Emergent: A Divergent Fanfic

Tobias

      That night I had a strange dream. Uriah was an Amity council member now, and I was extremely shocked.

      "Uriah? There's no way! You can't be an Amity member! The Uriah I know wouldn't join those peace-lovers even if it cost him his life."

      Uriah shrugs, and smiles at me. His eyes look sympathetic, as if it's a shame that I aren't as good as him, and holds his arms out to me in an embrace. The yellow robe he wears has huge sleeves that fall to the floor when he does that. "Some things change, Four. Come, join me and see for yourself."

     I'm engulfed in the folds of his robe, and I'm in Evelyn's arms. She's patting my head, like I'm a child. "My child, Tobias, my child. My child, my child." She chants it over and over, and I feel the ache in my chest that longs for my childhood, for my mother's love and reassurance. Suddenly, her hair grows and engulfs me, and I see Tris in front of me. She's smiling one minute, and crying the next. I reach out to embrace her, but she screams, and pushes me away. She covers her face with her hands, and I pry them from her face. But instead of Tris, it's Marcus, the one from my fear landscapes with his black pit eyes and his sharp teeth, and I fall back, surprised. I hold my hands up to shield myself, and I scream.

    I wake up, sweat running down my back, my chest heaving. It takes me a moment to realize where I am, but I soon recognize the plain dresser and the blue glass structure on a desk, and I hear soft breaths. I feel an arm around my waist, and I look down at Tris. There's hair in her face again, and I absentmindedly tuck it behind her ear. She smiles a little, and turns the other way. She hasn't complained about nightmares for a long time, although I suspect that she still has them, occasionally. Even though we made a promise to be open and honest to each other, there are still small things we keep to ourselves. I think we both understand, though. It's hard to be so open, so....Candor....when we've both lived Abnegation lives, lives that require us to shut our mouths and keep our motives in. No one ever said change was easy. I suppose I'll have to get used to it.

    I don't want to leave Tris by herself, but I feel the impulse to walk around in the night, like I did at the compound. Sometimes it just helps to be able to walk my thoughts, and not wait them out. I slowly slide out of bed, careful not to wake Tris. I walk around the bed to grab my shoes and my jacket, and I pause to look at Tris. She frowns a little, and murmurs to herself, not quite loud enough that I can hear. I rest my hand on top of her forehead. She's so small, she really is. My hand wraps all around her head, my wrist at one ear and my fingers at the other. Small, but brave. Thin, but smart. I think of everything that makes her Tris, of her thoughtful blue eyes that sometimes remind me of the sky, sometimes of ice, her selfishness that makes her more powerful than most others. I'm so glad she's not dead. I let my hand drop to my side and move toward the door, cautiously.

    I close the door behind me, careful not to wake Tris. As I walk down the stairs, I hear murmurs in the living room. I take as many steps as I dare before I can hear them.

    "There isn't much choice left, is there? I'm sure we can still accomplish what we must without him. It isn't like he's funding any of this, or as if he's a leader in our plan." The voice is rough, like gravel and deep, like an elder. I haven't met any elder faction members beside Hana and David, so I can't help but wonder who it is. I hear Evelyn's voice, this time.

    "He's my son. I've finally made amends with him, and I'm going to stay by his side and defend what he stands for. Wherever he goes, I go. If he doesn't leave the city, I won't execute any commands, and we won't go until he's, she's, ready." The other person snorts. 

    "Maybe your decisions are clouded by your attachment to him. Don't you see, that if we don't go now, things will get worse? We already risked our experiment getting shut down once. If it happens again, then we'll all end up like those loonies in the fringe. Your grandmother would know, if you hadn't killed her. Then none of this would've happened." I must've gasped, because I hear footsteps approaching the stairs. I quickly climb back up and press myself against the closet door, so she can't see me.