Tobias and I take our seats between Will and my father in the council and leaders section that was set up. I look across the gallery and see Christina sitting with her mom and younger sister, Rose; Caleb sitting with Will's sister, Cara; and my mom sitting off by herself with a content smile on her face. She never ceases to amaze me. In the tiered benches are hundreds of faction members waiting patiently for Cameron's interrogation. Hopefully this will be the last interview we have to sit through ... ever.
The heavy double doors bang open, echoing through the chamber, and Cameron saunters into the room with a superior look on his bruised face flanked by Purple-Hair, Snake-Tattoo, and two armed Candor guards. They lead him to the chair in the middle of the room, and he starts to sit down. When his eyes meet mine, shock crosses his face, and he freezes. He obviously thought he killed me last night. I can't hid my happiness at the fact he's in custody and I'm alive and a dazzling smile turns up my lips. Once the shock wears off, he finally lowers himself the rest of the way into the chair and glares at me.
"You're supposed to be dead," Cameron shrieks, not taking his eyes off me. A hush falls over the crowd as he speaks. "I killed you." Niles and Jack look my way then back toward Cameron with curiosity on their faces.
"We will have order," Jack says and the room goes deathly quiet. "We are here for the interrogation of Cameron Wright who is charged with murder and crimes against humanity. After his interview all sentences for the criminals in custody will be handed down and the dates of all executions will be revealed." He turns to Niles and nods.
"My name is Niles Murphy. I will be conducting your interrogation this evening," he says to Cameron. "The truth serum is stronger than normal due to a friend of yours withstanding the serum until he passed out. The stronger version is impossible to withstand, and you will answer immediately. If you don't answer immediately, you will feel a painful sensation." I can attest to that. He opens the black box on the table by Cameron and takes out an alcohol swab. "Please wipe off the left side of you neck." Cameron defiantly crosses his arms across his chest and looks away. Niles takes a deep breath, rips the package open, puts his hand on Cameron's head, roughly turns it to the right, and wipes off the left side of his neck. Niles then takes the syringe and jabs it into the left side of Cameron's neck causing him to flinch. Nile's been doing this for so long, he no doubt hit the vein. As Niles throws the syringe in the trash can, I see Cameron's eyes glaze over, and he slumps in the chair. Here we go.
"What is your full name?" Niles asks.
"Cameron Nathaniel Wright."
"What are the names of your parents?"
"Drusilla Wright and Asher Parrish," he says. I look around the gallery and see Nathan and Callen sitting off by themselves. Nathan shakes his head but shows no other emotion. Callen on the other hand looks like an emotional wreck. I can't image what he's going through right now.
"Why do you think Asher Parrish is your father?" Niles asks.
"My mother took me aside when I was 8-years-old and told me she had something to tell me. She said she had been lying to me all my life and that Nathan is my stepfather. My real father's name is Asher Parrish, and he lives in Erudite." Niles hands Cameron a piece of paper and confusion crosses his face for the first time during the interrogation.
"Your mother has been lying to you since you were 8 years old," he says. "Right there is DNA proof your parents are Drusilla Wright and Nathan Wright. You are a 0% DNA match to Asher Parrish." Niles doesn't give him any time to absorb the fact his mother has been lying to him for over half his life. "When did your mother approach you about eliminating suspected Divergents?"
"On my 16th birthday," Cameron says. What a birthday present.
"How did she approach you," he asks. "I need the whole story."
"I wasn't feeling well that day so Mom let me stay home from school. She brought a slice of Dauntless cake home from the cafeteria for me while Callen was at school and Nathan was at the fence," he says. "She sat me down at the table and told me a very terrible story of how she was assaulted and nearly killed by a Divergent boy she knew growing up named Dawson. She explained to me how dangerous Divergents are and that they need to be eliminated from society to keep us all safe. My birthday was a week before my Choosing Ceremony, and she told me she wanted me to join Erudite to be with my father, Asher, because they needed my help. They made it their mission to destroy all Divergents to keep everyone safe. That's when she told me the plan." He tells us the same thing about the lists Asher and Dru did. "Once I joined Erudite, I became fast friends with Ben Riley and Jason Grant. Less than six months later I recruited them to help with the problem also."
