Since I decided to stop writing, I have written one last OS. I think like I owe you this one and I hope you'll like it. :)
Thank you!
This is your fault!
Tobias POV :
The daycare? No.
The cafeteria? No.
The appartment? No.
The Pit? No.
…
The Chasm? No. Thank God.
I am running. I am running everywhere. I must have looked in every single corner of the faction at least 5 times and I still haven't found him.
How could I have lost him? I was watching over him and a few seconds later, he disappeared.
How can I tell Tris that her son can't be found?
He is only five and he could be everywhere. If something were to happen to him, she would never forgive me. I would never forgive myself.
In the other side of the Pit, I see Tris and Christina coming out of a shop, laughing. I hide in the closest room, the training room.
The training room!
There is this little voice in my voice which keeps telling me he hurt himself and there is no one to help him. I run in the room, people stop training when they see me. I look around in the room, in every single corner. I move training mats to look behind them in the hope to see him. Then a hand lands on my shoulder. I turn around immediately to face Eric.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing" I answer, still moving the mats around.
"Doesn't look like it's nothing. The last time you were so panicked was when Alex broke his arm during the..." He stops then stares at me. "Where is Alex? I just saw Tris in the Pit and there was no child with her."
"I don't know!" I scream. "He disappeared. I was watching him and suddenly he wasn't here anymore. I am so scared that something might have happened to him. Someone could have kidnapped him, he could have hurt himself and no one can help him, he could be d-d..."
"Calm down and take a deep breath. When and where was the last time you saw him?"
"This morning, in the Pit. I was talking to Max and when I turned around, he wasn't there."
"Someone must have seen him. Did you check the cameras?"
"Yeah but I can't see anything. I only saw him walk away and the other camera, the one next to the Chasm, is broken. Zeke has to fix it. Everything may have happened...What will I say to Tris?"
I run my hand in my hair nervously while sitting down in a chair.
"Do you want me to tell her?"
"No! Definitely not. I have to do this."
"I'll send members to look for him and you will go home. I'll call you if we find something."
"Thank you Eric"
He takes out his phone and gives instructions and at the same time, he pushs me toward the door. The walk home seems three times longer than this morning. I look around me in the hope to see a little blond boy running around and calling me.
As I enter, I am hit by the silence. Of course, Tris isn't home yet and she isn't aware of the situation. She is just having fun with her bestfriend. I allow the few tears that were blurring my vision to fall on my cheeks. I never cry, unless if Tris or Alex are concerned and this time, Alex is concerned.
I collapse on the sofa. I don't know how long I stayed here before Tris came home. She comes in, laughing loudly with Christina but her laughter dies when she sees me. I must be in an appaling state right now.
"Christina, get out!"
She doesn't say anything and does what my wife demanded. Tris drops her bags and within a second, she is next to me.
"Tobias, what happened?"
"I am so sorry Tris...I am so sorry...I-I...He-he..."
"Shh..."
She takes me in her arms and rocks me slowly back and forth.
"Calm down and talk slowly."
"He-he was there with me...then he wasn't...and then..."
"What are you talking about? Who wasn't there?"
"Alex..." I mutter.
She immediately tenses up and her grip around me is firmer.
"What?"
"He disappeared...I don't know where he is..."
A tear runs down her cheek, I wipe it with my thumb but she pushs me away so I drop her. She stands up and begins to walk back and forth while crying.
"Eric sent people to find him..."
She glares at me. I stand up and she stands in front of me. She pushes me, hits me on my chest, lets off steam by doing so.
"How could you let that happen? You had to watch him!" She shouts.
I catch her wrists to calm her down but she only screams louder. I let her go and she takes a step back.
I understand she is angry with me and I must admit that I feel more than pitiful. She has every right to be angry. She hits the wall, I want to stop her but she is too worked up and frightened.
After a few good hits, she collapses on the floor, her fists on the wall. I slowly get closer as if I was approaching a wounded animal, but she doesn't react. As I stand next to her, I hear her murmur.
"This is not happening...It's a nightmare...I am going to wake up...I am going to wake up..."
I take her in my arms and she clings to me. She cries loudly, her head in my chest. I slowly rub her back, overwhelmed by the emotion too.
"It will be okay...We'll find him. I will do everything I have to do to find him." My voice is thick with emotion.
"And what if we don't find him?"
"We will find him."
I feel her body ready to collapse again so I lift her in my arms before it happens. I sit on the couch and I don't let her go as she lets every tear of her body run down her face. I let go a few of them too.
I only hope one thing, to find him quickly and healthy.
We are a part in the researchs along with our friends except Uriah who cannot be found. No one is able to join him, not even Marlene. He is probably still sleeping to make up for his lack of sleep because of a party or his long hours of work.
I try to convince Tris to stay with Christina so she could think of something else but she immediately replied.
"Do you really think I'm going to sit quietly with a cup of coffee in my hands talking about shopping while my son has gone missing?" She said.
