Believe in the Unexpected - FourTris

Chapter 6

She gives me that same old look like I'm nuts. God I've missed that look..."You're kidding right?" She crosses her arms and a small smile forms across her fair skin and she lets out a delicate laugh then quickly stops and clears her throat when I keep my stern gaze. "Alright you're not." She sighs and mutters, "I'm so gonna regret this." She then opens the door more so I can come in.

Once I begin walking in she quickly grabs my arm and turns me. My chest is crushed against the wall and my arm is behind my back. She's holding it in a position that with one more turn, she could snap it like a twig. Um... When in the hell did she get this strong? When they wiped her memory did thy pump some hulk juice into her or something?

I groan and don't bother struggling. After learning and teaching combat skills, I know she's got me. She's learned to use her size to her advantage... God, I still remember when I gave her that advice, the time when she was about to fight Peter in initiation. It was so long ago... yet I wouldn't ever be able to forget it, just how I would never be able to forget her.

"... Got it?" She finishes saying something. "Um.. What? I mean- uh- Yeah." I gulp. Yep good going Tobias... She'll totally believe that, I mentally scorn myself.

She sighs and starts talking slowly. "You... Don't.. Go... Near... My daughter... Don't even thinking about her. Understood?" 

I nod quickly. "Of course. I'm here to talk to you... To explain myself to you. And hopefully get some answers." I mutter the last part hopefully as she lets go of me.

"And some cake apparently." Tr- Natalia adds with a smirk that shows she's not afraid to hurt me. "Right." I nod.

"Follow me." Natalia leads the way. As I follow her through the not so big apartment I look at the photos hanging up along the olive hallway walls. Each of them are of her and the little girl who I know to be Delilah. Tris... She was only ever this happy a handful of times like this when we were together. Was that because of me? Maybe it was better that I was erased from her memory. Maybe I shouldn't be in her life.

As I continue to study the birthday and holiday photos, Natalia breaks my line of thought. It's getting harder now to mix her up with my Tris. Although Tris was never very well.. Amity happy all the time, she was still so much more gentle. She knew where the limits were as she grew. 
Natalia is something else. I can tell she has a soft spot for Delilah but that's it. Natalia is like a rock and she would probably be the face of Dauntless were it still around.

"Hey muscle man." She snaps at me. "Take a seat." The chair that's pulled out from under the table makes a screeching noise and I flinch. 

After being alone most of the time in my apartment, I'm not used to surprise noises like I used to hear in the everyday life style of my faction. 

I nod slightly then sit. Once I see Natalia at the island counter, facing me, getting ingredients out I take that as my cue to begin. "Do you know the city Chicago?" I bite my lip nervously. By now Chicago was open for people to come and go, if it was erased from her memory because it was her home, by now she must have heard the name at least.

With a soft nod Natalia looks to me. "Yeah, Delilah and I were gonna head there for Christmas actually, checking out new places to live you know?" Biting her soft pink lip, I know not question her reasons for that statement. She may have changed how tough she is but I still know her habits. 

"Right, well that's where I'm from. That's where you're from." I continue nervously but to my surprise, Natalia doesn't look surprised, not even bothering to look up. "Wait, did you know that?" My eyes narrow.

"Of course, that's what it says on my birth certificate after all." Natalia's shoulder's shrug. "My mother and father are Andrew and Natalie Prior, they died when I was 16." 

By now I can hear my heart beating out of my chest. Does she remember? Why does she remember that but not me? "Natalia, I-" I begin but get cut off yet again. 

"And I got hurt in a car crash which killed them at the time. I was sent to this Hospital here with no memory and the doctor told me everything. They were my only family, I could start off fresh here so I did." As Natalia finishes my jaw is dropped. You've got to be joking...

"Natalia, no. That's not what happened. You've got to believe me." I begin but it seems that Natalia enjoys cutting me off.

"So, you're saying I should believe and put my trust about my whole past into a man I've just hardly met, instead of a licensed doctor who saved my life?" She scoffs and continues with the cake.

"Would you shut up and listen?" I bang my fists on the table, causing a loud bang to sound. Natalia suddenly picks up the knife and points it directly at me. "Watch it." She whispers.

In this moment she looks exactly like Tris, frightened but ready to fight. Plus adding onto the fact that she looks like she did during training while throwing the knives. God, that all seems so stupid now... 

"I swear I wont hurt you." I mumble then take a shaky breath. "I'm sorry." I breathe out. "Just hear me out. My deep eyes meet her's and now everything is relying on this moment. If there's any chance of me getting my Tris back...

"Continue.." I let out my breath and begin explaining  the war that happened all those years ago. As minutes tick by I'm now explaining the faction system to her. By now she's stirring the batter. 

"Wait wait, you guy's had an entire 'faction' dedicated to people getting high?" Natalia erupts with laughter and I swear it's the most beautiful thing in the world.

"I know how it sounds but... No one really questioned it." I go slightly red myself. 

I did always question the faction system, but for the soul reason of not wanting to be only one thing. Never truly questioning the need or anything for any certain faction. No matter how you were raised, you knew not to question such things. It would be like treason..

Continuing on from there I began to explain where Natalia came into the story. How Andrew helped my father run things, how selfless her mother was. Now I can see her smile fading. Being haunted of the ghosts of her pasts must be terrible. Is it really my place to take her happiness away again? 

I keep reminding myself in my mind that she has a right to know where she came from. That's the only way I can continue. She needs to know there is still more people who care about her...

As I continue on, I notice she's forgotten all about the cake, of course I don't care but I know it means that she can't handle this anymore.

Slowly, I move out from my place at the table and go over to her. Waiting for a moment before her,  needing to sense if she's alright with my presence being so near or not. One wrong move at this moment and it could mean the end of this journey.

Luckily, Natalia shifts towards me, beckoning in the most vague way that she needs me. I pounce on my chance and wrap my arms around her small frame. Breathing in this moment, for a split second, it feels like everything is back the way it was. There was never a normal for us, but there was an us. And this exactly what it feels like. It feels right.

"It's alright." I whisper so gently I almost don't hear myself. 

"I can't remember them." Natalia chokes out. "The only way I know what they look like is from the photos I have of them... dead." Her voice breaks and I can't help but hold her tighter.

In this moment, I promise myself that who ever did this to her would pay, I would find out. No one, especially not Tris.. Natalia, doesn't deserve to go through this torment. 

AND ENDING THAT CHAPTER ON A FEELS NOTE, HOPE YOU ENJOYED MY DAUNTLESS CAKES!