rosentea-stuff-blog

[rosentea-stuff-blog]

Chapter 2 - Shauna

I hate hospitals.

It's always so…bleak. The pale lights, the sharp smell of sterile…

Death and pain surrounds you at every turn. There's new life too…but you rarely see that when you're first wheeled in. Dauntless members always end up here at some point in their lives, both young and old. In other factions, it's a whole ordeal. But not for us.

I remember when Zeke first broke his arm when we were little. Everyone practically threw him a parade. Young Dauntless always get props for landing themselves in the hospital for the first time. It's more impressive when you're really young, because it's a sign of true bravery already running through your veins. As soon as Zeke was cleared to go home, he strutted everywhere he went, wearing his cast like a shiny new medal.

It wasn't quite the same with me, though. I wanted to earn my stripes like everyone else, but I knew it wouldn't be possible. Not with Lynn always following me everywhere I went. Back in those days, she actually looked up to me. I couldn't very well get myself into trouble without Lynn doing the same crap. It didn't last long, of course. I accidently twisted my ankle a year later. It was the worst thing that had ever happened to me, and I don't mean the pain. Sitting still, doing nothing…it was the worst kind of torture there ever was. I couldn't walk around on my own for months. I hated it when anyone tried to help me walk on crutches, or help me in and out of the shower. I wouldn't be anyone's charity case.

After my ankle healed, I promised myself to never end up like that ever again. And wouldn't you know it…the second time I land myself in the hospital…

I'm paralyzed.

From the waist.

Down.

I suppose that I should be grateful that I survived the gunshot. At least, that's what the doctors kept telling me. I woke up a few hours after they brought me back here, to the Dauntless compound. At least a dozen machines were hooked up to me.

Mom was tearful, Hector was smiling, and Lynn…I've never seen her more down on herself in my entire life.

I don't remember much about what happened, but she's stupid if she could ever think that this was her fault.

At least no one tried to beat around the bush when they broke the news. I would have hated it if they did. The doctor went over some things, but I barely heard a word. Kind of tuned out after the word 'Paralyzed'.

Once the doctor left, Lynn took Hector back down to his bunk, then came back up to be with me for the night. Mom settled in by the window while Lynn pulled up a chair on my left and squeezed my hand.

For hours, I lay with my eyes closed, hoping that sleep would find me.

It still hasn't.

The clock on the wall ticks. I try and avoid looking at its face, because if I knew what time it was, I'd lose it for sure. Mom and Lynn had fallen asleep; Lynn's head rests on the edge of my bed, our hands still linked. She looks a lot more peaceful when she sleeps. Younger too.

I consider trying to sleep again when the door slowly opens. To my surprise, it's Tori, slipping quietly inside. Hector is with her, looking incredibly pale. His curly brown hair is tousled all over his head, and his eyes are bloodshot. "Hector…" My voice is low and scratchy. "What…"

"Shauna," says Tori. Her voice goes up in an attempt to sound happy, but it fails horribly. "I didn't know you were awake."

"I've been awake for a while now," I say, my eyes still on Hector.

"I'm glad you're alright. Gave us a scare when Four carried you in." She bites her lip and rests a hand on Hector's shoulder.

"Tori, what…"

Lynn stirs and groans. She blinks a few times and raises her head. "Hector? What are you doing back here?" At the same time, I hear my Mother say "Babe?" in a tired voice.

Hector sniffles harshly and breaks away from Tori, flying straight into my mother's arms. "Hector!" Mom says, alarmed. She grasps both of his shoulders and holds him at arm's length. "What's the mat—''

"Oww," Hector moans, a sob breaking out of his mouth. He clutches at his arm, his teeth sinking into his lower lip. Lynn releases my hand and sits upright. Her peaceful expression is long gone. "Tori, what happened? Did Hector get in a fight or something?"

"No," Tori says quietly.

"Where the heck is Marlene?" Lynn says angrily as Mom carefully examines Hector's arm. "I told her to watch over him, and now his arm is hurt?"

I look at Tori, who looks like she just aged thirty years. "There was…another simulation."

We stare at her, stunned. "What? Again? When, no, how?" Lynn demands. "They covered all the cameras with paint—how did Erudite even know that we came back here?"

"I don't know. I have Lauren checking up on it. The simulation happened a couple of hours ago. But it wasn't faction-wide. Only three people were put under…Hector included."

"Hector?" Mom and Lynn say in unison. I am too taken aback to say anything. It doesn't make any sense. Why would the Erudite put only three people in a simulation? And why would they target Hector?

"It wasn't like the attack simulation or the sleep simulation," says Tori, her voice sounding hollow and empty. "The Erudite had Hector and two others walk up the main stairway and onto the roof. The intent was to make them walk off the edge."

"My God," Mom whispers, her eyes wide with horror. She holds Hector as close as she can without hurting his arm, and runs her fingers through his curly hair. Lynn swears in a shaky voice. My heart monitor picks up as the information sinks in.

The Erudite was going to murder my brother.

Hector, a twelve-year-old boy.

They were going to murder him.

"What happened then?" I say, more harshly than intended. Fury rises steadily in my chest. "Did you save him?"

Tori shakes her head. "No. It was Tris. She and Christina were able to catch up to them before they jumped. They were able save the two of them. But the third…" She swallows, followed by a tired exhale. "the third fell."

My mind blanks. Tris? Tris Prior saved Hector? A Divergent? My lips purse together as conflicting emotions start to take over me.

