"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask, my voice deceptively calm, steady, and strong as I look at Molly who is wearing a smirk on her unattractive face. As casually as I can, I glance down at her hands, which are both visible by her side and, thankfully, free of any weapons. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Christina lying in a heap on the floor, blood spilling out from her mass of dark curls. I make a move to see if she's alright but Molly tsks me and when I raise my eyes to hers, she shakes her head. The look on her face says stop, so I do. No need to antagonize her right off the bat. "What did you do to her?"
"Oh, she didn't do anything," comes from behind me and a new fear envelopes me. I know I'm in real trouble now. I turn and glare at Olivia who is sitting in my wheelchair dressed head to toe in Dauntless gear, her red hair pulled away from her smug face. She's turning the same knife that stabbed me just days earlier over and over between her fingers, her head cocked to one side with an evil smirk on her face. It reminds me of when I was in the garage staring her down, although I don't know if I'm remembering real life or the simulation. Adrenaline-spiked blood courses through my veins, and I forget the pain that was ravaging my body just seconds ago. I shift so my back is against the closed stall door and pray that they don't spring another person on me I don't know about.
"Did you come to turn yourselves in?" I ask. "That would be the best thing either of you could do. Olivia," God, I hate the taste of her name on my tongue, "you haven't killed anyone. If you turn yourself in, you could make it out of this with your life."
"The only life I want is with Four," she says, a faraway dreamy look in her eyes. "When we're done with you, he'll be all mine." Keep dreaming psycho bitch.
"You honestly think he would want you if you hurt me?" I ask. "He. Loves. Me. Not. You."
"Leave her alone, Stiff," Molly says with a chuckle. I wish I could see the humor in this situation. "She lives in her own little fantasy world but she comes in handy once in a while. She does what she's told and doesn't ask any questions." She pushes off the sink, standing a little straighter and crosses her arms across her chest. A flash of steel draws my attention, and my already thundering heart picks up speed. There on the vanity top right beside her lays a gun. I don't know why I didn't see it before. She must have had it hidden behind her, giving me a false sense of security. Who am I kidding? I haven't felt safe or secure since I exited that stall.
"You never answered me," I say. "What are you doing here? How did you get into the compound this time?"
"We came to watch the interrogations," she says. "In case you missed it, your doors are standing wide open today. We just had to keep our heads down and walk right in with everyone else."
"I guess we're letting any ol' riffraff just walk right in off the street," I mutter. Someone's head is going to roll for this. "You know, Molly, whatever it is you have planned, just get on with it. I'm tired of fighting with you."
"Well, since Porter was arrested, I thought I would change the game." Of course, she would think of this as a game. She's just as psycho as her redheaded friend. "I'll make it easy for you, Stiff." She holds up a syringe and I cringe. "I want you to confess all your sins, and I'll end this. No one else will get hurt … except for you that is. Refuse and we'll continue with Porter's plan as is. Who knows who else will die? Maybe we'll start with your little best friend right there." She points at Christina who just happens to moan at the same time. Thank God she's alive. Maybe she's not hurt as badly as I thought.
"What is that?" I ask, nodding at her hand.
"Truth serum," she says.
"Just truth serum?"
"Yeah," she says. "No more hybrids. They obviously don't work on you anyway or you wouldn't be here right now."
"What was your worse fear?" Olivia asks. "Was it Four with me?" I look at her for a second then roll my eyes. I contemplate what Molly is asking of me. I know I can fight the truth serum but can I fight it right from the beginning? Then an idea pops into my mind. Can I do this? Would it work?
"You want the violence to end, right?" Molly asks, egging me on.
"Of course! It's what I want more than anything." Just not at my expense. I want this over and her gone but I also want my life to continue. I can't stand the thought of leaving Tobias or the kids. If she has her way though, I won't be leaving this bathroom.
"If I'm to be put under truth serum, I want it done in front of everybody," I say, fixing my eyes on Molly. She looks at me like I'm crazy. "I'll make you a deal. Put your gun on me and walk me into the auditorium. Have Jack put me under truth serum and give me a proper interrogation. It isn't as easy as you think to get the answers you're seeking from someone under truth serum. You have to ask the right questions. After all is said and done, if you still think I cheated during initiation, started dating Four while he was our instructor, and got Peter killed, you can execute me in front of everyone."
"Four won't let that happen," she says.
"Yes, he will," I say. "If you are holding me at gunpoint, he won't have a choice but to cooperate. But if I'm innocent, you both have to turn yourselves in. What do you say, Molly?"
