Waiting Four You

Chapter 3 (Tobias)

I wake up from a nightmare and frantically look around trying to get a bearing on my surroundings. The dream felt so real as if I was really still inside that house.

"Go back to sleep, Four," I hear Mia's voice from the bunk above me.

Over the past three days, Mia had thankfully been the only one who noticed when I woke up from the nightmares about Marcus, but having come from Amity, she was never mean about them, just a little exasperated when I woke her by abruptly sitting up.

"Sorry," I reply feeling bad for having woken the poor girl up for the third time tonight.

I decide that I won't be getting back to sleep anytime soon and decide to go to the training room to prepare for my next fight against the Candor girl Meghan.

The day flies past in a blur, and I barely remember winning my fight at all. All I truly remember is seeing the next name on my fight list, Eric.

That night I play Dare with Amar, Zeke, and some other Dauntless after Amar convinces me to join them.

The next morning, when I wake up, everything hurts. Especially my head.

Oh God, my head.

Eric is perched on the edge of the mattress next to mine, tying his shoelaces. The skin around the rings in his lip looks red - he must have pierced it recently. I haven't been paying attention.

He looks at me. "You look like hell."

I sit up, and the sudden motion makes my head throb more.

"I hope that when you lose, you don't use it as an excuse," he says, sneering a little. "Because I would have beat you anyway."

Eric leaves and I go to the shower to get ready for the day. I barely make it in time to make it to my fight against Eric, but at least I beat him.

The days blur into a mess of fears being repeated until visiting day finally comes.

I wake up in a good mood for the first time since I started initiation because I know that she'll be coming.

"What's got you smiling today?" Mia asks me. "Are you excited to see your family again?"

I scowl at the mention of my family.

"Ooh, not the family then. I'd ask if you were expecting to see your girlfriend, but I don't exactly know how that stuff works in Abnegation."

"Let's just say, if you see an Abnegation girl who's about fourteen, point her in my direction."

"So it is a girlfriend!" Mia squeals.

"Not so loud," I say looking around to make sure that Eric isn't in the dorm.

"Don't worry, we're the only ones in here."

"I'll be in the training room. Can you bring her to me? I don't want Eric to see her."

Mia agrees to help and heads out into the Pit while I get ready. Once I'm in the training room, though, I wonder if this was the right place to have Mia bring Beatrice to me.

I'm so focused on the punching bag in front of me that I don't notice anyone entering the room until Mia calls my name.

"Four," she calls out in what sounds to be an exasperated voice, as if that wasn't the first time she had said my name.

I turn and almost don't recognize the girl standing before me. Her long blonde hair is down in waves, and the Abnegation jacket that she normally wears is no where to be seen. Gone is the timid seeming Abnegation girl. Before me stands a confident Dauntless clothed in grey.

"Beatrice," I say quietly afraid that if I speak any louder, I will find that she is nothing but a mirage that disappears.

I see Mia slip her way out of the open door just as Beatrice runs over to envelope me in a hug.

"I've missed you," she anounces. "I know it's only been ten days, but I've missed you as if it's been years."