This is torture, the harvest is definitely a torment. The scorching sun put me in a bad mood, sweat had gotten into my eyes, and I have a headache. But I have to fulfill my duty and accept my defeat. Molly arrived at the stream faster than I did, so now I have to do the harvest like she does. But I don't understand her, she's by my side during the harvest because, according to her, the more help there is, the faster and better it gets.

What I still can't grasp is that she's laughing, smiling widely with great enjoyment while she digs out the buried vegetables, puts them in the basket, carries it, and takes it to the truck. We have to walk about 1.5 kilometers to reach the truck and come back for more. The basket is heavy, but for Molly, it's a piece of cake. It makes me think that strength doesn't belong to the bold but to the friendly, and appearances really are deceiving.

Molly was humming a song while carrying the basket behind me. "Grace, sing with me!" she shouted with glee. "Today is a good day."

I rolled my eyes. "I prefer horses, God, this is terrible." I grumbled.

"Of course not! With your help, we'll finish faster, right guys?" The people around us nodded and laughed at my expense. "Thank you, Grace." In unison, more than ten friendly people spoke, causing a wave of laughter.

"I don't understand you, your name doesn't reflect your face. Heart, show some grace." Molly said with mockery. "Just look at your father, he's laughing! He can't contain his happiness seeing you here."

I immediately turned to my right. Norman was a few meters away, far from us, but with a basket in hand, showing a smile of pure mockery and pleasure at seeing my suffering.

I shook my head with a smile while hearing his laughter from afar, a laughter I had never heard before and somehow made me feel good.

Upon arriving at the trucks, I handed a whole batch of carrots to the man responsible for organizing them in the truck, so they could soon be sent to the train.

"Grace! Come with me." A girl about my age, wearing a sun hat and holding a clipboard, signaled to me.

"Molly, who is that girl talking to me?" I murmured, with my new friend beside me.

"She's our supervisor. Go, quickly. She's a sweetheart." Molly smiled.

"She's very young, isn't she? I mean, to be a supervisor." I frowned, looking at her.

"No!" Molly laughed as she nudged me with her shoulder. "You have to go. Come on, go."

Reluctantly and with a completely lazy gait, I approached the girl. As I got closer, I noticed that one of her eyes was blue and the other was brown. What beautiful eyes, I thought as I couldn't stop looking at her.

"Hello, Grace. How are you?" She smiled and extended her hand, waiting for me to shake it. "I'm Aixa, nice to meet you."

I took her hand and shook it while returning her smile. "Very tired, I'd say. And you?"

"Excellent with these results." She showed me the clipboard. "With your help, we had a 20% increase in progress. You were a miracle, and now we can expand to cover more hectares. Of course, it would be possible with your help."

"But I was terrible." I frowned.

"You just need practice. You have the strength, you just need to learn how to manage it. Molly can help you." she smiled. "Are you interested?" she raised an eyebrow.

Of course not, this is torture. I was about to speak and tell her that I didn't want to, but Molly's arrival ruined my plans.

"She's doing great, don't you think?" Molly said.

Both of them exchanged a knowing smile. "Of course, that's why I'm offering you a field assignment. It would really help us. So, what do you say?"

"It would be amazing, Grace, just say yes." Molly encouraged, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I'd much rather tend to the horses, that's my thing. I can't stand being out in the sun, roasting. Though their pleading faces tempted me to accept and spend time with them, it was a sacrifice I was willing to refuse.

"What's the matter, Grace? Is it too much for you?" Norman's questions from behind us made us turn. He approached with a wicked grin. "Or are you afraid of the harvest work? You looked really tired, maybe you're not up to the task." he murmured with a smile.

I closed my eyes partway and shook my head slightly, realizing what he was doing—he was forcing me to give in, challenging me with his comments. He was calling me incompetent, fearful, and weak, three things I haven't tolerated since I was bold.

"Well, thinking it over, Aixa, I'd love to." I turned to her and smiled.

