Dauntles Black Heart

ch35

Epilog
11 years later
Tommy POV

"Tommy James" I jump a little as Jeanine calls my name. I take a deep breath then walk up to her and take the knife then cut my palm. I smile as I hear the sizzle of the coals. Even though I have lived in dauntless for eleven years I am still amity born.

We jump onto the roof. Max gives his speech about us jumping off the building, I hear it every year. Max is almost like a grandfather to me. Like every year some candor asks if Max is serious, he always is.
"Who wants to jump first?" he asks. No one rises their hand, I walk forward.
"Just like your mother" Max says, I smile. I close my eyes and jump. I hit the net hard, Four and Tris help me up.
"First jumper Tommy" Four announces. I stand by my mom and dad.
"I'm so proud" my mom says.
"Mom, don't go easy on me." I say.
"But you are my little baby boy." She says messing up my hair or as she says 'fixing it'.
"Mom, don't call me that. And I'm taller than you." I say, my dad laughs a little earning him an elbow to the gut.
"Mom, I don't want the class to know about you, dad, uncle Four, and aunt Tris." I say.
"I'm sorry" she says.
"Mom, don't be nice to me." I say.
"Excuse me." she says in her instructor voice.
"Sorry Scar" I say.
"It's okay" she brakes character.
"Very intimidating" my dad says. He gets another hit to the gut. Then the tour starts, I don't pay attention, I know where everything is. I walk through the pit. Someone jumps on me and messes up my hair, I turn to see Brantley. We have been best friends since I came to dauntless, he is three years older.
"First jumper" he says.
"Yep" I say and we walk to my parent's apartment. Brantley and I set on the couch and start to play Xbox.
"Tommy, don't forget your uncle Eric and Aunt Claire are bringing Johnny over. And uncle Four and aunt Tris are bringing Nataly over." My mom says. Eric and Claire got married ten years ago, Johnny is their ten year old son. Nataly is Four and Tris' nine year old daughter. Someone knock on the door.
"It's open" I call out. It's Joy, Brantley's girlfriend. Last year I dared him to kiss her, the next day they went out and have been together ever since. Joy sets next to Brantley, they start making out.
"Guys stop trying to eat each other." I say.
"Shut up boy," Brantley says then hits my head, "you will understand if you ever get a girlfriend."
"I will get a girl." I say they go back to making out and I quietly say under my breath, "once I ask her out."
"You say that all the time, but you never do." Brantley says.
"I will... eventually" I say.
"Sure you will." He says. There is a knock at the door, I get up to get it, I hit Brantley in the back of his head.
"That hurt" he says. I open the door to Shayla, a girl I have had a crush on for years now, she is a year younger, I am so far in the friend zone.
"I heard you were first jumper." She says looking at her hands.
"Yah" I say. I must sound so stupid. "Come in."
"Thanks" she says still not looking at me. We set on the couch next to Brantley and Joy. She grads a controller.
"Want to play?" she asks quietly.
"Yes" I say quickly. We start play, she is good, I'm better, but I let her win. She jumps up, her beautiful golden blond hair bouncing with her, she has the most beautiful green eyes. She jumps into my lap.
"I win" she says, "oh umm sorry" she says then gets off my lap, "I'm umm... going to get something to drink." She walks to the kitchen.
"Dude it is your chance, go ask her out." Brantley says.
"Okay, I'm going to do it." I say and stand up.
"Don't fail" Brantley says. I walk to the kitchen and practice what I will say to her. 'Do you want to go out some time?' no that's stupid. 'Did it hurt when you feel from heaven?' that is even worse. Then I run into her, she falls back, I catch her.
"I umm... sorry" I say, she is still in my arms.
"Thank you" she says. Our faces are inches apart, she closes her eyes, I do the same, we lean towards each other.
"Tommy don't forget- am I interrupting something?" Eric asks, Shayla and I jump away from each other.
"Oh umm no" Shayla says, "I got to go. See you later Tommy." She then walks out.
"Sorry dude" Eric says, "the first time I asked Claire out she ran away from me."
"Really" I say.
"Yah, you were in the bathroom and she ran here, then your mom made her set on the couch and made me ask her again." He says.
"Brantley, there are kids over stop making out with Joy." I say setting next to him.
"You need a girlfriend to loosen up." He says.
"Shut up, and didn't you ask my mom to be your girlfriend?" I say.
"No" he shoots back.
"I think your words were 'he doesn't deserve you, I should be your boyfriend.' Those were you words correct?" I say. Brantley hits me in the back of the head.
"I was eight" he says.
"So you did ask her." I say.
"Could you watch Johnny while Eric and I go out?" Claire asks.
"I will" I say. Eric and Claire leave, Johnny sets next to me and Brantley starts to make out again.
"Johnny, let's go in my room" I say. We walk into my room he starts to play with some cars I gave him.
"What's this?" he asks. He is holding the book my dad read to me every night till I was old enough to read it on my own. I set on my bed and open the book, a piece of folded paper and a red piece of cloth fall from it. I pick them both up, I open the paper, it is the picture I drew the day I met my parents. I hold the piece of red cloth in my hand, it is the only thing I have left of my birth family. It is the only thing that was saved from the fire that killed them.

