It's like being in a dream, the gentle breeze brushing against my face, but I still couldn't open my eyes—they felt heavy. After a while, I stopped struggling and let the subconscious waves take me wherever they wanted.

I felt so light, like the soft feather of a canary floating in the unknown. I stopped being afraid, nothing hurt anymore, and that was okay. Finally, I could rest. I enjoyed the arms of Morpheus and submerged myself in my subconscious. I had gone too long without sleep, I had never experienced this feeling of peace, this fullness of life called "not thinking."

I rolled over, feeling the softness and freshness of the blanket. My face sank into the pillow, but I had a problem—a harsh slap of reality made me realize my wrists were tied, and my movements were restricted.

Panic consumed me as my pulse quickened, and warning signals weighed heavy on me. I opened one eye, but closed it again, not only did the brightness bother me, but the heaviness of my body and the sluggishness of my actions frustrated me.

I tried again, this time attempting to fight against the subconscious restraints of Morpheus. I opened both eyes with effort, surprised by the brightness of the room. The white walls confused me, and even more so, the king-size bed with white sheets.

Repeated flashbacks assaulted my mind; my head began to ache, and I stopped fighting, letting my head fall back onto the soft pillow.

Eric had an accident. Eric cheated on me with Jina. An unconscious guard. The old man dead. The rain. The pain. The blood. The dart... I was kidnapped.

I opened my eyes wider, struggling against the handcuffs binding my wrists to the bed frame, but it was futile. The cuffs prevented me from escaping.

I noticed my drastic change of clothes, the brightness of my wardrobe gave me an uneasy feeling, and the small window behind me allowed me to hear the torrential rain drowning out any other sounds.

The white door opened, revealing a woman entering with a glass of water. Beside her was a blond boy with an unfriendly face. They both came in, briefly exposing the outside world—nothing like the interior. It was dark, with poorly painted walls and a deteriorating floor that puzzled me.

"Finally awake, I was starting to worry." the woman said with a smile, not showing her teeth. Her hair was chestnut brown, with slight curls reaching her shoulders. "I'm Evelyn."

"You say it as if that explains why I'm here." I muttered, confused.

"Don't worry, I'm your new friend. You have nothing to fear." she reassured me.

I furrowed my brow, feeling uneasy about the boy behind her with his expressionless face and arms crossed. "Mmh, don't worry about him, he's Edgar. He's just here to protect me." the brunette said when she noticed my gaze lingering on him.

"From who ?"

"From you, of course." she replied casually. "At the first opportunity, you'll attack us."

"And that's why I'm tied up, wearing completely different clothes and kidnapped." I analyzed, looking away at the ceiling.

"It was the only way to talk to you, otherwise, I would have done things differently," she cleared her throat. "I apologize, they didn't administer the right dose to put you to sleep. I'm afraid you've been asleep for three days, well, almost four. Your clothes were completely soaked from the rain, I had to change them. I didn't want you to catch a cold." she grimaced.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, furrowing my brow as I tried to sit up. I had been here for days, locked up against my will with a lunatic and her bodyguard.

"In fact, I was worried, the sedative they gave you for your pregnancy scared me. I thought you'd lose it, but that belly, mmh, doesn't convince me." she hissed in disagreement. "You were never pregnant."

"What do you want then? Are you planning to kill me? Then do it already." I growled, once again struggling against my restraints.

Evelyn sighed and shook her head. "Like I said, I can be your new friend. We can help each other."

"And what do you want from me?" I spat with annoyance.

"I know everything about you. I know you're Divergent and involved in Erudite's plan. Take it as your vacation, it's obvious you need a break, especially after what your boyfriend did to you." she said.

I submerged myself again in distrust, stopping my movements and watching her with uncertainty. I analyzed her every move, a way to gain the upper hand if necessary to escape.

"Are you the one sending the messages? Did you hack into my communication system?" I questioned.

"Yes, it's me. It wasn't that difficult, your password is your birthday." she admitted.

"And what do you want?" I asked.

"First, I want to untie you, talk like two civilized women, but I want to make sure you'll listen and not attack me." she replied.

It was clear that although I would like to attack to get out of here, it would be difficult. The guy behind Evelyn watched me like a hawk, ready to protect the woman who insisted on being my friend. She wants something, and it would be foolish of me to deny her while being untied with that man around.

"I couldn't attack you even if I wanted to. I don't know where I am, and even if I could knock out the guy and render you unconscious, I don't know what awaits me behind the door. That's not to mention that you threatened my father and know my secret. I suppose I'll have to listen to you." I smirked ironically.

Evelyn smiled, showing a hint of hope in her olive eyes as she approached the boy Edgar, who understood with a nod and came closer to me, pulling out keys from his pocket. He untied me from one handcuff and circled the bed for the next.