"Excellent!" She embraced me warmly and strongly.

Norman left, triumphant. He got what he wanted, and now I have to be out in the sun every day.

"You start tomorrow. For now, girls, rest, you've earned it."

Both Molly and I headed to the houses. The work was done, and with muscle pains in places I never thought I'd feel, I dragged my feet toward the house.

"What will you do in the afternoon?" Molly asked.

"Maybe sleep. I shrugged.

"That's boring. Don't sleep, just rest. There will be a campfire tonight. Come on." she insisted.

I made a face. I loved campfire nights and wanted to go, but my duty to Edgar and finding out Uriah's whereabouts was more important. Even though they roasted marshmallows, sipped hot chocolate or coffee, told stories, shared anecdotes, and sometimes danced and sang, it was something I had to miss out on, despite its coziness, especially sitting by the blazing fire consuming the wood.

"I'll have to pass, sorry." I said with a grimace. "I have things to do."

"Why?" she pouted.

Having become my friend gave her certain benefits, one of which was my trust. And although it's a double-edged sword, it's something I can't avoid.

I sighed. "If I tell you, will you keep it a secret?"

"Of course." she murmured.

I had arranged to meet someone who would help me find out where a guy was. I need to understand what's happening out there and how to move my chess pieces to win this. I shrugged. "Nobody knows, just me and now you. And please, Molly, even if something happens to me, or might happen, you can't tell anyone what I'm doing."

She nodded, lowering her gaze so her curls peeked out from behind her ear. Then she looked up at me, meeting my eyes directly.

"But you'll be very careful, right?"

"Yes, I promise." I nodded.

"Good. I guess I'll be with Aixa. She's amazing; you should meet her. She's our age but surpassed everyone and got promoted to administrator."

"I'm not great at meeting new people, but I'll try."

"I'll handle that." she smiled again. "She's a gem and has helped the faction even more after Jeanine demanded more from us."

Hearing Jeanine's name made me feel sick, a sense of revenge and hatred grew inside me, I wanted to kill her, dismember her, and leave her head on a stake. But I had to tolerate it, not let myself be influenced by those fits of rage. So, when I was about to get home, I turned to Molly, ready to say goodbye, but she was looking behind me, right at the house. She gestured for me to turn around, and I did, finding myself with a not-so-surprising but not-so-pleasant visit either.

Four was sitting on the porch steps, his hands clasped together, watching me from his position, indicating he was waiting for me.

"See you later, Grace." Molly said, smiling at me before she left.

"See you later." I whispered, letting Molly go. Once I was alone, I walked towards the house, climbed the porch steps with the same look as always.

"I have a guilty conscience, Four."

"Forget it." I refused with a certain bitterness, expelling it from my throat. "Especially if I haven't gotten rid of the Eaton offspring yet." I pointed to my belly.

He smiled, shook his head while looking away. "It's not that." He took a white box out of his pants pocket. "Here, as promised, one now and the other in about 15 minutes. That should be enough."

I took the cardboard box, opened it, and inside it contained a blister pack of pills, two small capsules that would make me expel that being that hadn't yet formed, but I didn't intend to bring into the world.

"Interesting, I've never seen them."

"Never?" he asked, surprised.

"No, Eric wasn't that stupid, he always came outside." I showed him a smile, hiding my teeth, then passed by him to finish climbing the stairs. "Thanks, Four. Let's not do this again, okay? Norman found out and scolded me."

Once I was at the door, with one hand on the doorknob, I turned on my heel, and Four was still there, this time standing and watching me.

"Okay." he nodded, turned around, and left.

As I entered the house, I had a bad feeling in my chest. It was as if I had gotten rid of something that occupied most of my chest, a void that suffocated me, especially because of the dejected look Four had given me before leaving.

