Chapter 7

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Tris! I know you're in there! Wake up right NOW!"

I didn't want to wake up, I'd slept the first dreamless sleep in over a year. It was pure bliss. My eyes fluttered open reluctantly and the first thing they focus on is Tobias. The incessant knocking hasn't woken him up yet so his mouth is still slightly puckered. Everything is in sharper focus this morning, the lights, the sounds and the smells. Everything is … beautiful.

"Tris, I swear to God if you don't come to the door this minute I'm kicking it down, no matter what state you and Four are in!" Christina certainly knew how to ruin a moment.

I rose from the bed with heavy limbs, I am completely worn. I'd only been asleep a few hours. I took a few more minutes, before Christina was certain to explode, to put on some clothes and check myself out in the mirror.

Crap – my lips were swollen and my cheeks were still red. I wonder whether she'll be able to tell. Knowing Christina, she will.

I open the door halfway through a yawn.

"Hey Christina." I said nonchalantly, knowing this would only annoy her further. It can be fun to mess with her sometimes. It was just too easy.

"You. Outside. Now" She grabbed my elbow and tugged me into the hallway.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me you had been in the hospital? What happened? I've been worried about you!" She begins.

"Sorry Chris" I look at the ground, I should have spoken with her earlier. "Darius asked me to go through my fear landscape again and they tried a new serum Erudite have been creating but it went wrong while I was under. I've been unconscious for a couple of days."

"Why are Erudite creating a new serum?" She asks.

"I'm not completely sure, but Four mentioned that it's so they can control you while you're in the landscape. He thinks they are going to put you through certain scenarios and see how you react as opposed to your worst fears. Four said it's not a bad thing and I trust him on that"

"Mm-hmm" She says, she is about as convinced as I was.

"You look different Tris." She looks me up and down, looking as if I'd grown a second head somehow.

"Have you and Four…?" She cocks her eyebrow. I smirk, just a little. "Oh my God Tris! Good for you, girl. Come and have breakfast with me and tell me everything."

"Okay, but I need to shower first." I turn and open the apartment door. I expect her to wait in the hall, instead she saunters over to the sofa and takes a seat. I look at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"If you think I'm letting you out of my sight again – alone with him – after you've just experience sex and its greatness" she nods in Tobias' direction "you've got another thing coming."

I step under the warm flowing water of the shower and the sensation on my skin is unlike anything I've ever felt. Since last night, my skin has felt as if it was on permanent fire. A constant electric current running through me. Last night was amazing, if I do say so myself. I finally understand what Christina is banging on about.

"Tris, I don't mean to nag you but you have been in there for twenty minutes! What the hell is going on with you today?" Christina is once again thumping at the door.

Pulling me back into the present, I wash as quickly as possible and jump out the shower, throwing my clothes on and tying my hair up.

I walk out of the bathroom and Christina rolls her eyes at me.

"What?" I ask incredulously. When she shakes her head I stick my tongue out at her.

Tobias is sat up in bed, a wicked grin on his face. He isn't even going to try and hide it. I walk over to him.

"I'm going to get breakfast with Christina."

"Any way I can tempt you to stay?" He smirks at me.

"NO." Christina shouts, too loudly.

Tobias and I exchange the isn't she crazy? glance as I make my way to the door.

I opt for two muffins this morning, as opposed to just the one. I'm ravenous. As soon as my backside touches the seat, Christina pounces.

"Tell me everything, every sing detail. From the beginning. I never thought I would see the day you two got down to it." She laughs. The comment stung a little, but I know where she's coming from.

I tell her most of what happened, only leaving out a couple of details I only want to keep with between me and Tobias.

"I'm glad you've finally experienced it for yourself babe." She smiles at me. I'm just glad I've got her to talk to.

We are just about to get up to dump our trays and leave, when a man bumps straight into my shoulder with his hip. It didn't hurt as much as it might have looked like it did.

Christina jumps up and starts muttering a few expletives toward him but I notice the note that is silently falling onto my tray. I pick it up quickly and drop it into my pocket before Christina even notices.

"What an ass. You okay?" She asks.

"Yeah, fine. Nothing to worry about." She rolls her eyes at me. "I've got a couple of days off work to get better and since I didn't get much sleep last night I think I'm going to go back to bed."

