CANDICE

I'm warm.

Too warm.

Hot even.

I'm sweating. The heat is stifling. I look around and I am in a brightly lit room with black walls. There are heaters lined the walls and the vent is blowing hot air. It is utterly stifling. The air is so hot it hurts to breathe in and I find myself holding my breath, looking around the room while fighting the rising panic. My eyes feel like they are burning.

My lungs were burning both from the heat and from the lack of oxygen. I could feel myself getting lightheaded from lack of oxygen.

Come on, think! I urged myself. Calm down and think!

The situation and fighting the rising fear and panic reminds me of something. Reminds me of what? Think and then something releases from my memory. "It's not real," I said out loud calmly, expelling my breath in a rush. Suddenly the heaters are gone and the temperature, though still hot, is much more bearable. I gulped in deeps breaths of air and I started to feel better.

It reminds me of…

Something. But what?

I took a deep breath and thought back to the other experience I seemed to have. Something that wasn't real. If it wasn't real, it was a simulation. Meant to feel real. "Simulation," I said, mouthing the word. Something about that was ringing a bell.

Simulation. Causing fear.

THE FEAR LANDSCAPE!

Wait… the fear landscape. When had I experienced that… as Tris!?

Suddenly so many images slammed themselves into my skull and the pain was incredible. My skull felt as if it was about to burst and I groaned, clutched my skull and sat up gasping. The pain was so intense, it felt like a white hot searing pain had just annihilated the inside of my skull and I had trouble concentrating or pushing past the pain. It hurt so much. I barely felt a hand on my shoulder.

I had been asleep with Tobias wrapped around me like a vine. That's why I felt so hot.

"Candace, are you alright?" Tobias asked me, sitting up and looking around anxiously. I had been asleep. We were both at Tobias' in his room. As the images slow and settled and my poor sensibilities began to place all the images and memories I just regained, the pain lessened and became more bearable. I looked around. I recognised the décor and setting from when we had watched the movie.

I held up a finger to make him wait a second and struggled to sort through both my emotions and the sudden influx of memories. The pain had lessened to merely a headache now.

"Your nose," Tobias said alarmed and my hand went to my nose. There was a bit of blood. Nothing exciting. And after the earth shattering revelations I had just received, I was surprised that was the worst of it. Seriously, I was sure my skull was about to explode, as intermittent as the pain might have been.

"Tobias," I said and he looked at me, concern etched in his handsome face. "I am Tris!" I said with conviction and laughed hysterically. All the anxiety I had felt as Candace about Tobias loving me because I was like Tris, when I really was her! I was practically cackling and very quickly my laughter turned to tears.

"Are you ok?" he asked, one head cocked to the side as he hesitated before pulling me into his arms.

"Oh Tobias," I said, "I remember everything. I am Tris. I am Beatrice Prior. Born to Andrew and Natalie Prior of Abnegation. I chose Dauntless and you and I uncovered the truth about Erudite before the Faction War," I gushed, my entire head feeling like it was going to split open with the sudden flood gate like opening of memories.

"I knew it," he said with conviction and that was the last thing he said before his lips were planted firmly on mine and I could no longer think even half coherently as he kissed me with such emotion, such need. I felt all of his grief and I felt mine at having being separated from him for too long. And for what he went through thinking I was dead.

Finally, we had both calmed down enough and we started discussing what was actually going on.

"Ok so the Protectors. Tell me about how that came about," Tobias said and I thought about it.

'From the corner of my eye, I see David slumped over in his chair. And my mother walking out from behind him. She is dressed in the same clothes she wore the last time I saw her, Abnegation gray.' I thought she couldn't be alive. But I felt her cool touch. I asked her if I was done. She had taken me somewhere. I closed my eyes.

When I opened them next, I had been in a room that was sterile white. I was connected to an IV though in minimal pain. And I had amnesia. But I realised now, that the amnesia was brought on by something. Some kind of drug, not trauma. And so I had been prepared to come back here. Everything that I thought happened by chance, being at Fort Bragg, being "recruited" into joining the others, it was all done by design.

I explained this to Tobias as my mind wrapped around the concept.

"How though?" he asked. "We had your body. Your dead body. I had you cremated!" he said, almost angrily and his voice broke as he stood up.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure how," I said, standing as well. I went to him and wrapped my arms around him. "There must be something about it that has forced events to come to pass," I said, trying to work out why half of us had been taken.

"I left Dauntless, started fighting with words instead of fists," he said, trying to think logically, though he was still shaking with emotion.

"What have you pushed through? What have you had a hand in politically?" I asked him.

"Communications and equality," he answered.

"So basically, everything the Revolutionists are trying to unravel," I said though more as a statement than a question. He nodded. "And if you hadn't been here to push that agenda?" I asked.

Realisation hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Then they would have walked in with no opposition. There would be less warning and the limited cooperation between all sectors would be non-existent. They would have everything they wanted and no one would be any the wiser," he said and I nodded in understanding.

"So now we just have to work out how to get the others to remember without anyone being any wiser so we can work out what to do from here," I said and he nodded contemplatively.

"What made you remember?" he asked. I laughed.

"Fear landscape," I said simply.

