All I do is run.

Natalie told me that I would need to keep going, push through the pain, don't stop - no matter what. For a Stiff, she sounded very Dauntless. She was the one who helped me escape, get out before they killed me.

Her voice echoes in my ears, surprisingly low and strong. If you stop, you die. Don't forget that.

I see a city ahead of me, completely different to the one I left. Full of roads and buildings, but everything collapsed and empty-looking. A concrete bridge - who builds a bridge out of concrete? - and buildings made of stone and brick and wood. And some tracks, clean and smooth.

Don't stop. Come on, Amar.

The bullet wound in my shoulder is throbbing - waves and waves of endless, agonizing pain. I don't know exactly when I got shot, sometime in my escape, but it's becoming fairly evident now.

I start following the tracks. There's no evidence that they lead to anything, but what other option do I have? Where else can they go?

Adapt. One of my catchphrases, a long time ago. Adapt to things you couldn't survive, adapt to circumstances impossible to pull through. Adapt to be faster, better, stronger than you are now, because that's always possible.

My thought jumble together in a tangled mess. Keep going run faster adapt don't stop don't slow down keep running… After a while, only one thought is discernible. Run.

As I start to slow down, the buildings start to get larger. Natalie warned me that the first time was always the hardest. I couldn't steal a truck or a car, and I wouldn't know what to do even if I had one, so I'd have to make the journey on foot, something that very few people have managed.

The buildings are large enough to distinguish between, but the people are still only the size of ants. I estimate at least another mile, and want to scream out loud. Instead, I sink to the ground, too tired to continue, and let my thoughts race.

My first thought is of Tori. I can visualise her worried eyes, the hawk tattoo on her neck, symbolising the sun, everything in perfect detail. I remember her stance, and the way she would stand with her fists clenched, and the look she would give me whenever I said something she didn't like…

Like anything about Georgie.

The thought sends a fresh surge of pain through my body. Georgie. He died a long time ago, after jumping into the chasm. Everyone says it was suicide. He jumped into the chasm on the last day of initiation. But something tells me Tori doesn't think so.

I met him in initiation. Everyone knew he was Tori's little brother. But we weren't friends just because I knew Tori as well. I sat next to him on the train and we both jumped off together. Since then, there's always been a special connection between us. Something that I can't name, something perhaps a little more than just friendship.

And Four. It was my idea to give him that name. I remember him in the fear landscape, right at the start. I thought he would do badly; all Stiffs would. But four fears is phenomenal, almost scary. Very scary, given his fears. Killing the woman, and Marcus Eaton. I know, from watching simulations, that Marcus haunts Four's dreams and, worse, his sub-consciousness. Sometimes his fears blur together, Marcus in a small space, violence on top of a skyscraper.

He's explosive, obsessive, insecure. Perhaps a little crazy. But Four is one heck of a strong character, and I hope that he'll continue to be.

I don't notice that I've got up and started running until I struggle for breath, noticing that everything is suddenly a lot closer. Half a mile away, perhaps. Less.

I see a truck in the distance, one big enough for at least fifteen people to fit inside it. Suddenly it speeds up towards me. I watch it get bigger and bigger, trying not to feel intimidated. I know I should hide, but the driver has already seen me, and besides, there's nowhere to hide. The truck stops a few hundred feet away from me, and a woman jumps out, walking towards me. She stops a few feet away from me, looking at the bullet wound on my shoulder with concern. She says something, but the sound doesn't reach my ears. She picks up a strange device, a black box with buttons, and talks into it, sounding worried. It emits a crackling sound that she seems to understand, because she puts the box down.

I finally recognise her words. 'What happened to you?'

'Shot,' I mumble. 'Escaping. Factions.' I can barely form coherent words.

'What, the experiment? In Chicago? Never mind. Do you have anyone meeting you?' I barely manage to shake my head; the motion sends shooting pain through my whole body. 'Okay. Come on, into the truck.'

The next thing I register is waking up to a strange, white room. White bed, white sheets, white walls, white ceiling. The sign on the wall reads Infirmary. I sit up suddenly, feeling irrationally panicked. A young woman walks over and sits down on the bed. 'Hi, I'm Zoe.' I recognise her as the woman who helped me into the truck.

There's a stabbing pain in my shoulder, and I can hardly feel my leg, but I'm not as tired, cold and hungry as I was before. 'You're probably wondering what to make of all this.'

I nod. 'Where are we? Is this a faction?' My voice is rough, crackling.

'No. This place is the Bureau of Genetic Welfare…' Her voice trails off. 'I probably shouldn't be telling you this right now. It's a lot to take in, especially when you're in your current state.' She waves a hand over my leg. 'You broke your knee and dislocated your ankle; we can't work out exactly how you managed to do both to the same leg.'

'No, tell me,' I get out. 'Please.'

'This place used to be called O'Hare Airport. Now it's an agency of the States government.' At my confused look, Zoe says, 'An airport is a hub for air travel. You saw an aeroplane on the way here.'

