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

Tobias

Evelyn!

Damn, I should have guessed that she heard about this meeting. Of course, she wants to have a say in this. How could I not have anticipated this?

"It's so nice to hear you all read out those manifestos, but they don't represent the whole population of Chicago. Factionless is the biggest 'faction' in our city, did you know that?" Evelyn states as she stands in the middle of our circle and takes a look around.

Her eyes pause as they meet mine. I hurry to look away. I don't want my identity to be made public in this setting. Basically, I still don't want it to be made public at all. I want nothing to do with neither Marcus nor Evelyn, and I don't want to carry their name.

In the corner of my eyes, I see Evelyn gaze at Tris sitting beside me, and I'm sure she has drawn her own conclusions about us. That's something I don't worry about, though, since I was planning to take her with me to the lunch I have to have with Evelyn tomorrow anyway.

"Evelyn! How are you alive?" I hear Andrew say into the stunned silence that has taken over the room, a silence that will soon be filled with mumbles and stolen glances.

"Andrew, nice to see you again. I see you've taken Marcus' place as a leader after he decided to run off into the outskirts of Chicago or the woods or wherever it is he thinks he can find shelter. Yes, I'm alive, as I've been the whole time. I left Abnegation. I wanted a divorce, but it wasn't possible, so I faked my death."

"But how? How could you do that without Marcus noticing? He was your husband," Andrew asks, his confusion apparent.

A murmur goes through the crowd, like a wind growing into a storm.

"Wait, you're Marcus Eaton's wife?" Johanna asks, perplexed. "Is that why your face seems familiar?"

"I'd rather say I was his wife, past tense. According to the law held up by Candor, we're still married, but I prefer to consider us divorced. I haven't been in contact with this man since I left him. And to answer your question, Andrew: He knew about the plan. He preferred it this way. He supported the idea, can you imagine that? He's not, and never has been, the selfless leader he all wanted you to see in him."

I tense as Andrew starts another question.

"But didn't you have..."

He's stopped mid-way by Natalie, who puts a hand on his forearm, a gesture not usually seen in public by an Abnegation couple. She whispers something to him, and he looks confused for a moment, but then he takes a breath and apparently listens to his wife. I wonder what she told him. Does she know about me? Does she recognize me?

The conversation goes on and Evelyn stresses the role Factionless played in taking down Jeanine, Max and Eric, basically summing up what everybody already knows from listening to the interrogations. I'm alarmed, fearing she could still shout out my identity. I calm down a little when I realize she probably won't do that, because she would have to justify herself for leaving her child behind, which would cast a poor light on her and, that way, would stain her political ambitions. She remains the calculating person she is, that much I can rely on.

I feel someone's eyes on me, and I meet Natalie's gaze as she carefully looks over to me and Tris. She gives me a small emphatic smile that nobody takes care of. Everyone's attention is on Evelyn and the discussion she's started.

In the end, she talks them into giving her a seat and at least let her join the meeting. They squeeze in a table between Amity and Erudite where she can sit down. She's here on her own, so she looks a little lost sitting all alone while all the other factions have sent delegations.

It's a heated discussion that follows, and I have to hold myself back from arguing directly with Evelyn several times. I don't want to make a scene in front of basically everyone. The less I talk to her, the better.

But, I have to admit, both Tris and I are on the same page with several of the demands she enforces for the Factionless. Basically she's asking for more participation in society and the decisions that are made in the government. She no longer wants Factionless to be treated like the scum of Chicago and fobbed off with empty promises, dependent on Abnegation donations. The idea of reintegrating people into the faction system by offering them a second attempt to try initiation is an idea we talked about among the Allegiant on our way to Amity, too. It had come up yesterday already, when we were looking for ideas how to help Edward and Myra.

It's not a big surprise that Abnegation support the suggestion. Erudite are against it, while Candor says they would have to change the laws first and they would need time for that process. Amity can't make a decision yet. They have to discuss and take a vote on it within their faction first. I sigh. Didn't Johanna just apologize for being too hesitant to pick a side an hour ago?

Time flies, and after four instead of the assessed three hours, we've had to accept that there won't be a quick solution. The process of changing faction relations and laws will be a slow one with a lot of obstacles that require agreeing to a bunch of compromises.