"Who was the other one?" Mom says in a weak, strained voice. "The other one they saved?"

"Miranda's daughter. Kee."

I know Kee. My friend Danielle used to babysit her a few years back. She always used to try to climb up the kitchen sink for some reason.

"She and Hector are safe now," Tori continues, her eyes focusing on Hector. He sits in an almost fetal position across Mom's lap, his face buried into her shoulder. He's never let her hold him like that since he was eight years old. "That's the good news."

Oh, right. There's still the unlucky Dauntless that fell off the building.

Suddenly, an unpleasant feeling twists my stomach. Tori looks more somber than I've ever seen her, which is understandable, but there's something else. She's hesitant, almost apologetic. But how can that be, when Hector is here, safe and sound? It's not like…

I stare at Tori, and my mouth is suddenly filled with too much saliva. Maybe I really am being paranoid this time. A member of Dauntless has died, nothing more. This will be a sad time for all of us, I'm sure. But why, why else would she be looking at us like that?

As Tori looks over at me and holds my gaze, I feel all the pieces coming together at alarming speeds, making me feel sicker than I've ever been in my entire life. I can feel it coming when Tori starts to open her mouth, but it doesn't quite hit me until she says it out loud. "The bad news is that…Marlene was the one who fell."

I don't remember being shot.

But this must be what it felt like.

Maybe not even that.

The room lurches, and I feel like I'm the one who's falling, falling into the spinning vortex of pale hospital lights, white sheets, Lynn's dark leggings, and Tori's shadow against the wall. I must be hallucinating, still suffering from the lingering effects of the gunshot wound, because there's no way, no way that Marlene could be dead. Because any moment now, Marlene's going to come bursting through that door with that cheerful grin on her face and yell "Gotcha!"

Which would be really, really crappy of her, seeing as my brother almost died and I just got shot and may never walk again. She's just as bad as Zeke and Uriah—she can't take anything seriously. Not everything is a joke, and I'm more than pissed that she hasn't learned that yet.

My fingers pull and twist at my hospital blanket, and my eyes sting with tears.

Do you hear me, Marlene?

I'm pissed.

You can't just pull cruel jokes on people, because I know, I know that you're alive. You can't die, especially not like this. Not like this.

My head falls back against my pillow, and somewhere in the distance, my heart monitor is beeping in alarm. The entire room is frozen, with the sole exception of Hector, whose shoulders are shaking.

Lynn is silent and stiff. She sits very, very still, as if the room could explode if she made even the slightest move. I stare at her hand. Part of me wants to take it, but the other part is afraid to make any sudden movement towards her. There is no telling how she would react.

A Dauntless doctor comes barreling in. He glances at the other people in the room before running up to me. He stops in front of Lynn, who is sandwiched between him and my bed. "Excuse me," he says curtly. "I need to get through to her."

Lynn doesn't respond.

"Hey. Didn't you hear—''

"Leave it," I croak, staring at the wall behind Tori. "Leave it alone."

"Look, I'm trying to—''

"Turner," says Tori. "I'll handle it from here."

The doctor looks annoyed and exasperated, but turns and leaves. Slowly, Tori walks over to my bed, leans over Lynn, and presses a few buttons. The machines stop screaming and drowns the rest of us in silence.

"No," Mom finally says, sending a prick through my heart. "Not Marlene…"

Marlene is…was…a family friend. Ever since she and Lynn became friends somewhere near the end of Lower Levels, she's always been a frequent visitor at our apartment. Her parents died in a freak train accident when she was young, and she has no other family, aside from a few relatives over at Amity. Her father had been a transfer. Marlene never said it outright, but I always suspected that we were the closest thing she had to a family.

And we've grown to love her—it was impossible not to, with that infectious cheer she always brought along with her. Not the obnoxious kind, but the kind that keeps people going, even throughout the darkest of days.

But now, she's just…she's just gone. No last words, no final goodbyes…the Erudite stole that from her.

Lynn opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. Again and again, her mouth opens and closes, and a few strained sounds escapes from her throat, but there are no words. My little sister Lynn, always so tough and confident, looks like death warmed up. Her friend, her fellow initiate is dead. Whatever I'm feeling, she must be feeling ten times worse.

Tori sighs wearily. I scrutinize her features, tracing every line and crease. "What?" I demand. My throat screams for a cup of water, but I ignore it. "What is it?"

Tori shifts her weight onto one foot and winces. She had been shot in the leg not too long ago. At least she can still walk. "There's more. Christina informed us that before they jumped, Marlene had repeated a message…for the Divergent. Until one of them turns themselves over to Erudite headquarters, more deaths will follow. About every two days."

Wastebasket. I need a wastebasket. I'm going to throw up all over my sheets otherwise. "Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Mom says. "Send one of them over!"

"It's not that simple, Lydia."

"Not that simple?" She stands up and gently maneuvers Hector into her chair, taking her place. He slumps, expressionless. "Not that simple," Mom repeats, marching over and standing face to face with Tori. I think they went through initiation together. "Tori, my boy was almost killed because of one of them. And poor Marlene—''

"I know, I know. But we can't jump to make any rash decisions yet—''

"Rash? They're killing us, Victoria! If we wait, we'll all be dead! Why on earth are you defending them?"

"Because there is no them," snaps Tori. "They chose Dauntless, and Dauntless always stick together. Whatever decision we make, we make together."

