A/N- Three days left to finish NaNoWriMo and yes, I have a few chapters to post. I needed a break from typing new story and decided to go back and do a quick edit so I could post. ALSO I just noticed that the website stripped the page breaks I had throughout the previous chapters so if anyone starts seeing chapters that are already posted are being updated it's just me putting the page breaks back in! As usual I would love to hear what you think about this chapter, and even if you have thoughts about what's going to happen, it might help me finalize the second half of the story! Please R&R!
Deliverance
Part One - Marked
Chapter Seven - Red Suitcase
December came in a flurry of snow and bitter cold. It had been a few months but the meetings at the Bureau were in constant swing, our presence being requested at least once a month. The snow made no difference, we'd climb into the Jeep and be gripping the seats with white knuckles as the tires slid around beneath us. That night four months ago was eventful enough to leave me sitting at my kitchen table the next week trying to keep myself cemented in place. I did not want to experience that lack of control all over again.
Eventually my friends won out, probably something to do with the fact that they all showed up at my door at quarter to ten and all but dragged me out the door. And so we had fallen into a new routine, every other Friday we found ourselves all crouched over the two tables pushed together at the back of The Pit, beers in hand and moving on with life. I would never tell them, but secretly I was glad to be able to get out and have something to do with my time.
My relationship with Christina was complicated, I didn't see her for a whole two weeks after the fire. When the emergency crews had arrived she had all but ran away, and when she finally started talking to me again she pretended like nothing happened. I had been shocked to say the least when it happened, and spent that whole day trying to figure out how I actually felt about it. There were so many things I needed to consider there that when it happened I couldn't help but feel relieved. Now I found comfort in that response, chalking it all up to alcohol and adrenaline.
The visits to the Bureau hadn't got much easier, I spent most of my time there suspicious of Nita and David and the other parts running on that footpath or watching camera feeds. Today was a small exception to the rules, we had gone to a short meeting and a trip to the Fringe had been announced. Not everyone had been to the Fringe, Johanna included, it had caused quite a stir but David insisted that we see what kind of people we were letting in to our city.
I volunteered to stay behind, having already seen the fringe and the people that were in it. I had seen the way they lived and I had seen their feelings towards us. That was enough to keep me from wanting to revisit, that and the memories of Nita and that whole fiasco that followed. I don't think the Fringe dwellers believed the memories of the Bureau had been wiped, either that or they really didn't care. I was finding myself leaning more towards their thoughts with every visit to this nasty place. Some little thing someone did would send my mind reeling and I'd find myself sitting and trying to convince myself otherwise.
Johanna had followed me out of the boardroom, interrogating me on the Fringe. "What is it like? I need to know what to expect. I know some of those leaders, but you see how they look in their suits – out of place." She finishes, looking to me for confirmation.
I nod and start fielding her questions. "It's like the factionless." I say, trying to figure out how else to describe it. "It's like a community of violent, lawless, factionless." She looks terrified.
"Like how violent?"
"It's every man for themselves." I shrug "I suppose it's a whole lot of don't cross the wrong people. Something like I imagine my mother would have brought around, had things gone her way."
Johanna is silenced by that statement and I know she's trying really hard to picture it, and I'm pretty sure she's beginning to understand just why I had floated the idea of immigration policies.
I had started to get to know these people now, all of the politicians and counsel people. Which meant I was actually included in the debates and conversations now rather than having to interrupt. So as Johanna and I made our way down the hall, these people waved as they passed, smiled and shouted "We'll see you this afternoon!" The world was finally starting to feel a little less cold, despite what the weather outside was saying.
Johanna and I parted ways as we got further down the hall. I headed for my room to get bundled up, it was winter but there was still running that needed to be done, and it was a lot less irritating when everyone you passed didn't turn to stare at you as you dashed through the halls. I had taken to packing clothes that were appropriate for running now and didn't leave me with my feet sore and blistering.
No one knew where I went, they always questioned me, but I didn't dare tell in case someone would seal up the hole in the fence and I'd become a prisoner once again. Today was different though, different in every way, with the extra time, I planned to follow the trail further than I had before. I had a picture in my head, of a person trying desperately to get away from here, to a secret place that was happy and better than this, and I pictured myself following them as they escaped to freedom. Today I was set on finding out where that place was.
I tied my shoelaces and pulled my grey hoodie on over my long sleeved shirt. I stepped out into the hall quietly and scanned the area, checking to see if anyone was watching and I headed for the exit. As I pushed the door open, I was greeted by a biting cold, just as I had expected, and I took off at a jog right away, trying to keep myself warm.
