Happy Holidays everyone! I'm not even going to try and excuse the long wait for this chapter. It's extra long, so I hope you guys enjoy it! I already have half of the next one written, so hopefully, I can get it uploaded before I go away for the holidays! As always, I would really appreciate any comments or suggestions you have. I take them all into account and try to respond to as many as I can. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and it lives up to your expectations!
Tris POV
Shivers crawl up my spine, and my body immediately begins shaking. No no no no no no no. This can't happen. I turn around, and my worst fears are confirmed.
"Marcus." My mouth has gone dry, and my voice is hoarse and shakey. "Wh-what are y-you d-doing here?" A sadistic grin fills his face. I hate that my fear is feeding his satisfaction.
"You've been a naughty girl, Beatrice. I came to teach you a lesson." I cringe away from him. He always said that before his worst beatings. "Come with me. If you make a single sound, I'll be sure to pay Toby a visit too. Understand?" I nod and try not to wince as he harshly grabs my arm and drags me along after him. That's going to bruise tomorrow...I'll have to wear sleeves for a while to hide it.
As Marcus begins to walk down a dark hallway, presumably to an office that he has already with no camera's, a familiar voice calls out.
"Hey! Who are you, and what are you doing to Tris?" Uriah.
Marcus glares down at me as if this was all my fault. His grip on my arm somehow tightens. I try and mask the pain in hopes that somehow Uriah leaves us alone. He can't drag himself into this mess. It only leads to pain and is rarely ever worth it. Nothing is ever worth it when it comes to interacting with Marcus.
Uriah rushes up to me when my attempt to mask the pain in my arm fails. I flinch, knowing this isn't going to go well with Marcus. Every second Uriah is trying to help me is another minute of torture later. I shudder.
"Tris, what's the matter? Why are you with him? Are you alright?" I look up to Marcus, silently asking him for permission to speak. He gives me a small nod.
"I'm fine, Uriah. Don't worry. Mr. Eaton and I just need to talk. I'll be alright." I try to keep my breathing at a normal pace and calm down my racing heart. Sweat begins to shine on my skin. My lie is awful, but he has to take it. "I'll catch you in a bit, alright? I don't want you to waste your family day on me."
Uriah glances at Marcus, whose face has turned from one of anger to one of complete relaxation. I hate how he can do that. It makes him look so reliable and trustworthy. In this case, however, I'm grateful. It makes my terrible lie look somewhat credible.
"Why does he have to hold your arm so tightly if all you want to do is 'talk'?" I cringe. He's caught us. "And why do you keep flinching?"
"I simply wanted to show Beatrice a place to talk. She doesn't know this side of the compound as well, and I didn't want her to get lost." Marcus saves me.
"Tris knows the compound perfectly fine. Let go of her arm. Now." Uriah's voice has gone deathly quiet and still. Marcus gives me a subtle look to remind me of his threat earlier before he releases my arm. I hope Uriah doesn't notice the red marks that will form bruises in the next hour or so. "Tris, you can come home with me if you like. I can," he gives an untrusting look at Marcus, "help you."
All I want to do is say yes and run away from the monster who is standing behind me. Marcus's breath sends a shiver down my spine, and his hand on the small of my back is a reminder that if I do anything against his will, Toby will be hurt.
After a moment of thought, I shake my head slowly. "Thanks, Uri, but really, we just want to talk. I'll check up on you later, alright?" Still unsure, Uriah nods.
"Alright, I'll-I'll leave you to your reunion." He begins to walk away, turning around once as if to reassure himself and then runs off. Marcus grabs my arm once more and leads me further down the hallway. Uri was one of the first people I've seen that defied Marcus. I doubt that he recognized Marcus, but I hope he will at least stay away. He is already under Marcus's radar for challenging him. If anything were to happen to Uriah because of this...I don't want to think about it.
"Keep up bitch," Marcus's breath is hot against my neck and sends a shiver down my spine. I begin to feel nauseous as I follow him and the reality of my situation starts to sink in. He's leading me to an abandoned room without cameras as far away from Toby as possible. No one is going to find me. I'm on my own with Marcus. He's going to be able to do whatever he wants and get away with it.
