Tris' POV

I dreamed that Four rescued me from a group of bandits. I was injured, so Four carried me on his back. He said the most wonderful things, and he even said that he didn't like Julia, and he loved me. But then, voices woke me up from my dream.

I grouchily woke up to bright lights and several people hurrying around the room. Remembering the Dauntless infirmary, I realized that I was in a hospital. But why? I tried to move and suddenly, my whole body was aching.

"Mmmph," I groaned, accidentally pressing into a bruise in the side of my stomach. I tried to speak, but my voice failed me.

"She's awake!" a boy cried, running to my side. Someone else was following him.

I turned to face them and would have shouted, if I hadn't lost my voice. It was Four. Does this mean… my dream was real?

I could feel Four's steady gaze and the boy's—Killian's—worried glance. "Tris, how are you feeling?" Killian asked. "Are you in pain?"

I tried to say "no", but I still couldn't speak. Frustrated, I simply shook my head, and Killian's brow furrowed, before relaxing. "Oh yeah, Tris, the doctor said that you might temporarily lose your voice."

Four noticed my frown and sat down next to me. Killian looked at us before dashing out the door. "I'll bring you some food!" he called.

I focused my attention on Four. Something wasn't right. It took me a while before I suddenly realized that Four was awkward. He was unsure of himself and constantly fiddled with his thumbs. He's never like this.

He cleared his throat, and said, "Tris, I, uh… I'm sorry. About Julia, and… well, everything. Uh… I hope you know that I never liked her."

And then, I decided that my dream was real. Since I couldn't say anything, I simply sat up, ignoring the pain in my back, and wrapped my arms around Four's neck.

I looked him straight in the eye. "I forgive you, Four," I whispered, before kissing him.

My lips crashed into his tender lips. He stiffened in surprise before placing his arms around me. He gently kissed back, pulling me into an embrace.

I didn't know how much I missed Four until now. My arms traveled down his back, exploring the powerful contour of his muscles.

Someone coughed. Four and I turned and saw Killian standing in the doorway, carrying red bags with a huge yellow "M" on them.

We awkwardly sprang apart. "Hi Killian," I whispered, my face breaking out into a wide smile. Killian grinned back at me.

"I can tell that you're feeling better. I bought McDonald's for everyone!"

Four groaned. "Great, Killian, we might as well embrace obesity with open arms," he quipped sarcastically.

Killian didn't even bat an eye. "If you don't want any, I'll be happy to eat your fries," he remarked, pulling out a bag of yellow, crispy fries. He purposefully slid one into his mouth, chewing slowly to exaggerate the savory taste.

"Okay, okay, hand me some!" Four relented, chuckling. Killian tossed him the fries, and Four fed me one.

Yep. They were delicious. They were fun-sized sticks of flavor.

"Aren't you happy that you transferred out of Abnegation?" Four teased. "You never would have tasted these."

And I never would have met you. So I nodded, perfectly content with life, even though I was attached to machines via tubes, and my bones were still aching.

After Killian left, Four and I were alone. He told me everything: how Jason had blackmailed him into asking Julia to be his girlfriend, and how Four had always loved me.

"And then Jason told me that his full name was 'Jason Eaton'. I was absolutely shocked—I never knew that I had a brother. I wanted to go to Erudite to check their birth certificates, since Jason was born there. After asking Maxwell sent me to Erudite headquarters on a mission to improve Dauntless-Erudite relations, I poked around their birth records and discovered that Jason was telling the truth: he really is my brother. Then one day… I overheard Uriah and Maxwell talking in the Dauntless office, and they were saying that Marcus is the head of government right now. Tris, did you know that?"

"W-w-what?" I whispered in shock. If Marcus is head of government… then everyone is doomed.

Four's eyes conveyed his worries. "Apparently, after we killed Jeanine, Marcus took over. Maxwell said that Marcus has been torturing and killing the Divergent. Tris, we need to be careful."

I nodded. There was a tense silence before Four continued. "I searched around the Dauntless top-secret files, and there were records of a rebellion rising up against Marcus. The records said that the rebel camp was in a forest, past the factionless district. I left the compound to find them, and I never knew that you were following me…"

There was a knock on the door, and a gray-haired man peered into the room, where Four and I were intimately tangled together.

I blushed and expected him to apologize and leave, but he didn't. He merely raised an eyebrow at Four, before calmly saying, "Tobias, I'd like to talk to you."

What? "Tobias"? How does this old man know Four's real name? Four seemed unfazed by the man's intrusive audacity.

"Welcome, Joseph, we were just talking to you. Joseph, this is my girlfriend, Tris. Tris, this is Joseph, the man who is leading the rebellion. I met him while you were sleeping. Joseph, can you explain everything to Tris?"

Frowning, I observed the man. The fifty or sixty year old man had a polite expression on, but his eyes were scowling. I didn't like him, and it didn't help that he interrupted our conversation.

Joseph turned to me. "As you may know, Marcus has climbed his way up the political ladder and secured the position of head of government. Now, he basically has the power to do whatever he wants, including killing all of the Divergent. He—"

"Doesn't a leader need support?" I interrupted, ignoring Four's admonishing expression. "Marcus can't do anything without the support of the five factions."

"I was just about to tell you. Marcus has been broadcasting propaganda on the televisions. He shows fake news footage about how amazing, how powerful, and how successful he is.

