A/N- Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great festive period! My two weeks off was well forseen lol, I was super busy as I told my who immediate family that I would be crocheting or painting them their presents and only decided to get serious about it basically two weeks before Christmas. It's nice to get back into writing though, and I really enjoyed writing this one! Have fun and stay safe tonight! I'll be back with another chapter next Friday! Bethany x

Chapter 13

I can feel my shoulder being shaken. I ignore the fist shake, my body knowing it's not time yet. It's the second and third bout of pressure that gets to me. I try to fight off the urge to awaken, but it's becoming useless. We stayed at the Moon Pool until the early hours of this morning, so I can't see why Christina is shaking me awake. I'm always the one to wake her up. And I know if I feel this rough, she would be beyond help.

The hand finally stops for a moment and I can just about feel myself drifting easily back into my slightly restless sleep.

I can still remember the ending of my last dream. I was sitting on the beach back at the palace with a bunch of children which I knew were my own. Dark haired boys playing in the sea, the youngest building sandcastles just by my feet. It was odd to feel so at peace, I know I could never in the real world. I never once questioned my mothering capabilities in this world. Which should have been a big red flag, because I know back in Athua it was never not on my mind. The last thing I remember was Four walking towards me, smiling heartedly at the children. The weird thing was, now that I think about it; it wasn't Four's face, but Xavier's. But I know it was Four there with me.

"Tris. Wake up." My mind turns on without any more warning. My eyelids spring open. That was not Christina.

I twist my head and see that Four is kneeling by my head. Already caught off guard, I open my mouth to question what he thinks he's doing, but his hand is over my mouth before I can even fully separate my lips. His other hand points over me to the other side of the bed.

Next to me, Christina tosses in her sleep. For some reason, I hold my breath, wishing for her not to wake. I don't know what explanation I could give her that she would believe. Even if I had explained that I had just woken too, she would find the most inappropriate answer going. I watch her for a few seconds, willing her to remain unaware. Her breathing starts to even back out and she turns back on her side, facing the wall.

Removing his hand finally, he motions for me to follow him out of the room. I reluctantly get out of bed, my body disagreeing profusely. I make a conscious effort to keep my footsteps light, shutting the door slowly behind me.

When I turn back to Four, he shoves a pile of clothes into my arms. I look down at them and see the same black cargos shorts and the tight fitted t-shirt I wore yesterday. "We're going to be gone for the day," Four says, his voice low. "I'll wait outside." Without another word, he walks out the door, leaving just a gap open.

Wanting to be quick, I rush to the bathroom and throw on the clothes. I finished getting ready within five or so minutes, glad I had a shower when we got in this morning.

I leave the bathroom, tying my hair up in a ponytail. I walk out the front door and see Four leaning against the wall to my left. My eyes start to burn with tiredness, and I can feel the lack of sleep ebbing its way into my muscles.

"What's the time?" I ask him as we walk down the hallway, rubbing my aching eyes.

He looks down at his watch, then smiles sheepishly back at me. "5."

I shut my eyes, breathing in deeply. We went to bed at 3.

He starts back up. "I know you all went to sleep late, and I wouldn't have woken you up so early unless I thought it was necessary."

I look at him as we step into the elevator. "Are you going to tell me what this necessary thing is, or am I just going to follow you blindly?"

He doesn't answer. I look at him closer, and see him fidgeting with his hands. His breathing seems to be speeding up. It looks almost like-

"Are you okay, Four?" I grab his forearm, trying to get his attention. It works.

He looks down at me and smiles with his lips closed. "Mmm."

A memory resurfaces. I was eight. Sebastian and I were exploring the cave systems not too far away from the castle. We were just making our way out when a landslide occurred, rocks blocking us in from all sides. It was a miracle that we were not harmed, but we were stuck. It was that day we learnt that Sebastian was claustrophobic. He had started hyperventilating, his words becoming disjointed and he had started to twist violently around in his crouched position, trying to find a way out. We found a small gap, luckily on the side of the outside world. Unluckily, it was only big enough for my small frame. Before I left, I had calmed him down. How? I can't remember.

Looking at Four now, it's obvious he, too, is claustrophobic. I decided not to state the obvious. I take his hand in mine, hoping it will keep his mind at bay. I put it to my chest, letting him feel my heartbeat. I realise the mistake as I zone in on it myself. It's not as steady as I thought.

"I don't think matching my heartbeat to yours will help me at all." He says on a shuddered breath. I see his lip is pulling up at one corner though, which fuels me to keep going. I drop it from its position, but hold onto his hand for a while longer, unable to bring myself to let it go just yet.

