I don't own Divergent!
Chapter Five
FOUR'S POV:
For some reason I didn't think she would come. The event that transpired earlier at the lake I regret fully. I should have known Marcus was trying to do something to do this camp. I needed to tell everyone. All my friends need to know why I have these scars on my back, and why I wouldn't tell them what was going on. I panicked at the lake for an instant. Flashes of Marcus came back to me hard and I needed some time to think about it.
"Four!" a voice sounds, instantly shattering my bitter trance.
"Yeah Tris?" I say looking down at the blonde head to my left.
She looks up at me with a heart-shattering flash of concern.
My hand squeezes the monkey in my hand that Tris awarded me with earlier. I look at her in my jacket with the penguin in hand, its head inclined toward the dirt-enclosed ground.
"You looked like you were thinking about something," she says glancing at the monkey in my hand and then making eye contact.
"Just that you look nice in my jacket," I lie.
I was thinking about Marcus and his malevolent habits. I glance at Tris as we walk and she quickly frowns. She does look nice in my jacket now that I notice it. It covers her small frame and makes her seem small and dainty, although from the death glares she sends I can see that's not particularly the case.
She stays quiet for a few seconds and I see the same look I saw earlier when she wanted to ask me something but didn't want to be rude. I liked the way I can talk to Tris as if we were just friends and she wasn't trying to flirt with me. Shockingly, she is one of the few girls I think I want to know better. I feel my personality change when I'm around her, I don't feel I need to be as reserved.
"You're a mystery, Four Eaton, you know that right?" she says suddenly.
I incline my head downward to get a better view of her. I don't know what comes across my face but it must be an amusing look because she laughs. I'm rewarded with a flash of white teeth and a guise of pure entertainment.
"No Miss Prior I was not fully aware of my enigmatic habits," I reply smirking meriting another beaming smile.
"Well then let's hope that I can help you realize your full potential at them," she responds sarcastically.
"You see the trick is to not even notice them. Enigmatic habits come naturally," I say conspiratorially.
She laughs for a few seconds before stopping and replying.
"Funny I never thought of you as the comedian type Four," she says the corner of her mouth tilted up in a challenge.
Marcus wasn't very open to the come and go humorist.
"Well I hope you can realize the impending need for me to become one," I say.
"I think we need a few practice runs before we get you to top notch levels though."
I smile and shake my head slightly.
"Whipped into shape," she says chuckling to herself.
I freeze. She probably thought it was an innocent comment. It was an innocent comment.
It wasn't to you, not to you, Tobias.
Go to hell, voice, I assert back.
Marcus is always buried somewhere in the crevices of my thoughts and I needed him to be extinguished. I was not going endure any more abuse than all the atrocious years of living with him. However hard I tried to prohibit any notions of his abuse it came back harder every time I merely thought of him.
Well, except when you talk about it to her.
"Four, I think I see Peter," Tris says tugging at the arm of my shirt. A quick warm shock goes through me when she touches me.
It's probably just the cold.
"Where?" I ask raking my eyes across the fair grounds.
"Over there!" she says pointing over to the ticket booth where Peter stands slumped against the white and red with his lackey friends.
Peter and I met one day in the Dauntless tattoo parlor when we were both waiting to get a tattoo. He intended to cut in front of me in line when I glared him down and told him my status among the Dauntless.
The status I earned.
I can tell he's hated me ever since and I've hated his attitude ever since. I actually pitied people that acted high and mighty. Coming from the way Marcus abused me it made a literal sense.
Tris drags me over to the booth and I thank God for the hundredth time that Tris liked carnivals and the fairgrounds.
"Hey Stiff running back to me to tell me I was right, and your stupid little friend couldn't make a shot either?" Peter sneers his eyes raking over Tris's stature lazily.
A quick shot of protectiveness rushes through me.
"Actually Peter we both made a ring in so your own stupid self owes Tris fifty bucks," I say proudly looking at Tris.
"Liars, a weak little girl can't do anything like that fluke of a game," Peter scorns.
"Funnily you're wrong," Tris smirks holding up the penguin I gave her.
Peter stares blankly for a second and then snatches the penguin out of Tris's hands.
"Hey give it back!" Tris says jumping up trying to retrieve her prize. Peter holds it high over his head knowing that Tris is too short to reach it.
"Stupid little girl thinking you can actually do anything in life!" Peter sneers as his lackey's chuckle. "You're a dirty Stiff who shouldn't deserve a life."
He reaches out and smacks Tris in the face quickly. I don't know what history Peter and Tris had but it doesn't seem as the remotely like each other.
Peculiarly enough, this reminds me of when Marcus would hold the belt over his head looking for where to strike me next. I quickly see the white rips of leather through the belt that were made by the impact of leather on my bare skin. Fury rushes through me and I throw a punch at Peter knocking him squarely in the face.
"Give it back and hand me the fifty bucks," I say lowly. Right now, this boy is Marcus. He's also a player with girls that deserves to be put to shame.
"This isn't over," Peter voices with the blood on his face scarlet and wet.
He hands me the fifty bucks from his back pocket and throws the stuffed animal to the ground. He probably would've stood and fought for a while if it weren't for that gush of blood that I see has started to rush from his mouth.
"Come on Tris," I say bending down to retrieve the penguin.
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"Peter is a goddy idiot," Christina says looking at me Tris's blood flushed cheek."Hell, he's first class jerk as-"
"Hey Christina could you please just let us in because its kinda dark out here?" I say.
We walked all the way back from the Pier in silence and at the end agreed to go to Christina since Zeke and the others were probably still zip lining.
"Oh yeah sorry sure," she says pulling Tris into her room and making way for me.
The girl's cabin doesn't look much different from the guys except that they all sleep together and each guy has a separate cubicle for sleeping. I stride over to a bed and sit down. Tris throws her stuff down on the bed and I realize this must be hers. I stand up quickly only to hear Tris say its fine. I sit back down the back of my neck hot.
"So Peter hits Tris and you beat him up?" Christina asks her brown eyes questioning. I've had the feeling that she came from Candor when I first met her up by the zip line.
"Well those were the basics," Tris says rubbing the cheek Peter hit.
"To start at the basics would mean that you would tell me why your father grabbed me," Christina says her Candor mouth switching on. She looks over at me.
"I don't honestly know , because he's crazy? Does that work for you?" I say.
"Well partially, but not precisely," she replies.
I feel Tris's blue eyes boring a hole through my head. I inwardly wince.
Come on Tobias, freaking Dauntless prodigy, Eaton. Think of something to steer away this God forsaken attention.
Thankfully, Tris finishes my thoughts wishes perfectly.
"Oh my God what the crap was that?" she mutters running up toward the door.
"Tris? What happened to you Tris?" Christina asks cocking her head to the side.
"Four come here?" she says and my eyebrows knit.
What's wrong? My head is instantly alert.
Tris turns around and hands me a small slip of paper. I don't comprehend what's happening, I'm going through the motions. The back of my head whispers a distinct name but I can't make it out.
I unfold the cream-colored slip and read the words. Twice.
Tobias,
Meet me at the Pier 12:00 p.m. Bring the owners little girl.
-M. Eaton
My head finds the incomprehensible name. It hisses it out like a snake, Marcus.
A/N: Thanks everyone for reviews and everything! I hope this chapter was fulfilling. Read & review! Always open for suggestions!