Sorry for any confusions. In my story, like the introduction says, the war Veronica writes about has not happened. But I didn't mean that another war wasn't going to happen either. But the way it looks now, a "war" is not certain. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Happy reading ^^

Chapter 24

Tris

When the train stops I open my eyes and it feels like hours has passed, though it's only been minutes. My back hurts from sitting still for too long. Tobias gives me his hand and helps me to my feet. "Thank you," I say. He nods.

"What is up with you two?" Uriah asks. I had forgotten he was with us.

"Nothing." Tobias says. "Let's go." He jumps out of the car.

"Is that your answer too?" Uriah looks at me, raising his eyebrows.

I shrug. "Honestly, I don't know."

We're about a mile away from Erudite headquarters. Flashbacks from when I visited Caleb take me away for a few seconds. It feels like ages ago when we were sitting at home with our parents, having a normal quiet dinner just the four of us.

"Tris." Tobias touches my arm. "They're here."

I look up and see my mom and Marcus walking toward us. But there's someone else with them. My father.

"Beatrice." He says and embraces me. I pull away and he studies me. "Your mother was right. You look so much older and stronger."

Words are not enough, so I just smile at him. "I've missed that," he says and tugs my hair behind my ear, just like he used to when I was little.

"Who's this?" My mom asks and nods towards Uriah. Though her voice is strained, she's still smiling.

"I'm Uriah," he says and extends his hand.

Mom looks at me. "Tris?"

"He's divergent too and he wants to help."

At first, no one says anything. Then Marcus speaks; "Well, one more won't make a difference. And he's Dauntless which means he has skills."

Uriah straightens. "Yes sir, I do."

A hear a faint laugh coming from Tobias. Marcus scowls at him, but he doesn't say anything. "Alright then. Let's move."

Two hours left. While waiting, we stay in an abandoned house near the train tracks. It's not within any faction zone, so it's just common areas. The house seems like a normal family home, two floors, and three bedrooms. We're all gathered around a table in, what I think used to be, the kitchen. On it, Marcus places a map of Erudite headquarters and circles one of the buildings. "There. That's where Jeanine will be when you get to Erudite."

When we're finished going over tactics, mom takes my hand: "You three should get some rest. There's a couple of hours left before you have to leave."

"There are cameras all over Erudite headquarters and we managed to hack them," Marcus says and points to a computer standing in the corner of the room. "So we'll be able to monitor you from a computer we have here."

A smile spreads across Uriah's face. "Advanced stuff you have." No one answers; they just look at him strangely. "Um, only joking." Nervously he puts his hands into his pocket and looks away, like he just did something terribly wrong. I try not to smile.

Tobias and Uriah goes through the plan again, strategies and tactics. I feel like my head would explode if I keep thinking about what we're about to do. I slip away from them, with the intention of getting some alone time.

I walk outside to get some fresh air. The sun is still rising over the city's skyline and a thin layer of fog is sailing over the open field. The only thing still growing there is lavender. I only know their name because it's my mom's favorite. She told me once that she love gardening, but asked me to keep it a secret. At the time I didn't understand why, but now I know that since she was Abnegation she couldn't do anything just because she wanted to and enjoyed doing it. The sun is just beneath the skyline and within minutes the sunbeams will reach the lavenders. Its purple color will make them glimmer in the green surroundings.

My eyes catch a latter leading up to the rooftop. Without looking if someone's watching, I walk up to it and start climbing. When I reach the top, I'm overwhelmed by the view. I can see further than I expected. I can see the Hancock Building where we zip lined, Candor headquarters and if I strain my eyes I can even see the Ferris wheel I climbed with Tobias. From here the city seems so big, bigger than any of us can handle. In a way that's comforting, because it means that your only choice is to deal with the things right in front of you.

"Tris?"

His voice surprises me and I turn around so fast that I loose my balance. He grabs my waist to keep me from falling and my eyes meet his.

"Tobias, you just scared me."

He lets me go. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

His gaze doesn't leave mine. "You're not fine."

I love that. I love that no matter what's going on between us he always knows how I'm feeling. But I still can't tell him that. "Well considering what we're about to do, does it surprise you that I'm not?" I shake my head. "I don't know Tobias, I don't know what I'm feeling." I turn to the view again, hoping that it will drag me with it into its stillness. Tobias stands next to me. I'm not sure what to say to him.

"So, about our conversation on the train." I knew he would bring this up. "I meant what I said. We can't keep doing this."

I know what he means, but I still ask. "Do what?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

I shrug. "I guess."

"Are you upset with me or something?"

"No I'm not. I'm just…"

He presses his hand to my cheek "You can tell me."

Tears fill my eyes and a sob escapes my mouth. I don't remember feeling the need to cry, but now I can't stop it. Tobias puts his arms around my shoulders and presses me against his chest. Right now I don't care about this tension between us. I don't want anything between us. Not even thin air. I pull away and we look into each other's eyes and I forget about everything. The rest of the world disappears and it's just him and me. I stand on my toes and lean in closer, inhaling the scent from his shirt. He fits his hand to the arch of my back, bringing me even closer. I put my arms around his neck and press my lips gently to his. I want to stay here. I don't want to go and risk not being able to see him ever again, or Christina, or my family. I just want to stay here, where nothing can reach me.

"I love you, you know," he says. I pull away. "Even though we've been a little distant from each other these past few days, I still love you just as much. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you, still, love me?"

I nod. "Of course."

"Then we'll be okay. We'll stop Jeanine and everything will go back to normal."

"I don't even know what normal is anymore."

See ya'll soon. Be brave! -s