All characters from Divergent belong to Veronica Roth as well as all characters from Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. I own nothing except my version of events.

Chapter 23 Trapped

I was genetically undamaged. Pure, as they loved to refer to it here.

At least that's what Carlisle had said.

After we'd been sent back to our room and I'd had my little meltdown, they had left us there for an undetermined amount of time. Or at least until they'd assumed I had gotten over my rage. They'd watched me all my life but apparently still didn't know me at all. My anger was still there, simmering just underneath the surface ready for me to access whenever needed, but after having let it all out it had helped me find my control. I was no longer a bomb waiting to explode because I already had.

Either way, it was then that Carlisle had been sent to us to explain what he was allowed to. And so he'd told us we were all genetically undamaged. Something that was apparently craved the most in this world. And yet that meant absolutely nothing to me. If anything, it felt more like a burden. I was forced into this life and then expected to have no adverse feelings on the matter.

I couldn't believe this was my life.

That this was what my life had boiled down to. Meaningless experiments to save others without a care for my well-being or for that of the people I loved. They were insane. They had to be right?! There was no way any sane person would expect to destroy someone's life like this and not suffer the consequences. If they expected me to stay and be happy about it, then they clearly didn't know me. Again, all those years watching me hadn't taught them a single thing about me.

After what Carlisle had alluded to as being a few days after our arrival, he notified us they were interested in trying to integrate us into our 'new home'. Giving us the time to adjust to the new world we were now a part of before they fully let us out into the real world. I didn't believe them for a second. There was something off about this place. I already knew their intentions were never to put my happiness as a priority. If they had, they would have never taken me from my home. Funny how growing up I'd always felt as though I didn't belong in the world I'd been born in. And now, finding out that I'd been right all along didn't make me feel any better. My current situation only filled me with panic and an all-consuming feeling of dread. The irony was not lost on me. There was just something about this place... Like everything was all an illusion and everyone was simply playing their role to keep us happy. It was more than just unsettling.

So I was forced to take matters into my own hands with the very little freedom I was given. Whenever we left our room I was always aware, watching everything and everyone, just waiting for the opportunity to strike.

Like now we were in the food hall, or what they called the 'cafeteria' where everyone who lived and/or worked in this building came to eat. I hated coming here. Every time we did we were always gawked at, and not just a casual 'Oh look, new people'. No, when I mean gawked at I mean a 'stop what you're eating and drop your fork' kind of stare. It was fucking dreadful. Especially when a few of the brave ones decided to sit at our table to happily start a conversation. Which only Edward and Tris were polite enough to entertain. Meanwhile, Tobias and I remained silent, just watching everyone around us while pretending to keep our focus on the food.

After some blonde idiot had left our table I decided to finally speak.

"We can't stay here." I announced, my throat still on fire from the abuse I had put it through.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, looking at me in confusion.

"Exactly what I said. We cannot stay here. We need to leave and alert everyone about what we've found."

"Why?"

I glared at him as I answered. "Why do you think?! We can't continue to live like experiments. It's not a life, not one worth living. Everyone deserves to know the truth. We need to go back home. This isn't our home." I stated, shifting my eyes to focus them on Tobias. If Edward and Tris didn't want to be a part of that plan then that was fine by me, but I needed to know that Tobias would be with me.

His eyes connected to mine, silently watching me and evaluating our current situation. His frown deepened as he opened his mouth to speak and I instantly knew I wouldn't like what he was about to say. "Why should we go back? Our fathers aren't our biological fathers and my mother died a long time ago. I have no family there. Erudite is planning to destroy the city and everything we knew won't exist for very long. Maybe that's not our home anymore, Bella." He finally concluded.

I was stunned by his declaration. Only temporarily pacified by the noticeable indecision in his eyes. I had to admit his words had stung, but I was getting supremely good at hiding the hurt with anger… just like now. "Tobias, Charlie Swan and Renee are our parents. Mine and yours. They raised us both. They knew you weren't theirs and they still treated you as part of our family. Charlie always treated you like his son. Trust me when I say that even if he would've known from the start that even I wasn't his biological child, he would have still taken me in and loved me regardless. Aro Volturi is not our father, Tobias. We're only related to him by blood and nothing more. We mean nothing to him." I reminded him. If he thought he could replace his shitty father for another one then he didn't know what love really was. I had always been his family. My parents had always been his family. It should be worth more than blood. "And what about all the friends we have left behind and all the innocent people who live there? Are we just going to abandon them to their fate? Our lives might not be what we thought they were but that doesn't mean it's not the place where we belong. I loved you like my brother, even before finding out we were actually biologically related. That doesn't mean I suddenly love you more because of it, Tobias. I have loved you more than anyone else, always. The truth about our parentage doesn't change that in any way."

