I truly apologize for the long breaks between updating. This is my last week of school and as exciting as it is for summer break to be so few days away, the last week of school for teachers is so exhausting! I hate making excuses but so much is going on with getting my students ready for summer, packing up my classroom, and getting all required items finished before Friday, I can barely keep my eyes open past 6:00 PM. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I promise when school is over, I will finish this story and start my other ones, especially extending Everything They Wanted! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will try to update as soon as I can!
The pattern continued for Four. He was dragged every day from his cell down the hall and put into the little room with two guards. He noticed after his first visit, two more guards were stationed outside the door but they never entered. From here he was subjected to watch Tris endure simulation after simulation administered by Jeanine.
He watched as fellow Erudite gathered around her and took notes, answered questions from Jeanine, and looked at Tris like a science experiment. He gave up pounding on the glass after the first week and felt that this would continue until Jeanine either got what she wanted or decided neither of them were worth her while.
Today, he realized, Tris was in simulation again and he knew that Jeanine was using Four inside that simulation. He saw Tris' body reacting and he hated Jeanine with every fiber of her being for putting Tris through this. He had no idea how she faced each simulation, assuming she had to endure being rescued by him over and over again. This particular one didn't last long though and Jeanine was furious. Tris always figured out she was in a simulation and Four loved how it made Jeanine go crazy.
"We can't get out of here, because this is a simulation. You aren't under a simulation, you are the simulation. You'll have to do better than that Jeanine." He heard Tris say and watched Jeanine lose her usual common composure. "What is it?" Four lunges at the glass as he sees Jeanine grab Peter's gun and press it against Tris' head. He begins screaming and pounding his firsts against the glass again to no avail.
Tris doesn't even flinch and Four is proud of her bravery but his heart is in his throat, praying Jeanine doesn't overreact. 'What is it that clues you in? Tell me or I will kill you." Four watches Tris smile slightly, knowing her worth to Jeanine but Four yells out to be safe, stay smart. Of course she doesn't and Four admires the fight in her.
As they talk, Four watches Tris launch herself at Jeanine and he screams out again, watching Tris claw at any exposed skin and he wishes he could be in there to fight with her. The Dauntless traitors in his room leap at him and hold him down, keeping his head pointed at the window. They force him to watch as Peter wraps his arms around Tris and punches her in the side. She tries to get at Jeanine but Peter doesn't let her go. Four curiously notices that Peter holds her a little gentler than the last time he dragged her into the room but the moment passes. Tris continues to scream at Jeanine as Peter removes her from the room.
After she leaves, Four watches Jeanine tear apart the room and turn her gaze onto his window. She motions toward the window and Four feels them begin to drag him out of the room. They throw him at the feet of Jeanine and he struggles to stand. He pulls himself up right and stares Jeanine in the eye.
"Things not going as planned?" he chokes out, pain lancing through his side from where the guards kicked him earlier that week. Jeanine turns to him and slaps him across the face, Four's head snaps back with the force of her hand.
"Who do you two think you are? You are no better than any of the rest of us? What makes you so special? If I shoot you in the head, you will die like the rest of us so why don't my simulations work on you? I will find out and you will be my first witness at conquering the Divergent plague starting with your bitch of a girlfriend! Either she cooperates or she dies." With that Jeanine turns and walks out of the room leaving me crumpling to the floor. All his hope for surviving and rescuing Tris left the room after today's events. He felt that they would not make it out alive and just hoped they would be allowed to leave this world together.
(Page Break)
Four wakes up in his cell and hears footsteps down the hallway. He moves toward the door and looks out the small window and sees Peter at Tris' cell. He enters and stays for several minutes which is strange to Four. Usually Peter only enters Tris' cell to remove her for more testing. After a few minutes, he exits without Tris and Four fears the worst. He sees Peter walking toward him and bangs on the window, "Peter! Peter!" Peter stops, looks Four in the eye and sneers. He moves toward the door and Four sees him talking to the guard.
The door swings open and there he is. Four takes a step back and Peter enters his cell. "The mighty Four reduced to a whimpering, begging captive. Who would have thought I would rise above you, the Dauntless legend. I certainly didn't when you were beating the shit out of me in that hallway when I almost had my way with your scrawny girlfriend." Four held back his anger, knowing Peter was trying to goad him but visualizing beating him until he couldn't talk any longer.
"Well good news for you, you've just been upgraded to test subject. Jeanine feels you would be worthwhile to her quest to rid our city of the Dauntless epidemic." Four took a second to process Peter's words and analyzed the look on his face, Tris was always better at reading people but he felt he was missing something. He racked his brain, why would Jeanine start testing on him? Tris was more Divergent than anyone he had come across while training at Dauntless, Four never had the ability that she did.
The only way that Jeanine would need him would beā¦his heart stopped beating. He turned toward Peter and the look on Peter's face confirmed his worst fear.
"She is going to kill her? When?" Peter laughed, "You are a quick one Four. I thought I was going to have to string you along for much longer." Four had no patience, he had to know how much time he had to save the woman he loved.
Peter refused to answer him and Four lunged at him. He wrapped his hands around his throat, "How long!" He bellowed and Peter shoved him off. He turned to walk away and Four thought he was going to leave him without an answer. Just before the door closed, he heard Peter say, "Tomorrow, maybe there will be cake." The door closed and Four's world went black at the word tomorrow.
