Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent. All rights go to Veronica Roth.
Chapter 1
The Past
Flashback...
I hear people talking in the background, murmurs.
"When she wakes up, send her to my office and we can discuss everything."
"Yes, David, I will send her down when she's ready."
I hear footsteps walking away. I open my eyes to see the doctor standing beside me, smiling.
"You have been doing very well," he says. "Please, come with me."
I stumble out of bed, out of the drab hospital room.
After walking down what seems to be hundreds of hallways, he directs me into a room.
It had a huge window with a view of the city. In one corner was a desk. And a man, sitting behind it.
The doctor leaves and the man gestures for me to sit down.
"My name is David." He says. "And you must be Tris. Welcome to the bureau."
"Thank you, David."
"Now, I know that you are confused so let me start from the beginning."
He begins to talk about the Purity war, how the genetic alterations had disastrous consequences, how our city was one of the experiments for genetic healing, to bring back the genetically pure, the Divergent.
After he finishes, I stare back at him in shock.
The world that I valued became an experiment in which they created, they shaped, they decided.
My whole life, a tale.
I try to take it in. But I just can't.
They were observing us. Observing us eat. Observing us sleep. Observing us die. And they never meant to help us, in our struggles.
I bite my lip.
"I need some time to take in this information." I said finally.
"Very well, come with me to your guest room."
I follow him down unfamiliar halls, turning right, turning left. He enters a room with a bed and a washroom.
"You can stay here as long as you like." He says, handing me the keys. "If you're hungry, there's a food court right down that hall."
I take the keys and mutter thanks. Then, I slump down on the bed. I think about nothing, about something, about everything.
I woke up and find my stomach grumbling. So I make my way down to this "food court."
I ate some hot soup and some crackers, then decided to talk to David again. I made my way into his office, after wandering around blindly for the past hour.
He looked up at me when I entered his office.
"Hello Tris. What do you need?"
I sit down.
I stare at him.
Then I say, "What do I do now?"
He looks at me.
"A very good question indeed, ."
"You don't want to go back, do you?"
I hesitate. Part of me wants to scream and yell and say yes, of course I want to go back, my life is there. Another part makes me want to say no, not at all. I listen to another part.
"Very well," he says.
"Maybe you would consider starting fresh? Live your life Tris. And I presume that you are carring Four's child?"
How did he know that? Oh, right, they were watching us through cameras.
"Yes," I reply.
"Listen to me. Start fresh. Start over. Enjoy your life. Have your child. And you can do that there." He says as he points to a dot on a large may hanging in his office. I see lots of dots, one marking "Chicago" in particular.
I follow his finger to a dot with the words "New York."
"New York." I say.
"Yes, New York. After the Purity war, some of the population decided to settle down and lead a happy life, despite all the destruction it caused us. So they went to the city "New York" and built up new hopes and dreams. Now, it is one of the most safest place to be, with a governing system where people vote to choose their leaders. It will take you sometime to get used to but I think it is the place for you."
I sigh. But that would mean leaving my life behind. Leaving him behind. But it was for my own good. I nod.
"I will arrange you a ride there."
I woke up in a start, to see Kali gone, maybe upstairs. It was Saturday so she didn't have school. What time was it? I reach into my bag and take out my phone. 10:20
1 new message,
Kali: I'm out for a walk. Didn't want to wake you. Hope you think about telling me more about my father.
I sigh, still holding the picture tightly in my hands.
I look at myself, and then the girl in the picture. She was happy, with a big smile on her face. She was brave, she was courageous, and she didn't let anyone tell her she wasn't. But I'm not her. I've changed too much. I look at myself. My hair is dyed a rusty red color and I've always put it in a ponytail. I look at my clothes. If I wore them back then, I wouldn't be Dauntless. I would be Erudite. I touch the scar on my face. It was a little faded now but still noticeable. My friends would probably not recognize me if they saw. But one thing can never change, never fade away. Your memories.
I loved him. I loved my friends. Maybe I still do. But what does that matter. The chances of me seeing any one of them ever, ever again is like one to a trillion, maybe even a gazillion.
I grab my stuff which is just a sac with some clothes and a photo of me, my friends, and him. It wasn't much since I didn't know what was going to happen when I escaped.
I see David waiting for me outside my room.
"Are you ready?"
I think about it. "Yes." I say, firmly. "Let's go."
He leads me outside to a large white craft with wings like a bird.
Someone comes down and greets him.
"This is Matthew, he will be operating the airplane."
"I'm sorry, the air-plane?" I asked.
They both laugh.
Then, David explains. "That thing," he points at the white craft, "is an airplane. It flies in the sky to transport people or cargo."
"Oh," is all I can say.
"I guess this is a goodbye Tris," David says. "I hope you the best of luck." He hugs me and then makes his way back to the building.
"Come on," Matthew says.
We walk up the stairs and into the "airplane." There were a million of seats but no people. I guess it was just me.
"I will be flying the plane so you probably won't see me. If you need any help, this is Zoe."
A women in a uniform appears and shakes my hand.
Matthew turns and leaves.
I throw my bag in one of the seats and sit in the other. Zoe also sits down, across from me.
The plane starts moving.
"So, what's your name?"She asks.
"Tris," I reply.
"Oh, you're the girl that ran here from Chicago aren't you? You know, that's all everyone's been talking about here for the past few days."
"Oh, I see."
"So, what was your life like back in Chicago?" She asks, her voice was soft and understanding; her smile was warm and hearty. I felt like I could trust her.
So I told her everything. Everything. I couldn't keep it in anymore.
And she comforted me.
Soon, I arrived. She led me out of the airport and into a cab, giving me an address and keys. She told me that David had arranged for a living space for me.
So I wave goodbye to her. Then, I start my new life.
I heard the door unlock and open.
"Kali, you're back."
"Mom, you're awake."
We both grin at each other. To say the truth, she was my only real memory of Tobias. Every time I look at her, I see Toby. The first few weeks she was born, I struggled with that. But maybe remembering him isn't so bad.
"So, you wanted to know a bit more about your father, hmm?"
"Well, he was the nicest and most mysterious guy I'd ever met. His eyes always seemed to draw me in, they were so captivating. On the outside, he look scary, mean, cold. But he is actually a caring and compassionate person."
I smile then continue.
I talked about the days I had in Dauntless, the initiation, the training, Four, my friends, the happy memories. I decided to keep that night a secret, untold.
But Kali, naturally curious whispers, "What happens afterwards? Does he know about me?"
I wanted to yell, I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, I wanted to punch him. But I keep it in. That was one thing I learned, after everything that happened.
I whisper, almost inaudible.
I tell her the night of my escape.
I tell her about the bureau, the Divergents, the genetically "damaged."
I tell her about my mother, Natalie Prior and my father, Andrew Prior, who both sacrificed their lives for me, their daughter.
I tell her about Caleb, about everything else.
And when I was done, I let go. I finally told someone besides Zoe about what happened. But there was still something I didn't tell her about. Something that I locked up in my heart. The reason that I ran, the reason that I left. The event that triggered all that has happened to me.
And I never planned to.