"My fast heartbeat isn't about being in an enclosed space." Is what comes out. I mentally hit myself. What is it with me losing all sense of control when I'm around him?

"And who says mine isn't?" He grins, raising an eyebrow.

I roll my eyes, holding in my smile. "That's the answer to your question." I say, pointing to the beads of sweat on his forehead. It's cold down here, not warm.

The door opens before he's able to respond. Looking relieved, he rushes out, dragging me along with him. I ignore the fact that we're still holding hands. He obviously doesn't want me getting lost, that's why he hasn't let go yet.

We run through the compound, passing only a few people here and there. Their heads turn as we pass, but I don't hear what they have to say. We get into the endless hallways to the west of the Pit, and then we begin to climb upwards. Our pace slows slightly until the floor starts to level out again. I keep my questions at bay, which is more than difficult. But I do have self awareness, and I know I would find it annoying being asked the same questions over and over again.

We round a corner and I can see at the end of the dark hall are beams of natural light. I can feel anxious energy radiating off of Four, his pace picking up until we're sprinting towards the open cavern.

Four stops suddenly when we enter the open room. I just about catch myself before running headfirst into his back. I walk around him, taking in my surroundings. There's an enormous hole at the top of the roof, with two ropes hanging out of it. I follow them down and see that one is wrapped around a metal bar on the floor, and the other has a heavy looking bag of sand at the end. The rest of the room is empty, except for a massive net in the middle.

Unsure what the ropes are for, I follow Four over to the rope that's wrapped around the metal bar. A thought enters my mind and my eyes thin with suspicion. "I have a feeling I shouldn't be here." This to me looks like the allusive members entrance.

I see his shoulders shrug as he unties the knot. "No one said anything about you leaving through the members entrance. Only entering." I remember my conversation with Will yesterday. Four's right, Will never said anything about entering.

I walk over to the Prince, watching his hands unravel the rope. He leaves one twist in place when he looks up at me. "You ready?"

I look to the sky and can vaguely see another sandbag looking item hanging in the air. I then look down at the rope in Four's hands, seeing a handle. I think I can put two and two together.

"This doesn't look safe at all." I say, looking nervously up to the sky.

I feel him grab my arm, bringing me closer to him. "We'll go together." He says. I look up at him as he holds my other arm, placing them both around his neck. I feel my breath catch in my throat. The last time I was this close to him was by accident on the train. I evert my eyes, unable to hold up the intense eye contact for much longer. Instead, I bury my head into his shoulder, not wanting to see what's about to happen. I don't feel Four's hands wrap around me. So instead, I wrap my legs around his waist, secreing myself to him. I hear him take a sharp inhale, then he grabs the handle with both hands and our bodies lift into the air. My stomach drops violently and my eyelids press together until I'm sure they'll never open again. The motion ends not long after it began and I realise we're now hanging in the air, swinging extensively. I feel Four move around a bit and grab onto something. I squeeze him harder, knowing the only thing keeping me from falling down is my own strength. I peel my eyelids open, and look to my right and see he's reaching for a net. To grab onto the net, he'll have to hang by one hand for a moment. I think about the higher possibility of us falling with the extra weight he's carrying. I don't know if I want to risk it.

"Do you want me to climb the net first?" I ask. I don't actually know if my arms will unlock from their position. I lean back with some force, wanting to see his face.

No strain is visible, he looks like he's hanging off some childrens monkey bars, not 200ft in the air with another person hanging off of him. He shakes his head, letting go of the handle bar and swinging us both over to the rope. To say it was impressive would be an understatement. He climbs with me still wrapped around him like a chimpanzee. He pulls us out of the cavern, manoeuvring over the safety railings.

His feet hit solid ground and his arms moved around my waist. I realise I'm still holding onto him for dear life, I'm sure he's about to move me away. Instead, he squeezes my waist. "How was that?" He grins.

Trying to push the physical contact out of my mind, I try to think about what just happened. "I think I'll enjoy it more the next time I do it." I've never done anything so exhilarating in my life. Regret floods in, wishing I had kept my eyes open for a bit of the experience.

I unwrap my legs, knowing I'm pushing my luck. He lets me down gently, removing his hands. Coldness floods into my chest, even with the morning heat hitting me.

"Come, we have to hurry. The train's about to pass." We job over to the train tracks and I can see the train heading our way. It's heading north, aiming for the mountains.

