A/N
So guys: I've hardly received any feedback apart from one person who's been reviewing every single chapter of mine (thank you so much!). I'd love to know at least what you think about, even if you despise my work that's will be definitely fine for me. But I really need to know what you think about all of this and if you have any idea/ suggestion about where this plot could go.
PLEASE REVIEW AND FOLLOW! I'm almost begging you!
XX
Ae.
TRIS
Do not panic, Melanie. Do not dare to panic in front of him because panic means being guilty and we don't really want Jean to be suspicious, do we? Easy on that. I have more or less 5 seconds to come up with an excuse that won't upset Jean and let me be free to investigate on my past without him minding my own business. I'm there racking my brain when I hear John's voice.
"Jean, don't worry. She's just asked me if I want to swap with her and when I said no, she said that for the first time in 10 years she wanted to be in charge of the security system all by herself. I was just about to reply her that that's fine by me, but maybe she could use my help for tonight, since she's just come back from a tough mission in Chicago."
I nod convincingly. That's a good lie, John. Really a good one. I stare at Jean smiling.
"Yes, Jean, I mean, I've been here for 10 years now so I thought I could be of help letting him rest and swapping with him".
Jean's eyes are as cold as ice. A snake. Then all of a sudden, he nods.
"He's right, Melanie. That's very nice of you but you'd better use his help for tonight: you must be very tired after all you've been through today. Dead tired" and then he leaves.
I sigh in relief and hug John. I whisper in his ear "John, thank you so much. You saved. You really did". He hugs me back. I've always known I am his favorite co-worker at the Bureau, still what he says surprises me. "I had to, Melanie. He's always so worried about you asking about your past that telling him that's what you'd just asked me would put you in danger. He's not that nice as you think he is. Not at all, Melanie".
My eyes are wide open and I cannot believe my ears. I feel I'm on the brink of tears. "John, what do you mean by that?"
TOBIAS
"Four? What's wrong? You sound really weird". Yeah, you're right Johanna.
"Are you still at your office?"
"Well, yes I am. Four, would you mind telling me what's going on? You're making me nervous".
"Can I come over and have a look at the security system?"
"Four, what's going on?". I sigh and roll my eyes. What the hell am I supposed to tell her? That I think I saw Tris and the truck she was in just disappeared into the air? I mean, that's the truth, hard facts, but I know she won't let me have a look at those tapes if I answer like this straight away.
"Johanna, I promise I'll tell you everything". I hear her sighing. Then there's only silence and the sounds of the two of us breathing. Great, I'm making her suspicious about my intentions.
"Okay Four. But this must better be a very good and convincing story. I'll wait for you at the control room. Be there in 10" and then she hangs up.
I throw my fist into the sky. Yes. I made it. I have no time for tasting the flavor of success because I'm already in a hurry. Get those feet moving, Tobias. And then I run.
When I meet Johanna outside the control room, I'm covered in sweat. On my way here, I've thought about what I'm about to see and realized that I've mainly two possibilities. One: the girl I saw is Tris. If it is so, I'll try and have her back no matter what. Two: that girl is not Tris. I promised to myself that then I'll let her go forever and try to start afresh. That's a terrible and frightening thought but I think it's what I need to do: accept she's lost to me forever.
"Four. First the story. Then I'll decide whether to let you in. Better sound convincing." I take a deep breath and spill out all the truth. It takes me about 5 minutes to update her on what's happened to me this very evening and I see her face changing expression several times. When I'm done, silence between us hangs in the air for what seems an eternity. Please, Johanna, please believe me. Since she doesn't look like someone who is eager to let me in, I try and say one last thing. "Johanna, if that's not her, I promise I'll stop mourning her and go on with my life. Afresh. But right now, I need to know, otherwise this thought about that girl being Tris will haunt me until the end of my days and I'll never be free from my past. Johanna, I swear that I'm not making this story up. I know what I saw, but I need some evidence supporting my memory." I'm almost begging her. She stares into my eyes as if she could see the truth from them.
"If it's not like you think, you promise me that this is the last time I heard from you something about Tris. You promise me." I nod earnestly. "I do, Johanna, I do."
She holds my hand and walks me into the control room. "So, Four, what city's section do we have to have a look at?".