"Since many people have been traumatized since Jeanine's horrific attempt to control everyone, Marcus' advertisements are particularly appealing. Everyone wants a stable government. Through formal features and other marketing gimmicks, he has created a program that doesn't require his viewers to think. As a result, their gamma brainwaves disappear, and ultimately, they are mindlessly glued to the screen. He's practically brainwashing everyone," Joseph explained, glancing at me. "Of course, I don't expect you to understand the exact science behind it."

"What?!" I cried, indignant. "I understood every word that you said."

Joseph looked unconvinced.

Desperate to prove my competence, I quickly argued, "But Abnegation live without self-indulgence. They don't watch television. Marcus can't affect them."

"That's correct. However, keep in mind that Marcus was born in Abnegation. Most of the faction already reveres and respects Marcus."

Oh… that's right. Even when they found out that Marcus was beating Four, they refused to believe it. "So what's your plan?" I asked curiously.

"The only group of people who haven't been affected by Marcus is the factionless. They weren't given adequate food, let alone television. We've been recruiting the factionless and training them how to fight. We're hoping to raise a loyal army so that we can defeat Marcus."

"You're going to start the war," I realized in horror. "Don't you know how many people will be killed?"

"Marcus would kill even more people. We have to interfere," Joseph shot back.

I gaped at Four. "You support this guy?"

He held my gaze. "Tris, Marcus would destroy our society."

Sometimes, I think Four is insane.

"Tobias told me that you're a good fighter. Do you want to help train the rebels?" Joseph requested, hopeful.

Tobias? I suspiciously asked him, "How do you know Tobias' name?"

Four shifted next to me. "Joseph knew Marcus personally, and they were bitter rivals."

What if Joseph is simply jealous of Marcus, and has an ulterior motive to overthrow him? What if he secretly wants to become head of government?

Before I could refuse Joseph's request, Killian came bursting into the room. "I want to help!" he cried. "I want to fight."

Glaring daggers at him, I crossed my arms. "No. I don't want you to get hurt. I'm going to take you home in a few days."

"Actually, we'll be glad to have you. How old are you, son?" Joseph asked, ignoring my outburst.

"15," Killian replied eagerly.

"Great! You can start training with Jasmine tomorrow."

"Wha-?!" I spluttered. "Who the heck is Jasmine?"

"She's factionless, but she was born in Amity. She's been training our supporters."

"She was born in Amity? Amity, the faction that hates fighting? And she's training everyone? Joseph, you're going to get everyone killed!" I screeched.

He shrugged and didn't respond.

I glanced at Killian's determined expression. I can't let Killian get hurt. He would only be safe if either Four or I trained him.

"I'll help you train the rebels," I sighed. For Killian, not for you, I added mentally.

He didn't even say "thank you."

"We're training in the field at 10 tomorrow morning. Be there," he commanded, before strolling out of the room.

"I hate him," I grumbled, resting my head on Four's shoulder.

He looked amused. "I don't like his personality either, but you have to admit, he's a strong leader."

"And he's too power-hungry."

Four's expression turned thoughtful. "Kind of like Jason." Like Marcus.

Killian cleared his throat. "I'm still here, you know…"

I turned a deep shade of red. Stop blushing, Tris! I quickly changed the subject. "Killian, I am going to kill you. Why would you volunteer to fight? That's the same as offering to die!"

Killian rolled his eyes. "Come on, Tris! I know that you and Four are super good fighters! I want to be like you guys."

"I don't know if I should feel flattered or worried," I muttered.

Four grimaced. "Worried. I vote that you should feel worried."

"Anyways, I booked some rooms at the hotel. We can stay there tonight. Tris, can you walk?" Killian asked, changing the subject.

As soon as I stood up, the world started spinning. Groaning, I collapsed back onto the bed. "I might need a wheelchair."

Four grabbed one and helped me to the hotel. It was a peaceful night. I was finally united with Four.

The following morning, Killian woke me up bright and early. "Come on, we have training!" he exclaimed.

Climbing out of bed groggily, I put on my clothes and consented to being pushed around in a wheelchair. Four took me to a large grassy field, where fifty adults were running laps.

A blonde woman greeted us. "I'm Jasmine, you must be Four and Tris." Her eyes barely darted past me before settling on Four. Her green eyes lingered, and I could tell that she was already falling for him.

Clearing my throat, I directed our attention to the rebels. "They don't seem to have much arm muscle… how are they going to handle guns?"

Jasmine tore her gaze away from Four. "We haven't worked on muscle strength yet; we've been focusing on endurance."

I explained a training method in detail, gesturing towards the rebels in emphasis. Suddenly, a commotion caught the corner of my eye.

I exchanged a glance with Four, and he pushed my wheelchair to the chaos. There was a man, screaming unintelligible words. The screaming stopped for a moment, and the crowd parted.

"There he is! That's Four. He stole my girlfriend!"

It was Jason.

I know this chapter wasn't up to standards-I was suffering from writer's block. No matter how many times I tried to rewrite this, I was never satisfied. And then I looked at the calendar, and realized that I haven't updated in a while. Oops :) I'll try to make the next chapter better!

And... I know what you're thinking: "I can't believe there's going to be a war!" Sorry, but I wanted to include it! Let me know if you want me to describe the war in detail, or if you want me to skip it and continue on with Tris and Four's life.

Your reviews made me so happy. You know that warm and fuzzy feeling you get? Yeah, I definitely felt it :) Shout outs to: Dauntlessvictor and brightdarknessx , who gave detailed and helpful reviews. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Review like your life depended on it! Or... review like the next update depended on it!

~BubblyFanatic