AN: Reminder of abuse and sexual assault trigger warnings as this story proceeds.
Also, it's Christmas Eve here in the US, and I wish a happy holiday season to all who observe.
The next time I woke up it was in a completely different room, and someone was nudging me. I squinted because of the natural sunlight that was filtering into the room, and I then made eye contact with a pair of bright green eyes.
"Wake the fuck up, you've been out for days and I'm over it." The woman says and I tried to orient myself. The dizziness and nausea are back, and the woman sitting with me looks like she could snap my neck without a second thought.
"How have I been asleep for days?"
She laughs, an ironic and uncomfortable noise. I try to focus on her face, looking for any bit of familiarity but finding none.
"Because they almost beat you to death after that little stunt, and as much as I'd like to just let you fucking die so I can get back to my normalcy, my leader still thinks you bring her value." The woman says.
"Maybe she should stop giving me head injuries then." I murmur.
"Maybe you should just fucking cooperate. You're nothing but a distraction and liability to most of us, but you being alive gives her the advantage of bringing one of your little boyfriends running like a knight in shining black armor." She shoves a cup to my lips, "Drink this. It's water, and if you don't take it willingly then I'll just pour it down your throat like I have been."
I take a long drink, figuring that if I'm more valuable alive they'll not try to poison me. I glance around the room, seeing the single window with the broken blinds and threadbare curtains. The walls are a faded color between white and grey, with various spots of unknown discoloration, the floor is covered with a dirty and worn carpet, and the single mattress is directly on the floor, with a surprisingly clean sheet covering it. My guard sits in an old rocking chair, and I watch as she types on some sort of device that looks similar to the comms devices we use in Dauntless.
"What's your name?" I ask.
The woman quirks an eyebrow, but otherwise ignores me. I try asking more questions but she continues to type away, only kicking at me once in a while to ensure I stay awake.
"How long have I been away from Dauntless?" I ask.
"Twenty days. Believe me, we're keeping count, because every single one of us is sick of this cat and mouse game Dauntless is playing." She replies angrily.
I think about Eric, and how far we've made it in our relationship, but the seed of doubt is still there, especially knowing I've been here for three weeks and they've made no move to come for me.
Was Evelyn bluffing?
My inner monologue is interrupted by the sound of a key unlocking the door, and Edward walks in, "You're off, get some rest."
The woman doesn't spare me a second glance before leaving, and I hear the locks engage on the other side of the door.
"You can go back to sleep." He says to me as he drops into the chair.
I study him, seeing that he's not lost any of the muscle tone he'd had when in Dauntless. His hair is longer, tucked behind his ears, and his single exposed blue eye is as bright as ever.
"How is Myra?" I ask and he stares at me.
"Dead." He replies without emotion.
"I'm sorry." I say with sincerity, and Edward scoffs.
"Really? Because it's your boyfriend's fault that she died." He hisses at me and I gape at him.
"Eric wouldn't have hurt her-"
"This is what you're going with, Tris? He allowed brutality during training, he encouraged Peter to kick the shit out of you during the fight, he did absolutely nothing when this happened to me", he points at his eye, "except shrug it off and let Drew fight it out until he was eliminated at the end of rankings. He's the reason Myra and I left, it became obvious that the fucking leadership team didn't give two shits about us, and even out here Eric Coulter found a way to fuck me. Myra was picked up for Jeanine's asinine divergent testing by none other than your fucking boyfriend!" He shouts at me.
"Edward-"
He stands to his full height, the vein in his forehead pulsing, his eye wide and his hands shaped in tight fists, "You will not defend him! The only reason he wants Evelyn dead is to protect himself! He cooperated with Jeanine's fucking war, Tris, and you're too blinded by his dick to see it!"
"He was memory wiped and dropped into a mental institution outside of Chicago, if he was a willing participant and following Jeanine's orders why would she memory wipe him and send him away?" I ask him.
"You stupid fucking girl," He shakes his head at me, "the entire time we were in Dauntless together, I thought you were smarter than this. If you have any sense of self-preservation you'll cooperate with Evelyn and let them lure Eric in. He needs to pay for his own crimes, and you and your faction are foolishly protecting him."