We start jogging, with Four in front of me. I'm determined this time to swing in on my own. The train starts to pass us and we pick up speed. I try to keep up with Four's pace. He makes it look so easy, swinging into the carriage. I push myself and can see the other handle just coming up behind me. Instead of trying to beat the train, I let it go slightly ahead and grab onto the handle before it passes me fully. Four's in front of me before I even pull myself in. He does nothing but stand there, which I'm grateful for. I want to do this myself.

With a lot of effort, I pull my bodyweight into the carriage. I'm on my stomach on the floor, my legs still dangling out of the carriage. I see the Prince crouching down as I lift my head, grinning. "Very well done." He says, pride taking over his face. I can feel myself, if possible, grin even wider. He then grabs ahold of my upper arms, hauling me up. "I told you you could do it." Delight courses through me; and without thinking, I fling myself into his arms. He catches me with ease, his arms encircling my waist without second thought. I feel his handspan cover the majority of my back, the other hand resting between my shoulderblades. My mind is a whirl of emotions. The feelings bombarding me are problematic. How can I be going down this road when not even 2 weeks ago I was ready to spend my whole life with Xavier? I haven't even known Four for that long, how come I'm already dreaming about our future together-

"Tris?"

"Hmm?" I reply, leaning back to see his face. He looks conflicted, his eyes moving from mine to anywhere in the room.

"I just-" The train takes a sharp corner and we hit the far wall. Four twists at the last moment to take the brunt of the impact. My hand reaches the back of his head before it slams into the corrugated metal, cushioning him.

We end up sitting down against the wall, watching the world pass through the open door.

He picks up my hand, inspecting it. "It's fine, Four." A few of my knuckles were split in the process, but the stinging had died down quickly. I think about our cut off conversation. "I'm all ears if you want to talk about something." I've been wondering what he was about to say before we slammed into the wall.

He looks confused for a moment, then realisation crosses his face. "Oh, no. No, it was nothing important." He rubs his neck, not quite meeting my eye. I know he's lying. There are some perks of growing up with a Candor. I let it go for now, too exhausted to push. We're quiet for a while, the silence a comfortable one.

Before long, I feel my eyes start to drop, and sleep starts to creep up on me. I try to keep them open, but it's useless. I feel my head droop to the side a couple times, but I pull myself out of it before my head finds itself resting on Four's shoulder.

I feel his eyes look down at me as my neck becomes fluid. He pats his shoulder, looking at me expectantly. "Rest, Tris. It's going to be a little while until we get there." I give in, my head resting on his upper arm. It's not long before I'm nearly asleep, my body more than grateful for the rest. Before I'm fully gone, I'm being moved. I feel Four's hands shifting me so I'm laying horizontally. The position is what puts me to sleep, I'm unable to dwell on where I'm laying.

I'm shaken awake, again. This time, I know we're on a train going who knows where. I was going to ask him about it on the train ride, but exhaustion won that one.

A soft voice fills my head, talking about jumping off. I open my eyes. Looking up, I see Four's handsome face. It's at that moment that I think about where I'm laying. I have to admit, his lap is comfy.

"What time is it?" I ask as I move to sit up. I look outside and can only see trees. It's like we never left Dauntless's forest.

"It's 7. You've been asleep for 2 hours." I nod whilst stretching out my muscles. My neck feels a bit stiff, but other than that, I feel more awake than I did earlier this morning.

An important question finally fills my mind and I ask it before some other stupid one comes crashing in. "Where are we?"

He gets up, pulling me along with him. We make our way towards the open door and he points out in the distance. "Over there," he says, and I look out to the distance, seeing a body of water, "is the Southern Shallows."

We jump off. Four lands on his feet, looking like a professional. Me, on the other hand, am not a professional. I skid my exposed knees on the grass leaving a green rash. I frown as I look up at Four, seeing that he's got his hand covering his mouth. "Nice shade of green you got going on there." He says humorously. I shove him in the shoulder and he dramatically trips backwards.

I stalk off ahead, feigning annoyance. He catches up easily, falling into step with me. "So," I say, already knowing why we're here. "What do you think we'll find?"

He looks at the large lake looming ahead. "I think I can already see what we might find."

I squint, acting like that will help me see whatever it is he's looking at better. There's a patch of grey and brown that sticks out from the picturesque landscape. As we get closer, I can tell it's some type of machinery.

As we get closer, I can see how huge the lake is. I can just about see to the other side, the trees over there looking like newly planted saplings. The machinery is to the right, a few hundred feet away from us. It looks unoccupied at the moment, but not abandoned. The vehicles look in well kept shape, some even look brand new.

