A/N: Hi everyone, I've decided to give you a chapter in Tobias's POV. I hope you guys like it. I would also like to thank everyone who is reading, liking, reviewing and sharing this story. It means a lot to me.

Chapter 21 – My bleeding heart

Bonus chapter – Tobias's POV

I am very excited to go home, even if it is just for a few days. But I couldn't have missed my baby sister's eighteenth birthday. This is a big day for Marlene and I want to celebrate it with her.

I invited Myra along, wanting my sister and my girlfriend to get to know each other better. I've been with Myra for two years now, and lately I kept wondering if this relationship shouldn't be made more official. I know she would like that. Zeke told me that Shauna and Myra often talk about their futures, and while Shauna and Zeke broached the topic of marriage some day, Myra and I didn't. It's not that I don't love her, but for the fact I don't feel ready. It's not like with Zeke and Shauna. They've known each other for a long time, and had many ups and downs that only brought them closer together.

They even go to therapy together, mainly because Shauna asked him to join. The therapy was more for her than for them as a couple. After we all started college, far away from our families, Shauna came to realize what an awful person she was towards her sister. She confessed to me, about a year ago, that she was extremely jealous of her sister. She knew deep down that it wasn't Tris's fault, but it was easier to blame the youngest Prior for everything than taking responsibility for her own actions. The fact that at the time of high school Shauna allowed Nita to influence her a lot didn't help matters. Shauna was now actively working to become a better person, a better girlfriend and friend, daughter and sister. It was obvious her parents would forgive her soon enough, and even Caleb seemed to believe Shauna's change of heart. Tris, however, remained cold as ice towards her older sister.

When we came back to California after the Christmas holidays, Shauna told us that she had hoped she could get closer to her sister again, but Tris made sure to not be around when Shauna was home. She had a long, emotional talk with both her parents and brother, and they assured her that Tris was still deeply hurt. At first, Zeke and I thought that Tris was just being unnecessarily bitchy, and even Myra voiced her opinion on the matter, which she never did. It was an eye opener when Shauna confessed all the things she did to her baby sister, and we were none the wiser. I knew of some of the rumors she had started, but it seems the most vile ones came from Shauna herself. Not to mention all the things she orchestrated to get Tris in trouble.

"It wasn't Tris's fault that my dress got ruined. I bumped into her on purpose, to get dad to punish her and not let her go to NASA," she had told us in tears. It seems, Shauna was so jealous of Tris's success that she sabotaged her sister whenever she could. It didn't help that Andrew seemed to have turned a blind eye on Shauna, believing everything she told him. I could now understand why Tris was so angry and furious all the time. Only, it wasn't just that, it was hurt and pain, that she so perfectly masked.

For a while, I couldn't talk to Shauna, I couldn't even look at her. I avoided her for some time, mainly to get my own thoughts in order. I had to revise all the conversations I had with Tris, especially when it came to her feud with her sister, and I noticed that while my intention was to calm her down, to make her be above those puny fights, Tris might have perceived my efforts as a betrayal. I still remember how she had called me a traitor the night of my prom, when she simply decided that we were done. Back then, I was furious, but three years later, when I have a clearer view over what happened in those months, I can see that I asked too much of Tris.

I often spoke to dad about my ex and how things ended. In the beginning, I was still very hurt and when dad would defend her, I would flip out. But during the last visit in December, dad and I talked again. He just briefly mentioned how much Tris matured, but I understood the hidden meaning. Back when I was still a senior in high school, dad often told me that both Andrew and I saw Tris as more than just a fourteen-year-old, and that while she was mature when it came to many things, interpersonal relationships, especially romantic ones, are a delicate topic for someone who is still trying to find themselves. I had dismissed him then, but now I understood what he meant.

Even Marlene told me something like that, and after several attempts of mine to coax some information out of her, she finally told me a few weeks ago why Tris really broke up with me.

"She was just scared. You were about to start a new life halfway across the country, and she was afraid you'd find someone better. Was it a dumb decision? Yeah. But you have to admit, it wouldn't have worked between you too," Marlene told me. I got angry with her, and told her that she didn't know that. And neither did Tris. "She might have broken up with you to spare herself heartache later on, but she was just as heartbroken as you were. She is just a better actor and hid it. Even from us," she added.

I came to realize that even if Tris broke us up for the wrong reasons, maybe it wasn't all for the bad. I got to meet Myra and fell in love with her, while Tris, well, Tris had a number of boyfriends over the years. But it did seem that it helped her find herself.

From what I got from dad, Tris is doing exceptionally well from a professional point of view, and while Dauntless Industries is run by her grandfather, we all know that it is her genius that brings in the big money. I have to admit that I am proud of her for following her dream. She was always great at building and fixing stuff, and now she could do that for a living.

"Where the heck is Dad?" Shauna asks, as the four of us are waiting for both our dads to come pick us up from the airport. With me and Myra coming to Chicago for Marlene's birthday, Shauna decided to come home as well, in hopes to reconcile with her sister.

"Maybe they're stuck in traffic?" Myra suggests.