I looked over my shoulder as I approached the fence, making sure no one was watching out here. I crouched and pulled myself through quickly and without a look back. I took off down the now familiar trail, stomped down by my own previous steps and possibly, it appeared, someone else's. I felt the weight of responsibility lift from my shoulders as I ran and soon it became almost relaxing.
The snow was cold and bit at my ankles for the first few steps, but it wasn't long until they were mostly numb and running became comfortable again. My shoes slowly became soaked through, and I kept concentrating on my steps and my breaths, how the cold air hurt to suck in. I slowed as I made my way to the end of where I had ran to, and stared at the footsteps that extended past my own. I plunged on though, picturing someone peeking over their shoulder, making sure they weren't being followed. I couldn't help but do the same as I picked up my pace again and made my way into the snow.
My legs burned now from the added weight of the snow with every step I was taking. I was just about to turn back when I broke through the tree line. I stopped dead, taking in the makeshift tents and the crumbled buildings - I was in the fringe.
I could smell the bonfires before I saw them, people huddled around them, in some cases, I noted, the people were brave enough to light them inside their tents, seemingly unafraid of the fact that it might go up in flames and then they would have nowhere. With what I had seen of the Fringe, it would only be a matter of time then until they were dead, with or without the tent anyways.
No one had seemed to take a second thought about someone emerging from the tree line, I couldn't imagine somewhere being so used to people coming and going that no one batted an eye. I pulled my hood up, shielding my aching ears from the chill and walked into the community of tents, taking a look around at the people. I remember my abnegation days, and watching the grey clothed strangers taking food to the factionless and I feel a pang in my chest, wishing I could be the abnegation stranger for these people.
I wandered around the tents and the fires, taking in all the colourful tents and their tennants. I made my way towards and empty fire and squatted down beside it, letting the flames warm my body. I hadn't realized until now that my body was shivering, freezing from the snow. My wet pant legs stuck to my calves and as I moved my toes, I could feel water sloshing up between them. I situated myself, shuffling over a bit to be able to see the entrance into the trees and waited. The trail seemed fairly used, someone had to eventually emerge from it, and I wanted to know who. Who was brave enough to be travelling between the Fringe and the Bureau?
I watched as a group of children ran by, playing in the snow, throwing it around with shrieks and laughs just like the Dauntless children did. This all seemed out of place to me, I had never imagined children being a part of this lifestyle, never. Seeing them running around now, just like they would at home seemed wrong. They weren't dressed like they would have been at home, most of them wearing sneakers instead of boots, and a few even wearing only a sweater and their mitts. They would be soaked for the next day or so, like my own shoes.
I felt sorry for them, and yet at the same time, I knew there were cities everywhere, communities like Chicago that would be willing to take them in, give them a solid roof over their heads. They chose this, they were here for a reason, their ideals led them to lead this life. Despite all that, when a scruffy looking man with a long beard joined the fireside and shoved a metal can into the flames with a stick, I couldn't help but feel I should be helping. I realized now the similarities between our factionless and these 'fringe dwellers'.
The sun was beginning to sink in the sky when I finally decided it was time to get up and start heading back. If I didn't go now, I would run out of light, and I don't know if I would be able to see to even attempt to make my way back. I would be stuck in the Fringe. That thought sent shivers down my spine, remembering the fights that were breaking loose the last time I was in the Fringe, when Nita had been so convincing. I didn't want to be thrown into any situations like that and especially not out here in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of people I don't know.
I stood and stretched, shaking my legs out, the muscles stiff and sore from sitting down too soon after running. The man that had joined my fireside didn't move when I got up, he just reached his stick into the fire and began pulling the metal can towards himself. He peaked inside of it when he got it near the edge and carefully shoved it back in. I began to move towards the trees, the cold now seeming doubly so as the warmth left my skin, the man never looked back.
I stopped and pretended to join another fire as a figure emerged from the trail then, a woman. I didn't recognize her, with her black hair braided down her back and her features pointy as if the bones were about to protrude from her skin. Definitely not from the Bureau. Which meant that whoever this lady was, she was travelling to the Bureau for something. She hoisted a backpack up a little higher and tightened her grip on it, looking around to see if anyone had seen her. I focused my attention down towards the fire and she moved on.
When I looked up again, she was gone, headed off in a direction I hadn't explored. I moved past people silently, not saying a word, and trying to keep sights on the woman from the trees. She wasn't too hard to follow, or she shouldn't be, for sneaking around she chose a terrible colour to wear out into the white surroundings. Her bright red jacket made her stick out like a sore thumb. But by the time I rounded the corner after her, she was gone.