I didn't argue and we immediately began to look for him. The other factions haven't been informed yet. The law says that if a member hasn't been found within 24 hours, the other factions have to be informed. He 'only' disappeared seven hours ago.
Tris holds firmly Alex's fluffy animal he needs to fall asleep in her hands and it's obvious she tries not to break down. She must be as wrecked as I am.
Eric didn't allow us into any group of research and asked us to stay with him to give orders to the different groups.
Tris is nervously tapping her feet on the floor while bitting her lower lip. I am walking back and forth to soothe my nerves but it isn't working. This is my fault! If only I wasn't so obsess about Max was telling me...
One of the receiver begins to crackle and a voice speaks.
"...team looking in the Chasm... We found a cap, a small size."
"Which color?" I ask, a lump in my throat.
Alex had a cap this morning when we left together. It was...
"Red."
Tris has hiccup of despair then breaks down in tears, not embarrassed anymore that everyone is seeing her. I bit my lip to prevent myself from crying then sit down. Zeke puts his hand on my shoulder. He is shaken up by this too.
"I am sorry." He says.
I shake my head.
"No! He is still alive, I know it!"
"Four..."
"NO! We'll find him!"
I slam my hand on the table, everyone jumps up except Tris who is in tears as Christina is trying to calm her down.
I approach Tris and take her in my arms.
"It'll be alright. We are together, the two of us."
She rejects me by hitting my chest like she did earlier.
"We shouldn't be! We should be three. Three! Not two! This is your fault, Four!"
Hearing my nickname said like that hits me like a bullet in the stomach. She would never tell them my real name, but the fact that she uses it as a weapon angers me.
I am about to respond but I am stopped by a soft voice.
"Why are you screaming at daddy?"
I freeze, just like Tris. Her jaw begins to shake and her eyes to shine. I slowly turn around as if I was scared to frighten him and then to watch him run away. This thought is stupid but I was-am- so scared.
My son is here, a glass in his right hand, his other hand in someone else's hand. This person is Uriah. Tris runs past me and kneels in front of our son. She envelopps him with her arms, probably squeezing him too much.
"Where were you? We were worried sick!"
She takes his face in her hands and stares at him. She caresses his face, his hair then kisses him everywhere on the face. He tries to get free from his mother's grip but fails.
"Mom..." He whines.
She sniffs and whipes her cheeks. Everyone is more than relieved to see him, Eric is speaking in the speaker but I only see Uriah's face which clearly shows he doesn't understand what is happening. I'm fuming with fury, I really try to control myself before I kill him. I take the collar of his shirt, his face is a few inches away from my face.
"Where on earth were you? Why was he with you?" I yell.
"I told you I was going to show him the storm in the meadow."
The storm? It may have been mentionned on TV yesterday. Living underground taught me to not care about the weather... But this doesn't explain the situation. What does he mean by 'I told you'? He didn't tell me anything.
"You didn't tell me!"
"Yes, I did. This morning. I asked Alex if he wanted to come with me then I talked to you. You were speaking with Max and I only interrupted you for 5 seconds. You said yes then you spoke with Max again. Seem like you weren't listenning to me."
I drop his collar, frozen by what he said. How could I forget this? The discussion with Max wasn't so important. I look at Tris who is hugging Alex who is just trying to get away from his mother.
The other people who were in this room discreetly walked out. I fall on my knees in front of my family and takes them in my arms.
"Dad, no!"
I don't listen to my son's protests. I am so happy to see him safe and sound. Tris gives me a weak smile, her cheeks wet with tears. I must have scared her to death. I caress her cheek to clean it but more water fall on it.
"I am sorry honey."
"He is fine, that's all that matters."
I slowly put my lips on hers. She smiles but our son grumbles.
"Yuk!"
I tousle his hair one last time before we decide to go home. Tris decided to hold him and neither Alex nor I were able to change her mind. She is too stubborn.
I am glad this ended well, it could have been worst. Alex could be badly injured or even dead and Tris could have hated me forever. I am certain that's what would have happened if he died, she would have wanted a divorce. I just know it.
Tris looks up when Alex is asleep on the couch. He has his head on his mother's lap and she is running her fingers in his hair. I sit next to her and lay my arm around her shoulders.
"I forbid you to scare me like that again." She says.
"I'll never stop watching him from now on."
She lays her head on my shoulder. I kiss her forehead.
I love her so much... as much as I love him.
And now we know that if something like that happens again, Uriah is the first person to find.
FIN!
I just wanted to say that for those who will send me a message from next week, I probably won't answer. I wanted to delete my account but I don't if my stories would be deleted too so I'll just let it active.
I have one advise for everyone who wants to write, do it! Even if you think you don't have any writing skills. I thought what I was writing was horrible but you all convinced me that it was worth reading. You'll get better with time and constructive criticism.
Thank you for everything you did for me!