He closed his eyes, anxiously running his hands through his hair not knowing what to think or say. Until suddenly, the one person who had remained silent since I'd started talking finally decided to speak up. "She's right, Tobias. These people aren't our family. Blood will never trump the love we have for each other nor for the people we were taken from. Marcus Crassus isn't my father and he never will be." Tris said in complete agreement with me.

His hands dropped from his face and he finally nodded after some time. He looked beat-down, much like we all did, but I could see his sanity slowly returning to him as we spoke. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just so angry... Charlie and Renee are our parents and no one can change that. We need to go back as soon as we can… but it's not going to be easy." He concluded correctly.

"You're right." I said, nodding in acceptance. "It might take some time but we'll wait for however long it takes to make it back." I declared but I turned my attention to Edward, the only other person who had not agreed with us so far. "We're not going to force you to come with us Edward. We want you to come but if you want to stay then it's your decision, and as long as you stay out of our way it won't be a problem." I both communicated and warned.

He looked between all three of us, looking about ready to protest until his eyes fell down to his sisters, finding her already looking at him with an expression begging him to come with us. Ultimately, he shook his head coming to a decision. "I'll go with you. You're right, this place isn't our home and we need to go back to where we really belong. Warn the others of the outside world and what's really going on."

I released a sigh of relief, secretly I really did want Edward to come with us. I wouldn't have felt good about leaving him here but if he had really wanted to stay there was nothing I could've done to stop him. It was already going to be impossible to escape this hell and with one unwilling body it would have made things worse. We all needed to stick together.

I picked at my food, the conversation making me lose my appetite. Really since everything's happened I haven't had the drive to eat. I only did so because it was necessary. Every minute of every day I felt antsy, like I was ready to crawl out of my skin and escape into the ether. I hated being here in a new environment full of complete strangers. Having to deal with hundreds of pairs of eyes watching our every move. Forced to deal with dozens of strangers approaching us at every meal to talk to us as if we were old friends. I hated that more than anything. Just because they had watched us day in and day out on a fucking screen didn't mean they had the right to treat us with the undeserved familiarity in which they did. Even now as I looked up from my food I had a clear view of a screen displaying someone's life back home. Apparently that's how this place liked to entertained themselves. They would watch us, and not just Tobias, Tris, Edward, and I. Oh No. They watched our leaders too, random people from different factions... just as long as they were doing something they considered interesting.

It was disturbing as hell.

The screen hanging from the wall across from me was of teenage girl in Amity. She had light reddish brown hair all piled up at the top of her head. She was wearing a yellow tank top and a flowy orange skirt that flapped in the breeze behind her as she ran through the fields of Amity. Behind her was an equally young man with jet black hair, tall and attractive, chasing after her. Laughing as he watched her throw her head back on a laugh and using the distraction to catch her in his arms to bring her down to the ground with him. The girl automatically looked up and pressed her lips against his with a smile.

I choked on my food.

Tobias, Edward, and Tris turned in my direction. "What is it?" Tobias asked. He was sitting across from me, turning to look behind him to follow the trajectory of my eyes and straight into the screen.

"Do they watch us having sex too?" I asked, watching as the boy and girl on screen became a lot more aggressive in their kissing.

Tris gasped too and so did Edward. We both turned to stare at each other with panicked eyes. Wondering if our private interactions had been displayed for all to see. I was about to stand up and demand to speak to Aro when the screen of the girl and boy suddenly shut off, replaced by an image of a Candor member. I released a long held breath, feeling slightly better that at least they weren't getting off on watching other people having sex.

"This place is so fucked up." I whispered.

"More than just fucked up." Tris added, looking a bit pale, though color was slowly starting to return to her. Tobias turned to look at her and held her hand in his, wanting to comfort her in some way, but he looked just as sick as she did.

I understood completely. I wasn't ashamed of all the sex I've had but that didn't mean I was ok with strangers watching me in such a vulnerable state. Like that was something else entirely. I looked away from the screens altogether, still feeling sick, and ended up looking straight into the eyes of someone extremely familiar.

Our gazes met and his eyes widened, a look of shame taking over his features. A long moment of silence passed between us until he turned to his companion, breaking our stare down and passing his tray of food to him to head in our direction.

"Mother fucker…" I whispered, before he reached our table. At my whisper, the group turned to me again, gasping at the tall wide form looming closer.

"Bella, I–" He started.

"Funny running into you like this, Felix. Though I have to admit, it does make sense." I said casually, my eyes shifting to his arm where his tattoo lay hidden underneath. No wonder he'd called Eric just before I had been abducted. He had been in on it the whole time too. "Anyone else we know hiding around here somewhere?" I asked with a bitter tone, turning my head around to scan the crowd around us. It was just another stab to the heart to feel like I couldn't trust anyone anymore.