I'm sure to keep my mouth shut, afraid to speak in case I say something wrong. You never know with Marcus. We walk to the end of the hallway, where he roughly pushes me through the last doorway and closes the door behind us. Propping a chair underneath the door handle, he turns to me.
"Now, Beatrice, we can finally have some fun."
My hands clench into fists, as I try to hide how hard they are shaking. He knows how much he scares me, and it satisfies him. I may not be able to control what he does to me, but I can at least pretend he doesn't terrify me to death.
Marcus circles around me like a predatory animal. His eyes stare lustfully at my chest, and all I want to do is crawl into my skin and disappear. "Now, where to start? There are so many options and so little time…"
Please, hit me. Punch me. Kick me. Anything but rape me. Maybe Uriah decided to come back for me. Maybe he followed Marcus or went to get Toby. Toby's the last person I would want to know about this, but right now I wouldn't even mind if Eric came to save me. Well, that's controversial. If he came, he might decide to join Marcus…
Marcus's sharp fingernail catches on the soft flesh underneath my chin, scraping it ever so gently. "I think we'll start with your lesson. Then we can have some...fun." I flinch as he grabs my already bruised arm and throws me onto the ground. A small gasp escapes my mouth. Marcus clucks his tongue in disgust. "My, Beatrice. For being Dauntless, you sure have grown weak." His eyes glimmer with sick excitement. "You know the drill."
Nodding slowly, I pull off my shirt. The harsh underground air of Dauntless hits my back, as I expose my well worn back. My back tenses as Marcus slides his belt from his pants, drawing out the process long enough for me to shiver in fear and anticipation. Soon enough, pain embraces me like an old friend as the belt whooshes through the air and the familiar searing pain laces up my back. Tears sting my eyes, but I hold them back. I can't give him the satisfaction of my pain.
"What is this for, Beatrice?" His voice is cold and malicious, though it holds a hint of satisfaction. As if he enjoys this. He probably does.
"To...to teach me a lesson." The belt comes down again, harder this time. If I don't give the right answer, he's going to switch sides and hit me with the belt buckle. The familiar words bubble out of me like they have a hundred times before. "I have been selfish. I transferred out of Abnegation. I ruined your reputation. I deserve all of this and more."
"That's right." Another hit, but no belt buckle yet. Maybe this time won't be as bad. "And what exactly do you deserve."
No matter what I say, the result is going to be the same. Uriah already pissed him off earlier. Right now was not the time to test his patience. Not when he had an undetermined amount of alone time with me.
"The...the belt buckle." My voice is strained, and I'm surprised that Marcus actually hears me. I hear the sound of the belt as Marcus flips it in his hand and I brace my back for the harsh impact. If he's already using the belt buckle, it won't be long before I fall unconscious. Then he'll either leave me alone or rape me. Again.
"Good girl. See, you are finally learning Beatrice." I remain still, waiting for the belt buckle, but it never comes. Instead, I receive a sharp kick to the side. The wind is knocked out of me, and I gasp, desperate for air.
I roll over onto my stomach. Exposing my stomach would just mean more pain. Though it won't matter soon anyway. Black has already begun to tint my vision. Blood soaks through the thin straps of my bra, but it won't matter soon. Marcus will rip it off anyway.
Marcus's boot presses into my back, and I hold back a scream. The dirt and grime sink into my cuts and the tough rubber digs into the fresh sores as he presses down harder and squirms it around. More black dots fill my vision. What did I ever do to deserve this? Why does the universe hate me so much? I thought transferring to Dauntless would keep me safe from him. I shouldn't have been so hopeful. I should have known he would have come back. I should have prepared. Instead, here I am, pressed up against the cold stone floor of Dauntless bleeding out as my attacker prepares to rape me. He gives a few half-hearted hits with the belt buckle, which wouldn't have hurt besides the fact that my entire back is torn up at this point.
After he gets tired, Marcus resorts to kicking me a few more times before picking me up by my ponytail. Why was I stupid enough to wear one today of all days?
"Have you learned your lesson, bitch?" I'm frozen in fear. My limbs have completely locked up, my mouth has gone dry. I can't talk or do anything but hope I will pass out soon. Marcus's calloused hand slaps my face, breaking me from my thoughts. "Answer me bitch."