"Who are they? Their clothes suggest a bit of daring with Factionless." I continued, glancing at the woman while Edgar worked on untying the next wrist.

"I was born in Erudite, didn't feel fit for the faction, so I migrated to Abnegation, but ended up here, abandoned. I don't fit into any category like you do, fitting into several." I said.

"What do you want?" I could move thanks to Edgar, my arms were starting to hurt from numbness, so I sat up and rubbed my wrists.

"I brought you water, the sedative causes thirst." he handed me the glass he held.

It was like a switch, a reminder that my throat was dry, my tongue scraped against the inside with torment, so I took the glass and let the liquid refresh me.

"I need you to find someone, my son." she said.

"Your son?" I repeated, taking another sip of water. "I'm a leader, I don't search for lost children."

"I got married very young, brought my son into the world, and couldn't withstand his father's abuse, so I left, and now I want to reconnect. You're the only intelligent and kind leader I can count on, you have access to all the faction information." she explained.

"You abandoned your son and now want to see him again." I grimaced, nodding.

"It was necessary." she excused herself frustratingly.

"What's happening in Erudite worries me, I don't want my son, if he's in Abnegation, to get hurt."

"If he's there? How long has it been since you've seen him?" I asked, finishing the glass of water.

"Nearly 12 years." she responded, ashamed of the answer.

I swallowed, shaking my head as I got lost in the white wall, trying to take it all in. I let out a laugh.
"You blew up a building with two  factionless inside, harassed and took photos of me, threatened me, all for your son whom you don't know where he is. Why?" I scoffed.

"I already told you, I met Jeanine, and I know what she's capable of. I don't want him to get hurt." she explained.

I observed her eyes and gestures, there wasn't a hint of hesitation or fear, she was firm in the situation, willing to tear half of Chicago apart for her son. I sighed.

"I find your son, and you let me go, is that all?"

"The situation with Erudite controlling the government is not favorable for any faction, including us, especially not for you. I have enough soldiers to start a rebellion against their coup, no one would have to die or get hurt, Eric would have immunity." she proposed.

Eric... I think I'd rather spend my time with Evelyn than see him; this time I might just shoot him, beat him, yell at him, and spit on him. It's the first time he's done this in a formal relationship, that doesn't justify it, but it hurts, it hurts more knowing it was with Jina, God... I hate that woman, and now I hate her even more. However, I can't let my hatred cloud my duty; I have to keep a clear mind, think better than her."

"Who is your son?" I raised an eyebrow.

"So, do you agree?"

"No, I'll find your son and bring him to you, then you'll let me go back to Dauntless. If you want a war with Jeanine, go ahead, but don't involve me." I insisted.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." I responded without hesitation.

"His name is Tobias Eaton." she said.

It was like a bucket of cold water pouring over me, I widened my eyes even more and looked at her as if she had three eyes.

"Tell me this is a damn joke." I exclaimed.

"Do you know him?" she asked hopefully.

I quickly got up from the bed, letting my bare feet touch the floor while Edgar remained alert, but I didn't pay attention to him. I was surprised; I looked at her and could only see Four.

"Of course, I know him." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Is your husband Marcus? What a disastrous choice, Evelyn."

The woman got up, walking towards me, taking my hands firmly.

"How do you know him?" she asked cautiously.

"He's in Dauntless, Evelyn. It's illogical, you investigated me but never saw him." I frowned, watching her turn around in desperation, upset with herself.

I could see it in her eyes, she was upset, hurt, and I could guess what she was feeling, because after all, she couldn't recognize her own son.

"I haven't seen him in years, he was just a child... I... I don't know." she spoke with shame, sadness.

"He's not Tobias anymore, he changed his name." I murmured.

"And what's his name now?" she asked, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Four."

*******************************

At this rate, everyone will be abandoned. The level of factionless people increases every day, and today I'm seeing it live.

Evelyn is the leader, they could easily start a faction on their own, and if Jeanine weren't a witch, I'm sure it would work.

The exterior was an old building, ancient and hidden among a pile of rubble. At first glance, you could never imagine that there is a civilization inside. Evelyn was Erudite, not enough, but she shows her roots. She has nothing of selflessness, and that's why she left.

Marcus is an idiot, I already knew that, and now I was confirming it.

My evening consisted of eating and talking with Evelyn. She's right, I need a break. To get away from Dauntless and especially from Eric, to see the other side of the coin and understand that the needs of others matter.

Fany and Kate are here, I only saw them from afar as they were patching up the walls.

"If you're the leader, why did you kill those factionless?" I suddenly asked after the not uncomfortable silence. We were at the table, after dinner with a glass of wine each.

