Another Pedrad | ✓

Chapter 26

Uriah POV

I glanced at Tris.

She was sitting on the couch, while I lay sprawled on the floor. Her shoulders were tense, and her face was emotionless. The room was dead silent, with only the sounds of various screams coming from the hallway outside. The sound of electrical buzzing filled the empty silence.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her watching me. Usually, I would make some joke about her staring in awe of my amazingness, but I was too distracted to care.

I'd known what it meant to be Divergent for a long time. George had always been like a father to me, or even like a second brother. When I was younger, I idolized him. I tried to tag along with him whenever I could, and he thought that it was cute so he'd let me. But he didn't know that I'd followed him that one day.

The one day he wasn't careful enough.

While everyone else was eating dinner, I saw him slip outside the cafeteria. I immediately followed him. I tried calling out to him, but he was so distracted that he didn't even notice. Wow, I thought to myself, this is like an adventure. And I remember pulling down my head, convinced that I was a spy.

He left the Dauntless compound through an elevator leading up to the roof. I waited on the top step for him, with only a sliver of opening between the rusty door and its connecting wall.

George was not alone. There were three more people up there, two guys and one girl.

When George emerged, the girl immediately ran up to him and threw her arms around him in a tight squeeze. They held each other for a few seconds before quickly letting go. He exchanged a smile and clap on the back with the two guys before shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

"I've been exposed. They know I'm Divergent."

I could feel the shift in the air, as the momentary happiness changed into a thick tension.

One of the guys crossed his arms over his chest and simply asked, "How?"

George shrugged his shoulders, "The Erudite, they're technology is becoming too advanced."

The girl placed a hand on George's shoulder, "We can get you out of here in a week."

"What about my sister?"

"You'll have to leave her behind."

George was silent for a moment. He ran a hand through his hair, making the ends stand up in all different directions. "Can I at least say good bye?"

"You've been with us long enough, you know the rules," the guys who said that seemed slightly exasperated with George. But overall, everybody just seemed tired.

The group walked over, towards the ledge of the roof, blocked by the door. I strained my neck, trying to see them, but I didn't want to risk being caught. So, I huddled back behind the darkness of the door, flattening my ear against the side.

"But it's my sister, I trust her." What's happening with Tori? My mind couldn't take all this information. It was filled with a million questions that to this day, have yet to be answered.

"No, George. It'd raise too many questions. You might trust her, but there's no way to stop her curiosity. She'll be happier not knowing."

"Ignorance is bliss."

"But-"

"One week."

And just like that, they were gone. George's footsteps sounded on the roof. I waited, crouched on the ground, ready to bolt once he came too close. But then he turned around and walked back away from the door. Pacing was his way of dealing with anger. Whenever he was frustrated, he always just paced around. I imagined him with a hand on his hip, and the other one running through his hair. His brows creased, and shoulders tense.

I could still picture him now.

"Uriah." The sound of Tris' voice drew me away from my thoughts. I shook my head slightly, trying to rebury those memories. George was dead, and no one knew anything otherwise.

No one was going to bring him back.

"Uriah." I sat up from my spot on the ground and turned to face Tris.

"What do you want?" Immediately, my expression softened when I saw her recoil at my words. "I'm sorry, I'm just...stressed."

She nodded her head, leaning forward in her chair. "Me too."

"From the Aptitude Test?"

She stared past my shoulder, lost in thought for a moment. "Sort of?"

I nodded my head, "Me too."

She fell back against her chair, groaning. "I just wish that I could talk to you about it. We tell everything to each other," when she said that, I felt a pang of guilt for never telling her about George, "How could they expect us to keep it a secret. Why do they want us to keep it a secret? Who cares?"

And at that second, I knew it. There wasn't a single part of me that doubted it. I looked her in the eye and blurted out before I could stop myself, "You're Divergent."

Silence.

She stared back at me with wide eyes, her jaw dropped in shock. I clapped a hand over my mouth, immediately regretting those words.

"How...wha..h-how?"

I moved to be in front of her. Looking up at her eyes from my position on the ground. She was resting her hand on the arm of the couch, and I placed mine on hers, and squeezed.

"I know. I-I'm also Divergent." I felt a momentary surge of relief to be able to say those words aloud. To finally be able to admit the truth, and not have to hide it.

After confronting George about what I'd heard on the roof, he asked me if I wanted to take a test. He took me to the room where they initiated the simulation serum, and injected a dose into me.

Later, he'd told me that there was just something about me, the way that I'd looked at him, that just made him know. He taught me how to trick the simulation, how to act in an Aptitude Test. He taught me how to survive as a Divergent.

And to that, I owe him the world.

Words: 1044

So this chapter is definitely pretty off the rails. I don't think that Veronica Roth ever explained how Uriah found out he was Divergent, so this was kind of my way of creating a little backstory for him and George-who's barely mentioned at all in the story.

I realize, that there might be quite a few plot holes. But, I don't know. What do you guys think, does it work? Should I keep creating small backstories and flashbacks and stuff for the characters? Don't worry, the next chapter will definitely continue on with the story and the plot. I understand your impatience.

And I guess, just thank for hanging with me you guys, this story is definitely not a normal fanfiction, so thanks for dealing with my craziness! 😂😘

Let's try for those 20 votes again, and as always, follow, comment, vote, all that good stuff.

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