WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM ALLEGIANT, MOCKINGJAY AND THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.
I open my eyes.
There's a girl stood in front of me - she can't be more than about thirteen or fourteen - with blonde hair that flows down her back and a sweet smile on her lips.
'Wh-where am I? I was- Tobias? Where's Tobias?' I utter, trying to come to my senses.
'Shh,' the girl says, 'He's okay, he's okay.'
'Where am I?'
'You're- well,' She looks around. 'I'm not really sure what to call this place. Heaven, I suppose. The afterlife maybe.' She looks back to me. 'But, I suppose I call it home.'
'Am I...' I can't quite bring myself to say it but I force the words out. 'Am I...dead?'
'Well, that depends what your definition of dead is.'
'Dead is dead, what other kind of definition is there?'
'Do you feel dead?' she asks.
'Well, no.'
'Then you're alive as you've always been. Come on, I'll show you around.' She holds her hand out to me and I take it, pulling myself up.
We're in courtyard, shrouded in mist - although, not the kind of mist that brings fear; the kind that brings relaxation. Ivy snakes up columns and bursts into flower along the way. Benches sit, a few of which are occupied by people of varying ages and appearances. Up above is a sunlit sky, wisps of clouds creating imaginative patterns across the blue. It's beautiful.
'I'm Prim, by the way,' the girl says as we walk, 'And you're Tris, right?'
'How did you know that?' I'm suddenly defensive.
'Oh, we've been watching you for quite a while. They've been helping you out, you know - you've got quite a fan club up here.'
'What?' I ask. 'What do you mean?'
'Will, Al, Uriah - they've all been watching you.'
'Uriah? Will?! They're here?' I gasp.
'Well, where else would they be?' Prim says with a light giggle. 'But we'll get to them in a minute. Let me show you around first.'
We enter one of the stone buildings and the inside is surprisingly well-furnished. Prim leads me into a room that appears to be some kind of common room. Two boys, both of which (if I'm honest) are seriously good-looking, are playing cards on a table piled high with confectionary. They rise when we enter the room.
'Ooh, a new one?' One of the boys asks. 'Sugarcube?' He offers me one of the white cubes, but I decline.
'One of these days someone will take you up on your offer of sugarcubes, Finnick.' The other boy says, before plucking the cube out of his hand. 'But until that day comes, I shall happily indulge in your failed attempts to seduce those of the opposite gender.' Removing an unlit cigarette from his mouth, he slips the cube between his lips and grins at me.
'There's only one girl for me, my friend.' Finnick replies. 'And, much to my annoyance, she is firmly set on staying alive.'
'How incredibly selfish of her,' the other boy replies.
'Finnick Odair and Augustus Waters,' Prim says, introducing the two boys, 'And this is Tris Prior.' she adds for them.
'Well, you took your time.' Finnick says. 'The boys have been waiting ages for you.' He then saunters over to me and places his lips near my ear. 'So how'd you go? Explosion? Stab-wound? Unfortunate incident with a hairdryer?'
'Just the run-of-the-mill gunshot wound, I'm afraid.' I reply, slightly odd that I'm described my death so lightly.
My death. I'm dead. I'm actually dead.
'I'm dead.' I say, somewhat subconsciously.
'It's a little anticlimactic, isn't it?' A voice says from behind me. A voice I recognise.
I turn and there, standing in front of me, is Will. Just like when I last saw him alive. When I shot him.
'Will...' I murmur.
'Tris.' His face is cold and deadly.
'Will, I'm- I'm so sorry. I didn't- I couldn't-'
'Tris.' He says, slowly walk towards me, his face a terrifying blend of anger and sorrow.
'Will, I had no choice! You were- you were going to kill me-'
He doesn't say anything, he just keeps walking closer.
'Will!' I beg.
He stops just inches away from me.
He stares coldly into my eyes.
And then I grin erupts on his face and I hear the boys laughing from behind me. 'Your face!' he cries.
'What?'
'I have been waiting months to do that!' Will then pulls me into a massive bear hug.
'What?' I repeat.
'Well, I was hardly going to miss my one chance to sinisterly confront my killer.'
'This is like live-action CSI.' Augustus says, though by the looks of things no one has any idea what a CSI is.
'Wait, but I- I shot you.' I say.
'Tris,' he smiles genuinely - that smile that has haunted my dreams for what seems like forever, 'It wasn't your fault.'
It's at this point that I break down and cry. And it's not that I'm dead or that I won't be seeing Tobias for a long time. It's the fact that I'm finally, finally forgiven.
'Come on, let's go meet the others.' Will says and I follow him away.
And for the first time in a long time, I smile.