He cleared his throat, I could see how blatantly nervous he was. "Just me." He answered my question.

I scoffed. "Can't blame me for not believing you."

He looked down in shame, silently agreeing with me, but if he thought that would suddenly make me feel sorry for him. He was sadly mistaken. "I know… and I'm sorry I lied, but I had to." He answered, his eyebrows worrying themselves into almost a knot on his face. He really did look sorry, but even if he were I still didn't care. My only care right now was getting out of this fucking place and away from all of these fake ass people.

"Much good that does for me." I said rolling my eyes.

He hesitated, looking more than ready to leave in order to put some distance between him and my wrath. But instead he suddenly leaned down, moving closer to me while still remaining a safe distance away. "I know, but I'm still sorry, Bella. I was only doing my job."

"Riiight, and what was your job exactly?"

"To protect you during initiation." He stated openly, as if that would convince me to the authenticity of our friendship. "And I'm glad they sent me in because... then I met you… and you were so much more than I expected, Bella. I really am still your friend." He said, but when I didn't respond he continued with an even lower voice, as if afraid someone would overhear his next words. "And if you ever need me… for anything… I'm still here." He said softly, standing up straight and leaving just as quickly as he had appeared.

The table remained as quiet as I had become. Until finally Tobias decided to break the painful silence. "Most definitely fucked up."

And what an understatement that was.

"Thank you for your help, Bella. We really wouldn't be able to do this without you."

Carlisle and blood testing were two other things I abhorred. Sure he was nice and polite, but he was just like all the others, acting as if we knew each other since birth.

I nodded without saying a word. He acted like I had a fucking choice. They just pretended to give me a choice when in reality I knew that if I ever refused I would be forced to comply one way or another. They were lucky I was just playing along. Getting them to trust me so they wouldn't watch over me as much as they currently were.

That's another thing I loathed.

Though they also pretended I was free to go wherever I pleased, I couldn't. There was always at least one 'guide' with me at all times. Their excuse was that they feared I would get lost if I wandered off on my own. I knew that wasn't true because I had also seen each one of my 'guides' armed with at least one handgun discreetly strapped onto the sides of their calves, hidden underneath their pant leg. They really thought I was stupid, which would benefit me in the end. I needed them to think I was too stupid to figure out a way out of here.

"Carlisle," I started, acting as if I were starting a casual conversation. He turned immediately at my voice, eager to talk to me. "I was wondering if you had a place where I could go for a run and get some exercise. Back in Dauntless we had a training area, do you guys have anything similar? Tobias, Tris, and I would really like to move a bit more than just from our room to the food ha- cafeteria." I corrected myself, trying to use their terminology.

He smiled brightly at me. "Oh, of course! I'm sorry I didn't think to offer sooner. I can take you there myself. As a matter of fact, so can Alec." He added, motioning to my guide who was currently leaning casually against the wall nearest us. Alec in turn threw me a crooked smile, almost in the form of a smirk, adding a playful little half-wave in my direction. "Whatever you need, you can always ask your guides. That's what they're there for, Bella. Aro has ordered them to provide you with whatever you need. You simply have to ask." He said happily.

"Right." I said shortly, already angered by the mention of his name. Since my outburst I haven't seen even a glimpse of him or the other two head scientists… nor Eric. I was supremely thankful for that small reprieve. I knew I would have to not only see but also speak with Aro sometime soon, but I wasn't looking forward to it. I was pretty sure I would still try to kill him the next time I did.

"How about Alec guides you back to your room and I meet you there? I have to prep your samples before leaving and I also think you will need a change of clothing." He said in thought, looking down at my attire.

I looked down too and wholeheartedly agreed. They had me in clothes I wasn't used to wearing. I felt like a Candor. Wearing a pristinely white sleeveless silk blouse primly tucked underneath the waistband of my crisp black slacks. My outfit finished off with a pair of black ballet flats on my feet that I wouldn't be able to run in if I had to for whatever reason. But I didn't have a choice in attire either. None of us did. Every day they would send new clothing through the box in our bedroom. And now that I thought about it, I wondered why Carlisle had still offered to personally escort me there when he had already suggested Alec to do so. Probably just to spend more time with me. He was always extremely eager to be around me. If he were younger I would've thought he had a crush on me, but he'd told me he was in his 40's. He was young looking and attractive, though. Still, I knew he wasn't interested in me in that way. He just seemed like a fan and extremely eager to please. It was weird.

"Come, Bella." Alec suddenly ordered, extending his hand down to me. I hadn't even realized he'd moved closer.

I looked at his hand and then at his face and stood up without the use of it. This guy, on the other hand, was supremely interested.