"Fine," she says with a smirk after thinking about it long and hard. She must think that the interrogation will prove me guilty to agree to this. She picks up the gun off the vanity and grabs me by the arm. "Come on, Olivia. I'm going to need your help." Molly sticks the gun in my side then drags me to the doorway and looks out. It must be clear because she pulls me out into the hallway. Pain rockets through my body with each step. The feel of the gun poking me in my ribcage is not as nerve-racking as having the psycho bitch who wants my husband and already has a taste for my blood behind me with a knife. I feel as if she might end this with a quick stab or two then I'd never see my love again. Heads turn as I walk through the rear stage door into the auditorium. When my eyes meet Tobias' I first see happiness then confusion and finally horror when he sees the gun Molly has pressed into my side practically an inch. He immediately jumps to his feet.
"Everyone calm down," I yell when the place erupts in chaos and, surprisingly, everyone goes quiet. "Jack, I need you to put me under truth serum and interrogate me. If I'm innocent of Molly's charges, she and Olivia are going to turn themselves in." I stop and take a deep breath. "If I'm guilty, I'll be executed in front of everyone." I hear my father's gasp, and I'm relieved that my mother is upstairs with Peanut right now. Molly and Olivia carefully drag me up the stage stairs and drop me into the chair, making sure their backs are never to the crowd. I can feel my pulse pounding against the razor-sharp blade of the knife the bitch now has resting against my throat. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Molly looking out at the crowd.
"I know what you're thinking, Four," she says, "but if you make a move, your precious Tris is dead. Olivia obviously won't hesitate." I curl my hands up into fists and feel the throbbing pain from where she stabbed me on Sunday. I look at Tobias trying to convey that everything will be okay as long as everyone stays calm.
"Where's Christina?" Will yells out, his face white as a sheet.
"We left her in the bathroom," Molly says. He starts to get up and she points her gun directly at him. "Sit, Will." He lowers himself back in his chair, never taking his glare off of her. "Good boy. If anyone moves, Tris dies. If I see a weapon, Tris dies. I know that any one of you armed Dauntless members could easily take me out but know this, Tris … will … die. So, Four, what are your orders for your members?"
"Everyone stand down," he shouts, his Four mask firmly in place.
"Jack, I need you up here," she says, summoning him with the gun. I watch as he walks across the auditorium and up the stage stairs, his face blank. "Get started." He comes to my side and picks up an alcohol swab off the table. I expect him to hand it to me but instead he rips it open.
"Are you alright, Tris?" he quietly asks as he wipes off the left side of my neck.
"Yeah," I say.
"Shut up," Molly spits.
"I need to know what the accusations are so I can ask the correct questions," he says. "You may write them down."
"Nice try," she says. "I'll just tell you. Here are my allegations." I stare at Tobias as she lists her grievances. I've heard them so many times before, I don't need to hear them again.
"I love you," I mouth.
"Me, too," he mouths back still wearing his Four mask. I know he's concerned but he also knows that I will fight with every ounce of strength to come home to him, Tyler, Tessa, and Teagan tonight.
"I'm sorry," I mouth. He closes his eyes and excruciating pain flashes across his face until his mask falls back in place. Without warning, a syringe is jammed into my neck, making me cringe, and truth serum is administered into my system for the second time in my life. Within seconds I feel its effects, and it's so hard to concentrate.
"Please state your full name for the record," Jack says.
"Beatrice Grace Prior-Eaton." My full name slips out of my mouth before I even think about it, which is odd. I usually think before answering a question even if it's as routine as my name. I have so many names now, Beatrice, Tris, Six, Love, Mom.
"How old are you?" he asks, interrupting my runaway train of thought.
"17," I immediately answer.
"What are your parents' names?"
"Andrew and Natalie Prior." I smile thinking about Mom and Dad then blink back the confusion. Why am I answering these questions again? I think I had a plan but what was it?
"Do you have any siblings?" Jack asks.
"Yes, one, Caleb Prior," I say.
"Are you married?" he asks.
"Yes, I am." I smile goofily thinking about Tobias, and I hear someone scoff. Who is that?
"Who are you married to?"
"Four," I say, a smile turning up my lips again. God, I love him. I look around. Where's he at?
"What's Four's real name?" Molly asks and I scowl. Why is that bitch here? Suddenly a burning pain moves through my body, and I remember what I'm doing. I'm trying to save my friends from total destruction at the hands of this lunatic.
"Tobias Eaton," I say. Too many people know his true identity now. I need to save the burning pain for later when I have to lie.
"Do you have any children?" Jack asks.
"Yes, I have three."
"What are their names?" he asks.
