EDIT 05/24/13: I'M BACK! I WILL CONTINUE THIS STORY BUT THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS ARE BEING EDITED BECAUSE MY WRITING STYLE AND QUALITY HAS CHANGED SO BEAR WITH ME IF THIS SUCKS RIGHT NOW (IT'LL SUCK LESS LATER)


So, I just finished Insurgent and in the last few pages, this idea just sprang to life. I am completely giddy about it, and decided to start writing it out right away. If you haven't read Insurgent yet and would not like the book to be spoiled, turn away now.

!SPOILER ALERT!: Basically, this story picks up from the end of Insurgent. In the book, Evelyn reveals her little trick and Tobias, after choosing to believe Tris, shows everyone the secret important file. BUT, in my story, Tobias chose to destroy the file with the factionless, and couldn't bring himself to trust Tris anymore. And stuff happens.

(The story picks up right where Evelyn is talking about disbanding the factions.)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Divergent Trilogy; it belongs to Veronica Roth. I, in no way, intend to gain any form of revenue from this, it is purely for entertainment.


Tris POV

Evelyn points her gun firmly at Tori, who stands on an injured leg. She will fire, because like she said before, she's came too far to lose to Tori. Tori will be just end up being one of many deaths Evelyn commissioned, one that hardly makes a dent in her plan. However, she stares at Evelyn, unmoving. The look in her eyes is the same as the one she wore when she pushed passed me and killed Jeanine. And I know that, Tori will not yield.

There is a part of me that wants to step out and scream for Tori to back down, because she can't take down Evelyn in the state she's in right now. But Tori doesn't give me that chance when she springs forward to Evelyn. A bullet flies over her head as she ducks, burying itself into a wall. She pushes Evelyn down, holding the woman with her knees. Evelyn tries to fire at Tori's head, but she bats the arm away and the bullet almost hit one of the Erudite by the side. Tori grabs Evelyn's wrist and twists, bringing a scream out of her.

When she didn't loosen her grip, Tori punched her in the nose, hard. She wrestles the gun away and positions it on Evelyn's head. Evelyn tries to wrench Tori off, and Tori presses the gun down harder.

Around them, the factionless are ready to charge, aiming their guns at Tori.

"Stop! Drop your guns or I'll shoot!" They don't move, and Tori moves her gun away from Evelyn's head to shoot her in the shoulder. Another scream tears from her throat as Tori replaces the gun over her head. Without taking her eyes off Evelyn, Tori repeats her demand again.

Some of the factionless lower their guns, but the rest don't. Maybe they don't think Evelyn is worth it. Half of me agrees with them, but the other half can't believe that the same people who laughed and joked with us at Marcus' house are so heartless as to abandon their leader.

Tori makes a movement, and the Dauntless springs to life, taking on the factionless. Gunshots ring out, echoing off the walls. How can the Dauntless believe that they can overpower an armed factionless, when they are unarmed? Maybe it's just part of being Dauntless, and my body instantly wants to join them. I swerve away from a bullet that almost hit my side, and launch myself against a factionless. He's around my age, and I can't help but think back to the Erudite boy who did not make it to the train after the Choosing. I grasp his wrist with one hand and punch him hard in the jaw with the other. His hold on the gun loosens, and drops it when my knee sinks into his stomach.

I back away from him, wrapping my trembling fingers around the cool metal and aiming it at his head. He raises both hands in defeat, his face contorting in pain. Someone grabs me into a headlock from behind, and the boy I fought before tries to punch me. I kick him in the groin and watch with satisfaction as he hunches over, wailing in agony. The arm tightens around my neck, cutting off my air supply. I bite down on his arm and when his grip slackened, I struggle out of his hold and deliver a roundhouse kick to the factionless' head. He crumbles down, unconscious but still alive.

I turn around to aim my gun at the boy from before, but he's too busy bending over in pain. The feeling bubbling inside me could be satisfaction or shame.

