The gun was pointed at my head. I could feel the cool barrel pressing between my hairs. I could feel the intensity of my heart beating. I could even feel her breath. Was this the end? Is this what it felt like? I always imagined it to be in slow motion. But for some reason, it seemed like it was going fast. Like this was just a regular moment in time. As if death was just a word.

"You're a traitor?" The last word shook in Evelyn's voice. "You?" Somehow, I managed to smile.

"I'm sorry, but have you ever listened to anyone?" I barked at her, laughing as I did it. "I stabbed a guy in an eye, I tried killing your son's girlfriend, and I managed to betray both Dauntless and Erudite in one day. Alice was right. When did you think making me the big guy was a good idea?" I noticed how the barrel was vibrating. She was shaking.

"Why?" She hissed. "You're the perfect soldier. You're ruthless, daring, proud-"

"And selfish," I interrupted her, my eyes flashing, "I am selfish." At first she was quite, pondering on what could have ever made me throw away the best offer ever.

"You did this for a girl, didn't you?" She said, hiccupping, as if she was trying to laugh. "When has doing anything selfish had to do with a girl?" My lips tipped down. I was going to deny it. Doing it for a girl? What am I, some stupid boyfriend?

"No, it is selfish. I didn't do it for her. I did it because of her. Because I don't want to live without her," I told her honestly, "I guess I'm more like your son than you thought, Evelyn; I'd rather burn down the entire world, than watch her die at your hand."

(insert three dashes)

The Beginning

Run, a voice tells me, this is the time to go. Everybody's eyes are on the screen. Nobody is watching me. Nobody will notice.

"Like the rest of you, I will voluntarily forget my name, my family, and my home."

But I'm caught too. And for the first time I wonder what world I live in.

"I will take on a new identity, with false memories and a false history."

I look at my mother, who was always such a good liar despite being in Candor. Did she know this? She would lie to me if I asked.

"But so that you know the information I have provided you with is accurate, I will tell you the name I am about to take as my own."

And before I know who is right, before I know which side will win and which side is going to lose as soon as the projection stops, I look at the Factionless. They all have guns. But half of them don't know how to use them. It was like giving out guns with no bullets. It was foolish.

"My name will be Edith Prior."

But it doesn't matter because I am strong. I am dauntless. They are the stupid ones.

I hear screaming around me. Even my mother, who has a hollow look in her eyes and never stands up for anything, is screaming. Evelyn – I think that was her name – is trying to gain control, and my eyes seem to find Tobias and Tris. Tris is in awe, but Tobias is smiling.

Go.

I go toward the person nearest me with a gun, an elder factionless lady, and I don't have time to feel guilty. Before I can think, I kick the gun out of her hand, startling her. It falls between my fingers, and suddenly there are many guns on me, but they don't know how to shoot, and the people who do know how to shoot are the closest ones to Evelyn, who don't notice me because of the screaming.

Quickly, I grab my mother, but she yanks away from me.

"No!" She barked, betrayal rising in her eyes. I swallowed thickly.

"Mom, we have to go," I tell her tightly. But she doesn't know me. Not really. Of course, she probably knows deep down that I'm the only one she has left. But she doesn't care.

"No-" A bullet hits her. My eyes fall to the gunman. It was a factionless man who obviously found a way to shoot, just didn't aim well. My mom falls to the ground, blood spouting out of her chest. But I don't have time to save her. She will probably die anyways.

Quickly, I rush through the weaving people. I don't know where I'm going. I don't care.

Around me, some dauntless are trying to fight back and attempting to get guns, but the people who don't know how to use guns are either following Evelyn out the door, or they are shooting blindly and it would be foolish to step near them.

"Where do you think you're going?" A thick hand yanks me back. My eyes dart back. Tobias is standing behind me, along with a few other Dauntless. I smile.

"Where do you think I'm going? I'm not stupid!" I spit at him. His eyes flash.

"Give me your gun," He demands. I hold my gun tighter.

"No! It's my gun," I growl. He takes a deep breath.

"Peter, I know the way out. But I need a gun."

"Get your own!"

"Who's side are you on, Peter?" I try not to look at him. Because he looks just like me. His eyes reflect the same emotions as mine do: fear, pain, pride. It's a common mix of traits for a dauntless to have, but I don't like people like me. So instead, I look at the hell in front of me. Bodies are falling to the ground, Evelyn is ushering people on her side out, and there are casualties on both sides. The only people who are confused and lost are us. We don't have a leader. We only have ourselves.

"Are you on our side, or are you on theirs?" I heard his voice ask. "It's time to ask yourself that." I swallowed and finally look at him again.

"Mine," I said, "I'm on my side." I'm ready for him to hit me, but I know he won't. Not in this chaos. Of course, he and his buddies can gang up on me, but they are waiting for something. More than just some gun.