"Tyler Aaron, Tessa Beatrice, and Teagan Grace," I say.
"What is your born faction?"
"Abnegation." I hear melancholy in my voice at the mention of where I grew up. I wonder if anyone else can hear it.
"What faction did you choose?" This has always seemed like such a silly question.
"Dauntless," I say, a chuckle escaping.
"Which faction are you loyal to?" Jack asks.
"Dauntless."
"I have some questions for you pertaining to last year's initiation when you were an initiate and Four was your instructor," he says. Here we go! I remember why I did this here in front of everyone and not in the bathroom … to give me time so I can lie. I have to beat the serum or this definitely will be my last day on earth. "When did you first meet Four?" This could be a trick question.
"When he pulled me out of the net on Choosing Day," I say. Technically not a lie. It's when I met Four.
"Had you ever met him or seen him before that day?"
"Yes, I had. I was at his mother's funeral when we were children. He was 9, and I was 7."
"Would you say you had a relationship with him before you joined Dauntless?" he asks.
"No," I say, shaking my head. "I really only knew his name because he was Marcus' son." Oh, shit! Slow down, Tris. Think before you speak.
"When did you learn his true identity?" I take deep, measured breaths that hopefully aren't too obvious and concentrate on not answering too quickly.
"Two days before initiation ended."
"How did he tell you who he was?" Jack asks.
"He let me into his head." I expect fire for the half-truth but am pleasantly surprised when it's absent. That must be enough of a truth to keep the searing pain at bay.
"How did he let you into his head?" he asks.
"He let me in his fear landscape," I say after a moment. I think I hear a gasp but I'm not sure then I think really hard. Did I just say something wrong?
"You weren't dating but he took you into his fear landscape?" Molly scoffs.
"How many times do I have to tell you this? Yes, he took me into his fear landscape. No, we weren't dating during initiation, we were falling in love." Ooh! Did I just say that? That might be bad. "We told each other how we felt two days before the end of initiation but we couldn't act on it. He knew how others would react … people like Peter, Drew, Eric, and you so he kept me at arm's length until after the rankings were announced. He wanted to wait even longer but I couldn't wait one more second so I let the whole compound know exactly how I felt about him when I kissed him in the middle of the cafeteria. That's when we started dating." Burning pain blankets my body, and I breathe through the excruciating pain.
"Can't we just kill her already?" Olivia whines. "This isn't any fun." Holy shit! I forgot the psycho redhead was here, and I forgot about the knife pressed up against my throat.
"Olivia, you'll get your chance with Four, I promise," Molly sighs. "Have some patience please. We have to allow the Stiff time to confess more sins."
"Alright, let's get this back on track," Jack says. "Tris, when did you and Four start dating?" How many times do I have to answer this question?
"The day the rankings were announced," I say.
"What was your ranking?" he asks. Oh, good! A question I can answer honestly.
"First." The pain diminishes marginally.
"Did you earn that placement in any way because of Four?"
"Absolutely not!" I say. "I earned my rank 100% on my own."
"Damn it! I know you cheated. How the hell are you lying?" Molly spits. "No one gets through those damn simulations as fast as you did. Your boyfriend had to have been helping you. Admit it." Even though it's not a question I decide to answer.
"Four was not my boyfriend. I didn't cheat. Four didn't cheat. There. Is. No. Way. To. Cheat," I say, losing my temper. I roll my eyes up to the ceiling, and take a deep breath but it does nothing to calm my anxiety. I know I need to slow down or something damning could fly out of my mouth. "When I was under the simulations, I came out of them thinking it had been hours instead of only minutes. I don't know why I got through them so fast. Four couldn't explain it to me either." I search for her face. I think she's glaring but I can't quite make out her features. "I know you don't believe me and nothing I can say will ever make you believe me so why are we having this discussion … again?" Did I just make it through without telling her I'm Divergent? That definitely would have signed my death sentence, if not from her from the city.
"You're right. I don't believe you," she spits.
"Are you going to let me finish this interrogation?" Jack asks.
"Yes," I say and he chuckles.
"That one wasn't for you, Tris," he says. "That was for Molly." I hear the crowd gasp but I don't know what's going on.
"I think I'll finish," she says. "Let's see, you slept with Peter then had him killed. Isn't that right?" Blood begins to boil in my veins at the characterization, replacing the agonizing pain. I know I can answer this question truthfully, not that I really want to reveal my darkest hour to a roomful of strangers.