Mom's eyes narrow. "Are you sure about that? They may have chosen Dauntless, but the aptitude tests don't lie. Their results are for more than one faction. That Beatrice Prior tested for three! Erudite included! What if she's working with them? What if this was their plan all along? They'll probably all stay here and watch our loved ones die until we all surrender!"

Tori stares at her, like she can't believe what she's hearing. "How could you ever think that? Tris is as loyal as they come, especially to Dauntless. She liked Marlene, I saw them together, more than once. She wouldn't do anything to hurt her. And she was the one who saved your son over Marlene, and she barely knows him, as far as I can tell!"

Hector lets out a strangled noise. Mom quickly walks over to him and smooths back his curls, murmuring soft assurances. She looks back at Tori, one hand on Hector's bowed head, and the other on his good shoulder. "I am grateful for that, yes," she admits. "But if she and the other Divergent stay, then it won't matter, will it? Those blue discs they shot us with still runs deep in his bloodstream—in most of our bloodstreams! There's no stopping them from doing it again!"

"But don't you see, that's exactly the reason why we're not giving anyone up!" Tori slaps a hand against her chest. "I know Jeanine. I know how she works. We were in the same class together before I transferred. Even if we do what she says, there's no way in Hell she'll let Dauntless go free. Not while she has this kind of power and control. It won't end with the Divergent. It will only be the beginning. The worst thing we can do now is play into her hands. You need to trust me on this one, Lydia."

"Trust you?"

I look at Lynn, who is staring blankly at the wall. Her red-rimmed eyes lift to meet Tori's. "We did trust you. You, Harrison, and Four, you were supposed to protect us, you were supposed to protect Marlene!" Her voice rises with each passing word, and her body begins to shake. "Dauntless elected you as one of our leaders because you…you were supposed to…."

A sob escapes her throat, and she shoots to her feet. Tori braces herself for combat, and I scream out her name. "Lynn, don't!" Hector cries out.

Lynn wobbles on her feet, and her hands press against her forehead. She's breathing heavily, in through her nose and out through her clenched teeth.

With a shout, she spins around and punches the wall next to the door with her fist. The loud, forceful sound brings the room back to a deafening silence. Lynn lets out a watery sigh as she leans forward and presses both hands against the wall. Her head drops.

The room is silent for a while, save for Lynn's shaky breaths.

Eventually, Tori speaks. "I know, Lynn." Her eyes fill up with tears. "I know. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Lynn."

"Lynn," Mom tries, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder, but she shrugs it off harshly.

"Don't," she snaps. "Don't." Her hands fall from the wall, and she stands upright. I watch her fists clench and unclench, and I'm terrified she's going to hit someone. But she doesn't. Instead, she croaks out something and runs out of the room.

"Lynn!" I shout.

Mom makes her way toward the door to go after her, but not before glaring back at Tori. "I hope you know what you're doing." She looks back at Hector. "Stay here." With that, she turns and rushes out of the room, calling Lynn's name.

"Damn it!" I lift my arm and throw the covers from my body. "Shauna, what are you doing?" I start pulling the IV's out of my arms. "Shauna, stop!" Tori grips my hands before I can do more. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting out of this bed. Now let me go."

"You've just been shot. You can't even walk, Shauna!"

"Then get me a wheelchair!" I yell. "With or without you or anyone else, I'm getting out of this damn bed, even if I have to crawl with my bare hands!"

Tori's jaw clenches as she stares me up and down. "Fine," she says after a long pause. "I'll see about getting you out of here. But for now, just stay here while I get Hector a doctor. His arm's sprained."

Not exactly what I wanted, but it's better than nothing. The worst possible thing is to just sit here while everyone suffers. Lynn, Zeke, Uriah…oh…oh, Uriah. I wonder if he knows yet.

Tori exits the room, leaving me and Hector to ourselves. I sigh, motioning my head. "Come here." Hector rises from the chair and slowly walks over to my bedside, eyes to the floor. I get him to lean forward so I can kiss his forehead. "I'm sorry," he says quietly.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about," I say firmly. "You're alive, and that's all that matters."

"Lynn hates me," he sniffles. "She's gonna hate me forever."

"No. No, of course she doesn't. She doesn't act like it all the time, but she loves you, Hec. Just…give her some space for a while, all right? We're all gonna grieve in our own way…and then we'll pull back together, like we always do."

Another sigh escapes me as I think back to the last time I saw Marlene, back at Candor, the night before I got shot.

"Can't believe you're coming with us," Uriah says to me from his bunk. The room is alive with rowdy Dauntless and loud conversation from all sides—much too loudly for any of us to be overheard.

He's referring to the way I talked about Tris at the Gathering Place earlier. My mouth forms into a line. "Only because I'm making sure that you guys don't do anything stupid," I tell him. Especially now that Lynn plans on going, I silently add.

The plan is to listen in on Jack Kang, but there's no telling what trouble she could get into. I'm not taking any chances. "Besides…someone ought to keep an eye on…her."

Uriah sighs as he pulls on a fresh pair of socks. "Shauna, Tris—''

"I told you, I don't wanna hear it," I say curtly. "You barely know her, Uriah. You don't know what she's really capable of. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Careful, Shauna," Marlene says from the bunk next to mine. She lays on her back with her arms tucked behind her head. "Your Nose is showing."

Uriah grins, and I chuck my pillow at her face. "I'm serious." But I'm in danger of smiling anyway. "And I can't believe you're using one of Uriah's ridiculous nicknames for Erudite."

"You're just jealous because it's catching on," Uriah says with an air of mock superiority.