"Then trust me," Tobias said, "If you think you can get out of this by yourself, you're stupid." For some reason I look at Tris. I don't owe her anything anymore. And I know if I go with them someone will probably save my life again, and I'll owe them. It's how wars go.

But, before I can convince myself out of it, I feel myself throw my gun at him. I can't make it out of here alive by myself and we both know it.

"Come on," he says, looking at the small group he has behind him; Christina, Uriah, people like that. We're not much, but we're strong. We follow him, weaving through the screaming people. I catch the sight of my mom's dead body.

I don't care.

(three dashes here)

"Where are we going now?" Two minutes pass and we're still in the compound. Most of Evelyn's people are out, but there are a few floating around still in the chaos. We wind through so many halls that I forget where we are. But that might just because I'm trailing behind them and I can't see. If something bad happens, I don't want to have to go through five dauntless to get away.

I regret following them already.

"Shut up, Peter," Tris snaps back at me, "We're working at it." I glare at her.

"My apologies for caring about my life," I growl. Uriah smirks at me.

"Forgiven," he mutters back sarcastically. Christina next to him laughs. And suddenly, all at once, I'm the joke all over again.

We take another hall. And then Tobias stops, causing the rest of us to freeze.

"Tris," he says aloud, "Do you see anybody out there?" They are wasting time staring at a window. Slowly, I creep between the dauntless, growing closer to Tobias.

"I don't think so," Tris replies, "But Evelyn will definitely be rounding the corner." But if we go now, we can get through. It'll only be a couple factionless ready to fight, and at this point we have to risk it.

Before they can do anything, I knock Tobias to the ground. He clutches his gun, because he thinks I'll take it, but I don't. Instead, I use the same leg to kick open the window. It cracks and clashes to the ground. I'm waiting for people to scream at me, but nobody does. Instead, we all dart out. Tobias runs next to me, probably to curse at me.

"What the hell was that?" He screamed at me. I try not to look at him; I'm right, there is factionless rounding the corner, about three. And I'm fairly sure they have guns but they look confused too. As if they are simply trying to find a way out, rather than killing us.

"There's a bus!" I hear Christina spot out. That has to be where they are going, I think to myself.

"That's where they are running to," Tris says. I glance at her, and she glances at me. Another thing that makes us alike.

The bus is growing closer. I try to keep my eye on it. I try not to look away.

"They are getting closer, Tobias," Tris growls. Tobias holds out his gun, but as the people grow closer, he hesitates. Why is he hesitating?

"We can make it," he reassures us, though he keeps his gun out. Maybe we can, I say to myself hopefully. But they are the same exact distance as us, just on the other side.

My legs are burning. So are my lungs. People are coughing behind me. We are dauntless, yet we can't run to a bus.

"I gave you that gun for a reason!" I hear myself yell at Tobias. "Just kill them!" But he can't do it and we're only about fifteen meters apart now. This time, I can't handle it. I jump sideways, catching Tobias and making him fall to the ground. He hits the concrete hard, his eyes rolling back. Somebody screams behind me, but nobody knows what side I am on. Nobody knows if they should stop me.

I grab the gun from him, and point it at the factionless group. But as I look at them, I understand why he didn't shoot. They're kids. Two boys and a girl. The boy looks about my age. The girl looks a bit younger. And there's a little boy who is probably still in grade school. Fear is filling their eyes. And for some reason I can't shoot them either. Something stops me. Like it is instinct.

But then the eldest of the three – a boy, who probably isn't that much older than us, holds out a gun. Theres a girl in front of him, I realize, and she slows down, only to whip her head at him. She's screaming at him. But I know that look in his eyes; that look of survival.

And then he shoots at me. I don't have time to move. I'm going to die. I am going to be shot, just like my parents. Just like everybody else. Just another casualty.

But the girl is stupid. She doesn't just turn her head around; she turns her whole body, shifting herself, not on purpose but to fully yell at the boy. And the bullet hits her.

"No!" It comes from me. Because I still don't know why I can't shoot them. I need to know why I can't shoot them.

The boy freezes, drops the gun. He's shaking. He has to be shaking. He yanks the younger boy up into his arms, and bolts the other way. I get up from Tobias. My eyes are on the bus. I hear two people yelling to get Tobias up, because he's a lean guy and it'll take multiple people. But I feel myself running.

I don't stop until I'm next to the girl. I kneel next to her. There is blood spouting out her arm, but the bleeding looks bad. Her eyes are flickering. They look green, I think to myself. And her hair is red. And then I understand why I couldn't kill them. I knew her.

I owe her, I corrected myself. I owe her.

So I pick her up and run to the bus.

AN: I tried keeping Veronica's style. Of course it's a little different, and it's set in right after Insurgent (if you didn't get that). Review if you could, so I know if I should update