"He's not coming." I shake my head, "I've been here three weeks and Eric hasn't budged."
Edward smiles at me, "After what she has planned for you, someone will."
Dauntless had once again refused Evelyn's request for a meeting, so this time I was awake when she sent people in to attack me. As always, she had her camera crew recording and all I could do was wrap my arms around my head to ward off their blows. By the time they were done, I could taste blood, both from inside my mouth and from where it poured from a cut above my eye. My eyes would barely open, and when I looked down at my arms I saw angry red welts and bruises.
"Showtime." One of them said as they yanked me back up from my prone position on the floor. It was like the institution all over again, and my legs refused to cooperate so they dragged me along the dirty floor.
I'm brought to another room and thrown roughly to the floor. I can see the light from a camera through the tiny slits in my swollen eyelids, and hear Evelyn's voice droning on. I shut my eyes when the camera was shoved in my face, and I shivered as I listened to Evelyn describe my injuries in detail.
"We're not going to allow Beatrice Prior to die," Evelyn said, "however, if I don't have the city leadership team contact me within twenty-four hours the next attack will be streamed live. We know exactly what Beatrice Prior's weakness is, and when we're done with her it will make the incident at the Dauntless chasm seem insignificant."
"No..no...NO!" I shout, and pain shoots through me as I am slapped hard across my face.
"Get over here, now!" Evelyn shouts at someone out of my view, "You know what to do."
"Yes ma'am." The familiar voice I've heard in bits and pieces fills my ears and I can hear the sickening sound of a belt buckle opening and a zipper being pulled down, "Open your mouth!" He commands.
"Twenty-four hours." Evelyn states again, "Turn off the camera, let's give them some privacy."
I feel a hand grip my chin and force me to look up, and I sob as something solid touches my lips. I feel my mouth being forced open, and the man shoves his finger in, "Next time it won't be a finger, sweetheart." He growls.
My eyes won't focus, but that smell is unforgettable. Lemongrass and sage.
"No... you're dead..." I choke on a sob and I hear a dark chuckle.
"That's what your little boyfriend wanted you to believe, didn't he?" Al's voice sounds almost strained.
"Take her back." Evelyn dismisses and I'm dragged away from them.
I can feel a cool washcloth mopping over my face, and when I moan the movement stops.
"They're going to get infected if we don't keep them clean." A rough female voice says quietly, "Come on, Tris, just let me do this."
I've heard that voice before.
I try to open my eyes, but they are too swollen and I reach blindly for the woman, "Who are you?"
"You've got to chill." She says firmly.
I force my eyes to open as much as they can, and when I do I focus on the large framed, brown-eyed woman. The last time her face was this close to mine, I was straddling her on the mat, beating her face to stop her from talking about my father.
"Molly." I whisper.
"This one needs stitches," She says to someone else, who simply hums in response, "do you know how to do them? I'm not good with needles."
"Yeah, let me just get the stuff I need. Do you know if they keep any antibiotics here?" The male voice answers and I hold my breath.
It's Edward again.
"You're the one with the connections, why didn't you get more supplies from Dauntless?" Molly asks.
"I did get supplies, but they can't make it too fucking obvious. I already have someone skimming from the armory, can you just go get me the stuff for the stitches and any injectable or drinkable antibiotics you can find?" He asks and she sighs but moves away from me.
"Fine, but don't tell Evelyn I left you alone with her. She's still requiring two guards on her at all times." Molly says as she leaves the room.
"Is Al here?" I ask Edward, and even with my swollen eyes I can see him react.
"Not in the room, no." He replies.
"I thought he was dead. Eric threw him in the chasm, Four covered for him-"
"Think about it, Tris. Did they ever haul his body out?" Edward asks.
"They said it washed out." I argue.
"Lots of people committed suicide," he uses finger quotes before continuing, "by jumping in the chasm. That was a cover to ferry people to Jeanine for her fucking Divergent testing." He says angrily and I feel sick again.
