From Tris' Perspective

It had been surprisingly simple. Uriah had wanted to go with me, but I and the others had been able to convince him that there was no reason to risk his life as well. Once it was dark, I rode the train into the City. I had the transmitter in a sack, slung over my shoulder. I was dressed in Four's black sweater and pants from Amity, and if I encountered anyone, my plan was to pretend I was factionless, out searching for scrap metal. If the Factionless happened upon me, I'd run. I needn't have worried, though. When I jumped onto the train, it was deserted.

The ride seemed longer than before, but I'm sure it was because I was alone. I feel Four's absence acutely. It's like a weight on my chest, crushing me. I pray that he gets my message and understands it. I had wanted so badly to give some hint of where I was, but I knew that if I did, it would endanger the people I was with in Amity, as well. I passed the time with prayer.

When the time came, I jumped from the train, taking care not to damage the transmitter. The impact jarred my legs more than usual because I couldn't roll, but I was still in one piece. I stood up straight, steeled myself, and walked into Abnegation. It was a moonless night. There were no lights. I had a small flashlight in my knapsack, but I didn't dare turn it on for fear of being seen. So I had felt my way along the rows of houses, stumbling once over something lying in the path that I think may have been a body. I did not go back to check. There was nothing I could do for any of them.

I found the house that was my target, in the very center of Abnegation. I knocked quietly, then immediately realized the foolishness of it. I slowly eased the door open, and peered inside. Empty, of course. I climbed the stairs to the second floor, went down the hallway, and entered the smallest bedroom. I moved the desk closer to the window, and hopped on top of it. Then I opened the window and pulled myself halfway out of it, my hips resting on the sill, still facing inward. There was a knack to this next move, but I'd performed it many times. I was just able to grasp the rim of the roof and pull myself up and over, onto its flat surface. As a child I'd spent many nights on the roof of my own house, gazing at the stars. I had no time for that tonight, though.

I carefully removed the transmitter from my knapsack and set it on the roof. I had been given careful instructions about testing and activating it, and I followed them exactly. I removed the left panel, keyed in the sequence of numbers I'd been taught, and pressed the button to engage. It was working. It was a strong transmitter, and Katrina and the others had stressed to me the importance of getting in, and particularly out, of Abnegation as quickly as possible. Getting off the roof was considerably more difficult than getting onto it. As I slid through the window, the sleeve of Four's sweater snagged on the windowsill, sending me tumbling to the bedroom floor. I had a painful gash in my side. I scrambled to my feet and hurried out of the house. Blindly, I made my way back out of Abnegation the way that I had come. The pain from the cut grew with each step, and it occurred to me that I might be leaving a trail of blood behind me as I walked. There was no way to check in the dark, but it would be obvious in the morning.

All Abnegation households keep medical supplies on hand, for helping the factionless, so I opened the next door I came to and crept inside. Once there, I froze. It was Four's house. I took a deep breath to clear any thoughts of him from my head, and headed into the kitchen to find some bandages. As a child, I had hated the uniformity of all our houses, but at that moment I was grateful to be able to locate what I needed quickly. When I lifted Four's sweater, I saw that I had been bleeding quite a bit – I had made the right call. I sprayed the wound liberally with antiseptic and covered it with a large bandage, taking care to wipe down the counter and to pack the wrapper and a second bandage into my knapsack. I wanted there to be no link between Four and the transmission. I was just about to leave, when another thought came to me. Perhaps I could leave him a message.

I slowly crept upstairs, heading for Four's bedroom. The first room was clearly Marcus', and the second was an office. The last bedroom had clearly not been inhabited for some time, though it had been dusted recently. Four's schoolbooks and papers were still neatly stacked on the desk. I searched frantically for something to write with and finally found a pencil. I grabbed it and quickly drew a Ferris wheel, like the one I had drawn for the transmission. This time, though, I took an additional risk, thinking Four would be the only person likely to ever see it. I drew an arrow from the Ferris wheel to a tree, in an attempt to signal that I had gone to Amity. It was a long shot, but I had to try.

