. The rest of us follow. The guards spot us instantly.
"It's the Divergents!" One of them yells and cocks their gun. The other one begins speaking into a transmitter.
Lyra punches the one with the gun right in the face as we run past. They stumble back. We continue running.
Lyra glances behind us, "They're gaining on us! And there's more of them!"
I glance behind me too and see that more armed guards have joined the original two.
"They're fast!" I yelp.
"Oh really?" Lyra replies, her breathlessness marring the sting of her sarcasm, "What makes you say that, Dex?"
I don't reply and focussing on running after Plato. My heart is pounding and I'm filled with fear. The guards are faster than us and any moment now, they could catch us.
I risk another glance behind us and see that they are now just meters away. I try and push myself faster but my lungs are burning and my legs are already moving as fast as they can.
Suddenly, a hand grabs my from behind and I'm jerked to a stop. I choke as the collar of my shirt digs into my neck. Twisting my head round, I see that a burly guard has grabbed me. The look on his face is...strange.
His blank brown eyes stare unblinking at me. He doesn't look angry, or even fierce. Instead, his face is blank, as if he's responding robotically to some sort of command. As he begins to drag me towards the Chasm, I realise that I'm going to be killed in the most emotionless way possible.
I squirm and try and get out of his grasp but he's just too strong. I thrash out, and the kick the legs behind me, but it's no use. As I'm dragged towards the Chasm, I know that there's no way I'm going to be able to escape. As I'm facing forward, there's no way I'll have the chance to grab hold of the steep rocks near the Chasm wall when I fall. I'm going to be dropped straight in the roaring inky blackness of the water below.
"Dex!" I hear a shout. Twisting, I see that it's Lyra. She's racing straight for me, with Callum and Plato frozen like statues behind her. I'm confused. Why aren't they running? Why have they came back for me?
Just when the guard is a few steps away from the Chasm, Lyra launches herself at him. Time seems to stop and I see everything move in slow motion. I watch as Lyra does a perfectly executed chop at the guard's arm and feel myself falling as he drops me. I feel the hands of Callum on my arms as he races forward and helps me to my feet. I see the guard grab Lyra and launch her towards the Chasm.
I hear a sound-a shrill high shriek, and I realise that it's coming from my own mouth as Lyra slides towards the gaping hole. I see her grab the leg of the guard as she does, and watch as he falls too, and is pulled towards the Chasm.
The time speeds up. And both Lyra and the guard fall to their watery deaths below.
Brooke:
I walk quickly and quietly through the winding corridors until I find my way to the key room. I return the key, as carefully as I got it before. And I begin to make my way towards Amar's office. He said my mission would take five minutes. I probably wasted three talking to Dex.
Just as I'm rounding the corner, there's a shout. All of a sudden, a group of guards brush past me as the race towards the Pit. I freeze in my tracks.
This is not good. Dex and the others must have been spotted. My heart begins to pound. What should I do? Amar told me to get back to his office immediately, otherwise I could be in danger too. But I can't just leave them. No. I can't leave her.
I twist and turn the other way, watching the backs of the guards as they round the corner. If I just went to have a look and see how the others were doing, would it really be that bad? If I was careful-if I was quick and wasn't caught?
I sigh. I'll have to risk it. I need to know if the others are safe. I begin to sprint down the corridor after the guards, my feet hammering painfully on the floor beneath me. I round the corners until I reach the supply room again.
The guards Amar and I knocked unconscious are still on the floor. At first everything's quiet. But then I hear a high-pitched scream. Coming from the Chasm.
With my brain screaming that it's a bad idea, my feet change direction and propel me towards the Chasm. It's only a few turns away and I'm heading into the last corridor when I hit a wall of hard solid mass straight on.
I stumble, jerk backwards and land on my backside. Looking up, I see what-or rather who- I've just crashed into.
The dark-haired boy standing in front of me is tall. He's muscular and he's wearing his familiar smirk. It's a boy that I'd completely forgotten about since I heard that Dex was in danger. When in hindsight, I should have been thinking about him all along.
It's Isaac. And he's obscuring my only path to the Chasm.