(Tris POV)
It's been three days since the attack. Since the stupid Erudite we left behind came, and bombed the crude shelter we had formed. And it hurts me so much to know I have lost so many. We are all so unbelievably alone, Tobias and I. We went back to the camp the next day, only to find ashes and burnt remains of what were my best friends. I even went to what was Christina and Uriahs tent, though Tobias told me not to, only to find the charred remains of what were my best friends.
They were hugging, when we found them curled under the frazzled canvas, and the sight of it made me sick. How could they do this! How ? And more worryingly, why?
I look over to Tobias, who is about three feet from me, and see his face is also green. He stares at them, a grimace set on his ashen face, and tears rolling silently down his face.
"Why them Tris? Why not us? I don't understand" he says, face paling as I walk over to him and hug him. We sink down to the floor, entwined together and clinging on like we are the only chance of survival, which I suppose we are.
I hear a sound behind me, and I turn petrified to look at what it could be. There a woman there, on a quad bike, who looks like she's in her mid twenties. Her brown hair is tied back into a messy ponytail, and her brown eyes stare at me as she sits on the bike in denim skinny jeans and a hoody.
"Who are you, please could you help us." I say timidly, pulling Tobias up to stand next to me, shoulder against shoulder.
She stares back kindly then replies.
"Erm, okay right this is gonna be hard to explain, but my name is Emily, and I am not from here okay. I'm really sorry for what has happened, but I need you guys to come with me, we're not safe here.
I look to Tobias, who is staring dumbly at the ground. I nudge him in the ribs and look at him. My gaze silently asking if we should go. He replies by saying
"So where shall we go?"
We hop onto her quad, her on the front, then me then Tobias hanging on to me from behind. As we drive into the sunset, leaving all we know and trust.
----------------------------------------
After about two hours of driving, we arrive at a huge, glass building, surrounded with a wall. Tobias and I get off the quad, and Emily motions for us to stay where we are stood while she parks up outside. I grip Tobias' hand nervously, we have to stay together now for we have no money, identification or place to stay.
"So guys, we're gonna go in through these glass doors," she says pointing through the huge doors. The fence is more modern than ours, and you cannot see through it which worries me. The building is a sheer glass wall as part of the fence, with two huge glass doors that must be about 3 metres high. It looks fairly empty of people which is a bit worrying, but it looks like our only option out in the formidable desert.
"What is the building?" I ask, after staring for some time. " Because it looks pretty empty, and no offence but it's a bit strange not to see through the walls.
" I completely understand your concern. Okay so shall we sit down and I can explain what's going on and then you can decide whether to enter or not?" She says, I nod quietly and she carries on.
" Right. Firstly, the fence cannot be seen through from this side, but it can through the other so don't worry it's not a concentration camp in there!" She says laughing and my facial expression softens slightly and I relax a little.
Okay, through that fence is modern life. We have everything you could need, and people have a job and help each other. It's probably a very similar to your life without factions"
"Wait, so there are no factions? How does life work if you don't mind me asking?"
" Everyone lives there own life. You are born free, and you go to school, then based on what you like or are really good at you can pick any career or life you want. You can live freely and we don't believe in making people into categories."
She grins at me, patting my hand," so even if you're divergent you can still live absolutely fine."
"But how did we end up like this though, I mean that all sounds great, but is it just you and us?" Tobias asks, emerging from his silent pondering.
"Okay, so about 600 years ago, in the 1930's there was a massive world war between all the different countries of this planet. Mainly Germany against England though. We, live in a county called America, and we were allied - or on the same team as - England. When our team lost the war, there was a crazy dictator, and he took over our country. We were separated into cities like yours and divided us into categories. This happened, but then after a couple of hundred years all the other ordinary people in their cities started to uprise and fight back. Most of these places were broken and a new age was formed with a new government and rights. However, a couple of cities were too strongly managed to break free. This was you."
My face turns a pale colour as the news sinks in, and my stomach feels both incredibly scared and excited. I don't know what's next, but that's kind of beautiful.
"When do we move in?" I say to her, and she leads us to the building, my walk turning more confident with each step.
We are finally free.