I heard his light chuckle at my blatant rejection as I turned towards the door without sparing him another glance. He jogged ahead of me to open the door for me before I could do it myself. I found it extremely annoying when everyone treated me like a little girl who couldn't take care of herself. I would've punched someone already in annoyance, but again, it was beneficial for me to have them underestimate me in that way.

"I wish you would've told me what you needed, Bella, I would've taken you sooner. I'm here to please you in any way you need." He said flirtatiously as we walked.

I side-eyed him but didn't respond.

"You know you're allowed to talk to me, right?" He asked playfully this time. Still I didn't say a word. "Come on! You're making me look bad at my job. Aro will not be happy with me." He complained.

This time I did turn in his direction while he took the initiative to press the button for the elevator. "And making Aro happy is important to you?" I questioned.

"Well, seeing as he's my boss? Yeah... I can't lose my job here. I don't want to go back to work in the city." He said in distaste as we stepped in.

"What's wrong with the city?" I asked curiously, hoping he would give me more details about this place. Maybe becoming friends was a good idea after all.

"Nothing, really. Just the jobs aren't as good as in this building. It's a privilege to work here."

I hummed in thought, "What did you do before you worked here?"

He looked down at me and smiled, "If I tell you, will you talk to me more?" He asked slyly, like he was trying to blackmail me into speaking to him.

I rolled my eyes and stepped out of the elevator as soon as we arrived on our floor, dismissing him completely. I wasn't trying to start a precedent here.

"Ok, ok. I'll tell you. Just don't give me the silent treatment again." He pleaded. I smirked but kept walking. If he weren't working for the enemy I would've considered him cute, and he was. Alec looked about 22, 23, with shagy dark wavy hair that trailed down slightly to the back of his neck. He was tall but not extremely tall, probably just under six feet. Slim but still looking incredibly fit, or at least from what I could tell by his outfit. He was wearing black cargo pants with a black button-down of the same material that fit him rather perfectly, emphasizing his muscular arms. "I used to work in manufacturing."

"Manufacturing what?"

"Materials they use here in the labs." He said, "It was ok but it was long hours and not very good pay. It was a long assembly line with hundreds of us doing similar things. It was tedious work."

"How long have you been working here then?"

"About four years. I caught a malfunction in one of the machines, saving hundreds of boxes of equipment. Thankful for my watchful eye, my boss put in a good word for me here and I was transferred soon after." He said openly.

This dude really liked to talk. He answered every single question I threw at him without hesitation. We got to my door and he leaned forward to open it for me, but he stayed in between the door and me, turning to look down at me. "Do you mind if I workout with you since you're heading there anyway?" He asked.

I wanted to say no but he was going to be watching me anyway so what good would it do to refuse? "Sure." I said, shrugging a shoulder in indifference.

He smiled at me fully this time and then opened the door for me completely.

I walked in finding only Edward, instantly noticing two missing bodies. "Hey, where's Tris and Tobias?"

He looked up at me from a medical book Carlisle had given him earlier. He was such a nerd, even out here in the 'real' world he was still eager to learn. "They said they needed some fresh air so they went to the Glassroom."

"Why didn't you go?" I questioned.

"Because there are no open windows in the Glassroom, therefore, there is no fresh air coming in." He said matter-of-factly without even looking up from his book.

I chuckled. He wasn't wrong. "Well, I'm going to go get some exercise. Wanna come?" I asked, trying to get him to do something other than reading a book.

He looked up at me then ready to say no but then remembered I'd told him earlie. He needed to get fit so we wouldn't have to worry about him when it was time to make our escape. So he quickly changed his mind. "Sure," He said with a shrug. "I should go stretch my legs. I've been reading this book for far too long." He said as casually as he could manage.

As soon as he'd finished speaking, the box that sent our clothes every morning slid out of the wall, opening its lid to present us with four identical outfits in varying sizes. I pulled them all out, placing Tobias and Tris' outfits on top of their respective beds. "Here." I said, dropping Edwards at the corner of his bed before moving into the bathroom to change and using the toilet before leaving.

Once I was out I noticed Edward was already dressed and patiently waiting for me while he read his book again. "Anything interesting?"

"I'm still somewhat at the beginning so it's all stuff I already know. I can't wait to get to the good part."

I rolled my eyes but was stopped from releasing a retort by a knock at the handleless door. "Well, put a bookmark on that. It's time to go." I said, just in time to find Alec on the doorway with a bright smile on his face. I immediately noticed he'd also changed his attire, his clothing looking exactly like mine.

"Ready?" He asked, I could detect a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Yeah, come on Edward." I said over my shoulder, hearing him moving closer as I spoke.

"Oh, he's coming too?" Alec asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes but still arched a brow at him. "Yes, is that a problem?"

"No, no. Absolutely not." He said quickly, throwing me another quick smile.