"No, it isn't. First of all, that piece of shit raped me, I didn't sleep with him. He kidnapped me, he made me forget my family, he made me think I was someone I'm not, and then he violated me. You are a woman, how can you know what he did to me and have it be okay in your eyes or my fault?" A single tear slides unrestricted down my cheek. "Second of all, I had nothing to do with him dying. Maria ordered his death because he outlived his usefulness to her. How is that my fault? Explain that to me." My chest is heaving with raw emotion.
"If he hadn't been arrested for kidnapping you, he wouldn't have been in that cell, vulnerable to an attack by her people. Have you ever thought of that?"
"Maybe you should think of it this way, if he hadn't given his assistance to a disturbed woman with a vendetta against my husband, he wouldn't have been killed by her," I say. "Peter wasn't the saint you or Porter make him out to be, and I think you know that but instead of placing the blame directly where it should lie, with Peter, you blame me. You want me to confess to you, fine, but why don't you confess to me. Why was Pete so damn important to you?" She steps forward so I can clearly see her face. She stares at me with an ominous look, and I wonder if I've pushed her too far.
"I know on every level that it was wrong, but I was in love with Peter," she says. I vaguely remember someone predicting that. I laughed it off then, especially after learning that they are cousins but I guess I was wrong. "I would have given anything to have him look at me the way he looked at you, talk to me the way he talked about you. I don't know why I couldn't turn his head."
"He was rude, hateful, and disrespectful to me. He was extremely violent. He put his hands on my when I begged him not to. He ripped my clothes off even as I cried out and he told me what he was going to do." I shudder at the memory of the vile attack in the training room. "He tried to kill my unborn child by kicking me in the stomach … twice. You wanted him to do those things to you?"
"He never did those things," she spits.
"Why would I make that up?" I yell back. "If you don't believe me just ask my friend, Zeke. He saved me from Peter that day."
"I know what you're talking about. That's when Four's friend caught you two flirting and he beat Peter up." My mouth falls open hearing what he told her but I feel no pain, probably because there has been no question posed to me for quite some time. I realize we're just having a screaming match. "Everyone protects you and Four. Well, I've had enough." My heart leaps into my throat when I feel her place the gun against my head.
"You don't need to do that, Molly," I say. I hear uncharacteristic pleading in my voice. I don't want to leave my husband and kids.
"The hell I don't," she says.
"Goody! It's time," Olivia jubilantly says, removing the knife from the throat. I think she moves away but I can't be sure. I know I can't fight. Not in this condition. I can barely lift my hands off my lap where they're resting. All I have left is my ability to lie under the debilitating serum.
"You don't want to do this," I say. Her look goes from menacing to amused.
"Well, you're wrong about that, Stiff," she says with an ugly smile on her face. "I've dreamed of this day since you put me in the infirmary during initiation."
"You're going to kill me for beating you during a practice fight?" I scoff. "Under that logic I should have killed Peter myself."
"God, you're such a smartass," she says. "I was told that if Four hadn't pulled you off of me when he did, you'd have killed me." Sometimes I wish I would have killed her. "You made me look like a fool."
"Like you need help with that," slips out of my mouth and she glares at me. Oops.
"Then to top it all off, because you beat me your little friend who is lying on the bathroom floor moved higher than me in the ranking, and she stopped our fight because she couldn't handle me. That wasn't fair."
"Life isn't fair, Molly," I say.
"You're right," she says.
"If you shoot me, you'll never make it out of here."
"I'm fine with that," she says. I hear her slide the bullet into the chamber, and I close my eyes. I picture Tobias' handsome face smiling at me, our laughing son on his shoulders. I see my sweet girls who are too young to remember who their Mommy was. Tears slide unrestricted down my cheeks. I thought this was a good plan. I guess I was wrong. Just before she can fire, the gun is, thankfully, ripped away from my head. I hear shouting and screaming and blows landing. I hear grunts, groans, and whimpers. But I see nothing because of the veil of tears blocking my sight. One second I'm sitting on the stage and the next I'm being dragged into arms that I would know anywhere. I cling to Tobias with all my might and his embrace is crushing but I don't mind.
"Are you okay?" he asks.
"No," I automatically say. "Um. I don't know why I said that."
"I do. It's the truth," he says. "Are you hurt?"
"No more than I was but Christina's hurt in the bathroom," I say. "Someone needs to check on her."
"I'm right here, Tris," she says. I turn my head toward her voice but don't see her.
"I thought you were dead," I say. "That insane bitch tried to kill you. I'd like to kill her."
"Love, watch what you're saying. Truth serum, remember?"
