Hello my lovey readers!
So I, like most of you, was shocked at the ending of Allegiant. I felt like my heart got ripped out of my chest reading those last few chapters. The way Tobias spread her ashes and the way he talked about her two and half years later: "My memories of Tris, some of the most powerful memories I have, have dulled with time, as memories do... Saying her name still gives me a little twinge of pain, a pinch that lets me know her memory is still dear to me."- oh the feels!
It literally was all I could think about for 3 days straight. I totally understand Veronica's reasoning. I, too, believe it couldn't fit who Tris' character is to let Caleb go into the weapon's room. I also can see how just the ending she wrote for Tris justified her character and her actions in the first two books- but that doesn't mean I can't imagine a happier ending for the sake of my poor, love-sick heart!
So I came up with this idea after doing a paper on human-trafficking and abductions that have been going on all over the world. It's a horrific event that needs more attention!
-There are over 20 million slaves in the world today.
-Globally, the average cost of a slave is $90.
-80% of trafficking involves sexual abuse and 19% involves labor
-600k-800k people are trafficked across international borders every year. 80% of those being women, and HALF of that statistic are CHILDREN.
How horrible is that? So I got to thinking; why not write a story that will hopefully bring some peace to any other heartbroken readers of Allegiant (like myself) and educate people of a major global issue at the same time?
I really hope you enjoy my story and please feel free to remind me of grammatical errors or plot inconsistencies; I also really do appreciate constructive criticism. I love writing and want to improve in any ways I can so I encourage you to criticize my writing!
WARNING: But I must warn you that I will be writing about a lot of dark themes, like rape and abuse. Please keep an open mind and know that I'm not trying to spare your feelings during this story. I am not going to glorify what happens when human trafficking is involved. I'm doing my best to write a realistic story and that's going to involve some heavy violence and dark themes. Please be warned!
So without further babbling- I introduce to you Ashes to Ashes
All rights go to VR
The Beginning of the End
Tobias had never felt so helpless. It had been four hours and all he could do was wait. The waiting room was much too bright. The fluorescents felt like they were glaring at him. He couldn't sit still, he had been pacing for the last hour, grumbling at people that got in his way.
His mind spun in circles. His thoughts were so jumbled up; like his head had been put through a blender.
Why did she do it?
Why didn't he see this coming?
Why did they split up?
And the worst one- What am I going to do if she doesn't make it?
He remembered the chaos of returning to the Bureau. All the glazed and confused gazes of the inoculated residents. They looked around the main halls, the dorms, the weapon labs-But Tris, Cara and Matthew were nowhere to be found.
"Let's try the infirmary! Maybe-maybe Uriah woke up! Or they could be…saying goodbye." Chrisitna exclaimed. Tobias knew what that meant. Since the memory serum had been released successfully, that could only mean one thing. Caleb Prior was dead. Tobais had to admit-he had mixed feelings about this. For one thing- he never really liked Caleb. He had put Tris through an emotional rollercoaster, and the tears that Tris shed-Tobias would never forgive him for. But he was still Tris' family- so Tobias was obligated to care a little.
No matter the current situation- Tobias couldn't help but feel his heart skid a beat at the thought of embracing Tris again. His chest always seemed to swell when he saw her- even when she was just an initiate. But now-since that night they shared- everything between them seemed to intensify.
Waking up the next morning-eyes still gummy with sleep- and seeing Tris still curled up into his side like a kitten; god it made him feel like it was real. It was when her soft blond hair tickling his nose and when her small, delicate yet calloused hands gripping the blanket. It was last night replaying over and over in his head when he could see it.
Starting a relationship during the middle of a war definitely was a challenge. With death nipping at their heels at every corner, Tobias really didn't think about where he and Tris would be in a few years. In his defense- Four really just cared about getting Tris and himself to see another sunrise-not their ultimate future together. But now that they had a plan that would end this war and the death and the tragedy that piled up to their necks; he started to make plans and have these aspirations for his life with Tris.
When the memory serum was released- where would they go? The city? Or would they venture into the unknown? Tobias hoped they would go back to the city. He felt like he had enough adventure for many lifetimes; but he would follow Tris anywhere. He would pick out the perfect apartment for her. Someplace close to their friends, somewhere with natural light and windows because he knew how much Tris would enjoy watching the city from above. A floor not too high-but high enough to make him nervous. The nerves would quickly dissipate when he would see the gleam in her eyes- he knew it would make an appearance.
And then what? Tobias knew that they would take up some line of work. He wasn't sure what yet. He was good with guns and could handle a job with a little danger easily, but a part of him was ready to put that part of himself behind, too. And Tris- Tris could do anything. She could lead the entire city- Four could see her doing that. However he could also see her taking up a small job, too. He wasn't sure what she would choose, but he was excited to find out. She was always a wildcard; it was one of the things Tobias loved most about her.
Tobias Eaton was no romantic. His parents weren't exactly the best example, but he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his days with Tris. No one understood him better- he had never felt so at ease with a woman before. When all this was over and they were finally able to settle down- Tobias knew he would make Tris his wife. The thought was almost ludacris. Here they were- about to reset hundreds of people memories- and he was thinking about marriage. Granted- he hadn't been presented with a practical time when they were being hunted down by Jeanine's cronies. Now, he was able to see it in their future.