As my eyes roll to the back of my head, Lynn emerges from between the bunks. "Just gave Tris a gun," she says. She leans against my bunk and crosses her arms with a frown. "It was weird, though."

"Weird how?" asks Uriah, lifting his eyebrows.

"Well, she looked ready to go and everything, but right when I put the gun in her hand, she got all quiet. She just stood there looking at it—like it was going to bite her or something. I don't know—I just never figured someone like her to be wary of guns."

Marlene rolls over onto her stomach and her eyebrows knit together. "Maybe it's because of her friend. You know, the Erudite boy she shot? He was in initiation with us."

"Oh," Uriah says, his expression suddenly somber. "Will."

I don't know Will, but I've heard plenty about him after Tris confessed to killing him under the truth serum. I purse my lips and look away. She could kill plenty more if she ever decided to turn on Dauntless.

"Well, she's gonna have to put her guilt on hold for now," Lynn says, bringing me back from my thoughts. "We'll need her good and focused by tomorrow morning."

"Oh, uh, speaking of that," Uriah says, rubbing the back of his neck. "Four might be coming too—Zeke and I filled him in on what we're doing, and he didn't look too happy on the fact that Tris is going. He might try and talk her out of it, but I don't see that happening any time soon."

Lynn rolls her eyes. "He's so freaking possessive over her. I would have thought that he was her big brother if they weren't eating each other's faces every few minutes."

"Aw, lay off him, Lynn," says Marlene. "He just cares about her, that's all. I actually think it's nice—I've never seen Four care about anyone that way. Brings out the soft side I always knew he had in him."

"Or something like that," I mutter. Marlene has always been the romantic, but she fails to realize what could be brewing between Four and Tris—two Divergent that could eventually bring our faction to ruin. It pains me to even think about it…I've known Four for a while, and he hasn't done anything to hurt us, but…I don't know. I don't know what to believe anymore.

"Shauna, stop being weird. You promised," Lynn says pointedly.

I want to retort, but I opt for keeping my mouth shut, at least for now. Instead, I turn to Marlene. "Are you coming too?"

Marlene shakes her head. "Nah. Waking up at seven a.m. just to listen in on a dumb conversation? Pass." She grins. "Besides, with all of you gone, someone has to keep tabs on what's happening around Candor. Something big could go down soon!"

An involuntary shiver runs down my spine. The last time something big went down, both Candor and Loyal Dauntless had been attacked and put under a simulation. I still remember the last few seconds of consciousness I had, glancing at Lynn as she fell, glass shattering everywhere.

A shudder runs through me, and I push the thought to the back of my mind. "Yeah, well, while you're doing that, you think you can keep an eye on Hector while we're gone?"

Marlene nods. "Hold down the fort and keep an eye on Hec. Aye, aye, Captain'." She gives a mock salute.

Uriah and Lynn exchange a small smile. I think they're secretly relived that Marlene isn't going. And, I am too, for the most part. It isn't exactly a low-risk mission. And while I don't doubt that Marlene is up for the job, I can tell that she could use the emotional break from all this.

Whatever she had done during the first simulation might still be floating around in the back of her mind. I know, because what I did still resides in mine.

It's interesting. From what I've seen, Marlene still seems to underestimate how much people care about her. Even when she talks to me about Uriah, she still seems a little unsure about his feelings toward her. Of course, she couldn't be more wrong. I've never seen Uriah treat any other girl the way he treats her.

It baffles me how keenly perceptive Marlene is when it comes to other people's relationships, but is almost clueless when it comes to her own.

"Also, try not to get yourselves killed," Marlene adds. "Otherwise, it'll just be Hector and me."

Uriah shudders exaggeratingly. "Perish the thought—quickly, before it spreads!"

Lynn snorts.

I lift my blanket. "We should start getting some rest now—we'll want to be refreshed for tomorrow." The others nod and start to settle in for the night, even though the room is still loud, and people are running in between the bunks, chasing each other. "Keep your guns under your pillows," Lynn reminds us in a low voice. "If we're caught with weapons, we'll be—''

"—In deep chocolate pudding," Uriah interrupts with a smile. "Yeah, we know." Lynn gives his arm a thwack before retreating to her bunk.

As I snuggle underneath my blanket, I look over at Marlene, who is also underneath her covers, but is busy staring into space. Her hand reaches up, and she starts biting her nails, like she always does when she's nervous.

I don't think she'll ever break that habit.

"Hey," I call softly. Even in the loudness, Marlene hears me and looks over. "We'll be fine. It's just there and back again."

Marlene smiles and her fingers curl back into a fist against her chin. "I know." She's silent for a moment, hesitant. "I know you're worried, Shauna. But you don't need to be. Tris wouldn't betray Dauntless any more than any of us would."

My mood darkens considerably. "You don't know that for sure."

She sighs a little, probably because she knows she can't convince me. She quirks a soft smile anyway. "You'd like her, Shauna. You guys might even become friends when all of this is over."

"I doubt it, Mar."

"Then at least give her the chance to prove herself, if she hasn't already done that a gazillion times before. You can at least count on the fact that she'll have your back out there, when it counts."

I shift begrudgingly. Despite my feelings toward Prior, Marlene is right. Who knows…my life might be in her hands, just like her life will probably be in mine. And, deep down, I think I can at least trust her to step up in that regard. I just hope it doesn't go south. Plus, it's hard saying no to Marlene.

