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 25 Beware

"Goddamn you're strong."

I placed the weights back in their place and chuckled at Alec's awed expression. "You're such a dork."

He smiled brightly at me as if that were the best compliment he'd ever received, extending his hand down for me to take assisting me back to my feet. "I'm not sure I want to spar with you anymore." He teased.

"Are you scared?" I asked, arching a brow in interest.

"Most definitely." He nodded without shame. "You will embarrass me in front of all these people." He said, throwing his thumb back at the rest of his team.

It had become a part of our daily routine. Tobias, Tris, Edward, and I coming to the gym every day after breakfast joined by our usual group of 'guards.'

"Yeah but it would be so much fun for me." I teased.

He rolled his eyes but laughed. "Still a firm no. My sister would never let me live it down."

I was wiping my sweaty face with a towel when I turned to look at him in surprise. "You have a sister?"

"Twin suster." He corrected. "Jane", tilting his head over to her.

She was currently running on a treadmill talking to one of the other guards whose name I never bothered to learn. "You mean the blonde bitchy one?" I asked in complete surprise. They were like polar opposite, both in looks and personality. He was like a ball of sunshine while Jane was the dark storm brewing out there in the barren wasteland.

He chuckled but didn't look at all offended by my comment. "She's different." He said, with a shrug of his shoulders as if that explained everything. "To be honest, we didn't really grow up together. We hardly know each other."

During our conversation I had noticed Tobias discreetly moving closer, interested to hear whatever information Alec was willing to give. "How is that possible?"

"It's… complicated." He said nervously, looking away from me for a moment before coming back as if he'd been deliberating whether to tell me or not. "In the early stages of my parents' marriage, my mother had been promoted to a scientist position here. It had been a privilege that had afforded her the opportunity to give my dad and us a better life. One of those privileges included taking aptitude tests for their children to be raised here in this building with a higher education in the hopes that they would be trained in the field they excelled in and would automatically inherit a job here as well." I moved on to the next machine as he spoke to make it seem as though we weren't having a serious conversation, discreetly clinging on to his every word. "Unfortunately, I ended up scoring just below the cut-off line and refused entry to the academy. My mother had been incredibly disappointed in me… making it abundantly clear she no longer viewed me as… worthy. At least not as worthy as my sister." He said with a sad tone to his voice I had never heard from him since I'd met him.

I stopped what I was doing and sat up. "I'm sorry, that's awful she did that to you."

He connected his eyes with mine and managed a small smile, slowly transforming into a brighter smile as he shrugged his shoulders, as if he were shrugging off his own mothers rejection with the physical action. "S'okay." He said indifferently. "I had my father growing up and it had been more than enough. He was never bothered by my lack of intellect." He said in a laughing tone. Still I knew he was only trying to hide his pain through humor. It only saddened me even further. No parent should ever make their child feel any less, or hurt them in any way. I had been so lucky my parents had loved me unconditionally despite my differences. I didn't realize how rare that really was until this very moment. I also realized then how strong Alec really was. I couldn't help but to view him in a different light. "Anyway, he couldn't forgive my mother's rejection and so they ended up divorcing. And since he was no longer tied to her by marriage, he was removed from the building. I decided to go with him."

I frowned at the conclusion, "Why?" I asked slightly confused now.

He looked back at me equally confused. "Why what?"

"I mean why did you leave with him? I'm assuming your quality of life here would have still been better than living outside… at least that's what I gather from what you have told me in the past. So why would you willingly go with your father?"

"Because I knew he loved me." He said simply as if that explained everything. "He accepted me no matter what. My mother had rejected me and my sister was growing up to be just like her. Having a steady stream of food to eat and a higher quality of living wasn't enough to keep me here. I wanted to grow up with someone who loved me and would honestly care for me, so I chose to go with my father."

His admission brought a smile to my face, he had a bigger heart than most people I'd ever met. Especially since I came to this god forsaken place. "You chose right." I finally complimented.

He smiled even brighter at my declaration, shaking his head as if to shake off his burst of happiness and moved on with his workout a few machines away from me.

"Careful." Tobias' low voice suddenly spoke beside me.

I turned to him with a frown. "With what?"

