Insurgent: Traitor

Chapter 6

Despite the covers that lay upon me, I shiver in the morning light.

Marco had left early in the morning, maybe three? I pretended to be asleep until I heard the door shut. He walked back in at about five and set a pair of clothes on the desk at the other end of the room. I wear the same clothes I have been in since I left the Dauntless compound, needless to say they are dirty and worn now.

I get up finally and change into the clothes on the desk. It will be nice to wear something clean I suppose.

A blue ruffled blouse, black skinny jeans, black flats, and a blue pencil skirt. Erudite clothes, except for the skinny jeans and the flats-which look out of place with all the blue surrounding it. I quickly slip on the skinny jeans, the blouse, and the flats. They all fit so much better than the baggy clothes I have been wearing of late. I sit on the bed and wait. For what I don't know.

I wait for the building to explode, I wait for a Dauntless traitor with a gun to come and shoot me, for Jeanine with a new serum, Marco with further instruction.

I wait for Tobias with an escape plan.

Marco walks in with a grin/smile plastered on his face, I'd like to punch it off.

"You look lovely in blue, it brings out your eyes," he says.

"Thank you," I mutter.

He holds out his hand like he expects me to take it. I take a moment and examine the fine cracks in his palm. I wonder what he did before he became my escort and blackmailer.

I take his hand cautiously and he closes a firm grip around mine, like he expects me to escape.

Not today, I think.

Silence. Silence is all I hear, silence is not good, silence will not help me.

"So," I start awkwardly, "what are you, like, Jeanine's right hand man?" He looks at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"No," he says cautiously, "that would be your leader, Max." Max is not my leader, but I do not say that. Arguing with a wall will prove nothing but your own lack of rationality.

"What does that make you then," I press.

"Well, I was her right hand, ah, and I say this for lack of better term, experiment, if you will. Before you came along, that is." He must see the confused look I feel plastered on my face because he explains further.

"I am Divergent, like you. I have an aptitude for Erudite and Dauntless. I transferred to Dauntless in the knowledge of Jeanine's plan for destroying the Divergent. Unfortunately I had gone unprepared and failed the physical portion of Dauntless initiation."

"And you were factionless," I say, "but how did you end up here? Why did you come back?"

"I spent three years or so being fationless, and I hated every moment of it," he says, disgust lining his words.

"How old are you?" How long has it been since you were sixteen?

A side glance, a chewed cheek, an answer, "I am currently nineteen-years-of-age."

"But, that means. . . How long have you been here?"

"Confused?" He chuckles. "I was too, it's okay."

He stops in front of Jeanine's laboratory door. "Jeanine wants to speak with you," he says, "no serums today."

"That's good," I state blankly.

"Later, if you're still curious, I'll resume my 'story' for you."

"I would like that," I smile at him.

People are much like trees, Beatrice. Seemingly sure on the outside, you think you know it's roots by it's bark, but that is not true. You have to look into a tree to see how old it is, what conditions it has been witness to. My mother's voice echo's in my mind more and more these days, guiding me through situations she couldn't be here for.

We have a second arm, a second leg, ear, and eye, why shouldn't we have-and more importantly give-second chances as well? My father knew forgiveness like no other man could. They were close friends. A pity that Mistress Forgiveness and I were never much more than acquaintances.

My mother and father are dead, but I still feel a hollow guilt whenever I say or do something I know they would not be proud of.

In this moment I think second chances, a deeper meaning. Is that true for everyone? Peter, he saved my life-and attempted at jail break-and he had spent all of initiation teasing, taunting, and nearly killing me. My bully is my rescuer, that's a new one.

I turn to the metal door and open it with some force. The doors here are heavier than one would expect. Maybe to keep an experimental explosion in one place? I wish this place would explode, and kill Jeanine in the process.

I walk into the brightly lit room. There are counter tops lining the walls, except the wall directly behind Jeanine, which is all bookshelves. Cabinets with clear glass windows linger above the counters, lengths of blue light stretch out on the under parts of the cabinets creating an eerie blue setting on the floors and counters just under them. The ceiling is painted a deep shade of turquoise. White circular lights break apart the dark ocean causing spots in my vision.

"Beatrice," a flat, calm, robotic voice says to me. "I assume you don't know why I requested your presence today. It has come to my attention that you are both mentally and physically lacking in strength and, it would not be as much concern to me if one did not contradict the other but, this seems to be affecting your response to my simulations."

Jeanine, blue head to toe, and as unfeeling as ice.

"Okay, so what, fix it then," I say, malice thick in my voice.

"Feeling testy today, Beatrice? I am sure we can find some peace serum for you if you would like."

"No." I lie. I am feeling very 'testy' today, "I'm just-"

"Fatigued?"

"Yes," I want to rip her vocal cords out just so I don't have to listen to that measured tone anymore.

"Yes, I have noticed. You are showing many side-affects of fatigue, hunger, dehydration, and detachment."

"Is detachment a condition?" It sounds like a modified version of insanity.

"Yes, the condition occurs when one is in solitude for to long. The side-affects range anywhere from behaving in a very introvert-like manner to extreme violence. You have been acting very secluded around the people you walk by in the halls when when you first came her you acted as if they were mere lookers-on."

"So why tell me all of this?"

"Because we will be taking a break from the serums for awhile, to give your body and mind some time to rejuvenate. I simply did not want you to be alarmed when your scheduled changed, you are dismissed now."

I head for the door quickly and walk out of the bright room with the strange lights. I feel a hystarical laugh bubbling inside of me. Not only have I gotten a foothold on Marco, but Jeanine is giving me time to strengthen myself and prepare for my departure. They are actually helping me break Tobias and I out! They don't even know it, and I'll make sure they don't find out until we're already gone.