"If the mission goes well, I'll think more about it," I grunt, rolling over onto my back. However, I don't miss Marlene's satisfied grin out of the corner of my eye. I chuckle.

"Night, Marlene."

"Night, Shauna."

My hand closes over Hector's, and I hold it tightly. My throat clears, but the lump in my throat won't go away. I have my reservations about Tris. I still think she might have a loyalty problem, and I firmly believe that one of the Divergent needs to give themselves up if they truly care about Dauntless. But I can safely say that she made the right decision up there, as much as it pains me. Losing Hector…it would have killed me.

It would have killed me.

A/N: And that concludes Shauna's perspective! I had a feeling that Marlene had been friends with their family for a long while, so I played up on that a bit. I also put in my personal head cannon that Marlene might be an Orphan. I think about it that way because, there's no mention of Marlene being connected with anyone other than her friends.

In the first Divergent book, when Tris goes zip lining with Uriah and Lynn, it's mentioned that only initiates with older siblings in Dauntless that are allowed. Marlene was not present. So, either she's an only child, or a sibling of hers transferred, but I don't think that's the case. And, at the time of her death, Tris doesn't mention any family members that might be mourning her, which I thought was really strange. Surely, Tris would have said something about it, though she could have been too dazed and traumatized to think about it.

Still, it was a fun little idea to play with. More on that later. Thanks so much to Anonymous Girl Gamer, ravenclawdemigod02, Charms22, and amazingnaomi for the amazing and wonderful reviews! Thanks so much!

Until next time, tell me what you think!

[rosentea-stuff-blog]

Chapter 1 : Christina

I wake to the sound of a door squeaking open. Sighing, I roll over to the other side of the bed. Soft light shines on the wall from outside, but there’s a figure blocking the rest of my view.

It’s a teenage girl—Marlene. She’s wearing her black sweatshirt paired with baggy black pants. She stands over my bed, staring down at me. I’ve gotten more familiar with her over the past few days, but we’re definitely not this familiar. Why she’s waking me up at this hour, I have no clue.

My mind is still heavy with sleep. Whatever it is, Marlene would have to wait until morning. Yesterday was exhausting enough already, and all I want to do is sleep. But before I can wave her off, she opens her mouth. Her voice is flat. “I have a message for the Divergent.”

Wait, What?

Without another word, Marlene turns and heads for the door. Two other figures emerge out of the darkness, joining her.

I sit up, confused. What exactly is going on here?

My legs swing over the edge of the bed, and I stumble over to the door. After rubbing my eyes a few times, I blink and squint at the direction Marlene had gone. It’s not long before I spot her, walking across the glass floor of the Pire. Upon a better look, I recognize the two others marching behind her. One is Hector, Lynn’s little brother. The other is a little girl, probably only seven or eight years old. I think someone called her Kee.

I frown. What are those three up to?

Part of me dismisses it as some kind of Dauntless prank they are probably brainstorming about. This really isn’t the time for such things, but I wouldn’t put it past them. But the other part of me feels a spike of curiosity. I knew, I just knew Cara’s Erudite inquisitiveness would rub off me at some point.

I start to lose sight of them, and I guide my feet toward them without thinking. The ground scrapes at my toes, and I’m walking so fast, I almost trip a few times. They lead me to the Pit, past the chasm, and up the paths.

By the time they reach the door to the main stairway, my mind is more alert. I force the door back open before it drags shut and look up.

None of them say a word to one another as they walk up the stairs, or even look to see where they are going. They move in a straight line, each one marching behind the other in perfect unison.

What the hell…

“Hey!” I shout, cupping my hands around my mouth. They don’t respond. I stand dumbfounded as they ascend further up the staircase. And then all my thoughts screech to a grinding halt. Wait a minute…wait.

Now that I think about it, there was something about Marlene that didn’t sit right with me. She wasn’t smiling, like usual. In fact, she had no expression at all. Her eyes didn’t look right either, although it might’ve been too dark to tell for sure.

And her voice…it wasn’t anywhere near the playful, jovial tone I had come to know over these last few days. It didn’t sound like her at all.

It was almost like listening to a stranger. It was almost like…like…

Oh shit.

Shit.

“Marlene!” I scream. “Hector!” But they keep going.

“Damn it!” I force the door wide open and tear through the Pire, my arms pumping wildly. I try and shout for help, but the roar of the river is too loud. I was there, I was right there with Lauren and Zeke, but I was too slow to wake up to realize what was happening.

It’s clearly a simulation, but it looks like it’s just those three. My mind is too panicked to try and figure out why. All I can think about is getting help, now. The Dauntless-born initiate dorms are too far away now. If I try to make it all the way back there, it might be too late.

I run around uselessly for a minute or two, trying to figure out where the Dauntless members decided to crash for the night. Our faction had only arrived back to the compound a few hours ago, so everything’s all scrambled up.

I finally spot the hallway that leads to our old Transfer initiate dorms, and my heart leaps inside my chest. I burst in as quick as I can. Tris is the only one there, sleeping on her side in one of the beds.

I’ve spent days trying to avoid her. My heart still hasn’t forgiven her…for what she had done to Will.

But I need to put all that on hold for now. Lives are at stake.

I cross the room in two strides and I shake her as hard as I can. “Tris! Get up!”

Thankfully, waking her doesn’t take long at all. Her eyes open immediately, and she doesn’t resist when I drag her out of bed. Despite my feelings towards her, I have to admit she’s always been good that way. Always willing to follow me, always trusting me. I swallow a lump in my throat at the thought.