I nodded and resisted another roll of my eyes as I watched Carlisle hurriedly jogging towards us. "I'm here, I'm here. Sorry I'm late. I got distracted." He apologized in a hurry.

"You didn't have to step away from your work Carlisle. You said Alec could take me."

He shook his head adamantly as if the suggestion had been totally absurd. "Oh no, I told you I would take you and I can't break that promise." He said, a little out of breath now that he'd reached us.

"Uh, ok." I said, stepping out of my room and feeling Edward close behind.

"Oh Edward, I am so glad you are joining us. How are you liking the book so far?" He questioned immediately.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, yet again, always finding myself annoyed with these people. I heard Alec's barely there chuckle as he guided us towards the elevators again. Carlisle and Edward taking their spots behind us already engrossed in a serious conversation over the book.

I remained silent as we walked, looking at my surroundings and trying to memorize the way. It was still difficult to figure out my way around this place but after almost a week here I felt like I was starting to get the hang of it. Though really I wasn't sure how long we had actually been here for. I estimated around five days but I wasn't really sure.

"Here we are." Carlisle announced, standing in front of a door. He opened it and held it open for us to enter, including Alec.

My eyes widened. The place was huge, bigger than the one we had back in Dauntless and with more equipment too. Most of which I had no idea how to use. I was suddenly thankful Alec had offered to exercise with me. He would help me figure out how the hell to use all of this.

"Where's the track?" I asked, feeling like I wanted to start with a run.

Alec chuckled at me, shaking his head. "We don't have tracks, we use these over here. They're called treadmills." He said, pointing to a row of machines. "The belt at the bottom goes around in endless loops and you run on top of it. But we should probably stretch before we get on those." He said helpfully.

Weird, but I nodded nonetheless, making my way to the machine he'd pointed at. I looked up and stumbled on my way. Were they fucking serious?! Along the walls were screens, displaying random images from back home. Every time I saw one it would bring forth my anger. It reminded me of just how little everyone here thought of us. Like we weren't actual living, breathing people, just all make believe. Our lives existing purely for entertainment. It was disgusting.

"Is something wrong?" Alec asked me silently, following my line of sight. "You miss home?" He wrongly assumed, looking sincere in his question.

"Something like that." I said shortly.

"Well, I will leave you all to your work out." Carlisle interjected, shifting our attention back to him. "Have Alec call me if you need anything else, Bella." He added at the end, nodding happily in my direction before leaving.

I shook my head and ignored the screens as best as I could while Alec and I guided Edward through a series of stretches before we decided we could move on to the machines.

"Ok. Get on top, Bella, and I'll show you how to start it." Alec ordered. I did as I was told, jumping on effortlessly. "Press the ON button and then this plus sign, keep pressing it until you reach the desired speed."

I followed his simple instructions, finding it much easier than I'd anticipated.

"Once you get the hang of it I'll show you how to use the other functions. Oh and if you need to stop the machine abruptly, pull on this string and it'll shut off quicker than the STOP button."

"Ok." I said, starting to jog as I continued to increase the speed.

Alec threw me a smile before setting Edward up next to me. Edward on the other hand kept his speed to a rapid walk and didn't go any faster. Well, he had to start somewhere. Once Edward was set up Alec moved on to the machine on the other side of me, starting it up and copying my speed.

After a minute, I added more speed. Finding myself chuckling as Alec quickly followed after me. And so our game began, each one of us adding more speed to see who would quit first. I was probably gonna get a cramp out of this if we didn't stop soon but it was the first time I had found myself actually enjoying myself in this place and I didn't want to stop. Laughing freely as I watched Alec sweating bullets and looking about ready to collapse.

A familiar feeling took over my body, forcing my laugh to die in my throat once my mind processed exactly what it meant. On instinct I turned towards the entrance, finding an extremely familiar figure watching me from the doorway. Our eyes connected for a single second before I looked away, preferring to watch the dreadful screens of my home instead of his face. I lowered my speed to stop Alec and I's game as Eric walked further into the room, feeling his stare on my face but ignoring it completely. He was lucky I wasn't trying to bash his head in after what he had done to me. I felt the pain in my chest flare up, and unfortunately, it wasn't due to the run. I tried to push the pain away as best as I could. I somewhat succeeded by immersing myself in what was currently on the screen. The world I had once been a part of...

"Eric." Alec said in greeting as he took the machine beside his. Sounding stiff and so different from when he'd spoken to me earlier, as if he could feel the tension between us.

"Alec." He responded in his oh so familiar deep voice.

My heart stuttered at the sound of it, my eyes burning with the need to cry. But I refused to do so. I had committed myself to pretending that Eric was just another creep in Volterra. It was pretty easy to do considering I hadn't really known him at all. The man who had made me feel things had been an allusion. He didn't exist and therefore not real. At least not in my world any longer.

