Divergent High

Epilogue

*Seventeen years later*

Tris' POV

"Mom!" I hear Paris screech from the bathroom. I drop the knife on the counter and dash up the steps and get inside the small room. "What is it? What's wrong?" I ask frantically as I search my twelve year old girl's face for any sign of pain.

She slowly chokes out, "It's in the box! I don't know why they are there but they are and there's blood on them and-" I cut her off and pull her into a hug. "Shh. Shh. Just show me what you're talking about."

Shakily, after I let her out of my grip, she leads me over to the counter and plucks a small black box off the top. Realization hits me like a truck when I know what's inside.

I turn to Paris and ask, "Can you go get your dad for me?" She slowly nods her head and wipes her tear streaked face.

Not a minute later, Tobias is pounding up the steps. "What is it? What's going on?" he asks frantically.

I close the bathroom door behind him before showing him the box that held my worst nightmare. Blades.

Realization spread across my husband's face at the speed of light.

"Wh- who's are those?" he croaks with tears threatening to spill. "I- I don't know," I reply in the same time of voice.

"Wha- well we need to find out then!" he shouts and turns around and swings the door open. He takes off down the hall before I can stop him. "Babe! Wait!" I scream after him.

I finally catch him and grab his arm and get him to stop. "Just wait a minute. I think I know who's they are. I'll go talk to her," I say gently. He nods his head before letting it rest in his hands. 

After giving my husband a small pat on the back, I make my way down the hall and towards my oldest daughter, Zoe's, room and giving a small knock before entering the room. "Zoe, we need to talk," I gently tell her before shutting the door behind me.

She looks up from her computer with tear streaked eyes. Quickly closing the lid, she gives me her full attention. "What's up?" she asks as she wipes the tears from her face with the sleeve of her hoodie. "I, um, well Paris, actually, found something that I need to talk to you about."

Zoe slowly nods her head, as if she knows where this is going. "Wh- what did she find?"

Letting out a sigh, I bring the small black box from behind my back. Based off the sharp inhale of breath she takes in, I know Zoe knows what's on the box. "Take your hoodie off," I instruct her.

With a slight smirk on her face, she slides it off her shoulders. Nothing on her arms or wrists, but I'm not stupid. "Now lift your shirt up, so I can see your stomach," I instruct. This small smirk vanishing off of her face as she does. Still nothing though. "Now, go change into your bathing suit bottoms," I give her my last instruction. She grabs her bottoms and goes into her en suit, looking defeated.

When she comes back out, that's when I see the multiple marks on my daughter's thighs, calves, and even her feet. I pull her into a bone crushing hug and ask her the one question I'm dying to know, "Why?"

"Because you won't love me for who I am!" she sobs into my shoulder. "Why would you think that?" I question her in a soothing voice. "Because I'm a disgrace to the family," she mumbles. "What about you would make you a disgrace to the family?"

Taking in a deep breath, she lets out the two words that make me want to cry even harder. "My sexuality." I  take in a sharp breath before speaking. "Honey, I don't care about the gender you love, I only care if you find love," I tell her quietly as we start swaying back and forth. "Really?" she asks as she pulls away so she's looking me in the eyes. "Really," I tell her.

She pulls me into an even tighter hug. "So, hearing that out of your mouth, I can finally tell you, I'm pansexual. I also, um, I also, kinda sorta, have a girlfriend," she lets out with a huge sigh at the end. "You do?! What's her name? Is she in the same grade? Have you gone on dates yet? You know what? Just invite her to dinner tonight. I would love to meet her," I tell my daughter excitedly. "Y-you do? You want to meet her?" Zoe asks in complete shock. I nod my head. "Before she does come over though, you will have to come out to your father," I tell her.

And that's what she does. Tobias was fine with it, just like I was. Zoe invited Summer over for dinner that night, and Zoe came out to Patrick, my oldest son, her brother, Riley, my youngest son, her other brother, and Paris, and all were fine with it and even happy for her for having Summer. Riley even came out as transgender that night, she stuck to the name Riley though.

Years later, Zoe and Summer were married, as was Riley and her husband, Conner. Patrick became big in the music industry, and as for Paris, she followed in my footsteps and is now a world famous painter. I may not have had the best life when I was younger, but it straightened out later, for sure.

As for all my friends from high school, Uriah became a comedian, no shock there, and married Marlene with two kids. Zeke, he and Shauna both became psychiatrists because they saw what depression did to me, and they wanted to make sure nobody else had to live a life in sadness. Will married Christina. He became a college professor while she is a stay at home mom, like Marlene. Lynn just... Ran off on day. Never heard from her again. We all keep in contact, and even have a few cookouts every once in a while.

 I have to say, life didn't turn out like I expected it to, it turned out better.