“What happened?” she asks. “What’s going on?”

“Shut up and run!”

Marlene, Hector, and Kee are probably too high up now—there’s no way Tris and I can catch up to them if we take the stairs. But maybe we can beat them by elevator, if we hurry. I don’t really know if they’re heading for the roof or not—it’s just guesswork on my part—but my gut is sure of it. There’s no other reason why the Erudite would have them climb all those stairs. I don’t even want to think of what could happen up there.

I slam my palm into the elevator button and slip in before the doors are fully open, dragging Tris behind me. After pressing the button for the top floor, I try and explain all I can. She seems relatively calm about it, but her eyes look a little haunted, like she’s remembering something. The doors open, and I lead down the hallway to the door marked ROOF ACCESS. “Christina,” she says slowly. “why are we going to the roof?”

I don’t bother answering. We don’t have time for questions. That, and the thought of what we might find makes me want to throw up. We charge up the stairs, and I’m so out of breath, but I have to keep going, just keep going.

The night air bites at my bare arms and legs. My breath almost steals itself away at the sight of three figures standing on the roof’s ledge, facing us. Kee stands on the left, Hector to the right, and Marlene in the middle. Despite the hard winds, they stand firm with their hands behind their backs—almost like they are soldiers standing at attention.

This is insane, too insane. Don’t they realize what they’re doing? Don’t they realize how high up they are? I picture their smiling, laughing faces from the night before. No, they can’t die like this. They can’t.

I take a cautious step towards them and hold out a hand. “Just come down off the ledge now. Don’t do anything stupid. Come on, now…”

“They can’t hear you,” Tris says from behind me, stepping up. Her typically low voice is even lower now. “Or see you.”

My breaths come out in harsh, short bursts. Maybe she’s right. They’re looking at us, yet they’re not looking at us. Marlene had spoken to me, but it wasn’t her voice, not really.

But we can’t just stand here and do nothing. We’ve got to get them down. “We should all jump at them at once,” I tell Tris. “I’ll take Hec, you—”

“We’ll risk shoving them off the roof if we do that. Stand by the girl, just in case.”

I want to object, but it looks like I don’t have much of a choice. Tris is right again, of course, no matter how much I hate it. Biting my lip, I inch carefully toward Kee while Tris stands somewhere between Marlene and Hector.

The light of the moon shines on the single green streak in Kee’s long blond hair, which blows in every direction. She stares blankly ahead, like she’s bored with it all. Like she isn’t standing on top of a seven story building, and could die at any moment.

How can they do it? How can they put a little kid through something this terrible? Do they stop and think about their own kids when they do this kind of stuff? Do they even care?

I can’t wrap my head around it. I don’t know if I even want to.

After a moment or two of silence, Marlene speaks again. “I have a message for the Divergent.” Millions of little shivers run down my spine at how robotic she sounds.

Tris takes a calm step forward, but the look on her face is enough to send my heart to my stomach. It’s like she knows what’s about to happen next, and she’s already preparing herself for it. She looks up at Marlene, almost dazedly.

She’s trying to distance herself.

My mouth goes dry.

“This is not a negotiation. It is a warning.”

Oh, no. No, please no.

“Every two days until one of you delivers yourself to Erudite Headquarters, this will happen again.”

Kee steps back, and I lunge forward. My hands snatch at her clothing, and I grab hold to her wrist. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a body falling through the air and a flash of brown hair.

I choke loudly as I haul Kee’s body back onto the rooftop. “Help,” Tris says in a weak voice. She’s hunched over the rooftop’s edge, clinging to Hector with everything she has. I move to help her, trying to forget what I just saw.

As soon as we lay Hector down, the simulation ends. Hector blinks. “Ow. What’s going on?”

Kee whimpers from a few feet away, and I go to try and comfort her. “It’s okay,” I murmur, crouching down to her level and placing a hand on her back. “Everything’s going to be alright.” But of course it’s not.

I look over and see Tris standing by the edge of the roof. She stares at the ground, eyes wide and throat bulging. I feel a hot flash of anger. Why is she looking? We both know what’s down there. It’s not like staring at the ground will change anything!

But when she turns away, toward us, my anger is quickly snuffed out. Her face is white as a sheet, and her mouth hangs open in a silent scream. She looks like she can barely breathe, and her entire body is shaking like a leaf. She takes a few steps forward; her hands are splayed out as if to say ‘Why?’

“Tris,” I say, my voice uneven. “Tris, there was nothing you could do. Tris, I’m sorry—Tri…Tris!”

Tris says nothing as she walks across the roof and toward the door that leads back to the elevator. “Tris!” I scream. “Come back! Don’t leave me here wi…” I can’t trust my voice anymore, and my head drops.

“Where’s she going?” Hector asks me. He rubs at his shoulder and winces. His arm is undoubtedly sore from being yanked so harshly. “What happened? What’s going on?”

“I… I want my mom,” Kee says quietly. Her eyes dart around fearfully as she shivers in the cold.

I sit with my hands pressed against my mouth, eyes shut tight. “Hey,” Hector says, concern creeping in his voice. His fingers brush cautiously against my back. “You okay? Why are we on the roof?”

A small, muffled sob escapes me. Swallowing, I drop my hands and open my eyes. “Let’s go.” Wasting no time, I get to my feet and help Kee stand, taking her hand. She clutches it like a lifeline and presses against me. “Come on, Hec.”