I felt foolish, how can one lose someone who's wearing the brightest colour in the whole village? I spun around slowly, looking for her and snapped my head around when I heard a voice. "Ya lookin' for som'ne boy?" A rough looking lady stood, warming her hands over a large fire blazing in a barrel outside of what I assumed was her tent. Her face was scared and her hair was wild, frizzy and streaked with grey like a witch from some fairy tale I couldn't remember. I took a step closer, moving out of the middle of the street, not wanting to yell it across the village.
"Yeah, the woman in the red jacket." I respond. There's silence as she eyes me carefully, as if she's trying to decide whether or not I'm good enough to be privy to that information. She must have decided that I wasn't bad news as she steps out from behind the barrel and shuffles into the street, a very prominent limp in her walk. I wondered what had caused it, but I didn't ask.
She continued down the street, and I followed her, looking out for the red jacket with every step. She stopped just after the corner and pointed, her fingers shaking, at a large black tent. "There. Watch out f'r the man." When I turned to ask her why, she was already gone, making her way, limping off towards her fire once again.
I eyed the tent, wondering what the heck I was even doing here. What was I supposed to say? 'Hi, I've been sitting for a few hours waiting for you to come out of the woods. I followed you so I can ask you – what are you doing at the Bureau?' because, that would end well. I settled for now with eying the tent while I tried to think. It was larger than the neighboring ones, and constructed differently too, I noted, watching smoke pour out of the top. It was as if there was a chimney there, rather than the other tents that left their doorways open to let the smoke out. As I approached, I realized it wasn't even made of the same material. This was some kind of black canvas material, bound together with rope and finished with more canvas that covered the door.
I could hear a voice inside, as I stood less than a foot away from the entrance, unsure how to knock on something that doesn't really have a door to knock on.
"We can't just keep her here, people are going to come looking! The last thing we need is the Bureau barging through here." The woman's voice was raspy, as if she had smoked too many cigarettes. "Someone is going to come looking for-" There was a resounding 'smack' and I knew then what I was going to do.
"Get a grip woman!" A man shouted, and my blood ran cold. I threw open the canvas that covered the door and stepped in.
The warmth hit like a wave, but it was the person inside that made me feel like I ran straight into a brick wall. I stood staring into eyes that looked like my own and knew there was only one possibility. As I stood face to face with my father for the first time in more than two years I still felt a rush of emotion overcome me. I threw my hood back and gave him a better look, to try and show him that I wasn't afraid of him anymore.
"Who the hell are you?" The woman yelled. My eyes didn't move from Marcus, as I watched the expression on his face change.
"Hello Father." I say coldly.
"Tobias." He responds, the tension begging for someone to lunge forward and grab the other by the neck. A choking sound escapes the woman and I turn to look at her now. She looked different up close, her face was full of old bruises, yellowed and sickly looking, and her dark eyes look sunken in, the tears and dark circles didn't help any.
"Why are you here?" He asked coldly, and I returned my attention to him, realising how different he looked now, more wild. His hair was longer, and his face was scruffy and bruised, it felt good seeing him like this, so... vulnerable. Someone out there finally hurt him back, someone out there fought back and I could only imagine how that made him feel. It made me feel good, satisfied, like finally revenge was being served.
"Sweeping the Fringe with the Bureau." I respond cooly, lying like it was habit and looking at the woman, whose eyes went wide.
"I told you!" She shrieks, "I told you they were coming!" Marcus silences her with a look that I know means something will follow as soon as I leave. I turn to the woman now and address her for the first time.
"You don't have to stay through this you know. God knows his own family didn't." I say coldly, looking back to him now and I can see the fire in his eyes, he wants to hit me and a part of me begs him to do it, give me some sort of reason to get all this emotion out and swing back.
Everyone stands still for a moment and then I spot it. A little red suitcase tucked away under the table and if I thought my blood had ran cold before, I was sorely mistaken. I was petrified now. I clear my throat and look back to him, taking a step closer. "Where did you get that?" I say, pointing towards it.
"That's none of your business." Marcus responds coolly, his arms crossing over his chest now. I look around and I recognize the stuffed elephant toy on the bed, and my stomach feels like it's in my throat and I'm choking on it. The door is shot open behind me and I felt a forceful impact to the back of my legs.
"FOUR!" I hear the shriek before I see her. Claire. I feel relief flood through my body, all of my muscles relaxing. I picked her up immediately and held her tight, if I had known she would ended up here with him, I never would have let her leave. Marcus had a look of surprise on his face.
