Chapter 25

Tris

I get back into the compound and walk down the rocky path to the pit. I don't pay much attention to the shops and cafés along the way, too deep into thought about my conversation with Caleb. Hopefully, Tobias is already home, so I can share my thoughts with him. It's gonna be difficult to keep all this to myself until the meeting. Discussing it with him would definitely help me sort the chaos in my head.

As I cross the pit, I literally stumble into Marlene, causing her bag of recently acquainted make-up tools to scatter on the floor.

"Marlene, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you coming," I stutter and bend down to gather the items back together.

Marlene crouches down beside me and helps to put her stuff back into the black paper bag.

"Don't worry, it seems like nothing is broken, so no harm done." She even starts laughing when she sees my flushed face and the guilt that my features must show. "Really, don't worry."

I really must appear guilty if she feels the need to reassure me twice.

"Thanks for not getting mad at me. I was just... not paying attention to what was going on around me. I was being selfish."

I realize how that sounds when she shakes her head and bursts out laughing. Her laughter is contagious and I welcome the relaxing effect it has on my mind as I join in.

After we've calmed down and all her items are back in the bag, Marlene asks me if I want to join her for coffee. I'm unsure if I should agree, but since I don't know if Tobias is already home yet, drinking coffee with a friend is a good method to take my mind off our problems. We go straight to the cafeteria, the nearest place possible to sit down and chat, and I find I enjoy our time together. I'm relieved Marlene doesn't seem to be angry with me for running into her, or for the unusually strange silence during breakfast this morning.

We're about to say goodbye when I spot Tobias strolling through the pit with big strides, his face concentrated and serious. He doesn't look in my direction, though, and why would he? He doesn't know I'm in the cafeteria.

I'm relieved that he has returned home safely, and the unease that's been haunting me all day instantly dissolves a little. It's good I've been raised to be patient because on our way out, Marlene and I run into Will and Christina, and we stay a little longer to talk to them. It's not difficult to guess how they have spent the day, judging from Will's flushed cheeks and Christina's — Christina's! — tousled hair.

So more than half an hour later, I knock at Tobias' door. I don't want to surprise him again like Friday morning. Although it led to the next step in our relationship, I'd rather not force my luck. But his door never opens, and I turn to go to my own apartment for a while. Maybe he has gone to the training rooms. I've learned during the last days that he likes to go there whenever he's faced to deal with stress, or difficult emotions like anger, and he looked pretty tense when I saw him across the pit.

After taking a hilariously extensive hot shower, I rest on my bed and think about what I'm going to tell our friends at the meeting tonight. It all comes down to organizing two things for Caleb. That is to say, if the others agree to accept his offer to help us. I know where to get at least two Divergents' blood, but how are we going to bring him peace serum?

I'm so exhausted I fall asleep in my bed, and when I wake up it's already dark. The clock tells me I should hurry up if I want to grab something to eat before the meeting. I sigh as I sit on the edge of my bed, the floor cold against my bare soles. I need to turn on the heating in my apartment soon. After an hour or so of uneasy sleep, I don't feel more awake than before. I'm exhausted from this weekend's revelations and activities, from all the secrets and threats. I run my hands through my hair as I stare ahead into nothingness.

Fortunately, I manage to wipe those moments of pity off my shoulders as I get up and dress, telling myself to focus. It's not as if we didn't have any options to conquer their plan. We just have to use them wisely.

I'm not surprised that Tobias is not home anymore when I stop by, since I'm late. But I do wonder why he didn't come over to pick me up before he left. It's not like him.

When I arrive at Zeke's, all eyes are on me the moment I step into view. The others are already sitting around the low table which is filled with bottles and glasses so everyone can help himself to drinks. Everyone's here — except for Tobias.

Judging from the confused looks on their faces, they must have expected him to come with me.

"Where's Four?" Zeke asks.

Yeah, where is he? I don't know why I suddenly feel as if I have to justify myself for not bringing him with me, which is strange.

"I don't know. I thought he'd be here."

"I hope he has returned safely from his mission," Uriah says, and I notice the true worry in his voice.

"He has. I've seen him cross the pit, but I didn't have the chance to talk to him, so I don't know any more than you do."

Where is he and why isn't he here with us? Why didn't he tell anyone if he's unable to come?