But somehow, I do this for my own good. I can't get attached to Four while still having Eric in my thoughts, since the brown-haired one is just a substitute for the blonde, and we will all end up hurt if the truth comes out. So, without any guilt, I took a glass of drinking water and put the first emergency pill in my mouth, right at the same time the act that led me to this began.

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

It was time. I heard the crickets singing in the darkness to my right, while to my left, I could feel the deafening silence, along with the beating of my heart and the faint light in the gloom, as the moon was hidden.

I suppose I arrived very early since I have been here for at least 10 minutes and Edgar has not appeared.  I felt nervous, the urge to know what Edgar had collected was overwhelming. And although I refused to admit it, I feared for his well-being, I hoped nothing bad had happened to him, otherwise, Evelyn's fury would be devastating.  Just when I thought my hopes were lost, the sound of a branch cracking and Edgar's arrival became present, and for the first time, I was glad for his presence.

"That Uriah of yours is stubborn, clever, but stubborn." were the first words he said when he saw me, shortly after jumping over that log.

Despite the darkness preventing me from seeing him completely, I could distinguish him, so I had to stand up and walk towards him.

"Did you see him? Where is he?" My excitement increased exponentially, adrenaline accumulated in my chest, and Edgar witnessed my smile.

"I left him behind, told him not to follow me, but when he found out it was you, pff, he stopped listening to me." he rolled his eyes. "Listen, he's coming."

And just as he stopped talking, the branches moved again. Uriah emerged from the tangle of fallen trees and lifted his head. It took him longer to look up and see me than it took me to run towards him. And just before I could surprise him, he extended his arms to embrace me. I finally felt that relief, that peace and tranquility. I carried anxiety, fear, restlessness, and hatred. But that no longer mattered when he held me firmly, when he buried his face in my neck, and I could feel him smelling my hair.

"You're alive." I was the first to speak without even letting go of his shoulders. "Sorry, I shouldn't have..." He released me to separate us. "I shouldn't have hidden you there, I should have sent you with Edgar, I shouldn't have left you alone, I needed to be with all of you." My stammering was evident as the urge to cry was uncontrollable, and if it weren't for Uriah silencing me by placing his hand on my cheek, I would have burst into tears.

"No, Grace. Forgive me. I betrayed you, I couldn't be strong... Hill threatened me, he had my father under the control of that serum, he was going to shoot him, I... I wasn't strong." he made a grimace and swallowed hard.

I hugged him again, tightly, this time forgetting about the stupid hierarchy that Dauntless instilled in us.

"It wasn't your fault, it was your father, I understand." I murmured against his shoulder, then immediately separated. "And Marlene? Lynn? Tell me they are okay."

"They are fine, they are doing very well, they took care of me, as you asked them to." he raised an eyebrow, smiling.

"I'm leaving now." Edgar said. "I don't want to see any mushy stuff."

I let go of Uriah, turning on my heel to face the guy who had helped me find my friend. I had completely forgotten he was standing there watching us with a serious expression, his jaw clenched as if he was grinding his teeth. I walked over to Edgar, not even thinking about it. In fact, I hadn't been thinking about things for months, just acting on instinct and doing what felt right in my heart. So, hugging Edgar was an unexpected act my instincts compelled me to do.

He hugged me back, his arms around my waist, holding me firmly. Although it took him a moment to reciprocate, he eventually did so with a certain affection.

"Thank you, Edgar." I whispered in his ear.

"Mmhm." he murmured tensely. It was hard for him, but he still brought his nose to my neck, leaving a small and subtle kiss. "We'll talk later."he whispered, taking me by the waist to move me away, then smiled. "Goodbye, beautiful, take care." he said, winking before turning away and disappearing into the darkness.

I wasn't sure what it was—maybe his attempt to seduce me and have sex with him. Something stupid, he should know I wouldn't do that. He found Uriah of his own will, I never agreed to anything.

"Beautiful?" Uriah asked behind me. "Who is that loser, Grace?" he crossed his arms.