"No, I actually forgot again," I say. "It's really hard to keep up the…" I start to say lying but Tobias' mouth lands on mine in a need-filled kiss, and I forget everything else. We move our lips together possessively, intimately. He runs his tongue across my bottom lip and then thrusts it into my mouth. I greet him eagerly with mine, trying to devour him. When he releases me, I'm panting heavily. "God, you are such a good kisser. I'd really like to take you to bed right now." Did I say that out loud?
"Jack, please tell me you have an antidote for this serum before I have to lock her away until it wears off?"
"I said that out loud, didn't I?"
"Yeah," Caleb says, sounding amused.
"Oh, God," I mutter. "What happened? I'm so confused and my head hurts. To… Four, did you kiss me to shut me up?" He wraps his arms around me, and I think he's going to kiss me again, which I'd be fine with but instead he just holds me tightly to his chest and puts his mouth against my ear.
"Please be quiet, Tris," he quietly says. "You're spouting off truths left and right. If you say too much, there could be trouble. Can you do that for me? We'll talk about what happened when you are lucid."
"I'm so sorry," I murmur. "I'll try but I'm not sure when I'm thinking and when I'm talking. I love you."
"I love you, too."
"You are in luck," Jack says. "I have one antidote."
"Thank God."
"Don't you want to ask me the regret question?" I ask. I think I hear Tobias growl but I'm probably imagining it.
"Do you want to answer more questions?" Jack asks.
"No," I spit. I feel a stick on the left side of my neck and my head starts to clear and my eyes focus.
"Feeling better, Tris?" he asks.
"Yeah," I say although it's not really true. "What happened? Where are Molly and Olivia?"
"In the holding cell," Tobias says. "I should get you back to your room. You need your rest."
"We can postpone Porter's interrogation for a day or two," Jack says.
"No," I say. "I want the interrogations finished up today. If anyone else is arrested for helping them, you can deal with them Jack. I want to hear Porter, Molly, and Olivia's reasons then I want to forget they ever existed."
"Beatrice Grace Prior, you need to rest," Tobias says.
"I want them prepped and ready in 10 minutes, Jack," I say. He looks at my husband for approval, and Tobias finally nods.
"Alright," he says. "We'll start with Olivia, then move on to Molly, and finish with Porter."
"That sounds great," I say. "Four will have some questions I imagine."
"Definitely," he says. "I'll send for more truth serum."
"I need to talk to you in private," Tobias says as he wheels me out of the auditorium. Unfortunately he doesn't sound very happy with me. Within a minute we're in my room in the infirmary. He parks me just inside the door and pulls a chair up in front of me.
"What the hell were you thinking?" he asks, his voice deceptively calm. I reach out and take his hand.
"She wanted to change the 'game' as she called it," I say. "She was going to give me truth serum no matter where it happened. I thought if Jack could do an actual interrogation it would give me time to get my bearings. If she'd have started asking the important questions immediately," I shudder at the thought, "you would have found a body in the bathroom. I hoped it could end peacefully. What happened anyway? It was so confusing. I know she was getting ready to pull the trigger." He leans forward and wraps his arms around me again.
"Christina, Simon, and Tony are what happened," he says. "They snuck up on stage and tackled Molly to the floor. Three other Dauntless patrol members grabbed Olivia. They both fought like hell but it was a reasonably peaceful resolution."
"Did I really tell you I wanted to take you to bed in front of my brother?" I ask.
"It gets worse," he smirks. "Your father was right beside him."
"Oh, dear God," I say, burying my head in his shoulder. "I'll never be able to look him in the eye ever again but it's your fault."
"My fault? I was just trying to get you to stop talking. You nearly blurt out how hard it was to lie."
"I kind of remember that," I say. "But that wasn't just a little peck. That was an I want you and I want you now kiss."
"I do," he says after a fashion. "I just watched my wife with a knife at her throat and then a gun to her head. I needed to know you were okay. Are you okay?"
"I'll let you know after we have all the answers," I say. I pull back and look in his weary eyes. "I love you, Tobias Eaton. I'm sorry I put myself in danger today but she promised to quit hurting people if I played. I never want to leave you but I would sacrifice myself if it meant keeping you, Tyler, Tessa, Teagan, and all our friends safe."
"I know," he says with a sigh, "and I can't fault you for that because I would have done the same thing in your shoes.
"We need to get back but I need some pain medicine," I say.
"I'll get Isobel." He kisses my forehead and heads out into the hallway. A minute later, he comes back with two tablets and a paper cup of water. "Here you go. It's a little stronger than acetaminophen but won't put you to sleep and is safe for Tessa and Peanut." I take the drugs and down them with the mouthful of water. "By the way, I love you, too. More than my own life."