"Okay, I'd say we wait a little longer, and if he doesn't show up we start the meeting anyway, and I'll go and look for him afterwards," Zeke suggests.

I take one of the free chairs and listen to the others debate over a name for our group. Apparently, that's what they'd been discussing when I came in. But my mind is too distracted to actively participate in their search. It doesn't take them long to decide on calling us the Allegiant from now on, expressing our loyalty to our faction through the name — to the way Dauntless is meant to be, not the way our current leaders are turning it against our society.

The moment the decision is made, there's a knock at the door and Zeke rises to open it to Tobias. I'm relieved that he's here, relieved that he's safe. I also notice the pained expression on his face. He looks serious and distant in his usual Four behavior, but his eyes aren't the same, as they seem strangely pale and far away. I've never seen him like this and I can't figure what to think of it. Is it just the exhaustion from the day, the lack of sleep, the worry about what we've found out so far, or is there something else bothering him? It's difficult to grasp what it is that unsettles me about his appearance.

He greets us shortly before he takes the last unoccupied chair next to mine, excusing his lateness without any further explanation. Instead, he tells us about his talk to the factionless in short objective sentences, sticking to the facts. He managed to make them agree to try to delay the delivery of new weapons until Friday after next.

"It gives us a week more, at best. That they're telling the leaders it'll take a week longer to get the weapons ready doesn't mean it will work out that way. We all know Eric, and I'm in no doubt he'll use all his power to pressure them into delivering the supplies on time, or at least with less than a week holdup. So we shouldn't count on it entirely."

I have to agree with his assessment of our leaders. They're apparently willing to stop at nothing to reach their mutual goal with Erudite.

"So we should concentrate on developing our plan to prevent the attack. The sooner we have one, the better. Tris, what came out of your meeting with Caleb?" Tobias turns the conversation to me.

I swallow before I begin to tell them about my conversation with my brother. It is a plan, the only one we have, but it will be difficult to put to practice. All eyes are on me while I'm speaking and it's not as strange anymore to be the center of attention than it used to be. When I'm done presenting Caleb's plan, they're left speechless and lost in contemplation. It's unnerving that nobody seems to want to comment on the idea.

"Come on guys, say something, please!"

I don't miss the small upward twitch of Tobias' lips at my display of impatience.

"I don't know if Caleb already has the knowledge to develop a serum like that, but it's the best option we have, and we should try our best to support the idea, unless anyone of us comes up with a better one," he says.

"How can we be sure he told the truth about the whole matter?" Shauna asks, looking around.

"I'm afraid we just have to trust him," I reply.

Zeke jumps into the discussion. "It's only a sign of evidence, but what Caleb said matches with Four' and my observations in the control room. Some servers were removed from there, so the input from the cameras is only recorded for twenty-four hours and then deleted. Up to recently, it was kept a whole week. They could have brought the servers somewhere where they are needed more urgently. Same with the computers in the sim rooms: They've never been removed from there as far as I know, and why would they be? Sure, Eric said something about a virus, but that might only be a fitting excuse."

"He's right. We've already been wondering why they'd do that since, objectively, it reduces safety. So needing the computers to connect them with a bigger program to control a possible army would be a good explanation," Tobias supports Zeke's theory.

We carefully start to discuss what we'll have to do next. Since Caleb said he needed help from an Erudite member, we agree to let Will in on our secret, so he can contact his sister about joining our group. It is dangerous to confide in her, but she's probably the most trustworthy person in Erudite within our reach.

As the focus shifts to the need of Divergents' blood, I clench my hands nervously. What shall we do about that? Shall we out ourselves in front of the others?

Tobias speaks up before I can decide anything.

"I could organize that."

"How?" Christina asks.

Tobias hesitates. "I happen to know someone whose blood I can take. Just don't ask me how and whom. It has to be enough that I promise I can get the necessary blood samples."

Christina slowly nods, apparently sensing the truth in his words. I don't need to question him either, since I know who he's going to get the blood from. Zeke and Uriah also don't seem to have doubts or problems trusting Tobias' words.

Only Shauna narrows her eyes at him. "How do you know someone who's Divergent?"

"Like I said, I can't give you any details. I'm sure you understand that I won't put anyone in danger unnecessarily and without his consent."

"But they can't be trusted. They're said to be dangerous people who have their own agendas in mind. What are you going to tell them on why you need their blood?"

