Page 43 (1/2)

And as I look around the room, at every Dauntless soldier and every factionless soldier, I begin to see a pattern

"Christina," I say "The factionless have all the guns"

She looks around, and then back at un when she already had one herself I see Tobias’s mouth pressed into a line when I asked hi soes into the lobby, her posture regal, like a queen returning to her kingdom Tobias does not follow her Where is he?

Evelyn stands behind the table where Jeanine Matthews’s body lies Edward liun, points it at the fallen portrait of Jeanine, and fires

A hush falls over the rooun on the table, next to Jeanine’s head

"Thank you," she says "I know that you are all wondering ill happen next, so I ahter in her chair and leans toward Evelyn, like she wants to say so But Evelyn pays no attention

"The faction syste supported itself on the backs of discarded hus will be disbanded at once," says Evelyn "We know this transition will be difficult for you, but--"

"We?" Tori breaks in, looking scandalized "What are you talking about, disbanded?"

"What I a at Tori for the first tio was cla with the Erudite for the restriction of food and goods to the factionless, a claation, will no longer exist"

Evelyn sainst us," she says, "you will be hard pressed to find any arms to take up"

I watch, then, as each factionless soldier holds up a gun Factionless are evenly spaced around the edge of the room, and they disappear into one of the stairwells They have us all surrounded

It is so elegant, so clever, that I alh

"I instructed my half of the army to relieve your half of the army of their weapons as soon as their missions were completed," says Evelyn "I see now that they were successful I regret the duplicity, but we knew that you have been conditioned to cling to the faction system like it is your own mother, and that ould have to help ease you into this new era"

"Ease us?" Tori demands She pushes herself to her feet and liun in hand and points it at Tori

"I have not been starving for ive in to a Dauntless wo injury," Evelyn says "So unless you want me to shoot you, take a seat with your fellow ex-factionat attention, her eyes not cold, not quite like Jeanine’s, but calculating, assessing, planning I don’t kno this woman could have ever bent to Marcus’s will She must not have been this woman then, all steel, tested in fire

Tori stands before Evelyn for a few seconds She then lie of the room

"Those of you who assisted us in the effort to take down Erudite will be rewarded," says Evelyn "Those of you who resisted us will be tried and punished according to your crimes" She raises her voice for the last sentence, and I am surprised by hoell it carries over the space

Behind her, the door to the stairwell opens, and Tobias steps out with Marcus and Caleb behind him, almost unnoticed Almost, except I notice him, because I have trained myself to notice him I watch his shoes as he comes closer They are black sneakers with chroht next toto find his eyes cold and unyielding

But I don’t

Evelyn is still talking, but her voice fades foron the balls of his feet He smiles a little "I do knoho you are I just needed to be re to say

Then all the screens in the Erudite lobby--at least those that weren’t destroyed in the attack--flicker on, including a projector positioned over the here Jeanine’s portrait used to be

Evelyn stops in theTobias takes my hand and helps me to my feet

"What is this?" Evelyn demands