I want to be a part of this process. While I turned down the option to become a leader beside Max and Eric, I can now see myself in this position. It'll be the only way to be entitled to have a say in the future of our city. I need to talk about this with Tris soon. Judging by how passionately she's arguing, I can imagine she'd be interested, too.

Evelyn leaves without talking to me in private, but she gives me a nod that says something along the lines of 'see you tomorrow'. That's gonna be interesting. I wonder when she'll realize that I'm not interested in a relationship with her as my mother. If I really become a Dauntless leader, I probably won't be able to avoid her completely, but I'm determined to keep our contact on a professional level only. That is to say, after the three months of forced meetings have passed.

In a way, I think, I used Evelyn's guilt and expectations to make her help us by giving her a little hope. But I refuse to feel guilty myself because of that.

Now that the official meeting is over, people of all factions mix and make some small talk before getting ready to leave. Our group splits up, too. Tris and I want to go over to Jack, but a hand on my shoulder stops me.

"I'm sorry, Four, could I have a word with you - in private?" Natalie asks.

Tris looks back and forth between Natalie and me, not knowing what to make of her mother's request.

"Don't worry Tris, go ahead. You'll get him back in one piece, I promise," Natalie smiles at her daughter.

"Alright," Tris replies. "I'm going to talk to Jack for a moment."

"Sure," I say, feeling uneasy despite Natalie's promise and her kindness. I don't like to talk about my family.

"Why don't we go outside for a short walk?" Natalie suggests, and it's not really meant as a question.

"After you," I say courteously with my arm outstretched towards the door, and she takes the lead while I follow behind her.

We don't go far, just to the nearby orchard where we walk between the trees.

"Four, I don't want to invade your privacy too much. I was just wondering what the connection between you and Evelyn is," she begins.

I sigh.

"Was it that obvious?"

I really hope it wasn't. Natalie shakes her head.

"Not for those focused only on Evelyn and her speech. But I knew her when she lived in Abnegation. I wouldn't say we were friends, that doesn't really exist in Abnegation, and I think you know that." She gives me a knowing look. "I must say I didn't see it coming that she was the leader of the Factionless that you talked about in that video footage from your interrogation in Candor. You never mentioned her name in that one, despite the truth serum." Another pause. "I went to her funeral, many years ago. I gave my deepest condolences to her family. I remember she left not only Marcus behind, but also a son. He was only a child back then, still so young. He was hiding in his room the rest of the day when we came back from the cemetery. He had always been a shy and quiet child, but after his mother's death, I hardly saw him outside anymore."

I set one foot in front of the other as I keep walking. I don't know where Natalie is going with this, but it's strange to hear her speak about me as a child. I thought there was nobody left who knew me as a child and would still remember me today.

"I wonder now why she left her son behind willingly. What happened that made her so desperate that she'd rather fake her own death than to stay with Tobias?"

She looks at me directly now, but I can't meet her eyes. She knows who I am. She knows it's me.

"That's a long story. I think Marcus was too cruel to her and mistreated her too much for her to endure staying any longer in his house," I say cautiously with my heart pounding heavily.

My hands are slightly shaking, so I hide them inside the pockets of my pants. Although I know she has found out my true identity, I prefer to talk about myself from a distance. I can't do it any other way. It hurts too much. I'm sure she understands.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, and shocked. I didn't know he mistreated her. I should have been less consumed with my own family and taken a closer look."

The honest regret in her voice forces me to swallow. Maybe then my life would have been different. But it's not her fault. Nothing of this is her fault. It's Marcus' fault, and Evelyn's, at least what happened after she had 'died'.

"Marcus was too good at letting everybody see what he wanted them to see. He was the charismatic leader, and why would anyone doubt his integrity?"

"He's been a good actor all those years. And now this deal with Jeanine... It shows everyone what kind of person he really is." Natalie pauses. "Or a part of the person he really is," she corrects herself.

"A part of it. They don't need to know he was abusive towards his family."

"Is that why his son transferred? Because he was mistreated, too?"

I don't trust my voice, so I just nod. Nodding is easier than saying it out loud.

