Tris was unable to leave Four's presence.
It had been ten minutes and no one else had come out of the door yet. Although she was pacing back and forth in apprehension to get rid of the nerves coursing through her veins, her feet would eventually bring her back to Four's direction, where he sat with his legs crossed on the ground.
Their eyes would meet, and after a long moment, he'd offer her a small ghost of a smile. Tris would have to begin pacing again to prevent getting sucked into his gaze.
She would do anything to relax in Four's arms, but there was some type of test still going on. She would just have to wait until after.
Footsteps.
Tris stops her pacing and turns around just in time to see Uriah come back. He looks around until he spots Tris and his eyes light up slightly. They both jog toward each other. As Tris moves in to pat him on the back, Uriah engulfs her into a slightly sweaty hug instead.
"Ugh, you're so damp and sticky!" Tris laughs as she pushes him off while slugging his arm lightly.
Silent like a fox, Four makes his way toward the both of them. Even though Tris can't hear him she is able to feel his presence.
Uriah uses his shirt to wipe his face, exposing his stomach. Before she can look back up at him again, he's already gotten his shirt back down and caught her stare.
"Enjoying the view, m'lady?" Uriah asks while raising his eyebrows suggestively, well-aware that Four is watching everything between them. She didn't really care. She was just happy Uriah was his usual self again, able to crack jokes to make the mood lift.
Tris opens her mouth to give a clever remark but is interrupted by a loud gasping.
Lynn emerges out the doorway with a pale blank expression, but crazed look in her eyes. She coughs and shakes her head as if trying to get something off her face. Finally assessing her surroundings, her panicked expression resumes to her regular cool stare as she realizes she is being watched.
"What?" She growls.
They all look away and Tris frowns as she glances at the clock.
00:24:07
"I wonder how long this will take." She murmurs quietly, not expecting anyone to really answer.
What a dumb question. Of course this would take long, they were facing their fears. Wanting to immediately go to sleep without waiting for everyone any longer was a bit selfish... But she was so tired.
"I don't think everyone will be back for a while," Uriah answers anyway as he tilts his head to the side. "Hey, I'll be with Lynn if you need me. Just gonna see how she's feeling and all."
With a quick smile, he bounces off into her direction. Tris watches him for another second, then heads over to where Four had been seated earlier. She crouches down until her bottom hits the ground and brings her knees up to her chest.
Tris tilts her head up to look at Four who was now the one pacing. Every time he reached the timer board, he'd observe the seconds tick by with an emotionless expression, then walk the opposite way. The way he moved back and forth was almost transfixing, and she feels her eyelids begin to droop with gradual weariness.
After a few moments, she rests the side of her head on top of her knees and allows her eyes to fall closed.
Assuming Four had finally given up on striding back and forth, she feels him approach her and brush against her body as he moves to place himself by her side. No longer fighting off the fatigue, Tris feels herself slip away from the world.
"Tris, get up." Someone shakes her gently.
She forces her eyelids open, wincing at the lights and stiffness in her neck.
"We're waiting on Al. Everyone else is here, look." Four murmurs as her eyes regain a clear vision.
She looks around to see everyone scattered, all having their own conversations with each other or lost in their own thoughts.
"How long have I been out?" Tris asks as she diverts her attention back to Four.
He holds out a hand for her and after a moment she cautiously wraps her fingers around his, allowing him to pull her up.
"Maybe twenty minutes. It's been 40 minutes in total and somehow Al is still going through his fears."
Tris feels her head tilt to the side. "Hm. Either he has a lot of fears or he can't snap out of it."
Four nods, distracted. "So how is everything going?"
It takes her a few seconds to realize he was talking about her. "Nothing. I'm fine... just tired."
"Hopefully it won't be too long." He sighs as he rakes a hand through his hair, making it stick up in all sorts of directions. "We all could use some serious sleep."
They stand in silence for a few minutes.
"Hey." Four says while nudging her arm.
She looks up at him and furrows her eyebrows when she sees him grinning. Eventually, her lips curl into a small smile as well. "What?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to see that." He smiles as he taps the corner of her mouth.
She shakes her head and looks the other way.
"Why are you like that?" She says into the air, not really meaning for Four to answer.
"What do you mean?" He replies after a moment.
She turns to peek at him with concealed curiosity as his eyes continuously flicker back and forth between her eyes and face.
"You just-" She pauses and shakes her head once again. "Your personality is different with different people. When you're with me-"
Tris has to cover her ears when a sharp noise sounds from the timer board. Her gaze immediately snaps toward the doorway where Al is leaning, sweat literally dripping from his hair to the hem of his shirt.