I abandon looking at the stain on the landscape, turning my attention to the mystical lake. The water is like nothing I've ever seen before. It's like someone had dumped a whole load of black colouring in it. It looks frightening.

"Has it always been so dark?" I ask Four as we make our way to the water's edge. I crouch down, dipping the tips of my fingers into the water. I hiss as I pull them back, the pain seeping in already. The lake's colder than the sea I dove into on our way to Tosken.

"They say it's a deterrent." Four says, unconsciously rubbing my stone cold fingers between his palms. "You can't build a wall around the lake, that would just make people more determined to find a way in. But when the water's so cold that it could freeze you in minutes, people leave it alone." He looks out towards the machines, seeming concerned. "Well, people should leave it alone."

When I start to get feeling back into my fingers, we make our way towards the loney machines. As we get closer, I can see the Erudite crest on each one of them. An open eye in a circle.

"Unsurprising." Four says under his breath.

I run my hand over the warm metal. The crest sticks out like a sore thumb, staring into me anywhere I go. I look around and see at least 30 different contraptions. I still can't put a finger on what they are, I don't recognise any of them. I can only assume they're to mine the sapphires at the bottom of the lake, but how? The unknown does nothing to quell my unease.

"Four?" I say. He comes out from behind one of the larger vehicles, looking just as concerned as I feel. "Why would they need so many machines for one Sapphire?" They can't sell them, no one in their right mind would buy something so illegal. The whole world knows the 12 gems are off limits to markets. The only person stupid enough to flaunt around an illegal stone is Arthur, and he already has one. This amount of machinery could mine thousands. Even he wouldn't be able to wear that many.

Four shakes his head, seeming to have come to the same conclusion as me. "I don't know Tris. But whatever it is, it can't be good."

We walk around the site for a while longer, taking count on how many machines are actually here. Turns out it's 37. We come across an unlocked truck full of diving gear, but not the stuff I'm used to. This gear is thicker than it should be, but the tanks are smaller. That amount of oxygen would never get a diver deep enough to even see any sapphires, let alone remove them. What are Erudite creating?

Agitation hits me as I think about the vehicle being unlocked. The Erudite aren't stupid. They know not to leave expensive things unlocked if you're going to be away for long periods of time. I can only assume whoever works these machines will be back soon.

I'm about to tell Four this, when I hear voices off in the near distance. My eyes widen as I turn to the Prince, fear slowly creeping inside of me. He grabs my hand, dragging me in the other direction. We creep our way through the mass of vehicles, peaking around each one to make sure the coast is clear. He lets go of my hand for a brief moment, walking around the back of one machine. He tells me to stay put whilst he tries to turn the workers attention the other way. He picked up a large rock from the back carriage, looking as if he was going to chuck it east-

A hand slaps over my mouth. I'm being dragged back before I can see Four let go of the rock. Another arm squeezes around my waist, keeping me in place. Panic overwhelms me as I realise there's nothing I can do. I never trained in self defence; I've always had guards with me to protect me. I've never felt so disgustingly privileged in my life. If only I had shown more interest in looking after myself and not letting others do it for me-

The person dragging me suddenly pushes me to the ground, hard enough that the wind is knocked out of me. My head bangs onto something hard, like a large stone. I feel my vision blur and my lungs contract. It feels like I'm dying. The dramatic effects wear off slowly, leaving me with just a banging headache. I look up as my vision clears, and see a group of men staring down at me.

"Look what I found sniffing around the site, boys." The one who dragged me here says, looking smug. His eyes are cold, black pits. His hair is light blonde, closely shaven.

To my right, a man with stubble kneels down, taking my chin between his fingers, forcing my face towards him. "What were you doing sniffing around our machines, girl?" I stay quiet, not out of defiance, but out of fear. I've heard horror stories about women who find themselves stuck in the grasps of unkind men. The thought stills me, my quick mind turning off when I need it the most.

The stubbly man's other hand grases down my cheek. I close my eyes and clench my teeth, praying that they will all just go away.

The man snatches his hand back abruptly. My eyes fly open as I see him cradling his hand.

Furious eyes meet mine. "That bitch just burnt me!" He shouts, showing his hand to the rest of the group. I watch in horror as I see a nasty looking blister starting to form on both of his hands, right where he held my skin. He stalks forward, and the men let him. I start to scramble back, but a barrier of legs keeps me in place. I squeeze my eyes shut again, hoping for this to all be over sooner rather than later. The burnt hand left my mind as soon as it came in.