"I'm so sorry. No child should have to experience that."

Now she doesn't just seem to be dismayed, she seems to be equally angry. I like her for that.

We keep walking side by side between the trees in silence, and this silence becomes more and more comfortable as we both follow our own thoughts. We're almost back to the main building when Natalie stops and looks at me again.

This time, I force myself to meet her eyes. And that's a relief. Just like her daughter, she doesn't judge me for what has happened to me.

"He should be proud of what he has achieved in his new faction. He has turned into a strong and likable young man."

"Likable?"

My eyebrows are raised before I can stop them. Strong, yes, but likable? Me?

"Yes, likable. Maybe some people don't get to see that because they only see the protective layer on the outside, but those who take a closer look can't miss that he has a good heart."

I don't know what to reply, so I look down at my feet on the muddy ground and say nothing.

"Come on, we should go back in. I'm sure Tris is waiting for you already," Natalie says, putting an end to this conversation.

We start walking again, but I feel bad for my speechlessness.

"Thank you, Natalie," I say quietly.

"You're welcome, Four," she says. "You're part of our family now, you'll have to get used to hearing nice things about yourself."

Tris

I wonder what it is that my mother wants to talk about with Tobias. I wonder if she put together the pieces of the puzzle that are on the table about his identity. How would Tobias feel about that?

I have to trust my mother with this, and fortunately I do. She'll find the right words for him, I'm sure. He'll tell me later.

Jack approaches me when he sees I'm walking towards him.

"Tris, you've said some very wise things today. You should consider a leadership position in your faction. Dauntless would surely benefit from someone with your foresight."

I momentarily forget what I wanted to say to him in the first place. I wasn't prepared for his praise.

"Thank you," I reply politely. I swallow the 'Do you truly have that much confidence in me?' since he's the leader of Candor. Instead, I ask, "Can we have a private word, please?"

"If you feel that's necessary, then yes. But I can only leave for a few minutes."

"Sure," I say.

We go outside and as I take a look around, I see mum and Tobias walk between the trees in the orchard. Respecting their privacy, I turn towards the greenhouses on the other side. Jack follows me. We don't have to go far, I just want to make sure we're out of earshot of the main building.

"I wanted to thank you for keeping our secrets. Tobias and I were both concerned about the interrogations, especially when we saw the video of ourselves. We're both grateful that you cut out a part of the truth. We weren't aware you would do that on purpose."

"Ah, well, sometimes there's more than one version of the truth."

That's all he says, as if it would explain everything.

"I thought Candor believes there is only one all-embracing truth."

"That's the prevailing doctrine in our faction, yes. But there are situations, like this one, that require a responsible handling of the truth. They are rare, but they exist."

"And Niles thinks that, too?"

"You're too smart to think he avoided the topics in question accidentally," Jack smiles.

"Who else knows our version of the truth? The complete version, I mean?"

"In Candor, just the two of us. I don't know what you told your friends, that's up to you. And then there're the conspirators, of course they know more than they were able to say during their interrogations. But you don't need to worry about them, they won't be able to tell anyone once their sentences are carried out. The only danger is their supporters still on the run. Dauntless will have to capture them as soon as possible."

"We will get to work on that tomorrow," I say.

We'll have to put together a good team and set out to find them. But knowing Dauntless, that won't happen today. Today is the day of the big party, and probably half of our members won't be suitable for anything useful tomorrow. We'll have to wait for Monday to make plans and start looking for the fugitives.

"I wish you good luck with that. And Candor still has plenty of empty cells to welcome them," Jack says. "If that was all, we should head back. I'm surely being missed already."

"Yes, that was all," I say, pushing the thought of Marcus, Peter and the other conspirators at large within Chicago to the back of my mind. I've become quite good at pushing worries away and deal with the present first.

And today, that means celebrating our victory.

Since this is the last chapter I post in this year, I wish all of you a happy Christmas! Have a good time with family and friends and make the best of the holidays. ❤

If you're looking for some Fourtris fluff to get you into Christmas mood, I wrote a short story titled "An unexpected Christmas Eve" last year that you can find on my author's page. I know many of you have read it already, but maybe there are some who haven't.

Thank you all for your support on this book!