Faction Before Love

Faction Before Love Chapter nine

Trinity watched the clock on the wall as if it would move if she looked away. She had been counting down the hours until she would go back to the fence all day. Leon had seemed to stare at her all day and she couldn't help but smile and hum as she picked vegetables.
h
"Trinity, what is going on?" Carmon had asked her.

Trinity had shrugged trying to lose her friend's attention.

"Is it the crossing ceremony?" Carmon asked.

Trinity had looked at her with a look of surprise, "That's right. It's in two days now isn't it?"

"Uh yeah." Carmon said with arched eye brows.

Trinity had focused back in her work. Her mind had been so caught up in the thoughts of Leon she hadn't been thinking about the aptitude test the day after tomorrow and the choosing ceremony the day after.

The clock finally told her it was time to sneak off so Trinity went to the living room where Gran was asleep in her rocker. She couldn't just leave. If Gran woke up and realized she was gone, she would wake the whole faction in her panic.

Trinity wrote a note saying that she had gone for a walk and would be back soon on the table beside the rocker and slipped quietly out the front door.

Once outside, Trinity broke into a run. She had worn pants because it was getting a bit chilly at night. And it was so much easier to run to Leon in pants.

It took fifteen minutes to reach the fence. Leon was sitting on the railing waiting for her. "Hey." He smiled.

Trinity smiled back, "Hey."

Leon got off the fence and took her hand making her hand tingle, "I want to show you something."

Trinity raised an eye brow in amusement, "What?"

"Come on. Just follow me."

He pulled her to the staircase and she stopped short, "Are we going up there?" She pointed up.

"Yeah. Have you seen the view?"

Trinity shook her head, "We're not allowed up there."

"Who's not allowed?"

"Amity."

Leon shook his head and chuckled, "I've decided that we don't have titles when we're here together. No groups. No factions. Just each other."

"Just each other." Trinity repeated in a whisper and closing her eyes enjoying the words.

Leon leaned his head against hers, "Come on."

Trinity didn't hesitate. She followed him up the many flight of stairs. Before they climbed the last set Leon turned to her, "Close your eyes."

Trinity did so and followed his lead. She took a couple of steps and Leon placed her hands on the railing.

"Okay. Look."

Trinity opened her eyes and gasped. Before her, the Amity fields and beyond that, a dark place. "What's over there?" She asked.

"I don't know. Leon sounded curious. "A hazy horizon filled with intimidation and mystery."

Trinity turned to him with a smile, "That was wonderfully put, Dauntless. Are all of you secretly well spoken and whimsical?"

Leon laughed, "I'm only like that around you."

Trinity giggled like a silly little school girl. Her gaze fell on the view behind Leon and the smile left her face.

"What?" Leon asked concerned.

Trinity walked over to the other railing and faced their world. All of the factions lay before her. Erudite, Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless and Amity.

"Trinity?" Leon asked.

"What are we doing, Leon?" She asked in a small voice. "This goes against everything. Everything I ever, thought, knew or was told."

"I know."

"I'm so scared." Trinity said as she put her head in her hands.

"Of me?" Leon asked.

Trinity turned to him quickly, "No, no! Of course not. Strangely enough, I don't think I could ever be afraid of you. I'm scared of the aptitude test. I want it to tell me I belong in Amity but at the same time, I'm scared it will."

"Hey, hey." Leon took her hands, "It's alright. Don't think about. It'll drive you insane. Just take a deep breath. Good. Here." He placed her hands on her shoulders and he held her waist. They began to sway back and forth.

Trinity felt herself relax. She leaned her head against Leon's shoulder and closed her head on Leon's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I'm beginning to like this heart music." Leon chuckled.

Trinity looked up at him and nodded, "Me too."

"Where did you come up with it?"

"My mom did. She and my dad used to waltz around the living room to heart music. It was the most wonderful thing to see."

"Used to? Past tense?"

Trinity nodded sadly, "My parents passed away in a car accident when I was thirteen. The truck they were in overturned and they, along with a few others, were killed."

"I'm so sorry." Leon shakes his head.

"What about you?" Trinity asked.

"I live with my mom and four younger siblings."

Trinity's eyes got wide, "Woah."

Leon laughed, "Yeah. There used to be six of us but my brother died five months ago. He fell into the chasm back at Dauntless."

"I'm sorry. What about your dad?"

Trinity saw the flicker of pain flash across Leon's face. "My dad...he...."

"You don't have to tell me." Trinity said.

"No. It's just hard to talk about. My dad cheated on my mom with another woman in Dauntless. The Dauntless leaders found out and so did my mom. She forgave him but he said he'd had enough of his Dauntless life. He and the other woman dropped out of our faction. I haven't seen him since."

Trinity stopped dancing, "How could he do that?"

Leon shook his head, "I don't know. My mom blames herself. But that man was simply an idiot. I'll never understand why he did what he did."

Trinity placed a hand on his cheek, "I'm so sorry." She stood on her tip toes and kissed his other cheek. When she pulled away, she chuckled at Leon's expression.

Leon shook his head, "I guess Amity have more courage than I thought."

Trinity blushed and took her hand away.

Leon took her hand back in his quickly, "Trinity?"

"Yes?" Her heart was beating out of her chest.

"May I kiss you?"

Trinity smiled and closed her eyes. She heard Leon take a deep breath and then he placed his lips against her lightly.

An alarm went off and a red light began to flash.

Leon pulled away from her, "You need to go home! Now!"

"What's going on?"

"I think someone's watching us. Just run, okay? Run!"