Thank you guys so much for all the reviews! You make me do a little happy dance whenever I see I have a new review, favorite, or follow! I want to thank you guys so much for everything!:)

And guys...I would've updated sooner but...I'll just cut right to the chase.

My best friends' Mom just passed away. She's been fighting cancer for not even a year and she was doing good until she took a turn for the worst. I haven't been writing this chapter for a while because of that. I've been trying to be there for her during this time. To me, that's more important than trying to update ASAP. Also my great grandma passed away on the same night...so...it's been a rough couple of weeks for everyone.

But now...like I said in my AN last time, Spirit week was a few weeks ago. And for Character Day, I dressed up as TRIS!:) Combat boots, the Raven tattoos, black v-neck, black jeans, high ponytail, black leather jacket, EVERYTHING. WOOOO!

Disclaimer: I'm only a Tris Prior imitator...so sadly, I don't own her. *cries*

Chapter 26

Tris' POV

We're going to Haviland today. It scares me more than it probably should.

We're leaving in 3 hours. It's 6:00am right now, and I wish I could've gotten some sleep. I've been up since...well, since I first laid down. I haven't gotten any sleep tonight. I've been tossing and turning, occasionally closing my eyes, but never falling asleep. I can't shake the feeling that something is going to happen on this trip. I'm not sure whether it is good or bad, but then again, since when does this feeling ever mean something good? Especially for me.

My eyes feel like small 100 lb weights are on top of them, pushing them down. I close them for a minute, but Eric's face starts flying through my mind and a nervous shake passes through my body, just like every other time I've closed them. I finally tell myself to give up on sleep and get up.

I sit up and throw the covers off of me. Everyone is supposed to be here at around 8:30 that way we can load up the bags and eat breakfast before we go. It's Friday and we luckily have the day off of school so we don't have to worry about making up any homework for today. We will be gone for 4 days. The fair starts tomorrow and, like I said, it's huge so it'll take us 2-3 days to see everything. We will come back Tuesday afternoon. So we'll only miss 2 days of school.

We're scheduled to arrive at Haviland at around 1:00. But knowing my friends, it could definitely be sometime completely different. We're taking 2 cars because 1 won't be able to hold us all. We've already decided who's riding in what vehicle, and who's driving.

In the first vehicle, Tori is driving. Zeke and Shauna will be in the next row back, with Tobias and me in the very back row. In the second vehicle, Will will be driving, since he's the one least likely to be distracted and also because he's the most sensible one out of the rest of the people in that car. Christina is riding shotgun, with Uriah and Marlene in the row behind them. Then that leaves Lynn with the very back all to herself, which, needless to say, she was very happy about.

I get out of bed and get dressed in sweatpants with shorts underneath and a tank top. Ya, ya. I know what you're thinking. A tank top?! I wouldn't freak out too much about it though. I'm covering the cuts up. No one will know they were ever there, except for, of course, Tobias. I'm also throwing on a sweatshirt, so don't freak out at all actually.

I go into the bathroom and open the cabinet above. I take out the scar concealer, which Tori knows I have but only assumes it's for the scars from the wreck. I'm glad she doesn't think any more of it.

I expertly put it on and stare at my almost-plain-looking-but-not-quite-normal wrists. They look normal enough not to be looked at twice unless you actually knew there was something there. At least, I think they are.

My eyes close again, but Eric's voice is pulsing through my mind again. I see him throwing me around my old room, yelling at me, eventually getting me on the bed. I see him drag the knife down my stomach again and my eyes snap open. I lift my shirt up just enough to see the scar. I see the white, scraggly line covering my stomach and tears sting my eyes. How could I let him do this to me?

Because you're a weak coward. That's why.

I shake my head to rid me of my thoughts and quickly move on, putting on my necklace, brushing my hair, and throwing it in a low ponytail. I dyed my hair last night and it hasn't faded so I don't have to worry about that. I walk back out to my room and throw a sweatshirt on for now along with some fuzzy socks. I might as well be comfortable for the ride down there.

I go downstairs quietly, not wanting to wake up Tori. But as I get towards the last stairs, I hear her voice.

