Tobias sits at the edge of his bed, undoing his shoelaces. I stand by the door with my arms crossed. It is quiet in here, except for the muted chatter of people in the hallway. We got back to the Bureau a half hour ago.
"I'm going to get something to eat," I tell Tobias, and leave. I don't have a key for the room, but it doesn't matter. I will wander around until I can find him again.
There is a cafeteria in the main airport area, where several little shops make different kinds of things you can purchase. I arrive there and look around. I do not know many of these people, but Matthew and Car a sit at one table on the far side. I slide into one of the five remaining chairs at the table and rest my hands on the tabletop.
"Hey, Tris." Matthew twists his necklace string around his index finger. Cara neatly cuts the edges off of her sandwich with a plastic knife. I smile halfheartedly.
"Hey." I respond. It's kind of awkward, and I know I should feel embarrassed just coming in like that, but I just don't. Matthew and Cara, I realize, are very alike. I have a feeling that if Matthew had ever been in the city, he would have joined Erudite.
"Cara! Hey, Cara!" Caleb sits in the seat next to mine. His hair is parted down the middle and he wears a dark gray shirt. I look at my boots.
Cara clears her throat and twists her fingers together, like she's stressed. No wonder. "What is it, Caleb?" she says, politely.
Caleb looks around at Matthew and then me. His eyes looks the same. They are green, like my mother's. I have looked into those very eyes thousands of times. Times I remember and he does not. "They told me I could meet my sister soon," he continues. "...Beatrice?"
Cara looks beyond flustered. She shuffles a stack of papers on the table. "Yes, um. This is your sister, Beatrice." She holds out a hand to me. I look at Caleb.
Caleb sits there and looks at my face. "Beatrice." he says, and for a moment I can almost forget that he has lost his memories. His voice, saying my name, sounds exactly the same as always.
"Caleb," I respond. I cannot sit here while he asks me question; I cannot. "I need to go," I tell them, and stand abruptly. Caleb starts to talk, but I hurry away from the table. I will not sit there with my brain dead brother.
I keep walking until I come to the main lobby. The Bureau's security officers are working again, checking for weapons from the people who slowly trickle in from the fringe. I walk past the checkpoint the large sculpture with the water tank and stone. I freeze, surprised.
The thing is completely gone. The only thing left of it is some exposed pipes on the floor and cement blocked off by wire. Another sign of this new world we have made.
"Tris!" Christina comes up behind me. "Are you okay? You look...on edge." I smile. Her Candor strained eyes never cease to figure me out.
"I just ran into my brother. They told him who I was," I respond. What's wrong with me? I should have stayed, helped him remember. But I cannot deal with this right now.
Christina nods in understanding. Then she glances around, as if to make sure no one is listening. She smiles really wide. Her teeth are slightly crooked and very white.
"Zeke says he's going to have this thing where old Dauntless members get together and go on a zipline," she says, eyes wide with excitement. "Next week. Do you want to come?"
I remember how amazing it was, having my arms out like I was flying, seeing the people down below. "Yes," I tell her. "Believe me, it's amazing."
She looks confused. "How would you know?" she asks suspiciously. Of course. I never told her about it.
"Oh. Uriah invited me to zipline during initiation." I reply, feeling slightly guilty. I do not want her to be mad at me. It is nice to have a friend again, when I am not constantly fighting for my life.
She rolls her eyes but says nothing. "Do you think I could bring Rose?" I am stumped for a moment before remembering that she has a little sister.
"Isn't she Candor? Believe me, any other faction would be terrified," I say, crossing my arms. Christina grins.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. When Rose got to the Bureau, they tested her. Tris, she's divergent. Like you."