"Erudite!" A familiar voice calls. Relief floods through me like a hurricane. He's here. He didn't just leave me. The circle becomes tighter as they see the Dauntless Prince, shielding me away until he disappears. He won't.

"How are you men doing on this fine day?" Four says, sounding sincere.

The one who grabbed my chin replies, "Your Highness." He bows first, with the rest following suit. "What brings you out to the Southern Shallows?" The man sounds tense, I can see that he's ridgid.

"You know, this and that. My brother, Eric, said you guys would be out here, working on the landscape. He knew I was passing through, you know, picking up the Princess from Abnegation."

They mutter to themselves. I hear one say that this was a longer way from Dauntless to Abnegation.That's right. They have no idea I'm the Princess. At the moment, I don't look like a Princess. Who knows how long they've been out here? They must have missed my tour of Erudite. They quiet down quickly when I see Four hold up a hand. "My brother asked me to tell you that there has been a change of plans. He's moving your holiday to today until the end of next week."

The mutters start up again, this time, the man who dragged me here speaks to the Prince. "Erudite don't get holidays." He says suspiciously.

Four doesn't miss a beat. "We know that. But Eric wants to use this as a holiday destination and he's coming later on today. He doesn't want any workers around when he gets here." He's pulling this lie out of his ass, and it's not the most solid.

The workers don't look convinced. "And he doesn't mind the machinery left behind? It would take us longer than today to move it all." Stubble says.

"Don't question me, Erudite." He says calmly. He then pauses, and moves closer. "What is that?"

The men's shoulders push closer to each other. "It's nothing, just some factionless girl sifting through the site." The greasy haired man next to stubble says.

"Out of my way." Four says, his authority back in his voice. They reluctantly move aside, and finally I can see him. He seems calm, but I can see how tense he is, his fists are clenched and his eyebrows are scrunched together. He turns to stubble, "I'll deal with her."

He looks from Four to me, then back to Four. "Are you sure, Your Highness? We don't mind taking her along-"

"I said," he starts, his anger slowly settling in, "I'll deal with her."

The men start nodding vigorously, all mumbling agreements. Four hauls me up and I can feel my head start to spin again. I lose balance slightly and fall into Four. He catches me, pulling me in close. I can see him glare at the workers before we walk off back into the woodland area.

When we're far enough away, hidden by the trees, I fall to the ground. My head is screaming at me to stop moving. I feel Four follow me down, his hands cradling my face. I shut my eyes, trying to block out the sunny day.

"One minute you were there and then you were gone, Tris, I-" He stops himself, moving his hand to the back of my head. I hiss air through my teeth, the light pressure not helping the throbbing. He lifts his eyes to mine. "What did they do? Are you okay?" He seems panicked. He gently rubs his hand over the bump forming, his hand coming off sticky with dark blood.

Wincing, I move away from his hand. He's still looking at my dark blood on his hands . "The blonde one threw me down on the floor. There was a rock to cushion my fall." I try for a smile, but it comes out more of a grimace.

He gets up suddenly, looking as if he's ready to walk off. "I'm going to kill them." He says without thought. He looks as though he means it too.

I pull on his hand, stopping him in his footsteps. "I just want to get back on the train, Four. I want to get away from here." I feel my throat start to burn and my eyes fill with tears. I look to the sky, hoping to fend them off. "I've never felt so helpless in my life. I didn't know what to do, or how to react. I just froze in fear and that was the worst part. Even if I knew what to do I wouldn't be able to help myself. I cant- It can't happen again-" My hands cover my face, words no longer making any sense. They don't stay plastered to my face long, not with Four's grip ripping them apart. I keep my eyes down, ashamed of myself.

"Look at me, Tris." It takes a moment, but I slowly lift my eyes, starting into his dark blue ones. "We won't allow it to happen again. Do you know why?" I shake my head, not in the mood to try and guess. "We're going to train every day. You're going to become stronger, strong enough you wont feel like you need anyone but yourself to defend you. Mentally, I know you're there Tris. You just need time to break down those barriers." He tucks a fallen strand of hair behind my ears and I almost break there and then. "We'll get you physically strong and then there will be no stopping you." He smiles at me and I forget about the throbbing in my head. The thought of kissing him overwhelms me. How would he react if I did? There's less than 5 inches. If I just leaned forward-

A train horn blows in the distance. I break out of my daydreams and see Four start to stand. "We better get going if we want to make it back to Dauntless before the others wake up." I take his outstretched hand and follow him back through the trees. His hand stays in mine the whole way back, and it will have to be enough for now.

A/N- Looks like Tris is in need for some good old fashioned character development!