But all those dreams shattered into a million pieces when he turned that corner into the infirmary and almost ran straight into the tear-streaked face of Caleb Prior.
"Caleb!" Christina panted. "You're-You're not-" She could hardly form a sentence. None of them could. It was a hard question to piece into words.
You're supposed to be dead. Why aren't you dead?
Caleb just stared at them, mouth forming syllables then going silent again; an absolute loss for words.
Tobias' stomach immediately dropped what felt like a thousand feet. His stomach churned when he did a sweep of the room and found Cara and Matthew but no Tris.
"Tobias." He was briefly aware of Cara's soft voice. Of her gentle hand pulling at his forearm before he wrenched his hand from her grasp.
"Where is she?" He growled. "Where is Tris?"
Caleb collapsed into the nearest chair, shoulders shaking with silent sobs as his hands raked through his hair. "Tris went into the weapons lab instead of Caleb." Cara whispered, speaking directly to Tobias' feet. A few seconds ticked by until her sentence fully registered in Four's mind. During those brief seconds Tobias heard Christina's horrified gasps and sobs. He heard Amar step toward him. But when Tobias locked eyes with Caleb- it was like a bullet shot out of gun.
Suddenly he had Tris' brother pressed up against the nearest wall, his hands around Caleb's skinny throat. He remembers snarling the phrase 'you killed her, you killed her!' over and over before Matthew and Amar detangled him from Caleb and forcing him to ground.
"She's not dead, Four." Caleb gasped from the floor. Tobias inferred that this sentence was suppose to make him feel hope or joy, but somehow it just made him numb. Because inside Four knew-he knew.
"He's right. Tris survived the death serum. We have no idea how; but she did. She released the memory serum, but David was waiting for her, Four. He had a gun-" Cara's words sounded sluggish and muffled in Four's current state, like she was speaking to him underwater. He registered the words 'shot' and 'blood loss' and he cringed inwardly rubbing his hands across his face.
"Tris is in surgery right now. The doctors are doing everything they can, Four."
"That's not good enough. That's not good enough." He sneered.
Tobias could feel a soothing hand rubbing his shoulder. If it was Cara or Christina- Tobias didn't know. He layed motionless on the firm tiles with his eyes squeezed shut; wishing with every cell in his body that it was his body on that operating table. He wasn't aware how much time passed with him lying there on the cold slab of floor. Tobias could practically feel all the hope he had left leak out of his body. He could practically feel the hands of despair slither up his body and grasp him in a chokehold.
He had never felt so helpless.
It was when hour number four rolled around when Tobias really started to lose it. Every time he looked near the door that lead to the operating rooms he felt like there were tiny hands clawing at his heart. Tobias also knew that his pacing and restlessness would do nothing to speed up the clock, but he couldn't just sit down. He felt his despair following him like a thick fog nipping at his heels. If he stopped moving it would slink up his body and suffocate him.
He knew from Cara that major operations like Tris' normally took up to 6-8 hours. That's why he knew, when another half hour passed and a surgeon walked out of the operating room, that it could only be bad news. He walked slowly up to their vigil of people, as if every step caused him physical pain.
A hush fell over them and Amar nudged Christina awake. Once Tobias looked up to meet the doctor's eyes and noticed the haunted look that took residence there he slowly sank to the floor. His hung his head between his knees and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, willing this agonizing pain to leave his body. He could hear the gasps and sobs coming from his circe of friends. Even when the doctor didn't utter a word they all knew. His face said it all.
"Caleb Prior?"
"Yes." Croaked Caleb. His head was parallel with the floor, eyes glazed over.
"I'm Doctor Sanchez. My team and I, we did everything we could to save your sister-" Various sobs and cries echoed throughout the small room. Tobias could hear Chrisitina's chair screech as she sat up abruptly. He could hear her muffled sobs as she pressed her face into the crook of her elbow. It was like a movie playing behind his eyelids. Every smile that she send his way, the way her hand would squeeze his, the way her body fit perfectly curved against his. Gone, all gone. "Your sister had a severe amount of blood loss. The bullet in her leg nicked a major artery and she went into hypervolemia shock. The other bullet just missed her spleen by a millimeter, which was very fortunate. We did our best to replace the blood loss and stop her body from hemorrhaging. Beatrice was hanging in there, fighting tooth and nail. We were optimistic of her recovery, but then she just crashed- I've never seen anything like it. Her vitals were strong, her heart rate was up and in a blink of an eye they just plummeted. We did what we could, CPR, various drugs and serums meant to revive her, but we weren't successful. I inferred it had to do with her exposure to the death serum. I believe her body just couldn't hang on any longer." It felt like the whole room was holding their breath, unable to move. Tobias shoved his hands over the ears to block out the words the doctor was saying. As if not hearing them would make them untrue. But still they found a way to seep through his fingers. "I'm very sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you and your family- to all of you."
"My family is dead, doctor." Caleb whispered. "They're all dead."
Wow that was heavy! Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to review- like I said I want to improve my writing, so constructive criticism is always welcome here!