"We're leaving." I said, not caring about why I originally came here anymore, she could walk up and down the damned trail as much as she wanted, the Bureau, the Fringe, it didn't matter. We were getting as far away from here as possible. I wasn't letting another child become the subject of Marcus' abuse.
"What do you mean 'we'?" Marcus spat at me, as if the word was venom.
"I mean, I don't care how she got here, and I don't care what you have to think about it. I'm taking her back." I said forcefully. "And you don't have a choice." I set Claire down now, making sure she stayed close and matched Marcus' look with a look of my own. Claire screamed and I spun to see the woman swinging at me with a wooden board. I put my hand up to block the blow and felt a familiar pain as a loud crunch followed.
It felt like it had only been a short time ago that it had still been in a cast, and it felt like it would be going right back into one. Claire screamed as I tore the board from the woman's hands and cast it aside. I took a step back and reached my other arm around to find Claire and force her back towards the exit with me.
"Come here girl!" Marcus shouts and crouches down, trying to coax her towards him. I feel her little hands lock onto my arm and I can feel her moving in tighter to my side. The woman has lunged forward and grabbed Claire's other arm and is trying to pull her away. Claire screams and I hold tight to her arm now, Marcus is moving towards us and I know this is going to end in a fight. I twist and grab Claire under the arms, and pull her towards me, the woman comes with her and I kick her away. I put Claire down and shove her towards the door.
"Go!" I yell and she hesitates, and I can see tears starting glistening in her wide eyes, as she looks back and forth between everyone. "Go Claire!" I shout again and she does, stumbling at first and then she's running out the door. I feel my knees bend automatically and my arms come up, it's habit now in times of threat. The woman is pulling herself off of the table, and I turn my attention to Marcus. He throws the first punch and I counter, careful to slide my feet as not to trip on anything. I hit him back and he manages to grab my bad arm. I shout in pain as he puts pressure on it, laughing as he does. I kick him hard in the shin, enough to make his grip loosen and I yank free, grabbing him behind the neck and pulling him forward. I drive my knee into his stomach as hard as I can and I do it again and once more for good measure.
I hear a shout and feel a heavy weight added to my back. The woman has jumped me and is holding a knife to my throat. I freeze for a moment and Marcus looks up from the floor to see why. His eyes grow big and he holds a hand up. "Marion, don't do it. Think about it, it'll only bring in more of them." He says calmly, and I can hear her breathing heavily. The blade shifts after a moment and it sits on my cheek now.
"Don't make me do it boy." She warns and I take my chance. I drive my elbow back and feel it meet with her ribcage, I feel her grip loosen as she shouts. The blade passes down my cheek as she drops onto her feet and the weight is lifted from my back. I shove her back and watch her stumble and fall into the makeshift cot that sits in the corner. I step back and eye the pair of them, they're both amped and ready to go. I don't bother to try and finish the fight, I know I'm sorely outmatched with a newly broken arm and hot, sticky blood that poured down my face and soaked my sweater.
I backed out into the street, the cold air was nice against the stinging cut on my face. I turned my attention away from the tent then and towards the street, looking for Claire. The woman from the fire approached me now, looking over my shoulder to the tent and then grabbed my arm. She pulled me down the road, constantly checking over my shoulder for signs of Marcus and dipped back in towards her own tent.
I was met by a pleasant floral smell and a mess of brown hair I recognised immediately. She was crying when I crouched down and hugged her this time.
"I told ya he was no good." The woman said.
"Believe me, I know more about that than you think." I respond. The woman, busied herself around her tent gathering things and Claire cried into my chest.
"C-can we go home?" She choked out between her sobs and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah, I think we can do that." I say quietly.
The woman approaches me and grabs my bad arm and starts wrapping it with a piece of cloth, forcing a wet piece into my other hand and then to my face.
"Thank-you." I say to the woman, and then I frown. "I never caught your name." she laughs, her raspy voice filling the small space.
"Call me Tia." She responded, but her smile fell as she heard the commotion outside. "That's 'em." She says and looks at me now. "Ya better go with 'em boy!" I look out the door and see one of the Bureau jeeps making it's way at a crawl through the streets. I debate on whether or not I should make my presence known. If I had it my way, we would get on the trail and be back before they even knew we were gone. By judge of my physical condition and the darkening of the sky I knew, we would be very late getting back, and possibly not even able to find out way back if we left now. I sighed and stepped out, pulling Claire behind me as I did so.
The Jeep ground to a halt not too far from us and the driver emerged from the vehicle, gun in hand. "Four?" She yells, and she's too far away for me to make out properly who it is but as she approaches I recognise her. "Four!" Zoe shouts, and jogs over to us, lowering her gun. She takes in our state and gives me a questioning look as her eyes land on Claire.