No one else seemed to notice Al. Everyone's attention was focused on the screen that was about to leave a message. Because it didn't seem like anyone else would check on him, Tris leaves Four's presence and jogs over to where Al looked like he was about to cry.
She stops about a foot away from his body. Even though he was sweating like crazy, there was no trace of any body odor, just his usual overwhelming scent of lemon.
"Are you alright, Al?" Tris asks.
His eyes flick over to hers like he was just now noticing that Tris stood before him.
"Al?" She repeats, trying to make her voice sound gentle.
He stares at her for a solid five seconds, making Tris feel incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. When he finally closes his eyes and reopens them, he exhales deeply.
"Oh my God."
Tris studies him. "What? What happened?"
"Oh my God." He says more loudly.
"Al?"
He begins to shake uncontrollably and Tris frowns. She takes a few steps forward and clutches his arm where there was no sweat. A shadow looms over her and she doesn't need to glance up to know who it was.
Hey, it's okay." She whispers softly as she makes Al take a few steps forward. "It's over, you're fine."
She was aware of all the weight he had and how weak she was compared to him. As Al begins to lean on Tris, Four has to grab the other side of Al to keep him from crushing her.
"He needs to sit down. His legs are shaking like hell." Four states, one arm holding Al, the other scratching at his chin.
"Al, I'm gonna help you sit down okay? Yeah, easy, alright, just relax." She continues to mutter to him, though she was sure he wasn't understanding or listening to a word she said.
After Tris gets back up on her feet, she looks over at the timer board again, only to see that it displayed two words:
Testing Complete
"Step back, Tris." Someone brushes past her and begins to haul Al up. Four does the same to help.
"Zeke."
"Yes?" He asks as he slings Al's arm around his neck. When he has a proper grip on him, he meets Tris's gaze.
Her mind goes frantic. She wanted to ask Zeke what exactly he meant when he mentioned Four only "noticing her" before they'd entered their fears... But she also desired to ask about something a little bit more personal.
She was smart enough to know not to even mention that she'd read Zeke's profile, so she decides she was going to ask about his life instead.
There was just so much negativity in all of their lives and Tris wanted to make sure she could understand everyone's perspective. She wasn't the only one with the crappy life. She was so overpowered with her feelings that she forgot about the rest of the world. She needed to know how someone like Zeke coped. How he always had a positive vibe and cared about everyone, unlike Tris who was selfish and didn't give a fuck about what others said.
Yes, she could easily just ask Uriah... But perhaps asking someone like Zeke would be more beneficial to her. He was the older one that played the big brother role, and he was seemingly more mature and collected than Uriah.
"I uh." She goes on. Tris steps forward and Zeke leans his head toward her, knowing she wanted to whisper.
"After we've all slept and feel better can you come with me in the training room?" She peeks at Four who was no longer focused on them, but Al who was beginning to regain his right sense of mind. "I just wanna talk."
Zeke gives her a genuine smile, teeth and all. "Alrighty, Trissy. We shall talk later. I'll shoot you a text."
Tris nods while backing up. She glances at Four again. "I'll be in the room."
He stares at her for a moment before shaking his head, his voice changing into something surprisingly strong and bitter. "No, walk with me for God's sake, Tris."
She frowns as she watches Four drag Al and Zeke toward the door.
After a few seconds, Tris sighs heavily and begins to follow.
It was weird. The doorway they had gone through for their fears felt like an endless hallway. But when they entered it again, it was no longer dark and the walk was a mere five feet. It was almost frustrating. She mentally adds that to her list of possibilities for where they were. Like she'd told Four, maybe it was some sort of simulation. As logical as that sounded, it still made no sense all the same. How did they get physically injured after every game?
She doesn't ponder over it too much. Her thoughts were running around her head like a swarm of bees. She was too exhausted to think reasonably.
Tris pauses in her step and turns around, immediately spotting Lynn. If they were going in the same place, she might as well walk with her. She waits for her to catch up and continues to walk again.
"Feeling better?" She questions, breaking the deadly silence.
Lynn nods. "Sure. And you?"
"I think I speak for us all when I say I'm tired as fuck."
"Well, I genuinely think you're a bit more tired than all of us combined after that failure thing... But I agree." She sighs.
They pass through the cafeteria door and walk through the black hallways. Tris would never get used to that uneasy chilly feeling she always felt.
"Why are you guys holding me?"