"Good morning, Tris!"

Not expecting it, I jump just slightly, but it was enough to make me slip on the last stair. I fall to the floor and land on my elbows.

"Shit!" I quietly say, noting the pain running up my arms.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have scared you like that! Are you ok?"

I see her hand reach down for me to take. I lift my arm and take her hand, slightly wincing at the pain. She gently pulls me up.

"Are you ok?"

"Ya, I'm fine," I say grimacing.

"Why are you up? It's still really early!"

"I could ask you the same."

"Well I figured I needed to try and start getting things ready so we can actually leave on time. Now, what about you?"

I shrug, trying to act nonchalant. "I woke up a little bit ago and couldn't fall back asleep."

She frowns and I'm afraid that she's going to ask more questions. After a few seconds of staring though, she lets it go.

"Well, since you're up, you might as well help me out. I'll start loading suitcases from upstairs and how about you make us a couple coffees?"

"Sure," I say.

As she walks away I can hear her mumble, "God knows I need caffeine at 6:30 in the morning."

I smile slightly and head over to the kitchen to start the coffee.

Time skip to 8:00am. (There will probably be quite a few of these in this chapter, so fair warning.)

I hear a knock on the door and go over to open it.

As soon as I do, I hear, "Good morning, beautiful."

I feel myself blush. "And there goes 1 of your 5 compliments for the day."

"I'm never going to stick to that limit of 5 you gave me. You know that, right?"

I sigh. "Well, it was worth a shot. Trying something is better than trying nothing."

He smiles slightly. "Good morning, Tris. Better?"

I smile back. "Much. Morning Tobias."

I open the door fully and let him walk inside before closing it again.

"Is anybody else here?"

"No, not yet."

I hear Tori's footsteps come down the stairs.

A second later she's down here, holding her cup of coffee. She's on her third one already. Well, at least, I've only seen her filling the cup up three times. She could've filled it up another time when I wasn't looking.

"Oh God, here we go," I mumble quietly.

She's been extremely energetic since that coffee. And I mean, extremely energetic. Tobias heard me and turns to me with a confused look on his face, but I can't explain before Tori starts talking.

"Oh, hey Four! Nice to see you! Good morning!"

"Good morning Tori. How are you?"

I smile slightly. He's always so polite. Right now, Tori seems pretty normal. But I know that that's going to change right about...

"Well, I'm actually doing great!"

Now.

"I feel alive now! I'm definitely awake! Woo! I'm never going back to sleep! What about you?"

I struggle to hold in my laughter. She's definitely awake, alright.

"I'm good," he says with a skeptical look on his face.

"Good, good! Well I'm just gonna go outside real quick and wait for everyone else to show up! It's beautiful outside! Have you noticed!?"

"Umm.." Tobias starts to say, but is interrupted.

"Tris, you start on breakfast! And Four...do whatever you want!"

She hurries to the door and I look up, struggling even more when I see the bewildered look on Tobias' face. I'm the only one who has seen Tori like this before. Tori is never this talkative around anybody, unless she's had her coffee, obviously.

As soon as the door shuts behind her, I burst out laughing. Tobias turns to me, still with the same look.

"What did I miss?"

I keep laughing for a couple of minutes. Once I'm finally calmed down, I answer.

"You didn't miss anything except for the fact that she's already on her third coffee. Maybe even fourth, I don't know!"

Tobias chuckles. "So that's why she was acting like that."

I nod. "Exactly."

I start giggling again, thinking about how she's going to act when everyone else starts showing up. Tobias just rolls his eyes at me and smiles.

I turn around and walk to the kitchen, Tobias following behind me. I already have pancake batter made so all I need to do is pour it onto the griddle. But first, I need to get the griddle...which just so happens to be on the top shelf.

I jump up onto the counter and swing my knees over the edge. I turn and stand up, finally being able to reach the griddle now that I'm 3 feet up off the ground.

I grab the griddle and hear him laughing behind me.

"What?"

He shakes his head as he replies. "It's just funny watching you try and reach high places."

"Oh, shut up! I can't help that I'm short!"