"You're giving him hope."

"Hope for what?" I asked in confusion.

He sat up from his machine and leaned his elbows on his knees, giving me a serious look. "You know exactly what I mean, you can't play stupid with me. You can't erase your feelings by trying to replace them for someone else."

I stayed quiet for some time thinking over his words. I hadn't realized I was trying to do that. I just didn't want to be miserable anymore. I was only trying to find a light in the darkness, to not feel as though there was no hope for me to ever be happy again. More days than not it felt like an impossibility. Even if we managed to get back home I wasn't sure if I would be able to find that happiness I had once achieved with Eric. He'd left a gaping hole in my chest where my heart used to be. And it left me with such despair just thinking about it. I knew that if I let myself wallow in that misery, I would eventually give up any semblance of hope, never able to find a way to claw my way back out of that empty hole he had carved out in my soul. And if I've learned anything from everything that's happened since, is that if I didn't give myself a chance to move on or to give me hope that I could eventually move on, I would revert back to the same sad excuse of a human being I used to be.

"I'm not replacing anyone. The past is there to leave behind, Tobias. Maybe I just need a little hope that there's something beyond the pain."

He watched me quietly, his eyes searching. Slowly, he accepted my words, coming to understand what I was trying to say. He gave me the saddest look he's given me since my meltdown. I hated that look. Pity was for the weak, and I was never weak. And though I hated that look, at least now, he was aware of my attempts to make myself feel happy again. He finally nodded, standing up to lean down over me and placed a loving kiss on my forehead before moving away from me completely.

I released a pain filled sigh and pushed my emotions to the side. This wasn't the place to fall into my now too familiar wormhole of pain. And so I went through the motions again, focusing on my body and continuing on with my workout. It was all a blur after sometime, somewhat coming back to life when it was time for all of us to move on to the showers. We now had assigned lockers in the changing rooms, which were always filled with new set of clothes every time we opened them. It was pretty cool but also incredibly disturbing because it only meant they were watching us as if we were still in Chicago.

I waited just outside for everyone to finish, quietly listening to Edward telling me everything he'd learned from Carlisle. I was thankful we had him to understand what these new procedures we were undergoing were about. I felt slightly better to know there were no secret agendas behind the procedures, and if there were at least Edward would be able to detect them if they did. Maybe then we would be able to find out what the hell was really going on here.

"Hey, Bella." Alec called, startling me and making me blink away from the trance Edward had put me in… not that he'd noticed. "Carlisle just called and asked me to take you to his labs… If that's okay with you." He amended at the end.

Not having anything better else to do at the moment, I nodded. "Wanna come, Edward?"

"Sure." He said happily, always eager to learn more. It was why I'd asked him to come along. Not to mention I felt safer when Tobias, Tris, or Edward were around. I mean I felt safe with Alec too, at least somewhat, but it wasn't lost on me that he wasn't part of my world and therefore couldn't fully be trusted.

I told Alec to notify the other guards, assigned to Tris and Tobias, of where we were headed and then we were off. I was still distracted from Tobias and I's previous conversation and so I remained quiet on our trip there, letting the voice of Edward soothe me enough to push the darkness away again. It was something I constantly fought against these days, that dark cloud just above my head following me around everywhere I went. A constant reminder that there were so many reasons to feel pain. I hated it more than anything. I wasn't used to this doom and gloom mentality anymore. I had thought I had escaped it back in Dauntless but now it felt as though it would follow me wherever I go, like I would never be able to escape its clutches no matter how hard I tried.

"Bella, thank you for coming on such short notice." Carlisle greeted me happily, gushing over Edward's presence in his lab too.

"No worries." I said in dismissal, not bothered to be annoyed by his ever-present chirpy attitude today.

He started by taking the customary blood work as always. It was such a common occurrence that I idly wondered if I would soon start gushing blood through the numerous holes in my arms. It was a stupid notion but I felt I had the right to be as dramatic as I wanted to be. I silently watched him as he passed the time by taking my vitals while we waited for the results. He read them out to me when they were ready, but really none if it made any sense to me, other than the basics. Edward nodded along in complete understanding, unlike me, and I metaphorically leaned on him to tell me the important details.