Some of the Dauntless are injured, but most suffered only bruises and cuts. In the end, I guess they are just more trained and experienced. For once, I'm glad that Eric and the corrupted ex-leaders taught all of us how to fight.

But something is not right. Evelyn once told us how the size of the factionless is double that of the Dauntless. Not matter how strong my faction is, the factionless should have won from sheer numbers. Maybe some of them didn't even bother to fight back, with Evelyn down. Maybe some of them didn't want their leader to die.

My arm drops once I realize that the boy isn't going to resist. I turn around to take in the situation, and watch two Dauntless help Evelyn up, who's nursing a bloody nose. Tori stands by, supported by Harrison. She glares at Evelyn sourly, and frowns slightly when she catches my eyes. I look away.

After a few moments, Tobias walks in with Marcus and Caleb and heads straight for Tori. I stare at him as he talks with Tori and Harrison. His face twists into a grimace when Tori points at Evelyn and gesture at the factionless. He must have missed the brief fight.

They talk for a few more minutes, and it is clear that they are arguing over something. What they will do with me? What they will do with the city?

When the Dauntless leaders face the crowd again, Tobias' eyes search the room and stop when they meet mine. He stares at me for a moment, his lips pursed into a thin line. His dark blue eyes are cold and hard, something I am not used to seeing. Then he looks away and moves on. Flickers of fire press behind my eyes, and I have to stifle a sob.

What would become of us now? I risked – and lost – everything when I chose to betray Tobias and my faction to follow Marcus. Would they exile, or even kill me? Furthermore, the Erudite data must be destroyed by now, and there is nothing to prove that I worked for something important, other than my own words. Which, no one believes anymore.

All that I have sacrificed, all that my parents died for – gone.

I press my palms to my eyes to hold back tears, feeling weak and helpless. Everything that I ever treasured is up in flames. Christina wraps an arm around my shoulders, trying to comfort me. I shouldn't have dragged her in. Now she's just like me – alone.

Tori clears her throat to capture the attention of everyone, and it takes thirty seconds for the commotion to die down. She looks at Tobias and Harrison, and they both nod at her. She directs her gaze back at us and starts speaking.

"Now that the fighting is at an end, the other Dauntless leaders and I have decided to restore all factions to their original format." Some of the crowd break out shouting, and it takes all of the three to quiet them down.

"We understand that the idea of granting the Erudite – or even the Candor – amnesty might not be appealing to some of you, but it is doubtless that our society depends on all five factions to operate. Erudite, Candor, and Amity will be under heavy supervision for a while, with Erudite's term drastically longer. We will try to establish a deal with Candor, where in exchange for interrogating all Erudite members under the truth serum to pick out those who are trustworthy and those who are not, we will grant Candor amnesty."

Someone in the crowd shouts out: "You said that a new government system will be formed, where the Amity will not be represented. What about that? And what about the Erudite and Candor in this new system? The Candor obviously didn't choose a side in this war either, just like Amity." Tori's lips twitch as she considers the question.

"Yes, that is true. But after discussing this matter with my fellow Dauntless leaders, we've decided to grant Amity amnesty as well. But they will also be tested under the truth serum along with the Erudite and Dauntless traitors.

"Aside from that, our population is considerably low due to the number of casualties resulted in this war, so we will retest all factionless members for their aptitudes and replace them in factions." This statement brings out another round of shouting and protests from the Dauntless, but the factionless are silent from shock. Someone steps out and yells:

"There's a reason they were all factionless to begin with! That means they're not suited for any faction!" Most of the crowd agrees with him, and Tori holds up a hand to silence them.

"Yes, but we have reason to believe that after this war, many of them would have developed stronger personalities, beliefs, and aptitudes. Besides, no one can deny that the factionless played a big role in our victory." The factionless nods and trade smiles with one another. The man who I knocked out before is awake down, looking dazed. I step away from him.

"And there's also the subject of the Divergent." Tori looks at me for a moment when she says this, then directs her attention back at the people.