I kept running, focusing my attention on the pounding of my feet on the machine. It was the only thing keeping me sane at this point because it was dead silent in here, only our breaths being heard over the squeak of our shoes. I was incredibly uncomfortable and desperately wanting to find an escape, but I didn't want Eric to think I was leaving because of him. I didn't want him to know that he still had an effect on me, and so I decided to keep running for at least another twenty minutes. Maybe another day I would try the other machines… when certain unpleasant people were no longer present.

My plan was going pretty well. I was managing to stay cool, calm, and collected. That is until all of the screens suddenly blinked to solid black and then just as suddenly turned back on to display all the same image. I gasped at the scene before me, pulling on the emergency cord as I stumbled forward into the machine. I jumped off and moved over to the screen closest to me, captivated by the image before me.

Jeanine was sitting in a lone chair. No, not just sitting. She was sitting restrained to a chair in the middle of a raised platform. She wasn't in Erudite though, she was somewhere else, and then suddenly the image zoomed out to show the head leaders of the four other factions standing before her: Max, Jack Kang, Johanna, and finally Tobias' supposed father, Marcus Eaton. There was a crowd surrounding them, all seated in the auditorium as they watched the leaders at the center. I could see five different colored pillars around her, each with the symbol of our factions, and in between each pillar sat hundreds of its respective members.

"As many of you have already heard," Jack started, turning in every direction as he spoke. "Jeanine has been accused of treason. Using her position as the leader of Erudite to commit unconscionable crimes against innocents and conspiring an attack against Abnegation in order to dismantle our faction system. Today, we all stand here before you seeking only the truth." He announced. He motioned for one of his faction members to step forward and a woman emerged from the crowd, the truth serum held in her hands. That's when Jeanine began struggling against her restraints desperately trying to get away.

"Jeanine. Accept the fate the rest of the leaders have chosen for you. If you are truly innocent, then there will be no problem for you to take the serum." He chided her while still sounding politically correct. Jeanine couldn't even heed to his warning while she continued to fight against her restraints. And so he motioned for two other men to step forward. "So be it." He said somberly. I immediately recognized Aaron and Tyler stepping forward, the same two soldiers that had guarded Max and I on our visit to Erudite where I'd discovered Jeanine's plans. Tyler held her shoulders down while Aaron held her head in place to prevent her from moving and hurting herself. The woman holding the syringe injected her with the serum, as soon as she was done all three retreated back into the crowd.

"Let us start with a simple question." He started, taking a slow stroll around her. "What is your name?"

She blinked blankly at the question, her head slightly diving sideways as she grew accustomed to the effects of the serum. "Jeanine Mathews."

"Good. Now tell us, Jeanine, is it true that you were planning an attack on Abnegation?"

"Yes."

The crowd around them began to whisper, hundreds of faces displaying both shock and horror.

"How were you planning to go about it?" Jack asked.

Even through the screen I could see Jeanine grinding her teeth, as if she didn't want to answer the question. "I developed a new serum." She finally answered but stopped speaking, shutting her mouth in an attempt to not say more.

"What did this serum do?" He questioned immediately.

"The serum implanted a microchip into the body, connecting them to a network that could receive direct data from the mainframe. It left the recipient pliable and open to receive orders without giving the mind a chance to resist a direct command."

"And who was in control of this mainframe?"

"I was." She said without remorse.

"And who were going to be those recipients?"

"Dauntless soldiers."

The Dauntless section looked about ready to revolt at her proclamation.

"Why Dauntless?"

"They are brainless idiots who know how to use guns." She stated plainly.

The Dauntless section of the auditorium stood up yelling angry expletives at her, displaying their fury at so coldly being referred to as pawns.

"How did you arrange that?"

"I reached out to their Head Leader, Max. I promised him a seat to rule beside me after the destruction of Abnegation. He agreed and together we were going to use Dauntless to destroy Abnegation and take over the government duty which had been foolishly given to them."

"Were you aware that Max was planning to go behind your back to protect our city from your plans?" Jack Kang asked, making it clear to everyone that Max was not a traitor.

At the question Jeanine's eyes shifted to Max, narrowing her eyes at his in anger. If she were able to I was sure she would destroy him with just a look. She clenched her jaw in anger and begrudgingly answered. "No." As if admitting to not knowing something was a major slight to her intelligence.

"We've undergone a thorough search of the Erudite building. We have found twelve members from different factions who claim they had been experimented on by you. Is this true?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because they are Divergent. Resistant to our serums. They are not human like us."

Jack frowned deeply at her answer. "What do you mean?"

"They're different. They are dangerous to our society. Their minds don't work the way normal humans do, and they have the potential to destroy everything."