"Do you remember the names of the people you assaulted and killed?" Niles asks after a moment of silence. Cameron pauses for a bit then flinches.
"No, I don't know their names," he says. "There were too many to keep track of. Mom did that."
"Did you think it was okay to hurt the people you assaulted and killed?" he asks.
"Yes," Cameron says matter-of-factly with no confusion and no remorse. Outrage moves through the gallery until Jack calls for order again.
"Why?" Niles asks.
"I told you, Divergents are dangerous," he says.
"Have you ever personally witnessed a suspected Divergent being dangerous?" Cameron pauses and confusion crosses his face once again.
"Um, no," he says.
"Then why did you believe your mother so easily?" Niles says.
"Because a Divergent raped and tried to kill her. She didn't lie about that." Silence dominates the room. Everyone is learning this situation is just about a callus mother who used her gullible son to exact revenge on a group of people who didn't deserve it. Cameron, as horrible as he is, is just a pawn like so many of the others. How could a mother destroy her very own son that way? Momentarily my mind wanders to Evelyn and all the hell she's put Tobias through but I push it away. We'll deal with her another day.
"You were arrested in Dauntless last night," Niles says. "Why were you there?"
"I knew the end was near so I thought I would kill the one person my mom wanted eliminated the most, Tris Prior, and she should be dead right now. I gave her death serum last night." A gasp goes through the crowd and eyes land on me but I hold my head high. Niles and Jack turn toward me, confusion on their faces. Everyone knows it's impossible to survive death serum.
"What's he talking about, Beatrice?" my dad quietly says. I shake my head at him and tell him not now. Tobias reaches over and squeezes my hand then gets up and goes to Niles and Jack. Although I can't hear what he's saying, I know he's telling them my cover story. I see them both nod.
"Tris is lucky to be alive today, Cameron," Niles says. "It seems you stole the wrong serum from Erudite."
"I did not," he says forcefully. I hold my breath. "It was death serum."
"Obviously not or she wouldn't be here right now," Jack says. I start to relax. They believe the lie. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go back under truth serum.
"Do you have any questions for the prisoner, Four?" Niles asks. Tobias hands him a piece of paper. "Cameron, did you leave the Christmas gift at the Dauntless Christmas Party?" Cameron actually laughs at this question.
"Yeah," he says. "I loved how I could walk around that compound among those mindless idiots and no one ever suspected a thing. I was six feet away from the leaders table and not one person looked my direction. A little self-centered I would say." I see the Dauntless members in the audience didn't like being called mindless idiots.
"Why did you attend closed Abnegation meetings?" Niles asks still reading from Tobias' note.
"I was gathering information for Mom and Dad ... Asher," he says.
"Did you learn anything valuable?" Niles asks.
"They never told me if any information I forwarded was valuable or not," he says. "I happened to think it was very boring. I've never been interested in politics." I see Jack making a note of something after Cameron's answer then looks at Niles in silent communication and Niles nods.
"I have one final question for you," Niles says. "I ask everyone who goes under truth serum this question. What is your biggest regret?"
"My biggest regret is believing my mother so wholeheartedly and not questioning her. I should have. I've wasted my life." The moment this answer crosses his lips, he looks confused. Obviously he didn't know his deepest regret.
Every Candor member says in unison," Thank you for your honesty."
I let out a sigh of relief. It's finally over. Now all we need to learn is everyone's punishments and when any execution will be held. Tobias comes back to me, and I stand up and wrap my arms around him. He hold me close and kisses the top of my head then stiffens a bit. I turn my head and see my dad looking at us. I narrow my eyes at him.
"What's this about death serum, Beatrice?" he says, worry covering his face. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mom, Caleb, and Cara coming our way.
"Why don't we wait for Mom and Caleb," I say. Cara comes rushing to Will and straight into his arms. They hug each other for a full minute, whispering in each other's ears before letting go. Soon everyone including Christina, Stephanie, and Rose is standing around me waiting for my explanation. I tell them about Peter's warning, the masquerade ball, and Cameron dressing like Four and putting something in my drink.