Lynn snaps her head up and Tris follows her gaze to Al who was now standing on his own.
Four immediately steps back and crosses his arms, glad to be free, while Zeke sighs. "You were pretty unstable."
"Oh, well, I'm good now... I think."
Al rakes a hand through his damp hair and looks over at Tris and Lynn. "What's happening right now?"
Tris leans against the cool wall. "You were the last one out. Now we're just going back to our rooms to rest. It's been long."
He turns to the direction of his room. "I think I can go on from here."
"Great." Four answers automatically. Zeke has to bite back a laugh.
"Alright. Has anyone of you seen Shauna?"
"Right here!" She calls back, distant.
"Nice. Okay, see you later guys." Zeke calls back to them as he begins to make his way toward the rest of the group.
They go their separate ways, but as Zeke brushes past Tris, they give each other a look of reminder.
When the hall is empty except for Four and herself, she suddenly feels at ease.
"Finally." She mutters as she begins to make her way toward their room.
Four falls in step with her and in no time, he's unlocking their door.
They go about in the room in a comfortable silence, checking their phones, grabbing a change of clothes, drinking water, and using the bathroom. It was almost depressing how easily they were moving around in the room. They were so familiar with where everything was that they had an unspoken routine. It was horrible how they were getting used to... wherever they were.
Almost as if on cue, a certain thought passes through her mind.
We need to find a way to get the fuck out of here.
But she would have to wait until later- when she'd slept, rested, and gotten more answers about anything and everything regarding their situation.
Tris looks in the mirror and sees a tired frowning girl with messy hair, black shorts, and a black crop top hoodie staring back at her. Her eyes travel around her body and she sighs as she remembers the huge scratch on her ankle. She screws her eyes shut and blocks out the memories of going through her fears and losing the people she loved.
Tris makes her way over to the kitchen cabinets and pulls out the first aid kit. As she begins to roll out some gauze bandage, she hears the click of the bathroom doorknob turning.
"Here, I'll do it for you." Four declares as he strides over to her.
Too tired to protest, she plops down on the couch and lifts her leg as he sits on the floor to clean her cuts. To distract herself from the burning she focuses her attention on Four, who's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration.
Her eyes rake over his face, and she marvels over how perfect and fucking attractive he was.
His eyes...
She could never seem to get over the refreshing deep blue and his dark eyelashes. His features were too pretty for a boy. Yet, here he was, the most handsome being alive.
Tris hadn't noticed until now, but he'd gotten rid of his scruff, leaving him with a smooth face. She clasps her hands together to prevent from reaching out.
As if sensing she was staring, his eyes flit over to hers, and he holds her gaze for a moment before Tris looks down at her ankle to avoid it. She moves her foot around to test the bandaging.
"Thanks."
As Four stands up Tris observes the way his muscles move from beneath his muscle tee. He was also wearing some athletic shorts like her.
Tris gets up and sits down on her bed as Four closes the lights in the room, leaving them in a darkness. The only thing keeping them from being plunged into total darkness was the light radiating from the screen, which read... nothing.
"Why doesn't the screen have a time?" Tris asks aloud after Four gets settled into his bed.
He turns toward the screen, but Tris can't make out any of his facial expressions.
"Either that means there's going to be another surprise game soon or we're finally getting a fucking break."
"Hm, I like the latter." Tris sighs as she sinks into her pillow.
They fall silent, and it doesn't take long for quiet steady breathing to fill the room.
Just from one person.
Tris sits up again instead. She was tired, but she didn't feel good. Every time she closed her eyes, she'd get this intense feeling that someone was watching her. It wasn't cameras- she knew that for sure because they'd both searched the room and came up empty.
It was the disturbing images of her fears.
That, and flashbacks of getting captured just a couple days ago. She didn't realize how traumatizing it was until that moment- when she wasn't distracted anymore and all her thoughts could rush back to her with no interruptions.
She'd gotten locked in a room.
Someone had followed her.
Someone fucking hit her hard enough to knock her out.
There were also metal noises, and that wasn't even the first time she'd heard them before.
Tris reaches for her phone and squints as the bright light burns her eyes. She runs her fingers across the new smooth screen and logs in. 12:40 am.
She presses on random apps mindlessly in hopes of getting bored enough to fall asleep when she ends up in her contacts. As she flicks her thumb up to scroll through the names she suddenly realizes everyone was there except for one person. Myra.
"Shit." Tris gasps forcefully and claps a hand over her mouth. She looks over at Four's sleeping figure and examines him for a few seconds, making sure he hadn't stirred, before looking back at her phone.