He smiles and takes the griddle out of my hands. He sets it down and plugs it in, setting the temperature and letting it heat up. I'm still standing on the counter, but he still stands as tall as my stomach.

"Dammit. Why do you have to be so tall?"

Now he laughs. He doesn't reply, but his laugh is enough of one for me. He gently grabs my waist and I grab his shoulders. He swings me down from the counter and I smoothly land on my feet. I open the fridge and grab a stick of butter. I grease the griddle very quickly then rush to the cabinet. I search through the drawers and shelves for the chocolate chips so I can add them to the batter.

"What are you trying to find?" he asks me just as I pull a bag out.

"These."

Since my socks are fuzzy and the floor is polished wood, I slide to the bowl instead of walking. I pour most of the chocolate chips in and stir it up before I steal a couple of them plain and shove them into my mouth.

"Mmmmm..." I say as the chocolate melts.

I know I'm acting like a little kid on Christmas morning, but right now it's keeping my anxiety at bay. Plus, I did have a coffee of my own, so that's helping as well. I can tell I need another one...I'm starting to get tired again. And once I'm tired, my anxiety will start to come back. So I reach over to the coffee machine and start one.

I slide back to the cabinet and put the chocolate away, but not before I snitch a few more. Then I slide back over to the griddle and pour a few pancakes out onto it. I hear a small beep from the coffee machine and see that it's already done. Thank you technology.

I grab the coffee and take a huge gulp from it. Then I start flipping the pancakes and making sure that every flip is timed just right. Every time I make pancakes, this is how I entertain myself; by perfecting each and every flip.

I forgot Tobias was in the kitchen with me until I turn around to check the time and see him leaning up against the edge of the counter, arms crossed with a small smile on his face, watching me.

"What?" I ask for the second time this morning.

He shakes his head. "Nothing."

I raise my eyebrows at him and take another drink of coffee. I stare at him through the top of the rim and wait for him to say something. Maybe to tell me this 'nothing' he was smiling about. And he does speak, but it's not about the 'nothing'.

"How much coffee have you had?"

"This is only my second."

He raises one of his eyebrows at me. "Only?"

"Two is not that much!"

"Isn't that enough?"

"Not when you're about to go into the town that destroyed you. And with a high possibility of the trip ending in a disaster," I mutter.

I turn back to the pancakes and silently curse at myself for letting them sit just a tiny bit too long. They're not burnt by any means, but they're not the exact same shade as the others.

I continue to make pancakes, but no longer with the same enthusiasm as earlier. I'm thinking about all the different ways this trip could go wrong, and I've come up with at least 10 already. I take another large drink of coffee.

I feel arms wrap around my waist from behind.

"This trip is not going to be a disaster," he whispers into my ear.

"How do you know that?" I whisper back.

"I know because I'm not going to let that happen."

I let out a breath. "I just...I have this feeling like I know something is going to happen and I don't like it."

"Who says it couldn't be something good?"

"Ha. Since when do good things happen to me in that town?"

"They could start happening."

I shake my head just slightly. "I wouldn't bet on it."

It's silent for a few minutes while I finish up with the pancakes. I hear voices from outside and know that everyone else has shown up.

I turn the griddle off and unplug it so it can cool down. I turn around in his arms and smile a little bit at him.

"Well, let's get this show on the road."

Timeskip to when they're getting in the cars.

"If anyone needs to use the restroom, now is the time!" Tori yells out.

Uriah and Zeke both rush inside. Tori rolls her eyes and smiles.

"If you need to do anything else, do it now as well!"

I ended up dumping the rest of my second coffee so I'm extremely tired again. Although, I don't think anyone can tell yet. I turn around to Tobias, who is standing right behind me.

"I'll be right back," I say then rush inside before he can reply.

I go into my room to grab a blanket, but at last minute I decide not to take one from my bed. I run out of my room and rush to the attic stairs. Once I climb those and I'm in the attic, I search for the box of things I packed up from Caleb's room. I find it pretty quickly and open it up real gently.

