DISCLAIMER: All rights to Divergent belong to Veronica Roth. No copyright infringement intended.
The Last of the Real Ones
A Young Volcanoes Sequel
I know this whole damn city thinks it needs you, but not as much as I do. ~ Fall Out Boy, The Last of the Real Ones
[Thirteen years after the war]
PROLOGUE
TRIS POV:
The wind blows my hair around my face making me think, for the hundredth time today, that I should just cut it again. Again, as in like I did thirteen years ago as I was running from Erudite to save my life.
The memory makes my stomach tighten and I forget all thoughts about cutting my hair.
I sit on a soft blanket in the middle of Memorial Park, a small area surrounding the war memorial we created so long ago. It has become a favorite spot of Tobias and I to meet for lunch. Ever since Drew was born eight months ago Tobias has insisted we meet him for lunch whenever possible. Drew and I got here early to get the best spot, right in the middle of the park.
I get the sudden feeling that I'm being watched. Assuming it is Tobias, I turn around with a smile, and am met with blue eyes. But they're not the shining blue eyes of my husband.
I swear, for a moment, the eyes of his father were staring at me from the darkness of the bushes behind us. But when I try to get a better look, they're gone.
I shake off my nerves, because this is not the first time this has happened to me. I often think I see my parents walking through the crowd, or Harrison grumbling with a group of former dauntless down the street.
Those things will never happen again though.
I'll never see my parents again, and Harrison will never walk the streets with his friends either. While Marcus was released from prison three years ago, he has never tried to get in contact with Tobias, so I have no reason to believe he would be stalking me from the bushes.
I sigh and try to shake my mind of all of the sad thoughts.
Tobias approaches then, and a grin instantly appears on his face when he sees Drew.
"There's my man," he says as he lifts Drew's little body into his arms. Drew promptly spits up on Tobias' shoulder.
"Come on, buddy. Dad has to go back to work after this," I reprimand, and quickly wipe Tobias' shoulder up.
"Hi," Tobias says to be after he sits down with Drew in his lap. I get a quick peck on my cheek at my return greeting.
"How have you two been today?" Tobias asks as I hand him a sandwich.
"We were crabby all morning until you showed up," I tell him, remembering the hassle Drew put me through when I was trying to feed him this morning and his fit when I tried to get him dressed.
Lunch passes by with conversation of Tobias' day so far, and more stories of Drew. Tobias doesn't like to miss out on anything baby related.
He was terrified at first. The thought of having a child is scary on its own, but add in Tobias' issues with his own father, he spent many nights telling me of his fears that he would end up like Marcus.
I, on the other hand, knew he would be the most loving and caring father out there.
I was right.
~.~.~
The next morning Tobias grabs the baby monitor and drags me to our basement. Every Saturday he insists that we use our mini training room. We have a few punching bags, some weights, and a small padded center. Tobias and I are both happy with how our city has come back from the war, but we've seen too much to become complacent. We may not technically be Dauntless anymore, but that doesn't mean we don't still have that side of ourselves.
Christina and Will call us paranoid, but we don't care. That also hasn't stopped them from using our training room periodically either.
Our training is cut short when Tobias gets called into work. It's not unusual for him to get called in on the weekend, but it is always disappointing. Between his job as a city leader, Drew, and me working at the tattoo shop a few days a week we really only have the weekends to spend some extended time together.
He leaves me at the front door with a kiss that makes me want to drop Drew off with Christina and drag him back to our room for a few hours. And his cocky smirk as he leaves lets me know he knew just what he was doing.
I put my hair up to get it out of my face and get Drew up to help me with breakfast. I bring Drew out of his room and set him up in the kitchen with me.
I don't have to think much about the process of making breakfast, but I try not to let my mind wander too much. No matter how many years it has been, whenever my mind is idle flashes of the war cross my mind. Memories of simulations of watching Tobias and my family die still haunt my subconscious.
When I turn around to start to feed Drew all of my negative thoughts vanish out of my head as I look at his chubby little cheeks, covered in pureed vegetables.
Then the lights go out.
It makes my blood run cold.