That done, I took one last look around the room. It was strange to think of Four as Tobias, dressed in gray - living in this room, doing his schoolwork, dreaming of the day he would escape, just like I had. Longing for him hit me like a tidal wave then, and I sat down on the bed to steady myself. I pressed my face to the pillow, hoping it still retained something of him, but I smelled only the familiar scent of Abnegation soap. It was hopeless. I would never see him again. During the past week in Amity, I had slipped into a livable routine, my spirits buoyed by Uriah and the others. This was the first night I had been alone since the night I had read my mother's letters on the train. I pulled my feet to my chest and rocked myself slowly, trying to make the pain go away enough so that I could walk out of here and make my way back to Amity. I lay back on the bed, still rocking. It had been a mistake to come up here. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to make the tears stop. I emptied my mind…

I awake with a start. I realize that I had fallen asleep. Stupid! How long have I been here? There was no way to know. I quickly jump out of the bed and make my way down the hallway. And that's when I hear it. It's probably what woke me in the first place. There are people in the house. I can hear their boots on the tile of the kitchen floor. There are at least four of them, and I can tell from the sounds they make that they are not moving around with the cultivated grace and silence of the Abnegation. Who were they? Dauntless, perhaps? I need to hide. I carefully open the door to the hallway closet and quietly enter, trying to make as little noise as possible. Then I freeze.

"Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"I thought I heard somebody walking around upstairs."

"You're imagining it. Even if there were Abnegation still alive, they wouldn't be in this house – it was Evelyn's. Marcus is still being held at Erudite, and Tobias is in Dauntless by now."

"I'm going to go take a look."

"Suit yourself."

I hold my breath as I hear boots on the stairs. I carefully press myself as far as possible into the back of the closet, covering myself with old coats and blankets. It is stifling, and I begin to understand Four's fear. It was unforgivably foolish of me to linger in this house. The boots pass the closet door, and enter each of the bedrooms in turn. Now they're back in the hallway. I count the steps – one, two, three. I slowly exhale as they pass me and descend the stairs. Saved.

"Find anything?"

"No – nothing. Literally, nothing. How do these people live like this?"

"Beats me."

"Of all the factions that had to go, I wish it hadn't been Abnegation. They were the only decent people in the City."

"Don't let Evelyn hear you say that."

"I won't. I like having all my teeth."

"I hate sitting around here waiting."

"We need the Dauntless."

"We've got more than enough fire power to take Erudite on our own."

"Sure, but then what? This way, the Dauntless will take the blame. The longer we can go without showing ourselves, the better."

"I know. But I hate the waiting."

"We'll have our revenge soon enough."

My mind reels, realizing that things are about to unfold exactly as I feared. And I'm trapped in a closet, unable to do anything about it. I can't breathe. It's risky, but I fumble through my knapsack and find my flashlight. I push a blanket against the bottom of the door to keep any light from showing, and flip the switch. I am not prepared for what I see next.

I see the marks on the door first. It looks as if a caged animal had clawed at it, trying to escape. Four. It's heartrending. As I survey the other walls, I see that he, too, must have had a light in here. The walls are covered with drawings. Many of them are stick figures – a woman holding a smiling boy's hand, a man playing catch with his son. This is the life he had dreamed of – the life he deserved.

I hear a woman's voice now, but it's muffled. I turn my flashlight off and pull the blanket away from the door, replacing it with my ear. It's Evelyn. She is harder to hear, but I can just make it out.

"Take a look around, boys. I spent eleven years in this box. Marcus beat me every one of those days, except when I was pregnant. Every day."

I almost feel sorry for her, until I remember her cold eyes, and my mother's warnings.

"We'll make him pay."

"No. He's mine. I'll make him pay. And it won't be quick." I believe her.

"Wait, I hear somebody coming."

"That'll be them," says Evelyn. "Right on time."

"It's three of them, just like you said."

"Alright. Let me do the talking. Keep an eye on the woman, though. She'll be the tough one."

Author's Note: I am so sorry this chapter has taken so long. There has been a lot going on with me lately, and I just haven't been able to get my head straight enough to sit down and write. I was concerned that there was just way too much hiding in that upstairs closet, but it was the only way I could think of for Tris to find out quickly exactly what the factionless are up to. But what will she do with this information? Thank you for reading, and as always, I welcome your comments good and bad. I will try not to have such a long wait for the next chapter.