I walk to the cafeteria for lunch with my friends. I'm lost in my thoughts of Al and why he would think that's the better option for him. Why? What were the other motivating factors besides the obvious: he hurt Tris? Why?
The thud of footsteps suddenly becomes quieter, pulling me back. I turn and see Tris just standing in the middle of the chasm, looking up. I look up too and see the familiar shadow of my brother. "I'll be right back," she says, running up to him. I watch her climb up for a minute before Christina pulls on my arm, tugging me to the cafeteria and we go and eat.
"What was that about?" I ask once she enters the empty dorm room, a small smile on her face and a little bit of fear in her eyes.
"He showed me his fear landscape." She sits down on her bed. I go and sit down on the one across from it. "I know who he is," she whispers. "I know who you are."
"Of course you do. We're friends."
"I know who you were in Abnegation." I swallow and look down, not wanting any of my friends to know. I don't need their sympathy and pity. "You were in the fear landscape. Marcus was hurting you and he couldn't do anything about it."
I glance up. That can't be right. He was hurt far more than me, taking the blame for me when I accidentally messed up. He was hurt far more than me. But then he left. He left the pain. He left Marcus. He left me. And I had to deal with all of the pain, though nowhere near as much as him. But why me and not him?
"Who am I, then?" I ask after a moment of thought. "Who is Four?"
"Four is Tobias Eaten," she says. "And are you an ex-girlfriend?"
"What? What would make you think that?"
"You were so excited to see him at the very beginning of it all and he cracked a little bit before he turned serious again, but now you two don't really talk a whole lot. You seem distant."
"That's because I want to protect who he is and I am. I'm Grace Eaten. His younger sister." I pull down the collar of my shirt and show her my shoulder.
"It's covered in scars."
"From the belt he used." I turn back around, fixing it again. "When he was really mad, he would use the buckle end. He would take all of my lashings for me, claiming it was his fault and I would be the one to patch him up afterward. The two years he was gone, I was the one who took the beatings and had to patch it up myself."
"Is that why you were gone so much?"
"You knew I was gone?"
"Who doesn't notice when the smartest girl suddenly disappears from school for a week?"
"Giant mix of infections, illnesses, and soreness. There were days when I couldn't get out of bed. It still wasn't as bad as Tobias. He was out for two months once and I was pulled out too so that I could take care of him. Neither one of us would've survived without the other. He went to Dauntless to get away from him and I followed so that I could see him again and stay the farthest away from Marcus. That and the fact that I got Dauntless on my aptitude test. Please don't tell anyone. I don't need their pity and I think Tobias is the same way."
She smiles at me before giving me a hug. "Don't worry. I won't. Dinner?" I nod and we head down.
A/N: Hey guys. Sorry, it's been so long. Life has been crazy. I promise to update at least twice before the new year, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please comment. Thanks!