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Never before in her life had Lilith stepped into the area of the city where the Factionless lived.
It wasn't that she actively avoided it, but it was a decent distance away from the Candor sector, and she'd never had a reason to walk through it. Still, it was as she'd always pictured it. The streets were covered in years old trash, with flies buzzing in the air and mice running back and forth between their feet. The buildings weren't properly maintained, similar to the ones in the abandoned part of town, where she'd zip linned with Eric and Zeke, but it was the stench that really made it stand out. After one look at Reyna, it was evident that she wasn't the only struggling to breathe.
As Edward gestured at them to follow him into an alley, Lilith caught up to Four and Tris, a million questions on her mind. She licked her lips as she slipped between the pair, "So," she began, "Who's looking for you?"
Four rolled his dark eyes, "What is it with you Candors and always asking questions at the worst possible times?"
"Oh, trust me, I could have done worse," she replied. Next to her, Tris released a snort, though anxiety was quick to take over her features once again. Lilith raised her eyebrows at Four, "So, are you going to answer?"
"Nope."
Her complaints were cut off by the sound of Edward pulling open a steel door, the Factionless with him entering the building without so much as a glance towards the rest of them. Noticing how hesitant they all were, the former Dauntless initiate nodded towards the inside of the building and, after they all exchanged a glance, they followed the rest of the people in. The air there was heavy and humid, the scent of mold entering Lilith's nostrils as soon as she crossed the doorway, but that wasn't what made her stop in tracks. In the barely lit room, there were more Factionless people than she'd ever seen before, of all races and ages, wearing clothes from every faction. Silence fell over them as the Factionless noticed their presence, displeasure obvious in some of their faces.
"Come on," Edward finally spoke, as he started heading deeper into the building, "She's back here."
Lilith had never been one to feel intimidated by crowds and by being the center of attention. If she were being honest, she actually thrived in it. But she couldn't help but feel uneasy as the Factionless' eyes followed their group as they walked behind Edward, and she wished that their entrance hadn't been so obvious. She couldn't really blame the people for the way they acted, however. The Factions had completely turned their backs on them, for one reason or another, and it was no wonder that they didn't want them there, not even in the middle of the war that had taken over the city.
"What's going on here?" Tris asked, after a few minutes of walking, "Why are you all together like this?"
"You though they-," Edward cut himself off, before correcting his sentence, "We were all split up. Well, they were, for a while. Too hungry to do much of anything, except look for food. But then the Stiffs started giving them food, clothes, tools, everything," there was a smirk on his lips as he looked over his shoulder at them, and a flash of the boy Lilith remembered from Initiation appeared before her eyes. He continued, "They got stronger, and waited. They were like that when I found them, and they welcomed me."