"They should have been here by now," Zeke comments, as he checks the time.

Shauna and I both try to get a hold of our fathers, but none of them answers. In fact, the lines are both busy. Zeke suggests we take a cab, but our dads might really just be stuck in traffic, and on their way to get us.

We decide to go into the café inside the airport for a coffee and scone, while waiting for someone to come pick us up. We are still trying to get a hold of either Dad or Andrew, when someone turns up the TV. I want to tell the person in charge to turn the TV to a more reasonable volume, when the anchor's words sink in. I stare at the TV in disbelief as the reporter goes live.

"It's been almost an hour since the first gunshots were reported here at Logan High School. Police and FBI are already at the scene, and have entered the premise. Ambulances have been rushing toward the school, but so far no one came out of the building," the reporter says, and I think I might have just had a stroke.

Did she just say Logan High School? The same school I went to? The same school my sister goes to? And Tris?

The news report continues, informing us that a man entered the school, heavily armed, and started shooting. While there weren't any gunshots heard in over thirty minutes, no one knows what is going on. There are only speculations at this moment, and until someone comes actually out, we won't know.

I look to my right where Zeke is holding a crying Shauna; he himself is worried sick over his baby brother. I feel the same about Marlene, but strangely, I feel even worse thinking Tris might get hurt. We're trying to call our parents again, when Shauna finally reaches her mom.

"Mom, please, is Tris alright?" she asks sobbing. She put the phone on speaker so that we could hear, and I am deeply grateful for that.

"I don't know, baby. Your dad and Marcus are already there at the school, hoping to get more information. Trevor is there too, but we couldn't get in touch with him."

"What happened?" I ask, and try not to let my voice break, as the thought of my sister and my first love dying in that school.

"We don't know really. I heard about it on the news, and called Andrew. He then told me that he and Marcus were on their way to the airport," she says, and then remembers we are still here. "Can you get a cab?"

"Of course, Natalie. Don't worry about us," Zeke tells her reassuringly. We hang up, and I go to pay our purchase, when I suddenly hear Shauna cry out.

"Oh, God!"

I turn my head towards my friend, and see that she is staring at the TV. I walk closer so that I can see better and feel my heart skip a beat, and then stop altogether.

Tris just walked out of the front door, her shirt and pants covered in so much blood, it looks as if she just slaughtered a pig. I watch as she rushes to the ambulances, and the camera seems to zoom in on her. She looks pale, and her face is bloodied and bruised. We can't hear what she is saying but she has a determined look on her face. Several paramedics follow her back inside, everyone with a gurney each. And then there are a couple of policemen who follow the paramedics, holding black bags. I recognize them as body bags.

Oh, God!

How many did this maniac kill?

"Shauna, babe, calm down. Your sister is alive, that's all that matters," Zeke tries to calm her down.

"Didn't you see all that blood?" Shauna asks him angrily. I know she is scared, and I understand that, but we need to go. We need to go to Logan High. I need to know that my baby sister is alright too, along with Uriah and Lynn. And I need to see her. Make sure that all that blood isn't hers.

We hurry outside, and get into the first cab. We tell the driver to take us to Logan High, and turn on the radio so that we can hear that news report.

The damn city is jammed. It seems everyone is out in the streets, and blocks our way to the school. It feels as if the entire city conspired to keep us from reaching our destination. The reports on the radio are as vague as the one on TV.

We are still a full ten minutes by car away from the school, when the reporter on the radio announces that eight people were taken to the hospital. There's still no news on the identity of the victims, but he quickly moves on to ask his listeners to pray for all the kids in that school.

It is frustrating that no one knows anything. It is as if someone blocked the media from reporting anything.

"I found something," Shauna says from the backseat. Since we were four, I decided to drive in the front next to the driver, where I could hear better. I turn around slightly, wondering what she meant.

"What did you find?" Myra asks curiously.

"Tweets. Some of the kids kept tweeting," Shauna explains.

"What do they say?" Zeke asks curiously. Shauna starts reading several tweets from the students yet inside.

'Prez told us to stay put in class, lock door, hide. She saved us.'

'I wish they would tell us more. I'm glad someone kicked that motherf***ers ass'

'It was Al Miller. Oh, God. He killed Mary'

'Mar Eaton rocks. Totally saved Mr. Ortega. Hope he'll make it'

'Uriah is my hero. Totally badass when he picked up Kerry and stopped the bleeding'

'Someone know why we still can't get out?'

'They check school'

'Who? For what? Shooter is dead'

'Shooter not dead. Mitch said Tris and Lynn kicked his ass. He's cuffed'

'I wish I went to military skool like our Prez #badass'

'Just saw Tris. Why is she so bloody?'

'Helped cops put bodies in bags. Idk how she did it #stillcrying #notashamed'

'She got shot too. Marlene took care of her wound after Ortega. Saw it. These girls are awesome #rolemodels'

'Called my folks. Told'em I was fine. We still in the gym for some shit'

I listen intently to the tweets Shauna is reading. My heart is pounding so hard I think it wants to come out of my chest. Marlene is alive. So is Uriah. And Lynn. And Tris. But could this be true? Lynn and Tris stopped the shooter? Are they insane?

