From Tobias' Perspective

Max is rough with me as he leads me to the Pire. Christina and Will follow a few paces behind. It occurs to me that it might be my execution I'm being led to, rather than Eric's. I'm not sure I care. At least it will be quick.

I hear the crowd before I see it, as we round the corner. It's noticeably thinner than the last time we were all gathered here. I have this strange feeling, the opposite of déjà vu. It should feel familiar – I should feel at home, but I don't. None of the faces look familiar.

At the center of the Pire, where the bonfire had been, is a chair. Eric is tied to it. He's straining against the ropes. His face is red and bulging and his piercings look more prominent. The Dauntless are screaming for his blood. He is glaring back at them, but I can tell it's just a cover for the terror he must be feeling. He sees me and the glare turns to cold hatred. The crowd quiets.

Andrasta steps forward to meet me. This is the Dauntless way. No pronouncements. No second chances. She hands me a pistol. If feels cold and uncharacteristically heavy in my hand. I am paralyzed.

"Get it done," hisses Max behind me.

Eric hears him and emits a high-pitched, nervous laugh. "You can't do it! The legendary Four. But you were never one of us."

"Neither were you." I answer, quietly.

Eric lunges toward me, and his spittle coats the side of my face. As I use the sleeve of my jacket to wipe it off, Max slams the butt of his rifle into Eric's arm. He screams.

"Shut the fuck up, Eric," Max snarls.

"Trust you to get me right where it hurts, Max." Eric answers. "Though it's Four's fault, really."

"What?" I ask. It all feels so unreal.

"Stop playing around, or I'll shoot you myself," warns Max.

But Eric continues. "You taught her that little trick, didn't you?"

Whatever emotions are playing out on my face, they encourage Eric and infuriate Max.

Eric is laughing again now, at me. He's enjoying this. "Everyone at Erudite is dead now – including her."

Max shoves me. "Do it, Four. Waste him."

I raise my pistol, but Christina interrupts. "Wait, what are you talking about, Eric?"

"Four's little bitch girlfriend," shouts Eric. "She threw a knife at me."

The space around me seems to contract and expand. The dreams. They were real? I open my mouth to confirm it, but I'm too late. Max shoves me aside and fires his rifle. Eric slumps in the chair, a small red circle quickly expanding and covering his chest.

There is silence, and everyone is staring at me.

"It was supposed to be Four." Shouts Harrison.

Max is defiant, though. "What difference does it make? He's dead now."

Strangely, no one seems to care about Eric's revelation. What they do care about is my hesitation in firing. This is Dauntless, and they'll never forgive me for that.

I square my shoulders and look Max straight in the eyes.

"You never belonged here."

"No."

"Then get the hell out of here." Max grabs the pistol from my hand, then turns to Will and Christina. "One hour. He's got one hour to pack. Then he's gone."

I look to Andrasta, then to Harrison, but neither will meet my gaze. I'm out.

Will and Christina follow me out of the Pire and down the hallway to my quarters. The second we're out of earshot of the others, Christina bursts out.

"It was the girl from the bonfire, wasn't it?"

I don't even know where to start, so I say nothing. She can't let it go, though. This was always her downfall.

"Four, you have to tell us what's going on."

"I don't know." It's almost the truth. All I care about though is Tris. She came for me. It's all that matters. And I have to find her. Behind me Christina chatters on, but I block her out. Could Tris have been at Erudite, like Eric said? No, she could never have gone back after rescuing me. And Zeke and the others never came back to Dauntless. Tris was behind the broadcast, I'm sure of it. That means she left factionless after she brought me there. Evelyn didn't kill her. They are probably all still together. But where?

We're at my door now. I open it, and glance back at Will and Christina. She moves to follow, but Will gently holds his arm out in front of her. "We'll wait outside."

My room is exactly the way I left it. Exactly the way we left it. The bedsheets are tangled, the familiar gray blanket is half on the floor. I squeeze my eyes shut and the images play, almost like a movie. Tris, so beautiful – laughing in my arms. For that one moment, it was all so perfect. Was that all I'd ever have? I run my fingers along the words I had spray painted across the wall. Fear God alone. It's hard to believe I'm the same person who put them there. I'm not. I fear so many things now.

I grab a knapsack and start throwing things inside. A canteen, a notebook with maps I'd drawn of the factionless district, the few articles of clothes I own, an extra pair of boots. Could this really be all I have left of the last two years? Far worse, I have nothing left of Tris. But she came for me.

I start to walk out, but I turn back. Things seem unfinished. It's the Abnegation in me. I start to make the bed. I fold the blanket slowly. I start to pull the black sheets flat, and that's when I find it. The shirt Shauna had brought Tris. In the panic after the bomb, she'd thrown my sweater on, and left this behind. I reach for it quickly, almost afraid it will disappear before I make contact with it. Touching the shirt only reminds me how much I want to touch her. I've got to get moving, though. I fold it carefully and place it in the bag. Now I'm ready.

The three of us walk back together. I'm about to turn down the hallway that will lead me out of the Dauntless compound, when something occurs to me. As I turn around to ask, Christina nearly plows into me. She's embarrassed and jumps backward.

"Sorry, Four."

"Can I stop by the Control Room?"

"I don't think Max would want you in there," Will replies.

It's a risk, but I have to take it. "If you give me five minutes in the control room, I'll tell you what I know."

I watch them both. Will wavers, but Christina is hooked.

"Will, this is Four. We can trust him." Christina pleads.

"Max doesn't trust him."

"We've just seen what a good judge of character Max is."

This brings Will pause.

"Alright. Five minutes." He concedes.

Once inside the control room, I log into the mainframe. No one thought to revoke my access. I quickly switch to the program I'd written just a few weeks before. I'd given Tris a copy as well. It's a long shot, maybe she's managed to send me a message. The screen is empty.

"Damn." I mutter, and push myself back from the console.

"What were you looking for," asks Christina.

It's time for me to make good on my promise. "The girl. She and Zeke and the others got me out of Erudite. I thought there might be a message from her."

"She was Erudite? How did you even meet her?"

"That's a long story, and it's not important right now. Here's what you need to know. Evelyn…"

"Your mother."

"Yes, my mother." The words feel strange in my mouth, but I push on. "Evelyn is organizing the factionless to take over the City. She's playing us all. Max, Eric, Jeanine. She's using Dauntless to attack the other factions. They'll destroy each other, and the factionless will be all that's left."

"How do we stop her?" Christina asks.

"I don't know."

"Where will you go?" Will asks.

"I need to find Zeke and the others. After that?" I shrug. I'm hoping Tris will know what to do.

"How can we help?" Christina asks.

I shake my head. "You can't. I've already put you in too much danger."

Christina takes a small bundle from inside her jacket and puts it in my hand. It's food. "Take care of yourself, OK?"

"I'll be alright."

With that, I stand up and walk out of the control room. They don't follow. I can hear my boots tapping out the rhythm of my last walk through these halls. I don't look back. I open the main door and I'm almost blinded by sunlight. For the first time in weeks, I'm glad to be alive. She came for me.

A/N A short chapter, but a good one, I hope. Four finally knows for sure that Tris didn't betray him. But how will he find her?