She giggles and gets up to wrap me in a bear hug.

"Love you Chris."

I make my way back to our apartment, knowing full well it will be empty and will give me a chance to look at the note.

I sit down on my bed and open it slowly.

It's a map – I can tell because one small square has HB scribbled inside of it. Hancock Building. I use that as my navigator and soon I understand exactly where she wants to meet. There is a small A on the bottom left of the piece of paper. Ava. Next to the A is a time – ten. I glance at the clock in the kitchen, it's only half nine. If I set off now, I'll make it in plenty of time. My stomach churns with nerves about what she is going to tell me.

I round the corner and the derelict building in question comes into view. The door is slightly ajar and through the edges of the blacked out window there is flickering, candlelight – I presume.

I feel the nervous buzz now more than ever but there is another feeling there too – intimidation.

Do I knock? Do I just walk in? – I'm not sure.

Before the worry takes over me, the door swings open and Ava is looking directly at me, her eyes are bright and she's smiling her motherly smile. She makes me feel at easy instantly.

"Why are you just standing there…? Come in, sweetie" She holds her arm out, waiting for me to pass so she can wrap it around me.

We walk together into the cold, dark living room. There is two tattered sofa's, facing each other. I take in my surroundings, it smells foul, as if something has died. I try not to show my distaste too much.

"Sorry about this place Tris, it's the only house we know is not monitored. We will be safe to talk here." It's as if she read my mind.

Two people enter from a door I assume to be the back door, as a cold gust follows them in.

"Tris, I would like you to meet Scarlett and Jennifer." They both hold their hands out to me, and I shake them awkwardly.

Scarlett is tall, strong and blond. She has the stance and air around her that you know she means business and you would not mess with her.

Jennifer is smaller in build, but by the looks of it just as strong. She has caramel hair with the odd streak of purple.

They both smile warmly at me. Again, it's as if they already know me.

"Why don't we sit down to talk?" Ava leads me across the room to the sofas. We all take a seat and show the same dislike at the discomfort and dirtiness of them.

"I think it's best if I start from the very beginning" she says. "Your mother was born in Dauntless, and we were all best friends growing up." She looks towards Scarlett and Jennifer. "When your mother was fifteen she fell indefinitely for your father and together they decided to build a life in Abnegation. Andrew didn't like Erudite, and while your mother was happy here in Dauntless, she wanted more than ever to be with Andrew. She wouldn't, however, transfer to Erudite. We kept in touch with Natalie as best we could once she transferred. But it was difficult. The years flew by, we all married and had children of our own." She smiled sadly. "But your father became more and more suspicious of Jeanine Matthews. Natalie expressed these concerns to me, knowing that my husband was working closely with the leader of Dauntless. Max. She knew that Jeanine was creating an alliance with Max and she wanted to know more." She took a few moments before she continued.

"Darius looked at the relationship closely, even did a bit of investigating. We found out about the attack before it happened."

I let out a small gasp.

"I told Natalie everything I knew, and together we all formed a plan to shut down the simulation. Andrew would be our brains, we would be the protection and your mother – well she would take down Jeanine. We went through the motions, we were injected with the serum and our part of the plan succeeded. But, what we didn't plan for was the Abnegation who tried to escape before the system was shut down. Six people were killed. One was my daughter, Olivia. She was only sixteen." Her voice trembled when she mentioned her name. Of course – the girl in the picture.

"She defacted – she just wanted a simple life and we completely understood. The crazy life of a Dauntless is not for everyone. Your mother did exactly the same for me as I did for her, she looked over her like a guardian angel." A stray tear rolled its way down her cheek. I reached for her hand and held it tightly. Both Scarlett and Jennifer held their heads down, a look of sadness in their eyes.

"She tried to run, she wanted… needed protection." She squeezed my hand "I should have been there to give it to her." She let out a small sardonic laugh. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't just be throwing this all at you but you have no idea how long I've wanted to talk to you."

I think back over her words – there is one thought that is niggling me and I can't release it from my head. I have to ask.

"So – if you were all injected with the serum … that must mean you're –"She cuts me off mid-sentence.

"Divergent."