I turned back to the dark-haired boy, who had a serious look, with no hint of humor in his narrowed eyes.

"That's Edgar, and I think he's my friend, I don't know." I shrugged.

"Well, he wants something else." he murmured.

I laughed, not at his comment but at the jealousy he was trying to show. I shook my head. "It's nothing." I said, stepping closer to him and giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Uriah made a face, then came closer and hugged me again. "Where have you been all this time?"

"In Amity." I replied.

"Why the Dauntless clothes?"

"When I leave the faction, I put them on. No one has to know I'm with them. I always take precautions, but I can't guarantee I'll get out unscathed." I murmured against his chest. "And you?"

"In truth, Jack Kang gave us asylum when we refused to follow Max. He kicked us out, and Candor took us in. Now I have to hide most of the time. I'm on Eric's blacklist, everyone knows what I am." he murmured, kissing my forehead. "Are you alone?"

"No," I sighed, separating from him, though we still held onto each other's arms. "I'm with Four and Tris. I'd say they kidnapped me,"I let out a nasal laugh. "How many Dauntless are willing to fight, Uriah?"

"I don't know, I have to ask. There are 175 of us, but at least 5 of them are 14 years old," he grimaced.

"It's not enough."

"No, but it's all we have."

"I need you to be my eyes and ears, Uriah," I asked. "Find out who will really help us. We have to fight. Killing Jeanine right now is essential."

"Impossible,"he murmured, raising his eyebrows. "No one has seen her. Marlene keeps me informed of many things happening outside. Both Eric and Max are usually out there. If Jeanine makes a decision, they execute it. Especially after the election."

"Election? We're in the middle of martial law, and there was still an election ceremony?" I huffed with annoyance. "She's a bitch, " I shook my head.

"Yes, the bad thing is that since the aptitude test, they've been evaluating the results. And Grace, it's said there were more than 6 divergents who were executed since the test."

"It can't be," I murmured in worry.

"I know," he nodded. "We have to do something because, to them, we are the plague they are exterminating. We have to attack."

I separated from him, turned around, and took a few steps away, approaching the rock where I had been sitting just a few minutes ago, sitting down again. I tangled my fingers in my hair from the scalp in frustration.

"We have to attack" is a phrase that has been repeating in my head for a long time, and I hate it. I can't attack; I am insecure and indecisive.

Killing Jeanine and Max is an easy mission because I'm willing to pull the trigger.

But... not Eric. Even though he would do it to me, even though he's hunting me, I can't; I can't kill the man I loved, and I hate to admit it, but I still love him.

I felt Uriah sit down next to me with a sigh, lifting his gaze to the sky. "I understand," he whispered.

"I have to attack the man I love, Uriah. And I will because he doesn't understand, and I have to demand justice for the Divergents." I hid my head between my knees.

"My brother is with them," he whispered. I immediately lifted my head to look at him.

"Zeke?"

"Even my parents. And if there's a war, I don't know what I'll do, but at least I know what I want, and I want to be respected. I want a place in the faction system." He placed his hand on my back, creating a steady caress, giving me support.

His words were like a light in my mind, as if they cleared away the fog, and little by little, the pieces of my decisions started to fall into place.

There are many cons that make me hesitate and not seek war, but one pro that makes me fight.

I guess I never put myself as a priority, and it's time to do so. I am Divergent; there's no way to deny or change that. I'm tired of hiding, of pretending I'm not, and of letting my guard down.

"You're absolutely right," I murmured. "You've just opened my eyes."

"Really?"

"Yes, we're going to fight. And if possible, we'll create a damn faction of pure Divergents." I got up from the rock, energy coursing through my veins, and Uriah followed, standing in front of me.

"A faction?" He let out a laugh.

"Why not? They have to understand, adapt to us because we can make things easier for them. We're not the bad guys, we're equals and we can be better."

"I love the idea," he murmured, thrilled.

"Together?" I raised an eyebrow in question.

"Always."