'I don't think I was fully conscious then,' I answer, racking my brain for some memory.

'Well, it's like a bird big enough for seventy or more people. You have to fly it, like you have to drive a truck. I'll explain it later. Anyway. Centuries ago, there had been studies saying violence could be linked to someone's genes. They called it the murder gene. After a while, they found genes linked to cowardice, dishonesty, all the things that contribute to a broken society. So although there had been peace and prosperity for years, they decided to try manipulating genes.'

I watch Zoe's expression change. 'People were chosen in huge numbers and given the option to change humanity for the better. It took several generations for the genetic change to manifest. But by that time, it was too late. Too late to change the fact that these were damaged genes, not corrected ones. Think about it; you'll see what I'm saying.'

I find myself understanding perfectly; each of the factions demonstrates this. The Candor, honest but inconsiderate. The Dauntless, brave but cruel. The Erudite, intelligent but vain. The Abnegation, selfless but stifling. The Amity, peaceful but passive.

'This manipulation made humanity worse than it ever had been before. It started a war; the Purity War. The genetically damaged against the genetically pure. It caused the worst damage humanity had ever seen in millenniums; half the country was obliterated. After the war, people wanted a solution. And we're in it. The Bureau of Genetic Welfare. We want equality between genetically damaged and pure. And more importantly, we wanted humanity to return to its pure state.'

I think I understand where this is going.

'So they told genetically damaged people to come out and get their genes healed. Then the Bureau put them in special environments to sit back, wait for time to pass, and thrive in their communities. Each generation would produce more genetically pure; you know them as the Divergent.'

'But Jeanine says we're a threat to society,' I say, remembering that day, the first day of simulations. When I had to go through the fear simulation… I shake my head to clear the memories.

'No. Jeanine Matthews is completely wrong. She-' The black box I saw earlier starts buzzing. Zoe puts it to her ear, seemingly understanding the buzzing it's emitting. 'Yeah, okay.' She puts it back in her pocket. 'Amar? There's someone who wants to see you.'

I frown. Who would want to see me? I don't know anyone here.

'Did you ever know anyone called George Wu? Georgie Wu?'

Why is she bringing up his name? 'Yes, he died a long time ago. Years ago.'

'You died too,' points out Zoe. 'But your death was faked.'

Half a minute later, Zoe is still watching me expectantly. I can almost feel the wheels in my brain whizzing rapidly. Suddenly the penny drops. I sit up so fast that the room spins crazily. I shake my head, having no patience for anything right now. 'Oh, my God.'

'He wants to see you,' Zoe repeats. 'Shall I bring him in?' I nod eagerly. 'May be a while.' She leaves the room.

What's happening back in Dauntless? They think I'm dead, that I jumped into the chasm. Does Tori know I'm not dead? I don't know whether I want her to or not. It's for the best, but it's going to hurt her so much.

Georgie's death changed her so much. She used to be bold, funny, outspoken, but now she's quiet, withdrawn… I don't want to hurt her, but I know I did.

And my funeral. What was that like? I'm sure they've had it already; I've been here for a day, stuck in the infirmary. Most people will just come to celebrate, or for the free drinks. But what about Four and Tori?

The door creaks, and I open my eyes. There's a young man standing just a few feet away from me. Dark angular eyes, black hair, an achingly familiar smile…

'I didn't think I'd be seeing you here,' he smiles, and just like that, Georgie is back in my life.

I open my mouth, but I can't say anything. The gravity of the situation I'm in is just starting to overwhelm me, so I just laugh helplessly. He grins, and sits on the side of the bed. 'What happened to you? How did your escape go?'

I grimace. 'Got shot in the shoulder, broke my knee and dislocated my ankle. It's just the sort of thing you would do.' Georgie has always been clumsy.

His grin widens. 'Better than mine. I got shot too, but then I got turned around. Took me two days to actually find this place. So…how are you?'

I shake my head. 'You know what, I don't even know anymore.'

'I take it Zoe told you about the factions?' I nod. Georgie smiles again. 'It'll be okay. You know that, right? It'll be okay.'

'It's so good to have you back,' I say. 'I never really thought I'd see you again.'

He laughs and wraps his arms around me, squeezing tightly. It sends a jolt of pain through my leg, but I don't care. Bringing my arms up to return the hug, a sense of happiness overwhelms me. The seconds stretch out between us, turning into minutes, and still we don't release each other.

I smile into his shoulder. I'm with Georgie now.

For now, that's all that matters.

A/N: Some fluffy fluff because I just read The Fault in Our Stars and also because why not? I kind of needed to write something sweet and I love happy endings. Especially happy endings with Amar…

And also, I've been writing too much heavy stuff :P I found a written draft of this at the bottom of my schoolbag, meant to be published a while ago, but hey, it's my favourite chapter to write so far :) I'm already writing another Amar chapter. If in doubt, write fanfiction!

Can't believe I've got 50 reviews! Thank you so, so much for all the support :D :D