There was an uproar again at her words, almost all of the members in the auditorium standing up from their seats shouting unintelligibly. They looked about ready to storm the podium, but a group of armed Dauntless soldiers placed themselves at the edges, providing protection from the enraged mob.

"You cannot be serious!" Exclaimed Jack Kang this time, his composure breaking and looking utterly repulsed by her words. "You were the one planning the destruction of our faction system, Jeanine! You were planning to kill hundreds of citizens to gain power and control. The divergent do not exist! It is something created by your own mind!"

"No!" Jeanine shouted, displaying the most emotion since she had first received the serum. She pulled on her restraints again, shaking her head from side to side in complete denial. "They're real! Victoria told me so! They are resistant to our serums. That's why I've been experimenting on them since I took over Erudite leadership. I couldn't allow them to continue to run free in our city and destroy everything our ancestors have worked so hard for. We have to eliminate them, all of them!" She yelled uncontrollably.

It took more than a few minutes to get everyone under control, including Jeanine. Jack Kang was getting ready to end the questioning when Max suddenly stepped in.

"Where are they?!" Max questioned angrily.

Jeanine immediately stopped struggling, looking up at Max in confusion. "Who?" She asked.

"You know exactly who I am talking about!" He yelled in her face. "Where are they? We've searched every floor of Erudite and they are nowhere to be found. What did you do to them?!"

She frowned at him in utter confusion, not having a clue as to who he was referring to. "Who?" She asked again.

"Two of our Dauntless leaders, Bella and Eric. Three of our other members are also missing, Four, Tris, and Felix. So tell me, what did you do to them?!"

At the clarification Jeanine threw her head back and laughed, sounding almost maniacal. "Well," She started, sounding smug at what she was about to reveal. "If Eric did exactly as he was told, then Bella should be dead. I'm assuming he's currently hiding once he found out I was being detained. He's been my lapdog for years. I've been using him behind your back to get what I wanted." She announced. Max blinked back at her in complete shock but also looking suddenly devastated over the news. In response, Jeanine laughed again, shaking her head and taking glee over the fact that she'd managed to pull a wool over his eyes. "And I don't know who the hell the other ones are." She concluded in dismissal, still looking smug over Max's shocked and haunted expression.

My eyes shifted to the background, surprised to catch a glimpse of Jared, Alice, and Uriah in the audience. I could tell Jared was trying to keep it together but his eyes were glistening with the unshed tears he was desperately trying to hold back, his body shaking with the effort. Uriah looked just as sad, holding onto Alice tightly as she cried her eyes out, sobbing so openly it hurt to just watch her. I roved my eyes over the crowd again, focusing on the Abnegation section where I miraculously also found my parents sitting in the front row. My dad holding onto my mother tightly in his arms while her body shook with the sobs I could almost hear with my own ears. My father looked just as devastated over the news, his silent tears streaming down his face while Andrew Prior sat beside him with his hand grasping onto his shoulder, a wordless sign of support. His wife was crying too. I was sure they were worried over both of their missing children, but I could detect a sense of relief in their expressions. Thankful they had not received confirmations to their children's deaths.

Jack Kang decided to step in then, clearing his throat before speaking. "Thank you for your Candor." He said, repeating the same phrase that was always used at every conclusion of the truth serum. "After all that we have heard, we pronounce you guilty of conspiring an attack against Abnegation. Guilty of attempting a coup to dismantle the faction system and guilty of abduction, keeping prisoners against their will, torture and manslaughter. We declare death to be the only just punishment for your numerous crimes." He announced, backing away and grasping Max's arm to gently pull him back with him.

At the move, another group of Dauntless soldiers emerged, carrying a table and placing it in front of the remaining faction leaders with four guns placed carefully on top. After a silent beat, each leader moved forward grabbing a gun and taking their positions around Jeanine.

"No!" She yelled angrily. "You are making a mistake! You cannot kill me! You need me! Who else is going to get rid of them?!" She exclaimed in a panic. "You are all too weak to do what needs to be done!"

She continued to yell. The remaining leaders all trading looks knowing she wasn't going to stop any time soon, and so they all nodded at each other, lifting their handguns up and pointing them straight at Jeannine's head.

At once, they all pulled the trigger.

Max's gun was the only one to fire, and I have to admit, it had been a rather befitting end to Jeanine.

The screen went black and I blinked back in shock. I was relieved that Abnegation hadn't been harmed and that my parents were alright, they might me in pain thinking I was dead but at least they were safe, my friends too. A part of me was also thrilled that Max had done what he'd set out to do from the start. I felt proud of him, even more so because he was my faction leader and someone I looked up to. I only wished I would've been there too. To have had the privilege of watching Jeanine get arrested and brought to justice. I hated the fact that I hadn't been able to be involved and to have had to watch it through a fucking screen while the people I'd come to care for thought I was dead. I was confused over what I should feel. Should I be happy that everything had turned out the way we had planned even if I hadn't been a part of it, or should I be devastated that the people I loved were suffering because of me?