"No." I sob and Edward scowls at me.
"I've been trying to tell you what kind of asshole you're protecting. Maybe Al will make you believe it." Edward says.
We hear the familiar sound of keys in the lock and Edward acts like nothing has transpired between us.
"I got everything," Molly says when she walks back in, "Evelyn said to tell you she wants her ready for another broadcast tonight."
"I thought she'd given them twenty-four hours?" Edward asks.
"By the time we have her ready time will be up. Let's do this so we can get some food." She replies.
"Molly please don't let them do this to me. Please." I beg and the other woman looks over at me with a puzzled look.
"Why would I willingly help you? It's not like you helped me in Dauntless? I seem to remember you beating the shit out of me, to the point that Four had to pull you off of me."
"That was different, we were forced to fight each other. Molly they're going to do what Al did to me..." I break out in a sob and for a moment I think I've reached something in her.
"Do her stitches and then get her showered." She replies dismissively before leaving the room.
For some reason, I'm not taken back to Evelyn, instead I'm taken into a different room, and I am dropped onto a mattress on the floor. I look around and can't find anything familiar, this room has no windows, and the only light is a lamp in the corner of the room.
"What did he do to you?" Edward asks once he's locked the door and pushed his chair up against it, facing me with his elbows resting on his knees.
"Who?"
"Al. I know it was more than what I've heard. Why are you terrified of him?" He asks.
"Why do you care, Edward? You've made it pretty clear that you hate me." I argue.
"I don't hate you, and if that mother fucker did something to you I want to know it, especially since he always made Myra uncomfortable as fuck." He spits.
"He attacked me during training." I reply vaguely.
"Was it like this?" He points at his eyepatch and I shake my head, "Then it wasn't that bad."
"He raped me." I say without thinking and Edward's casual stance changes completely as he sits upright with his back against the wall and his mouth agape.
"When?"
"After you left, we started the fear simulations and I ended up moving into first place. He was sliding further down the ranks, and I had been consistently thwarting his advances. He found me at the chasm, dragged me somewhere out of the camera view, held me over and attacked." I reply, and the tears just flow down my face.
"Eric knew?" Edward asked quietly and I nod in affirmation, "He knew that shit and still faked his death and brought him to Jeanine like a fucking lap dog?"
"I didn't know he was alive." I close my eyes and sob, missing Edward's movement until he speaks again, and I can tell he's moved closer.
"You didn't deserve that." He whispers and I cry harder.
"You can't let him near me again, please. I swear, I will do anything." I choke out.
"There's not a damn thing I can do to stop her. She wants Dauntless." He shakes his head.
"Dauntless isn't going to give her power in the city." I argue.
"She believes that Eric will, he's proven before that power is more important than anything else in his life, except maybe you." Edward replies, "Most of us have nothing out here, Tris. Evelyn takes care of us."
"Edward, if you can get me back to Dauntless they'll take care of you. The city doesn't want the Factionless to suffer anymore, however they want Evelyn to pay for her part in the war. Once that's done, things will rebuild."
"You can't possibly believe that." He scoffs at me.
"I do, but if for some reason it doesn't happen, I have a way out of the city. Edward, if you'll help me, I promise you I won't let anything happen to you. I give you my word. I'm not the enemy, and we've both suffered great losses, please don't keep following her just because you feel protected. Let me help."
"You're with him," Edward replies harshly and I take a deep breath, "How can I trust you when you make choices like that?"
"If what you're saying is true, I can assure you that I will help you make Eric pay." I reply and his expression softens slightly, "But Edward, if Eric isn't who you think he is, I'll need you to trust me."
"There's no way-"
"You asked me if I ever saw the body," I remind him and he nods, "Did you ever see Eric doing the things you've accused him of?"
He scrubs a hand across his face and sighs heavily, and for a split second I believe I've gotten through to him. Until the door is pushed open, shoving the chair Edward is perched in, and he immediately jumps up to see who it is.
"Evelyn's ready for her." Molly says and Edward yanks me up by my arm.
"Let's go."