Once done with that Carlisle moved me over to one of the attached rooms. There was a glass wall allowing those in his lab to view me from the other side. He motioned for me to follow after him, opening the door to lead me in and silently closing it behind him. He instructed me to lie down and leaned over me to begin strapping me into the contraption. I thought he was going to explain what the machine was supposed to do, but when he spoke next, it was nothing I expected to hear.

"You can't trust everything they tell you." He whispered in a low, deep voice. I turned to look up at him with wide eyes. His expression so different from the customary cheery facade he always wore. I wasn't sure which part made the unpleasant shiver run along my spine. "It's safe for us to talk here. There aren't any cameras in here to prevent interference with the machines." He said by way of explanation, taking his sweet time with what he was doing. "Bella, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Everything I tell you now cannot be repeated ourside of this room. Do you understand me?" He asked, his gaze locking onto mine so fiercely I couldn't believe I was talking to the same person I had just five minutes ago.

"Not even Tobias?" I asked.

"No. No one, there's cameras everywhere, Bella. It's not safe for you to do that. For now you have to leave him out of it."

I wanted to say no but the urgency in his eyes told me it wasn't the time to protest. So I nodded solemnly, hoping I wasn't agreeing to something incredibly stupid.

Seeing my acceptance he continued. "You and Tobias are different from the rest. He's only keeping Tris and Edward here to keep you happy but they don't matter to him in the end."

"What? Why?"

"They're not pure like you two."

My eyes widened even further at the revelation. "But you said-"

He cut me off before I could finish. "They forced me tell you that but it's not true. Only you and Tobias are genetically pure. Like I said, the only reason they're here is because they want to keep you happy. But if you ever even think about refusing to comply, they won't hesitate to use them against you."

"But what do they need from us?" I questioned.

"Your genetics. They want to continue testing you by using alternative methods, supremely dangerous alternative methods, Bella. I don't want to scare you but… you need to be aware of how dangerous it is for you four to be here."

"But they have us at their mercy. So why don't they just kill us and test our bodies? Wouldn't it be easier?" I asked. I mean, I didn't want that to happen but I also knew we had everything to lose while they had everything to gain.

He shook his head at the question. "They need to keep you alive."

"Why?" I asked in confusion.

His hand paused in their movements at my question, but he quickly recovered. "Nothing you have to worry about. We're not going to let it happen anyway."

Everything inside of me wanted to ask. To find a way to convince him to divulge the whole truth, but I could see we were running out of time, and so I chose to ask an easier question. "Who's we?"

"Not everyone agrees with his methods, Bella. A lot of us feel that Aro is cruel with how he thoughtlessly plays with your world. There's been a silent uprising for some time but we haven't had the power to do anything about it... until now. Aro's decision to use you both has finally tipped the scales."

"What do you mean? How?"

"We now have support from someone high up. Someone powerful enough to do something about it."

"Who?" I asked eagerly, wanting to know who had suddenly become our savior.

"Caius."

"Caius?!"

"He's always felt the same as us, but with his son trapped in the faction system he couldn't risk it. It was too dangerous. Now with his son out and with his support, he's more than willing to aid us."

"His son?" I asked in surprise, my heart beating wildly at the new revelation.

He nodded in confirmation. "Eric is currently our strongest supporter. Since his arrival he's been uniting the rebellion once again, planning a way to get you all out and back to Chicago."

"What are they planning and when?"

"I don't know all the details yet. But stay aware and comply as best you can. It will be soon. Trust no one other than Eric, Caius, Felix, Alec, and I. No one else, Bella. We need you all to stay safe and out of the way until we put our plan into action. Just keep playing along and everything will be fine."

He moved away from me then to continue fiddling with the machine I was now hooked onto. I had so many more questions to ask but we had run out of time. And so I didn't ask for more and Carlisle didn't offer more.

My mind was spinning in endless circles. I tried to contain it all but I felt like a bomb had just been dropped on me while strapped onto a table. Leaving me in an incredibly vulnerable position. It was hard to keep cool when what I really wanted to do was freak out.