It had been painful to witness, even through the screen.

"He did it." Eric whispered, suddenly sounding so very close to me.

I instinctively cringed away. I hadn't realized he'd been standing next to me as we'd watched the scene unfold before our eyes. I took a few steps back and turned away without another glance in his direction, heading straight for the door.

"Wait! Bella!" I heard him calling after me but I ignored it all the same. I reached the handle to pry the door open when I felt a hand wrap around my wrist, forcing me to turn around.

"Don't fucking touch me." I said viciously, ripping my arm out of his hold.

He flinched at the sound of my voice, looking pained as he watched my seemingly emotionless expression. Though it was like a tornado whirling inside, moving and destroying everything left in its path. He swallowed hard before he spoke again. "Bella, please let me explain." He begged softly. "Please."

"I don't need you to explain anything to me."

He shook his head, trying to find a way to convince me to hear him out. "Just a moment. Please. " He pleaded again.

I ignored him completely, looking past him. "Alec, will you take us back to our room?" I asked nicely.

Alec, bless his heart, had been frozen in stunned silence as he'd watched our interaction but at my voice he snapped back into action, immediately moving towards me. "Of course, Bella."

I turned away from Eric reaching for the door again when I felt him grab me again. "Bella–" He started, but this time he'd been pushed back by Alec who'd taken a defensive position in front of me. I also felt Edward taking a hold of my other hand and pulling me behind him.

Eric's eyes narrowed. His laser eyed focus directed at the two men standing protectively in front of me currently keeping me away from him. He looked down on them in complete fury, but he had no ground to stand on. He had no right to be angry.

Any other man would have immediately backed down at being on the receiving end of that glare, but neither Alec nor Edward retreated. I was extremely proud of Edward at this moment. He was just as aware as I was that Eric could get rid of him easily, but he refused to back down. Alec, on the other hand, I had no idea of how he would fare. But from his stance and the tense corded muscles in his arms I figured he might be able to, at the very least hold his own. Longer than Edward for sure.

"Get out of my way." Eric growled out through gritted teeth, looking about ready to destroy the two obstacles in his path.

"No." Alec said, "And I don't think you want to make a scene, Eric. I wonder what Aro would think if he ever received word of this." He threatened back.

Eric's eyes narrowed even further at the threat. They remained in the same position for what seemed like an endless moment, just glaring at each other, but Eric ultimately backed down taking a step back. His eyes shifted to mine but I moved mine away, instead tugging on Edward's hand who immediately got the hint and opened the door for us to exit without releasing my hand. I didn't pull away as we did, feeling like I just needed anyone's support after what just transpired.

We all silently walked back to the room. Even Alec who sensed I just needed some space.

When we reached our room he opened our door for us to enter but I paused at the doorway. "Thank you for having my back." I said quietly.

He looked stunned for a moment but quickly collected himself and nodded, "Anytime." He said sincerely as I let the door silently shut behind me.

A/N: Ugh, I'm two days late posting. I have no excuse other than I've been staying up late to finish this story, and with my daily life still going on I've had no time to edit and post this past Sunday. We're sort of getting to the end but I swear my mind has been a jumble of new ideas and it's turning out much longer than expected. I realize I say this in every story but it's true. I close my eyes to go to sleep and then suddenly images and ideas pop into my head and I'm like, 'I have to include that scene somehow!' And then I stay up all night writing it out. Which is how I come up with my stories by the way. Scenes pop into my head, I write them out on my phones notes, then the following days I write the whole chapter out on my computer. Sometimes these scenes are far away into the future of the story so I leave them on my notes and use them to give me direction. It's why I can never stick to my initially planned word count.

Needless to say this one is going to be over 200K. I cringe everytime I think about, but I just can't help it. My mind just loves coming up with new shit all the time.

By the way, I have two ideas for two more stories I'm planning on writing but I'm thinking about writing them both at the same time but only posting one. The one I will be posting first will be a fun little read, probably mostly smut. Hee hee. And hopefully I don't go crazy with an intense plot because the second one is going to be longer and obviously more in depth. I just like the idea of writing something cute and fun without having to over think it too much. It will still feed my need to write but also give me a break from the heavy. Especially after this one since it turned out a lot more dramatic than I intended it to. Again, the characters just wrote themselves.

Ok... I need to stop rambling because this chapter is already long enough all on its own.

But also, on a final and different note,

New characters!

I love it in this world! And for some reason, whenever I thought of Alec I pictured Dylan O'Brien in my head so I'm going with that. You are more than welcome to use him too ;)

Ok, seriously, Bye now!