"It turns out it wasn't death serum like he told me," I say. "He either lied and said it was death serum to scare me or he made a mistake and stole the wrong stuff. I just feel lucky to be alive."
"We're all glad he made a mistake," Christina says. "I can't imagine my life without you." We hug each other closely.
"Christina," Will says. She lets go of me and turns toward the sound of her name. "I want to introduce you to my sister, Cara. Cara, this is my girlfriend, Christina." They smile at each other and shake hands. "I'm sure you remember Tris and Four." I hold my hand out to her, and she shakes it.
"It's nice to meet you, Christina," she says. "And it's nice to see you two again. I'm glad this mess is over."
"We all are," I say. This is the first time I've been around Cara and haven't had the urge to punch her in the face. This causes a smile to turn up my lips. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I really don't ever want to see this room again." Everyone laughs at my statement.
"Can we have order?" Jack says once again. When I turn toward him, I see all the prisoners have been brought in wearing handcuffs, except for Cameron. He's still slumped in the interrogation chair under the influence of the truth serum. I look around and see Nathan and Callen hovering by the double doors ready to make a quick escape once they hear Dru and Cameron's fates. I think we all know what they will be. I catch his eye, and he nods at me. I smile and give a little wave. He definitely isn't ready to smile yet. I hope he'll be okay. I need to reach out to him after this is all over.
"If everyone will please take a seat, I would appreciate it," he says. Everyone scrambles to find an empty seat. "We will start with the least severe charges and work our way up to the most severe. Once the charges are read, the sentence will be delivered and the prisoner will be taken back to their cells." He starts out with the spies, listing Abnegation, Amity, Candor, and Erudite before getting to Dauntless. "Dante Reyes, Dauntless. Charged with spying. Sentence is death. Samuel Donovan, Dauntless. Charged with spying. Sentence is death." I knew this was coming since all the other spies were sentenced to death but it doesn't make it any easier. They're making examples out of them. The spies from almost four months ago when Jeanine, Max, and the other Dauntless leaders were executed were only made factionless. Our city is not taking any chances this time. I look around the room but Kirsten and Ella aren't here. I don't know how we're going to tell them the news. They probably didn't know the sentences were going to be handed down tonight or maybe they did and they just couldn't face it.
"Jason Grant, Erudite. Charged with murder and crimes against humanity. Sentence is death. Ben Riley, Erudite. Charged with murder and crimes against humanity. Sentence is death. Cameron Wright, Erudite. Charged with murder and crimes against humanity. Sentence is death." The only audible sound is Callen's intake of air. Now I see tears in his eyes. Nathan puts his arm around the shoulders of his youngest son, comforting him. "Alec Parrish, Erudite. Charged with assault and crimes against humanity. Sentence is six months in jail then memory wipe." I look at Tobias with a question in my eyes. What in the world is memory wipe?
"Before I get to the last two sentences, I have something to say," Jack says, pacing back and forth in front of the only two prisoners left in the room, Dru and Asher. "I am appalled by your actions. It is very unfortunate what happened to you Drusilla when you were 15 years old but that does not give you the right to take the law into your own hands and seek retribution against people who never wronged you. But the most reprehensible thing you did was to bring your innocent children into it. Asher, the only reason Alec wasn't sentenced to death is because of his young age and the fact he only participated in one assault or he too would have paid with his life for your crimes. Drusilla, I can't imagine telling my son at the tender age of 8 that his biological father, who he lives with and loves him dearly, isn't his father and cause an alienation of affection. Not only that but you turned your own flesh and blood into a serial killer. Are you proud of that fact? I wish there were harsher punishments for the two of you because I have never in my entire life seen any two people who deserve it more." He walks back to the spot he read all the other charges on shaking his head.
"Asher Parrish, Erudite. Charged with murder and crimes against humanity. Sentence is death. Drusilla Wright, Dauntless. Charged with murder and crimes against humanity. Sentence is death. All death sentences will be carried out at midnight tomorrow night at the Hub. They will be open to the public but it is not mandatory for anyone to attend." Upon hearing his wife's sentence, Nathan ushers Callen out of the interrogation room at top speed. I wish I knew what to say to them both. This is going to change their lives so completely. I hope they're strong.