No, she'd thrown her phone hard enough to break it. They couldn't have seen her contacts. All they did was replace her phone. If they knew, she'd be eliminated by now.
Her eyes flick over to Four again. His chest moved up and down at a gentle and consistent pace. Tris has an internal battle with herself. Should she go or should she not?
Better now than never.
Tris gets up from the bed slowly and slips on her sandals. It was past midnight. That meant Myra would be in the cafeteria like she usually was.
She had to get her phone number again. Myra was her only source of getting to know about Group A. It was better to get the number as soon as possible or else she wouldn't get an opportunity like this again.
Tris is careful as she exits the room without a sound and runs her fingers against the cool wall to help guide her to the cafeteria. Something was different this time.
She was terrified.
Feeling paranoid was the last thing Tris needed. The more steps she took, the faster her breathing rate increased until she has to force herself to stop.
Get a fucking hold of yourself, someone will fucking hear you. Tris thinks to herself angrily.
She crouches down and takes multiple deep breaths to steady her heart rate before forcing herself to walk slowly. Maybe that's why they were getting a break. They all were so mentally fucked.
Tris shakes that thought away. Everything was fucked the moment she received that Skype call.
She turns through the final hall and quietly pushes the door to the cafeteria open.
"Myra?" Tris calls out with a soft voice as she lets the door close gently behind her. She takes a few steps forward until she whips out her phone to use as a source of light like the last time she'd come.
"Myra." She calls out again.
Tris frowns and strides over to the black table. She turns off her phone, knowing there were cameras that might be able to pick up her light if they really were watching.
She exhales heavily as she runs a finger across the table. No one was here.
"Fuck it." She finally declares as she turns around. She heads toward the door and just as skillfully, she's out.
As she begins to walk back, she pauses and checks the time on her phone. 12:58 am.
"-you'd have to switch every camera you were watching through every five minutes or so."
Tris purses her lips and squats low as she slips off her shoes, reminded of the day she and Four had gone out and found the Group A infirmary. They both had gone with only their socks on their feet. He had also informed her that every five minutes, the cameras would switch which would give them enough time to move around without anyone seeing her.
With her gladiator sandals in one hand and her phone in the other, she begins to walk as soon as the time strikes 1:00 am. Her feet are swift as she practically slides across the cold floor.
"Hello?" A voice hisses.
Tris feels her heart drop all the way to her toes as she immediately presses her back against the wall.
Of course. No matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to keep quiet.
"Where the hell are you?"
Tris holds her breath as she hears footsteps from the other corner of the wall. It sounded like a male's voice.
"Just tell me where you are."
She bites the inside of her cheek as she peers past the wall she was hiding behind and has to suppress her gasp.
Blue clothing. In black territory.
Tris forces herself to stand straight. Actually, she stands with a sudden burst of indignity. She was so close to her room, meaning that whoever that guy was shouldn't be in their area.
As soon as the footsteps begin to walk near her, she comes out of her hiding spot and bumps her shoulder directly into whoever was passing by.
"Oh, fuck." He swears in surprise as something flies out of his hand.
Tris uses her hand to turn on her phone and flashes the dim light on him. "Who the actual fuck are you and why are you here?"
The figure holds his hands up. "Let me grab my phone first."
Tris holds her breath and stares at the way he cautiously crouches down to grab his phone which had skidded a couple feet away from them.
He was talking on the phone with someone.
"Hang up," Tris says sharply.
He taps the red button on his screen, but the writing was too small for Tris to see who he'd been speaking with.
"Don't run. I can beat the shit out of you." She continues, her voice growing more vicious with every word, though she was actually petrified.
"I'm sure you can." He replies as he holds his hands up near his head. Tris doesn't take the time to wonder if his comment was legit or sarcastic.
"I'm Matthew." He finally answers and holds out his hand. Tris stares at it until he lets his arm fall back down beside his thigh.
"Matthew." She repeats, letting the name roll around her tongue. He tips his head to the side. "Matthew, why the hell are you here?"
His smile drops. "I-"
She waits for him to continue his sentence, but he never does. He just stares at her, eyes trailing all over her face and body. Observing. Studying. Instinctively, Tris takes a step back but keeps a rigid posture.
"You were talking with someone." She nods her head over at his hand which clutched his blue phone. "Call them back right now."
"What?"
"Call them right now." She repeats.
"Why? Tell her-" He immediately stops his sentence and Tris raises her brows.
