Hiya guys! So I'm really busy for the next few weeks and won't have much time to update, although I will try harder if I get some reviews...

Enjoy this chapter XxxxX

Chapter 8 – An Unexpected Visit

Tris's POV

The initiation training had ended, although Tobias and I were still left clearing away endless piles of equipment half an hour after the bells for lunch had sounded.

One bell sounded at seven o'clock in the morning to ensure that everyone was awake enough to be ready for the second bell, which sounded twice at nine o'clock, which told everyone that wherever they were supposed to be that morning they should begin heading to. The exception is Monday. Every fortnight, of course, there is a Dissembly that all of Divergent must attend, although every other Monday is the 'morning of rest' – as people say. The only other bells that sound during the day are for lunch and dinner – lunch sounding three bells and dinner four.

At this moment in time, the cafeteria was still under construction; however we were told that all would be complete in just under three weeks. All inhabitants of this faction knew that there would be a place for all to eat very shortly, but we are a faction that believes strongly in routine and so we – as a council – decided to enforce all that needed to be enforced now so to get people used to the ways that everything would eventually work.

And of course there were the last bells of the day, five to signal lights out. We weren't too strict when it came to lights out, although we knew just how much some people could regret not going to sleep earlier and having to get up early the next morning. I'd made that mistake before, and I hadn't made it again since. I guess that if people need to learn those sorts of lessons for themselves, it's fair to allow them that right.

After placing the last pointed knife neatly into the rack, I pushed the trolley over to the corner and pushed it into the behind of another. Without looking I said, "Tobias, almost done?" And I was surprised when I was left with no immediate reply. "Tobias?"

"Six, I'm over here," it was Tobias's voice, muffled yet audible, but he wasn't referring to me as Tris which meant that we weren't alone.

I looked along at the boxing rings but there was no sign of anyone over there. Then I switched my gaze to the targets, then to the punch bags, then to the place that the mats were kept. There was still no sign of him anywhere.

"Four? Where are you?" He had made it clear that someone was with him, so I knew not to use his name either.

This time the reply was less muffled, "Six, we're here."

I turned to look behind me to find Tobias standing in the doorway that led to the Erudite-based training. So that was why his voice had been muffled, the door had been closed. It was still odd that he would be there, but I hurried over to him anyway.

"Who exactly is 'we'?" I asked, but it wasn't Tobias that answered my question, although the voice that came sounded very much like him, just lower and rougher, but certainly not unfamiliar.

"Beatrice, it's been a while since our paths crossed."

I felt a shiver trail up my spine as I looked into the cold depths of Tobias's eyes. I trotted past Tobias and found myself face to face with a man whom I had sworn would have nothing to do with this faction in its making and nothing to do with the man I loved.

"Marcus Eaton," I stated bleakly. He stood before me in a pristine grey suit and tie. His hair was as white as ever and his eyes as cold, selfish and unreasonable as I remembered. "I would say what a pleasure this is, but even someone with no connection to Candor couldn't pull off a lie as big as that."

"How lovely of you," he retorted, but kept his tone light obviously unaware of the expression on his face. "Well I must say, as much as I am enjoying this, I didn't come here to share pleasantries over a cup of coffee. There is something going on, and I am curious in whether you have noticed any strange occurrences recently."

I glanced quickly at Tobias but quickly understood that he wasn't planning on speaking anytime soon. I decided to share as little information as possible with my replies. "What do you think is going on? And what exactly has led you to believe so."

"I assume that if I were to insist you answer your question first that I would be disappointed." He waited for a moment and let the silence drag on before sighing and saying, "I don't have any logical ideas for what strange event is taking place, but it was the speaking to the leader of Erudite that rattled my cage. Leanne Collins. She wasn't herself, but I didn't feel it was my place to interfere."

"In what way was she not herself?" I questioned, although his expression turned irritated and he spoke rather sternly when he replied.

"I did not come here to answer your questions, I have plenty of my own, and it would be in your best interest to answer the question that I asked of you no less than a minute ago!"

"Don't you dare speak to her like that," Tobias demanded as he stepped in front of me in a protective stance and glared at the man who abused and beat him for the first sixteen years of his life.

"Tobias, it's okay," I whispered in his ear so quiet that Marcus would have to be standing two metres closer to hear it. "He has a valid point."

After glancing my way quickly with his eyebrows furrowed and eyes worried, he stood back beside me and took hold of my hand.

I nodded at him with a small smile before saying to Marcus, "Very well. Yesterday morning, at our Dissembly, the leaders of the council spoke of reconnecting with the other five factions. You obviously know as well as we do that there would be no good to come out of that, so we could not leave the matter. Instead, we've been trying to solve this so-called 'puzzle' although we haven't come very far."

He stood there in silence the entire time I spoke and continued that way until at least two minutes later. It was then that he said, "I am glad that my son has you, Beatrice," and circled us before starting his walk out of the room.

"What on earth do you think you're playing at?" Tobias insisted as he ran to catch up with his father. "You can't leave just like that!"

"I think you'll find that I can, and I will," he said, his voice clearly irritated with the fact that his exit was now blocked off by his son.

"Four's right; you can't leave us like this."

"So it is true," Marcus spoke astonished, "You continue to use the number of fears to address yourselves in public." He chuckled, but it was clearly a strain. "May I ask why that is?"

"It's your turn to answer a question, Marcus; I just answered one for you," I reminded him.

"Very well, what do you wish to know?"

"What do you plan to do with the information that Six has offered you?" Tobias requested. "Where are you planning to go with it?"

"In all fairness, that was two questions, although I will be reasonable considering one is extremely obvious. First, I plan to use the information that you have given me and the information that the other faction leaders give me to work out what is going on. Second, I am planning to go back to the faction of which I govern."

"Who has given you information so far?" I asked.

Marcus held up his finger and shook it from side to side with a smile plastered across his face; one that I didn't know was real or not. "I was kind enough to answer two questions, however I am not so kind as to answer three without one in return first. So as I asked before, why do you choose to be addressed as the number of your fears?"

I looked over at Tobias and saw that he was looking at me, too. There was no way to explain why we used the names we did, we ourselves didn't really know. So when I looked back at Marcus, he read my face so fluently that he knew there was no answer to entertain his question at this moment in time. Instead of prying, he turned smoothly and walked out the door.