The Way Back

Chapter 6

TOBIAS POV

"Attention!" Jack Kang calls above the chatter filling the conference room. The various conversations dissipate, and the leaders who are still standing take their seats. "Let us begin the meeting by taking roll."

One by one, the faction leaders take turns saying, "here" when his or her name is called. I impatiently tap my foot because I personally believe that these meetings are a waste of time and always end with nothing accomplished, and this part alone drags on when it is simple to spot when one person is missing from our small group.

"Tobias Eaton."

"Here," I reply gruffly.

"Ezekiel Pedrad."

Next to me, Zeke scrunches up his nose at the sound of his real name, which gets me to crack a smile. "Here," he says.

We continue down the list of names until we come upon the Factionless. After my mother answers that she is present, I notice that a different man is sitting next to her. It is no longer Edward, my former initiate who dropped out of Dauntless after being stabbed in the eye with a butter knife.

"Edward—"

"He's not here," my mother announces. "Instead, someone else is filling in." She gestures to the man beside her. He is about the same age, in his mid-forties, and is overweight—funny, he seems very well fed for being Factionless. A slight beard remains unshaved on his face, and there are a few gray specks visible in the edges of his hair. "This is Clark, and he is in training to become my second-in-command."

I notice how she gazes at him fondly, and I frown a little.

"It is a pleasure to be here," he says with a grin so fake that I would be able to spot its falsity from a mile away. Something about him is off-putting

A few people greet him, but I stay silent in my chair, staring at the table and crossing my arms in an annoyed manner. These meetings are dreadful, and too often they are used for socializing. I don't have the time or will to talk with these people about anything other than running a city.

When the pleasantries are finally dealt with, we begin. Basics, such as rebuilding areas of the city and updates on food distribution, are discussed. Once all of that is out of the way, the more dire topics are brought up.

"Have there been any updates on the search parties outside the fence, Four?" Johanna Reyes asks.

Clearing my throat, I speak up, "Yes, actually. I hate to bring this up again, but our fellow Councilman, Andrew Prior, lost his wife. They found her body ten miles out in the woods."

A chorus of condolences floods the room, and Andrew bows his head as he fights back his emotions. I have to applaud him for even being here so soon. If they would have found Tris's body, I would have been a wreck; I wouldn't leave my bed for a week, let alone attend a boring conference.

"How did she die?" Jack Kang questions bluntly. I internally cringe at his insensitivity. Candors.

"Well, that's the thing. She was shot twice," I announce. "The only other person out there that we know of is her daughter, who obviously would not attack her."

Silence ensues. We all know what this means. There is somebody else out there; this is proof of life beyond the fence that we have been enclosed in for hundreds of years. It is a major leap.

"But..." The petrified Amity assistant stammers as he desperately tries to come up with another explanation. "How do we know her daughter didn't turn on her? I mean, what if their relationship was hostile—"