"Tell her that whatever you were planning is canceled," She finishes as she slowly backs into the wall beside her. "You were going to meet up with her."
Matthew stares at her in bewilderment for a second before grabbing his phone. As he scrolls through his contacts, he speaks without glancing up at her.
"You know, I'm only calling her because I didn't want to meet up with her in the first place."
Tris opens her mouth to ask him what he meant by that, but he turns around and places the phone near his mouth. It takes only one ring for the girl to answer.
Tris strains her ears and hears a muffled 'Where the hell are you? What happened?'
Matthew turns his head away from her. "Nita, it's too risky. Go back."
Who the hell is Nita? Tris thinks momentarily
'what do you mean?'
"Look, there's someone here. I can see them. I'm calling it off."
They bicker for several more seconds before it finally seems like Matthew wins their argument. As soon as he hangs up, he looks back at Tris.
"Nita... She's a bitch." Matthew laughs quietly.
"Look, can you just tell me why you were here? You're not supposed to be here."
He frowns. "It's not important, really."
"That's not an answer."
"Sure it is."
"No, that's dodging the question," Tris replies while standing straight again, hoping to look intimidating.
When he tilts his head to the side again and studies her face, Tris feels her eyes narrow. "Why the fuck do you keep doing that?"
"What am I doing?" He asks, starting to feel amusement.
"I don't know, you tell me."
Matthew watches her with a lazy smile before shrugging.
"Well where else am I supposed to look, I'm talking with you, aren't I? Should I look at the wall?"
Tris crosses her arms.
Matthew shrugs again as though he has all the time in the world. "I don't know. I just... find you captivating."
Oh, fuck off.
"Matthew. What were you and Nita gonna meet up for? And why here, of all places?"
He exhales slightly. "I told you, it's nothing. Not a big deal. We were only looking for Nita's roommate."
Tris frowns and is about to give up when an idea hits her.
"This... roommate. Does this roommate usually leave his or her room?"
"Yes."
"A girl?"
Matthew takes a deep breath, then shakes his head in resignation. "Yeah. Myra."
Myra. I knew it.
"When was the last time you saw her?" Tris is surprised about the concern she feels for her.
Matthew doesn't pick up on her sudden worry. "She came back to her room, but she left again. I don't know, I thought I'd follow her except she heard me and she turned into your territory."
"So it's partially your fault."
"What?"
"You were reckless with your walking. She heard you and freaked out. I don't think there's anything to worry about, Myra will be back after a while to make sure no one is on her trail."
She rakes a hand through her hair, feeling that she could trust Matthew for some reason because he was so willing to be honest back. "If you don't mind me asking... Can I have Myra's number?"
"Why?"
Tris bites the inside of her cheek. This was pretty unsafe, but she didn't think Matthew would do anything. "A couple days ago or so I got her number. I don't have it anymore, but I'd like to get it back."
Matthew smiles slightly as if he finds something comical. "So we both were out looking for Myra. Man, I wish I could have two hot people trying to find me if I went missing."
Tris frowns in disapproval. What am I doing?
"Look, just give me her number." She asks, her tone becoming hard.
She hands over her phone and watches as his thumbs move across her screen. When he gives it back, Tris doesn't meet his gaze.
"Thanks." She mumbles.
"It was my pleasure meeting you and all, Tris."
She glares at him. "Don't ever speak of this encounter."
He frowns from her unexpected discourtesy but doesn't say anything.
Tris turns around and practically strides all the way back to her room, leaving Matthew to find his way back alone.
After fishing out her key from her pocket and entering the room, Tris exhales a deep breath of relief. She'd made it back.
Tris lets the door slowly fall closed behind her, tosses her gladiator sandals to the side, and instantly makes her way over to her bed. As she gets under her covers she opens her phone again. 1:27 am.
She'd been talking to Matthew for so long.
Tris scrolls through her contacts and feels her eyebrows furrow.
Not only did Matthew add Myra's number, he'd added his own as well.
Tris shuts her phone off and slips it under her pillow. She'd had enough for the day, and she was exhausted.
As she shuts her eyes, she wills for her body to relax.
Sleep is quick to devour her.
A/N: Hey guys. It's been long, and i could cover this entire chapter with my apologies, but im sure ya'll are tired of them, haha. i'm sorry. So sorry.
But i'm back and have gotten my shit together. New updates every FRIDAY... i realize i've probably lost all my readers, but there are still a few who keep coming back to check on this story, and i appreciate every single one of you.
Again, updates every friday.
i promise.