All for You.

Chapter 66 - Hero?

Chapter 66 - Hero?

—Tris

I had thought that the new ambassadors would be the best fit for the question panel on initiation. It is so different from what us "older" folks went through that it seemed like a good idea.

"Then why do you have teenagers unable to defend themselves from potential rapists and are in need of saving from none only than a woman who isn't even from here?!" I hear a male voice scream when I enter the pit.

"Shouldn't training include self-defense from scenarios like that?!" Another male voice screams.

"Shouldn't it teach how to not treat women like that?!" A female voice yells at the five ambassadors sitting behind microphones at a long table. "You would think a man who was just deemed a member of Dauntless would have enough respect to not do that to a woman!"

"SHUT UP!" Amar booms into the microphone and the crowd falls silent. Suddenly I feel as if all eyes are on me in the entrance of the Pit, and I see Amar's heart drop upon seeing me.
He wouldn't have called me down here for this.
Something changed quickly before I showed up.
Real quickly.

I turn and run.
The first time I ran since my surgeries was not that long ago.
And then I wasn't running because I found out I was pregnant.
But now, I'm running.

I find myself going in circles around the back hallways of the compound.
It's a distraction: the burning in my legs, the beating of my heart.
I should be looking for Rose.

"Tris!" I hear Amar close behind me when I slow near the halls of the cafeteria.

"Leave me alone, please." I plead. He's still a great distance away from the hallway from me, and he stills in his tracks.

Saved by a woman who isn't even from this city.
And yet my whole life I have lived here.
But five years that I barely remember.
Five years I'm just beginning to recall— they define me.

I'm at a four way intersection of hallways, and I suddenly realize the mass of people growing outside the cafeteria doors.

"I told you to keep an eye on her." I whip around to my left upon hearing Christina's low voice.

I feel like this is a dream.
But I know it's not.
 


"Chris, I—"

"Shut your mouth, Prior." She spits, slowly walking closer to me.

.
"Staff training is basically a competition for dominance," I hand her a heavy metal rod, my hand returning to my small bump as I lecture her.

"If you can keep moving forward on your opponent, you win. Backing them into a corner or disarming is the only hope at survival, and cowardliness is not the route to success."

"So like sparring in initiation," she understands. "You leave the box, you loose."

"Yeah, but we won't be sparring yet."

And then four months later I had my son, and five months later was the first time I sparred her.
It was the same day she told me she got engaged.
.

She stands tall over me, moving in close.
I taught her that.

"You knew she lied to me, and you knew what had happened. Hell, here's Tris Prior here again everyone! We all are safe now!" She throws her hands up in mockery, yelling as few people stand around to observe the commotion.

Of course Rose didn't tell her about what happened.

"For growing up Abnegation," she is within reach of my arms now and she has stopped moving forward. "You sure are pretty selfish. Taking the glory to release your name to the press, to take credit for your big feat. You think beating up my sister's rapist is something to glorify over, Tris?" She's shouting at me and I stay still.
Sometimes it's better to not respond when she is like this.

"Christina, stop." I keep my voice low, reaching out to try and take her hand in mine.

"SHUT UP!" Her voice shakes my insides when she yells in my face. Her eyes are bright red, and there is tears going down her face.

"What's gotten into you?" I ask, my voice slightly louder, but still not close to her volume.

"Me?" She starts laughing hysterically, tears running down her cheeks. "What's gotten into me?! Take a look at yourself! You're so obsessed with proving yourself to all of these people that you can't even tell what actually matters anymore. People are right, you aren't from this city anymore."

I still, knowing her words don't phase me.
What's wrong with her?

"And what, so now you're a hero, and my sister is three weeks pregnant."

"Wait, Rose is pregnant?" I feel my eyes grow wide at Chris and she stares at me.

I don't see the fist coming until they don't stop pummeling me.

"You think your so tough." I catch her one arm, blood trailing down my lip.

"You've got a problem with your nose, Tris? Yeah, you chose to take drugs and give yourself that problem." She collides her forearm with the bridge of my nose and I gasp in pain.

I want to hit her back.
I really do.
But I can't.

"Fight back!" She screams. "Show me how tough you are, Tris Eaton! Show me how you saved my sister from her boyfriend you thought nothing of!" She continues to pelt me, and eventually I catch both of her fists.

"Get off of her!" Amar yells but I see Zeke first. Zeke grabs my fist, probably thinking I'm the threat, but gets hit by Chris who misses my jaw when I collapse to the ground.

"Oh my god!" I hear a female voice and I immediately recognize it as Rose's.
But I can't see her.
I hear my pulse strong in my ears and I feel a million eyes on me.

In a glimpse, I see Amar trying to restrain Christina, and I see Zeke trying to help him.

I stand, my legs shaking from shock.

I look around to the various colors of clothing watching me, studying me, wondering the alien's next move.

My eyes find Rose's for a split second and turn around, leaving my puddle of blood on the ground behind me.

I won't let her see me cry.
I won't let her win.
I won't let any of them win.

I make a mental note to clean off the doorknob when I return home and use my bloody hand to open it.

"Hey—What the hell?" Tobias stands, our seven-month old son in his arms.

I shake my head, a sob finally escaping my mouth.

I go to the bathroom and finally see myself in the mirror. My nose is bleeding like crazy, and my cheek below my left eye is badly bruised along with my lip being slightly split on the top.

"Whoever did this, god, Tris, I'm sorry but I can't not hurt them," he is pacing back and forth in the bathroom and for a moment I wonder where he left Tom.

I spit into the sink, suddenly wanting to vomit at the sight of so much of my blood.

Tobias notices my fatigue and calms down slightly, going through many towels to clean up my face and slow my bleeding nose.

"It doesn't look broken—" he runs his finger down my nose and I flinch away from his touch.
It doesn't hurt physically, but mentally I will always have a problem with my nose being touched.

"Oh, Tris," he sighs and sits down on the toilet. I sit on his lap, still holding my nose, and curl into his neck.

He will always protect me.
He is my safety.

"Christina," I say, defeat clear in my voice. "She knows, and I'm glad she's blaming me."

"Why?" Tobias turns his head to stare at me but I don't move. "She doesn't have a right to do this to anyone. Not you, not Rose, not—"

"Rose is pregnant." I am unable to control my sobs after I finally get the sentence out.

And it's all my fault.