TRIS
"Melanie, I can't tell you anything about this. I wish I could, but this would break the rules and I may be made redundant. I'm sorry"
"Oh. Okay" What the hell is Jean hiding, though? It must be something very important if he would fire John. "Okay, John. But you're still going to give me some answers, aren't you?" He nods and smiles at me.
"Of course, Melanie. I promised you". The problem is that right now I don't know where to start from, I have too many questions and I'd love to ask them all at once. What do you want to know first? And the answer to this question comes to me almost naturally. I want to know about Tobias Eaton.
"Tell me something about Tobias Eaton. Something I don't know yet". I see John's smile becoming almost a line and his expression stiffening. "What do you want me to tell you, Melanie?".
"Anything, John. Literally anything."
His mouth starts moving and I try to stay as focused as I can. "Well, Melanie. He is a GD, son to a previous Abnegation family, he transferred to Dauntless and became one of the most respected members within the new faction" Then, why do I have no memory of him during my time in Dauntless? "He managed to bring peace back to Chicago after the revolution and now he's running for Maire of the city. No girlfriend, just a bunch of friends he rarely sees because he spends most of this time working". He pauses for a second and it's then when I jump in.
"John, if he was that important in Dauntless as you say he was why don't I remember anything about him?". I feel my eyes filling with tears. What the hell happened to me? Something really bad if I'm here getting slowly aware that I have gaps in my memory I've never noticed before. I don't remember anything about one of the most relevant members of my transfer faction. Nothing at all.
"John, what happened to me?"
TOBIAS
"My neighborhood around 6.30" I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
She pushes a few buttons and images of this evening fill the screens in front of my eyes. Thanks to God, there are many cameras in that area, which means that I can see the very same moment from different angles and perspective.
"Okay, Four. Here we go." Each screen reproduces the images according to different cameras and I see myself walking down the road on my way home. I'm staring at the pavement and that's why I don't notice a figure in black running towards a tree and hiding behind it. How did I manage not to notice there was someone behind a tree? It's not that good shelter either. You idiot.
"Johanna, can you zoom in on her face?" She tries, but being in the shadow like she is, the final result is a blurred image of what could be a human face. Not useful at all.
"Okay, let's forward to 6.40". And here we go.
I cannot believe what I see in front of my eyes. The girl gets out of my building and throws her hoodie into a bin, revealing a red tank top under it. The girl in the tank top is the same girl who broke into my house. And I passed by her without noticing. I run my hand through my hair and Johanna looks at me worried. I keep on staring at the screen. There must be a frame, even a one-second one with her face on it. There must be, I just have to keep on watching. I'm biting my lips and I start to feel in my mouth the terrible taste of blood. Who cares. I rub my hands together and keep on biting my lip. I think they'll be all swollen in the end but I don't really care about it as far as it relaxes me. Tris stands up from the bench as soon as I pass by her and starts running in the opposite direction. Johanna pushes a few buttons when she sees that Tris turns the corner so that we can keep having an eye on her. I'm still waiting for that frame of her face. Come on! There must be one, I refuse to believe that I cannot prove what I've just seen. Tris is now coming to a full stop near a flower shop. It looks like she's trying to recover from the sprint, and I can understand that because I've never seen her running faster.
As soon as she stands up, I clearly hear my voice, shouting her name and what surprises me the most is her strange reaction. She shakes her head and then covers her mouth with both her hands, as if she were in shock. Does this mean that I triggered something in her memory by shouting her name? I do hope so, but I try not to leave my fantasy go wild. After a few seconds, I hear her voice telling me that she's Melanie. It's then when Johanna gasps and I look at her nervously.
"Four, I don't mean to give you false hopes, but that's exactly her voice as I recall it". And I feel a tear falling down my cheek.
"I know" I whisper. I take a deep breath and move my hand so that she knows I'd rather carry on with the tape. She nods and I see she's crying as well. "We need to have a frame of her face, Johanna. We have to".
And then it happens. I follow her with my eyes until she turns the corner and stops once again. After what seems like an eternity, she moves to her left and turns around, so that now her face is in full display.
"ZOOM IN JOHANNA! ZOOM IN!" And she does zoom in. At first, I fear we're going to have once again a blurred image of her face because I cannot distinguish her nose from her eyes. But then, almost magically, the frame comes into focus. I clearly hear Johanna holding her breath and I slam my fist on the table.
That is Tris.