I open my mouth in an attempt to reply, but all that comes in nausea. I quickly close it. Throwing up on Marcus would not be the smartest move.
"Going to be quiet today, are we?" Marcus throws me back on the floor. My head hits the stone with a loud bang. "Do I need to remind you what will happen to your precious Toby if you don't start obeying?" I shake my head quickly.
"No sir," I say with a hoarse voice. Blood from my busted lip coats my mouth, making it difficult to speak. "I've learned my lesson."
"Good, because I'm getting impatient. Let's have some fun now, shall we?" I freeze again.
"No," I gasp, "Please, no, no. Anything but...please kick me more. Punch me more. Kick
me more."
Marcus draws out a knife that I recognize from the training room. How he got it, I don't know. I honestly don't want to know.
"Now Beatrice, I know you enjoy this as much as I do. And I know you don't want
Tobias to get hurt. So let's make this quick and simple alright?"
I shake my head but do nothing to stop him as he continues to pull off my pants and I dissolve into painful darkness.
Uriah POV
Tris and that man don't sit right with me. The look on her face and the way he was grabbing her arm didn't seem at all friendly. She looked almost scared of him. Like he was scaring her into saying what he wanted her to say. She didn't look fine at all. She looked terrified.
I felt awful for leaving her there.
But that's what she wanted, right? That's what she had practically begged me to do, leave them alone. One thing I have learned though is that sometimes what people ask and what people want are two entirely different things.
After walking away I had turned around quick enough to catch a glimpse of the man, Mr. Eaton Tris had called him, leading her down the hallway. One of the only two hallways in the compound with a room without cameras in the compound. Sketchy, but maybe he just didn't want them overheard.
Four was from Abnegation. If he knew Tris, maybe he knew Mr. Eaton too. I try to convince myself that he is probably her uncle or someone, but I can't shake the bad feeling I get when I think about that dangerous look he had in his eyes...Making up my mind, I jog across the compound to the Pit. If he's following instructions, he should be there meeting the initiate's parents.
Halfway to the Pit, Four comes running toward me. Terror and sheer panic run wild in his eyes. He stops before crashing right into me, and I lightly chuckle.
"Woah, man, what's up?"
"It's Tris. Have you seen her? I need to find her."
"Uh, yeah. I saw her earlier with someone on my side of the compound." Four's eyes narrow and his shoulders tense even more.
"What did he look like?"
"Um, typical Abnegation I guess. Baggy, grey clothing. Grey hair. His name was Mr. Eaton she said. I was actually about to come find you about him."
Tobias POV
"Mr. Eaton?" I whisper underneath my breath. "Fuck, he's already got her. Uriah, come with me. Now. Run the fastest you have ever run before." Without another word, I take off towards his house. It's no surprise he would take her there. It had one of the two hallways without cameras in the compound. The perfect place to teach someone a lesson.
I cringe at the thought of Tris having to go through what I did. Through the pain, the hunger, the fear. She of all people didn't deserve that. No wonder she had been so weird since she got here. She's been hiding it from me. Protecting me from finding out. I hate that she thought she had to do that, that she didn't feel comfortable confiding in me.
Once Uriah catches up with me a few minutes later, he begins asking the inevitable questions. I can't bring myself to answer in more than a few words. All I can focus on is getting to Tris as fast as possible.
"So do you like know this dude or something?" I grimace.
"Unfortunately, I do."
"Is he trouble for Tris?"
"Yes."
"Like, a minor bruise on the face trouble? Or like, I need to start calling the infirmary trouble?" Even the thought of a bruise on Tris's face because of my father makes me cringe. I run harder, ignoring the burning in my lungs and exhaustion in my legs.
"Depends on how fast we get there." I try to keep my breathing even, but eventually give up. There's no way I will be relaxed until Tris is safe, in my apartment, away from Marcus. "How long ago did you see them?"
"About a half hour ago."
