Nothing Without You | Eric Coulter [2]

fifteen

NESSA

"No! No, stop!" Jeanine's voice echoed throughout the room from where she stood by the doorway.

Tori leads our Dauntless team, and they're all met at a standstill, pointing their guns at the Dauntless traitors who refuse to stand down.

As if he's afraid that Jeanine was going to dart forward and snatch me out of his grasp, Eric steps in front of me protectively even though it seems Tori and the rest of her team have got it covered.

Relief filled my chest as soon as my eyes landed on three familiar faces belonging to those of my friends who were quickly becoming like family to me.

Seeing them was a comfort I didn't even know I needed, and I could see the same relief clearly on Tobias' face as well as his eyes taking in his best friend from head to toe as if he was checking him over for injuries.

"Make one more move and we'll shoot," Zeke warns when Jeanine takes a small step forward.

Jeanine stared with wide eyes at the screen which indicated the symbols of all five factions, each one lit up to signify that its sim had been completed.

The screen blinks before the hologram of a woman I didn't recognise comes to life. Shortly following that, her voice fills the room as she spoke.

"Hello, my name is Amanda Ritter. I am the leader of an organisation fighting for peace and justice. I come from outside the wall, where we have destroyed each other. Therefore, this fight for peace and justice has become more important and consequently, nearly impossible in the past few decades."  She explains, "We designed your city as an experiment, we believed it was the only way to recover the humanity we had lost. We created factions to ensure peace but believed that there will be those among you who would transcend their factions, these would be the Divergents. You will not remember what has happened. But Divergents are the true purpose of this experiment, they are vital to humanity's survival."

A gasp leaves my throat at the piece of information that she had revealed and I feel Eric's hand sliding around my waist to pull me closer to his side.

"The battle that we are fighting is not against a particular group, it's against human nature itself - or at least what it has become. This is why you are so important, our struggle against violence and cruelty is only treating the symptoms of a disease, not curing it. You are the cure," She continued, "If you're watching this now, then at least one of you is proof that our experiment has succeeded. The time has come for you to emerge from your isolation and rejoin us, your leaders should give the command for Amity to unlock the gate forever.

"You are to be a clean slate, but do not forget us." She smiles, "I am about to join your number. Like the rest of you, I will voluntarily forget my name, my family and my home. I will take on a new identity, with false memories and a false history. But so that you will know the information I have provided to you is accurate, I will tell you my name I am about to take on as my own." Her smile broadens before she finally finishes with, "My name will be Edith Prior."

It's almost as if those around us turn in unison to look at Tris where she stood a couple of feet apart from me and Eric, clutching tightly onto Tobias' hand.

"They're all staring at me." I hear her whisper to Tobias.

"You did it, you changed everything." Tobias replies, before raising his eyes to me, "You both did." He says proudly.

"No. Not me, it's all her." Tris says as steps forward to take my hands in hers, squeezing them gratefully, "Thank you for risking your life to help me."

I offer her a smile with a shake of my head, "There's no need for that. We're as good as family now, aren't we? Now, all we have to do is make it official," I teased as I nudged my brother, making a deep blush spread across Tris' cheeks.

Noticing movement from the corner of my eye, I turn to watch Tori and the others guide Jeanine and the Dauntless traitors out of the room.

Stopping in the doorway, Uriah shoots me a cheeky smile over his shoulder with a pair of thumb-ups before rushing to catch up with the rest of the crew.

It felt as if a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders seeing Uriah smile as brightly as he did. It was almost reassuring to see him doing so well after Marlene's death.

Eric's hands find their way around my waist once again and I turn my gaze on him again with a smile, raising up on my toes to press a kiss against his lips that he deepens.

He pulls away, running his fingers through my hair as he whispers, "Let's go home."

✧

   The moment I stepped foot into the Pit again with Eric clutching my hand tightly in his, a sea of people were there, already waiting for us and looking like some kind of a welcome-home committee.

There was something different that I couldn't quite place a finger on though. And as I scanned my eyes across the crowd that quickly surrounded us, I noticed the clothes that the people were donning were more than the black attire worn by Dauntless members, but filled with an array of colours.

I quickly come to the realisation that they weren't just Dauntless members, but a mixture of Amity, Candor, Erudite and the Factionless.

They were all here. Standing together in a united front.

Loud cheers started filling the room and high-pitched whistles as the crowd applauded, making my mouth fall slightly ajar.

"Can you look any more surprised?" Eric leans down to mutter in my ear with a low chuckle.

"This is insane," I say in wonderment.

"You're like a hero to them, now." A proud smile stretches across Eric's face.

Then, he pulls me closer to him, lifting my eyes to his with a finger under my chin, his eyes conveying seriousness as he whispers, "You're my hero."