"It's..." I hesitate, trying to figure out the best way to explain what was going on. "It's a long story." I finish lamely. My answer doesn't appear to surprise her, she just turns and waves us along behind her.
"Alright, we've got to get back before sundown." She says authoritatively. "Well get in!" She shouts "We're just heading back now." I hesitate outside the Jeep, wondering who the heck I'm going to have to face when I open the door, I look over my shoulder towards Marcus' tent and I see the woman emerge with her red coat on. I yank the door open then, not wanting to hang around and wanting to show her I wasn't bluffing when I said I was here with the Bureau.
I was relieved to see that the only occupants of the vehicle were Zoe, Brian, Johanna and empty seats. Johanna gasps as I lift Claire into the Jeep and follow her in myself, pulling the door closed behind me. "What are you doing here?" She demands, the minute I have my seatbelt on. "What happened?" She asks, flooding the air with questions. I don't want to answer. I know if I do I'll lose the only thing that was helping me keep my sanity in that place, that hole in the fence. Despite my own greed, I couldn't help but notice that my skin crawled every time I thought about Marcus roaming the halls of the Bureau while people slept.
"Marcus is here." I decide to say, not answering either question, but hoping it will be enough distraction to give me time to try and figure something out. And it does, at least for a little while, Johanna falls silent, her jaw dropping slightly.
"And he...?" I nod, pressing the wet cloth to my face again. I can tell by Brian's expression he has no idea who Marcus is, but I think he got the message as Johanna's questions continued. "What's he doing here?" She finally asks.
"He's travelling between the Fringe and the Bureau. Or at least his... accomplice Marion is." I say, trying to wrap my head around their relationship. Was it a relationship? This seems to catch Zoe's attention, and she looks into her rearview mirror at me.
"Who is he? Is he dangerous?" Brian asks, looking concerned but I'm sure it's for other reasons. Zoe takes to trying to explain who Marcus is while trying to listen too. Her explanation ends rather lamely and I can see by the expression on Brian's face it really didn't answer much.
"That's not possible." Zoe states matter of factly. "And even if he was, at least half of the Bureau knows what he looks like. He wouldn't go unnoticed walking those halls. We would know he was there the minute he stepped foot inside." I lean forward in my seat leaning as close to her as possible.
"And did you know I was leaving the Bureau?" I ask quietly and I watch her fingers re-grip the steering wheel as the silence carries on in the vehicle. It's short lasted though, when Johanna turns her attention to Claire.
"How did you get here?" I turn to look at Claire now and interested to know the answer to that question myself.
"I ran away." She stated boldly, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting up a little straighter.
"And you got all the way out here? Where were you running to?" She asks gently, a frown on her face. Claire avoids looking at anyone and answers quietly.
"I didn't want to stay there." She said quietly "I wanted to go home."
"Home? Where do your mum and d-" but before the question was out of her mouth Claire was speaking again.
"Back to Four's house." She said so quietly I almost missed it. Johanna doesn't say anything but gives me a look I don't know how to interpret.
"So how did you end up here?" Johanna asks softly, Claire just shrugs and says nothing.
"How?" I prod. When she looks up, she glances between Johanna and I as if wondering why it wasn't obvious to us.
"The train." She states simply, Johanna looks surprised and I'm just confused, there's no way a little girl could get onto the train by herself when we had initiates much older than her unable to make it. And most of them, once they got on didn't want to jump off, the only thing making them do it the threat of being factionless.
"And how did you end up with Marcus?" Johanna asks but I ignore that it was even asked and continue to prod about the train.
"How did you get on the train?" I demand, and my tone commands her attention and she turns away from Johanna.
"He was there with the Dauntless people." This statement catches our attention. If Marcus is working with old Dauntless members it was news to us. She looks between us beaming, but we're confused and intrigued with the details of her escape.
"How did you know they were Dauntless?" I ask her, and she frowns and looks at me like she's wondering why I'm asking.
"Because they were jumping onto the train. They took me with them." She rolls her eyes as if this was common knowledge. "Plus they were all wearing the club sign." She stated matter of factly, as if she was highly educated in the matter.
"What club sign?" I ask her cautiously. Johanna is frowning which makes Claire look between us both in almost a panic.
"This one." She says, pulling the white headband out of her messy hair and giving it to me. I rub the fabric between my fingers, it's some kind of spandex material that's got lots of stretch to it. I pull the fabric taut across my knee, smoothing the wrinkles out from it's makeshift use as a headband. I stop and feel my chest tighten as I look at the black ring that adorns the white band. I look down at the mark and everything starts to click together.