There were so many things to be more worried about but my mind kept running back to Eric. Finding out that he was behind it all… again, except this time, he was doing everything in his power to get us out and back home. Had thrown me more than everything else I had been told. It was all so surreal... and incredibly confusing.

No matter how hard I tried to push back the part of me that still hoped Eric was the same man he had made me believe once, I couldnt help but to feel it surge back into life with every breath I took. Filling me with so much hope my heart was suddenly bursting with emotion. Except I didn't know if it was from happiness or fear. I was happy that there was a possibility he was the man I had come to care for, but I was also terrified that it would all be a lie again and I would find myself so devastatingly disappointed as always.

Because I might not be able to survive it a second time.

I was so afraid to hope. It laid me out and filleted me like a fish.

It was also weird to simultaneously feel excited over the prospect of going back home. Not to mention it wouldn't require me to lift a finger to do so. It was a relief to know that my friends, my brother, and I had people in the outside world not just doing everything in their power to protect us, but going out of their way to save us from this hell. They didn't know us and yet they were risking everything to set us free.

I only wished I knew more. I wished Carlisle would've found a better time to reveal this to me. I could have asked so many more questions, and I would have had time to get more information to understand and find a way to help somehow. Though I was thankful others were working their hardest to get us to freedom, I couldn't help but to worry over them in as well. It didn't feel right to let them do all the heavy lifting, not when it was our lives that were on the line.

Unfortunately there really was no other choice. We needed to get out of here. We needed to go back home and warn the others of the outside world. We couldn't continue to live in a fantasy, having our privacy broken and our lives dictated by someone with the power to play with us as if we were mere toys. Soulless puppets that had no value or worth. Because we did matter. We were human beings with feelings and emotions and that meant something. We meant something. Every single person in this entire world meant something.

"Please calm down, Bella." I heard Carlisle's low whisper pulling me back to the present. I tilted my head back to look at him, watching the frown on his face as he watched the screen in front of him light up in alarm.

My heart rate was through the roof.

"Sorry." I said, closing my eyes and trying to calm my breathing along with the pounding of my heart. I used the same method I used when I was in a simulation, consciously picturing my body bending to my will. I knew it was working when I heard Carlisle release a relieved breath. He didn't say more after that, grabbing his tablet and moving to leave the room. He turned back to look at me one last time before shutting off the lights.

I closed my eyes and continued focusing on my breathing. I could feel myself starting to get agitated again now that I was completely alone. Especially now when I was fully aware that the procedures we had participated in since we'd arrived had only been to prepare us for the worst. To disensitize us in some way.

I lost myself in my mind. Not really thinking while simultaneously thinking about everything all at once. It was a weird, almost like an out of body experience.

Sooner than I thought possible the lights came back on and Carlisle entered the room once again, moving towards me immediately. "I'm sorry I've upset you, Bella." He whispered lowly. "But I promise you we're doing everything in our power to make it happen."

"How long?" I asked.

"I don't know, but if I had to take a guess in a few days. Request for Alec as your guard whenever possible but do not discuss this conversation. If Alec ever mentions or encourages you to request something, do it. He's the easiest avenue to get you to where you need to be when the time comes to make your escape. Trust him." He said firmly, standing up straight and offering his hand for me to take.

I took it, accepting his help, and jumped off the metal bed I had been laying on. When we got to the door Carlisle turned to me with a bright smile, simultaneously reaching forward to open the door. "Thank you so much for the assistance, Bella!" He said joyously as he held the door open for me. "We really couldn't do this work without you. You have no idea how much this will help advance our work. Aro will be so pleased."

This time I didn't roll my eyes, now aware that Carlisle's character was merely that, a character that he played to convince Aro to his allegiance. I turned my eyes to Alec and we stared at each other for a heavy heartbeat. I felt as though he were trying to communicate everything all at once with just one look. As intense as the connection had been, it broke instantly as his face transformed into his customary flirty smile. "You ready to go, Bella?" He asked.

I pushed my confused thoughts to the back of my mind and pretended as if nothing had happened. "Yeah, sure." I said casually, ignoring Carlisle like I usually did. I couldn't start acting nice and friendly all of a sudden when I've never attempted to before. "You coming, Edward?" I asked, walking towards the door.

