Resurgent

Chapter 11

TWO DAYS LATER

Tris is curled up in a chair, asleep and Zeke is snoring softly on the sofa. Christina is tapping away on her phone and Shauna is almost asleep. The light from the single bulb dimly illuminates the room. I feel drowsy, too, but somehow sleep seems to be out of reach. It's been three days since Tris came back into my life. These three days have been the best, and at the same time, the worst. They've been the best because, after all, it's been a roller coaster ride with Tris, but they've been the worst because of what we faced in those three days. We had to escape from Pete and ended up in Carlyle at three a.m. After hours of searching for a cab, we finally found one that agreed to take us back to Chicago.

We met up at my place for dinner. But everyone feel asleep soon after that. I look at Tris. She looks so serene with her eyes closed and no frown. Christina pops in,"That loving glance."

I turn my head, and say,"Of course."
"Why do you love her?" Christina asks.
"Because she is so nice, without even trying to be. That's called pure talent."
"I wish," she sighs,"That Will and I were like this."

Will.
"I need to tell you something, Christina."
"Okay."
"Don't get me wrong, but what I'm going to tell you is the truth."
"Cut out the drama and go ahead."
I breathe in deeply and say,"Will was Jeanine's son."

She doesn't say anything. Her face is expressionless and I can tell that she is shocked.
"I know that," she says.
Now it's my turn to be shocked.
"You knew that? And you still decided to marry him?!"
"Yeah, well, love isn't defined by a person's genes, is it? And Will was nothing like Jeanine. He was a beautiful person and was just the opposite of that cruel, merciless woman."
Her eyes are gleaming with tears, but somehow, they don't flow.
"Has the police found out anything about him? Who killed him?"
She shakes her head mournfully,"They're still working on it, so.."
I don't know what to say. Somehow, conversing on such a touchy topic for Christina is difficult. For a long time, no one speaks. The silence seems to be unnatural.
"About that Pete guy, though. Is he a psycho? 'Cause I really think his actions make him seem like one." She finally says.
"His mother was a bodyguard in Erudite. Tris shot her down when we ran from Erudite headquarters. Pete wasn't like this when I knew him."
"What was your age when you actually knew him? Ten? Eleven? That's nearly ten years ago. You can't expect him to be the same guy you knew. Haven't you changed in those ten years? He must've too."
"You know," I look down at my hands,"He was a great friend. And when I lost him, I really...." I shake my head,"I had lost my mother too.. And then Pete... I really felt left out."
"What's your real name?"
I look up abruptly, shocked to hear her ask that sudden question.
"Why would you ask?"
"Curiosity. And I think I barely know you."
"I'd rather keep that a secret. Some air of mystery about me, at least."
"I won't call you by your name," she says. Her eyes look at me with an excitement she cannot contain. Then, she adds with a smirk,"Tobias."

I look at her, astounded. I didn't know she knew my name.
"Who,"I say, and then I realise,"Tris..."
"Don't worry, Tris didn't tell me. I've got my own sources."
She winks at me. I smile and tell her,"Don't you dare call me by that name, Candor, or you'll see."

"Why, hello, Tobias," Tris says in an extremely formal way.
"What's going on, Tris?" I ask her,"You're here... And you're there. Which one of you is real?"
"That," she says,"is your decision."
"Are you Tris?" I ask.
"What makes you think I'm not?"
"You're being too formal with me. The Tris I know is absolutely normal."
"I'm not being formal. Something is amiss. I don't know what it is, but I know that you're going to be in big trouble. I don't want anything to happen to you." She stands on her toes and presses her lips against mine. All this time, it felt right to kiss her, but now, something felt wrong. How could I be bouncing between two girls, even though they are one and the same? My mind was confused, but my conscience told me it was wrong. I pull back and keep my hands on her shoulders.
I shake my head no.

She looks at me with a hurt look on her face. She turns around and goes away and I'm left standing there alone. Alone, with my thoughts. What did I just do? She is Tris. I'm not sure about the Tris with me in the physical world, but this is Tris.
"Tris!" I call out.
But it's too late. She is already too far away to listen to me.

I wake up, startled. What just happened?

I look around myself. Everyone is still asleep. I glance at my watch. It's six o clock. I get up from the bed and go to the kitchen. Making myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I sit down on the couch and turn on the television. My attention, however, is not in the TV show. I doing even know what I'm watching.

Tris.
There is silence for a long time.
Tobias, comes the reply.
You..you can speak to me like this?
There is no reply. I can tell she's annoyed.
I'm sorry, Tris. It's just that.. I felt wrong bouncing between two girls inspite of them being the same person. I mean, are you and this Tris the same?
That you have to figure out. I hear a sigh. She continues It's okay, Tobias. If I were in your place, I would've done the same.
What s going on? Who should I trust? Who are the 'two people'?
Soon, you'll get to know. Don't worry, I'll be there.
I love you. Come back to me. Please.
But I'm already there.
What?
There's no reply. I can tell she won't answer me. But I know that for now, at least I have a guardian angel.

I look up from the television when I hear someone coming. It's Zeke. He looks as if he just woke up from a hundred years' sleep. He looks at me with sleepy eyes and says,"Good mornin', Four."
I raise my hand in a gesture of hello. He goes into the kitchen and pours himself a glass of juice and takes a seat beside me.

In a few minutes, everyone wakes up. Christina, Zeke and Shauna go home. Tris comes and sits beside me, resting her head on my shoulder. After a long time, she says,"You don't trust me, do you, Tobias?"