Inner And Outer Demons

|25|

Tris's POV

The very first thing that captures my eye about the building I walk up to, is how big and how tall it stretches. A church. A classic stone structure on the outside, with large wooden double doors at the entrance. The late afternoon sun shines down onto the building, and through the branches of the trees that are planted at a distance around the church. Flowers still bloomed in many colors surround the church like a rainbow. And walking up the steep cement steps, I open the heavy wooden door.

Stepping inside, the interior is far more spacious than I could've imagined. I knew it would be a large space, for the outside looked fairly large. But inside, it stretches further than I pictured it would.

It's a beautiful space. There isn't a question about that. The walls are made solely of colorful stain glass. Each color that blends into another telling a different story as they wrap around the interior of the church like a mural. It's stunning and breathtaking as I walk further into the church, unable to stop spinning slowly to look at every aspect inside.

It's warm inside, but a comforting warmth at that. As if arms became wrapped around me in a safe embrace the moment I stepped inside. It's dimly lit, an easy amount of light on the eyes. And shadows dance across the carpeted floor like a kaleidoscope, due to the stain glass and afternoon sunshine. This place feels nothing less than heavenly and welcoming.

I notice that it isn't very busy inside, only a few people occupy seats in the endless rows of pews on either side of the aisle. But walking deeper into the beautiful sanctuary, I spot the one person I came looking for.

He sits towards the back, but his head is raised and staring straight ahead towards the front of the church that sparkles as the light streams in through the stained glass at every window and wall. I've found a way after everything together, to easily pick him out of a crowd. It's like my eyes are always drawn to him, making it easier for me to find him when he needs to be found. Or when I need him for myself.

Walking up to the pew he sits in the middle seat of, I walk closer until I sit down next to him. "Hey."

Tobias looks over at me, and lends me a faint shadow of a smile. "Hey."

"I didn't know you were a church person." I tell him after a couple seconds of silence, and I lean my elbow on the back of the pew so I can face him more comfortably.

Tobias toys with a loose string on the seam of his jeans as he looks downward at his shoes, "I don't know if I'm a church person per say. This was just a place I used to come."

"When you were a child?" I ask, resting my temple against my hand that is balanced on the wood of the pew.

Tobias nods his head, looking up and dropping his hand that was anxiously picking at the loose string. And I wonder if he even realized he was doing so, or if he's so far off in his own head right now.

"Sorry I never made it to the crime scene, or the hospital. Did it go alright?" Tobias asks me, and looks over at me. Giving me his attention, and I know he's stalling before we discuss the slight elephant in the room.

I release a small tired sigh, "Yeah, I mean she wouldn't talk to me. I think a part of her wants to, but I think the other part of her is afraid."

"Afraid of what? Do you think she killed the council man?"

I shake my head, and pull my arm off the back of the pew. "No, I don't think so. But I think she's had some bad experiences with the police and that's why she's scared to say anything. Even if she's innocent."

Tobias nods, listening as I finish explaining most of my day to him. But as my story ends, I look to him and as he looks down at his lap, I know he knows what I'm about to ask him.

"What about you? I want to ask how it went with that woman this morning, but I think I already know the answer." I say, and Tobias runs a hand through his hair.

"I wish she hadn't shown up at the station, I wish she hadn't even contacted me in the first place. Needing to see me," Tobias shakes his head. "I was fine not seeing her."

I swallow deeply as I watch him speak, and the emotion is evident on his face. I can't quite pin point them all, but they are sketched across his face.

"You knew who she was the moment the Captain said her name, didn't you?"

Tobias nods, and leans forward in the seat. Resting his elbows on his thighs, and his head looks down at his feet.

"I thought it'd be easy, after all these years sitting down across from her. Easy to keep her at arms length, easy to keep any emotion I may have had out of it. But," Tobias shakes his head as his hands pull at his hair.

"It wasn't." I finish for him.

"You know," Tobias looks up and leans back in the seat. "I used to wish for just one more chance to see her, or speak to her. Plead to her my case maybe. I wanted for so many years for her to be in my life, but now that she's here, I just want her to leave again."

"I've moved on. It's been years, and I've got a good career and I've got you, and it feels like she sought me out right as I was becoming content with where my life was at. And that infuriates me more than anything. The fact that the moment I'm happy, she's back to screw it all up."

I can hear the confliction in Tobias's voice. The anger, and the hurt, they mix together as he speaks. And his face, it's the same two emotions swirled together.

"Who is she Tobias?" I ask him softly, and I hear him release a large deep breath.

Tobias turns his head to face me, and as his blue eyes find mine, he answers. "My mother."

A/N: Oooo, cliffhanger... kind of? I bet you guys already knew who she was, but now you know for sure! This chapter was shorter than I intended, but I liked where it ended and I hope you all enjoyed it!