Evelyn smiled without showing her teeth. "I'm the leader of those who followed me, and I got this for them. The rest are submerged in madness, depression, and misery. There are suicides of them every day, nobody can save them. I just gave that pair a purpose for their death." she shrugged.

"And the old man? They killed him shortly before catching me."

"Some crazy guy I promised his death if I found you." she sighed while swirling her glass. "Sorry about that, Edgar's intention wasn't to cover you in blood."

"You took advantage of his madness." I murmured with curiosity, crossing my legs.

"Of course, who doesn't take advantage? That's how things work in this life."

"Your son doesn't believe in that." I sighed with a smirk. "He's uptight," I chuckled.

"You know him well." she smiled, and as usual, she looked away, losing herself in her mind. "I used to like sitting on the edge of his bed and watching him sleep. I think it's the last memory I have of him." she sighed. "I hope he'll accept me again."

"I did it with my mother after she abandoned me with my abusive father. Don't worry, he'll do it too." I shrugged.

Edgar's entrance into the room prompted our conversation to end. He approached his leader, not without first giving me a warning look, as if his eyes were flashing with 'be careful, I'm watching you.' He whispered a few things to his leader and then stepped back, looking at me again.

"I'm afraid we'll have to end the conversation, we need to start with the rescue plan."

"Rescue? What are you talking about?" I asked, setting the glass down on the table.

"Eric hasn't stopped looking for you, he's getting closer, and if we want to go unnoticed, we need them to find you. Otherwise, they won't stop searching." she sighed. "In the early morning, I'd like to take you to the house where we'll create the plan."

"Eric is looking for me?" I asked with irony.

"Since day one, we've left him false clues, we've played with him throughout Chicago. But it's obvious he'll come here."

The story repeated itself, but in a different context, I'm the kidnapped one again, and once more, the one looking for me is Eric. But this time is different. Last time, my absence was only two days, now, it's been four days, and I'm enjoying a delicious red wine while they think I'm dead or suffering.

I know Eric must be regretting it, I know. He'll seek forgiveness from me, redemption, but I'm not willing to give it to him, at least not right now. I want him to continue feeling guilty, to turn over every stone to find me.

"I'd like to rest a bit before starting the plan."

"Perfect, I'll accompany you to your bed." Evelyn stood up, I followed her, and walked towards her with Edgar behind me. We left the section where Evelyn enjoyed her meals and slept. We climbed the stairs, passing many people who couldn't stop looking at me, I was the odd one out.

"Why is my room different from everything else?" I asked when we finished climbing the stairs.

"In case things went wrong, we arranged everything so that your mind would create a different scenario from what's around you. If you had chosen to attack when Edgar untied you, you would already be sedated and would return to where we took you." she walked ahead of me casually, leading me to my temporary room. "Of course, with Norman now in our possession."

"And since when did the factionless gain so much power?" I asked as we entered the room with white walls.

"No one takes us into account, and that's an advantage." she turned to look at me, approached me slowly, about to bid farewell with a compassionate look. "Grace, I'm not evil. I'm sorry for threatening your father."

I smiled at her. "You're not worse than Jeanine, you're just someone who understands how the world works. Don't worry, in your place, I would have threatened a loved one too." I shrugged.

I passed by her and approached the mattress, sitting on it, noticing the folded black clothes stained with mud.

"Have you reconsidered? Don't you want help with Jeanine? I could kill her." she suggested. "You'd stop being in constant danger."

Her insistence puzzled me, the need to take power away from a leader just to protect the defenseless didn't convince me. There was more to it, her eyes emitted the need for power.

"No, I'll arrange a meeting with your son, and that will be the end of it. Take it as a favor. We can help each other from afar, but in this case, I can't go against her." I grimaced, shrugging. "Her plan is selflessness, in case she comes after you, I'll let you know. You'll be safe."

Evelyn nodded slowly, accepting my refusal of her offer and at the same time satisfied with the new alliance. I'll have to warn Four about the kind of mother he has, the lethality of her mind that can be frightening. Although it's not something a son wants to hear from his mother, in this case, I'll make an exception. It's necessary for Four not to be influenced by his maternal ties.

"Perfect, I'll wake you in a few hours. Put on those clothes, they're what you were wearing. You'll be transferred to an abandoned house, far from here. Edgar will take care of the rest."

"What am I supposed to say?" I asked with intrigue before she walked out the door.

"Use her madness to your advantage, Grace. A group of factionless decided to kidnap you due to food scarcity, whatever it is." she shrugged. "Create your own story."

I had slept for almost 4 days straight, but it didn't stop me from collapsing back onto the bed and enjoying the delight of Morpheus's arms, except that I didn't have any sleep-inducing substances, so my day had started since 4 in the morning as I couldn't close my eyes at all.

And what's worse, I couldn't stop thinking about Eric.