After-An Allegiant fanfic

Part 22-Now

Disclaimer: Veronica Roth owns it all.

Now:

"There's no way that she will actually give him any, though." I say, trying to explain this as much to myself as to the others. "They may have parted on okay terms, but she still hates him for what he did. Forgiveness isn't a very easy emotion for her."

It isn't one for any of the Factionless. Why forgive when no one ever forgave you? 

"Okay," Christina says, taking my thoughts back to the present. "So basically she told him that he could be the head of the government again?"

"Yes, but probably more than he was before. I don't think he would accept if it was exactly the same. We all know what happened last time."

"She must want to change the factions in some way though," Zeke pipes up. "Get some sort of revenge. She was oppressed from society for years, you'd think she has some sort of way to avoid it happening again. And to teach the ones who did it a lesson."

Zeke was right. There was no way that she was doing this without some sort of insurance. Something like not allowing anyone to be cut from initiation, therefore limiting the number of Factionless. Or maybe having no Factionless at all. But for some reason I think that it is more than that. My mother has never been very quick to forgive. There has to be some sort of revenge. To show everyone that she is in charge. 

Again, I hear Tris' voice in my head, whispering me the answer. She always knew what to do, and she always had a good sense of people. This time is no different. 

"She'll make them Factionless," I say, everything coming together as I speak. "Everyone who was a faction member before, - or at least the ones who crossed her - she'll make them Factionless, or worse. Send them outside to live in the Fringe. The Bureau may be better now, but it is in no way perfect."

"Everyone who was a member?" Christina asks, incredulous. "That's almost the whole city. What would she do then?" 

The answer comes to me immediately. It scares me that I can think of these solutions so easily. Am I like her? Is this what I want too, deep down? 

No. Tris' voice again. You're smart. But you will never be like that. You will fight for the city. 

"If she sends us to the Fringe, where are all the people who live in the Fringe going to go? To the city," I say without missing a beat. "Everyone who was ever shunned or pushed out, rising up to create a new society. Who knows, she might even be planning to overthrow the Bureau too. If she gets everyone on her side, there is nothing she can't do. All those people, spiteful and hating those who pushed them down. 

"And there won't be any threat of rebellion. They'll all be worshiping Evelyn for bringing them up out of the ashes. And if she brings Marcus in as her puppet, pretends to give him power, they'll ll listen to him too."

It's a few moments before anyone speaks. Then Shauna asks the one question that I don't have an immediate answer to. 

"But the people from the Fringe are welcome in the city. They can come if they want. Why rise up against everyone? Why not judy come join us here?"

"Everyone wants revenge. Sure, they could easily come to the city, but why wouldn't they come to the city and rise up and prove a point. Why would they want to come when for all they know they would be shoved into the streets again. Evelyn would be giving them a promise. A promise I don't think she could keep." Christina says. A look of understanding crosses everyone's faces.

"Okay," Zeke says, looking at me. "We know what she is doing; at least we think we do. Now, the question is, how do we stop it?"