Hector stands and glances toward the edge of the roof, still clutching at his arm. “What was she looking at?”

“Let’s go.” My voice is harsher than I meant it to be. I spin him around and wrap my free arm around his shoulders, pushing him toward the door. Hector’s voice lowers considerably. “What’s back there?” His eyebrows are furrowed, demanding an answer from me.

Hector fires off question after question all the way down back to the Pire. It isn’t until we get back and spread the news when he finally falls silent.

Maybe Tris was telling the truth.

Maybe she really had to kill Will the way she did.

Maybe I misjudged her…so horribly, horribly wrong.

A/N: Something I thought would be cool to try out. I’ll update once in a while, maybe a little faster providing how many people would like me to continue! The next few chapters will be focusing on character perspectives on Marlene’s death and beyond, including the reaction to Tris’ self-sacrifice. I hope you will enjoy the rest! Please let me know what you think!

[rosentea-stuff-blog]

Chapter 1 : Christina

I wake to the sound of a door squeaking open. Sighing, I roll over to the other side of the bed. Soft light shines on the wall from outside, but there's a figure blocking the rest of my view.

It's a teenage girl—Marlene. She's wearing her black sweatshirt paired with baggy black pants. She stands over my bed, staring down at me. I've gotten more familiar with her over the past few days, but we're definitely not this familiar. Why she's waking me up at this hour, I have no clue.

My mind is still heavy with sleep. Whatever it is, Marlene would have to wait until morning. Yesterday was exhausting enough already, and all I want to do is sleep. But before I can wave her off, she opens her mouth. Her voice is flat. "I have a message for the Divergent."

Wait, What?

Without another word, Marlene turns and heads for the door. Two other figures emerge out of the darkness, joining her.

I sit up, confused. What exactly is going on here?

My legs swing over the edge of the bed, and I stumble over to the door. After rubbing my eyes a few times, I blink and squint at the direction Marlene had gone. It's not long before I spot her, walking across the glass floor of the Pire. Upon a better look, I recognize the two others marching behind her. One is Hector, Lynn's little brother. The other is a little girl, probably only seven or eight years old. I think someone called her Kee.

I frown. What are those three up to?

Part of me dismisses it as some kind of Dauntless prank they are probably brainstorming about. This really isn't the time for such things, but I wouldn't put it past them. But the other part of me feels a spike of curiosity. I knew, I just knew Cara's Erudite inquisitiveness would rub off me at some point.

I start to lose sight of them, and I guide my feet toward them without thinking. The ground scrapes at my toes, and I'm walking so fast, I almost trip a few times. They lead me to the Pit, past the chasm, and up the paths.

By the time they reach the door to the main stairway, my mind is more alert. I force the door back open before it drags shut and look up.

None of them say a word to one another as they walk up the stairs, or even look to see where they are going. They move in a straight line, each one marching behind the other in perfect unison.

What the hell…

"Hey!" I shout, cupping my hands around my mouth. They don't respond. I stand dumbfounded as they ascend further up the staircase. And then all my thoughts screech to a grinding halt. Wait a minute…wait.

Now that I think about it, there was something about Marlene that didn't sit right with me. She wasn't smiling, like usual. In fact, she had no expression at all. Her eyes didn't look right either, although it might've been too dark to tell for sure.

And her voice…it wasn't anywhere near the playful, jovial tone I had come to know over these last few days. It didn't sound like her at all.

It was almost like listening to a stranger. It was almost like…like…

Oh shit.

Shit.

"Marlene!" I scream. "Hector!" But they keep going.

"Damn it!" I force the door wide open and tear through the Pire, my arms pumping wildly. I try and shout for help, but the roar of the river is too loud. I was there, I was right there with Lauren and Zeke, but I was too slow to wake up to realize what was happening.

It's clearly a simulation, but it looks like it's just those three. My mind is too panicked to try and figure out why. All I can think about is getting help, now. The Dauntless-born initiate dorms are too far away now. If I try to make it all the way back there, it might be too late.

I run around uselessly for a minute or two, trying to figure out where the Dauntless members decided to crash for the night. Our faction had only arrived back to the compound a few hours ago, so everything's all scrambled up.

I finally spot the hallway that leads to our old Transfer initiate dorms, and my heart leaps inside my chest. I burst in as quick as I can. Tris is the only one there, sleeping on her side in one of the beds.

I've spent days trying to avoid her. My heart still hasn't forgiven her…for what she had done to Will.

But I need to put all that on hold for now. Lives are at stake.

I cross the room in two strides and I shake her as hard as I can. "Tris! Get up!"

Thankfully, waking her doesn't take long at all. Her eyes open immediately, and she doesn't resist when I drag her out of bed. Despite my feelings towards her, I have to admit she's always been good that way. Always willing to follow me, always trusting me. I swallow a lump in my throat at the thought.

"What happened?" she asks. "What's going on?"

"Shut up and run!"

Marlene, Hector, and Kee are probably too high up now—there's no way Tris and I can catch up to them if we take the stairs. But maybe we can beat them by elevator, if we hurry. I don't really know if they're heading for the roof or not—it's just guesswork on my part—but my gut is sure of it. There's no other reason why the Erudite would have them climb all those stairs. I don't even want to think of what could happen up there.

I slam my palm into the elevator button and slip in before the doors are fully open, dragging Tris behind me. After pressing the button for the top floor, I try and explain all I can. She seems relatively calm about it, but her eyes look a little haunted, like she's remembering something. The doors open, and I lead down the hallway to the door marked ROOF ACCESS. "Christina," she says slowly. "why are we going to the roof?"