"Actually that makes sense. That's how Zeke and I knew a little of what was coming. We could meet you there," he answered. And that memory hit me. I was able to communicate with him there previously. But it would be dangerous to put anyone into the actual landscape. We weren't the only ones that could use it. "Think it would work for the others?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. But it's a dangerous game we play now," I answered and he nodded understanding. I had given him the idea that the landscape was no longer safe when I was in there last with him. "What is our first step?" I asked him.

"Zeke," we both answered. We both got up and got dressed and went over to his place. Tobias knocked on his door and there was no answer. We waited. Then knocked again.

Nothing.

Tobias went and knocked on the neighbour's door before I could react and I tried to stop him but it was too late. Then Shauna answered the door. She was looking straight at Tobias and hadn't noticed me yet. What was Tobias thinking? By doing this with me here, it was dragging Shauna into the danger and turmoil that she wasn't ready for yet. But I had missed her friendship. I quickly ducked into the doorway of Zeke's door, pressing flat against it.

"Hey Tobias, Zeke was looking for you. Wait is someone with you?" Shauna asked. I wondered if I had created a shadow from moving. Dammit.

"Uh," Tobias answered, appearing somewhat startled. Apparently realisation had just hit. I rolled my eyes. "No, just me," Tobias replied, recovering well and I felt Shauna stick her head out and glance down the corridor. "Can I come in?" he asked and there was a pause.

"Yeah sure," she said and a second later I heard the door close. I paused a moment, then ran silently passed her door and pressed myself into the next doorway, again pressing flat against the door. My instincts proved true as a half second later, her door opened again.

"Honestly, I'm on my own," I heard Tobias say as I held my breath. Then the door closed again. I quickly completed my trek down the hallway and downstairs, waiting for Tobias in a secluded area across the road from Zeke's building where I had a good vantage point, able to watch as I waited.

About half an hour later, Tobias emerged on his own and began walking up the street away from me. I watched the front of Zeke's building for another minute before I followed. Sure enough, Shauna followed a minute later. So I hung back and followed both of them.

Tobias moved at a leisurely pace, presumably trying to prove he wasn't hiding anything. I was hoping he knew I would be following. And I had a feeling he knew that Shauna was following him. She certainly moved well now on her prosthetic leg. Was so good to see. But then I wondered if the tech they had a Fort Bragg could help her? Most of us had made it through fatal injuries in their care and I had done some medical training there and knew they were ahead of anything I had seen anywhere else. Given I had no memories of anywhere else, this knowledge was instinctual. Now that I knew though, I questioned everything and saw most things with a new light.

And to be honest, I wondered if ignorance was bliss. As Candice, I was doing ok with Tobias and my life here. Was I better for knowing everything that had happened or that I had caused? Then I thought again about Tobias and knew I wouldn't trade the memories I had returned of us for anything. Neither had he. He hadn't given up on us and wiped his memory. Thankfully. I wondered if he contemplated it after my death. I knew, had our roles been reversed, I definitely would have.

Probably the only person that could have talked me out of it, would have been Christina. I wondered what she was doing now. Tobias hadn't mentioned her. And the info we received as the Protectors was completely task oriented… well so far training oriented.

Tobias entered a building, and cautiously, I watched Shauna enter a second later. I moved up closer to the building but on the other side of the road where I had a clear view through the glass door. He confronted her. I could see them both gesticulating wildly. Tobias was shaking his head and Shauna was pointing at him. After a minute, they both seemed to calm down. Shauna hugged him and left. I watched her head back the way we had come.

I was so busy watching her to make sure she had really stopped this time, that I didn't see Tobias leave. I looked through the door, and couldn't see him at all. I looked anxiously up the street and couldn't see him anywhere.

Shit. What was I going to do now? I tried to think of where he would head now but I wasn't sure what Shauna had told him, nor what they had just agreed on. Or where Zeke was. I would have the head back to Dauntless HQ and see if we could regroup there?

Yes. That's what I would do.

Suddenly there was a beeping from the thing that Cara had given us. Oh der, the tablet. I looked at it, flipping open the cover as I went. Tobias had sent me a message. I pressed Open.

"Look behind you," the message said and I spun around startled.

Standing there calmly, ignoring my rising panic, was Tobias.

And Zeke.

"Zeke," I said and launched myself at him, hugging him tightly.

"Hey Candace," he said, sounding surprised at my sudden delight and familiarity. I pulled back an raised an eyebrow at him. "Wait, Stiff?" he asked and I nodded. Then it was my turn to be launched upon. "So you are really them?!" he said, his voice breaking.

"Ease up Zeke," Tobias said and Zeke let go of me.

"Yes Zeke, but I regained my memories by accident. They haven't yet. We need to regroup and look at the big picture and how we can safely bring their memories back. And we need to talk about FourTris. We need somewhere we can go and talk safely," I said and they both nodded though I could see that was the last thing that Zeke wanted to do. "Hancock building?" I suggested and I saw Tobias pale slightly but they both nodded.

If only we had time to zipline. I sighed with longing as we ran and jumped the train on our way to the Hancock building.

"Start talking," Zeke said once we were on the train.

"Wait, tell me about Christina," I said and Tobias and Zeke both looked at each other, sharing unspoken words presumably about whether or not to tell me. "Tell me," I urged.

Tobias sighed. "We think she is in league with the Revolutionists," he answered. "All evidence points to her being the link between their operatives getting their information."

Damn. That couldn't be right. Surely?