Tris
I walk down the hallway, letting my hand skim across the bricks. My gait is stiff, as if I have aged thirty years and not three. My mind processes where I'm going, I guess, because I can't seem to focus on any particular thing at the moment. Before I know it, I'm outside, in the humid air and sky full of clouds, yet the air is still fresher than inside that building. To me, who has been a prisoner, with everyone in the belief that I'm dead for the last few years, at least. I close my eyes and suck in a deep, refreshing breath. It gives me strength, being out in the open.
Now, the question is, where do I go? Tobias. The name is on my mind; I can't help it. But how do I know where he is? How do I know where any of my former acquaintances are? How will I find out?
I guess I will just ask around; no, I can't do that. Tris Prior-me-is a murderer. What if someone finds out? Let's just hope no one goes looking for my captors and finds them with bullets through their heads or knives in their hearts- all their blood on my hands. I shudder, leaning on the wall of an abandoned office building as it rains. Who I have become sickens me.
You're out. Quit thinking about that.
There are few options for what to do. At that moment, a car rolls by and slows when the driver sees me. My heart races. Was that someone who recognized me?
After I'm sure the car is long gone, getting soaked in what is now a steady downpour, I begin walking again, aimlessly.
[PAGE BREAK]
Caleb. He is standing in front of a building labeled "Public Services" in the now-misty weather. A lit cigarette dangles between his fingers, and he still wears glasses; the Erudite in him has not vanished yet. Or maybe he really does need them now. Not sure how I should approach, I casually stroll to him (as best as I can, still stiff) while he is intent on something up the road.
"Hey," my voice cracks; whether I'm nervous or happy, I don't know.
My brother looks up in astonishment, disbelief, and something undefinable showing in his face.
"So… I'm alive," I begin hesitantly.
Caleb flicks his cigarette on the ground and hugs me, saying, "Beatrice… I thought you had died… because of me."
"Can I have the grand tour of the city?" I ask, trying to force a smile.
Tobias
It's three years to the day since she died. I have no motivation to get out of bed, but somehow, I do. All I can do is stare out of my third-story apartment's window, hoping she will miraculously return to me.
That can't happen. Don't be stupid. The dead-
I cut my thoughts off at that word. Dead. Tris is... no, was... the only person I have ever truly been in love with. Of course, there have been failed attempts of people like Christina and Zeke trying to set me up with this or that pretty face. I never went out but once with each girl. And the total was three.
I walk back to my bed. There is no way I can do anything today. No way. Also, I can't cry… can not cry. Before I know it, my pillow is soaked with my ceaseless tears.
[PAGE BREAK]
There is a soft knock on my door. I can understand why my friends would want to comfort me today. I rise to answer it, making myself slightly more presentable, drying my tears.
Tris
My heart aches. It's been so long, and he thinks I've been dead the past three years… then my heart leaps. I'm going to see him. We will be together again. Then, a prick of worry works into me; has Tobias moved on? Does he even miss me? Has he found another girl? I take a deep breath and knock on his door. Caleb told me where he lived.
A handsome man a small bit older than me who is falling apart and obviously upset greets me, and at first I'm stunned; the blue eyes are unmistakable, though.
"You," he sighs, blinking as if to make sure he's not seeing things. Tobias reaches out to touch me, to make sure it's really me. He caresses my soggy hair and damp cheek.
I smile and say, "Yes, it's really me, and yes, I'm really here."
Tobias pulls me in, holding me tight. "I-I… need an explanation. Of how you're here. How you're not- d-dead."
We walk in as he shuts the door behind us. I sit on a couch and study my hands. "Well, when I was shot… I wasn't dead. I was under a simulation, which was doubled with a serum that paralyzed me. And it was intentional on their part." I glance up to see how Tobias is taking it. His head is cradled in his hands. I decide to continue. "They brought me out of my death-like coma and kept experimenting on me. The leaders did not want anyone to know I was alive so they would not look for me. It was painful. So, so painful. Especially since I am Divergent, and the more special you are, the more painful experiments become. And finally… I got the chance to exact my revenge, and… well… I…" I can hardly bear to finish my sentence.
"You did what, Tris?" Tobias is carefully studying me now.
"I killed them. All of them." Tears begin slipping down my face, but I only allow a few; it's all they deserve. "That place was a living hell."
Tobias gets closer, wraps his arms around me, and says, "No one will ever hurt you like that again."
"I missed you."
