Waiting Four You

Chapter Roth (Tobias)

It strikes me just how much Beatrice has changed in the past ten days. At first I thought it was just the change in how she was dressed, but as we make out, I notice muscles in her back and abdomen. I want to ask her about it, but kissing her seems like a much better use of our time together. We won't be able to see each other again until visiting day next year.

"He's probably in here," I hear Zeke's voice outside the training room. "Amar says that's where he spends most of his time."

I panic slightly as the door opens in hopes that the other person with Zeke isn't Marcus, but as the pair walk through the door, I'm relieved to find that it's just Zeke and his little brother Uriah.

"Oh!" Zeke exclaims. "I didn't realize that I'd be interrupting anything."

"Tris!" Uriah shrieks.

The two of us stand and Uriah attacks Beatrice with a bear hug.

"Did you remember your exercises this morning?" Uriah asks her in an almost fatherly voice.

Beatrice giggles, "What have we discussed about talking to me like that?"

"That you will beat me up the next time I try?"

Beatrice punches his shoulder and places an arm around my waist. "Have you asked Marlene out yet?"

Uriah steps back and hides behind Zeke as if afraid of more violence against him. "No."

Zeke and Beatrice shake their heads at Uriah, and then Zeke turns to me.

"Sorry if we interrupted something," he waggles his eyebrows. "I can take you two somewhere a little more private if you'd like."

Beatrice shrugs her shoulders before punching Uriah in the shoulder again, and Zeke starts leading us to a dorm the looks almost like the one for Transfers, but this dorm feels a little more welcoming, like the Dauntless-Borns are being welcomed home whereas the Transfer dorm feels like it's telling me that I should leave. Zeke points out which bed is his and invites the two of us to dinner with his mom.

"I have to find my mom first," Beatrice replies before I can refuse the offer. I want more time for just the two of us. "Would she be welcome too?"

Uriah jumps up from the random bed he had sat on, "I'll go find her and invite her too. Grandpa James is going to be there too. I can't wait to introduce everyone to my best friend."

Uriah bounces his way out of the room as if he wanted to start his search immediately.

"Yes, your mom is welcome to eat with us," Zeke replies to Beatrice's question. "Now, Four, are you going to introduce me to her, or will I have to wait until Uriah introduces everyone to his best friend?"

I shake my head at how strange it seemed that the girl I loved was best friends with the little brother of my first friend. "Zeke, this is my girlfriend, Beatrice. Beatrice, this is my friend Zeke."

"Please, call me Tris. Uriah and I came up with it as my future Dauntless name."

Ah, so that's why Uriah greeted her calling her Tris.

"I'll come get the two of you before dinner. I wouldn't suggest hanging out on anyone else's beds. You never know what you'll find on them."

Beatrice nods politely and sits down on Zeke's bed pulling me down with her. As he leaves the room grinning, she pulls me into a deep hungry kiss that reminds me of all the times we snuck into one of the abandoned houses near the school.

Even though I know it has been hours, when Zeke appears in the doorway to tell us it's time for dinner, it feels like it's only been a couple minutes.

"I'll wait outside while you two get ready," he says making a quick exit with a very embarrassed look on his face.

Beatrice and I quickly return to our original manner exchanging our own embarrassed looks at not being ready before he returned. On the way to the apartment where Zeke grew up, it is mostly silent until Zeke finally speaks.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to sleep in that bed again."

The comment draws an embarrassed look from Beatrice that I'm sure my own face mimics. "Sorry, Zeke. I guess we got more carried away than I expected to."

Zeke releases a small nervous laugh, "It's okay, Four. That's what I took you there for, but I just didn't actually expect two Stiffs to actually do anything."

I guess it was kind of weird that Beatrice and I were more than just friends at our age being from Abnegation, but to be honest, neither of us ever truly felt like we belonged there anyway.

"I guess it's no surprise why you both want to be part of Dauntless."

We reach the door, and Zeke lets us in. I am immediately greeted with the sounds of a family who actually cares about each other. Sitting at a long table in the kitchen are a woman who looks a lot like Zeke, an older gentleman, Amar, Uriah, and Natalie.

The old man is about as tall as me with snow white hair. His eyes are deep set and a dark shade of blue.

"You're officially the oldest member of Dauntless I've met," I say to the old man with a little bit of awe in my voice. Amar had told me before that most elderly Dauntless took the jump, but this man looked older than Max and he's still here.

The man looks at me, and a sliver of fear runs down my back as I realize who he looks like. He smiles, "You must be Four. Zeke has told me a lot about you today."

I'm unsure how to respond looking at a face that gives me so much terror even though it holds an amiable smile. I remember that Zeke was saying that his Grandfather was going to be at dinner, but this man looked as opposite of Zeke and Uriah as you could with his stark white skin.

"All good things I hope," I finally respond.

Beatrice takes my hand and squeezes it as she leads me to two chairs that seem to have been purposely left open for the us between Natalie and the old man. She sits in the one next to him as if she noticed how his features had affected me.

Zeke looks between the old guy and me. "Grandpa James," he sounds confused. "You and Four look a lot alike."