I don't bother answering. We don't have time for questions. That, and the thought of what we might find makes me want to throw up. We charge up the stairs, and I'm so out of breath, but I have to keep going, just keep going.

The night air bites at my bare arms and legs. My breath almost steals itself away at the sight of three figures standing on the roof's ledge, facing us. Kee stands on the left, Hector to the right, and Marlene in the middle. Despite the hard winds, they stand firm with their hands behind their backs—almost like they are soldiers standing at attention.

This is insane, too insane. Don't they realize what they're doing? Don't they realize how high up they are? I picture their smiling, laughing faces from the night before. No, they can't die like this. They can't.

I take a cautious step towards them and hold out a hand. "Just come down off the ledge now. Don't do anything stupid. Come on, now…"

"They can't hear you," Tris says from behind me, stepping up. Her typically low voice is even lower now. "Or see you."

My breaths come out in harsh, short bursts. Maybe she's right. They're looking at us, yet they're not looking at us. Marlene had spoken to me, but it wasn't her voice, not really.

But we can't just stand here and do nothing. We've got to get them down. "We should all jump at them at once," I tell Tris. "I'll take Hec, you—"

"We'll risk shoving them off the roof if we do that. Stand by the girl, just in case."

I want to object, but it looks like I don't have much of a choice. Tris is right again, of course, no matter how much I hate it. Biting my lip, I inch carefully toward Kee while Tris stands somewhere between Marlene and Hector.

The light of the moon shines on the single green streak in Kee's long blond hair, which blows in every direction. She stares blankly ahead, like she's bored with it all. Like she isn't standing on top of a seven story building, and could die at any moment.

How can they do it? How can they put a little kid through something this terrible? Do they stop and think about their own kids when they do this kind of stuff? Do they even care?

I can't wrap my head around it. I don't know if I even want to.

After a moment or two of silence, Marlene speaks again. "I have a message for the Divergent." Millions of little shivers run down my spine at how robotic she sounds.

Tris takes a calm step forward, but the look on her face is enough to send my heart to my stomach. It's like she knows what's about to happen next, and she's already preparing herself for it. She looks up at Marlene, almost dazedly.

She's trying to distance herself.

My mouth goes dry.

"This is not a negotiation. It is a warning."

Oh, no. No, please no.

"Every two days until one of you delivers yourself to Erudite Headquarters, this will happen again."

Kee steps back, and I lunge forward. My hands snatch at her clothing, and I grab hold to her wrist. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a body falling through the air and a flash of brown hair.

I choke loudly as I haul Kee's body back onto the rooftop. "Help," Tris says in a weak voice. She's hunched over the rooftop's edge, clinging to Hector with everything she has. I move to help her, trying to forget what I just saw.

As soon as we lay Hector down, the simulation ends. Hector blinks. "Ow. What's going on?"

Kee whimpers from a few feet away, and I go to try and comfort her. "It's okay," I murmur, crouching down to her level and placing a hand on her back. "Everything's going to be alright." But of course it's not.

I look over and see Tris standing by the edge of the roof. She stares at the ground, eyes wide and throat bulging. I feel a hot flash of anger. Why is she looking? We both know what's down there. It's not like staring at the ground will change anything!

But when she turns away, toward us, my anger is quickly snuffed out. Her face is white as a sheet, and her mouth hangs open in a silent scream. She looks like she can barely breathe, and her entire body is shaking like a leaf. She takes a few steps forward; her hands are splayed out as if to say 'Why?'

"Tris," I say, my voice uneven. "Tris, there was nothing you could do. Tris, I'm sorry—Tri…Tris!"

Tris says nothing as she walks across the roof and toward the door that leads back to the elevator. "Tris!" I scream. "Come back! Don't leave me here wi…" I can't trust my voice anymore, and my head drops.

"Where's she going?" Hector asks me. He rubs at his shoulder and winces. His arm is undoubtedly sore from being yanked so harshly. "What happened? What's going on?"

"I... I want my mom," Kee says quietly. Her eyes dart around fearfully as she shivers in the cold.

I sit with my hands pressed against my mouth, eyes shut tight. "Hey," Hector says, concern creeping in his voice. His fingers brush cautiously against my back. "You okay? Why are we on the roof?"

A small, muffled sob escapes me. Swallowing, I drop my hands and open my eyes. "Let's go." Wasting no time, I get to my feet and help Kee stand, taking her hand. She clutches it like a lifeline and presses against me. "Come on, Hec."

Hector stands and glances toward the edge of the roof, still clutching at his arm. "What was she looking at?"

"Let's go." My voice is harsher than I meant it to be. I spin him around and wrap my free arm around his shoulders, pushing him toward the door. Hector's voice lowers considerably. "What's back there?" His eyebrows are furrowed, demanding an answer from me.

Hector fires off question after question all the way down back to the Pire. It isn't until we get back and spread the news when he finally falls silent.

Maybe Tris was telling the truth.

Maybe she really had to kill Will the way she did.

Maybe I misjudged her…so horribly, horribly wrong.

A/N: Something I thought would be cool to try out. I'll update once in a while, maybe a little faster providing how many people would like me to continue! The next few chapters will be focusing on character perspectives on Marlene's death and beyond, including the reaction to Tris' self-sacrifice. I hope you will enjoy the rest! Please let me know what you think!