"There is, apparently, an abundant of Divergent present in our population right now, and we have all learned that none of them are particularly harmful or threatening." There are a few angry murmurs and rustling, but no one disagrees.

"Which is why," Tori continues on. "We have decided to also retest them for their aptitudes. Divergents have aptitudes for more than one faction, so we will rework the simulation so that we can find which factions they have the most aptitude for. And in the scenario that someone has an equal blend of aptitude for more than one faction, it will be up to them to choose."

As she's saying this, I see Tobias frown. He wanted a factionless society, much like Evelyn, but we are too reliant on the faction system. And around me, some of the factionless are excited and happy for this opportunity to rejoin the community.

"But!" Tori raises her voice to speak over the noise. "But, it is also inevitable that after a while, we will have people who are still unfit for any faction. We will convert a few buildings to house the factionless and see that they live more comfortably than before.

"As for the government, the Dauntless and Abnegation will hold the council positions for now. And as time pass, positions will be offered to the other factions are well, in the situation that the members selected are cooperative and trustworthy. I don't believe any of us are eager for another uprising because a faction wants more power in the government." She stares at the Erudite while saying this.

"So we have agreed," She tilts her head to Tobias and Harrison. "To add five new council positions, where each faction will be represented by one member. These five will have power and authority over the rest of the council. We believe that this will satisfy every faction and maintain peace."

As Tori goes on, Tobias moves towards me stiffly and silently. He stops a few feet away and gestures for me to follow. His body is so tense that I can see all the muscles budging. I look up to his eyes, but he avoids my gaze.

My stomach clenches as I walk after him towards the stairwells. Two Dauntless follow us, and another holding Christina. Tobias pauses for a moment for Harrison to catch up, leaving Tori alone. I hand my gun to one of the Dauntless, and he stuffs it in his waistband. We step onto the second floor and into a room that is littered with books and tables. Tobias perches himself on one of the tables and looks over us coldly.

My hands sweat as I form them into fists. I peek at Christina from the corner of my eye, and she is nervous as well. This is where our fate will be decided. Will I have another chance with Tobias? The answer that hits me when I look into his eyes is no. I've betrayed his trust, and this time, I won't be forgiven.

Harrison coughs and brushes back his hair. He stares at me with a strange expression. Sympathy? Disgust? Maybe a mixture of both.

"I will list down your crimes. You two conspired with Marcus Eaton, betrayed the Dauntless, attempted to obtain some sort of information from the Erudite without us knowing, directly waving aside our orders for all data to be destroyed, and threatened one of our leaders, Tori, with a gun." Christina raise an eyebrow at me when he says the last part. I did that by myself.

"But because you both have shown heavy devotion to our faction, and you, Tris, have repeatedly sacrificed and worked for the good of the Dauntless..." My heart lifts as I hear him say this. Will we still be allowed to stay in the faction?

"…we are willing to give both of you a second chance to be part of the Dauntless, with probation and heavy supervision. But none of you will ever be trusted with important roles in the faction anymore." Christina grins at me happily, but my gaze is on Tobias. He doesn't react to Harrison's words in any way, and his eyes harden when they make contact with mine. When I look around the room, the Dauntless are frowning and grimacing, obviously unhappy.

My heart drops as realization dawns me. The Dauntless values loyalty, and our betrayal will never be redeemed. Had we uncovered the information we sought from the Erudite, they might've understood and forgave us. But now…they will hate us forever. Working against them, behind their backs, is unforgivable. Even if Christina and I are allowed to stay, we will never be truly accepted as a part of the Dauntless by the other faction members. And…

I look at Tobias as my throat constricts.

…and we will never be okay again.

That thought hurts me too much, and I know that I will never be able to live comfortably with him around. My fellow faction members will detest me, the boy I love will hate me. And so many of my friends are gone. Nothing matters anymore.