I don't let myself dwell on his items for too long; I don't want a floodgate to open in my eyes. At the bottom of the box, I finally find what I was looking for. I pull out his blanket that he got when he was 12. He absolutely loved it. It's dark blue, soft, fuzzy, and really comfortable. I smell it and am happy to find that it still smells like him. It's faint, but it's there. I stare at his belongings for a minute more before I close the box and head back downstairs with the blanket in hand. I grab another blanket from the couch just in case anybody else needs one.

I rush outside to find everyone climbing into their seats in the different cars. Just in time. I head over to the car that Tori is driving and see that Zeke and Tobias are already inside, waiting for Shauna and I. I climb into the backseat next to Tobias.

"That's what you were getting?"

"Yep."

"Are you sleeping on the way there?"

"Most likely."

He nods.

"Where's Shauna?" I ask.

"Somewhere, I dunno," Zeke answers. I roll my eyes.

"Wow, what a way to answer."

"I'm just stating a fact here!"

I laugh a little bit. We wait for a minute or two then hear Shauna yell, "I'm here!"

She climbs into the car and Zeke asks, "Where were you?"

"I was talking to Lynn. I figured we had a little bit of time before we left still."

"I forget that you're sisters sometimes," I say.

"It's easy to do. We don't look that much alike and our personalities are way different so you're not the only one who forgets, trust me."

She smiles at me. I smile back.

"That's good."

Tori climbs into the car a moment later and starts the engine. She turns around.

"Well, are we ready?"

We all say some sort of yes. She smiles. "Then let's get going!"

I turn my head to the back of the window and look at our house get smaller and smaller as we get farther away, until eventually it disappears completely. I feel a squeeze on my hand and know it's Tobias. I turn back to sit normally in my seat. We joke around with each other for about 20 minutes before everyone falls silent.

"Well, I woke up at 7:00 so...I'm tired. I'm going to go to sleep," Shauna says.

"Sleep does sound really good," I say.

"I don't mean to be a party pooper, but if this fair is as huge as you say it is, then I'm gonna need my sleep."

She takes off her jacket and hands it to Zeke.

"Hold this for a second."

"Got it."

She lays down on the seat with her head in Zeke's lap.

"Cover me up with that thing," she tells Zeke.

"Demanding much?"

Zeke is smiling, so we all know that he doesn't really mean it.

"Please!" she says.

He laughs. "Well, since you used the magic word I guess I have to now."

"Hey Zeke don't cover her up with that! I got an extra blanket before we left. It'll be much more efficient."

I hand him the blanket and I see it puff up in the air for a second before it lands on Shauna's body.

"Thanks Tris!" Shauna says.

"No problem. Well you boys can stay up if you want, but I'm going to go to sleep."

"Stop sleeping people!" Zeke yells.

"Babe. Shut up," Shauna says. I laugh a little bit.

"Ok, ok. Fine."

"Thank you."

Even though she told him to shut up, I can hear them whispering quietly to one another.

I lay my head on Tobias' shoulder. He wraps his arm around me and grips my arm gently. I yawn and my eyes start to close. But once again, Eric's face and voice start flashing through my mind and they open right up again. Tobias notices.

He whispers, "How much sleep did you get last night?"

"Ummm..." I trail off, trying to figure out how to answer.

"If I say none, would you believe me?"

He lets out a breath after thinking for a minute. "The bad thing is, I would believe you."

We stay silent for a moment.

"Why are you going to sleep now? Why didn't you just get some sleep on the couch before everyone showed up this morning?"

I blush slightly. "I usually don't have any...nightmares or...anxiety when I'm with you. Or at least, not as bad."

After a few minutes of silence, I take my head off his shoulder and lay down with my head in his lap. I cover myself up with Caleb's blanket and wrap it around me tightly, breathing the slight scent in.

"That's not yours, is it?" Tobias whispers.

"Huh?" I snap out of my momentary daze.

"The blanket. That's not yours, right?"

I frown a little bit and turn so I'm laying on my back and can meet his eyes.

"No, it's not. How did you know?"

"I don't remember seeing a blanket anything like this when I was over. Whose is it?"

"Observant, are we?"

"Yes 'we' are."

"Are you always that observant?"

"I'll answer that question when you stop avoiding mine."