"Shit. Ok." My brain whirls. Uriah can't see Tris in that room. By the time we get there her back is going to be torn apart by lashes. That will only raise more questions. But he already has questions. Tris wouldn't want him to see her that way. Hell, she won't want me to see her that way. "Can you rent one of the compound's buggies? The control room has access to two. Have your brother rent one out, tell him that I told you to and I'll pay him back later. Then drive it over to the hallway you saw them walking down, and I'll meet you with Tris. Can you do that?"
"Uh, yeah." He turned around and began to run right as I ran forward. Every step was a step closer to Tris. I can't help but think back to my worst beatings. They felt like hours, but looking back, I realize most of them were only twenty minutes. The worst one was almost an hour. If Tris has already been with him for half an hour, then it takes fifteen minutes for me to get there...I don't like thinking about what he can do to her.
The familiar cluster of Dauntless-born houses comes into view, and a slight tension relaxes in my chest. I'm close. I'll get to her soon. Maybe I'll get the chance to beat up Marcus while I'm at it. Beating me up is one thing, but beating up Tris...that was completely different.
As I get closer, I can't help but feel a growing sense of dread and anxiety grow in my stomach, joining with the already large ball of panic and fear. There are rare moments where I allow myself to feel fear. I can ignore it when I'm walking twenty feet above the floor, or when I'm in a small room. But now, as I'm running to the only person who gave a shit about me, the person who is currently being beaten up by my father, I can't ignore that fear. It overwhelms me. Fills every limb in my body. And I can't ignore it.
My hands are shaking, and my breath is much faster then it should be. I need to calm myself down for Tris. I have to try, for her.
The hallway is dark, and there have to be at least a dozen doors along it. Thanks to my hours in the control room, I know the exact one that I'm looking for. 16F.
For one dumb second, I try to open the door with the handle. Unsurprisingly, it's locked. My shaking hands dig through my pockets, searching for my keys. I pull out the emergency ring that I had taken from the control room earlier. It was a skeleton key for all the main rooms we had access to as control room members. I had never used it before now, and I find myself praying that it works.
The click of the key in the lock does nothing for the ball of dread in my stomach that is slowly making me nauseous. I push open the door and scan the room for Marcus and Tris. Marcus is nowhere to be seen. Tris, however...
I hear a faint groan from the corner, and I walk over, anticipation building in my chest. I push away a few boxes to clear space before I see her. Tris.
She's bloodied, bruised, and naked. Her slight form shivers in the small pool of blood that surrounds her. Without hesitating, I pull off my shirt and gently ease her up from the floor. I pull my shirt over her head, trying to be as careful as possible and ignoring the blood that soon soaks it and covers my hand. In the distance, I hear the sound of a cart stopping. Uriah. I make sure my shirt covers Bea the best it can, it's like a dress on her, and ease her into my arms.
A gasp of pain escapes her mouth, and I wince in pain. I want to cry, to scream. This is all my fault. I should have known, should have protected her. Because I wanted everything to be fine, I ignored everything that I should have been looking for. The way she flinched whenever I touched her, her inability to sleep, the way she acted exactly like I did when I got to Dauntless. And I just ignored her.
I run Tris out of the room and towards Uriah's cart. I gently lay her o the back seat and strap a seatbelt across her midsection before sitting down with her head on my lap.
"Drive Uriah. Straight to my apartment." My head jerks back as he suddenly accelerates the cart and speeds towards my apartment.
"Not the infirmary? She looks pretty bad."
"Too many questions."
"No offense, but are you going to be able to take care of her? There's-"
"A lot of blood, I know. Goddang it Uriah, just drive to my apartment. I know what I'm doing.
"You better. I don't care that you're the big bad Four of the compound. If you do anything to hurt her more-"
"That's not going to happen. Drive."
Uriah seems to get the message and accelerates more. I sigh, and we drive in silence for a few minutes.
"What happened?" Questions. What I try to ignore most.
"It's a long story." I see his shoulders sag, and I sigh again. He at least deserves some answer. He did sort of steal the cart for us. "That man is bad news. I didn't realize he knew Tris. Otherwise, 6I would have tried to stop this from happening." There. Simple, but informative.
"Is she going to be alright?" Uriah's head turns around and looks back at Tris's unconscious form before turning back to the road with wide eyes.
I release a deep sigh.
"I hope so, Uriah. I hope so."