"No." The word tears away from my mouth in a broken cry. I slap my hands across my mouth to hold back my sobs. My eyes close momentarily to brush back the tears. When I feel stable again, I drop my hands and stare up, trembling.

"No, thank you. I…I don't want to be a Dauntless anymore." Harrison blinks slowly, surprised. Even Christina stares at me in shock.

"Then…you want to become an Abnegation again?" As soon as the he says it, I know that Abnegation is impossible as well. Not with the shadow of my parents hanging around, not with the idea that I've failed them in the end. I shake my head slowly as I repeat this in my head.

Harrison frowns, his eyebrows crouching together.

"So…I guess you want Erudite, Candor or Amity?" I pause a moment to consider his question. Candor was never an option for me, and I can't live by the Amity's way. I had an aptitude for Erudite. But I don't think I can stand it either, with Caleb's betrayal and the fact that Erudite killed my parents.

I am a coward.

I shake my head again. Harrison's frown deepens as he trade looks with Tobias. Tobias' expression hints that he's surprised, but it disappears after a moment. He knows why.

"Then…you want to be factionless?" Harrison's tone is incredulous, like he can't believe it. I don't blame him. My head nods on its own accord.

For a few seconds, all everyone does is stare at me. Finally, Harrison signs and shakes his head in disbelief.

"Well, I guess it could be arranged. I'll give you a room in the new factionless compound, and maybe you can work as a bus driver or factory worker." He turns his head to Christina and signs again.

"What about you? Are you going to follow your friend, stay a Dauntless, or transfer to another faction?" Christina stares at the blue floor tiles, deep in thought. For a moment, I'm not sure what I'm afraid of more: Christina following me or staying Dauntless.

"I think…I think I want to go back to Candor. My family is there and –" She doesn't need to continue. We've both lost too many important people, and she wants to stay close to the few that are left.

Harrison nods once and motion for the Dauntless to take us away.

"You will be placed in your respective living areas and Christina will undergo a Candor interrogation. As for you, Tris –"

"Bea." It's a stupid name, but I don't feel like Beatrice or Tris anymore. Beatrice is the selfless Abnegation that protected her friends and sacrificed herself. Tris is the Dauntless that dated Tobias and fought with her faction. I am neither. I am Bea the factionless, the girl who threw away everything for nothing.

"Bea. My new name."

"Bea, you will be sent to a factionless compound and choose from a few job options. You'll be given clean clothes and food, as long as you work for the city." I nod stiffly.

When the Dauntless guards escort Christina and I to the exit, I look back one more time to look at Tobias. His deep, dreaming blue eyes are on mine, and they are in pain. He looks like he wants to say something, but doesn't. I blink away tears as I turn back around. Tobias might still love me, but he no longer trusts me. We kept too much secrets, harbored too many suspicions, had too many personal agendas. And sometimes, we don't get along at all. Love is not enough to sustain a relationship. I hurt him too much. And I just became factionless, throwing away the last tiny chance between us.

I think about saying something, like a 'goodbye', but realizes that there is no need. From here on, he will be Four, and I will be Bea. We are strangers.

Tobias and Tris no longer exists.


And that is the first chapter! I tried to make Tori's victory over Evelyn as reasonable as possible, because Tori is injured, after all. I'm not sure if it was reasonable for Harrison and the Dauntless to offer Tris and Christina another chance given what they've done, for Tobias and Tris' relationship to so unmendable, for Tris to reject offer of becoming Dauntless or Abnegation and choosing factionless, for the Dauntless leaders to try out this government system, for Christina to become Candor again. Basically, I'm not so sure that everything that happened in the chapter was reasonable at all.

But things had to happen this way; Tris had to break up with Tobias in the worse way, they needed to keep the factions, Tris needed to become factionless, etc. Because, that's sort of, you know, the whole plot and everything.

I hope you liked the chapter :) Questions/Comments/Concerns? Review! I need to know if I should continue this story. (And subscribe, if you want to.)