I sigh and stay silent for a little bit, staring into his eyes. I stare in them for so long I forget I'm supposed to be answering the question.

"Tris? Are you stalling or are you just being stubborn?"

I blush. Neither, actually. I turn back around again.

"It was Caleb's."

"You miss him a lot, don't you?" he asks after a period of silence. I stay silent for a little bit. Tears sting my eyes but I blink them away.

"Ya, I do. Everyday," I say, my voice cracking a bit in the middle of the whisper.

I feel Tobias start to stroke my hair and I take a deep breath, calming down. It works and we both are silent. My eyes fall shut a few times, but I keep opening them, afraid Eric will show up again. But eventually, I can't fight it anymore and my eyes stay shut.

I'm shaken awake, although my mind is still fuzzy so I can't register where I am right away. It definitely does not feel like my bed.

"Tris? Tris, wake up, we're here."

Here...where exactly is here?

Then I remember. We're in Haviland. I'm laying on Tobias' lap in the car.

My eyes fly open and I sit up quickly. Probably a little too quickly because my vision is slightly covered in black for a second or two.

I look up front and see Zeke waking Shauna up as well. We both slept for the whole trip. I guess we needed it. I look out the window and see that we're still moving. He woke me up while we were still in Haviland. We're staying in a hotel a few miles out of town while we stay. Haviland is way too small of a town to have a hotel, so that's why we're staying somewhere else.

I continue staring out the window, looking for something different, something new, or something...out of place. I'm just looking for something to stand out for me. I want to see change, although the farther we go along, I realize it's stupid. Nothing has changed.

The park Taylor, Hailey, Makayla, Justin, Caleb, and I would all hang out at looks the same. The same tree I used to climb stands unchanged and the swing set is still just as rusty. Wonderful memories start to fill my brain and I actually smile at them.

I finally turn away from the window. I look at Tobias and meet his eyes for a few seconds. Then I smile again and grab his hand. He smiles back and I lay my head on his shoulder. I watch out of his window.

"This is a cute little town, Tris. I can't believe you got to grow up here. I've always loved small towns," Shauna says.

"I guess I got pretty lucky."

Well, sort of lucky anyways.

It's silent for the rest of the trip to the hotel which takes about another 20 minutes. It goes by quickly and soon enough we're pulling into the hotel parking lot. We all get out of the car and a couple of minutes later, the other car pulls in.

They all climb out as well and we grab our luggage from the trunks of the cars. We all are talking as we go into the lobby. We all sit on the couches as we wait for Tori to check us in. When she comes back, she doesn't have only 3 key cards like we imagined; one for the boys, one for girls, and one for her. Instead, she has a whole stack. Before we question, she starts talking.

"I trust you guys. Don't make me regret this. Ok?"

Everyone still looks confused.

"Zeke and Shauna, here is your's. 212," she says as she holds out a card.

All of our eyes widen. I can't believe Tori is doing this for us! And apparently, the others are shocked too.

"Well, are you gonna take the card or not?"

Shauna takes it hesitatingly out of her hand, as if she thinks Tori will snatch it back and tell us it's just a joke. But she doesn't.

"Uriah and Marlene, here's yours. 214."

Uriah takes his.

"Will and Christina. 213."

Christina snatches it before Will can.

"And Four and Tris. 216."

She smiles at me. I give her a small smile back as I take the card.

"Now get to your rooms everybody! I'm in 224 if you guys need anything! You have the rest of the afternoon to do whatever you want."

We all stand up and walk towards the elevator. Once we all file in and get to our floor, we separate into our rooms. But before I can, Christina grabs my arm and forces me to stay outside with her for a few minutes.

"Hey Tris, I just want to let you know that I'll always be here for you."

I frown. "Ok...but, why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I know that we aren't here just for that fair."

"What?! Christina, what are you talking about?"

My heart starts to race. I'm worried that she actually knows the true reason we're here. It's not that I don't trust her, but I just don't feel like opening up to her yet. How did she know?!

"Listen, I came from Candor and I'm your best friend. I can tell when somebody is lying or if they're only telling a half truth. In your case, it was the half truth. Just know that I'll always be here, ok?"