Four and Tris walk in. Four is having a conversation with Nataly.
"No, you are nine years old you don't need a boyfriend." Four says.
"Daddy he is a friend that is a boy." She says.
"I still don't think it a good idea." Four says.
"Daddy please he is just a friend." She says.
"Yah Four, what is the worst that can happen?" I say, "They start out as friends. Then Uriah dares him to kiss her, and she is attacked by the girls of her initiate class, he saves her, they fall in love, get married then adopt a kid." Four gives me a death glare.
"It has happened before it can happen again." I say Four still is glaring at me. Then there is a knock on the door, I open the door to see Drew, a ten year old boy.
"Is Nataly here?" he asks. I smile.
"Are you the friend that is a boy?" I ask, he nods, "come on in." I say.
"Four come with me to the kitchen." Tris says. Four goes with her.
"Set down Drew." I say, he sets next to Nataly. When Four comes back he sets in between them, and holds a knife in his hands.
"Let's go get dinner" I say, "and Brantley and Joy can continue to eat each other in the cafeteria."
"They are eating each other." Johnny asks horrified.
"Yes, so don't ever kiss anyone." Four says looking at Nataly.
"No they aren't really eating each other, they are just swapping spit" I say.
"That is discussing" Drew says.
"Yes" Four says in his instructor voice.
"Daddy, you and mom kiss all the time." Nataly says.
"That's different" Four says.
"How so?" I ask.
"Tommy, stop talking." Four says.
"Let's go" Brantley says.

After dinner all of dauntless goes to the zip line and wait for her ashes to fall. I can't believe she is gone, we were not very close but it hurts to see others in pain, I can still remember that man making me watch Joey hurt my mom eleven years ago. I remember every detail of that day. She got a tattoo over his name, it is a cloud with my name in it, my dad has one too, I can't believe that is his first and only tattoo. As the ashes fall I look for Shayla. I start walking to her, she runs to me and jumps in my arms causing me to swig her around a little.
"I need to talk to you." She says through her tears. We walk to a tree and climb in it. My back is against the truck and my feet are stretched out on the branch, Shayla hangs her feet over the side and watches the sun starting to set.
"Sorry about your sister" I say.
"I miss her so much." She says.
"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." I say.
"You are a good friend" she says. I wish we were more than friends. She then sets on my lap.
"No, you are more than just a friend." She says. Then kisses my check and lays her head on my chest.
"Did you just" I say. She nods and looks at me. 'Just do it there is nothing to be worried about' I think to myself. I lean in and kiss her, I haven't felt this way in a long time about someone. I put one hand in her soft hair and the on the on her back, she puts her hands in my hair. We kiss until her father starts to call for her.
"I have to go" she says.
"If you need anything just call." I say.
"I will" she says, "later." She jumps out the tree.

At midnight I wake up to a text message, it is Shayla.
"I need to talk to you. Can you get out of the dormitory?" she texts.
"Meet me at the chasm" I say and get up.
"Where do you think you are going?" Some candor asks.
"Why do you care?" I ask.
"You aren't supposed to leave." He says.
"I know" I say.
"I will tell the instructors." He says.
"Go ahead I dare you to call them right now." I say and walk out.

I set against a table she is setting next to me on the ground.
"Thank you" she says.
"I'm a good listener." I say.
"No I mean thanks for kissing Me." she leans one me, "I have been waiting years for you to do that." She shivers, it is starting to get colder outside.
"Are you cold?" I ask.
"I'm fine" she says. I take off my jacket and put it on so the back is in the front, she is now pushed closer to me. Our eyes lock and I kiss her.
"I could stay like this forever" I say.
"Me too. Thank you for always being there for Me." she says.
"I won't let you be alone, I promise." I say.

Thank you for reading my fanfiction.
-Jayde N.