Tobias clenches his jaw as he stares sharply at Shauna with a serious no-bullshit-face.

"I can be quite persuasive. They have to protect their secret nature, and that's why they'll give to me what I ask of them without further questioning."

Woah, he's being scary now, really. The cold and threatening tone of his voice — I don't remember having heard him speak like that.

Zeke puts a hand on Shauna's knee.

"Baby, he's our friend. Just trust him." He sounds annoyed with her attitude.

The silence is so thick you could cut it with a knife if it was solid. Although I'm kind of shocked by Shauna's attitude, I must give her credit for standing up to Tobias that long. But he gets her, how could it be otherwise?

"Okay, do what you have to do."

"Could you organize some syringes from the infirmary for me?"

Tobias has courage to ask something from her right away.

"Sure," she says, defeated. "Just stop by tomorrow during your lunch break. At that time, the infirmary usually is deserted."

"Okay, thanks," he agrees, and it's the end of this part of the discussion.

Now there's only the peace serum left.

"Oh, I could use some of that," Christina sighs. We all look at her, bewildered. She just shrugs, "Why not? I heard it makes you feel comfortable and relaxed, it's exactly what I would need these days, with all those fear simulations Four is torturing us with."

She gets bravery points for that comment in front of Tobias... Saying something like this with that mood he's in... But he doesn't reprimand her or stare her down. He just looks at her, his expression blank.

Count on Uriah to light the tension. "That sounds like a good idea, please share it with me if you get any," he pleads, tilting his head to the side and blinking at Christina.

"That depends on your behavior, pansycake," she retorts.

"I don't think that would be fair," Zeke protests jokingly. "We had to deal with our fears Dauntless-style, so you can't expect to have peace serum to make it easier for you. What are you, Amity?"

He bumps his brother into the side, and Uriah fights him right back, saying he'd only be jealous. I have to laugh at the two of them and the show they're putting on, thankful for that little distraction.

Only when Tobias raises from his chair and places both palms in front of his face do I realize that he's the only one not joining the laughter. Judging by the silence suddenly falling back down on us, it's not just me who takes notice.

"Four, sorry," Zeke begins, but Tobias shakes his head and starts pacing up and down the living room, his conduct not tolerating disruption.

Zeke looks to me as if he thought I knew better than him what to make of that demeanor. It's the first time he supposes I might know Tobias better than he does. Unfortunately, I have no idea what's going on in his mind either.

"That could work," Tobias mumbles, stopping in his tracks.

Nobody dares to interrupt him. We're all waiting for him to fill us in on the plan he's just made up. I'm glad to see his eyes are lighting up a bit. He strides over to us, grabs his chair and turns it around before he sits down on it the other way round, with his arms leaning on the back of the chair. He sounds more excited than he did all evening.

"Okay, this peace serum idea might actually work. I could talk to Eric about it tomorrow and suggest we try it as a means to calm the initiates before they go to bed, so they can rest better and be more efficient during training. If I manage to sell him the idea like that, he might really agree to it. It totally blends with the instructions Jeanine sent him. You know, train the initiates better, prevent them from hurting each other — or themselves, like Al. I would probably have to use it on you as a cover, but we could divert a few doses for our own purpose. They wouldn't know."

Well, that's quite an idea. I have to admit it's good. It all depends on whether Eric buys it or not. We discuss more details, but the plan more or less stays put.

It has already become late by the time we end the meeting. This evening has given us much to think about, and most of us leave with a task to fulfill: Tobias has to talk to Lauren and Eric about the peace serum and organize the blood, Shauna must steal supplies from the infirmary, Christina has to tell Will about all this and they'll have to meet Cara, and I have to keep in touch with Caleb to inform him on the next steps.

I will also have to give my blood, but that's not something that's officially on the list for everyone to know.

DISCLAIMER: I own neither the Divergent world nor the characters, they belong to Veronica Roth.

I hope you liked this chapter. The next one will be shorter and it's a little different from the way I usually write. I'm still fighting with the little layout options on ffn because I can't upload it the way I'd like to. You'll see next week, I guess. It will be Fourtris, but in a sad mood.

I want to thank all of you for reading, for following/favoriting (there have been some new ones during the past week) and reviewing. It means a lot to me!