It takes me a couple of seconds to understand her points.

"Tris, ok?"

I look into her eyes. "Ok."

"Oh, and get some sleep. You're exhausted."

By now, I don't even question how she knows what she does.

She smiles and squeezes my hand before she slips back into her room. I stand outside for a couple more moments, then go back into Tobias' and I's room. As soon as I enter, I feel arms wrap around me and pick me up. He spins me around for a few seconds.

"Tobias!" I squeal.

He chuckles behind me and sets me back down. I turn around.

"What was that for?"

"To make sure you know that everything will be fine."

"And you had to do that by spinning me around...why?"

"To see you smile."

I smile again but I bite my lip to hide it slightly.

"So, I think Christina is right about you needing sleep."

"You heard that?"

"Only that part. I was coming out to see what was taking you so long and I heard her say that."

"Oh."

"Why? What else did she say?"

"Just….stuff."

There was a reason Christina talked to me in private. I'd like to keep that conversation between us.

"Just stuff, huh?"

I feel my cheeks warm. I probably could've come up with something better than that, now that I think of it. I open my mouth to try and explain, but he doesn't give me the chance.

"It's ok, Tris. I understand that it's between you and Christina," he says and kisses my (still) warm cheek.

I smile at him. "Thanks."

I take off my shoes and set them down by the door next to Tobias'.

"Now, back to my first statement. You need sleep and we have the rest of the afternoon to accomplish just that."

"I'm fine. I just took an almost 4 hour nap."

"Well I'm pretty sure that an average person is supposed to get about 8 hours of sleep a night. And for teens, even more than that. So, you've got some more to make up."

"I'm fine."

"Um, I'm pretty sure 4 hours of sleep is not going to cut it."

"Tobias, really. I'm okay. I'm not tired."

"Your eyes say differently."

I open my mouth to argue, but a yawn escapes my mouth instead. My cheeks heat up again, slightly because I'm frustrated but also because I'm embarrassed he proved me wrong. He smirks at me, obviously knowing he won this little argument. I roll my eyes.

"So is this the part where I say 'I told you so'?"

"No, this is the part where you shut up and carry me to bed."

"Interesting, I've never seen that happen when someone wins an argument…"

"Just do it."

Now that he knows that I'm tired, I don't need to hide it anymore. I allow my shoulders to droop and my eyes to be weighed down.

He stares at me with the same smirk for a couple of seconds before he picks me up and sets me on the edge of the little couch. He pulls back the covers before he picks me back up again and lays me on the bed. He grabs the remote to the tv and climbs in next to me. He puts a couple of pillows against the headboard and lays up against them. Then he turns the tv on and starts to flip through the channels. He looks so nonchalant, so relaxed, so carefree in that position; ankles crossed, shoulders relaxed, and hands clasped on his stomach.

I close my eyes for a couple of moments, silently taking a picture of him like this in my mind before opening them again and sitting up. It's hot in my sweats.

"What are you doing?"

I don't answer him. I just take off my sweatshirt and sweatpants and place them lazily off the side of the bed and onto the floor before tiredly scooting up and resting my head on his now outstretched arm. I curl up into his side and relax as I feel his arm go around my back and his hand rest on my hip. He kisses the top of my head and pulls the sheet up to cover me with his free hand. I close my eyes and let myself drift away with the light buzzing of the tv.

Ok, ya it's been a long time. But I explained everything up above, so sorry if you still don't understand why it's been this long.

Anyways...I wrote an extra long chapter with extra Fourtris to reward you guys for your patience! I really am extremely guilty and sorry it took me so long, but life happens sometimes and you've just gotta go with the flow. So, sorry again.

I know this chapter wasn't filled with any drama or anything too interesting yet, but it's coming! I swear!:)

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 326 REVIEWS GUYS! It means more to me than you'll ever know to see an email saying that I have a new review or follow or favorite! It really makes my day much more enjoyable and much more bearable. (Especially on Mondays. O_o) Can we get to 340 reviews?! And I need your opinion...I think I might do Four's POV for PART of the next chapter. Yay or nay?