Divergent (Fanfic)

Chapter 24

We lay on the pillows, his arm around me, my head resting on his shoulder, one arm draped across his chest.

And we just lay there, for I-don't-know-how-long.

The floor vibrated, the sound of the music that was still playing downstairs not quite travelling through, but still causing the floor to vibrate slightly.

I closed my eyes, just for a second, but something made me open them immediately. Reluctantly, I disentangled myself from James' body.

'James, put this back on,' I said, throwing him his shirt.

'Mel, what's up?' He asked concernedly, standing up and pulling the shirt back over his head and coming to stand next to me.

I was staring out the window.

There was a train approaching. The trains came close enough to the Mart for us to be able to see what was inside them, but they couldn't see us very well. The track curved in such a way that the train would pass us once, in our line of vision, and then again, slightly closer, but about half a minute later.

And, inside the train, were two Abnegation, an Erudite and a Dauntless.

A very unusual gathering.

'Something's not right,' I said, sprinting out of the room, down the stairs, through the hall, and out of the Mart, ignoring the dull thudding in my head. Nathan followed me. I hadn't asked him to - but he had.

We ran across the field, lungs burning, legs aching. I was so unfit! Despite that, I soon found myself running alongside the train, Nathan just behind me. I grasped the handle on the inside of the carriage and hauled myself in, before turning and holding my hand out to Nathan, who grasped it, and pulling him inside.

The four people we'd seen earlier were sitting at the other side of the carriage. They stood up when they saw us.

'Who are you?' The Dauntless girl said. Wait... I recognised these people. The Dauntless girl and the Erudite boy were Beatrice and Caleb Prior, the people who had gone before me at the Choosing Ceremony. One of the Abnegation was Marcus Eaton. I didn't recognise the other - but he had some similar features to Beatrice and Caleb. Probably their father.

'Hi,' I said. 'I'm Melanie, that's Nathan. Something's happened, don't bother lying, and we want to help.' Nathan nodded in agreement. We had walked along the carriage, and were now standing with the group.

Beatrice turned to me. 'I don't think a pair of Candor will be the best help we can get,' she said. 'Sorry.'

'Try us.'

'Have you ever fired a gun?'

'No,' Nathan and I replied simultaneously.

'Would you be willing to?'

'Yes.'

Marcus and Mr Prior reached into their waistbands and handed me and Nathan a gun each. 'I would rather not have to use it myself.' Said Mr Prior.

My hand closed around the cold steel of Marcus' gun. 'Are you sure?' I asked.

'Yes,' Marcus replied.

'I'm Tris,' said Beatrice. 'That's Caleb, Marcus and my dad.'

'Hi,' Nathan and I said, slightly awkwardly.

'So, what's happened?' I asked.

'The Erudite leader, Jeanine, was working with a Dauntless leader, Eric. They attacked the Abnegation by injecting the Dauntless with some kind of simulation serum, and we ran away. We need to destroy the console, they're being controlled by computers, that is running the simulation to end it all.'