There is no reason for the electricity to go out. After the war, we reorganized the whole city and I know a team of former Erudite and Dauntless started reworking the power grid. It was efficient before, but by linking the whole city as one, as opposed to having it broken down by factions, the power grid is now even more reliable than it used to be. I had to listen to Tobias talk about it for almost three months.
Even in the old system, I never remember the power ever going out.
Not once.
I peak out the small window in our kitchen and see some lights on down the street. So, it's just us without power then.
I turn around to grab Drew, who has been surprisingly quiet while I think through the situation, but his chair is empty. Then I see Marcus sitting on the couch with Drew in his lap.
My heart goes into double time seeing that man hold my child. Images from Tobias' fear landscape flash through my mind and I have to actively keep myself from just throwing my body at him.
Not while he has Drew.
"Marcus," I greet him. My tone is anything but pleasant, through.
"Beatrice. How have you been?" The sound of his voice makes my stomach churn.
"Better than you," I snap back. I can see the rage in his eyes. It doesn't matter how polite I am to him, so I drop all pleasantries.
Marcus sets Drew down on the couch and approaches me. He's nearly a foot taller than me, but now that he's not holding Drew I have the advantage.
Marcus eventually stops in front of me, much too close for my comfort.
"You ruined . . . everything," he seethes.
Before I can reply his hands are locked around my throat in a vise grip, blocking all of my air. He pushes me into the closest wall, my head banging against it so hard I lose my train of thought for a moment.
Then my nails dig into any exposed skin he has, and my knee makes contact with his groin.
As soon as his hands let go of my neck I fall to the ground, gasping for breath. I get as far away from him as I can while he's down, but it's not far enough to reach what I need. Marcus grabs my leg and pulls me back down and lands a solid punch to the right side of my face.
My arms reach blindly into the cabinets around me and I pull out the first thing my hands reach and smack Marcus with it. It shatters to the ground, leaving Marcus stunned long enough for me to stand and get to the drawer on the far side of the kitchen.
Marcus stands, ready to charge at me again, but pauses when he sees me.
"Don't take another step," I say, clicking the bullet into place.
Despite my warning Marcus moves toward me and I put a bullet in his kneecap.
As soon as he is down I make some makeshift binds with the dishtowel I had on the counter and leave him bleeding on the floor of the kitchen.
I pick up a crying Drew and hug him to me, breathing him in. I quickly feel over his tiny body to make sure nothing is hurt on him.
I get Drew out of the house as soon as possible. I'm five paces away from Christina's front door when Tobias shouts for me.
"Tris! What happened?" Tobias is flanked by five security officers, all former Dauntless members that I recognize.
"Marcus is inside. I – he's tied up and his knee – " I stutter, but I'm more shaken up that I realized. I haven't had to do anything like this is so long.
Tobias freezes in place, the security officers mimicking him. It only takes him a moment to come to his senses.
Tobias approaches Drew and I, looking over both of us. I must already have a bruise on my face, because Tobias' eyes land there.
"He did that to you?"
"Yes," I sigh.
"Are you okay, otherwise? Is Drew – "
"We're both okay."
Tobias sighs and looks to the officers behind him. "I can take care of this," he dismisses them.
They don't question him.
"Take Drew to Christina's and wait for me there, okay?" Tobias whispers to me, even though we're alone in the middle of the street now.
"I'm not letting you handle this alone. Do not go in there without me," I run Drew over to Christina's, barely telling her anything before racing back to Tobias.
"Let's go," I say.
Entering our house with Marcus in it seems to send us both back thirteen years. Marcus has managed to limp over to the couch and made himself at home.
He makes me sick.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Tobias asks.
"What I should have done thirteen years ago," Marcus grumbles. "She . . . you both ruined it."
"Ruined what?" My curiosity gets the best of me.
"Don't talk to me you stupid – "
Tobias has a gun out of his belt and pressed against Marcus' forehead before he can blink.
"Say one word about my wife and it'll be the last thing you do."
"You're both good for nothing – "
Then Tobias shoots.
A/N: Well, there it is! I won't be updating this for at least a couple weeks, but I wanted to get a feel for what you guys thought. Are you even interested in a Young Volcanoes sequel? Please let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts :) – DR13