"There's a video," Shauna suddenly says.

"Let us see it," Zeke urges. Unfortunately, from where I sit I can't see, so I ask Shauna to DM that tweet to my account. I open it at the same time as Shauna, and we all watch the video. It's a bit blurry, but it'll do.

I recognize the gym, and then I see Tris standing in the middle of the room addressing the student body.

"… this tragedy will make us stronger," comes her powerful voice. "What happened today should have never happened. By now, you all know who the shooter is," she shouts, and pauses for a moment. "He killed 36 people, most of them freshmen and sophomores. Two teachers were killed, and a third one was badly injured. There are eight people in the hospital. We will pray for all of them. But I want you all to look around," she tells them, and whoever is holding the camera is showing us the crowd. Everyone is completely silent, their faces grief-stricken, their eyes sad. "We can't bring back the dead. We can't heal the wounded. But we can start to mend us all. I have already spoken to the Chicago PD and the Bureau, and they will get us therapists. I want you all to join me in a group session three days from now."

The video ends and I find myself longing to see more of her. She seems so strong and confident. Even in the face of adversity she doesn't back down, but comes alive. She seems so fearless, so powerful and unstoppable. Marlene often told me that Tris had become a symbol for the students of my former high school. She truly tries to help everyone, but remains a leader throughout it all. It makes me admire her and wonder how I never saw this when we were together. Maybe dad was right. We were too young, and our love burned out like a bright flame. It was powerful, but it wasn't meant to last.

We finally arrive, and I pay the driver. Zeke already went ahead and got our stuff out of the trunk, and I take both my bag and Myra's and go to find Dad, hoping that Marlene is out by now. Until I can finally check for myself that she is alright, I won't stop worrying.

Thankfully, it doesn't take us long, and we see dad and the rest of our parents. But the person whom I most excited to see is my sister. She immediately comes to me, and we hug each other. I don't even know how long we stand there when she pulls back.

"It was awful," she tells me. I nod my head, and pull her back against me, kissing her forehead. Dad took mine and Myra's bags, and put them into the trunk of his car so that we wouldn't worry about that.

"Where's Tris?" Shauna asks frantically and I realize I didn't see her.

"She stayed behind," is all the Lynn offers, and the rest of them seem to keep quiet on purpose.

"Why? I don't understand," comes Andrew's worried voice.

"Matt pulled her to the side to calm her down. She blames herself for not acting sooner," Uriah explains, but leaves us even more confused. Why would she feel guilty? As if reading my mind, Zeke asks the exact same question.

"She wanted to leave our classroom right away, but we held her back," comes the voice of my sister. She sounds small and scared, and I guess that's only natural.

"What did she think she could have done?" Shauna asks, and for some reason all three teens practically attack her.

"She saved us. If it wouldn't have been for her, Al would have continued his killing spree. It still took Matt ten minutes to get to us after Lynn and Tris kicked Al's ass. The police took even longer. That lunatic killed 36 people in fifteen minutes, that's at least two people every minute. He had enough ammunition to kill all of us," Marlene says angry, getting in Shauna's face. Shauna takes a step back, obviously startled by my sister's outburst. Marlene was always easygoing and just nice to people.

"Please, tell me she wore her necklace," Natalie suddenly says, and I remember that Tris has a necklace that can create a protective shield around her.

Lynn shakes her head, and explains that she forgot hers in her locker, and Tris gave her hers. What? She attacked an armed shooter without any weapon and any kind of defense?

Lynn goes to explain what they did to take down this guy, and a part of me is impressed, while another one is pissed that Tris risked her life just like that. But if we believe the three teenagers, if they wouldn't have acted when they did and how they did, more people would have died, them probably included.

I am surprised to hear how Tris handled the entire situation. Not only did she make sure no one wandered outside to get shot, but she also kept most of the students from seeing the carnage. Uriah explains that the injured were first taken care of, followed by the dead. After the CSI team did their job, Tris helped put the bodies of her fellow students and a couple of teachers into body bags.

"Why?" asks Myra, confused.

"I guess, she needed to occupy her mind," Marlene offers as an explanation.

"She did it to say goodbye," Uriah interjects. We all look at him, and he wipes tears away. "She personally put every single body in a bag, and said goodbye to the person." For a moment, I wonder why she would do that, but then realize it was her way of saying she was sorry she couldn't do more. It didn't matter to her that she saved hundreds, it mattered that she failed 36.

"But why isn't she coming out?" Andrew insists, saying that her family is out here, and they want to hold her, and console her.

"Because she is the student body president. It is her duty to check everything for herself," Marlene says. As childish as her statement sounds, I understand what she really means. As the student body president, Tris feels the need to check everything for herself, like the captain of a sinking ship checks if everyone got off board before the ship sinks.

Marlene goes to our dad, who hugs her tightly, and kisses her head lovingly. I don't know what will happen from here on out, but I'm sure, none of those who survived this day will forget it anytime soon. Especially, not the ones who risked their own lives to save countless others.