TOBIAS:
"How was the trip?" a Dauntless guard asks.
I try my best to smile, mimicking an Amity member. "Wonderful!" I need to say more. This is what got me in trouble last time. "The fields are so . . . beautiful?" Stupid. Change the subject. "H-how has work on the fence been? It's so large, you guys must be working hard to keep all of us safe." What am I doing? Flirting with him?
He rolls his eyes and gestures for the other Dauntless guards to open the gate, ending this torture. A sigh of relief exits my lungs once I drive past the rest of the guards and into the Chicago boundary. Idiot. I ditch the truck outside the Amity sector, keeping the keys inside the pocket of my Amity red pants, and begin to hike on foot. I move through the rows of apple trees and other fruit plants, trying to keep myself out of sight. I can see the end of the grove when Johanna Reyes appears in front of me.
"Tobias Eaton?" she says in her bubbly tone of voice, "What are you doing here?" Her hair is pulled back, revealing her facial scar.
"Ummm. . . I'm-" I stutter and clear my throat. "I'm here to see my father," I say confidently. Maybe she knows where he is.
"Marcus? Why? I thought you two didn't get along?" she eyes me suspiciously.
"I need to talk to him. I want to-" my face contorts, "make amends."
She gives me a small smile.
"Do you know where he is?" I ask.
"At first, he was placed into the Amity faction, condemned from government influence. He soon left, trying to move back into his old house in Abnegation, but was removed. He didn't take the change in power well." She pauses. "The last I've heard, he's been seen hanging around the new factionless."
I forgot how much the Amity talk. I nod. "Then that's where I'll go."
xxx
I can see the train coming in the distance. I prepare myself, readying to jump. I haven't done this in a long time and I might be rusty. It comes, barreling towards me. It seems faster than I remember. I run, finding my grip on the side of the door, and I lift myself inside, tripping and tumbling to the floor. That was even less graceful than the first time I tried as a new Dauntless initiate.
"Four?" I hear a voice coming from inside the train car.
I turn to see who it is. Zeke and Christina stand in the back of the train car. They're dressed in old Dauntless clothing, ragged and dirty from time.
"What are you doing back here?" Zeke asks, coming forward from the shadows and hugging me. Christina does the same.
"Family matters," I respond.
"Looking for your father?" Zeke asks.
I nod.
A concerned look comes across Christina's face. "How have you been, Four?" she asks.
"Fine. . . Better," I say. I know what she means. She doesn't know that Tris is alive, and my first thought is to not tell her. I want to keep Tris to myself, but it's selfish. She deserves to know. I owe her that much after she saved me that day in my father's old house. "Tris is alive," I mutter.
"What? Four, don't mess with me like this. She's not alive. We saw her body," she says.
"They lied. David faked her death. Tris is alive." I say, a little annoyed that she doesn't believe me. "You can go see her yourself, she's living with Caleb."
"I can't," she says, looking at the ground. Zeke nudges her shoulder. I don't ask.
"How did you get inside the city?" Zeke asks, changing the subject.
"I caught a ride on an Amity truck."
Zeke smirks, "That explains your clothes."
"How's Dauntless?" I say, rolling my eyes.
They look at each other. "It's fine," Christina says. "They're trying to get back to old morals and values."
"Why do you want to see Marcus?" Zeke asks.
"That's between him and I," I say. I'm getting irritated with all the questions.
Zeke nods. "Do you know where he is?"
"I've been told that he's factionless now."
"Who told you that?" Christina asks.
"What's with the third degree," I raise my voice. She flinches backwards.
"No need to get upset, man," Zeke says as he puts himself between Christina and I. "We're just making conversation."
I give a faint smile, but turn around to let them know I'm done talking. I didn't come back here to socialize, although it's nice to see familiar faces. I want to get this over with and go home.
"Your father will be happy to see you," Zeke says from behind me.
I feel something hard hit into the back of my skull, making my vision blur. The world goes black.