"What is a memory wipe?" I ask. I really don't know who I'm talking to right now I just need to know what that sentence is.
"Memory serum will be used on him," my dad says. Oh, God! There's another serum? "It can be programmed to erase only certain memories. I imagine it will take away all the memories of his father recruiting him into his vendetta. He's young. I'm glad they were lenient on him."
"You didn't see what he did to Hana," I mutter, remembering her injuries – injuries she's still dealing with.
"Of course, I'm sorry," he says.
"What will happen to him after that?" I say.
"He'll spend the next six months in jail then have his memory wiped," Tobias says. "He just recently turned 16 so I imagine he'll go through the choosing ceremony like every other 16 year old."
"That's it?" I ask. "I know he's young and his father manipulated him but does that seem like enough punishment?"
"I think it is," he says. "It's too bad it's too late for Cameron. Yes, he's an evil bastard who deserves to die for what he did, but on the other hand if his mom and Asher hadn't lied to him and manipulated him his entire life, he wouldn't be in the mess he's in." I didn't know Tobias had it in him to feel compassion for Cameron. Just last night he was wanting to kill him with his bare hands.
"How are you feeling? Tobias asks.
"To be honest, I'm tired," I say. "It's been a long couple days."
"I should get you home," he says. "Will, Christina, are you ready to go?" They look up from their families, and it's apparent they don't want to leave yet.
"Why don't we hop the train," I whisper to Tobias. "You can help me on and hold me while we jump off like we did when we went to see your mom."
"Are you sure?" he asks.
"Yeah," I say. "They deserve this time with their families. I don't want to ruin it for them." We say goodbye to my mom and dad then walk over to Will, Christina, Caleb, Cara, Stephanie, and Rose. Tobias hands Will the keys to the car and tells him we're taking the train home. Christina hugs me and whispers thank you in my ear. I give Caleb a hug and shake hands again with Cara. We tell Will and Christina that we'll see them later then head out of the Merciless Mart to the tracks right outside the building. We don't have to wait long for the train. When we see the front of the engine we both start running, and he jumps first then helps me on. I sit on the bench across from the door.
"Is it really over, Tobias?" I ask as he pushes the button to close the sliding door. He turns to me and smiles brightly.
"I think it is," he say, nodding. I can't help but smile at him. He walks over to the bench and sits down beside me. I wrap both my arms around his waist and lean into him. He wraps his arm around my shoulder.
"What are we going to do with ourselves?" I say thinking back over the past six months but mainly the past few weeks.
He says something like, "I can think of a few things," into my hair. I pull back slightly and look into his face. He grins at me. I tilt my lips toward his, and he doesn't disappoint. He kisses me softly for a moment before he pulls away.
"Now that the assaults and killing are over we can concentrate on what we started before this mess began, making Dauntless a better place to live," he says. I nod at him and rest my head against his chest, the events of the past 24 hours weighing me down.
"I can't wait to get home, I say. "I'm so tired." I decide to rest my eyes until it's time to jump. After what seems like only a minute, I feel him pull me up into his arms and a rush of cold air hits me, waking me up.
"It's time to jump," he says. "Hold tight." He takes a step back then launches us out the train car. My heart stops beating momentarily as we hang in the air for a split second. Then he lands on his feet and runs a few steps to keep his footing. I was right about that being fun. I was too pissed at him the last time we jumped out of the train to enjoy it. He puts me on my feet, and we walk the rest of the way home hand-in-hand. It's still relatively early but the fatigue is returning.
"Let's go to bed," I say when we get into the apartment. He eyes me strangely. "Sleep, Tobias. I'm tired. Aren't you tired?"
"Yeah," he says nodding. I stand on my tips toes, wrap my arms around his neck, and pull his mouth close to mine.
"Then take me to bed," I say as my lips touch his. He chuckles throughout our kiss. Then he sweeps me up in his arms and carries me to bed.