"Uh, later. I want to see what Carlisle does with the new data collected." He said, walking closer to Carlisle's desk.

"Ok." I said, reaching for the door handle but again getting beaten by Alec's hand. I allowed the roll of my eyes this time.

He smirked and turned back to Edward. "I'll send one of your guards to guide you back whenever you are ready." Alec informed him.

Edward absentmindedly nodded, already ignoring us as soon as he'd been in view of Carlisle's computer.

"How was it?" Alec asked as we walked.

"Fine. Kinda creepy."

"It looked creepy. It must suck to be tested on like this every day. I'm sorry." He said. "But it's for the greater good, right?" He asked with a smile.

"Yeah. Anything for science." I declared with a shrug.

He chuckled and made idle chatter until we got to my room. Once we arrived, I patiently waited just to the side of the door for Alec to open it. But when I noticed he wasn't making a move to do so, I turned to look at him in question, finding him quietly observing me with an amused glint in his eyes. "I was wondering if you could answer me something." He said playfully, one of his hands playing with the key card to my door.

I arched a brow in interest, tilting my head slightly in question. I could see a camera hanging on the wall just behind him. For a second, I feared he would speak about what Carlisle had told me in secret. My heart took an extra beat in fear, though I played it off as best I could

"I was wondering if I asked you to have dinner with me tomorrow… if you'd accept." He said mischievously.

I blinked back in surprise. I had not expected that… though I was thankful he hadn't ruined their plans to get us out of here. My first instinct was to say no but then Carlisle's words flitted through my stunned mind.

I was supposed to accept any suggestions Alec offered.

"And if I said yes?" I asked in return, with a playful smile on my own lips. "What would that entail?"

He moved closer then, forcing me to take a step back resulting in me crashing into the wall behind me. I hadn't expected him to invade my space like that when he never had before. He lifted his hand and I thought he was going to touch my face but instead he took a hold of a strand of my hair, twirling it in between his fingers. "Well, if I could, I would take you to the Glassroom and have a nice…quiet dinner there. But since that's not allowed, I'll have to settle for inviting you to sit with me two tables away from your brother in the cafeteria." He said, his smile widening even more at his silly suggestion.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Very romantic."

He chuckled and leaned closer, his eye focusing on my face now. "You didn't say no, so I'll take that as a yes." He concluded. When I didn't respond he spoke again, "Have I told you how beautiful your hair is?" He asked softly. I looked up into his eyes and gulped, watching his eyes now analyzing his fingers playing with my hair with an intense focus. What the hell was he doing now?! "Actually, everything about you is beautiful, Bella." He said with a smile. "I've been wanting to say that for a very long time. Practically since the first time I met you."

I scoffed at the last part. "You mean through the screens?"

He shook his head, his eyes shifting to mine again. "Since the first time I saw you in person... You were so much more than people thought you were. More than I thought you were."

"Who did you think I was?" I asked as softly as he had spoken. I wasn't sure what the hell was happening but I figured I needed to continue playing along.

"I don't know. Someone less… caring." He whispered.

I looked into his eyes again, realizing he didn't seem to be playing a part anymore. It had sounded so real…

Then again, it hadn't been very long since someone had fooled me into believing that once. I wasn't sure if he was acting or not but I didn't like the word caring. I only cared about those who mattered to me. But if this was a game... I would gladly play along. It was a good distraction from the chaos surrounding me.

So I leaned up from the wall and placed my face close to his, our lips just a hair's breadth away. "I only care about one thing, Alec."

He arched a brow, his eyes sparkling in interest. "What's that?" He asked, his breath coming a bit faster than normal.

I moved my hands then, sliding my fingers along his clothes without making contact with his body. I noticed a small shiver run along his spine and up into his shoulders, I resisted the urge to smirk at his reaction. "Watching you drool over something you'll never have." I finally teased back, pushing only my index finger against his chest.

His body rocked back and he blinked away from me as if he'd been hypnotized. I giggled, plucking the key card that was now dangling limply in his hand. After I'd opened my door, I threw it back at him and winked, laughing to myself when he reached up fumbling for it in the air.